Club History

Club Founded

The club began as an Under-14 boys’ team in 1980. Two years later, we entered the lowest division of the Ipswich Sunday League, starting our competitive journey.

League Founders

Joined the newly formed Eastern Counties Division One (sponsored by Jewsons) as founder members.

Name Change & Ground Development

Home games were played at our current Humber Doucy Lane ground, initially under the name Loadwell Ipswich.

• Influential chairman Jimmy Barker negotiated a name change to Lancaster Ipswich FC, and we eventually became Ipswich Wanderers
• Floodlights were switched on in September 1994 in a match against Ipswich Town, shortly before Jimmy sadly passed away in November 1994
• Early years also saw major ground improvements led by Roger Wosahlo and Tim Davey

Division One Champions

• Runners-up in the Suffolk Senior Cup
• The following season, we became Division One champions, finishing nine points clear of Maldon Town and losing just three league games all season
• A successful youth policy provided the backbone of the team, helping us establish ourselves in the Premier Division until relegation in 2002/03

Jason Dozzell Joins

• Former Ipswich Town star Jason Dozzell joined as manager
• After a mid-table first season, his second year saw promotion as First Division champions, finishing 7th in the Premier Division with one of the league’s best defensive records and average crowds over 100

New Chairman

• Jason Dozzell and Chairman David Bugg left at the end of 2005/06
• Ed Nicholls became Chairman and John Clarkson took over as manager, arriving with a strong reputation from the West Country
• That season included:
  • Ridgeons League Cup Final appearance
  • FA Vase 5th Round run
  • Suffolk Premier Cup Semi-Final vs Ipswich Town

Relegation & Reserves Cup Win

• After an exodus of players, Louis Newman took over with a very young squad but was replaced mid-season by Steve Buckle
• Despite efforts, relegation followed - the highlight was the Reserves winning the Chell Trophy against Wroxham.

Suffolk Senior Cup Victory

• Steve Buckle and Paul Grainger departed after a poor start
• Terry Fenwick became chairman, appointing Glenn Read and assistant Steve Jay, who rebuilt the squad
• By 2012/13:
• Promotion was narrowly missed
• We won our first-ever Suffolk Senior Cup, beating Whitton United after a dramatic comeback in the shootout

Return to Premier Division

• Achieved promotion after two long unbeaten runs
• Narrow Senior Cup final defeat to Whitton United.
• Set a new club record with a 12-1 win over Downham Town

FA Vase Run

• Finished 9th in the Premier Division
• Enjoyed a good FA Vase run, though off-field we mourned the loss of Roger Wosahlo, a key driving force at the club

Shane Wardley Joins

• Memorable FA Cup win over Canvey Island and best FA Vase run to date
• Relegation fears only eased late in the season
• Shane Wardley appointed Player-Manager for 2016/17

Relegation

• After a promising first season under Shane, a poor start to 2017/18 saw him resign
• Mark Benterman, then club legend Mark Goldfinch with James Buckle and Daniel Thrower, stepped in
• Despite their efforts, relegation followed

Stephen Boyle Era

• Stephen Boyle became chairman, rebuilding the squad and the club off the pitch
• Wanderers were closing in on promotion and reached the Suffolk Senior Cup semi-final before COVID-19 halted the season
• Later that year, we claimed our second Senior Cup trophy, with Connor Field scoring the winner

League & Cup Double

• Entered the Thurlow Nunn First Division South after two Covid-hit seasons
• 26 straight wins, a last-minute title clincher, and another Suffolk Senior Cup win sealed a historic league and cup double

Back-to-Back Promotions

• Early struggles turned into an incredible 17-game winning run
• Wanderers were Thurlow Nunn Premier champions and reached Step 4 for the first time in history

Step 4 Survival

• Our first Isthmian League North season began with on-pitch struggles and heavy off-field work to meet ground grading requirements
• Glen Driver took over as manager and steered the club to safety, while the ground passed inspection in April
• Step 4 status secured – eyes on progress in 2024/25!

Step 4 Relegation

A disappointing season overall saw the team relegated back to Step 5 after two seasons in the Isthmian League. Despite the early season struggles, there was a good end to the season as new manager Michael Brothers came in to oversee a team of the month performance towards the end of the season, taking 3 wins out of a possible 5 in April. We now focus on building on that form and having a successful 25/26 campaign.