Jack Pearce
Encyclopedia
Jack Pearce is a former football player and manager of Bognor Regis Town
. He is currently general manager of Bognor Regis Town and continues to serve the club after 40 years.
was languishing in Division Two of the Sussex County League. He helped the Rocks win the Division Two and One titles in consecutive seasons with his tough-tackling defending. In 1976 Pearce was almost forced into taking the manager's job at the age of just 26 since no one else would accept the job. Bognor were bottom of the Southern League
and were struggling to survive financially and had lost all their best players but Pearce managed to turn things around and as a result the job was his.
three times in the space of four years. They also won the AC Delco Cup in 1987, the only time a Sussex club has won a knockout competition outside the county. The highlight of Pearce's management career was on 17 November 1984 when Bognor Regis Town beat a Swansea City side including Dean Saunders
in a first round FA Cup replay. Swansea had been in the First Division
just two years before. In the first tie at the Vetch Field
they were unlucky to be held 1-1 but in the return leg at Nyewood Lane they won 3-1 in front of 4,500. They repeated the feat the following year and again in 1988 when they knocked out Fourth Division outfit Exeter City in the first round. Pearce led Bognor Regis Town
to the second round in 1995 and guided the club to the first round on two other occasions during their heyday in the Eighties.
returned to Division one of the Sussex County League at the first attempt and next season won the Division One title that was rewarded with a step up to the Southern League
. They played in this league until 1981 when they switched to the Isthmian League
where promotion to the Premier Division was achieved at the first attempt. In 1991-92 they finished in 21st place but escaped relegation due to Dagenham FC withdrawing from the league, but the following year they finished rock bottom and dropped into Division One. In 2002-03 they finally won promotion back to the Isthmian League Premier Division, and a 10th place finish the 2003-4 season was enough to claim a place in the re-structured Conference South
where the club remained until 2009. In successive seasons Bognor Regis Town
finished 9th in 2004-5 (their highest league position), 12th in 2005-6 and 12th in 2006-7, under Pearce's reign.
After a poor start and a run of 2 wins, 9 defeats and 1 draw in the 2007-08 season Pearce finally brought his 30-year reign as manager at Nyewood Lane to an end. On the Sunday 21 October 2007 following a 2-2 draw at Newport County
that left the Rocks second-bottom of Conference South Pearce stepped down. It subsequently turned out that during this run they had played most of the top teams but by then the reins had been passed to one of his protoges, Michael Birmingham who saved the club from relegation.
The most impressive thing is that he has done it all without compromising his beliefs to the passing game in a bid to turn things around and has established Bognor's reputation as one of the most attractive teams to watch in non-league football. Even more remarkably he did it without the help of any real financial backing.
"Like Shankly, Busby and Clough, the scale of Pearce's impact at Bognor will only be truly realised in years to come but there is no doubt he was one of the finest managers Sussex
has ever seen".
he has advocated financial prudence amongst non-League clubs and Respect for match officials. In 2010 he had served the club for 40 years. Aside from the club, Pearce lives in Bognor Regis
with his common-law wife Gill, and the pair also ran a newsagents shop nearby, until their retirement from the industry in 2009.
As of August 2011, he entered 42nd season with Bognor Regis Town.
Bognor Regis Town F.C.
Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The club are currently members of Isthmian League Division One South and play at Nyewood Lane.-History:...
. He is currently general manager of Bognor Regis Town and continues to serve the club after 40 years.
Player and manager
Pearce arrived as a 21-year-old full back in 1970 in time for the 1970-71 season. When he joined, Bognor Regis TownBognor Regis Town F.C.
Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The club are currently members of Isthmian League Division One South and play at Nyewood Lane.-History:...
was languishing in Division Two of the Sussex County League. He helped the Rocks win the Division Two and One titles in consecutive seasons with his tough-tackling defending. In 1976 Pearce was almost forced into taking the manager's job at the age of just 26 since no one else would accept the job. Bognor were bottom of the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
and were struggling to survive financially and had lost all their best players but Pearce managed to turn things around and as a result the job was his.
Cup competitions
Soon Pearce put together a team that dominated the Sussex non-league for years and made national headlines for their wins in the FA Cup. They won the Sussex Senior Cup five years in a row between 1980 and 1984, a unique achievement in the competition's 124 year history and reached the second round of the FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
three times in the space of four years. They also won the AC Delco Cup in 1987, the only time a Sussex club has won a knockout competition outside the county. The highlight of Pearce's management career was on 17 November 1984 when Bognor Regis Town beat a Swansea City side including Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
in a first round FA Cup replay. Swansea had been in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
just two years before. In the first tie at the Vetch Field
Vetch Field
The Vetch Field was a multi-purpose stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the Liberty Stadium opened in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at the time of its closure, but upwards of 30,000 at its peak...
they were unlucky to be held 1-1 but in the return leg at Nyewood Lane they won 3-1 in front of 4,500. They repeated the feat the following year and again in 1988 when they knocked out Fourth Division outfit Exeter City in the first round. Pearce led Bognor Regis Town
Bognor Regis Town F.C.
Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The club are currently members of Isthmian League Division One South and play at Nyewood Lane.-History:...
to the second round in 1995 and guided the club to the first round on two other occasions during their heyday in the Eighties.
League form
Pearce matched his success in cup competitions with success in the league. In the season 1970-71 Bognor Regis TownBognor Regis Town F.C.
Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The club are currently members of Isthmian League Division One South and play at Nyewood Lane.-History:...
returned to Division one of the Sussex County League at the first attempt and next season won the Division One title that was rewarded with a step up to the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
. They played in this league until 1981 when they switched to the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
where promotion to the Premier Division was achieved at the first attempt. In 1991-92 they finished in 21st place but escaped relegation due to Dagenham FC withdrawing from the league, but the following year they finished rock bottom and dropped into Division One. In 2002-03 they finally won promotion back to the Isthmian League Premier Division, and a 10th place finish the 2003-4 season was enough to claim a place in the re-structured Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
where the club remained until 2009. In successive seasons Bognor Regis Town
Bognor Regis Town F.C.
Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The club are currently members of Isthmian League Division One South and play at Nyewood Lane.-History:...
finished 9th in 2004-5 (their highest league position), 12th in 2005-6 and 12th in 2006-7, under Pearce's reign.
After a poor start and a run of 2 wins, 9 defeats and 1 draw in the 2007-08 season Pearce finally brought his 30-year reign as manager at Nyewood Lane to an end. On the Sunday 21 October 2007 following a 2-2 draw at Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
that left the Rocks second-bottom of Conference South Pearce stepped down. It subsequently turned out that during this run they had played most of the top teams but by then the reins had been passed to one of his protoges, Michael Birmingham who saved the club from relegation.
The most impressive thing is that he has done it all without compromising his beliefs to the passing game in a bid to turn things around and has established Bognor's reputation as one of the most attractive teams to watch in non-league football. Even more remarkably he did it without the help of any real financial backing.
"Like Shankly, Busby and Clough, the scale of Pearce's impact at Bognor will only be truly realised in years to come but there is no doubt he was one of the finest managers Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
has ever seen".
General manager
Although Pearce no longer manages the first team, he stepped down to give more attention to the day to day running of the club and was very busy in the club's 125th Anniversary year in 2008. Since he stepped down as team boss at Bognor, in his role at the FAThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
he has advocated financial prudence amongst non-League clubs and Respect for match officials. In 2010 he had served the club for 40 years. Aside from the club, Pearce lives in Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
with his common-law wife Gill, and the pair also ran a newsagents shop nearby, until their retirement from the industry in 2009.
As of August 2011, he entered 42nd season with Bognor Regis Town.