Club History By Decade

Midway through the 2020-21 season, Phil Powell stepped down from his role as first team manager, with Craig Salter appointed his successor.

The 2020-21 and the previous 2019-20 seasons saw the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League competition suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and its aftermath, the cost of living crisis, presented significant off-field challenges for Salter to manage early in his tenure.

In August 2021, while assembling his squad for the season ahead, Salter brought former player Chris Coward back to the club. Coward, after 16 seasons playing for the club, has left in 2015 to concentrate on family commitments. A significant moment not realised at the time as in April 2022 Chris Coward stepped into the role of Club Development Officer, and set about the transformation of the club to be what it is today.

Salter stabilised the first team, finished 12th in his first season in charge. The following season the side finished 8th and continued to improve.

The 2023-24 season shaped up to be a head to head battle between Barnwood and Shurdington for 3rd place in Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2; the reward being the final promotion spot to Division 1. With Shurdington's fixtures completed, the race went down to Barnwood's final game of the season, a rescheduled match at home against Lydbrook Athletic. The game was held at Dowty's Sports & Social Club as Wall's Club operators had gone into liquidation and closed the facility in March. A win for Salter's side would mean promotion, any other result and Shurdington would go up. The match ended 1-1 and Barnwood remained in Division 2.

Salter regrouped his players and, despite the significant off-field challenges the club were facing with the closure of Wall's Club, went into 2024-25 with high hopes. The team finished 3rd, in a promotion spot and only 5 points behind the champions. However, due to two Gloucester based teams being relegated from the Gloucestershire County League into Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 1, it resulted in only two teams promoted from Division 2, and Salter's men missed out. The toll of the previous two seasons impacted Salter, and he stepped down as first team manager.

Hayd Rust took over the reigns from Salter, leading the team to 4th in Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2. In a strange twist of fate, 4th proved high enough for promotion and, heading into the 2026-27 season, Barnwood found themselves back in Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 1.

A few games into the 2026-27 season, Rust stepped down as first team manager and was replaced by his assistant Dave Moore.

In 2010, the latest crop of talent achieved their higher league finish of 12th in Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 1.

In 2010 the reserve side earned promotion to Stroud and District Football League Division 3 to give the club an identical footing to where they had been back in 1999-2000; first team in GNSL Division 1, Reserves in SDFL Division 3.

​Not long after getting the club back to where they had been, adversary hit again. In 2013 the club were relegated out of Gloucestershire Northern Senior League and entered another transitional period, with the reserve side also being relegated to Stroud and District Football League Division 5.

A new batch of players pulled together, including two future first team managers in Craig Salter and Dave Moore, along with the class of the early 2000s who were now becoming the stalwarts with Darren Brown, Ross Hancock and Daniel Rosenberg continuing their playing days.

In 2018 this side won Stroud and District Football League Division 1, a fourth time for the club. The title was sealed in dramatic fashion; heading into the final games of the season Barnwood were top of the league on goal difference, by just a single goal. They needed to equal or better the result of their title challengers Frampton United Reserves. Barnwood won 6-0 and clinched the title by 2 goals, restoring promotion back to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League.

Also in 2018 the reserve side gained promotion back to Stroud and District Football League Division 3, as things were once again on the up for the club.

Powell's rebuild focussed on recruitment on exciting young players who the club could depend on. Players who were teenagers but would go on to stay at the club for life, as more than just players. This exciting squad included Darren Brown, who's father Steve and uncle Tony had been with the club since its inception, Robbie Sherwood, Daniel Rosenberg, Ross Hancock, Chris Coward, featuring alongside experienced stalwarts Steve Brown, Mark 'Lefty' Ellis, Joey Spence and captain Simon Wager.

The first signs of the club rebuilding on the pitch was in 2005 when they were runners-up in the Gloucestershire FA Junior County Cup.

The following season 2006 the Reserve team was reformed and entered into Stroud and District Football League Division 6 under the stewardship of Mike Bollands.

In 2005 the first team won Stroud and District Football League Division 1 for the second time in its history, a back to back success after winning Stroud and District Football League Division 2 the previous year. The club was denied entry to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League as a ban was still in place following their withdrawal prior to the 1999/2000 season.

The first team remained in Stroud and District Football League Division 1, winning it again in 2008 to secure promotion back to Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2.

Promotion back to Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 1 followed in 2009 after finisihing as runners-up in Division 2.

In 1995, the club changed its name to Barnwood United. Having finished 3rd in Gloucestershire Northern Senior to Division 2 as Vikings in the 1994-95 season, the newly named side gained promotion to Division 1. This remains the highest step of the Football pyramid that the club has reached, which they emulated again in 2009 and 2026.

In 1996-97 the team were runners-up in Gloucestershire Northern Senior to Division 1; to this day, the remains our highest finish in the footballing pyramid.

The Reserve team continued on with their success, winning Stroud and District Football League Division 5 and 4 in 1991 and 1993 respectively, and finishing as runners-up in Division 3 in 1996. At that time, only the Champions were promoted, the Reserves missing out on reaching SDFL Division 2; a feat they did not achieve until 2026.

In 1999, just 3 seasons after our highest ever league finish, an aging talent pool and lack of squad depth led to the difficult decision to withdraw from Gloucestershire Northern Senior League and operate just one side. This was so that the club could focus efforts on developing a new young squad in Stroud and District Football League Division 3.

At this time, Phil Powell was coming to the end of his playing days at Barnwood United, where he had been since 1991. He was appointed as manager, initially as player/manager, and he recruited Herbie Ellis as his assistant manager and fitness coach.

Formed in 1978 by a group of members of Viking Youth Centre, the club was originally named 'Vikings' and began playing in the Gloucester & District Sunday League Division 6.

In 1983 the club joined the grassroots Football pyramid, entering into the Stroud and District Football League Division 4. At this time they played both Saturday and Sunday football. In 1986 the club amassed 5 trophies across Saturday and Sunday football and gained promotion to Stroud and District Football League Division 1, having 3 successive back to back promotions.

In 1987 the Sunday league side was promoted to the Sunday League Premier division.

The newly created Reserve side Stroud and District Football League Division 6 in 1988.

In 1989 the club won Stroud and District Football League Division 1 and gained promotion to Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division 2 for the first time.

The late 1980s saw the cessation of the club participating in Sunday League as they focussed their efforts on Saturday football.