SOUTHALL, Reading, Uxbridge, Old Etonians, Maidenhead United, Marlow and a number of other South East based clubs are all celebrating their 150th anniversaries, but how much do you know about your local football history?
All of the clubs celebrating 150th anniversaries have faced triumph and adversity.
Several clubs on the list below took part in the first FA Cup competition in 1871, one of the clubs won an international competition featuring Belgian sides FC Bruges and Antwerp, and one of the teams on this list refused to come out for the second half after conceding eight first half goals in a local derby.
Here, in part one of this three-part focus on clubs celebrating their 150th anniversaries, we take a look at the South East clubs (located within 100 miles of Southall) that were formed in 1870, and what they have gone on to achieve in the last 150 years...
Maidenhead United
Formed: October 1870
Status: Active
Now playing in: National League
Current ground: York Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire (since 1871)
Distance from Southall: 18 miles
Historical highlights include:
Played in the first FA Cup competition in 1871 (reached round two)
Oldest senior football ground in continual use by the same club
MAIDENHEAD UNITED are managed by former Southall, West Ham and England winger Alan Devonshire.
The club was established in October 1870 and played its first match on 17 December 1870 against Windsor Home Park.
The Magpies have played at their York Road ground since playing its first match there on 16 February 1871, making York Road the oldest senior football ground continuously used by the same club.
Maidenhead were one of the original eight teams that competed in the first four FA Cup first round games in 1871, beating local rivals Marlow 2-0.
They have been involved in all but one FA Cup competition since, reaching the quarter-finals three seasons running, in 1872–73, 1873–74 and 1874–75.
The Magpies were founder members of the Southern League in 1894.
In 1935–36 they reached the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup, and in 1960-61 they reached the first round of the FA Cup and went on to win the Corinthian League for a second time at the end of the season. They won the league again in 1961 and 1962.
Another FA Cup first round appearance followed in 1962-63 and they managed a fourth FA Cup first round appearance in 1971-72.
In 1973 the club joined the Isthmian League. They finished runners-up in Division Two South in 1990-91 to earn promotion to Division One. A third place finish in Division One in 1999-2000 saw Maidenhead promoted to the Premier Division and, In 2003-04, they finished 12th in the Premier Division, earning a place in the new Conference South.
The club were relegated to the Premier Division of the Southern League in 2006. They reached the FA Cup first round for the first time since the 1970s the following season and finished fourth in the Premier Division, to qualify for the promotion play-offs, beating Team Bath in the final to secure promotion back to the Conference South.
They reached the FA Cup first round again in 2007, 2011 and 2015, when they lost 3–1 at home to Port Vale in a replay.
During Devonshire's second spell as Maidenhead manager, he guided the team to the National League South title in 2017 and promotion to the National League's top division.
In their first season in the National League, they reached the FA Cup first round, losing 2–0 at Coventry City, and reached the first round again in 2019, losing 3–1 at home to Rotherham.
Honours include:
National League South Champions (2016–17)
Isthmian League Full Members Cup winners (1996–97)
Corinthian League Champions (1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62)
Spartan League Champions (1926–27, 1931–32, 1933–34)
Great Western Suburban League Champions (1919–20)
West Berkshire League Champions (1902–03)
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup Winners (1894–95, 1895–96, 1911–12, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1938–39, 1945–46, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17)
Windsor Home Park
Date formed: Unknown (first match took place in December 1870)
Status: No longer in existence
Ground: Home Park, Windsor, Berkshire
Distance from Southall: 12 miles
Historical highlights include:
Entering the FA Cup in its second season in 1872-83
THERE appears to be a reference to a 'Home Park Football Club' in Windsor dating back to as early as 1854.
However, there is no definitive record of the Windsor team playing a football match until 1870, with the Windsor and Eton Express newspaper stating that "The Windsor Home Park Football Club played their first match" in December 1870.
The club played regularly against local rivals including Maidenhead and Great Marlow and entered the FA Cup in 1872-3 and 1874-5.
In September 1882, the club amalgamated with local rivals Grosvenor Football Club to form Windsor Football Club.
There does not appear to be any evidence of a link with Windsor & Eton FC, which was formed on 18 August 1892 with a merger of Windsor Phoenix and Windsor St Albans, but was wound up on 2 February 2011 as a result of large debts. A new club, Windsor FC, was formed the same day.
South Norwood
Date formed: Unknown (circa 1870)
Status: No longer in existence
Ground: Portland Road, South Norwood, London
Distance from Southall: 23 miles
Historical highlights include:
Reaching the FA Cup second round five times
South Norwood's William Lindsay played for England
The Smith brothers played in the first ever international match
SOUTH NORWOOD was an amateur football club that was founded circa 1870 and was based in South Norwood, near Croydon.
They played home games in Portland Road, a mile from their local rivals Crystal Palace.
They took part in the FA Cup in the 1872-73 season and in their first game in the competition, they beat Barnes 1-0 to secure a second round tie against Windsor Home Park. They won the game but it was voided and they lost the replay 3-0.
South Norwood reached the second round of the FA Cup on four further occasions. The club was dissolved circa 1880.
Their FA Cup record was as follows:
1872-73: Round 1: Barnes (A) won 1–0; Round 2: Windsor Home Park (H) won 1–0 (Match void), Round 2 replay: Windsor Home Park (A) lost 3–0
1873–74: Round 1: Cambridge University (A) lost 1–0
1874–75: Round 1: Pilgrims (A) lost 3–1
1875–76: Round 1: Clydesdale Walkover; Round 2: Swifts (H) lost 5–0
1876–77: Round 1: Saxons (H) won 4–1; Round 2: Sheffield (H) lost 7–0
1877–78: Round 1: Reading (A) lost 2–0
1878–79: Round 1: Leyton Walkover; Round 2: Cambridge University (A) lost 3–0
1879–80: Round 1: Brentwood (H) won 4–2; Round 2: Clapham Rovers (H) lost 4–1
Brothers Robert and James Smith played for South Norwood and appeared together for Scotland in the first officially recognised international football match in November 1872. England international William Lindsay also played for South Norwood.
Marlow
Formed: 22 November 1870
Status: Active
Now playing in: Isthmian League South Central Division
Current ground: Alfred Davis Memorial Ground, Oak Tree Road, Marlow, Buckinghamshire (since 1928)
Distance from Southall: 24 miles
Historical highlights include:
Played in the first FA Cup competition in 1871
The only club to enter the FA Cup every season since it started
Reached the FA Cup third round
MARLOW are the only football club to have entered the FA Cup every season since it began.
The club was formed at a meeting at The Compleat Angler Hotel in Marlow on 22 November 1870 and in 1871, they were one of the first eight teams to play in the first round of the FA Cup, losing 2-0 to local rivals Maidenhead United.
One of the Marlow players in the early days was Cuthbert Ottoway, who went on to captain England in the first recognised football international match against Scotland the following year.
In 1881-82 the club reached the FA Cup semi-finals, losing 5-0 to Old Etonians.
During the 1890s, the club was also known as Great Marlow.
Marlow have played at their Alfred Davis Memorial Ground since 1928. The ground was named after their long-serving secretary who had died in 1924.
Fast forward to near the end of the 20th century and the early 1990s was something of a golden era for Marlow.
In 1991-92 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1892, but lost 6–0 against West Bromwich Albion.
The following season saw Marlow reach the third round of the FA Cup. They were drawn at home to Tottenham, but the match was switched to White Hart Lane, where they lost 5-1. Manager Dave Russell and captain Dave Lay are both Tottenham fans and it was Lay who scored Marlow's consolation goal.
Two seasons later they reached the third round again, beating Oxford United in the first round, before losing 2-0 at Swindon Town in the third round.
They were playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division after securing two promotions from Division Two South and Division One in the 1980s.
They were one of the top sides in the Isthmian League Premier Division in the first four years of the 1990s, finishing seventh in 1991, sixth in 1992 and third in 1994, but they were relegated from the Premier Division the following season and two seasons later, they were relegated again.
They were transferred to Division One West of the Southern League in 2004, and were later transferred to Division One Central. In 2011-12 the club finish bottom of Division One Central of the Southern League and were relegated to the Hellenic League.
Marlow won the Hellenic League Premier Division at their first attempt, earning promotion back to Division One Central of the Southern League.
In 2016-17, they finished fourth in Division One Central, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, going on to lose 2–0 to Barton Rovers in the semi-finals.
At the end of the 2017-18 season the club were transferred to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League.
Honours:
Isthmian League Division One champions (1987–88)
Spartan League Division One champions (1937–38), Division Two West champions (1929–30)
Hellenic League Premier Division champions (2012–13)
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup Winners (1990–91, 1993–94)
The Marlow FC team of 1894
Abingdon Town
Formed: 1870 (As Abingdon FC)
Status: Active
Now playing in: Hellenic League Division One East
Current ground: Culham Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Distance from Southall: 49 miles
Historical highlights include:
Winning 12 league titles
Winning the Hellenic League Premier Division four times
THE CLUB was established as Abingdon Football Club in 1870.
From 1892 they played in the Oxford & District League and were champions in the 1899–00 and 1900–01 seasons.
In 1919, after spells in the Berks & Bucks League, West Berks League and Reading Temperance League, they joined the the North Berks League and won the title at their first attempt. After a second championship win in 1922–23 the club switched leagues again, to the Reading & District League.
In 1928, they became Abingdon Town FC.
A stand was built in 1928 and two years later the club were able to buy the ground for £300. The stand burnt down soon after World War II and was replaced (the pitch was later rotated 90° and a new main stand built in 1991, with its seats taken from the original Wembley Stadium).
In 1931–32 the club were promoted to the Premier Division and finished bottom of the table in the next two seasons, but were not relegated. They finished bottom again in 1936–37, after which they transferred to the Oxfordshire Senior League and finished bottom again, before returning to the North Berks League in 1938.
Following World War II, Abingdon Town rejoined the Reading & District League in 1945 and were runners-up in 1946–47, after losing a title play-off against Thatcham Town, then won the league the following season.
They played for three seasons in the they played for three seasons in the Spartan League, before becoming founder members of the Hellenic League in 1953, and were champions in 1956–57, 1958–59 and 1959–60. They were Division One champions in 1976 and Premier Division champions in 1987.
Abingdon Town were Spartan League Premier Division champions in 1988-89 and Isthmian League Division Two South champions in 1990-91.
In December 2019, after conceding eight goals in the first half of a league match against local rivals Abingdon United, the team refused to play the second half and instead left the ground. Abingdon manager Tranell Richardson resigned the following day, claiming the team had been unable to train for three months due to lack of facilities.
Honours:
Isthmian League Division Two South champions (1990–91)
Hellenic League Premier Division champions (1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1986–87); Division One champions (1975–76)
Spartan League Premier Division champions (1988–89)
Reading & District League Champions (1947–48)
North Berks League Champions (1919–20, 1922–23)
Oxford & District League Champions (1899–00, 1900–01)
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup Winner (1958–59)
Abingdon Town's Culham Road ground
Reigate Priory
Formed: 1870
Status: Active
Now playing in: Mid Sussex League (Championship)
Current ground: Park Lane, Reigate, Surrey
Distance from Southall: 39 miles
Historical highlights include:
Reached the FA Cup second round twice
Surrey Senior Cup winners six times
Challenge International du Nord winners
REIGATE PRIORY were one of the 15 entrants in the inaugural FA Cup competition in 1871.
The team were drawn in the first round against Royal Engineers, who went on to reach the final. Reigate Priory withdrew before the game, so Royal Engineers were awarded a walkover, but they went on to reach the second round of the FA Cup on two occasions, in 1874-75 and 1875-76.
They have also reached the FA Vase first round three times, in 1974–75, 1975–76 and 1977–78.
Reigate Priory were one of 10 teams present when the Surrey County FA, founded in 1877, was affiliated to the Football Association on 16 March 1882.
They were the first winners of the Surrey Senior Cup and reached the final 10 times between 1882-83 and 1896–97, winning the competition six times.
The club is one of the oldest football clubs in the world still playing on its original ground.
Reigate Priory won the Challenge International du Nord in 1910. The Northern International Challenge was an annual tournament featuring clubs from Northern France and Belgium, as they could not play in the French Championship. Later, teams from Switzerland, The Netherlands and England were invited to play.
It was hosted 17 times in the Lille region of France (Roubaix, Tourcoing and Lille) between 1898 and 1914 with 10 of the first 11 finals won by Belgian clubs, including two wins for Antwerp, with French club Le Havre winning the competition in 1900.
After 1908, the last six tournaments saw only French and English clubs reach the final, with Eastbourne (1909), Reigate Priory (1910) and Cambridge Town (1912) securing three wins for English sides. FC Bruges, who reached the 1899 final, went on to win the Belgian First Division title 16 times and reach the finals of the European Cup, UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup.