SOUTHALL are among a number of South East based clubs that are celebrating their 150th anniversaries.
Part one of this three-part focus looked at the history of the South East clubs formed in 1870 that are within 100 miles of Southall.
Here in part two and kicking off with Southall, we look at some of the clubs formed in 1871 and what they have gone on to achieve in the last 150 years...
Southall
Formed: 1871
Status: Active
Now playing in: Combined Counties League Premier Division
Current ground: Robert Parker Stadium, Stanwell, Surrey - sharing with Ashford Town (Middlesex)
Historical highlights include:
Five league titles
32 cup wins
FA Amateur Cup runners-up
FA Vase runners-up
SOUTHALL have enjoyed huge success as an amateur club, winning five league titles and a total of 32 cup competitions.
The club was was founded in 1871 and entered the FA Cup two seasons later. They were founder members of the West London League in 1892 and joined the Southern League in 1896.
They attempted to turn professional for the 1904-05 but this left them with huge debts and they dropped out of the league at the end of the season, and stopped playing in competitions the following season.
After playing in the Great Western Suburban League, Southall joined the Athenian League in the 1919-20 season, then in 1973 they were founding members of the Isthmian League Second Division, finishing as runners-up in their second season to secure promotion to the league's top division.
The club then changed its name to Southall & Ealing Borough but, following three seasons in the top division then two relegations in a row, decided to change the club's name back to Southall.
In 1992, the club lost the use of its Western Road ground and have ground shared with other clubs ever since. They remained in the lowest division of the Isthmian League until 2000 when, after finishing bottom, they were relegated to the Combined Counties League.
They stayed in the Combined Counties League until March 2006, when they were expelled and had their records for the 2005–06 campaign expunged due to financial irregularities.
The club cleared its debts and continued to operate, restarting two levels lower in the Middlesex County League Premier Division from 2006-07.
The 2011-12 season saw the start of an upturn for the club, with a third place finish in the Premier Division securing promotion to the Spartan South Midlands League.
They claimed a first league title for 91 years in 2018 when they finished top of Division One, securing promotion to the Combined Counties League Premier Division. The team also broke the club record for most wins at the start of a season (7).
Former Southall players include Les Ferdinand MBE (who played for QPR, Tottenham, Newcastle and England), Alan Devonshire (West Ham and England), Gordon Hill (Manchester United and Millwall), Justin Fashanu (Norwich), Eric Young (Brighton, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and Wales), Colin Viljoen (Ipswich, Manchester City, Chelsea and England), Chris Hutchings (the former Bradford and Wigan manager who played for Chelsea, Brighton and Huddersfield), Ross Embleton, the current Leyton Orient head coach.
Former Southall player Frederick Chapman was part of the Great Britain team that won Gold at the 1908 London Olympics, while Ted Bennett was an England amateur goalkeeper and represented Great Britain at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
Other notable former Southall players include Arthur Shaw, who was part of Arsenal's 1952-53 Division One title campaign, and Gerry Cakebread OBE, who made 374 appearances for Brentford as a goalkeeper and has been described as "arguably Brentford's finest ever goalkeeper".
Reggae singer Maxi Priest and his son Marvin Elliott have also played for Southall.
Southall's many league and cup honours and achievements include:
London League, Division One
Champions (1904-05)
West Middlesex League
Champions (1906-07)
Great Western Suburban League
Champions (1912–13)
Champions (1926–27)
Runners Up (1954–55)
Isthmian League, Division Two Runners Up (1974–75)
Spartan South Midlands League, Division One
Champions (2017–18)
Runners Up (1985–86)
Quarter Finalists (2016-17)
Runners Up (1924–25)
Semi Finalists (1926-27, 1952–53)
Quarter Finalists (1935-36, 1945–46, 1959–60)
3rd Round Proper (1935-36)
1st Round Proper (5 times - 1925-26, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1936–37, 1955–56)
Winners (12 times - 1907–08, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1936–37, 1944–45, 1953–54, 1954–55)
Runners Up (4 times - 1895-96, 1919–20, 1928–29, 1985-86)
Winners (10 times - 1910–11, 1911–12, 1913–14, 1922–23 (joint winners with Botwell Mission), 1923–24 (joint winners with Botwell Mission), 1927–28, 1936–37, 1951–52, 1968–69, 1983–84)
Runners Up (10 times - 1919-20, 1931–32, 1942–43, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1998–99)
Runners Up (1997–98)
Middlesex County Football League Premier Division Cup
Runners Up (2006–07, 2011–12)
West Middlesex Challenge Cup
Winners (10 times - 1886–87, 1895–96, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1921–22)
Runners Up (1891-92, 1901–02, 1912–13)
Southall FC's 1883-84 team
Reading
Formed: 25th December, 1871
Status: Active
Now playing in: Championship
Current ground: Madejski Stadium, Just off M4 J11, Reading, Berkshire
Distance from Southall: 31 miles
Historical highlights include:
Football League (Championship) winners in 2006 and 2012
Three seasons in Premier League
Hold the records for most wins at the start of a season (13)
and most points in a professional league season (106)
FA Cup semi-finalists twice (1927 and 2015)
READING are known as The Royals on account of being based in the Royal County of Berkshire - but historically their nickname was The Biscuitmen, because of the Huntley and Palmers biscuit factory in the town.
Although they were established on Christmas Day in 1871, they did not join The Football League until 1920 and had to wait until 2006 before winning promotion to English football's top division for the first time.
They had come close to promotion to the Premier League in 1995 but, after finishing second to Middlesbrough and leading 2-0 against Bolton in the play-off final at Wembley, they had a penalty saved and Bolton came back to win in extra-time.
They finally secured a place in the Premier League by winning the Championship in 2006 and after finishing eighth in their first ever top flight season, they were relegated the following season, returning to the Premier League for one season in 2012 after winning the Championship title again.
The last competitive match played at Elm Park
between Reading and Norwich City in May 1998
The Royals played at Elm Park for 102 years, from 1896 to 1998, before moving to the new Madejski Stadium, named after the club's former chairman Sir John Madejski.
The club holds the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season, with a total of 13 wins at the start of their 1985-86 Third Division title winning campaign, and also hold the record for the number of points gained in a professional league season with 106 points in the 2005-06 Championship season.
Reading have lost the two highest scoring matches in the history of the Premier League, 7-4 against Portsmouth in 2007 and 6-4 against Tottenham Hotspur in December of the same year, as well as losing the highest scoring League Cup game 7-5 against Arsenal in 2012.
The Royals last came close to a return to the Premier League in 2017, but were beaten by Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Honours
League competitions
English 2nd tier: Winners (2): 2006, 2012; Runners-up (1): 1995
English 3rd tier: Winners (3): 1926, 1986, 1994Runners-up (5): 1932, 1935, 1949, 1952, 2002
English 4th tier: Winners (1): 1979
Highest league finish: Premier League 2007, 8th place
Cup competitions
FA Cup: Semi-final: 1927, 2015; Quarter-final: 1901, 2010, 2011, 2016
EFL Cup: Quarter-final: 1996, 1998
Full Members Cup: Winners (1): 1988
London War Cup: Winners (1): 1941
Football League Third Division South Cup: Winners (1): 1938
Other competitions
Premier League Cup: Winners (1): 2014; Runners-up (1): 2017
Berks & Bucks Senior Cup: Winners (3): 1879, 1892, 1995
Reading FC timeline 1894-95 Founder member, Southern League 1897-98 Also played in Western League professional section 1898-99 Left Western League, but joined United League 1900-01 Rejoined Western League 1901-02 Southern League runner-up 1904-05 Southern League runner-up 1910 Relegated to Division Two 1910-11 Southern League Division Two Champions, conceding only one goal at home all season Promoted to Division One 1914-15 Southern League runner-up 1920-21 Founder member of Division Three South 1925-26 Football League Division Three South Champions Promoted to Division Two 1926-27 F.A. Cup semi-finalists 1930 Escaped relegation to Division Three on goal average 1931 Relegated to Division Three South 1931-32 Football League Division Three South runner-up 1934-35 Football League Division Three South runner-up 1939-40 Football League season abandoned (outbreak of war) 1948-49 Football League Division Three South runner-up 1951-52 Football League Division Three South runner-up 1958-59 Placed in Division Three upon re-organisation 1971 Relegated to Division Four on goal average 1975-76 Promoted to Division Three 1977 Relegated to Division Four 1978-79 Football League Division Four Champions Promoted to Division Three 1983 Relegated to Division Four 1983-84 Promoted to Division Three 1985-86 Football League Division Three Champions Promoted to Division Two 1987 Relegated to Division Three 1992-93 Division Three re-designated Division Two on formation of F.A. Premier League 1993-94 Football League Division Two Champions Promoted to Division One 1994-95 Football League runner-up Not promoted after play-offs (SF Tranmere Rovers 1 Reading 3, Reading 0 Tranmere Rovers 0 - Agg 3-1, F Bolton Wanderers 4 Reading 3 @ Wembley) 1998 Relegated to Division Two 2000-01 Not promoted after Play-offs (SF Wigan Athletic 0 Reading 0, Reading 2 Wigan Athletic 1 - Agg 3-1, F Reading 2 Walsall 3 @ Millennium Stadium, Cardiff) 2001-02 Football League Division Two runner-up Promoted to Division One 2002-03 Not promoted after play-offs (SF Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Reading 1, Reading 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - Agg 1-3) 2004-05 Division One renamed Football League Championship 2005-06 Football League Champions Promoted to F.A. Premier League 2008 Relegated to Football League Championship 2008-09 Not promoted after play-offs (SF Burnley 1 Reading 0, Reading 0 Burnley 2 - Agg 0-3) 2011-12 Football League Champions (2nd time) Promoted to F.A. Premier League 2013 Relegated to Football League Championship 2014-15 F.A. Cup semi-finalists 2016-17 Football League renamed English Football League Not promoted after play-offs (SF Fulham 1 Reading 1, Reading 1 Fulham 0, Agg 2-1, F Huddersfield Town 0 Reading 0 @ Wembley Stadium, Huddersfield Town won 4-3 on penalties)
Uxbridge
Formed: 3rd February, 1871
Folded: 1874 and 1899
Reformed: 1879 and 1901
Status: Active
Now playing in: Isthmian League South Central Division
Current ground: Honeycroft, Horton Road, Yiewsley, Middlesex.
Distance from Southall: 5 miles
Historical highlights include:
Corinthian League winners 1960
FA Amateur Cup runners-up 1898
Middlesex Senior Cup winners four times
LEGEND has it that Uxbridge had a role to play in the introduction of the offside law into the game. It is believed that a letter from the club to the Football Association, suggesting that a form of offside should be introduced in football, contributed to a decision to introduce the offside law.
On the 3rd February 1871, a group of eminent local businessmen held the inaugural meeting of Uxbridge Football Club. The team started playing friendly games until making their debut in the FA Cup in 1873. The club folded in 1874, due to financial difficulties, but was reformed five years later in 1879.
In terms of club honours, Uxbridge have just one league title to their name, the Corinthian League, in the 1959-60 season, but they have won the Middlesex Senior Cup four times and were FA Amateur Cup runners-up in 1898, losing to Middlesbrough at Crystal Palace.
The club were founding members of the Southern League Division Two in 1894 and have reached the second round of the FA Cup once, in the 1873–74 season.
The club stayed in the Southern League for five seasons, before dropping out for financial reasons to join the Middlesex League. However, they only survived a single season in the Middlesex League before folding again, with a debt of £130. After two seasons the club was reformed and they joined the West Middlesex league, two seasons later they joined the Great Western Combination League.
After the First World War they joined the Athenian League. At the end of the 1919–20 season Uxbridge finished second from bottom and were relegated to the Great Western Combination League. The club returned to the Athenian League four seasons later and stayed in the league until the 1936–37 season when they failed to be re-elected after finishing bottom of the league twice.
The club then moved to the Spartan League, and finished top of the league. However, they were denied the championship, as it was discovered the club had played an ineligible player, so they finished third when six points were deducted.
Uxbridge joined the London League the season afterwards and then rejoined the Great Western Combination League during World War II. They had played home games at the RAF Uxbridge stadium from 1923 to 1939 but had to play away from home from the 1939-40 season while RAF Uxbridge conducted its historic role in the defence of the United Kingdom.
On 17 September 1947 a large house called Honeycroft, with 4.5 acres of land in Cleveland Road, Cowley (today part of Brunel University) was bought at auction on behalf of the club for £5,800 by Mr Try. The new ground was named after the house, which became the club's main facility. The first home game at Honeycroft was against Yiewsley in the FA Cup on 4 September 1948, which resulted in a 1-1 draw after extra time.
The 1959–60 season saw Uxbridge win their only league title to date as they were crowned champions of the Corinthian League. The club remained in the Corinthian League until the end of the 1962–63 season, when as a result of a restructuring of non-league football the league was disbanded, and Uxbridge joined Division One of the Athenian League.
At the end of the 1966–67 season Uxbridge were relegated to Division Two, which led to the club facing financial difficulties again and the ground was mortgaged.
In 1976 they met a full-strength England side at Wembley Stadium as part of England's World Cup preparations. England won the game 8-0. In 1978 the club bought its current ground in Yiewsley and also called the ground Honeycroft.
The 1981–82 season saw the club finish third in the Athenian League and achieve election into the Isthmian League. The club finished second in Division Two South in 1984–85 and gained promotion to Division One, where they remained for 20 years.
Uxbridge won the London Challenge Cup in 1994, beating Southall, Leyton Orient (at Brisbane Road) and Football Conference sides Dagenham & Redbridge and Welling United, as they won a first major trophy for 12 years.
Former Leeds, Everton and Leicester striker
Jermaine Beckford played for Uxbridge
Hubert Heron played for England on two occasions whilst an Uxbridge player, before he moved to Wanderers FC, where he gained further international honours. His brother Francis, formerly of Uxbridge, also played for England after joining him at Wanderers.
Former Uxbridge players include former Leeds, Everton and Leicester striker Jermaine Beckford, ex Reading and Southend striker Neville Roach, and James Harper, who made more than 300 appearances for Reading and also played for Sheffield United, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers, Barnet and Hayes & Yeading.
Honours:
Corinthian League: Winners (1959–60); Runners-up (1948–49)
Isthmian League Division Two South: Runners-up (1984–85)
Great Western Suburban League: Runners-up (1910–11)
London League: Runners-up (1945–46)
F.A. Amateur Cup: Runners-up (1897–98)
Middlesex Senior Cup: Winners (1893–94, 1895–96, 1950–51, 2000–01); Runners-up (8): 1890–91, 1892–93, 1913–14, 1926–27, 1934–35, 1954–55, 1997–98, 2003–04
London Challenge Cup: Winners (1993–94, 1996–97, 1999–00); Runners-up: 1997–98, 1998–99.
Middlesex Charity Cup: Winners (1907–08, 1912–13, 1935–36, 1981–82, 2012–13, 2013–14); Runners-up (1908–09, 1910–11, 1913–14, 1924–25, 1969–70, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1985–86, 2009–10)
Athenian League Cup: Runners-up (1981–82)
Corinthian League Memorial Shield: Winners (1950–51)
AC Delco Cup: Runners-up (1985–86)
Middlesex George Ruffell Memorial Trophy: Runners-up (2000–01)
Records:
Best league performance: 4th in Southern League Eastern Division (2004–05) and Southern League Division One Central (2011–12)
Best FA Cup performance: Second round (1873–74)
Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Final (1897–98)
Best FA Trophy performance: Second round (1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2008–09)
Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round (1983–84)
Read part 3 for a look at the history
of the following clubs:
(all established in 1871 and located within 100 miles of Southall)
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