They`ve Played For Your Club…..Hitchin Town

Continuing the series on players who have represented the current clubs in the Southern Football League.

Hitchin have only been members of the Southern League after being switched geographically from the Isthmian League in 2004/05.

They had been in the Isthmian League for 40 years after moving from the Athenian League.

They took time to adjust to the Southern League and the best they could manage in their first five years was 11th in 2006/07 and they were relegated two years later.

They finished as runners-up in the Division One Midlands in 2009/10 and again the following season which this time earned them a place back in the Premier Division where they have remained ever since, enjoying third and fourth place finishes respectively in 2015/16 and 2016/17 under current boss Mark Burke.

Burke is now one of the longest-serving managers in the division.

He originally joined Hitchin as a player in May 1985 from Queens Park Rangers, and retired at the end of the 2004/05 season, having made 732 appearances for the club (the second highest in the club’s history), scoring 20 goals.

He was captain of the club’s FA Cup giant-killing sides of 1994 and 1995 and skippered the Canaries to two promotion campaigns.

He stayed involved with the club after his retirement and has been the club’s mainstay in promoting and establishing partnerships between Hitchin Town FC and the local community.

In 2012/13 he was appointed assistant manager to Carl Williams, and at the start of 2013/14 season took over as manager.

Under Burke’s leadership the club reached the Southern Premier Division play-offs in 2015/16 and 2016/17, losing the play-off final to Leamington in May 2017.

The club won the Southern League Cup in 2018 and last season reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time in 23 years.

The man Burke replaced in the dug-out, Carl Williams, first joined the Canaries as a player in 1996.

After starting out at Fulham, he went on to play for the likes of Carshalton Athletic, Romford – where he was taken off on his debut in 1996 afte5r scoring and is only the second Romford player, along with Dick Amass, to score on his debut and never appear again!

He joined Hitchin but did leave twice to spend a season with Bedford Town in 2002/03, returning the following season, and then departing to spend two-and-a=half campaigns with Cambridge City and finish the 2005/06 season with Thurrock and then back at Bedford before re-joining Hitchin in 2006.

In May 2010, Williams stepped up from his assistant manager`s role to take over as boss at Top Field, replacing Colin Payne and led the club to promotion in his first term in command.

After leaving Top Field in 2013 with a record of 484 appearances and 35 goals for the Club in his three separate spells, he could be found scoring goals for Letchworth Garden City Eagles in the Herts Senior County League, which was pretty impressive considering he hadn`t played a competitive match for three years!

Striker John Frendo was a prolific marksman for Hitchin as well as several other non-League clubs.

He began and ended his playing career with Ware, for whom he scored 112 goals in 150 games in total.

He moved to Hendon in 2003 before returning to Ware in 2005/06.

Spells with Harlow Town, Cambridge City, Chesham United and briefly back to Ware followed before he signed for the Canaries in the summer of 2010.

His 103 goals in just 122 appearances for the club, achieved in under three seasons was enough to earn him almost `legendary` status at Top Field.

He left for St Albans City and continued his fine form with 44 goals in 55 games the following season.

He had a brief return to Hitchin in 2015/16 sandwiched by time spent at Hemel Hempstead Town and Dunstable Town.

Another successful two-season period with Royston Town, who he helped to promotion to the Southern Premier Division with 34 goals in 63 games, was followed by yet another return to Ware in 2018, this time in a player/assistant role.

A defender still performing to a high level with the club is Dan Webb.

The now experienced 30-year-old team captain was first spotted by Hitchin playing for Shefford and Campton FC in the Bedfordshire League.

He joined the Canaries in 2012/13 and has made over 370 appearance for the club, with 37 goals to date.

He had short loan stints with Langford and Oxhey Jets in the Spartan South Midlands League early in his Top Field career.

Hitchin`s record appearances holder remains as Paul Giggle, although he never played for the club in the Southern League.

Giggle had trials for Chelsea, Ipswich Town and Coventry City as a youngster but was not taken on.

He played for Stevenage in midweek league games, but they soon went bust so he joined Isthmian League Hitchin under in 1967.

He started off playing in the reserves but made his senior debut at Woking in October 1968

He did leave Hitchin to join then-Athenian League side Slough Town in 1972/73 but the move didn`t work out and he returned to Top Field.

In 1973/74, he left Hitchin again, joining FA Amateur Cup holders Bishop's Stortford under Ted Hardy, but he returned to the Canaries once more in 1974.

Giggle had his testimonial game in 1979 against Luton Town and a crowd of 1,162 came to pay tribute to him.

He came back to the club in 1983/84 to help the younger players and skippered the reserves and managed the youth team for a while but played his last game in 1986/87.

He made 769 appearances during his spells with Hitchin, scoring 214 goals.

In October 2017, goalkeeper Martin Bennett left Hitchin to sign for then-new league rivals Kings Langley.

Bennett was the longest-serving member of the Hitchin squad at the time and it was a big wrench for him to leave Top Field.

Then 30, he originally signed for Hitchin back in 2007 from Spartan South Midlands League side Bedford FC.

He started out on Watford`s books as a youngster before signing for Bedford.

He went on to make over 250 appearances for the Canaries and also had a loan spell with Baldock Town.

Forward Adam Parker was originally with Hoddesdon Town and Hatfield Town before joining Stevenage Borough in 1994, where he made 22 appearances in the Conference, scoring 8 goals.

He first signed for Hitchin in September 1995 but after a bright start to his time at Top Field, he fell out of favour with the management at the time but returned after Andy Melvin returned as manager.

He made 158 appearances and scored 52 goals before being transferred to then-Isthmian Premier rivals Aldershot Town in the second half of the 2001/02 season.

He played 38 times for the Shots, netting 10 goals, before returning to Hitchin in 2003.

Just over a year later he left Top Field again to have spells with Braintree Town, St Albans City, Thurrock, AFC Hornchurch, Hitchin again, Chesham United and then back to Spartan South Midlands outfit Hatfield Town as player-manager in November 2010.

He returned to the Canaries in 2014 as assistant to manager Mark Burke.

Parker made 317 appearances and scored 111 goals for Hitchin in four separate spells.

The first Hitchin Town FC was formed way back in 1865 but folded in 1911 amidst financial debt and a fire-damaged ground.

During those early years before they were re-formed in 1928, Hitchin could boast not only a full England international player but one who was also a vicar!

Andrew Amos started his playing days with Cambridge University whilst studying there in 1883.

A former Charterhouse Schoolboy, after leaving university he signed for Old Carthusians, who were the team of former Charterhouse boys.

He was also on the books at Corinthian and won two England caps against Scotland in 1995 and against Wales a year later.

His spell with Hitchin came after he became a minister in London – he later became Rector of Rotherhithe until his death in 1931 at the age of 68.

Wing-half Dave Pacey will always be remembered by older Luton Town fans as the local boy who scored their goal at Wembley in the 1959 FA Cup Final at Wembley against Nottingham Forest.

Born in Luton, after starring for Luton schoolboys, he signed for Hitchin Town in 1952 where he made their Athenian League side as a wing-half, whilst also being on the Hatters` books as an amateur, although he time with Hitchin was reduced due to National Service

Whilst serving in the Army on National Service, Pacey was stationed with someone on Arsenal’s books who recommended him to the Gunners manager at the time, Jack Crayston.

This led to a trial at Highbury but when Luton found out they immediately sent director Tom Hodgson to Newton Abbot, where Pacey was stationed, to ensure he signed professional forms for his home-town club on leaving the services.

He duly signed for Luton and made his Football League debut in a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Christmas Day 1957.

He held his place in the return at Kenilworth Road the following day and by the middle of February 1958, such was the Town’s belief that a diamond had been unearthed, they allowed former regular Reg Pearce to transfer to Sunderland for a big fee in those days of £20,000.

The highlight of Pacey’s career came the following season when the Hatters fought through to the FA Cup Final at Wembley where they took on Nottingham Forest.

Luton failed to find anything like their normal form on the day although Pacey could take small consolation when scoring the Hatters' goal in the 2-1 defeat in a final made famous by Roy Dwight`s unfortunate broken leg – Dwight was Elton John`s uncle!

Pacey went on to make 280 appearances for Luton, with 19 goals before enjoying three seasons in the Southern League at Kettering Town, playing 113 matches and scoring 20 goals.

He finished his playing days with Electrolux, for whom he worked for many years, in the South Midlands League.

He passed away in September 2016 at the age of 79.

Ray Bailey is another interesting former Hitchin player.

Born in Bedford, Bailey signed for his home-town club, Bedford Town, in 1963 but played in the reserves until turning `professional` with the Southern League club in 1964.

But in the summer of 1966, after making 82 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 13 goals, the midfielder was signed by Gillingham, re-joining his former Bedford boss Basil Hayward.

He went on to make over 170 appearances for the Gills, scoring 7 goals in Division Three.

A move to Southern League side Romford followed in December 1971, before he signed for Isthmian League Hitchin in 1974.

He spent a couple of seasons with the Canaries and one with Dunstable Town before having a spell in charge of Milton Keynes City in the Southern League Division One North.

He finished off his football playing days in the United Counties League with Wootton Blue Cross in 1981.

But as well as football, Bailey was also a very decent professional cricketer with Northamptonshire from 1964 until 1973.

A fast bowler, he took over 150 first class wickets.

He also played Minor Counties League cricket for Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and later became groundsman for Northants CC and Northampton Town FC at the old County Ground.

Another former international to have played – and managed – Hitchin was Jimmy Holmes.

He started off his career at Coventry City, where he made 128 appearances in defence and also won the first of 30 full caps for the Republic of Ireland.

He then signed for Tottenham Hotspur from Coventry City in March 1977 for £100,000.

It`s fair to say this wasn`t Spurs` finest spell and they suffered relegation from the old First Division.

However, Holmes played in 38 games during the 1977/78 season to help Spurs regain their First Division status at the first attempt.

With the signing of Argentina's Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, and the emergence of the wonderfully gifted Glenn Hoddle, it was now exciting times at White Hart Lane.

Holmes went on to make 81 appearances for Spurs before moving to Vancouver Whitecaps for a fee of £100,000 in February 1981.

He returned to English football with Leicester City in October of that same year but only made a handful of first-team appearances before going on to have brief stints at Brentford, Torquay United and then Peterborough United, where he spent almost three seasons, playing over 50 times.

In November 1985, Holmes took over as player-manager of Conference side Nuneaton Borough following the sacking of Peter Morris.

Holmes helped stave off relegation in his first season in charge, but the club were demoted back to the Southern League anyway, due to ground grading issues.

Holmes resigned in September 1987 after a Boardroom disagreement over money.

After a short spell as a player with Leicester United in the Southern League, Holmes joined Isthmian League Premier Division side Hitchin in 1987 as player-manager along with Doug Parkin, but he was back home in the Coventry area with Bedworth as player-boss in 1989.

Holmes later became a police officer in the Midlands and in August 2007 he was formally commended for his bravery.

Alan West was a very good midfielder – good enough to go on to make over 300 League appearances.

Born in Hyde, Cheshire, he started his career with Burnley and came through what then was a very highly rated youth system to go on to make over 50 first team appearances for the Clarets.

In 1973, he was set for a move to Second Division Sunderland but was told by medical staff that he had a condition which meant he would be crippled if he continued playing. He believed there was nothing wrong and moved to Luton Town that year.

To prove the medics wrong, he went on to play almost 300 times for the Hatters, helping them to climb from the Fourth Division to the First Division, finishing runners-up in the Second Division 15 points behind Jack Charlton’s Middlesbrough.

During the summers of 1976 to 1979, West was one of many British players to play in the lucrative North American Soccer League with Minnesota Kicks.

Coached by Freddie Goodwin, the Kicks possessed the likes of Tony Want, Willie Morgan, Luton team-mate Ron Futcher and Alan Merrick during West`s time with them.

He finally left Kenilworth Road in 1981 and spent a couple of seasons with Milwall before taking over as player-manager of Hitchin in the summer of 1983.

In his first season, he took the Canaries into the top six of the Isthmian Premier, but his time at the club – often hampered by financial restrictions – was characterised by relegation struggles and was sacked in September 1988.

West is now a pastor at a local church in Luton, named Luton Christian Fellowship, and is also the Club Chaplain at Luton Town.

Hitchin Town Web Site