They`ve Played for Your Club…..Thatcham Town

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

Thatcham Town Football Club was founded in 1894 and were originally known as Thatcham, with Town only being added to its name in 1974.

The club joined the Reading Temperance League in 1896, winning the Division Two title in 1905/06.

In 1953 Thatcham became founder members of the Hellenic League and won promotion to the Premier Division as Division One champions in 1958/59, 1964/65 and 1972/73.

The club then won the Hellenic Premier Division title in 1974/75.

Following spells in the Athenian and London Spartan Leagues, the club joined the newly formed Wessex League in 1986 and won the title in 1995/96.

After finishing second in 2005/06, ground requirements were met and promotion to step four achieved.

The Kingfishers spent eight seasons in the Southern League Division One – seven in the South & West Division and one (2012/13) in the Central.

After sixth-place finishes in 2006/07 and 2008/09, the club achieved its highest ever position in 2010/11.

Despite being in the bottom half of the table at Christmas, the club earned 38 points from the final 15 matches to finish in fifth. However, Thatcham were beaten at Sholing in the play-off semi-final.

Once safety was assured in 2013/14, the club resigned from the Southern League to cut costs by playing at a lower level and dropped back into the Hellenic League and finished twelfth in their first campaign back, then second and fourth in the following seasons.

But in 2017/18 the club embarked on an incredible 40-game unbeaten run which saw them overtake long-time leaders Highworth Town and eventually pip Bracknell Town to the title in a thrilling end to the season, on goal difference.

That season also saw Thatcham go all the way and lift the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium on a brilliant day for the club.

Victory over Bromsgrove Sporting brought realisation the club could be on the verge of something special, then over 2,200 attended the quarter-final win at Melksham Town as cup fever swept the town.

Thatcham beat 1874 Northwich 1-0 and 3-2 in the two-legged semi-final and took over 5,000 fans to Wembley as Stockton Town were defeated 1-0 in the final.

After a season adjusting to Step 4 football, Thatcham sat on top of the Southern Division One South table with eleven games to play in 2019/20.

But with the club looking certain to achieve its highest-ever finish, and promotion to Step 3 a strong possibility, the Coronavirus pandemic struck, causing the season to be terminated.

Following the subsequent departure of the club’s manager Danny Robinson and many senior players, the 2020/21 season was set to be one of re-building with greater use of young, local players before the pandemic ended a second season early.

One of the Kingfisher`s heroes from the FA Vase win at Wembley was midfielderTom Melledew.

Formerly with Hungerford Town and Andover, he returned to Thatcham in 2011 but left Waterside Park for Abingdon United in 2012 and then Wantage Town, before re-joining in time for the 2015/16 Hellenic League campaign and was club captain for the next few seasons.

His career highlight will undoubtedly be lifting the Vase with the Kingfishers at Wembley Stadium in May 2018.

He went on to make 208 appearances for Thatcham, netting 9 goals.

In November 2019, Melledew, son of former Thatcham manager Steve Melledew, moved to Hellenic Leaguers Binfield.

However, a work injury when he fell 20ft plus through a corrugated roof down on to concrete last year, left Melledew needing an operation on his elbow and hand, while he also suffered a pelvis fracture, a chipped bone in his back, two broken ribs and a punctured lung.

A ‘Go Fund Me’ page set up in support of Melledew raised an amazing £6,000 plus, smashing the initial target of £1,000.

Des McMahon was an experienced defender who played at League, Conference, Isthmian and Hellenic League level.

McMahon started out on the books at Hungerford Town and then Wokingham Town before being offered a chance with then-Third Division Reading.

He made a couple of substitute appearances for the Royals in 1982/83 and a two more in local cup competitions before being released.

He re-joined Wokingham upon leaving Elm Park and was then snapped up by Paul Bence for Wycombe Wanderers, where he played a part in their one season in the Alliance Premier League.

McMahon made 32 appearances and scored 2 goals for the Chairboys, who bounced back as Isthmian Premier champions under Jim Kelman the season after.

However, McMahon had already left for Windsor & Eton and then helped Slough Town to finish third in the Isthmian Premier before heading to Thatcham Town in the Wessex League in 1989.

He spent several seasons with the Kingfishers, including a spell as manager.

Adam Campion was a flamboyant winger who, like many former Thatcham players, started his career with Reading.

After leaving the Royals, Campion joined Southern League Aylesbury United in the summer of 2002.

He became an instant hit with supporters with a stunning display as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers in a pre-season friendly and his pace and skilful wide play soon made him an important part of manager Steve Cordery's team.

He went on to play 72 games for the Ducks, scoring 11 goals. However, those statistics could have been higher but for the disciplinary problems he suffered throughout his Aylesbury career.

Things came to a head in November 2003, following a sending-off for a reckless challenge at Heybridge Swifts, and after that, Campion's contract was terminated, and he left to join Conference side Barnet.

However, later that season, Barnet were thrown out of the FA Trophy after they admitted they had played Adam Campion in a Third Round win against Dover Athletic after he had previously played for Aylesbury in the First Round.

He featured only twice for the Bees before moving to Isthmian Division One South side Staines Town.

During the 2003/04 season, Campion signed for Thatcham and enjoyed several good seasons at Waterside Park.

He later turned out for Newbury AFC.

Midfielder Harry Grant spent his early days with Sheffield Wednesday and Gillingham, where he enjoyed a 5-game spell with Maidenhead United on loan in 2013/14.

After spells with Bromley, Farnborough, Hayes & Yeading United, Beaconsfield SYCOB and Chippenham Town, Grant stepped down a couple of levels to play for Reading City in the Hellenic League.

Ahead of the 2017/18 season, he made the switch to Thatcham and played in the FA Vase Final at Wembley.

An overall non-stop box-to-box midfielder, after making 38 appearances for the Kingfishers, netting 14 goals, he signed for Southern League North Leigh in 2018.

Defender or midfielder Paul Taplin was one of Thatcham`s longest serving players.

Another to have begun his career with Reading, he was signed by then-Thatcham boss Jason Braidwood in 1999 as a teenager.

He was an honest player who supporters likes as he never gave less than 100% in every game in whichever position he occupied.

He went on to remain with the Kingfishers until 2013, split only by a short spell away at Abingdon United.

In June 2020, Taplin was unveiled as the new manager of Thames Valley Premier League side Mortimer.

Taplin had been playing for the West Berkshire club for several years.

Mario Nurse enjoyed two spells with Thatcham.

With Wessex League side Whitchurch United originally, he signed for Andover in 2002 and spent three successful seasons with the Lions and became a firm crowd favourite.

He originally came to Thatcham in July 2005 and proved to be a good signing.

The left-sided player, who can play at the back or in midfield, returned to the Kingfishers in December 2010 following a spell with then-Combined Counties League side Hartley Witney.

He went on to play for Andover New Street.

Paul Strudley is an experienced goalkeeper who joined Southern Division One South side Basingstoke Town as player-coach as recently as August 2020.

Now vastly experienced, Strudley joined `Stoke from rivals Thatcham, where he had returned to in June 2019.

He was involved at Waterside Park in 2018/19 in more of a coaching capacity but was eager to resume his playing career with the Kingfishers.

He played four times for Thatcham while making several appearances for Southern Premier South side Hartley Wintney with whom he was dual-registered.

He first signed for the Kingfishers in July 2004 having started out on Reading`s books as a youngster.

He joined from AFC Wallingford, with whom he had won the Combined Counties League.

He served as Thatcham’s keeper throughout their previous Southern League days through to the 2011/12 season and was the supporters` and players` player of the year on more than one occasion.

Upon departing for Hungerford Town, he was part of the Crusaders’ rise up the football ladder before moving on to Hartley Wintney.

Forward Darren Howell signed for Thatcham in 2006.

He was previously on the books at Egham Town, Hampton & Richmond Borough, Feltham, Hounslow and Hungerford Town.

He spent five years with the Crusaders where he was regularly the leading goalscorer in both the Isthmian and Hellenic Leagues.

Won representative honours with the Hellenic League and was also voted as the league`s player of the season for 2004/05.

He went on to help youth football in north Wiltshire.

Striker Ian Davies was signed by then-Thatcham boss Jason Braidwood as a 16-year-old from Wokingham Town in 2002.

He progressed through the Kingfisher`s youth ranks to become the club`s first-team top scorer for five successive seasons.

He first won the Wessex League`s `golden boot` in 2004/05 after bagging 35 goals and had a five-week trial with Fulham at the end of that season.

Davies enjoyed a prolific three years with Binfield, netting 111 goals in just 124 appearances.

He was also part of the side that lifted the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Trophy and AM Print & Copy Floodlit Cup in 2011/12.

He left for Marlow in 2012 and was the leading scorer in the Hellenic Premier Division in 2012/13, with his goals taking Marlow to the league title and Southern League football, winning him the supporters' player of the year award in the process.

He netted a further 9 times the following season, helping Mark Bartley's men consolidate their position in Division One Central.

However, work commitments meant Davies was unable to fully commit himself to the Oak Tree Road outfit, although he did remain dual-registered with Marlow when he re-joined the Moles in July 2014.

He left for spells at Bracknell Town and, briefly, Woodley United, before re-joining Binfield for a third time in September 2017.

He continued to be a prolific marksman for Binfield before leaving in the summer of 2019 to sign for Combined Counties League side Ascot United.

Probably the best-known player to have played for Thatcham is Lawrie Sanchez.

Sanchez was born in London to a Northern Irish mother and an Ecuadorian father, but when it came to selecting which country to represent at international level in his playing career, he chose Northern Ireland.

He only played for them three times, but his days as a player had one major highlight when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon's `Crazy Gang` as they shocked Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final.

Having started out at Southampton and then Thatcham, he signed for Reading in 1978 and made over 280 appearances, scoring 28 goals.

He moved to Wimbledon in 1984 and scored the goal that helped them win promotion to the First Division, playing for the Dons for a decade before moving to Swindon Town in 1994 and finished his career at Sligo Rovers as player-manager.

Upon retiring in 1995, he returned to Wimbledon as reserve team coach as he learned his trade, and in 1999 he took over at Wycombe Wanderers, who he led to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2001, only to be undone by Liverpool.

He left Wycombe in September 2003 for family reasons but was soon back in football in January 2004 when he took over from Sammy McIlroy as manager of his adopted country Northern Ireland.

He inherited a team struggling badly for form and most of all for goals, having not scored in international football since February 2002.

Two years on, in his first game in charge in February 2004, Sanchez at least managed to break that duck, with David Healy scoring in the 56th minute of an otherwise disappointing 4-1 home defeat to Norway.

A month later, Sanchez managed to end an even longer run without a win since 2001, with Healy again scoring in a 1-0 victory in Estonia.

Over the course of the summer of 2004, the Irish found a new confidence, scoring in all of their games and beating St Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago.

It took until September 2005 for Sanchez's team for record another victory in a World Cup 2006 qualifier over Azerbaijan, but only days later they managed one of their most famous results of all time - beating England 1-0 at Windsor Park - with Healy again the hero, although Sanchez won most of the plaudits.

September 2006 brought possibly an even more impressive result in a Euro 2008 qualifier against the star-studded Spain, who took the lead twice only to be beaten 3-2 by the Northern Irish team who were showing just how far they had progressed since Sanchez took over.

However, things did not work out at Fulham, despite Sanchez spending a lot of money in the summer of 2007 and bringing in many of his players from the Northern Ireland team.

They struggled from the start of 2007/08 winning only two league games by mid-December and Sanchez left

Thatcham Town Web Site