Their Stay Was a Brief One (W-Y)

The ninth and final part of looking at clubs whose tenure in the Southern Football League was brief.

Waltham Forest were one of a plethora of Essex/Isthmian League clubs who were switched to the Southern League by the FA ahead of the 2004/05 season.

It`s fair to say they have had a few different changes of name!

Formed in 1868 as Matlock Swifts, they became becoming Leyton FC, amalgamating with Walthamstow Pennant to become Leyton Pennant, then Waltham Forest.

The club has played at a number of grounds within the borough, including Brisbane Road (now home to Leyton Orient) and the County Ground, probably better known as a cricket venue.

For much of the second half of the 20th Century, home games were played at the Hare & Hounds Ground in Lea Bridge Road, now derelict, but in 1995 the club merged with Walthamstow Pennant to play at Wadham Lodge as Leyton Pennant.

Forest featured in senior non-League football for most of the club’s existence, including their two seasons as a Southern League club in 2004/05, finishing ninth and 2005/06, when they improved by one place before being switched back to the Isthmian League after another re-structuring by the FA.

However, after finishing eighth on their first season back, Forest`s best position after that was 16th in 2009/10 and in 2013/14, they were relegated to the Essex Senior League.

Ahead of that season, Forest returned to Wadham Lodge after over five years without their own home ground.

The Stags were forced out of Wadham Lodge in March 2008 and played home games at both Ilford’s Cricklefield Stadium and Witham Town’s Spa Road ground.

In April 2018, Waltham Forest managed to stave off relegation from the Essex Senior League to the newly formed Eastern Senior League after beating Ilford 3-1.

But after the game it was announced that another change of name to Walthamstow would take place.

In February 2011, it was announced that Southern League Premier Division club Windsor & Eton was wound up in the High Court, because of an unpaid £240,000 tax bill.

The club did not contest the winding-up order issued by Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.

The club`s Stag Meadow ground was owned by the Crown Estate and its president at the time was BBC commentating legend Barry Davies.

Formed in August 1892 by a merger of Windsor Phoenix and Windsor St. Albans, they began in the Southern League and in 1893 they merged with Windsor Victoria and entered the first FA Amateur Cup.

A decline in fortunes saw them withdraw from the Berks & Bucks Senior League in 1901 before a ball had been kicked.

In 1902 Windsor & Eton Temperance FC was the subject of a takeover, with the name being shortened to Windsor & Eton.

After leaving the Southern League in 1896), the club played in a variety of leagues, most notably the Great Western Suburban from1904 until 1922, the Athenian until1929), Spartan until1939), Corinthian until 1950, the Metropolitan from 1950until 1960, Delphian until 1963), then the Athenian again from 1963 until 1981, until joining the Isthmian League.

During this time Windsor won their County Cup five times in a row (1941/45), which, until recent times was an English record.

In 1922 they recorded their best ever Amateur Cup run reaching the Fourth Round and in 1925 reached the Second Round of the FA Cup, losing 5-2 to Charlton Athletic at the Valley.

Two players who turned out for Windsor during this period were Vic Woodley in the 1930s, who later distinguished himself in goal for Chelsea, Derby County and England, and Billy Coward in the 1920s, who joined Queens Park Rangers before joining Walsall and playing in the first ever 'giant-killing' side which beat the mighty Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1933.

Without doubt the best period in Windsor's history was the 1980's. They started the decade by winning the Athenian League and reaching the last four in the FA Vase - just a year after losing in the quarter final.

The league title was retained in 1981, when they were also League Cup finalists and reached the First Round of the FA Cup.

Then came promotion to the Isthmian League Division Two where they finished fifth in their first season.

Promotion came the following season after finishing second and the following season the Division One championship was won, along with another appearance in the FA Cup First Round.

Their first campaign in the Premier Division saw them finish fifth as well as a draw at home against Bournemouth in the Second Round of the FA Cup.

Windsor eventually lost the replay with both sides already knowing that the winners would have a home tie against Manchester United in the next round!

They have had four further appearances in the First Round and three appearances in the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup finals, winning in 1988 and 1989.

The 1990s started with Windsor celebrating their centenary in 1991/92.

They suffered a poor following season and their nine-year spell in the Premier Division came to an end when they finished second-from-bottom and were relegated to Division One.

Season 1993/94 saw them finish 21st again, to be relegated to Division Two and although they improved their position by one place the following season, it still wasn't enough to avoid the dubious honour for the third season running in 1994/95.

Season 1995/96 saw a revival in the club's fortune when they finished third in Division Three and were the Isthmian League leading scorers with 117 goals.

Season 1996/97 (9th) and 1997/98 (10th) saw the club consolidate their position in Division Two and during season 1998/99 it looked like promotion was a distinct possibility, but a major backlog of fixtures proved too much for the Royalists and they eventually finished in fifth place and were runners-up in the Vanandel Trophy.

Season 2000/01 saw a complete overhaul of the club following the appointment of a new manager with Byron Walton taking up the reins and the changes were vindicated when the club achieved promotion to Division One by finishing runners-up.

In November 2001, following a poor start to their Division One campaign which wasn't helped by an horrendous early-season injury list, the club decided a change of manager was needed and Dennis Greene returned to the club once again - this time as player-manager, and although lots of new faces were brought in, it didn't prevent the Royalists from finishing in bottom place, although a league restructure meant relegation was never a worry.

Season 2002/03 saw some more experienced faces added to the squad during the course of the season and the club enjoyed its best FA Trophy run for years beating Welling United, Hitchin Town and Vauxhall Motors before bowing out on penalties to Aylesbury United.

Promotion was a distinct possibility until a horrendous injury crisis six weeks from the end of the season saw any promotion hopes rapidly disappear.

Some end of season success was gained though when the Isthmian League awarded the ground an 'A' grade following some frenetic building activity which saw terracing completed all the way around the ground, plus a new turnstile block and an extension to the covered terracing on the far side of the ground.

The following few seasons saw nothing spectacular happen with early cup exits from all competitions and league form that was anything but encouraging, culminating in relegation from the Isthmian Premier Division at the conclusion of last season.

During the summer of 2006 it was confirmed that the club would be switching leagues after 24 years in the Isthmian set-up to re-join the Southern League which they had first joined some 110 years before.

The switch in leagues coincided with a change in management for the first team with Simon Lane being appointed as the new man in charge.

Lane joined the club having had previous Southern League management experience at Berkhamsted Town and put together a decent looking squad for the new season.

In December 2007 the Board of Directors concluded that, despite their hard work in backing the manager in trying to build a promotion-winning squad, it wasn't going to happen for various reasons and the club parted company with Lane.

Former Windsor and Wycombe Wanderers striker Keith Scott was then appointed manager for the Boxing Day fixture against near-neighbours Slough Town and a win ensured he got off to the best of starts.

The team went on a good sequence of winning games but, unfortunately, it looked like the appointment may have been made a bit too late as the club missed out on a play-off place at the end of the season.

saw the club reach its' target of a play-off place finishing as runners-up to champions Truro City but couldn't find that extra effort needed in the play-off semi-final, losing to eventual play-off winners Didcot Town.

This came as a massive disappointment to everyone involved at the club, but the disappointment was short lived when the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup was won for the first time in many years with a convincing win against Marlow at Stadium MK.

Season 2009/10, however, saw Windsor edge out AFC Totton by a single point to win the Division One South & West title.

Windsor rounded off an impressive season by lifting the shield following a 1-0 home win against VT FC on the final day of the season.

Having been pushed all the way by runners-up AFC Totton, Windsor new a win against VT FC would guarantee them the league title and Nathan Jack`s effort eventually proved enough to win a place in the Southern Premier.

However, their time in the Southern Premier lasted only until February 2011 when they were forced to resign, having their results expunged.

But supporters swiftly re-formed a new club, named Windsor FC, who were placed in the Combined Counties League, being switched to the Hellenic League where they currently play.

Wingate & Finchley are yet another club to have been switched to the Southern League in 2004 after an FA non-League restructuring.

The club can trace its roots back to the formation of Finchley Football Club in 1874 making it one of the oldest clubs in the country.

Founded by Pa Jackson, who also was instrumental in the creation of the Corinthians, the London Football Association as well as later serving as secretary of the FA, Finchley became founder members of the Athenian League in 1912 after spells in the London League and North London League and finished fourth in the maiden season.

However, their stay was cut short due to the onset of the First World War and they would only return for a lone season in 1929 before returning to the London League and forging success.

The club’s first piece of silverware was won during the 1934/35 season when the League Cup was captured, with the taste of achievement forming Finchley went on to win the London League in 1936/37 before the Second World War scuppered their winning streak.

It was immediately after the conflict that saw Major Harry Sadow, Frank Davis, George Hyams and Asher Rebak form a Jewish Football Club believing the field of play was a ground of battling the ignorance of anti-Semitism.

So, in 1946 Wingate Football Club began life in the Middlesex Senior League.

The club was named after General Orde C. Wingate who, despite not being Jewish himself, oversaw the creation of the Israeli Army during the Second World War.

The club enjoyed early success and by 1952 they were promoted to the London League.

Meanwhile, Finchley, back in the Athenian League, were in the middle of their glory years with the 1952/53 season proving to be the pinnacle.

That year saw their progression to the Third Round of the FA Cup and defeated along the way were Chelmsford City, Kidderminster Harriers and Crystal Palace before the Finches were finally beaten 2-0 at Gay Meadow by Shrewsbury Town.

Despite an FA Amateur Cup semi-final appearance, losing to bitter local rivals Hendon at Highbury in 1965, a sense of decline was starting to emerge.

A switch to the Isthmian League failed to stop the halt, and in 1980/81 Finchley were relegated to Division Two.

Wingate by now had become a senior club and were competing in the Athenian League.

Many players had become members of the Middlesex FA representative side and also partook on behalf of Great Britain in the Maccabiah Games.

Disaster struck though in 1972 when their Hall Lane ground in Hendon was lost to the M1 extension and, despite a short ground share with Finchley FC, the club reverted to junior football.

Wingate finally returned to the senior game with a brief merger with Leyton FC.

This partnership proved to be unsuccessful and, despite a 1984/85 League Cup victory - ironically defeating Finchley in the final - both clubs went their separate ways.

In 1991 with Finchley struggling in the Isthmian Division Two and with mounting debts, it was announced that a merger with Wingate would take place in the summer.

After extensive refurbishment and a name change of the Summers Lane ground in honour of long time Wingate supporter Harry Abrahams, Wingate & Finchley took to the field for the start of the 1991/92 season.

Success was immediate and despite starting life in the South Midlands League the club were quickly competing in the Isthmian League and by season 2003/04 were members of the newly formed Division One North.

In 2004, Wingate & Finchley had their brief flirtation with the Southern League when, following a major re-structuring of the non-League Pyramid, several Isthmian League clubs were switched to the Southern League, with Wingate & Finchley placed in Division One East.

They finished 12th in their first campaign in a division with many familiar names.

And in 2005/06, the club mirrored that performance to once again end up in 12th place.

They were returned to the Isthmian League North in 2006/07 after yet another re-structuring and this was shortly followed by the arrivals of manager Michael Stone and chairman Aron Sharpe.

A youthful squad achieved seventh position in the Division One North in the 2006/07 but, following 18th and another seventh finish,

Stone left the club in 2009 after being offered the post of assistant manager at Conference giants Rushden & Diamonds.

The club’s manager in time for the start of the 2009/10 season was former Oswestry Town manager and Total Network Solutions Llansantffraid midfielder David Norman.

At the end this season the club finished in a record high position of third in the Isthmian Division One North, mainly thanks to a record run of 17 matches without defeat from the turn of the year - a run which included 13 wins.

The club reached the play-offs but lost out to Enfield Town in the semi-final 3-2 in an incredible match. This paved the way for what was to be a monumental and unforgettable 2010/11 season.

The club was quickly becoming the most progressive non-League club in the area, thanks to Sharpe’s focus on youth development. Bobby Aisien and Medi Alabimba had progressed from Hadley Wood and Wingate to earn professional contracts, and in 2011 over 20 of the under-16 to 18 age group represented their county.

Six boys at under-16 were given scholarships with professional sides and the club developed into a community club with a Mencap disability initiative, work with schools, and it entered its fourth year of the Flex educational scheme.

A consistent league season for the first team saw the side match their previous third-place league finish and earn a second crack at the play-offs.

In the semi-final Harlow Town were beaten 4-2 after extra-time, and promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division was won with a 118th-minute winner over Brentwood Town in extra-time of the final - the Blues winning 3-2 on their home turf.

This victory was the middle leg of a remarkable and unique `treble`.

Earlier that season the club had lifted the Isthmian League Cup having beaten Dulwich Hamlet 2-0 at Imber Court, and London Senior Cup success was to follow shortly afterwards when Hendon were convincingly beaten 3-1 in the final.

The first season in the Isthmian Premier Division in 2011/12 saw the side secure safety in this new level with a comfortable mid-table finish, ending up closer to the playoffs than from relegation.

The 2016/17 season saw the club set a new record, finishing in fifth place in the Isthmian Premier and qualifying for the end of season play-offs and the possibility of a place in the National League.

A last-minute defeat at Bognor Regis Town in the semi-final ended the season, but this was a magnificent achievement and saw the Blues win the league's `Team Performance of the Year` award.

A ninth-place finish followed in 2017/18 as the Blues narrowly missed out on a second successive play-off berth and over the summer of 2018, the club embarked on an extensive state-of-the-art refurbishment of the stadium, for the first time since 1991’s merger, giving the clubhouse a much-welcomed overhaul and making the stadium one of the most impressive in non-League football.

Like Wingate & Finchley, Wivenhoe Town were another of the Isthmian League clubs switched to the Southern League in 2004 after the rather curious FA re-structuring at that time.

The club started out as Wivenhoe Rangers by students from Colchester Grammar School in 1925.

They joined the Brightlingsea & District League in 1929 and after finishing third in 1929/30 and second in 1931/32, they won the league without losing a match in 1932/33.

They won the league again in 1936/37, together with the League Cup, the League Knockout Cup and the Amos Charity Cup, winning the final against Tollesbury 8–1 in front of a record attendance of 1,500.

The league title was won once more in 1947/48, with the Knockout Cup also won again.

They switched to the Colchester & East Essex League, winning the Premier Division in 1952/53 as well as the League Cup.

In 1955/56 they won the league again, together with the Knockout Cup, and also reached the final of the Essex Junior Cup, losing 3–2 to Heybridge Swifts.

After being relegated, the club returned to the Premier Division as Division One champions in 1959/60, but were immediately relegated again, and later dropped into Division Two.

In 1968/69 they finished runners-up and returned to Division One. The following season they won the division and were promoted back to the Premier Division.

After finishing runners-up to Mersea Island in 1970/71, the club were promoted to Division Two of the Essex & Suffolk Border League.

They won the division in their first season, and also claimed the Division One title the following season and in 1974 the club were re-named Wivenhoe Town.

In 1977/78 the club bought a carrot field on Broad Lane the outskirts of Wivenhoe for £2,500 to move back to the town, having most recently been playing at the University of Essex in nearby Colchester.

The following season they won the Premier Division and were promoted to the Essex Senior League.

After finishing runners-up three times in seven seasons, the club were promoted to Division Two North of the Isthmian League at the end of the 1985/86 season.

In 1987/88 they won the title, and were promoted to Division One, also winning the Essex Senior Trophy.

In 1989/90 the club won Division One, accumulating 100 points, and were promoted to the Premier Division.

A new record attendance of 1,992 was set for the visit of Conference side Runcorn in the FA Trophy.

In 1993/94 the club experience financial difficulties, needing to raise £150,000 to buy back the ground and finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated.

A second successive relegation followed and in 2004 the club were switched to the Division One East of the Southern League.

The Dragons finished fifth and qualified for the end-of-season play-offs.

But they were beaten 3-0 by Uxbridge in the semi-finals.

In 2005–06 they again qualified for the play-offs and after a fine 3-1 win at Enfield Town in the semi-final, lost 2–1 to Stamford AFC at the Zeeco Stadium.

The following season, like many other of their former Isthmian League colleagues, they were transferred back to Division One North of the Isthmian League.

In 2007/08 – just two seasons after being involved in a promotion play-off - they finished bottom of the league and were relegated to the Eastern Counties League.

During the 2008/09 season former West Ham United and Liverpool left-back Julian Dicks was appointed manager, but he resigned in June 2009.

In 2009/10 the club had the worst season living memory and finished bottom of the ECL Premier Division with a paltry 8 points, but, amazingly, avoided relegation after two clubs - Harwich & Parkeston and King's Lynn reserves - withdrew from the league and one club - Needham Market - were promoted.

However, they were relegated to Division One at the end of the 2014/15 season, but the following season saw them win Division One and were promoted back to the Premier Division.

Wivenhoe were relegated once again in 2014/15, bounced back again the following campaign but endured another awful season in 2017/18 when they once again finished bottom of the Premier Division with just 17 points.

They have been in Division One South ever since.

Woodford Town was established in 1937 and were founder members of the Delphian League.

In 1950 they lost 7-1 to Colchester United in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup in front of a ground record of 7,000 at Snakes Lane!

Amongst noticeable players to grace the Woods shirt was a certain Johnny Haynes, soon to leave an indelible mark on the game at Fulham and England and later given legendary status as football’s first £100 a week player at a time when wages regularly failed to reach the minimum wage of the time.

In 1961, Woodford switched to the Metropolitan League, before joining Division One of the Greater London League in 1967.

They left the Greater London League at the end of the 1968/69 season and re-joined the Metropolitan League in 1970.

At the end of the 1970/71 season, Woodford joined the Southern League Division One South but left after a single season in which they finished bottom of the table – 8 points adrift of second-from-bottom Canterbury City.

They joined the Essex Senior League in 1976, before switching to the Athenian League in 1979.

Woodford re-joined the Southern League South Division in 1982 where illustrious Tottenham Hotspur international duo Jimmy Greaves and Joe Kinnear were among a number of eye-catching signings, albeit in the twilight of their careers.

Amazingly, Woodford played in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1986, losing 4–0 to Piacenza in the semi-final and then 3–2 to Merthyr Tydfil in the third-place play-off - the former game featured on Italian TV.

They finished third in 1986/87 and reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time when they were defeated 1-0 by Essex neighbours Leyton Orient to a very late Colin Foster goal in front of another bumper gate at Snakes Lane - a game after which striker Paul Williams was transferred to Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed sum after an eye-catching display.

However, at the end of that campaign, Woodford voluntarily dropped back into the Essex Senior League, mainly due to financial reasons.

In 1993, Woodford lost their Snakes Lane ground, and transferred to Division One of the Spartan League, which merged into the Spartan South Midlands League in 1997, with Woodford placed in the Premier Division South.

However, they left the league in 1998 and dropped into the London Intermediate League, before returning to the Essex Senior League in 1999.

Woodford remained in the league until being voted out in 2003 after finishing bottom of the league for three seasons in a row.

A re-formed club – formerly Bush Hill Rangers – began playing in 2015 at the Goldsdown Stadium in Brimsdown.

This re-formed club only lasted one season finishing 11th in the league and winning the Middlesex Premier Cup in the process.

In 2017 returned to the Essex Senior League and reverted back to its original name – Woodford Town Football Club.

Despite nomadic spells at Broxbourne Borough and Harlow Town, Woodford began to attract interest for their attacking, youth-based playing style which saw teenagers Riley Scott and Jayden Brissett picked up by Ipswich Town and Brentford respectively.

The link with football history didn’t stop there as either Woodford won a thrilling FA Cup tie against London Colney on in front of 375 fans at the Harlow Arena on 31st August 2020 - the singular Friday night fixture goes into the record books as the only time the FA Cup has ended and started in the same month, a slice of football trivia unlikely to be repeated.