Chelmsford City

Chelmsford City FC, from the county town of Essex were formed in 1938. They weren't however the first senior club from the town.


Chelmsford FC were formed in 1878 and until they folded in 1938 they appeared in the Athenian, Eastern Counties, Essex Senior County and Spartan Leagues.

The old home of City, New Writtle Street
This image has been taken from the internet

City joined the Southern League Eastern Section and became joint champions in 1940 after the drawing play off match with Lovells Athletic. A year earlier they had quickly made their mark by reaching the Fourth Round of the FA Cup where Birmingham City ended their run in front of a crowd of over 44,000. City won the league outright in 1946 pipping Hereford United to the title.


In 1967 'The Clarets' reached the FA Cup Second Round and a crowd of well over 16,000 attended the local derby against Colchester United which saw the visitors win through. In 1973 another great run saw a Third Round tie at home to Ipswich Town which drew in a crowd of 15,557.

This was a great period for the club as the Southern League title was lifted in 1968 and 1972. On both occasions City failed in their bid to be elected into the Football League. The club were relegated for the first time in 1977 despite having a young Nigel Spink in goal and an aging Jimmy Greaves up front.


City struggled with cash problems and tried on a couple of occasions to develop their New Writtle Street stadium so it could bring in regular income, but the local council blocked the plans. In 1993 a supporters' group, led by Trevor Wright, stepped in to take over the club at the last minute following the resignation of Dennis Wakeling due to a fruitless High Court battle which effectively left Chelmsford City without a future.


The financial problems did not abate and the club received a terrible setback when the official receiver sold New Writtle Street Stadium, the home to football since 1938 in 1997. The team also struggled on the pitch having spells in and out of the Southern League Premier Division. The club decamped to share at Park Drive, the home of Maldon Town ten miles away from Chelmsford. They later moved to New Lodge, Billericay a similar distance from their home town.

City did not give up and on 2nd January 2006 the culmination of the club's toil to secure a home under the chairmanship of Paul Hopkins, a loyal Board of Directors, and with the assistance of the Council was rewarded when the club returned to Chelmsford to play at Melbourne Stadium.


City progressed and benefited when Jeff King arrived with money and many of his successful Canvey Island team. The club were promoted into the Conference South while off the pitch local businessmen got involved and reorganised the playing and youth set up.

Manager Glenn Pennyfather was sacked as team manager folllowing another play off loss in 2012-13, to be replaced by Dean Holdsworth.


Chelmsford City FC will compete in the Conference South in the 2013-14 season.




My visit


Chelmsford City 3 Boreham Wood 1 (Monday 14th February 2011) Conference South (att: 697)

I was on early shift and this offered me a choice of Chelmsford City v Boreham Wood or Basingstoke Town v Maidenhead United on a clear cool Monday evening. The ride to Essex won my choice so I boarded a busy commuter train for the fifty minute ride east.


I left the station where the bus stands awaited. I spotted some old boys in claret and white scarves and confirmed I was in the right place. The bus was due and soon the 'hopper' took us on the ten minute ride out to Melbourne.

I got chatting to a couple of the fans on the bus who knew the short cuts through the estate. They were good company and seemed pleased I'd decided to give City a go. I mentioned that they must miss the old stadium, but their response surprised me. They said it was just about falling down at the time and even though the Melbourne Stadium had an athletics track around the pitch they liked it. They wished that I enjoyed the game as we went separate ways.


I paid £11.50 to stand. The other option was a seat for a quid more but I like to wander around. Once through the modern turnstile block I was reminded a little of my visit to Withdean, the semi temporary home of Brighton & Hove Albion. There were several small outbuildings and many fans looking to sell programmes and half time draw tickets.


I wandered round to the large modern block that contained corporate facilities, the changing rooms and the clubhouse. The clubhouse was quite large with several TVs and a nice large bar. I tried a reasonable pint of Greene King IPA while having a quick look through the impressive programme. It wasn't cheap at £2.50 but it did contain one hundred pages. There was also a loose four pages in the middle which gave up to date information. The game was originally meant to be played on Monday 8th November and the same programme was being used to save money.

My attention was being drawn to the advert of a special Chelmsford City Ale on sale behind the bar. It was 6% but seemed very reasonable for £2.90. I don't normally go for beers of that strength, definitely not while at a match but I couldn't resist. It was a fine brew with a hint of Fullers ESB about it. I wouldn't want more than one in a session mind! The room had some nice memorabilia including a page from a brochure urging people to support City's application to the Football League in 1974.


I went outside to take photos and survey the scene. The Melbourne Stadium was neat and tidy and a real mixture of structures. The Main Stand was elevated and quite impressive with a small area of metal terracing at the front. However it stood back a very long way from the pitch. Not only was there the eight lane running track, but also the area used for long and triple jumps as well as the pole vault area. It must have been at least thirty yards from the front of the terracing to the touchline. The other side had the Athletics Stand. This had a roof overhang from the leisure centre behind and three rows of seating. Fans were allowed to stand on the flat bit in front to watch the game. This side only had the track between it and the pitch. City had made great strives to cater for other standing spectators. Through a series of portable fences a path had been created which led to a small portable metal terrace behind each goal. On my visit the club were in the process of raising money to upgrade these areas so that they would have roofs fitted. From the front fence the fans were as close to the byline as at any ground I'd ever visited. The whole stadium really was a mixture of views for the fans.


I started off looking from the terrace in front of the Main Stand but the view was badly obstructed by the two dug outs. I could see the value in spending the extra pound for a raised seat. I went behind the goal The Clarets were attacking only for Wood to take the lead. Some of the City players were apoplectic with rage that the linesman hadn't flagged for offside. They had a bit of a nerve as by then they should have been down to ten men. Wide man Takumi Ake should have walked for a terrible lunge that sparked a lot of pushing and shoving. The astonished looks of the visiting players and the laughter of the home fans when a yellow card was produced said it all.

The referee was not one of the philosophy that a good ref isn't noticed. He was handing out more cards than a croupier. I was heading to the clubhouse for a warm just before half time when City were awarded a controversial penalty that was dispatched by their ultra competitive skipper, Dave Rainford.


The second half started as the first period had been played out. City had more of the ball but Wood looked decent on the break. I stood down the Athletics Side and had a bloke who reminded me of Golden Gordon from the classic Ripping Yarns episode along from me. As usual the ball took longer to retrieve at an athletics stadium, although I must give credit to the many young ballboys doing their best. It was certainly a shorter break than at Kentish Town, London APSA and Bethnal Green!

City went ahead with a goal from Matthew Lock and slowly got control. Wayne Gray was being a real handful up front with his pace. Lock sealed the game with his second with fifteen minutes remaining.


It was cold by the end and I was glad of a brisk walk down to Melbourne shops to await the bus back to the station. The bus dropped me in good time for the regular service to take me back to Liverpool Street.


I enjoyed the City experience. They had made the best of what was on offer at Melbourne and the game was very quick if a little tetchy at times, no thanks to a fussy ref. I got home to find out that my other option had been abandoned after an hour owing to an injury to the Basingstoke keeper. Hopefully he will have recovered by the time I get to visit 'Stoke'.

Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town FC, who come from the North Hampshire town thirty seven miles south west of London, were formed in 1992 out of the ashes of the old Aldershot FC club.

The original club had been formed in 1926 and joined the Southern League the following year playing at the Recreation Ground. Six years later they won the title and were promoted into the Football League to replace Thames FC. The club spent their entire history in the bottom two divisions of the League with just a few promotions and relegation's to their name.

The former badge of Aldershot FC

Financial difficulties hit the club from the late 80's and on the 31st July 1990, Aldershot were wound up in the High Court as the Official Receiver condemned them as "financially insolvent" with debts of £495,000. This was lifted after nineteen year old Spencer Trethewy paid £200,000 to save the club and to allow them to retain their place in the League. However, it soon became clear that Trethewy didn't have the finances he claimed and was dismissed. In later years his shady dealings would catch up with him when he served a two year prison sentence for fraud and deception.

The club continued but more and more debts were accrued before they finally went out of business on the 25th March 1992 meaning all their results for that season were expunged.











Before long supporters had rallied and formed the new club Aldershot Town who were given a place in the Isthmian League Third Division the following season. They won the title in their first season and gained a further promotion. They had a few years wait before Town reached the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Terry Brown came in as boss and led the team to the Football Conference in 2003. 'The Shots' reached the play off final only to go down to Shrewsbury Town who returned to the Football League. They continued to perform at the top end of the table before Brown moved on to AFC Wimbledon while Gary Waddock replaced him. In his first season the team won the title and reached the Football League for the 2008-09 season.

Waddock moved on as did his successor Kevin Dillon before successful Newport County manager Dean Holdsworth took over the reigns in January 2011. Unfortunately Holdsworth's reign was not a good one and he departed in February 2013 with Andy Scott taking over. The team continued to struggle and were relegated back to the Conference at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Off the pitch was just as grim as the club battled for survival with chronic financial worries. Town entered administration a few days after relegation, before a consortium headed by former chairman Shahid Azeem took control.

Aldershot Town FC will compete in the Football Conference in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Aldershot Town 1 Bradford City 0 (Tuesday 18th January 2011) Football League Two (att: 2,160)

It was early shift time for me at work so I scoured the fixtures for a new ground not too far away. I set off a bit earlier as I fancied a couple of pints pre match, but found myself on the 4.55 out of Waterloo and in Aldershot before 6pm.

I had checked out the location of the Recreation Ground before I set off, and was given a further clue as the train went right beside the ground before stopping at Aldershot station. Indeed, I could even see a bit of the pitch from the platform.

My next job was to find a pub. I'd read reviews of The Crimea Inn and that seemed to fit the bill being close to the ground and serving guest ales. After a bit of a wander trying to locate the said pub I was soon inside the warm and busy alehouse. I thought it was extremely busy even considering the upcoming match over the road, especially as no-one was wearing any obvious signs of being football fans. Most were in black and it quickly dawned on me what was going on. I'd entered a wake!

The only area free was near the roaring fire and my pint of sublime Hogsback TEA hit the spot, but I decided to bail out after the one. It just didn't seem right. Instead I wandered across the road and waited for the turnstiles to open.

I paid £17 to stand on the East Bank and set about taking some photos and generally finding my bearings.

The Recreation Ground really was like nowhere I'd been before. It was formerly in a public park and entry to all sections was from the High Road. To get inside the correct section of the ground you had to enter through a designated gate and receive a ticket to allow entry and the stand entrance. Inside, the near end was just a walkway with a control room and several high advertising banners to stop any stray shots leaving the ground.

On the right stood the seated South Stand over the middle third of the pitch, with open standing either side. The North Stand opposite had seats apart from a block at either end which was terracing. The far East Bank was a large standing area with what seemed like an absurd amount of empty segregation separating home and away fans.

The North Stand was built into a natural slope with a hotchpotch of facilities behind including a garden shed like club shop and catering vans. The main administration block with corporate facilities and the changing rooms were a separate brick building behind the stand which still adorned the name 'Aldershot Football Club'.

I walked back round under the South Stand where a steward welcomed me and opened the door into the Phoenix Bar. Every steward I came across all evening were welcoming and polite, which a lot of other clubs and their employees could do well to learn from. The bar had a section of seats and a large standing area with shelves and tables galore. Beer, and there was a chance of two real ales, albeit on smoothflow was served in glasses. It put the facilities though more plentiful at modern stadiums to shame.


After a couple of pints of Speckled Hen I took my place on the East Bank before kick off. As the teams came out the new Shots manager, Dean Holdsworth came and waved to the supporters. I popped out to try the catering. This was the one let down. The cheap quality of the burgers did not justify the price.

The East Bank was a throwback in terms of viewing. The rear section had an old barrel 'Belfast' roof with stanchions holding it up. The newer section at the front also had stanchions at the front of the stand. Choosing a clear view was not easy but with a smallish crowd and plentiful crush barriers, it was comfortable. The younger more vocal Shots fans created a good noise and they had a great selection of banners to match. Give me this any time instead of a numbered seat with a clear view, but a guaranteed cold the next day and little or no atmosphere.

The visiting Bantams started slowly, with the gigantic centre back Luke Oliver looking like an adult in a schoolboy game. The Shots were more direct aiming plenty of high balls into the area looking for nod downs, whereas Peter Taylor had got the Bradford team trying to play more football on the deck, with the emphasis on trying. In mitigation, the pitch was slippy after lots of rain in the days leading up to the game. It was like a snooker table compared to when I started going to games, but the pampered modern player expects more.

Town took the lead when a shot from Anthony Charles beat Jon McLaughlin at the near post while Jermaine McGlashan continued to cause mayhem on the wing. At half time I decided to try my chances elsewhere in the ground to aid my rapid getaway. The stewards didn't seem too worried and I entered the far block of the North Stand without question.

I was in a section with older Shots fans who'd seen it all before and whose main hobby was berating the 'lino' in front of them. The second half was scrappy with plentiful errors from both sides. When the gate was announced there was a roar of laughter around me. I don't think they agreed and I must say I wouldn't like to think where they'd have fitted another 4,000 fans to take the crowd up to the grounds capacity. Included in the figure were 128 hardy souls from West Yorkshire. They did announce that figure by the way. The game wasn't so dull that I counted!

I weighed up the options as the game continued. I could miss the last ten minutes and catch a train home or have to wait twenty minutes after the match for the next one. The game wasn't brilliant and the cold was biting so I made a move. A poor freezing steward opened the main gate and asked how long was left as he shivered.


I got the train in good time. I'd enjoyed my visit to a traditional ground even if the game wasn't the best. My evening was only spoilt by news of another Scarborough Athletic defeat, this time at Selby Town. Still, if The Shots could climb back, then so could my club.

Drumcondra (Ireland)

The story of Drumcondra FC from Dublin's Northside is an interesting tale of the determination of a local community for a great name to live on.

The 1946 IFA Cup Final Programme from the game which saw
Drums beat Shamrock Rovers 2-1

The original club were formed in 1924 and as a non league club they lifted the FAI Cup in 1927 before joining the League of Ireland the following year. 'Drums' were based at Tolka Park and had a great rivalry with Shamrock Rovers which drew great crowds. In 1948 they lifted their first league title, which they retained the following year.

The Drumcondra team that faced Atletico Madrid

Three more championships followed in 1959, 1961 and 1965 to add to a further four Cup wins to herald an era of European football to the club. They became the first Irish club to record an aggregate win when they defeated the Danes of B 1909 Odense in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup and Europa League). Drums also played against Atletico Madrid, Nuremburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Vorwarts Berlin and Bayern Munich who they beat in the home leg during their European adventures.

The Programme from the Santos match

In 1972 a combined selected team of Drumcondra and Bohemian players took on a Santos team including Pele in a friendly at Dalymount Park.

At the end of that season the clubs shares were bought by near neighbours Home Farm FC to amalgamate the two clubs as Drums were £6,000 in debt. They were to retain the amateur status of Home Farm and they moved into Tolka Park to be known as Home Farm-Drumcondra FC. Within a season they dropped the Drums name to become Home Farm FC. 

The 1958 Programme from the home leg v Atletico Madrid

The Drumcondra name lived on as Drumcondra AFC and Drumcondra Athletic FC were both formed, with both clubs claiming the historical identity of the old club. In 2008 an amalgamation created unity and Drumcondra FC who fielded many junior teams for boys and girls including teams in the Leinster Senior League.

Drumcondra FC fielded first teams in the Leinster Saturday Major 1D and the Sunday Senior 1A Divisions in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Friday 15th October 2010

I was in Dublin for a few days of sightseeing and expanding my knowledge of football in the city with different visits. As ever I had tried to do as much homework before hand so as to make the actual days as stress free as possible.

The name Drumcondra firsat became known to me as a young lad playing Subbuteo. The team were featured with their prominent colours of yellow shirts with blue sleeves and shorts. I guess when the teams were designated by Subbuteo that Drums were one of Ireland's bigger clubs.

There was no sign of the club in the League of Ireland tables so google came to my rescue when I learned all about the reformed club and its location. As luck would have it Drumcondra was the nearest railway station to my first port of call that morning, Tolka Park the home of Shelbourne. The clubs home ground was immediately over the road from the stadium.

After I'd had a quick sneak inside Tolka Park I walked across the road to take the basic photos of Clonturk Park. It consisted of an open pitch and a clubhouse and changing rooms.

I wandered off for a mile walk to Home Farm full of admiration for the supporters and community who refused to let the famous Drumcondra name die.


The pictures featured on this page from Drums history have been taken from clubs' website.

Colchester United

Colchester United FC from North Essex were formed in 1937 out of the ashes of the previous club, Colchester Town. 'The Oystermen' as they were called were formed in 1867 played latterly in the Southern League before they were dissolved.

The club had moved into Layer Road in 1909 when it was originally owned by the army. Just before Town folded, United were set up. In 1948 as a Southern League club 'The U's' managed to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup defeating Banbury Spencer, Wrexham, Huddersfield Town and Bradford Park Avenue before going out to Blackpool.

United were admitted into the Football League in 1950 and spent the next forty years in the bottom two divisions. They did however have two major highlights 1971.

In the FA Cup Fifth Round The U's defeated the might of Leeds United at Layer Road before the TV cameras. The following pre season they qualified to play in the Watney Cup. This was for the top two goalscorers from each division in the pre season who weren't promoted or playing in Europe. United got to the final against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns and won 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 4-4.

To see the famous Leeds United victory, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VcP49QdHus&playnext=1&list=PLEBCF6116E41614BA&index=18

Financial worries hit the club in the late 1980's and in 1990 they suffered relegation to the Conference. In 1992 they returned to the Football League under the player management of Roy McDonough when they won the non league double of the Conference and FA Trophy.

In 2006 after gradual improvement, Colchester were promoted into the second tier of the League for the first time in their history. Their adventure lasted just two seasons.

After eight years of planning United moved to Cuckoo Farm in 2008 and the brand new Colchester Community Stadium which entered into a ten year sponsorship deal with Weston Homes. Paul Lambert was doing a fine job as manager before being tempted away by Norwich City. He was replaced by Aidy Boothroyd and then John Ward. Unfortunately the team didn't progress as expected so Ward departed with former player Joe Dunne taking over.

Colchester United FC will play in Football League One in season 2013-14.


My visits

Colchester United 1 Scarborough 3 (Monday 31st August 1987) Division Four (att: 1,525)

It was August Bank Holiday and I was out on the Sunday night enjoying plenty of drinks knowing I had the next day off. I was with some mates when a Hull City and occasional Boro supporting pal Nick Groombridge mentioned he was going to Colchester the next day followed at night by Swindon Town against Hull City. My ears pricked up immediately and I wanted to know more.

I was introduced to Mick Young who would be driving his works car. He said it was OK for me to go as well as a mate of his Jon Dyer who was universally known as Doomie who went to watch Boro and Sunderland. The thing that bothered me about the expedition was that Colchester were only admitting home fans after suffering from hooligans from away in the past. Despite this, we said we'd give it a go.

The car wasn't exactly full of energy the next morning and I remember it being a long journey through a lot of picturesque villages once we'd left the motorway. We were outside the ground before 2pm which was all part of our strategy. We saw the team coach driver, a nice bloke called Ron Arnell and asked him if there was any chance of getting us any tickets from the players.

He already had an allocation on him and he kindly handed four over to us for nothing for the Main Stand. We were told we had to be discreet. This was fine as the game was pretty even without any controversial incidents, plus none of us had been drinking!

In the second half Boro got control and went ahead. We realised we weren't the only Seadogs there and we raised a small cheer. When the third went in we were out of our seats and fully celebrating as were the others including a few stood on their own behind the goal.

Layer Road was as compact ground as I'd ever been in at Football League level. The Main Stand was in three sections, with two seated and the third at The Layer Road End with terracing. That end of the ground had the only access in and out and comprised of a few steps of wooden terrace which was apparently built by German Prisoners of War. The far side had a cover in the centre section of terracing with open standing either side. The final end had an undulating open terrace.

We enjoyed the game. It was certainly one for bragging rights back home as we shouldn't have been there. We went on our way and somehow got to Swindon in time for kick off that evening!

Colchester United 2 AFC Bournemouth 1 (Friday 14th January 2011) League One (att: 3,445)

I had been meaning to go to the new stadium on quite a few occasions but never got round to it. With me been on early shift at work this gave me an ideal opportunity.

I took a brief nap after work and headed down to Liverpool Street to catch a fast train with Colchester the first stop. I had done my homework beforehand so I knew there was a shuttle bus service to the ground from near the station. There was a pub nearby, but I decided to make sure I got there in plenty of time.

The shuttle was excellent value for £1.50 return and was subsidised by the U's chairman. As well as the service from the railway station, buses also call at three pubs around the city before and after games.

The area around the stadium was still growing but was pleasant enough. I bought a ticket for the end block of the main West Stand and went inside to take photos and take refreshments. I wasn't in the mood for beer but warmed up with a cuppa while looking at the nice photos depicting moments from the clubs history which brightened up the brick walls. The concourse wasn't huge but had all the usual facilities; bookies, bar, refreshments TVs showing Sky Sports News.

I went for my seat which offered a good view. All four stands were separate builds with the West Stand being slightly taller and containing corporate facilities at the rear. The noisiest U's fans were to my right in the South Stand. The North Stand was left empty with the visiting fans been given a few blocks in the East Stand instead. I would guess there was about 300 of them, which wasn't bad for a Friday night game being shown live on Sky.

It was to be quite an emotional night for 'The Cherries' as their young boss Eddie Howe was to move to a bigger job at Burnley after the game. He had worked wonders with no money on the south coast and his team were in the play off places before the game, with The U's a few places outside.

I had been tempted to have a daft bet at evens on the game being all square at half time. I didn't bother and sure enough it ended nil nil. I warmed up with a bovril before seeing a mascots race featuring some very strange local creations from local businesses and attractions. It made the kids happy anyway!

AFCB made a change at half time replacing one veteran, Lee Bradbury with another, the club legend Steve Fletcher who headed them ahead after fifty three minutes. The players all ran over to celebrate for one last time with manager Howe.

Col U, as the locals call them, tried to get back into it but didn't make any headway until boss John Ward made a double substitution. One of the new players, Steven Gillespie immediately looked quality to me. He made things happen instantly and it was no surprise when he rounded off a fine move. Ten minutes later he lobbed home what proved to be the winner.

I left for the bus a couple of minutes from the end. On board an old fan had the live commentary on his radio and he gave us all a commentary of what was happening. There was a nice  feeling of a community spirit amongst the fans. Then some younger fans got on to tell anyone who'd listen that Gillespie was still a waste of money, only in far fewer words much to the bemusement of everyone else.

The service dropped me back at Bruff Close and I was soon awaiting the train back to London, to get me back at my place for 11.40pm.

The pictures of Layer Road have been taken from the internet.