Chertsey Town F.C.
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| Chertsey Town | |
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| Full name | Chertsey Town Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | The Curfews |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Ground | Alwyn's Lane, Chertsey (Capacity 3,000) |
| Chairman | Steve Powers |
| Manager | Spencer Day |
| League | Combined Counties League Premier Division |
| 2006–07 | 8th |
Chertsey Town Football Club is a football club based in Chertsey, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1890 and, from the Surrey Senior League, joined the Metropolitan League in the 1964-65 season. They have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase twice in their history. In the 2005-06 season, they played in the Isthmian League Division Two, but, as a result of the restructuring of non-league football, they now play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division.
Organised football was evident in Chertsey well over a century ago but county affiliation did not take place immediately. The official founding of the club took place in 1890 when matches were played in the West Surrey League. The first success came in 1897 when the Surrey Junior Cup was secured. A one year gap took place before football resumed in the same competition which eventually became the East and West Surrey League. A further halt in football took place during the Great War but soon after, in 1919, the club joined the Surrey Intermediate League where it stayed, uneventfully, until 1939 and a further break. An invitation to become founder members of the Surrey Senior League was not taken up in 1923 but membership was later assumed, on attaining senior status in 1946.
The club has played at various locations within the parish (Willow Walk, Free Prae Road, Staines Lane and Chilsey Green) before settling down at the present home in 1929. The suffix ‘Town’ was added to its title some 21 years later. The ground was donated by Sir Edward Stern as a football ground to the ‘premier club in the parish’. Next door, a similar trust provides facilities for Chertsey Cricket Club. The main stand was constructed in the mid 1950s, the original clubhouse added in 1960 and the first covered enclosure was built some three years later. Cover behind one goal was added in 1994.
Although Chertsey gained membership of the Surrey Senior League immediately after the second world war, it was not until the 1959-60 season that success came with the league championship. This was repeated twice in the next three years, a halcyon period when the League Cup was also won on three occasions. Due to the static nature of amateur football in those days, the club could not progress to the preferred Corinthian League so, in 1963, it was controversially decided to turn professional and enter the Metropolitan League. Although an entertaining three years were then enjoyed, the cost was too much to bear and a return to the lower levels of the Greater London League for one season occurred before a further shift to the Spartan League was made in 1967.
Indifferent results then dogged the club for almost two decades. This situation was briefly relieved in 1974-75 when the club were league and league cup runners up to an up and coming Farnborough Town. Meanwhile, the fabric of the club was being built up behind the scenes and despite lack of prominence on the park, movement was made via the London Spartan (1975-76) and Athenian leagues through to the Isthmian with a place in Division Two South in 1984. Instant relegation to the Combined Counties League was suffered but a rejuvenated side won promotion back to Isthmian ranks within the year whilst winning the League Cup on the way.
The club was initially rewarded with good league positions but not high enough for further promotion. The worst season after returning to the Isthmians came when the two Division Twos were split in 1991 and a place in the new Division Three had to suffice. This position was quickly rectified with a runner’s up slot in 1992. The club also reached the quarter finals of the F.A. Vase, emulating a similar performance in 1987-88. One year later, 102 points and a runner’s up promotion place to Division One was nailed. The League Cup was also secured together with the Carlsberg Trophy in the same campaign along with the League Charity Shield.
Only one campaign was required in Division One before further promotion, to the Premier Division was secured behind Boreham Wood and Worthing. The first season in the Premier Division was one of consolidation with nine points to spare but the second was far more difficult. Although a late rally was experienced, it proved insufficient to avoid the drop to Division One. Two subsequent Division One campaigns saw the side comfortably occupy positions just over the half way mark each time but the third proved too difficult after a very poor first half of the season. Improvement was made but not enough to stave off relegation to competition in Division Two.
Relatively respectable positions were attained for the next two seasons and then a return to Division One, taking a place in the revised south section in the Isthmian re-organisation. The side was not able to compete at this level and suffered relegation to Division Two in 2003. After a slow start, a serious challenge was made the following season but the club had to settle for a position just outside a promotion place. A similar situation has been created over the next two seasons with the side finishing in sixth place on both occasions. However, with the dissolution of the division, the club was allocated to Combined Counties League in 2006.
Chertsey Town’s nickname, the ‘Curfews’ is derived from a locally famous bell that hangs in the nearby St. Peters Church. The bell has rung out the evening curfew, now ceremoniously of course, for over five hundred years.
The club is also famous for having non other than Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star Ralf Little amongst the players. However due to work constraints he rarely plays for the club nowadays.
At the start of the 2007-08 Season Chertsey Town was bought by Wealthy Businessman Spencer Day (previously known as Spencer Trethewy)[1]. Mr Day has invested heavily in the club, playing staff and youth system at Alywns Lane. Manager Roy Butler continued in his post of Manager, with Steve Baker and Matt Paterson coming is as his assistants. In September Roy Butler left the club due to some mixed results and the club is currently being steered by Steve Baker and Matt Paterson.
[edit] References
- ^ Spens-Sation! (10 October 2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
[edit] External links
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Combined Counties League Premier Division 2007-08
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Ash United | Banstead Athletic | Bedfont | Bedfont Green | Bookham | Camberley Town | Chertsey Town | Chessington & Hook United | Cobham | Colliers Wood United | Cove | Dorking | Egham Town | Epsom & Ewell | Guildford City | Horley Town | Merstham | North Greenford United | Raynes Park Vale | Reading Town | Sandhurst Town | Wembley |
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