Cheshunt

Cheshunt FC is a non league football club from the commuter town of the same name in Hertfordshire, thirteen miles from central London. The current Cheshunt FC are the second incarnation of the club, with the first being formed around 1880.

That club competed in local league football and reached the semi final of the FA Amateur Cup in 1904. They went on to join the Athenian League in 1919, while playing at Cheshunt Cricket Club's Recreation Ground on Albury Ride. The team fared badly after their first few seasons in the league and after four consecutive bottom finishes they disbanded in 1931, with the club heavily in debt and the cricket club increasing the rent.

In 1946 a new club was formed after a public meeting at the Co-Op Hall in Waltham Cross, using local junior team Crossbrook Sports as their basis. The club were accepted into the London League, playing games at the Gothic Sports Ground before moving to College Road after their first season.

The club began to develop a former gravel pit, turned rubbish dump on Theobalds Grove. The ground was opened on 29th October 1949 with two Nissen huts as changing rooms. The game produced an 11-1 against Hastings United. Between 1951 and 1955 'The Ambers' played in the Delphian League, before rejoining the London League. 

Cheshunt abandoned the ground in the first season because of drainage problems to move to a new ground at Brookfield Lane before returning for the 1952-53 season. They left once again for Brookfield Lane, where Tottenham Hotspur now trained a season later but returned to Cheshunt Stadium for the 1957-58 season after being asked to leave by Spurs. A lease was signed and the ground levelled with a running track laid around it.

In 1959 Cheshunt became founder members of the Aetolian League. In 1962 the club transferred to the Spartan League, where they were crowned champions at the first attempt before joining the Athenian League a couple of seasons after.

After winning the title on a couple of occasions and having a spell playing in yellow and blue before reverting to amber and black, Cheshunt progressed to the Isthmian League in 1977. Unfortunately nine years later a walkout of the committee, players and management the team were relegated back to the Spartan League.

A third place finish at the end of the 1992-93 season was enough to secure promotion back into the Isthmian League. By 2004 after three promotions the club found themselves in the Premier Division after the playing budget was boosted from new investment. At the end of their first season at that level they finished in a relegation place, but they were reprieved as Hornchurch FC went bust.

However, the club were placed in the Southern League Premier Division. The money began to run out within a few years as many managers came and went until the team were relegated at the end of the 2007-08 season and placed in the Isthmian League Division One North. 

In 2011 the club was taken over by Cheshunt Sports & Leisure Ltd, with Dean Williamson installed as chairman. The team were involved in a low place finish in 2011-12, but survived comfortably in the end. Planning permission was granted for the club to develop sixteen acres of land into high class sporting facilities, including a 3G floodlit pitch.

This was completed in 2015 to bring in valuable revenue streams to guarantee financial stability. On the pitch three further campaigns saw bottom half positions in the table before Glen Alzapieda took over the managerial reigns from Omer Riza to take the Ambers to a sixth placed finish in 2015-16.

The club was placed in Division One South Central of the competition in 2018-19, going on to win promotion through the playoffs after defeating Marlow and the Bracknell Town. The club was in a relatively healthy position during the abandoned pandemic seasons owing to their sound infrastructure.

When non-league football returned to normality in 2021-22 another tilt at the playoffs, this time as a Premier Division club, they defeated Bishop’s Stortford and then Hornchurch to reach the National League South. However, the step proved too severe, with Cheshunt returning to the Isthmian League twelve months later.

Cheshunt FC will play in the Isthmian League Premier Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Saturday 28th January 1987

I headed to north London on a frosty morning to go and watch Scarborough take on Enfield in an important Football Conference clash. I was in the company of Howard Nurse, Paul Frain and AN Other with Howard driving. 

After parking near the ground on Southbury Road, I headed off on my own to visit the grounds of Cheshunt and Haringey Borough as well as snaffling a programme from that afternoons Tottenham Hotspur v Scunthorpe United FA Cup third round encounter.

I took the train from Southbury to Theobalds Grove and walked along the lane to visit the stadium. It was open so I could have a proper look around. The ground was pretty basic with a covered seating stand on one side and a small cantilevered cover opposite. 

They both stood well back from the pitch as there was the remains of a running track around the pitch. The rest of the ground was open and mainly flat grass with a little hard standing. I headed back but not the easy way. 

I figured that because I was in London there would be stations around every corner. I didn't appreciate the size of the place. I headed the other way from the station and ended up on the main A10 Great Cambridge Road before walking for what seemed like miles over the M25 and beyond before ending up at Turkey Street station.

I went on to complete my intended tasks and saw Boro win the vital game 1-0 much to the dismay of Barry Fry and his Barnet team whose game had been postponed and had come to cheer on Enfield. Happy days!

Friday 11th January 2008

I had been home for a few days at Christmas and my team Scarborough Athletic had run a draw. Two of the prize winners lived in North East London, so I helped out on saving cash for the club by volunteering to hand deliver the prizes. This also gave me an opportunity to take in a couple of grounds and take photos.

I alighted at Theobalds Grove and walked to the ground, only to find it locked. However, I wasn't to be beaten and I found a way in behind the goal through the overgrowth. The ground had been smartened up from my previous visit, with a new fence around the pitch allowing fans to get closer to the pitch, particularly behind the goals. 

The Main Stand was tidier with an additional Kurtis Townsend Stand alongside it for standing fans, which was named in honour of a young player at the club who had been killed in a car crash. Seats were installed in the stand on the opposite side of the pitch.

I left the ground and went on a long walk of around three miles to take a look at the home of Waltham Abbey FC before dropping the prizes off in Enfield.

Cheshunt 1 Enfield Town 1 (Sunday 22nd July 2012) Pre Season Friendly

I had the day off work so I headed to Cheshunt Stadium in the company of good friends from my days of youth watching football in Scarborough and around the country; Dave Cammish, Gary Griffiths and Rydell Gray. Dave bought his son Ashley along for the reunion. I travelled by tube, overground and National Rail to Theobalds Grove.

After a lunch with Gary and Ryd at the fine Moon and Cross Wetherspoons pub,Gary drove up past Theobalds Grove station where we collected Dave and Ashley before we got parked near to the gates on a glorious afternoon. The admission price was a very acceptable £5, with just a quid for kids. 

The programme cost £2, which I considered at least 50p too much. We adjourned to the bar that was located to the rear of the stand, where the changing rooms once were. It was very modern and only the lack of any real ale on tap or in bottles stopped it scoring maximum marks.

The ground had changed a little since my previous call with the perimeter fences being moved in close behind the goals owing to an FA ground grading regulation. Some of the stands and pitchside fencing stood quite a long way back because there was formerly a running track around the playing area. Cheshunt had done a decent job with what they had to play with.

Cheshunt had something of a decent run towards the back end of the previous season. There seemed to be a positive feel around the place, with one poster asking for volunteers to help get involved as the club aimed for Conference football. 

This set the alarm bells off in my head. I commented that I hoped that this would not jeopardise their finances. Their opponents were riding on the crest of a wave after winning promotion through the play offs and had moved into their own home ground. 

The match had some moments of real quality. Enfield played some good stuff after the home keeper pulled off a brilliant early save from a fierce drive from outside the box. The visitors were keen to get around the back from wide and put dangerous crosses in. 

There was a light hearted moment when the referee, who looked like he’d taken advantage of an all-inclusive summer break, stopped play after an injury and instructed the Town keeper to give the ball back to Cheshunt. 

His clearance had the home keeper back pedalling and bounced over his bar. Enfield took the lead about ten minutes from the break with a goal of real quality as a volleyed pass went past the wrong footed home custodian.

After quick check up on England’s ailing bowling attack and the Open leader’s board at the interval, we went back outside into the soaring temperatures to see Cheshunt get back into the game without really threatening the Enfield goal. 

There were a few substitutions, but they were sensibly made during the interval so that the rhythm of the game didn’t suffer. With around ten minutes to go the home side were rewarded when they slotted home a neat finish from around twenty yards after lots of neat passing play.

The draw was the right result in our neutral eyes. It had been a decent enough game in decent surroundings. We agreed that it was probably best to visit that particular venue of a pleasant day, rather than be exposed to its openness on a winter’s night. 

Although it’s never easy to make predictions on the basis of early pre-season games, I tipped Cheshunt for a play-off place, with a mid-table finish for Enfield in their newly elevated status.

We headed back to the pub for a good chat and drinks before us train travellers said our goodbyes and returned to the station. The Sawbridgeworth father and son combo were met by signs telling them that because of a signal failure there were no northbound trains. 

They decided to head to Seven Sisters with me for better options. I was to find troubles too as someone decided a walk along the tracks at Camden seemed a good idea. 

Warm weather and beer! Thank goodness we spent our time a little more constructively, well at least for that lovely Sunday!

Cheshunt 3 Hendon 1 (Tuesday 31^st July 2018) Pre Season Friendly (att: c60)

It was another glorious day, even more so as I’d finished my night shifts and I had a couple of days off work. There was plenty of choices of games to attend but heading to Cheshunt offered me another opportunity as well as watching.

Dean Wheeler, the Hendon kitman and friend I’d met through attending Hendon games was going early in his taxi to put the gear out for the players. He also heard of my latest fitness campaign and offered to help.

He carried out his tasks before we had a twenty minute training run and walk, alternating between the two every sixty seconds. Dean formerly used to train running and did several runs of his own.

We wandered away from Cheshunt Stadium, down a couple of footpaths and round The Cheshunt Club before returning. I found it easy enough but quite enjoyable. I did seize up as the evening progressed though!

Admission was £5 and although no hard copies of a programme was available, the Ambers had produced an online edition to cover all the friendlies that could be downloaded free of charge.

There was still a bit of time before kick off, so I sat outside with other Dons fans and had a chat while watching the warm ups over a Guinness. There appeared to be a decent team spirit developing among the recently put together squad.

Once again manager Jimmy Gray was to try out some trialists; this time five started the game. The referee was the same one as in the home friendly against Haringey Borough. It’s fair to say that I wasn’t his biggest fan.  

The Stadium was considerably smarter and much changed than when I attended my previous Cheshunt game. The far side remained the same, but the other sides were enclosed nearer to the pitch.

New small standing covers were behind both goals, while a new Main Stand straddled the half way line, with plenty of new hard flat standing offering scope for any further extensions when required.

We took our place behind the end that Hendon were attacking, as the visitors came flying out of the traps. Some nice football was being played with Trialist A wide on the right showing great skill on a jinking run.

Players on both sides quickly realised that it would have to be a harsh foul to get a free kick out of the semi static referee. This led to unnecessary niggle throughout. The Ambers were a more physical and generally better organised side.

However, it would be Hendon who took the lead when the home keeper tried to avert danger on the edge of the box, but his clearance only went as far as Trialist A who shot into the net past two defenders from twenty yards on ten minutes.

The lead was short lived. A low cross was fired in from the left, with the Dons Trialist B skewing his clearance into his own net past keeper Zaki Oualah. The hosts went ahead with a free header shortly after.

The game was flowing from end to end as both sides looked to be positive. After the break Cheshunt’s experienced former Barnet man Mark Hughes controlled things in central midfield despite Hendon having fine spells in attack.

The Ambers went 3-1 up when a set piece wasn’t dealt with. The Greens continued to look dangerous in attack but were just missing the final ball or finish. Several substitutes were made as the management team continued to try and piece their jigsaw together.

I had to have a word with the home custodian as he screamed in an attempt to get an opponent into trouble when not hurt. He wasn’t on his own on trying to take advantage of the ineffectual ref. Lee Chappell brought a regulation save out of him with a free kick, before a second attempt a little later completely deceived him but came crashing out off the crossbar. 

Cheshunt also had chances of their own and ran out deserved winners. We’d had a fair bit of banter with the keeper, but at full time he shook fans hands and exchanged good wishes. It was nice to see that non-league football still had that about it. I suspected that Cheshunt would have a decent campaign ahead of them.

As I waited for Dean I chatted with fans and players parents. The general feeling was that there was definitely a good enough starting eleven for the first league game, without quite knowing who and in what formation.

A strong experienced central midfielder appeared to be what most fans thought was missing. Dean and I tried to think of solutions on the ride back before he dropped me at The Moon Under Water in Colindale, where I enjoyed beers with the two Steve’s; Speller and Barnes.