Hounslow FC were a football club based in West London who played their home games at Denbigh Road. Their history is not easy to find, which is a great shame as they were one of the prominent amateur clubs in the country, regularly attracting 5,000 to their home games in the 1950's. They were runners up at Wembley in the 1962 FA Amateur Cup Final and attracted a recoed crowd of 8,900 in 1954.
The club were known as Hounslow Town until 1966 when the area was swallowed up in the conurbation rather than remaining a seperate place. They spent most of their history in the Athenian and Southern Leagues before merging with Feltham to become Feltham and Hounslow Borough FC in 1990 owing to debts which meant clearing the money but giving up their home ground. Feltham dropped the Hounslow part of their name in 1995. Another club changed its name to Hounslow Borough in 2000 but they were not connected.
The club attempted a failed comeback but is still registered every year with the Middlesex County Football Association, just in case!
My visit
I had been past the ground in 1980 when staying on a family weekend break at Heathrow. The ground was visible and looked of a decent size as you passed on the tube. On a winters day in January 1984, I called in on a days groundhopping in the area. By now the ground was showing signs of age and lack of maintenance.
Entry to the ground was from Denbigh Road. Behind the near goal was two small terraces. Along the far side was fair sized covered terrace with the far end having a reasonable sized open terrace. Large nets hung behind both goals to stop stray shots going into the gardens behind. The other side had a few steps of open terrace which was truncated by a small wooden Main Stand. A clubhouse was in the far corner with club shops a board room and the changing rooms in the near corner.
It was a shame for all connected when the ground went but at least it still hears the noise of cheering and happy voices every playtime as the site is now a primary school.
11 comments:
I remember Alan King ( Centre Forward) And Bert Long, same position playing for Hounslow Town in the early fifties but they were definitely in the Corinthian League then. Great team!
It's shame,
I played for their reserves for a season in late 60's
Scored a couple of goals in a local Junior Cup Final for Hanworth Youth Club.
Then Played for Feltham for a couple of seasons (mostly reserves !)
hello people, wondering if you could help me, i'm trying to find a picture if possuble dating back to 1908-1914 of my grandfather playing for hounslow, his name was george heppelthwaite. any ideas or suggestions would be most welcome
Hi. My name is Ernie Howe played was a local lad played for Hounslow town in seasons 1972/73 and the start of the 1974 season before signing for Fulham fc.
I played under manager George Taylor who captained the side in the 1956 armature cup final at Wembley. I learnt last week that George passed away after suffering from Alzimers also contacting cancer.
I thought many supporters of now defunct club might just like to now.
I watched matches at Denbigh Road around 1983-85. I have memories of the (crumbling) covered terrace on the far side curving round in the corner behind the goal. Must have been an impressive terrace in its day. But I can't find any clear photos of this terrace anywhere. Does anyone have one?
Peter
Hello: My name is Jim or Jimmy Harrington,, I played at Hounslow Town as a junior, then the reserves and then the first team. This was in the early 1970's. I recall playing a few games with Ernie Howe at Hounslow before he moved to bigger things. I used to train in the summers at Redless Park in Isleworth with Keith Osgood, (Tottenham) Paul Priddy (Brentford) and Ernie Howe would turn up on occasion. I do remember George Taylor, he actually came out of retirement to be Hounslow player manager in the mid 1970's. If you could pass the message onto Ernie that would be appreciated. He and I have a mutual friend Dave Daly ex Nike who is now a director at Fulham. Enjoyed reading your posts, thanks.
I can recall the ground in Denbigh Road (off Kingsley Rd) from C1950. There was another entrance on the East side in Tiverton Road. The South side was bounded by Ellington Rd and the North by Alexandra Gdns. Harry Pope and Alan King were in the team along with Robin Eagles at LB ? A second stand and terraces were added in the early 1950's. Lorries came for weeks with loads to build them up which were dumped in mounds all around the edge of the ground. Some time later BBC TV cameras were there when the team reached the cup final. I believe the ground is now the site of the New Alexandra Junior School. The original in Alexandra Road where I was a pupil 1950-1954 was demolished some 25-30 years ago. Time moves on and things change whether we like it or not. Happy memories!
I can recall the ground in Denbigh Road (off Kingsley Rd) from C1950. There was another entrance on the East side in Tiverton Road. The South side was bounded by Ellington Rd and the North by Alexandra Gdns. Harry Pope and Alan King were in the team along with Robin Eagles at LB ? A second stand and terraces were added in the early 1950's. Lorries came for weeks with loads to build them up which were dumped in mounds all around the edge of the ground. Some time later BBC TV cameras were there when the team reached the cup final. I believe the ground is now the site of the New Alexandra Junior School. The original in Alexandra Road where I was a pupil 1950-1954 was demolished some 25-30 years ago. Time moves on and things change whether we like it or not. Happy memories!
Remember Ernie as above played with him b4 he went to Fulham.. I went west to play for reading.. Very sad about George Taylor.. Hello to all the players..
My names is James "Jim or Jimmy" Harrington, from Isleworth. I played goalkeeper for Hounslow Town Juniors, then the Reserves and had several games for the First team from 1969 to 1973. Ernie Howe (above) was in the first team when I played with him on a few occasions, a giant to a player and a very nice man, a year or two older than me. He
and another friend of mine Keith Osgood (Tottenham) went to the same school. Hounslow Town were managed during my time there by George Taylor, and who for a 16-17 year old keeper was a frightening and often furious figure. He not only managed but for a while became so incensed at the state of play he registered himself as a player and I played several times with him. Due to his age he played as a sweeper, just in front of me. It was a baptism playing behind him. For his age he was excellent. There was another side to George Taylor, and one day when I was called into the first team in case the regular keeper failed his fitness test, i spent the game in the dug out with George, he was so different, taking time to point out to me what he saw on the pitch. After that he took an interest in my play. It was a learning experience form an experienced footballer. The pitch at Denbigh Road was always more mud than grass by October, but then we really didn't know any better. The floodlights were old and dim, again we didn't know better, but it was always a thrill to play for Hounslow Town and at Denbigh Road. My father a horticulturist by training tried to one summer to improve the pitch but his efforts were not appreciated, and its main problem was a slope towards an offset under pitch drain in the middle of one end of the pitch. Keith Baker, Stevie Wilson, Kenny Proctor?, are some of the names of the first team players. One summer Rod Steward was releasing an album and wanted some goal posts as the album cover but it was the middle of summer so no goal posts were available. Through family connections (Dee Harrington) my dad arranged to have the picture taken at Denbigh Road as the goal posts were permanent. The album was never a dull moment. The image can be found here https://greilmarcus.net/2014/07/15/rod-stewart-never-a-dull-moment-1072/
Hounslow Town FC, gone but not forgotten.
My names is James "Jim or Jimmy" Harrington, from Isleworth. I played goalkeeper for Hounslow Town Juniors, then the Reserves and had several games for the First team from 1969 to 1973. Ernie Howe (above) was in the first team when I played with him on a few occasions, a giant to a player and a very nice man, a year or two older than me. He
and another friend of mine Keith Osgood (Tottenham) went to the same school. Hounslow Town were managed during my time there by George Taylor, and who for a 16-17 year old keeper was a frightening and often furious figure. He not only managed but for a while became so incensed at the state of play he registered himself as a player and I played several times with him. Due to his age he played as a sweeper, just in front of me. It was a baptism playing behind him. For his age he was excellent. There was another side to George Taylor, and one day when I was called into the first team in case the regular keeper failed his fitness test, i spent the game in the dug out with George, he was so different, taking time to point out to me what he saw on the pitch. After that he took an interest in my play. It was a learning experience form an experienced footballer. The pitch at Denbigh Road was always more mud than grass by October, but then we really didn't know any better. The floodlights were old and dim, again we didn't know better, but it was always a thrill to play for Hounslow Town and at Denbigh Road. My father a horticulturist by training tried to one summer to improve the pitch but his efforts were not appreciated, and its main problem was a slope towards an offset under pitch drain in the middle of one end of the pitch. Keith Baker, Stevie Wilson, Kenny Proctor?, are some of the names of the first team players. One summer Rod Steward was releasing an album and wanted some goal posts as the album cover but it was the middle of summer so no goal posts were available. Through family connections (Dee Harrington) my dad arranged to have the picture taken at Denbigh Road as the goal posts were permanent. The album was never a dull moment. The image can be found here https://greilmarcus.net/2014/07/15/rod-stewart-never-a-dull-moment-1072/
Hounslow Town FC, gone but not forgotten.
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