Croydon

Croydon FC is a non-league football club formed in the South London borough of the same name, as Croydon Amateurs in 1953 with Jack Milsted the founding club chairman. The new Croydon Sports Arena was chosen as the location for the club.

They started out life for the first decade in the Surrey Senior League with funding coming through the goodwill of the general public. Croydon failed to win the league title despite a fine record in winning cup competitions before they became members of the Spartan League in 1963.

The team won the title in their only season as a clubhouse was installed at The Arena before the club moved into the Athenian League as members of the Second Division. After two seasons the club were promoted but then relegated in the 1969-70 season.

South London bookmaker Jimmy Rose took over as team manager as floodlights were added to The Arena. He took the team back to the renamed Premier Division before departing to Dulwich Hamlet. ‘The Blues’ as they were nicknamed at the time, dropped Amateurs from their name in 1973.

Under the more professional approach of new manager Ted Shepherd, Croydon joined the expanded Isthmian League to play in Division Two. Remarkably the team went undefeated through the entire league season of 1975-76, but were still pipped for the league title by Tilbury. However, consolation came by way of promotion to the Premier Division.

A fine FA Cup run in 1979-80 saw Croydon defeat the likes of Leatherhead and Wycombe Wanderers to reach the second round, where they received a home draw with Millwall. The match was moved to Selhurst Park as a bumper gate of 9,809 turning out, with the Blues going down in a replay at The Den.

The money was spent on refurbishing the clubhouse, which was later raised to the ground in an arson attack. Shepherd eventually moved on. Adrian Hill took the side to a fine fourth place finish in the Premier Division of 1985-86.

A period of decline hit the club in the following years as redevelopment of The Arena and the running track meant a deterioration in viewing and some games being moved elsewhere. Money was tight. In 1990 founder Milsted and other long term servants departed from the club as a succession of managers and chairmen came and went as the team dropped down to Division One.

In 1993-94 the club was close to closure with no players until Scottish businessman Ken Jarvie brought his Thornton Heath League team, Phoenix Sun to step in stepping up nine levels of football. The team took some terrible beatings but their spirit restored faith in the club.

Jarvie divided opinion but he installed a great spirit and loyalty amongst the players. He became joint manager with Dickson Gill, as the team won promotion from Division Two in 1995-96.

The club also had an excellent ladies team who won their own FA Cup in 1996. Jarvie took sole control of team affairs as he led Croydon to their first league title in thirty four years as the Division One championship was won with the team having a watertight defence throught the season. Croydon also lifted the League Full Members Cup.

In 2000 the ladies team moved lock stock and barrel to become Charlton Athletic Ladies, who ironically moved to the home of Erith Town FC, which also had an athletics stadium, only with poorer spectator facilities.

Meanwhile the men’s side survived their first season back in the Premier Division before the budget was cut and they slipped back down to Division One South despite lifting the London Senior Cup for the first time. Jarvie departed in 2002, with the club in nearly as perilous a state as when he joined.

Croydon were relegated to Division Two in 2004-05. The team consolidated under tight budgets with the club moving to the Kent League for the 2006-07 following non-league re-organisation.

'The Trams' as Croydon were now nicknamed after the new Croydon tramlink passed just behind the Croydon Arena stadium, with Arena having its very own stop, just a short walk from the turnstiles.

Croydon moved sideways into the Combined Counties League in 2009, which is derived from the old Surrey Senior League, so the club found themselves at a similar level to where they started out. Manager and chairman Dickson Gill took control as Croydon moved once again in 2014-15; this time to the newly formed Southern Counties East League.

In season 2017-18 Croydon FC will compete in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division.

My visits

Croydon 0 Maidenhead United 2 (Saturday 16th September 2000) Isthmian Premier League (att: approx 100) 

I had a blank Saturday in the capital as Scarborough were at home and I couldn’t afford to travel, so as was usual at the time, I picked out a fixture at a new ground. I decided to travel to Croydon as it was in zone 6 and accessible on a cheap travel card. I arrived at East Croydon station and found a pretty average pub to select my fixed odds coupon.

I went back across the road to catch the tram to Arena station. I was there before kick off so I used the basic clubhouse. Maidenhead’s manager was former England international Alan Devonshire and he popped in on his way to the boardroom. 

Once inside, the Arena had very little to recommend it as a football venue. It had an eight lane athletic track around the pitch and was very open to the elements which didn’t help the players in any way as a wind was blowing. The Main Stand stood either side of the half way line. This had a raised seating deck. On the opposite side there were three basic shelters for fans preferring to watch the game standing up.

The game was nothing to write home about and I left before the end to get back across London for my tea. 

Thursday 22nd November 2007

I was visiting some grounds in South London to take photos for my collection (which appear here) when I arrived from the previous call at Beckenham Town. I found an open entrance and had a good look around. It somehow didn’t seem as inhospitable as before. Perhaps the weather was more pleasant? 

It doesn’t alter the fact that football grounds and athletic tracks don’t mix, in my opinion anyway. 

Croydon 2 Beckenham Town 1 (Wednesday 17^th August 2017) Southern Counties East League Premier Division (att: 88)

It was a beautiful summers evening and I was getting my enthusiasm for football back after a testing few months. Knowing that I’d soon be back at work it was definitely not a night to be sat indoors. Instead I headed south of the river to Croydon East station, from where I took the Tramlink to Arena.

Admission was a rather steep £8, with a basic programme an extra £1.50. Still, I prefer to help clubs such as Croydon rather than greedy professional set ups. I headed along and took a seat in the decent old stand to begin with before I grabbed a tea and wandered around to watch from different vantage points; none of which really afforded an ideal view.

The match began with the Trams in the clear ascendancy. Visiting keeper Rilwan Anibada was a busy man keeping out an effort from Lauris Chin before he went walk about but got away with it as Chin was wasteful.

In the nineteenth minute Croydon deservedly took the lead when Rob Curtis headed home a corner. Jeff Dual-Kessie had a couple of efforts saved for Croydon as the pressure was ramped up, before Beckenham had a chance of their own which was spurned just before the half time interval.

At the break I headed to the clubhouse, which in fairness had seen better days. I had a bottle of Lucozade and watched some Olympic coverage before going back outside.

Thirteen minutes into the second half, the home side doubled their lead. Again it was Curtis who claimed the goal with the faintest of touches, again from a corner. The Trams continued to be wasteful when they could have put the game to bed, and they were almost made to pay.

Town got one back with twenty five minutes remaining through Omari Delgado. Former Croydon man Adam Allen also came close with an effort, before Trams should have sealed the game as Dual-Kessie dithered and was dispossessed.

At full time I headed back via the same route to Kingsbury. It had been decent enough fare and most certainly better than not attending.