Walton & Hersham FC
Ground: Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub
Capacity: 2,097
Club Founded: 1945
League: National League South - Step 2/6th Tier (current level)
Walton & Hersham FC is a fine example of what is possible when restoring a former amateur powerhouse to a progressive non-league club by engaging with the local population and getting younger blood onboard.
Walton & Hersham FC History
Early Years
The football club was formed in 1945, as a founding member of the Corinthian League after a merger of Hersham FC and Walton FC. The new club quickly made an impact, lifting the Surrey Senior Cup and the Metropolitan League title on three consecutive occasions. The Swans joined the Athenian League for the 1950-51 season.
The team reached the FA Amateur Cup semi-finals twice, losing out first to
Walthamstow Avenue and then Harwich & Parkeston. A crowd of 10,000 had
flocked to the home tie with Crook Town in 1952 at Stompond Road. The late 60s and early 70s were halcyon days for the club with Allen
Batsford as team manager.
The Glory Years
The Athenian League title was secured in 1969-70, followed by two runners-up finishes. The FA Cup first round was reached twice. The club joined the Isthmian
League before embarking on the most successful campaign in the club's history
in the 1972-73 season. Football League Exeter City were beaten in the FA Cup,
but Margate ended the run in round two.
Brian Clough Humbled
The following season saw the Swans pull off an amazing
result in the FA Cup. After drawing 0-0 at home to Brian Clough’s Brighton
& Hove Albion side, Walton & Hersham won the replay 4-0, with
Clive Foskett netting a hat-trick. The team bowed out in round two, 3-0 away to
Hereford United.
Batsford moved on to Wimbledon along with much of his squad, including future top-flight manager Dave Bassett. Crowds dropped as Walton & Hersham were relegated in 1974-75, but still reached the first round of the FA Cup a year later, when Crystal Palace defeated them on their way to the semi-finals.
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| The old Main Stand at Stompond Lane |
Isthmian League Staples
In 1993-94, the club was promoted back to the Premier
Division while Swansea City won at Stompond Lane in the first round of the FA Cup. The side went back and forth between the top two divisions of the Isthmian League, with the glory days well in the past.
Long-serving player Alan Dowson took the side to promotion as manager in 2004-05. Former Millwall
chairman Theo Paphitis joined the club's board of directors after the team had been relegated, and strove for success under several different managers.
The local council announced plans to develop a new Sports
Hub, including the Waterside Stadium, home of neighbours Walton Casuals, and the
adjacent Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Centre. The word was that
Walton & Hersham could become tenants as Stompond Lane started to
show severe signs of decay.
Steve Baker was appointed as team manager for the 2013-14 season. Floodlight issues led to early kick-offs or the moving of a fixture. Baker resigned and was followed by a succession of managers. The instability ended in relegation to the Combined Counties League (CCL).
The Nadir
Haughney was replaced by Gary Taylor, who only lasted a few
months. Perry Gough
was the team manager as Walton ended 2018-19 bottom of the table and was relegated to
Division One of the competition. A new broom swept through the club in the
summer of 2019 as a new consortium took over.
The Fightback Begins
Scott Harris was appointed manager after the enforced pandemic break when the club was placed in the Premier Division South of the extended CCL competition. Promotion was won in 2021-22 to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League.
Crowds returned in droves the following season to watch the team defeat Hanworth Villa in the playoff final, winning promotion to the Premier Division South of the Southern League. Interest in the club was no doubt helped by the demise of Walton Casuals, leaving Walton & Hersham as the sole tenants of the Elmbridge Sports Hub Stadium.
Harris departed, along with many of his players, in April 2024 to be replaced by Billy Rowley, whose side were defeated in the playoff semi-finals as the momentum continued. Rowley departed for Yeovil Town. Jakub Pietrzak led the team to the title and promotion to the second level, National League South, before he was replaced by Kevin James.
My visits
Stompond Lane
Tuesday 6th September 2006
I was out and about in Surrey on a free day from work, trying out my new digital camera in a quest to visit football clubs and
get some exercise. It was a fine day and a good idea for walking.
I arrived at
Stompond Lane after walking from the Metropolitan Police ground in East Molesey, onto Molesey FC, and then to
Walton Casuals along the Thames Path before cutting through the streets of
Walton-on-Thames.
The charismatic arena was thankfully open. I’m no fan of
venues with running tracks surrounding the pitch, but the one at Stompond
Lane had only had six lanes, and the spectator facilities were right up to the
track.
The Main Stand was a raised seating deck across the halfway line. Opposite was a good-sized, full-length covered terrace. There were a few steps of open terracing around the curves at the ends. Tennis courts were behind the Hersham Road goal at the council-owned municipal facility, which was also used by Walton Athletic Club.
Having finished taking my photos, I headed to Walton-on-Thames
station to catch a train to my next ground, Alwyns Lane, the home of
Chertsey Town.
Walton & Hersham 2 Worthing 1
Isthmian League Division One South - Saturday 19th April 2014
👨👨👧👧 135 🎟️ £8
A pleasant pair took my admission fee along with
another quid for a golden gamble ticket. The programme from a cheerful chap in
the programme hut set me back a further £2. My initial impressions were most
favourable. Sadly, the old covered terrace on the far side had been
boarded up for much of the season and remained so.
With just two minutes of normal time remaining, Reid scored with a fine shot from the edge of the box to secure the spoils. They probably deserved the three points, but it would have been all so different if Ben Pope hadn’t fired over for Worthing a few minutes earlier with just the keeper to beat.
For the first time in several years, I found myself in the
UK over Easter in 2014. I had returned ten days earlier
from Thailand, where I usually found myself around the Chiang Mai and Phuket
International Cricket Sixes tournaments. I intended to take full advantage of
the Bank Holiday period, despite finding myself on night shifts.
Seeing a match at Stompond Lane was high on my agenda.
Rumours were circulating that Walton & Hersham may not have much more
time left at their venue of ninety years. A fault earlier in the season, meaning
switched venues and early kick-offs owing to problems with the floodlights,
heightened my urgency.
It was a pleasant afternoon when the train from Waterloo arrived at Walton-on-Thames. The walk to the ground took just over ten minutes along pretty roads with expensive commuter belt housing on either side.
It was
the most unlikely approach to a football ground. One can only imagine how the
residents took it when large crowds trooped along during the clubs’ glory days.
However, I could still get around. I passed yet another cheerful chap who retrieved wayward shots from the subs as they warmed up, lamenting about their stray shots. He also threw back some tennis balls to players on the court over the fence with similar abilities. I moved to that side and stood in front of the boards to take some photos.
After a few minutes, I wandered back around and had a chat
with a fellow ‘hopper’, John, AKA Kewps, from the excellent and most helpful Non-League Forum. He hadn’t done too many games of late and had concentrated on QPR games
instead, so it was nice to catch up. I continued around where the mature ball
boy was standing.
Tony turned out to be yet another real gent. He told me how the club was reluctant to move from their home, but the council was most keen that they move from their rented facility to share with rivals Walton Casuals, so housing could replace the ground; even though the local residents didn’t want this.
He had the impression that Casuals were keen on a
merger, but Walton & Hersham were against it, with their proud history. Apparently, the cover was boarded up as the council declared it a fire hazard. Presumably, they thought the same of the wooden fence that blew down during the storms, but
they had failed to repair it. The floodlights, however, had been fixed.
It was good to hear that Tony had chosen a visit to York and Scarborough for his previous birthday with his wife. The man had good taste! It was also good to hear about the glory days at Stompond Lane. Scarborough had won the FA Trophy a few weeks before the Swans had triumphed in the penultimate Amateur Cup Final back in 1973, so we had plenty to talk about.
Sadly, most of Tony’s favourites departed for Wimbledon with boss Allen Batsford soon after, while others joined Leatherhead. He was keen to point out that the mayor and councillors were keen to be seen back then, hence the disappointment with their modern stance.
On the pitch, Walton & Hersham showed promising signs. Tony Reid had recently taken over as manager and installed himself back in the side to try and secure the vital points to avoid relegation. There were opportunities at both ends in an open and entertaining encounter on a difficult, bumpy playing surface.
I stood near the most vocal of the home fans on the slope near the stand for the last ten minutes of the half. Their feedback to the referee gave me plenty of entertainment. Referees have a difficult job, and generally, I will support them.
They all make mistakes, and the lower you go down the pyramid, the more they will make. Players are the same. It’s why they plied their trade at such a level. However, Mr Georgiou was making a rod for his own back.
He made Worthing kick off three times at the start of the game as he wasn’t satisfied with one thing or another. Gigolo George, as I heard him being referred to, had the look of a sun-tanned Andrew Sachs, which was quite apt as he officiated in a style Manuel from Fawlty Towers would have been delighted with.
His exaggerated signals left us in no doubt as to his interpretations. Some random offside flagging by the linesmen did not help him. On the stroke of half-time, the visitors went ahead following a debatable free kick decision. Brannon O’Neill swung the ball into the box, where it deflected off home defender Louis Clark and into the net.
I visited the clubhouse at halftime, where the service was again friendly and polite. It was the same from the ladies serving my hot dog on the way back to see the action. Little touches like “enjoy the game” added to the excellent matchday experience at this most friendly of clubs.
The ageing stand offered a great view over the six-lane track as I enjoyed my food as The Swans drew level. Reid justified his selection when his header from a cross from the excellent Andy Lomas went in off the post. Reid had been a constant threat throughout, and his young side responded to his influence.
My day was getting better. I’d put on two football bets, as was the norm. The six-team accumulator was gradually going under, but my treble of Crystal Palace, Millwall, and Hearts was heading in the right direction.
I returned to the bank to speak to John and fill him in on what I had learned. We had a good laugh at some of the decisions on the pitch, which is considerably easier as a neutral, and it doesn’t affect your own club. If it had been a Scarborough Athletic game, I would have been getting a bit tetchy.
With just two minutes of normal time remaining, Reid scored with a fine shot from the edge of the box to secure the spoils. They probably deserved the three points, but it would have been all so different if Ben Pope hadn’t fired over for Worthing a few minutes earlier with just the keeper to beat.
The man on the mic and PA had been good all day. He played T Rex and then Hersham Boys by Sham 69, who got their name from faded graffiti remembering the Athenian League triumph of that year, as the teams came out. At full time, he plumped for That’s Entertainment by The Jam. It was apt. It had indeed been great entertainment.
After saying my farewell, I was halfway down the pristine
lane to the station when I received the news that my bet had come in, retrieving most of my stake money for the season! I was one happy man!
If I had lived closer, I’d definitely give Walton &
Hersham more attention. Many clubs offer warm welcomes, but everyone I met at
Stompond Lane was absolutely top class. I left hoping that they’d find an
amicable solution to their traditional home to match such a proud
football club.
At Elmbridge Sports Hub
Walton &
Hersham 3 Peacehaven & Telscombe 0
FA Vase Round One - Friday 30th October 2020
👨👨👧👧 250 🎟️ £7
I’d
contemplated giving the game a miss. Those working on the roof of the house next door,
about six feet from my bed, meant I hadn't had a proper sleep. However, I was conscious of the possibility of another impending COVID lockdown and wanted to
grab opportunities while they still arose.
The journey around the M25 was OK, though it was noticeable that traffic was gradually building up on our most recent adventures. Given that we were travelling at a peak time on a Friday probably added to the number of vehicles on the road.
We were still down at the Elmbridge Hub in good time with our flasks in tow as a precaution, as there had been no refreshments available on my recent visit with Hendon. Admission was £7, with the programme a very steep £3 for this level of football.
To start with, a negative. We found a seat in the stand for a better view of the game. Every other row was taped off, and some seats were labelled instructing people not to sit in them and to follow all social distancing protocols.
Just before kick-off, a fella with two women decided they’d sit in the row directly behind us. Neither of us was particularly amused when Tony pointed out that the row was taped off; they responded with “well he’s not adhering to it over there”. Ignorant or entitled?
Anyway, they moved about four seats along, only to be joined by someone else who ended up right behind me. We moved and watched from the railings by the pitch. I’m not a fussy or killjoy sort of person, but the ignorance of the situation we all found ourselves in exasperated me at times.
On the pitch, both sides tried to play football on the deck. The visitors from a higher level looked like the better side for the first thirty minutes. Walton’s eagerness to play from the back had to be applauded, but they overdid it and often misplaced passes.
One of the central defenders lost possession in his own box as the Peacehaven players pushed up. He got away with it as the shot on goal was weak. It looked like a matter of time before the tactic would end in disaster.
Then the Swans took initiative with a good ten-minute spell, which culminated in a visiting defender being adjudged to have denied a goalscoring opportunity when he brought down Dominic Ogun outside the box. Referee Neil Keirs showed the offender a straight red.
The free kick was deflected wide by the wall as it headed towards goal, but from the resulting corner, Stuart Baldwin rose at the near post to head home unmarked. I had a wander round the pitch to grab some snaps in the last few minutes of the half.
The match was over as a contest within seven minutes of the restart. A fierce arrowed right-wing cross was headed in by Harry Mills before Skipper Joe Hicks scored with a bullet header from a corner on the right.
The visitors' marking for all three goals was lamentable, as if they had some sort of affliction to challenging in the air. They weren’t the tallest side I’d ever seen, but even so. After that, Walton passed the ball around the pitch at will.
Peacehaven tried to the last, but it’s a long time since I saw a sending-off of an outfield player make such a difference. Their smattering of fans with an impressive display of banners could have no complaints.
In the last knockings, referee Keir showed a second red card. This time, it was to Max Hustwick of the hosts who appeared to win the ball, albeit with a strong raised boot. I had a feeling the card was going to be shown when Mr. Keir blew hard twice on his whistle.
I like his officiating. He doesn’t get every decision correct, but he controls the game, and players know that they are wise not to get involved with dialogue. The sort of man you wouldn’t want marking you if he were a player.
Both red cards on this occasion could easily have been just yellows, but he didn’t come across as the sort of ref who handed out cards just for fun, judging by the evidence of the previous two matches I’d seen him at earlier in the season.
We were
straight out at full time, and with the traffic eerily quiet, I was back at
Eastcote ready to help the travelling public by 10.20pm.
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