Flackwell Heath FC is a non-league club formed in 1907 who hail from the village of the same name which is located between High Wycombe and Marlow in the Chiltern Hills around thirty miles north west of London.
The club initially became members of the High Wycombe and District League playing at The Recreation Ground, quickly becoming a force in local football, winning the competition twelve times as well as lifting the High Wycombe Senior Challenge Cup on multiple occasions.
After World War Two the club moved into Wilks Park as ‘The Heathens’ advanced to Division Two of the Great Western Combination, being crowned champions in their debut 1950-51 season to be promoted to Division One which would later be renamed the Premier Division.
Flackwell Heath were runners-up in 1956-57 before lifting the league title in 1957-58. A second championship followed in 1962-63 prior to a return to the High Wycombe and District League twelve months after the Great Western Combination folded.
1974 saw a clubhouse built at Wilks Park as the team lifted local cup competitions which helped a successful application to become members of Division One of the Hellenic League for the 1976-77 campaign, which ended in a runners-up place and promotion to the Premier Division.
A switch to the Athenian League followed in 1982. The Heathens spell in the competition lasted just two seasons before it folded. The club joined an extended Isthmian League in Division Two North as a new stand was built for the readiness of the higher grade of football.
After one season Flackwell Heath were moved geographically to Division Two South, where they remained until league reorganisation saw them placed in Division Three for the 1991-92 season where they finished in seventh position.
This would be as good a finish for several seasons, before fourth was achieved in 2000-01. However, this was backed up by a bottom place the following campaign. Despite this they remained in the retitled Division Two.
The side finished third in 2002-03 as well as reaching the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup before going out 4-1 at home to Crawley Town. 2004-05 saw another run to the same stage which ended away to Billericay Town. The following season saw the team finish fourth in the league.
The Isthmian League was streamlined for 2006-07. The Heathens were given a reprieve and place in Division One North after East Ham United folded. However, the season saw the team end bottom of the table to be relegated to the Hellenic League.
Byron Walton took charge of the side before being replaced by Terry Glynn who stabilised his charges after a slump. Former team skipper Matt Flint took over team affairs in October 2008, bringing in James Pritchard as coach before he took the managers role in 2010 following a fourth place finish.
Pritchard was joined as boss by Matt Miller for the 2011-12 season. The team ended fourth once again before Pritchard headed to Beaconsfield to be replaced by Graham Malcolm who led the Heathens to the Hellenic League Premier Division title in 2014-15.
Promotion was declined for financial reasons as the FA offered a place in Division One South & West of the Southern League after originally being offered Division One Central. Malcolm stepped down twelve months later after his team won the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy and finished third in the league to move to Spain.
His replacement was Paul Shone who lasted until November 2017 after taking the team to another third place, when he was replaced by former Football League player and successful Highmoor Ibis player-manager Marcus Richardson.
The team finished fifth in 2017-18, then eighth and were sat in ninth when the 2019-20 season was ended early owing to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Flackwell Heath 0 Cirencester Town 3 (Saturday 12th September 2020) FA Cup Preliminary Round (att: c90)
I looked at visiting a new ground that could be accessed while taking into consideration the suspension of parts of the Jubilee and Met lines owing to engineering works and getting sufficient rest between night shifts. It was good to see it from a customer’s point of view!
Steve Barnes thought it a good few hours away and decided to join me as we took the replacement bus from Kingsbury to Wembley Park and then Wembley Stadium to take the train to High Wycombe.
The service ran perfectly to join up with the number 36 bus from the High Street where a £4 day ticket was purchased for the return trip to Flackwell Heath. Our eyes were on which pubs might be open after surviving the lockdown.
It would be difficult for me to praise The Stag too much, as it offered a fine pint of Rebellion Overthrow at a reasonable £3.70 as well as a magnificent view from the back garden. The lovely weather added to the near perfection.
From the pub t was just a five minute stroll through the pretty village to Wilks Park where a gent was putting out a “car park full” board the Eve Pass track and trace App was being used at the turnstile where admission was £6 with the programme an extra quid.
It was actually my second visit to the ground. I’d taken a bus from Wycombe once before in June 2012 to take photos, but the gates were locked so I couldn’t get access. What a lovely little football ground it is.
A seated stand on the far side with some cover on the other three sides, with the one by the changing rooms out of bounds today as it was being used by subs and officials. The outstanding feature was the immaculate playing surface with its side to side slope.
There was time for a quick pint of keg Rebellion Smuggler which was in fine fettle before kick-off. We had a wander around various vantage points at the entrance end during a first half that ended blank but saw both sides hit the woodwork.
Town had an effort ping back off the bar while a Heathens effort from Simeon Weekes may have snuck in without the slope which helped the ball deviate a few inches to rebound off the inside of the foot of the post.
The visiting head coach was loud and incessant with his protestations towards his charges who didn't seem to be doing too much wrong in my eyes. At the break he sat on the pitch with the team rather than head back to the dressing rooms and emphasised just how important a win was.
The Centurion side obviously didn't fancy listening to him moaning on the journey home and went up a gear after the interval. Jonny Denis broke the deadlock just after the hour mark with a fine low curling shot up the slope beyond the reach of host keeper Aaron Watkins.
Heath continued with their fine effort, but the goal knocked them back. The lead was doubled soon after from the penalty spot before a tremendous save from Dan Lawrence to deny substitute Dan Mansfield retained the two goal advantage.
A fellow sub Emio Touray got through for the hosts but again Lawrence pulled off a good save. Ciren gave the final score a flattering look when a cross was controlled and smashed home in the last couple of minutes.
We departed and took the 35 bus just round the corner back to Wycombe on a scenic journey which went past the impressive town cricket club. In an ideal world I would have continued the day with Steve, but work had to come first.
He later told me of a couple of fine pubs he’d enjoyed the early evening, while I caught a busy two carriage train back to Wembley followed by a bus home for a welcome siesta before the next shift.
It had been a grand afternoon out.
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