Totternhoe

Totternhoe FC is a non-league football club formed in 1906 in the village from the same name to the west of Dunstable in Bedfordshire. The club competed in local competition before becoming members of the South Midlands League for the 1958-59 season.

In 1961-62 the team won the Division One title and promotion to the Premier Division prior to dropping back down in 1963-64. A runners-up place in 1968-69 saw a return to the Premier Division with the team being relegated to Division One in 1974-75.

Totternhoe decided to leave the South Midlands League thereafter before returning for the 1979-80 season. A further rise to the top tier of the competition came in 1985-86 as Totternhoe finished as runners-up on goal difference.

The club were founder members of the Supreme Division of the Spartan South Midlands League Supreme Division for the 1997-98 campaign before being relegated to the newly named Division Two in 2000-01.

In the lower division Totternhoe finished as runners-up in 2010-11 and then third, twelve months later. Another second place ensued in 2016-17. The team ended in lowly positions in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 under manager Chris Harvey as the seasons were terminated early owing to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Totternhoe FC will play in the Spartan South Midlands League Division Two in the 2021-22 season.

My visit

Totternhoe 3 Berkhamsted Raiders 1 (Saturday 1^st May 2021) Spartan South Midlands League Division Two Spring Cup (att: c60)

Many of the Coronavirus pandemic sanctions were still in place, though some lower level non-league competitions had returned. The ruling was that spectators could only attend if the grounds were in public spaces.

I’d drawn up a list of fixtures in the Bedfordshire County League Supplementary Cup competitions and had marked down the fixture between the reserve sides of Totternhoe and The 61 FC a few days later.

However, my plans hit a snag as I was left without a main Saturday game after Colney Heath posted that they were not allowing a crowd for their Spring Cup game against Rayners Lane. I summed up the possibilities.

Ideally, I wanted to make a few hours of my adventure, ideally with some cricket thrown in. Dunstable Town CC was just a hundred yards away from Totternhoe’s Recreation Ground and advertised a friendly against Hounslow & Whitton. Problem solved!

I’d even bagged a football bonus, as Lancot Park were taking on Real Haynes in the Supplementary Cup C with a 2.15 kick-off. I reckoned I could see most of the first half of that after some cricket before popping along Dunstable Road for the main game.

I was nearing the ground when a loud cheer went up. I asked a couple of gents if I’d missed a goal. They confirmed that the hosts had taken the lead in the first minute. Winger Ed Horne had netted.

I took stock of the surroundings. The first thing to grab my attention was just how young both sides were, which was good to see. Even younger than some FA Youth Cup ties I’d previously attended. Consequently, the pace was relentless.

The Recreation Ground pitch was bumpy, but it had a good layer of turf to negate it. The playing area was partly railed and then roped off on the far side where a smaller second pitch lay alongside.

A clubhouse and changing rooms were behind the goal I arrived at, with several patrons enjoying the facilities of an open bar as they sat on the wall and benches under the cover. Many families had fun in the playground up near the other end. It all had a lovely vibe to it.

The game seemed most competitive, with both sides trying to play quick attacking football. I decided to grab a bench behind the goal and buy a pint of Pravha. It was a cold day, but I was out of the wind.

I had a second pint, this time of Atlantic IPA while watching the game and listening to the radio on what was happening elsewhere. Hull City were heading to the League One title to brighten my mood further.

Horne grabbed his second goal of the game to the satisfaction of the down to earth locals. Totternhoe had a real community feel to it, which I liked. Fifteen minutes from time George Capehorn made it 3-0 with an excellent goal.

I was now in a quandary. The last bus to Dunstable would be going past five minutes from full time or I could walk thirty minutes and catch a service on its outskirts. If it had been warmer, I would have fancied trying the nearby Old Farm Inn Fullers pub.

Joe Clark was sent off for Raiders as I moved round to near the bus stop which was conveniently next to the ground. I decided to jump aboard when I saw it coming around the corner. I missed a late twenty five yard goal from Tom Kennard.

Fortunately, my buses were working well as I only had a short wait at the Quadrant in Dunstable before a busway service to Luton station arrived, so I made the hourly train to Mill Hill Broadway, with engineering works affecting my options.

It’d been a smashing few hours out and about. It was good to get home and relax with a nice meal and watch the World Snooker semi-finals. Yeah, I liked Totternhoe.