The club started life by competing in local competitions before becoming members of the South Midlands League for the 1958-59 season. The Division One title was won before the side was relegated from the Premier Division in 1963-64. A further promotion and relegation occurred over the following decade.
A further rise to the top tier of the competition came in 1985-86, before the club became a founder member of the Supreme Division of the Spartan South Midlands League for the 1997-98 campaign, before being relegated to the newly named Division Two after three seasons.
Totternhoe finished as runners-up a couple of times. Evan Tracey was appointed manager before being succeeded by goalkeeper Lou Bowley, who took the team to third place in 2024-25. Nick Brooke was the next team manager.
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 when I was left without a main Saturday game. Colney Heath FC had announced that crowds were not permitted to attend their Spring Cup game against Rayners Lane. I summed up the possibilities.
Ideally, I wanted to make a few hours of my adventure, with some cricket thrown in if possible. 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 at the same venue. 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 Recreation 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 scored 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, Fuller's pub.
Joe Clark was sent off for the Raiders as I moved around 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
to relax, enjoy a nice meal, and watch the World Snooker semi-finals. Yeah, I
liked Totternhoe.
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