Wokingham Town

 

Wokingham Town FC is a non-league football club from the town of the same name, that was originally formed in 1875. They moved into their home ground at Finchamstead Road in 1906 playing in local competition prior to joining the Metropolitan League in 1954.

A move to the Delphian League followed in 1957-58, where they remained for two seasons before becoming members of the Corinthian League. When that competition folded, a place was provided in Division One of the Athenian League, where Town remained until becoming a Division Two side in the Isthmian League of 1973-74.

The second tier later became Division One, which Wokingham were crowned champions of in 1981-82. The following season saw the side take Cardiff City to a replay in the first round of the FA Cup, while the 1987-88 campaign saw an appearance in the semifinal of the FA Trophy. 

Telford United won the tie on aggregate to reach Wembley in what were halcyon days for the ‘Satsumas’ as Darren Barnard and Paul Bence were among the leading performers. In 1989-90 Wokingham were Isthmian League runners-up narrowly missing out on a place in the Conference.

Finchampstead Road. Image taken from Twitter/X

However, the cash begin to dry up which caused financial issues, before the team was relegated to Division One in 1994-95 and then Division Two in 1997-98. The Finchampstead Road ground was sold and demolished in 1999 to raise cash, with the club becoming tenants at Stag Meadow in Windsor.

A further relegation to Division Three followed in 2000-01, which was retitled Division Two after restructuring a couple of years later. In 2004 the club merged with Emmbrook Sports to become Wokingham & Emmbrook FC and being placed in the Premier Division of the Hellenic League under manager Glenn Duggleby.

Finchampstead Road. Image taken from Twitter/X

The club relocated to Emmbrook’s base at Lowther Road in Wokingham, which failed the ground grading requirements and saw the Satsumas demoted to Division One East of the competition. The club decamped to Larges Lane in Bracknell in 2009-10, winning promotion to the Premier Division under Wayne Wanklyn. 

Back at Lowther Road with Roger Herridge appointed as manager, the club was again fell foul of the ground requirements and were sent back down to Division One East at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. After a runners-up place twelve months later, W&E secured the title in 2014-15 under joint bosses Dan Bateman and Matt Eggleston.

The side was relegated in 2015-16 after a spell as tenants of Henley Town FC leading to the appointment of new manager, Clive McNelly. Matt Eggleston later replaced him as the club put its future in its youth set up. Lowther Road was upgraded with new floodlights and a stand in 2019.

Matt Cronan became manager in September 2022 taking over from Eliot Whitehouse shortly after the club began life as a member of Premier Division North of the Combined Counties League after restructuring on the non-league set up. The side finished towards the bottom end of the table for three successive seasons. 

Darren Purbrick was given the managers job in April 2024, with the club changing its title to Wokingham Town FC a couple of months later.

Wokingham Town FC will play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Stag Meadow, Windsor

Wokingham Town 0 Tring Town 0 (Friday 28th September 2001) Isthmian League Division Three (att: c80)

Wokingham Town were a club who were really struggling after losing their much-loved Finchampstead Road ground in the town and were victims of an overspending owner who promised plenty. Just eleven years previously they had finished as runners up in the Isthmian League but were now in the bottom division and without a home ground and having to play at Stag Meadow.

I went by train on a pleasant late summers evening after work and enjoyed sitting at a riverside pub reading the London Standard before setting off for the ground. I managed to get lost on the way, before a local put me right. The clubhouse was good, as was the ground which looked to have had a recent makeover.

I had a chat with a Town fan who was quite jolly to say what his club had been through when I asked about their chances of getting a new ground back in Wokingham.

Stag Meadow had an old-fashioned Main Stand on the halfway line with new tip up seats and open terracing either side. A new terracotta track divided this side from the lush pitch. There were a few rows of open terracing either side with the clubhouse, offices and changing rooms standing towards the Park End.

Both the Park and Town Ends behind the goals had open terracing. The far Enclosure had a low roof running virtually the full length of the pitch with shallow terracing. The game was unremarkable, but at least the Main Stand offered me a good view. I walked back to the station, which took a lot less time than the way there!