Hornchurch

Hornchurch FC is a non-league football club from the suburban town of the same name that was originally formed in 1923 as Upminster Wanderers initially joining the Romford League, while playing in a local recreational park.

A move to Division Two East of the Spartan League followed in the summer of 1938 at which point the club changed their title to Upminster FC. Post World War Two the club had another season of Romford League football before returning to the Spartan League; winning promotion to the Premier Division in 1950-51.

The club progressed to the Delphian League and moved into Hornchurch Stadium on Bridge Avenue in 1952; changing names to Hornchurch & Upminster FC at the same time. After finishing league runners-up in 1958-59 ‘The Urchins’ joined the Athenian League.

In 1961 Upminster was dropped from the club title as they became Hornchurch FC. Upon expansion, Hornchurch were placed in the Premier Division in 1963 before being relegated in 1965-66. The Division One title was lifted at the first time of asking to prompt a return to the Premier Division.

A second relegation came in 1967-68 before the Urchins reclaimed their Premier Division place in 1970-71 before going back down to Division One in 1972-73. The Isthmian League was extended for the 1975-76 season, with Hornchurch joining Division Two.

Division Two was renamed Division One in 1977 as the league extended further. Hornchurch were relegated at the end of the 1977-78 campaign. They returned to Division One following a fine 1980-81 season.

The league was restructured further, with Hornchurch being placed in Division Two North for the 1986-87 season. The team was relegated to Division Three in 1990-91. After a decade in the bottom tier the Urchins won promotion in 2001-02 to return to Division One North.

A runners-up berth in 2002-03 saw promotion to the Premier Division under manager Mick Marsden as money was invested in the playing squad after the old members club was disbanded and a new Limited Company was formed in 2002.

The clubs’ new shareholders, a major European Investment Company, provided funds for the redevelopment of the ground, the clubhouse, and also the building of a team capable of gaining Conference status.

Hornchurch Stadium changed dramatically from an old derelict stadium to a 1,000 seated ground with all amenities including a new restaurant, bar, changing rooms and gymnasium, toilet blocks on both sides of the ground and three new refreshment points.

In 2003-04 the club appointed veteran non-league boss George Borg to replace Marsden as the team went on a fine FA Cup run, reaching Round One for the first ever time where they defeated Darlington 2-0 at Hornchurch Stadium before going out at home 1-0 to Tranmere Rovers at the next stage.

In the same season the cup form extended to the FA Trophy, with Hornchurch defeating the likes of Newport County, Stevenage Borough and Burton Albion before going out to Hednesford Town at the quarter final stage. Gary Calder took over as manager in April 2004 before being replaced by Garry Hill in August 2004.

A fifth place league finish was enough to grant Hornchurch a place in the newly formed Conference South for 2004-05. The club went through a ridiculous spell of astronomical wages and advertising matches on TalkSport radio to try and increase their fan base.

Hornchurch went into administration during the 2004-05 season, after backers Carthium Ltd. under Karl Williams declared bankruptcy with debts of over £7 million. The team reached the first round of the FA Cup; where they were defeated by Boston United, before the paid members of the squad were released as Tony Choules replaced Borg as manager.

The team of youngsters and loyal servants limped along until the end of the season, finishing in seventeenth place before the club was liquidated in May 2005 after a proposed CVA was rejected.

A new company was quickly set up, with the club being reformed as AFC Hornchurch as Choules was replaced by John Lawrence. The Urchins won the Essex Senior League in their debut season. The side, led by new manager Colin McBride, followed up previous success with a promotion to the Isthmian League Premier League in 2006-07 from Division One North.

In 2007-08, Hornchurch reached the play-offs but lost out to AFC Wimbledon in the semi-finals. The 2008-09 campaign saw the Urchins reach the FA Cup first round; Peterborough United leaving Hornchurch Stadium with a 1-0 victory. 

The side ended in sixth place with McBride remaining in place until September 2009, when Jim McFarlane took over as team boss. Hornchurch were Isthmian League runners-up in 2011-12; going on to win promotion to Conference South after defeating Bury Town and then Lowestoft Town in the playoffs.

However, the team was relegated back to the Isthmian League just twelve months later. In 2013-14, the Urchins once again reached the playoff final, having defeated Kingstonian. However, Lowestoft Town gained revenge for a couple of years previously as they extinguished any dreams of promotion.

An even bigger disappointment came at the end of the 2014-15 campaign as Hornchurch were relegated to Division One North. The following season a play-off semi-final win against Thurrock saw the team progress to the final, where they were defeated by Harlow Town.

In 2016-17, Hornchurch lost in the play-off semi-final to Thurrock. The wily McFarlane rallied his troops and led them to the Division One North title in 2017-18, despite the boss suffering a stroke in February 2018, with assistant McBride stepping into the hot seat.

With the club back in the Premier Division, McFarlane resigned in November 2018 with former Tottenham Hotspur player and Grays Athletic manager Mark Stimpson taking over as Hornchurch ended the 2018-19 in fifteenth position, before dropping AFC from their title in readiness for the 2019-20 season.

Sadly, that league season, plus the one that followed, was abandoned owing to the worldwide pandemic. However, FA Trophy action continued, with the 2020-21 season providing the Urchins with a run that they could only dream about.

Stimpson’s side defeated the likes of Dulwich Hamlet, King’s Lynn Town, Maidstone United, Darlington, and then Notts County to reach Wembley, where a limited crowd of 6,000 was able to attend as a test event as restrictions began to be lifted.

Hereford United were ahead in the final with fifteen minutes remaining, before an incredible comeback saw Hornchurch win 3-1, with goals from Charlie Ruff, Liam Nash, and Ellis Brown to lift the trophy on an incredible day.

In the 2021-22 playoffs, Enfield Town were defeated, before Cheshunt won the final at Bridge Avenue. In 2022-23, Cray Wanderers were overcome, with Aveley departing Hornchurch Stadium with a win and promotion. Stimpson was replaced by Steve Morison shortly after.

In January 2024, Morison departed to join Sutton United, with Daryl McMahon being appointed as his replacement, taking the side to the Isthmian League title and promotion, where Hornchurch settled in the National League South.

Hornchurch FC will play in the National League South in the 2025-26 season.

My visits

February 1983

I first visited Bridge Avenue as I went to see new grounds for the day while at college in Borehamwood. The ground was pretty basic and primarily used as an athletic venue with a track around the pitch. 

It had a low narrow stand down either side with players changing in the block behind one of the goals. Fortunately the gates were open, but unfortunately my photos didn't come out owing to the fading light, so I've included this shot from a text book.

Hornchurch 4 Tring Town 1 (Tuesday 28 August 2001) Isthmian League Division Three (att: 78)

My hobby has helped me at several times over the years. It takes me away from other issues bothering me elsewhere. I was at a low ebb at my job at Lord's Cricket Ground when I decided to take a short break and get away from things.

The game I went to saw an easy home victory. The ground hadn't really changed but the clubhouse was welcoming before kick off. Both stands had sections of seats and the catering was excellent, being provided by a hut near the turnstiles. 

Although nothing else really stood out, I was taken by an old veteran who voiced his support for his favourites from one of the seated stands. "Come on Urchins!"

Wednesday 27th September 2007

I returned in the autumn of 2007 during a day of ground and photo hopping for a further visit in an attempt to take some decent photos. Unfortunately, the security had improved beyond all previous recognition, so my views were extremely limited. 

I did my best, getting several suspicious looks as I tried to find a vantage point through a new housing development, where open land had stood before. It wasn't ideal, but I went on my merry way, trying to see the former home of Colliers Row FC and others in the area.

Hornchurch u18’s 11 Dagenham & Redbridge u18’s 0 (Thursday 3rd October 2019) FA Youth Cup Second Qualifying Round (att: 49)

Thursday’s seldom produce anything in the way of new venues to visit, if any football at all, but this fixture grabbed my attention as I wanted to visit the inside of Hornchurch Stadium for photos when a game was on.

Added to this was having the following day off work, so getting home late wasn’t a problem. I set off in decent time to visit an establishment pointed out to me by my mate Steve Barnes in nearby Upminster.

The Upminster TapRoom Micropub was a former bungalow, turned pub. The two ales that I sampled were both in excellent nick at a fair price. The pub had a nice clientele with friendly service. It was an ideal start to the evening.

The walk down to the ground was downhill before doing a left onto Bridge Avenue. A dark lane led to the turnstile where I paid the £3 admission before heading up to the bar, where fellow Silver Jubilee Park regular Tony Marshall, who couldn’t resist ticking off a new ground, was already in attendance.

The cash supplied to Dagenham & Redbridge for their academy had dried up after their time outside the Football League, so they were represented by the Barking & Dagenham College in the Youth Cup for the 2019-20 season.

This revelation didn’t really strike much of a chord with me when I read it on the Daggers website. I looked at the game as a derby, likely to pull in a few punters and a good battle on the pitch. My prediction proved to be a long way out.

From the outset the visitors looked a bit of a rabble of several shapes and sizes. The right back was a big unit squeezed into his kit. Several of his mates didn’t necessarily stand out as players either. Just one coach and no physio occupied their bench.

We took up a position on the covered terrace near the half way line, of what was a pretty decent venue for one surrounded by a running track. Three decent sized seated stands also offered accommodation as well as a smaller structure for officials and sponsors.

No spectator was viewing as such was available behind either curve, although the clubhouse windows overlooked the pitch from one corner. It was certainly better than I remembered, even if the catering van was closed while I was feeling a bit peckish.

It was immediate one-way traffic. The Urchins came close on a couple of occasions before Alex Brennand fired past keeper Riley Garrick in three minutes. Excellent midfielder Sonny Dutton ran through the centre of midfield and defence before making it 2-0 after thirteen minutes.

The same player extended the lead further ten minutes later with a good shot from just inside the box after holding off some feeble challenges. It was already bad for the visiting youngsters before three more quick goals went in.

Seb Towse finished off a good move before Obaneng Molefi saw his low shot go through the hands of Garrick. The goalie’s confidence seemed shot to pieces, exemplified when he allowed a regulation cross from Brennand to go over his head and in from the narrowest of angles.

To add to the Daggers' woes, Dutton completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before the interval. Two other fellas in the same area as us shook their heads as the whistle went for the break. One didn’t return for the second half.

We agreed that we had hoped for an enticing match, but Dagenham should have probably withdrawn from the competition if they knew they couldn’t put out a competitive side. I mused that perhaps the team had come from the catering department of the college?

That said, it is surely better to see youngsters having the opportunity to play football. We recalled our times in local football taking hidings and grew some sympathy for the team in white as they came back out after a much-appreciated rest bite. Indeed, either the coaches’ words of wisdom or increased effort were in evidence at the start of the second half. 

Perhaps the home players had taken their feet off the gas? On the hour mark, Towse added his second goal to make it 8-0. Molefi also bagged a brace with a shot too good for Garrick, who was making lots of saves, with most coming from his feet and legs. Towse became the second Urchin to collect a hat-trick after his first shot was blocked.

After seventy-minutes, referee, Michael Iddenden-Smith, awarded a penalty and sent off Jack Davis for deliberate handball on the line. The man in black received a few boos from a sympathetic crowd before Sonny Leeks fired home as the score reached eleven.

The Daggers' side continued trying their hearts out and never resorted to any foul play. Their attitude was a credit with the number nine, Gabriel Boicu, looking like a useful footballer. Sub Jack Glenister hit the woodwork twice for Hornchurch as the game neared its conclusion.

At full time, Tony headed to the nearest station, while I took a bus back to Upminster for a supposedly faster service back to Fenchurch Street. A gap in the service meant I had time to grab a bag of chips from the excellent, if slightly expensive, Barracuda.

It had been a decent evening out, even if the match wasn’t much to write home about. It was still infinitely more productive than sitting at home watching sport on TV.