Club Dissolved: 1988 - Merged with Leytonstone/Ilford
East London lost some great names of non-league football in the 1980's, with Walthamstow Avenue among the most missed, with their wonderful home ground and proud history.
Potted Avenue History
The club, founded by former pupils of Pretoria Avenue School, started life playing in Division Two of the London League before dropping down to local football. The A's became members of the Spartan League and then the Athenian League in 1929-30 after moving into their Green Pond Road home.
They won the title in their debut season and then finished as runners-up twelve months later, with four more titles following before the outbreak of World War II. Three appearances in the second round of the FA Cup also came in this period. When peace was restored, Avenue joined the Isthmian League.
Glory Days
The second round of the FA Cup was reached on another couple of occasions, along with the Isthmian League title and an appearance in the semi-final of the FA Amateur Cup. Green Pond Road hosted the match between Turkey and the Republic of China at the 1948 Olympic Games, before the 1951-52 season was one Avenue would remember for the right reasons.
The Amateur Cup was won with a 2-1 victory against Leyton in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium. Jim Lewis and Dennis Hall scored the goals, with Stan Gerula starring in goal under the leadership of captain Derek Saunders in a side that also included Essex and England cricketer Trevor Bailey.
Avenue winning the 1952 FA Amateur Cup
Manchester United in the FA Cup
Crook Town ended hopes of a return to the final the following season in the semi-finals. The following season delivered a second Isthmian League title and thrust Avenue into the limelight in the FA Cup. A win against Stockport County in front of 12,400 fans at Green Pond Road set up a fourth-round tie at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
Prolific striker Lewis scored ten minutes from time to earn a 1-1 draw, with United winning the replay 5-2 as 53,000 spectators flocked to Highbury to see Lewis net a brace for Avenue. Round two of the competition was reached in the following two seasons, which included Walthamstow beating Queens Park Rangers.
My drawing of Green Pond Road, along with some team kits. Click on the image for an enlarged view.
Return to Wembley
Back in the league, a third Isthmian championship was won in 1954-55, while the side appeared regularly in the first round of the FA Cup. The 1960-61 campaign saw Avenue return to Wembley after previously reaching the semi-finals of the Amateur Cup. The final was won 2-1 against West Auckland Town as Stan Prince skippered the side to victory.
An FA Cup second-round appearance and a runners-up league finish before the end of the decade were followed by many seasons without challenging for honours. The finished second in the league in 1979-80 before the side was relegated in 1986-87 at Green Pond Road, which by now was in a shabby condition with low crowds the norm.
Green Pond Road's location
The End
Walthamstow Avenue ended the 1987-88 season fifteenth in Division One of the Isthmian League. They then merged with Leytonstone/Ilford, playing under that name for another season at Green Pond Road, before changing name to Redbridge Forest and moving to Victoria Road, Dagenham. Forest would be absorbed to form Dagenham & Redbridge FC.
A club calling itself Walthamstow Avenue was formed in 2000. Playing at Town Mead in Waltham Abbey,
they competed in the London County Football League for three seasons before competing in the Middlesex County Football League. They merged with Walthamstow Pennant, later Leyton Pennant and then Waltham Forest FC, now Walthamstow FC.
My visit
February
1984
While at
college in Boreham Wood, I went on one of my first groundhopping jaunts around
East London one Sunday with much else to do. My first point of call was to jump off the tube at
Blackhorse Road station and walk up Forest Road and Highams Hill Road to find
Green Pond Road.
The ground
certainly looked impressive from the outside, but that looked as near as I would
get to see it, as the gates were locked. I saw a door open at the back of the stand
and entered the clubhouse, where I was greeted by a friendly bloke who had a
menacing-looking Alsatian. I asked if
there was any chance of having a look inside.
He said it would be a
pleasure, especially when I explained I was a Scarborough fan, but I was too
young to visit in the FA Trophy in the 1976-77 season when the sides drew 0-0. ‘The Pond', as locals called the ground, was an impressive venue. I looked up to see a
large seated main Stand tower over the terraced paddock below.
The Highams Hill
Road End to my right was a covered terrace, as was the Winns Avenue Side
opposite. There were
signs that turnstiles once operated on that side of the ground when
crowds were bigger. The far end was open terracing with an artificial training
area.
Not for the
only occasion in London, I regretted not getting to a game during my spell at
college, but I never thought that anywhere as impressive as that would
disappear. If only digital cameras had been invented, I'd have taken far more
photos, but times were hard!
A splendid Blog provides lots more information and images of Walthamstow Avenue.
