 |
| Lowther Road - Image copied from online sources |
Wokingham Town FC Club History
The club moved into their home ground at Finchamstead Road in 1906, playing in local competition before joining the Metropolitan League in 1954. A move to the Delphian League followed three years later, where they remained for two seasons before joining 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 FA Trophy semi-final appearance. Telford United won the tie on aggregate to reach Wembley in what were halcyon days for the ‘Satsumas’, with Darren Barnard and Paul Bence among the leading performers.
In 1989-90, Wokingham were Isthmian League runners-up, narrowly missing out on a place in the Conference. However, the cash began to dry up, causing financial issues, before the team was relegated twice, dropping down to Division Two in 1997-98. The Finchampstead Road ground was sold and demolished in 1999 to raise cash.
 |
| Finchampstead Road. Image taken from Twitter/X |
The club became tenants at Stag Meadow in Windsor before a further relegation to Division Three followed. In 2004, the club merged with Emmbrook Sports to become Wokingham & Emmbrook FC and was placed in the Premier Division of the Hellenic League under manager Glenn Duggleby.
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.
 |
| Finchampstead Road. Image taken from Twitter/X |
Back at Lowther Road with Roger Herridge appointed as manager, the club again fell foul of the ground requirements and was sent back down to Division One East at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. 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, as managers came and went and the club put its future in its youth setup. Lowther Road was upgraded with new floodlights and a stand in 2019. The club began life as a member of the Premier Division North of the Combined Counties League after restructuring of the non-league set-up.
My visit
Stag Meadow, Windsor
Wokingham Town were a club that was really struggling after losing their much-loved Finchampstead Road ground, and were victims of an overspending owner. Just eleven years previously, they had finished as runners-up in the Isthmian League but were now in the bottom division without a home ground, playing at Stag Meadow in Windsor.
I went by train on a pleasant late summer's 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. 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!
