Walton & Hersham F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Walton & Hersham


fullname = Walton & Hersham Football Club
nickname = The Swans, The Sham, The Waltz
founded = 1945
ground = The Sports Ground, Stompond Lane,
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
capacity = 5,500 (404 seated)
chairman = Alan Smith
manager = Jimmy Bolton
league = Isthmian League Division One South
season = 2007–08 | position = Isthmian League Division One South, 10th
pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = _thinwhitesides | pattern_ra1 = | leftarm1 = CC0033 | body1 = CC0033 | rightarm1 = CC0033 | shorts1 = CC0033 | socks1 = CC0033 | pattern_la2 = | pattern_b2 = _unknown | pattern_ra2 = | leftarm2 = FFFFFF | body2 = FFFFFF | rightarm2 = FFFFFF | shorts2 = FFFFFF | socks2 = FFFFFF |

Walton & Hersham F.C. are an English football club who are currently members of the Isthmian League Division One South. Nicknamed the Swans, they play at Stompond Lane, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. The club play in an all-red home kit and have an average attendance of around 200. [ [http://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/matches.jsp?team=267 www.footballwebpages.co.uk] ]

History

Early Days

Walton F.C. was formed in 1895, and in 1945, following World War II, amalgamated with Hersham F.C. to form Walton & Hersham F.C. The club joined the Corinthian League, winning it first in the 1946-7 season and then again the following two seasons. They were elected to the Athenian League in 1950 and finished runners-up in their first season.

A period of mid-table football followed until the 1967 appointment of Allen Batsford as manager heralded a new era of success. The Athenian League title was secured in 1969, followed by two runners-up spots and two successive visits to the FA Cup First Round.

Isthmian League to Present Day

The club were finally elected to the Isthmian League in 1971 and they secured a third place finish in their first season. Further success followed in 1973 when the club won the penultimate FA Amateur Cup final, defeating Slough Town at Wembley Stadium. The club set a unique record by winning the competition without conceding a goal. With players including Dave Bassett becoming regulars in the England Amateur International team, the Swans became recognized as one of the strongest non-league teams in the country. A 4-0 FA Cup First Round replay over Brian Clough's Brighton & Hove Albion underlined the power of the side at the time. Following the defeat Clough almost got into a fight with comedian Eric Sykes, who was associated with the club at the time and who was laughing about the result to a friend during a phone call. [Brian Clough, "Clough - The Autobiography"] The club also inspired the name of punk band Sham 69, as they derived it from a pice of graffiti which read 'Walton & Hersham 69'. [ [http://www.unionsquaremusic.co.uk/titlev4.php?ALBUM_ID=335&LABEL_ID=3 'Sham 69'] ] The glory days ended however in 1974 when Batsford left to manage Wimbledon and took most of the best players with him. Despite briefly having Stanley Matthews as President, the club endured a lean period throughout the 1980s and dropped out of the top level of the Isthmian League.

They returned to the Isthmian top flight in 1994, although relegation followed in 1996. They were promoted again the following year, although relegation followed in 2000. After a spell in the Isthmian League First Division the club appointed long-serving player Alan Dowson as manager and he led them to a successful 2004-5 season, with promotion secured as runners-up.

After the resignation of Alan Dowson in October 2006, former Gillingham first team coach Bobby Paterson took over after a long search for a new manager. An assistant manager was appointed a few weeks later, Les Cleevely - the former Carshalton Athletic player/assistant manager where he made over 500 appearances for them. Paterson's stay didn't last long after a run of poor results he had his contract terminated. The assistant manager Les Cleevely took over with his assistant Jimmy Bolton. After a poor 2007–2008 season which had promise early on, Les Cleevely became the academy coach while Jimmy Bolton took over to become the manager. Barry Barnes is now assistant manager.

Former Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis is currently a member of the club's board of directors. [ [http://www.waltonandhershamfc.org.uk/Swans%20redevelopement.htm Swans £5 Million redevelopment Plan] ]

Current squad

"As at March 9 2008:" [ [http://www.waltonandhershamfc.org.uk/stats.htm Player stats 2007-2008] ]

Achievements

* FA Amateur Cup:
** Winners (1): 1972-73

* Athenian League:
** Winners (1): 1968-69

* Corinthian League
** Winners (3): 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49

* Surrey Senior Cup:
** Winners (6): 1947-48, 1950-51, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1970-71, 1972-73

* Southern Combination Cup:
** Winners (6): 1949-50, 1982-83, 1988-89, 1992-93, 1999-2000, 2000-01

* Premier Midweek Floodlit League:
** Winners (3): 1967-68, 1968-69, 1970-71

* Barassi Cup:
** Winners (1): 1973-74

* John Livey Memorial Trophy:
** Winners (3): 1991-92, 1993-94, 1996-97

* Saft-Nife Shield:
** Winners (1): 1996-97

Former players

A number of former Swans players have enjoyed wider renown in football. These include:
*Jack Cock
*Nathan Ellington
*Stuart Massey
*Andy McCulloch
*David Preece
*Bas Savage
*Paul Smith
*Tom Williams

References

External links

* [http://www.waltonandhershamfc.org.uk/ Official club site]
* [http://www.waltonandhershamjuniorsfc.co.uk/ Walton and Hersham Juniors FC]
* [http://www.footballfinder.co.uk/footballclub2.php?id=123 Directions to home ground]
* [http://members.boardhost.com/WALTON/index.html?1042541148 Official Message Board]
* [http://www.isthmian.co.uk Isthmian League Website]