Rushden & Higham United F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Rushden & Higham United
fullname = Rushden & Higham United Football Club
nickname = The Lankies
founded = 2007
ground = Hayden Road
Rushden
capacity =
chairman =
manager =
league = United Counties League
Division One
season = 2007–08
position = United Counties League
Division One, 14th

Rushden & Higham United F.C. is a football club based in Rushden, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the United Counties League Division One.

History

Higham Town

Records show that a Higham Town club was formed in 1876 at a meeting held in the Griffin. There was a team competing in the Northants League (now the United Counties League) during the 1890s and in 1895 the team were runners up in the Northamptonshire FA Junior cup. They joined the Northamptonshire League in 1897.

The club's golden age was however in the 1920s. Re-formed after the end of the "great war" the team started in the Wellingborough and District league in season 1920-21, winning the NFA junior cup and gaining admittance to the Northants league. the team won the league at the first attempt together with the NFA senior cup. the league title was retained the following season and the county FA's premier competition,the Maunsell cup was also won,a unique cup treble unlikely ever again to be repeated. That same season also saw the club draw at Football League third division north side Chesterfield, 4-4 in the FA Cup, only to lose 1-0 at home in the replay. The club were the highest scorers in the FA cup that year.

In 1923-24 and 1926-27 the club were runners up in the league and in 1931 and 1933 were senior cup runners up. In 1934 the Maunsell cup was won for the second and to date the last time by a United Counties League side. Northampton Town who had beaten First Division leaders Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup earlier in the season being beaten finalists.

On the resumption of league football in 1946 the club played in the Rushden & District League where they remained for four seasons before rejoining the UCL. During the period 1950 to 1997 the highest league position achieved was second on seven occasions, In 1970-71,again in the following season and then in 1989-90 and in each of the four seasons from 1992-93 to 1995-96. finally in 1997-98 they won Division One, their first league title for 75 years but were runners up again once again in 1998-99. In 1994-95 the NFA junior cup was won for only the second time and the reserves were promoted to the UCL Reserve Division One for the first time.

The first team were runners up in the Division Two knock out cup in 1954 whilst the reserves won the division three cup in 1980. More recently the club beat a number of Premier Division sides in the revamped league cup. this includes the record win, 7-0 against Wellingborough Town whilst in 1995-96 they won 1-0 away to Premier Division Champions and FA Vase quarter-finalists Raunds Town and have twice reached the semi finals of the competition.

Rushden Rangers

The club was founded in 1978 and played in the premier division of the Northamptonshire Combination league. In 1994 they moved to the Hayden Road ground, the former home of the Rushden Town (who had merged with Irthlingborough Diamonds to form Rushden & Diamonds).

Merger

In 2007 the decision was made to merge the two clubs, with the new club playing at Rangers' ground in order to preserve United Counties League football within the two towns. With assistance from the Stadia Improvement fund the Hayden road ground was brought up to the required standard and Rushden & Higham United was founded. Rushden Rangers continue to exist as a youth club.

External links

* [http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/rhufc Club website]
* [http://www.rushdenrangersfc.org.uk/index.asp Rushden Rangers youth teams]