A Look Into Histories

A LOOK INTO HISTORY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE

PITSEA UNITED AND OTHERS.

A connection between the ESL and its clubs comes by a 1956-57 Match Programme in my possession of a club called Pitsea United. They were members of the London League starting in Division Two by winning it in 1951 and, in respect of where they played, Gun Meadow, was, perhaps best described in a Willesden FC programme quoting “ their pleasant ground so strategically placed behind the Gun Inn, a well known hostelry on the road to Southend the Gun Inn (There was no A13) Now, this ground was also known as the home one for our former members Bowers United, now called Bowers & Pitsea FC but it was lost to football when a compulsory purchase order was placed on it in 1972 to allow the new A13 to be built though it !
On Thursday 6th September 1956, with a kick off at 6pm and a Match Programme priced 2d, Pitsea United (Royal Blue and White) hosted our former member, Eton Manor (Amber shirts and White shorts), the previous season’s Champions. Manager Alf Smirk wrote the Notes and it was announced that all Saturday matches played in the London League have their results broadcast on Radio Luxembourg at 7pm - Happy days!

The fixture for the next week was to be v East Ham United, another of our former teams. One other present member of interest in that London League Division were Barkingside. The team representing the area of Basildon was Basildon Town, joining that season, and not United who, as Armada Sports were only just being formed. Basildon Town played at Staceys Corner, Timberlog Lane and were reckoned to be the strongest club in the area at the time.

Basildon Town were members of the lower graded Parthenon League in September 1956 and had beaten Kings Langley 7 0. Bowers United were in the Thurrock Thameside Combination and beat Port of London Authority 6 3. Pitsea United ended up bottom of the pack five points behind Epping Town. Cray Wanderers won it. Bottom again in 1957-58, Pitsea United left the London League.

Basildon Town lost their ground at Timberlog Lane which eventually became Barstable school and moved to Burnt Mills but that was short lived so, in 1964, they decided to join forces with Pitsea United and the Gun Meadow served the new Basildon & Pitsea team well and, after a winning spell in the Southend & District League including a 1965-66 French Cup 2 1 win over Great Wakering Rovers. The following season,1966, they became founder members of the newly formed Essex Olympian League but struggled to keep off the bottom along with Billericay Town and Bowers United and then the club split up into two, once more, with Pitsea United opting to play Sunday football and Basildon Town carrying on as the Saturday club in the Essex Olympian League.
There was a huge falling apart at the end of the 1966-67 season when it was reported that old sores thought to have been healed when the Old Basildon Town amalgamated with Pitsea United to form Basildon & Pitsea FC a few years before, had opened up again. A move was made to scrap the Basildon part of the name but all that came of it was that the Gun Meadow would only be accessible to Pitsea United, the Sunday Side. 1968-69 was a tremendous season for Basildon Town being the first team to win the League and Cup double since its formation in 1966. They also won the Southend Charity Shield at Roots Hall, Southend on Monday 29th April 1968 beating Great Wakering Rovers 3 0. One of the linemen was Dave Axcell ! An interesting aside is that Pitsea United, the Sunday side , met Chadwell Social in the National Sunday Cup in November 1968 yet used a Basildon & Pitsea FC Programme ? A fantastic match was played at Gun Meadow on 24th August 1969 when Basildon Town played a Tottenham Hotspur Old Stars X1 with Les Allen (By then, Manager of QPR), captain, also Ron Henry and John Lyall played and Mike Pinner, the great Amateur was in goal but he failed to turn up on time and Micky Rothon gave a good account of himself for 16 minutes. On a fabulous day for everyone, Basildon Town won 5 2. The club pulled out of the Olympian league in 1971, re-joining the Southend & District League and gradually rebuilding to the club they are today, back in the Olympian League. In the meantime, Bowers United who were also founder members of the Olympian League in 1966 and played at Gun Meadow, joined the Essex Senior League in 1974 having moved into their present ground in October 1973 to gain Senior Status and eventually changing their name to Bowers & Pitsea, to make it clearer the geographical position of their club which, in a way, brings us back to the beginning.

Now we go back to a fascinating insight of an arrangement in 1954-55 for Pitsea United, for, on February 10th1955 it was announced that they had been “adopted” by the pride of East London, West Ham United. By an agreement between the two clubs, Pitsea’s team would be reinforced by several young players who have been signed by the Hammers. The new arrangement was disclosed by the Manager of West Ham United, Ted Fenton at Upton Park.

When Mr Fenton was in Ireland he signed two promising youngsters from an Irish junior club. One was a goalkeeper and the other an outside left. These two players would be taken to Pitsea to play for United. They would work and live in the Pitsea area and were taken to the Gun Inn by Mr Fenton for talks with United officials. The first named was Hough, a goalkeeper and he played for Pitsea United in a league game with Stones Athletic at Charlton on the previous Saturday, rather unsuccessfully, losing 5-6 after being 4 0 up! Although West Ham United had a Metropolitan League team, they preferred this method of exposure and the next game for Mr Hough was at Dagenham Park. I am not aware of how long the arrangement lasted but going by league positions, it would not seem to be a roaring success!

According to the Basildon Standard of Saturday February 6th1956, six clubs including Pitsea United were in favour of forming an Essex Senior League for season 1956-57 so long as the County Association gave their consent. Fourteen clubs out of a 32 circularized were represented at a meeting in Romford when the question of forming a new league was discussed. The SIX clubs who voted in favour were PITSEA UNITED, BATA SPORTS, MALDON TOWN, HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS, CRITTALL ATHLETIC and CHINGFORD whilst the following expressed “interest”, Clacton Town, Halstead Town, Stansted and Harris Lebus (a Furniture Works team from Tottenham).
Aveley, Brentwood & Warley, Rainham and Dagenham Cables made no decision. All these clubs had to make a decision by February 8th.and if 12 were interested a further meeting would take place on 15th. Sadly, there was no mention of a new Essex League again, until 1971.