MORE LOST FOOTBALL CLUBS OF ESSEX

MORE LOST FOOTBALL CLUBS OF ESSEX.

In search of a subject for another article i thought i would focus on some lost football clubs of Essex football from yesteryear.

The beautifully named Sherwood Foresters FC were first reported playing against other army sides in 1889. While stationed in Colchester in 1893–94, the club had its most successful season in English football, reaching the semi-final of the FA Amateur Cup and the fourth (and final) qualifying round of the FA Cup, the equivalent of the third round today. In the former tie, the club went down 1–0 to the Casuals before 4,000 spectators at Leyton; in the latter, the Foresters were 3–2 down at home to Luton Town, having been two goals up at half time, with 7 minutes of the then-optional extra-time remaining, when the referee stopped the tie because of darkness. The Foresters went down in the replay (at Luton) 2–1.

The Foresters moved to County Kildare in Ireland in 1895, as the southernmost association side on the island, and reached the final of the Irish Cup in 1896–97, beating Derry Celtic 3–2 at the Oval in the semi-final, having twice been behind. In the final, the Foresters faced Cliftonville at Grosvenor Park; the local side ran out 3–1 winners, the Foresters' goal being a consolation, right-winger Thorpe sending across a free-kick which the opposite winger Bedford converted.

The battalion was involved in the Boer War from 1899 to 1902, before moving to British India, where it won the Southern India Cup in 1907, the Madras Gymkhana and Secundersbad Cups in 1909,and the Wellington Cup in 1911, beating the Cameron Highlanders 3–0 in the final. The club was accompanied by a dog as mascot for all its matches.Back in Britain, and while based in Devon, the club reached the quarter-final of the Amateur Cup in 1912–13, going down to Oxford City.

The 2nd Battalion of the Foresters won the Army Cup in 1910–11 and 1911–12, but the First Battalion secured a hat-trick of titles from 1929–30 to 1931–32, and was runner-up in 1962–63. The club mostly confined itself to Forces football, but in the 1930s played in the Walsall and District League, and amateur leagues in Derby in the 1950s.

In 1970, the Sherwood Foresters were amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to form the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot), which brought the First Battalion's XI to an end.

From an army team to another club formed towards the end of the 2nd world war.

In 1945, Highfield was formed, joining the Enfield Alliance League. The team formed its name from the first letters of the surnames of its founders, a group of friends from the local area. In 1963, Highfield joined the London League from the Northern Suburban Intermediate League. In 1971, Highfield joined the Metropolitan–London League, becoming a founder member in the process. In 1975, Highfield joined the London Spartan League. In 1981, Highfield joined the FA Vase for the first time. In 1984, Highfield left the London Spartan League and folded following the loss of their Abbey Road ground to housing.

So the current Woodford Town,although not a direct replacement from their former names, have certainly replaced the old Woodford Town to make sure the name carrys on as in both cases was a club called Woodford Wells.

Woodford Wells were founded in 1869, and their first match, against Forest School at the start of 1870, was played to a modified rugby code. The match was 15 per side (at the time, association laws did not specify the size of teams) and included three Kaye brothers, three Spicer brothers, and two Powell brothers. The return fixture the next month was to the association laws, although the club only had 10 players.

The 1872 A.G.M was held at the Travellers Rest Inn. The club's first entry into the FA Cup was in 1873–74. In the first round, the club beat Reigate Priory by 3–1 or 3–2; the Priory claimed a goal in the last minute, and the sole umpire, Mr Bouch from Crystal Palace, gave it as "undecided".[5] In the second round, the club lost 2–1 to the Swifts after playing into the wind for most of the game.

The following year saw the club's best FA Cup run, beating High Wycombe and Southall to reach the quarter-finals, losing to Shropshire Wanderers in a replay. The initial tie (at the Kennington Oval) ended 1–1 after the sides agreed to play the optional 15 minutes of extra-time. Shropshire won the replay (at the same venue) 2–0, the clinching goal being a Frazer own goal after a clearance bounced back off him.

The club's final FA Cup appearance was in the 1875–76 tournament, losing to Panthers in the first round at the neutral ground of Winchester College. Woodford Wells' final reported match was a 3–0 defeat to the Royal Engineers in March. However, the club decided to dissolve in July 1876,apparently because of the lack of a club secretary;three of its regular players joined Upton Park instead, and a short-lived new club (Buckhurst Hill) formed in the town itself. That club has no association with the current Buckhurst Hill team.

More recent examples of defunct clubs from the area include the following.

Leyton Football Club: A founder of the Southern League, which was one of the first major football leagues in England, Leyton was a significant club in its time. The real tragedy is that their ground on Lea Bridge Rd. remains derelict but intact for all to see.

Southend United 'A': As a founder member of the Essex Senior Football League, Southend United 'A' was an important part of the league's early history.

Other defunct clubs: While less prominent, other defunct Essex clubs like the original Colchester Town and Braintree FC also had successful spells and are remembered by local football historians.