Cheshunt Football Club is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in Cheshunt,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. They are currently members of the and play at Theobalds Lane.

History

Original club

The original Cheshunt Football Club was formed around 1880 and played in black and white stripes.History
Cheshunt F.C. The first recorded game was in 1888, winning 4–0 against Novocastrians. They won the first

Herts Charity Cup The Herts Charity Cup, officially titled the Hertfordshire Football Association Charity Cup, was begun in the 1900-01 season as a fund raising competition for the chosen charities of the Hertfordshire County Football Association. It is second o ...

in 1900–01 and went on to win it again in 1903–04 and 1905–06. They also reached the

FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footba ...

semi-final in 1903–04, losing 2–0 to Ealing. After leaving the

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

in 1907 to join the AFA, they then became founder members of the Southern Amateur League in the same year and competed in Section B until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, They joined the Athenian league in 1919–20, leaving and rejoining the Southern Amateur in 1920–21 where they won Section B, before rejoining the Athenian league in 1921–22. They won the

Herts Senior Cup The Herts Senior Cup, officially titled the Hertfordshire County Football Association Senior Challenge Cup, is the oldest County-based football Cup competition based exclusively in Hertfordshire, England. It was first contested in the 1886-87 se ...

in 1923–24 beating Hoddesdon Town 3–0 in the final. After their best league position of fifth in 1926–27, Cheshunt's form collapsed and they finished bottom of the Athenian league for the next four seasons. Heavily in debt, they disbanded in 1931 after their landlords, Cheshunt Cricket Club, raised the rent on their Albury Ride ground.

Modern club

The modern club was established in July 1946 at a public meeting in the Co-op Hall in

Waltham Cross Waltham Cross is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, located north of central London. In the south-eastern corner of Hertfordshire, it borders Cheshunt to the north, Waltham Abbey to the east, and Enfield to the south ...

. A group of local businessmen decided to form a new club for the town, and local junior team Crossbrook Sports were used as the basis for the new club, retaining their amber and black kit. They immediately applied and were accepted into the London League, playing in Division One for the 1946–47 season. They finished runners-up (recording their biggest-ever win, 11–0 at Royal Ordnance Factory, in the process) and won the League Cup and Herts Charity Shield. Cheshunt won Division One in 1947–48 but remained in the same division. They won it again in 1948–49, earning promotion to the Premier Division, and reached the Herts Senior Cup final for the first time. The following season they won the Premier Division, beating

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

on the last day of the season to clinch the title from them. They also reached the third round of the Amateur Cup following a run that included defeating holders

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

in front of a record crowd of 5,000. During the 1950s the club changed leagues several times; they were members of the Delphian League between 1951–52 and 1954–55, rejoined the London League in 1955 and then left to become founder members of the Aetolian League in 1959. In 1957–58 they reached the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

fourth qualifying round for the first time. Cheshunt joined the

Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establish ...

for the 1962–63 season and won the title at the first attempt. The following season they won the Spartan League Cup, before joining Division Two of the Athenian League in 1964. They finished runners-up in their second season under the management of Terry Medwin, the former

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

international, and were promoted to Division One, also winning the Herts Charity Shield. The Division One title was won in 1967–68, beating

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

in a head-to-head championship decider, to earn promotion to the Premier Division. They won the Mithras Cup in 1969–70, the London Charity Cup in 1973–74, the Athenian League Cup and

East Anglian Cup The East Anglian Cup was a football competition that embraced East Anglian clubs in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, but also included clubs from a much wider geographical area, from Boston and Louth in Lincolnshire down to Oxford City, Chelsea and Gil ...

in 1974–75 and the Athenian League Cup again in 1975–76. They also reached four Herts Senior Cup finals, two Mithras Cup finals as well as solitary East Anglian Cup and Herts Charity Cup finals during the 1970s. Between 1975 and 1995, the club had yellow and blue as its club colours, reverting to amber and black afterwards. After several failed attempts, Cheshunt joined Division Two of the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

in 1977. In 1981–82 they finished second, and were promoted to Division One, but were relegated two seasons later. At the start of the 1986–87 season a mass walkout of Committee, management and players – due to budget cuts and demands to see a first team made up of former youth team players – led to Cheshunt finishing bottom of Division Two and being relegated into the

. In 1992–93 Cheshunt won the Spartan League Cup and finished third in the league, earning promotion back to Division Three of the Isthmian League. They finished second in their first season and were promoted to Division Two, but were relegated at the end of the 1997–98 season. However, they made an immediate return to Division Two after finishing third. In 2002–03 they won the division, and were promoted to Division One. A third-place finish the following year saw them promoted to the Premier Division. At the end of the season the club finished in the relegation zone, but avoided being demoted after

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...

went bust. Instead, the club were transferred to the Southern League Premier Division. In 2007–08 they were relegated, and were placed in Division One North of the Isthmian League. In 2016–17 the club won the Herts Charity Cup for the third time. League reorganisation saw Cheshunt placed in the South Central Division for the 2018–19 season. After a third-place finish, the club third in the division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They defeated Marlow 2–1 in the semi-finals and Bracknell Town 3–0 in the final to secure promotion back to the Premier Division. After finishing fifth position in 2021–22, Cheshunt went on to win the promotion play-offs, defeating

2–1 in final, earning promotion to the

National League South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...

Stadium

The original Cheshunt Football Club played at the Recreation Ground on Albury Ride, a ground owned by Cheshunt Cricket Club. The modern club initially played at the Gothic sports ground, before moving to College Road for their second season. In 1949 they moved to the Cheshunt Stadium on Theobalds Lane. Originally a gravel pit, by the 1930s the site had become the local rubbish tip, but between February and October 1949, it was cleared, levelled and a pitch was laid. Two Nissen huts were assembled, where the main gates are today, for changing rooms (with no power, telephone line or hot water), leaving the players with a long walk uphill to the pitch. The ground was opened on 29 October 1949, with the club recording their record home win (11–1 against Hastings United) in the ground's first fixture. Drainage problems forced the club to abandon the stadium before the 1949–50 season had ended and move to a new ground on Brookfield Lane. However, they returned to the Cheshunt Stadium in 1952–53 but again left after a season, due to the poor playing surface, to return to Brookfield Lane though this time as the tenants of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, who were using it as their training ground. At the end of the 1957–58 season Cheshunt were asked to leave and so returned to the Cheshunt Stadium. Chairman Les Noble and vice-chair Frank Davis moved quickly to secure a 21-year lease on the stadium (which was about to be used by a new club, Waltham Cross FC) and spent £2,500 getting bulldozers in to level space for the present stand and Clubhouse (then the changing rooms too) to be built and clearing the banking to make way for a running track around the pitch (which was removed in the 1980s). The clubhouse and pitch were ready for the opening game of the 1957–58 season against

Wingate Wingate may refer to: Places New Zealand * Wingate, New Zealand, a suburb of Lower Hutt United Kingdom * Wingate, County Durham * Wingate Quarry, a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham * Old Wingate, County Durham * Wingates ...

. A year later the main stand was built by the groundsman Albert Prior, his son Maurice and chairman Frank Davis in their spare time. It held 400 spectators on bench seats and had a door in the centre to the changing rooms. A covered terrace was built on the other side of the pitch in 1963, although located 20 yards back from the pitch.Peter Miles (1997) ''The Non-League Football Grounds of Hertfordshire'', p9 Floodlights came in 1964, the current function hall three years later. In 1977 the current changing rooms were built, enabling the conversion of the old changing rooms to the clubhouse. In 1982 proper seating was installed for the first time, with the oak seats in the directors box were taken from

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

's old west stand (which was being demolished) and the plywood seating to the north end of the stand was taken from the relatively new north-west corner of White Hart Lane. In the 2002–03 season, the section of terracing south of the main stand was covered and named in honour of defender Kurtis Townsend, son of then manager Troy Townsend, who had died whilst travelling to an away game the previous season and seats originally from the East Stand at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

were installed on the covered terrace. The main stand, the Kurtis Townsend stand and the floodlights were all replaced in the summer of 2015. A new main stand seating 250 was built on the halfway line closer to the touchline while two small covered standing areas were positioned behind each goal.

Current squad

Dual-registration

Management and support staff

Directors

Honours

**Division Two champions 2002–03 * Athenian League **Division One champions 1967–68, 1975–76 **Challenge Cup winners 1974–75, 1975–76 *

**Champions 1962–63 **Challenge Cup winners 1963–64, 1992–93 * London League **Premier Division champions 1949–50 **Division One champions, 1947–48, 1948–49 **Division One Cup winners 1946–47 * Southern Amateur League **Section B champions 1920–21 * London Charity Cup **Winners 1973–74Honours
Cheshunt F.C. *

**Winners 1974–75 *

**Winners 2005–06, 2007–08, 2016–17 *Herts Charity Shield **Winners 1946–47, 1965–66 *

**Winners 2021–22

Records

*Best

performance: Fourth qualifying round, 1925–26, 1958–59, 1966–67, 1970–71, 1977–78 *Best

performance: Semi-finals, 1903–04 *Best

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...

performance: Fifth round, 2021–22 *Best

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...

performance: Quarter-finals, 1981–82 *Record attendance: 5,000 vs

, FA Amateur Cup second round, 28 January 1950 *Heaviest defeat: 10–0 vs Eton Manor, London League, 17 April 1956 *Most appearances: John Poole, 512 (1970–1976, 1979–1983) *Most goals: Darrell Cox, 152 (1997–2005, 2007–2008 & 2010) *Record transfer fee received: £10,000 from Peterborough United for Lloyd Opara, 2006

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 51, 41, 39.829, N, 0, 2, 29.976, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Football clubs in England Football clubs in Hertfordshire 1880 establishments in England 1931 disestablishments in England 1946 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1880 Association football clubs disestablished in 1931 Association football clubs established in 1946 Southern Amateur Football League Athenian League London League (football) Delphian League Aetolian League (football) Spartan League Isthmian League Southern Football League clubs Cheshunt