Chertsey Town Football Club is a semi-professional

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

Chertsey, Surrey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

, England. The club currently competes in 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 ...

South Central Division. The home of Football The club was established as Chertsey Football Club in 1890 and joined the

Metropolitan League The Metropolitan League was a football league in the south-east of England between 1949 and 1971.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 ...

and finished as runners-up in the 1974–75 season. The following year, they became founder members of the

London 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 ...

after a merger of their existing league merged with the Metropolitan-London League. Chertsey Town joined the

Athenian League The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football Museum, Preston). but this nam ...

a year later and remained until the league disbanded in 1984. They subsequently joined the

but immediately suffered relegation to the

Combined Counties League The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...

. The club returned at the first time of asking as runners-up, and in 1986 began a 20 season stay in the Isthmian League, achieving three promotions and three relegations across the divisions. In 2006, the Curfews returned to the Combined Counties League with a restructuring of the non-league pyramid and regularly finished in the top half of the table. In 2011, Chertsey Town finished as runners up and were promoted to the Southern League Division One Central after a dispute over the suitability of the league winner's ground for the higher division. However, the club struggled for three seasons before suffering relegation back to the Combined Counties League. In the 2018–19 season, the Curfews won the Combined Counties League Premier Division with just three defeats and were crowned

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 ...

winners at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

. The club returned to the Isthmian League in 2019 but saw the first two seasons curtailed.

History

1890–1963: Formation and early origins

Evidence of organised football in

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

goes back to the 19th century, although county affiliation did not immediately occur. Chertsey Football Club was officially founded in 1890 and played its early matches in the West Surrey League. The club's first success came in the Surrey Junior Cup in 1897, and after a one-year postponement, the competition became the East and West Surrey League. A second halt in action followed during

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 ...

, and Chertsey Town subsequently joined the Surrey Intermediate League in 1919. The club rejected an invitation to become founder members of the Surrey Senior League in 1923, and they remained in the league for two decades before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

forced another break. In 1946, the Curfews attained senior status and finally joined the

Surrey Senior League The Surrey Senior League was an English regional football league for teams based in Surrey although teams from outside the county were often admitted as well. The league existed from 1922 until 1978, when it was rebranded as the Home Counties Leagu ...

. The club later became known as Chertsey Town Football Club in 1951. After a few seasons of adapting to their new level, the club enjoyed a halcyon period and lifted their first league title during the 1569–60 season. They repeated their league success twice in the following three years, while also lifting the League Cup three times.

1963–1986: Turning professional and returning to local football

Due to the static nature of amateur football, the club could not progress to the preferred

Corinthian League The League of Corinth, also referred to as the Hellenic League (from Greek Ἑλληνικός ''Hellenikos'', "pertaining to Greece and Greeks"), was a confederation of Greek states created by Philip II in 338–337 BC. The League was created ...

, and opted to turn professional to join the

Metropolitan League The Metropolitan League was a football league in the south-east of England between 1949 and 1971. The league consisted of several 'A' teams of professional clubs, including

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

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 ...

and

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

. However, after three seasons, the club decided the cost was too much to bear and temporarily joined the lower levels of the Greater London League for a single season. In 1967, the club 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 ...

and spent several seasons in the bottom half of the table. The Curfews enjoyed brief success as league and cup runners-up in the 1974–75 season, and became founder members of the

the following year due to a merger with the Metropolitan-London League. However, they finished bottom of the league in the first season and consequently joined the Athenian League Division Two. After another bottom placed finish, the Athenian League Divisions One and Two merged and Chertsey Town faced an uninspiring seven-year spell, enduring two further bottom placed finishes and only a single top 10 finish. In 1984, the club joined the

Division Two South but continued to struggle on the pitch. Just two wins from 36 matches and a three point deduction saw the club finish bottom of the league and relegated to the

. Nonetheless, success quickly returned to Alwyns Lane as the Curfews finished second and lifted the League Cup before returning to the Isthmian League.

1986–2006: Becoming Isthmian League regulars

Chertsey Town's return to the

immediately proved more successful with consecutive sixth-placed finishes. The club endured several strong seasons in the coming years, but were forced to join the new Division Three after a divisional split in 1991. However, the Curfews ensured their spell was a brief one and scored 115 goals en route to a runner's up position and a promotion spot. Following a season of consolidation back in Division Two, the club enjoyed another high-scoring campaign and netted 121 times as they finished one point below the league champions, while also lifting the League Cup, League Charity Shield and Carlsberg Trophy. Chertsey's dominant performances continued with the step up to Division One, and the club once again finished as the league's highest scorers while securing a promotion in third place. The Curfews enjoyed a respectable 15th place finish in their maiden campaign in the Premier Division, but struggled in the following 1996–97 season. A late rally of results proved insufficient in taking Chertsey off the bottom of the table and the club suffered their performance-based relegation in over a decade. After two seasons of mid-table obscurity, the 1999–2000 season produced another relegation back down to Division Two. Respectable positions were attained for the next two seasons before an Isthmian League re-structuring saw Chertsey Town allocated to the Division One South. However, the step up immediately proved too much for the club, and 139 goals conceded in 46 matches led to a return to Division Two. The Curfews found their footing in the division with top six finishes in all three seasons, but the dissolution of the division meant the club were allocated back to the

in 2006.

2006–2018: The gradual decline in the Combined Counties

The club's four consecutive seasons in the Combined Counties Premier Division produced exciting times for the club. After an initial eighth place finish, the club improved every season and climbed to third before back-to-back runner's up spots. The 2010–11 season saw Chertsey finish three points behind league champions

Guildford City Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the . Histo ...

, although resulted in their promotion with Guildford's ground unable to meet the demands of the higher tier's regulations. The Curfews were placed in the Southern League Division One Central and despite lowly finishes, ensured survival in their first two campaigns. However, the 2013–14 campaign proved too challenging for the club and the club suffered relegation to the Combined Counties after conceding 117 goals. Chertsey Town continued to struggle in the lower tier and finished 20th out of 21 teams in their first season back. The following campaign produced slight improvements, although the club finished in an underwhelming 18th position. It soon appeared that the Curfews had found their level in the Combined Counties League, with 19th and 15th place finishes as the league gradually expanded to 23 teams.

2018–present: The Dave Anderson impact and Wembley success

In 2018, with the club struggling to progress from the ninth tier, former club chairman David Rayner returned to assist the club and help improve the playing squad. One of his first actions was the hiring of a new manager, helping to appoint former

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...

boss Dave Anderson after a three-year hiatus. His arrival led to considerable changes and helped Chertsey Town find their form in the Combined Counties Premier Division. In Anderson's first full season in charge, the Curfews went on to win the league with six games to spare, finishing 13 points above their challengers and suffering just three defeats. In addition, forward Jake Baxter was named the league's top scorer with 35 goals in 29 games. However, the season is most fondly remembered for their

journey, which saw them compete in all ten rounds before being crowned winners at

. The Curfews beat Woodley United and Tadley Calleva in the qualifying rounds, before recording an empathic 6–1 win against Flackwell Health in the First Round. Chertsey Town then struck 16 goals without reply against

Horndean Horndean is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, north of Portsmouth. The nearest railway station is southeast of the village at Rowlands Castle. The village had a population of 12,942 at the 2011 Census, and shares the semi-rura ...

, Redbridge, AFC St. Austell,

Irlam Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salford ...

and West Auckland Town to progress to the semi-finals. In the first round to be played over two legs, they recorded a 1–1 draw away to

Northwich Victoria {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

before enduring a 0–0 stalemate after extra time in front of 1,847 supporters. With a penalty shoot required to separate the two teams, all five Chertsey Town players converted their kicks to secure a 5–3 shootout victory and a place in the final. On 19 May 2019, Chertsey Town were crowned

winners after a 3–1 victory against Cray Valley Paper Mills. After going a goal down in the first half, Sam Flegg quickly responded before Jake Baxter and Quincy Rowe sealed the win in extra time in front of 42,962 spectators. Following their league and cup success, Anderson immediately announced his retirement from football and club captain Kevin Maclaren was named his successor as player-manager. The club was promoted back to the

and placed in the South Central Division, although saw their first two seasons curtailed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In February 2021, Rayner stepped down from his role as Director of Football. During the 2021–22 season, the club continued their cup success by reaching 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 in their history. After beating higher division Chesham United and handing Jersey Bulls their first ever competitive home defeat, the Curfews lost finally to

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

club

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

. Manager

Ian Selley Ian Selley (born 14 June 1974) is an English former professional footballer, and manager at Hartley Wintney. He notably played in the Premier League for Arsenal, winning the 1994 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup with them, and in the Football League fo ...

took over from Kevin Maclaren in November 2021, but resigned as Chertsey Town manager in May 2022 after the club were beaten 3-2 after extra-time in the 2022 Isthmian South Central play-off final by Hanwell Town. Wayne Carter, joint manager of Hanwell, was announced as his replacement. Following the departure of Carter in September 2022, Dave Anderson returned to the club having come out of retirement.

Ground

Chertsey Town play their home games at Alwyns Lane, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 9DW. The club played at various locations within the parish before settling down at their present home in 1929. The ground was donated by Sir Edward Stern to the 'premier club in the parish', with adjacent facilities also provided for

Chertsey Cricket Club Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest cricket clubs in England, the foundation of the club dating to the 1730s. The club is based in Chertsey and plays in the Surrey Championship. Three known matches were played in 1736, one again ...

. The main stand at Alwyns Lane was constructed in the mid-1950s, with covered enclosures added behind the goals in 1994 and 2010. The original clubhouse was added in 1960 and rebuilt with additions in 1976. In 2020, the clubhouse was developed and redesigned in celebration of their

win.

Players

Current squad

Honours

: ** Winners (1): 2018–19 ** Quarter-finalists (2): 1987–88, 1991–92 *

Premier Division: ** Winners (1): 2018–19 ** Runners-up (3): 1985–86, 2009–10, 2010–11 * Combined Counties League Cup: ** Winners (1): 1985–86 *

: ** Division Two Runners-up (1): 1993–94 ** Division Three Runners-up (1): 1991–92 * Isthmian League Cup: ** Winners (1): 1993–94 *

Southern Combination Challenge Cup The Southern Combination Challenge Cup is a football competition contested by non-league clubs. An independent cup, it was directly affiliated to the Football Association until 2015, when a change in FA Rules required such competitions to affili ...

: ** Winners (1): 1998–99 *

: ** Runners-up (1): 1974–75 * Spartan League Cup: ** Runners-up (1): 1974–75 *

Surrey Senior Cup The Surrey Senior Cup is the senior Saturday cup competition of the Surrey FA. It is currently competed for by teams playing in the top nine levels of the English football league system who are affiliated to the Surrey FA. The competition was i ...

: ** Runners-up (1): 1985–86 *

: ** Winners (3): 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62 * Surrey Senior League Challenge Cup: ** Winners (2): 1960–61, 1961–62 * Surrey Junior Cup: ** Winners (1): 1896–97 ** Runners-up (1): 1910–11 * Surrey Junior League: ** Winners (1): 1919–1920

Records

best performance: Fourth qualifying round, 4-1 defeat away to Southend united 2021/22. * * S

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 ...

best performance: Third qualifying round, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2011–12 *

best performance: Winners, 2018–19 *

best performance: Runners up, 1985–86 * Record attendance: 2,150 vs

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...

Division Two, 4 December 1993.Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2020) ''Non-League Club Directory 2021'', p559

References

External links

Official website
* {{coord, 51, 23, 33, N, 0, 30, 29, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Football clubs in England Football clubs in Surrey 1890 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1890 Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Surrey Senior League Spartan League Corinthian League (football) Metropolitan League Greater London League Athenian League Isthmian League Combined Counties Football League Southern Football League clubs