Harlow Town F.C.

For the railway station, see Harlow Town railway station.
Harlow Town
Full name Harlow Town FC
Nickname(s) The Hawks
Founded 1879
Ground The Harlow Arena, Harlow
Ground Capacity 3,500 (500 seated)
Manager Danny Chapman
League Isthmian League Premier Division
2015-16 Isthmian League Division One North, 3rd (Play-Off Winners & Promoted)

Harlow Town Football Club are an English football club based in Harlow, Essex. The club are members of the Premier Division of the Isthmian League, and play at The Harlow Arena.

The club is best known for its exploits in the 1979–80 FA Cup, in which it reached the fourth round, eliminating two Football League sides Southend United and Leicester City before losing to Watford at Vicarage Road.

History

The club's date of formation is unknown, but the first match was played on 18 October 1879 against Saffron Walden. In 1896 the club joined Division One of the East Herts League, but left at the end of the 1896–97 season. In 1898 the club merged with Netteswell and Burnt Mill and were renamed Harlow and Burnt Mill F.C. and rejoined the East Herts League. The merger was reversed in 1902.

In 1907 the club joined the new Stansted & District League. In 1910 they also began entering a team into the East Herts League. In 1911–12 they won Division One of the East Herts League,[1] but were relegated to Division Two the following season. They also finished bottom of the Stansted & District League, withdrawing their team at the end of the season.

After World War I the club rejoined both leagues in 1919, being placed in Division One in the East Herts League. They won Division One of the East Herts League in 1922–23 and the Stansted & District League in both of the following two seasons.[1] In 1925 the club withdrew their team from the East Herts League and entered the Herts & Essex Border League, before returning to the East Herts League in 1927.

In 1927–28 the club won its third Stansted & District League title, and the following season won both the Stansted & District League and Division One of the East Herts League. After withdrawing from the Stansted & District League, they won Division One of the East Herts League and the League Challenge Cup in 1929–30, retaining the League Cup for the following two seasons.[1] In 1932 the club joined Division Two East of the Spartan League.

Soccer field with low, pitched-roof building in background
The Sportcentre, Harlow Town's home from 1960–2006

In 1954 the club joined the Premier Division of the London League. In 1960 they won the League Cup,[1] and moved to the Sportscentre from the Green Man playing fields, where they had played since 1879. In 1961 they switched to the Delphian League. In 1963 it merged into the Athenian League and the club were placed in Division Two. After finishing third in 1963–64 they were promoted to Division One.[2] Due to Harlow's facilities at the Sportcentre, the club attracted well-known teams to the area during the mid- and late 1960s. In July 1966 Harlow Town arranged a friendly match against Uruguay, who were staying nearby in preparation for the World Cup (held in England that summer). Uruguay defeated Harlow, 6–1. In 1968, Benfica reached the European Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley. Benfica prepared for the final at Harlow's Sportcentre; their team included the top scorer from the 1966 World Cup, Eusébio.

In 1971–72 the club won Division One, and were promoted to the Premier Division of the Athenian League. In 1973 the club switched to Division Two of the Isthmian League, renamed Division One in 1977. In 1978–79 they won Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division.

The 1979–80 season saw the club make its best-ever run in the FA Cup. They entered at the preliminary round and beat Lowestoft Town, A.F.C. Hornchurch, Bury Town, Harwich & Parkeston and Margate to reach the first round proper for the first time, where they defeated Leytonstone/Ilford 2–1. In the next round they drew 1–1 at Southend United before winning the replay at the Sportscentre 1–0 in front of 5,000 spectators. The club were then drawn away at Second Division leaders Leicester City. After a 1–1 draw at Filbert Street with Harlow scoring a last minute equaliser, Harlow won the replay at the Sportscentre 1–0, with a record attendance of 9,723 set by the game. In the fourth round the club were drawn away to Watford, but lost 4–3.[2]

In 1981–82 the club were relegated, but returned to the Premier Division after a single season in Division One. However, two consecutive relegations in 1984–85 and 1985–86 saw the club drop into Division Two North. In 1988–89 they won the division and returned to Division One.

The club's plans to leave the Sportcentre for a new stadium on Roydon Road collapsed during the 1991–92 season, and the Isthmian League closed down the Sportcentre after it no longer met league requirements. The team played the rest of their home games at local venues including Sawbridgeworth, Bishop's Stortford, Ware and Aveley. The club dropped out of football for the 1992–93 season.

When they were voted back into the league for the 1993–94 season after upgrading the Sportscentre, the club were forced to drop into Division Three. In 1997–98 they were promoted to Division Two, and the following season were promoted to Division One. In 2004 the club were transferred to Division One East of the Southern League, but returned to the Isthmian League in 2006. In October 2006 the club moved to its new ground at Barrow's Farm. After finishing as runners-up in Division One North in 2006–07 they won the promotion play-offs and were promoted to the Premier Division after defeating AFC Sudbury in the play-off final. However, they were relegated back to Division One North at the end of the 2008–09 season.[2]

The buildup to the 2009–10 season was severely disrupted when on 21 July the Chairman resigned due to a change of ownership of the club. The manager followed along with the vast majority of the playing staff and various members of the backroom staff. The club wasted no time in appointing a new manager in Anthony Anstead and in just eighteen days he managed to put a squad together to start the new Ryman League season. With the Hawks rooted to the bottom of the division Anstead resigned from his position at the end of November 2009, with former Hawks favourite Marvin Samuel being appointed as the new manager.

In January 2010 new owners took control of the club, with former manager Tommy Cunningham returning to the club with his business partner John Barnett. After many months of turmoil the club can finally look forward to a much brighter future, under Barnett and Cunningham's leadership. The first full season with the new owners in control 2010/11 saw Kevin Warren become the Hawks manager, but a run of defeats led to Danny Chapman replacing him at the helm. Chapman then turned the tide and took the club to the Ryman Division One North play Off Semi-finals after finishing fourth, but they failed to reach the final after being defeated by Wingate & Finchley, whom went on to gain promotion. In 2011/12 saw Chapman lead the Hawks to 7th in the Ryman Division One North, after sitting in the play off race for most of the season, but a dip in form at the business end of the season left the Hawks just short of a play off position.

2012/13 Season was one to forget for the Hawks, after the two previous seasons when Danny Chapman’s team just missed out on promotion, the Hawks had a mixture of both experience and youth in the squad. Early exits in both the FA Cup and Trophy were disappointing for Chapman and the owners, during the campaign the Hawks were hit with a further blow, a ten-point deduction for an administration error. With this and a squad of young inexperienced players gave Harlow a battle to stay out of the one relegation place. The Hawks managed to do that by five points and have spent the close season rebuilding the team. The owners have also spent money on a new 3G pitch that was laid during the summer ready for the start of the 2013/14 season. Along with the new pitch comes the integration of several youth teams under the Harlow Town banner.

The 2013/14 season saw a new era for Harlow Town. They started the season playing on the newly laid 3G artificial surface, in the newly named Harlow Arena. The owners Tom Cunningham and John Barnett also announced a new shirt sponsorship with Opt FX, while on the pitch Manager Danny Chapman got himself a great squad together to battle out on all League and cup fronts. The first competitive fixture on the 3G surface was on Tuesday 13 August 2013 against newly promoted Barkingside; Harlow won the game 8-3. New signing Alex Read was hit with the fans as he became the Hawks all-time leading goal scorer in one season, netting 52 times in all competitions. His goals helped Chapman’s side to finish fourth in the league, thus earning themselves a place in the play offs. In the semi-final the Hawks travelled to Heybridge Swifts, where a comfortable 3-0 victory saw them into the play off final away to second-placed Witham Town. The Hawks never got going in front over 800 spectators at Spa Road, many following The Hawks and fell to a 3-0 defeat. The season also saw the hawks reach the Robert Dyas League Cup Quarter Finals and also the Essex Senior Cup Quarter Finals.

At the start of the 2014/15 Harlow Town launched The Harlow Academy, a youth set-up which incorporated 21 youth teams playing at The Harlow Arena. After a tightly contested league campaign, Harlow missed out the league title and automatic promotion by just 1 point, finishing behind Needham Market. Another appearance in the playoffs beckoned, but this time the Hawks fell down in the semi-final with a 3-4 defeat to Thurrock after extra time.

The 2015/16 season saw Harlow Town promoted for the first time since 2007. After successes in several rounds of various cup competitions, the Hawks found themselves in mid-table, albeit with a number of games-in-hand. Harlow Town went on a winning streak of 12 consecutive wins between 19 December 2015 and 13 February 2016, to propel themselves up the table and set a new club record in the process. Harlow Town finished third in the league, and comfortably won the playoff semi-final, beating Cray Wanderers 3-0. The Hawks hosted the final at the Harlow Arena, where 1,655 spectators saw Harlow see off AFC Hornchurch to claim promotion to the Ryman Premier Division.

Club officials

Role Name
Manager Danny Chapman
Assistant Manager Spencer Knight
Club Secretary Ray Dyer
President Ron Bruce

Managerial history

Years Manager
1879–1957 Selection Committee
1957–1958 Rick Barrett
1958–1959 Dennis Bow
1959–1964 Jack Kavanagh
1964–1966 Ralph Wetton
1966–1967 Ken Driver
1967–1969 Bryan Atkinson
1969–1971 Brian Somers
1971–1973 Roy Thomas
1973–1974 Jack Price
1974–1975 Gordon Sedgley
1975–1976 Len Gamblin
1976–1982 Ian Wolstenholme
1982–1985 Gwyn Walters
1985–1994 Dave Edwards
1994–1995 Len Glover
1995–1997 Dave Greene
1997–1999 Eddie McCluskey
1999–2002 Ian Allinson
2002–2003 John Kendall
2003–2006 Tommy Cunningham
2006–2008 Ryan Kirby
2008–2009 Glen Alzapiedi
2009 Anthony Anstead
2009–2010 Marvin Samuel
2010–2011 Kevin Warren
2011 – present Danny Chapman

Stadium

The Harlow Arena ground
Years Ground
1879–1960 Green Man Playing Fields
1960–2006 Harlow Sportcentre
2006–presentThe Harlow Arena

In their long history, Harlow Town have only ever had 3 home venues. From the club's formation right up until 1960, the club played their home games at the Green Man Playing Fields, with its first competitive game coming against Bishop's Stortford Nonconformist Grammar School. Harlow Town's last game at its original home was against East Ham United on 30 April 1960, with Harlow winning the game 2–1.

For the start of the 1960–1961 season, Harlow had moved to a new home on Hammarskjold Road, to the newly built Harlow Sportcentre, the first Sports Centre in England. The Town's first competitive game in their new home was against Epping Town in the London League on 27 August 1960, with the game finishing in a 1–1 draw. The Sportcentre hosted some of Harlow's greatest moments, most notably the FA Cup giant-killings of Southend United and Leicester City in the 1979–1980 season. Harlow's final season at the Sportcentre came in 2005–06, with their last scheduled game their against Spalding United in the 2006 East Anglian Cup final, but due to delays at their new ground, their final game at the Sportcentre was on 2 September 2006 in an FA Cup Preliminary Round match against Saffron Walden Town, ironically the team Harlow faced in their first ever match.

Eventually, Harlow moved to their new home at Barrow's Farm in October 2006, with the opening match at the new ground on 18 October with Harlow defeating Ware 2-0. The official record attendance at the new stadium is 2,149, against Macclesfield Town in the FA Cup First Round Proper on 8 November 2008. The Football League Two side Macclesfield won the game 2-0. In the summer of 2013, following investment from the owners, a brand new 3G playing surface was laid to allow regular use of the pitch by the local community without impacting the turf. This coincided with the re-branding of the ground to The Harlow Arena, as a primary venue for Harlow and its residents.

Honours

Records

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Honours Harlow Town FC
  2. 1 2 3 Harlow Town at the Football Club History Database

External links

Coordinates: 51°46′15.740″N 0°4′4.159″E / 51.77103889°N 0.06782194°E / 51.77103889; 0.06782194

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