Hitchin Town Football Club

Founded 1865, Reformed 1928

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A brief history of Hitchin Town Football Club

Hitchin Town ended last season in mid-table in the BGB Southern Premier, but at one time, it looked as though a terrible run would end in relegation. Canaries fans were thankful for a good run-in, but they could still be forgiven for having some pre-season nerves in 2007-08 - previous relegation seasons were in 1987-88 and 1997-98!

Early Days

Hitchin Town can trace its roots back to 1865 when Hitchin FC was formed. The club took part in the first FA Cup in 1871-72, and reached the quarter finals of the competition, losing to eventual finalists Royal Engineers. That first Hitchin club, a struggling professional outfit, floundered during the first world war, debt-ridden and the victims of a fire at their ground.

It was not until 1928 that Hitchin Town FC was formed, and it was at this point that the nickname, “The Canaries”, was established. The club colours of yellow and at that time, blue, were also agreed upon. Prior to that, the old club played in white and magenta. Hitchin gained admission to the Spartan League and in the 1928-29 season, enjoyed a hugely successful campaign, winning the Herts Charity Shield and promotion to the Spartan League Division One.

The first golden age

The 1930s were halcyon days for Hitchin Town. Promotion to the Spartan Premier was won in 1931, but it was the FA Amateur Cup and AFA Senior Cup that captured the imagination of the Hitchin public. Although there is little doubt that Hitchin won more games than at any time in their history, the standard of opposition has to be considered when determining whether the Canaries’ side of the period was the finest in the club’s history.

Nevertheless, with players like Reg Smith, who later played for Millwall and England, Wally Odell and Les Clarke, there is little doubt that this was a golden age for Hitchin Town. The club won the AFA Senior Cup in 1932, beating Derbyshire Amateurs in the final and in 1935, won the Spartan League Premier Division. The club entered the Athenian League in 1939, but after two league games and a Herts Charity Cup tie, all of which saw Hitchin score seven goals, Adolf Hitler intervened.

Hitchin Town FC 1937-38. Larger versions of above image Medium Large

Post-war struggles

Like many clubs, Hitchin struggled in the aftermath of World War Two, although the goalscoring antics of players such as Frank Wingate and Wink Saunders lit up Top Field. It was not until the mid-1950s that the Canaries recovered. In 1953-54, the runners-up spot in the Athenian League was secured and the club reached the last eight of the FA Amateur Cup, losing 10-1 to the mighty Crook Town.

Two years later, a crowd of 7,878 watched Hitchin beat Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 in the competition, but the club failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals again. In 1958, Hitchin’s Peter Hammond became the club’s first England international. It was around this time that Hitchin appointed former Arsenal and England international Laurie Scott as manager. He brought a new approach to the club.

Hitchin Town FC 1954-55. Larger versions of above image Medium Large

The Scott era

Scott took Hitchin up a level in terms of preparation, training and tactics. The club enjoyed arguably its greatest period in the early 1960s. In 1958-59, the club met Football League opposition for the first time in the FA Cup, narrowly losing to Millwall after a replace. Two years later, Hitchin travelled to Crystal Palace and played in front of 21,000 people. At the same time, an assault on the Athenian League title and the FA Amateur Cup gathered momentum. Scott’s team, comprising players like Derek Turner, Tommy Everitt, Bruce Spavins and Terry Waldock, ran out of steam in the league – the victims of fixture congestion, and fell at the penultimate stage in the Amateur Cup. Walthamstow Avenue beat Hitchin 1-0 at White City, thanks to a disputed penalty. In 1963, Hitchin reached the semi-finals again, but this time, went down 4-0 to Sutton United at Craven Cottage. At the end of the 1962-63 season, the Canaries moved into the Isthmian League.

Hitchin Town FC 1960-61. Larger versions of above image Medium Large

Into the Isthmian

The move into the Isthmian League was not an easy one for the club, and the early years were a constant struggle. Money was a problem, and there was a hint of scandal when club President Syd Stapleton revealed to the media that the club was paying its “amateur” players. It took some time for the clouds dispersed and during this period, the club said farewell to Laurie Scott.

It was not until Vince Burgess came on board that the club moved forward again. Burgess, a successful coach before he went to Hitchin, brought experienced players to the club who knew how to win. In 1968-69, Hitchin finished runners-up in the Isthmian League and a year later, won the London Senior Cup, beating St.Albans 4-2 in the final. Burgess declared that Hitchin had “arrived” by winning what was then a highly prestigious competition. Top Field was shocked a few months later when Burgess left the club.

Cup-fighting Seventies

The 1970s was a period characterised by some exciting cup-ties and players like Paul Giggle, Peter Watson, Neil Bunker and Dave Archibald. The Canaries reached the FA Cup competition proper four times – in 1973-74, 1974-75, 1976-77 and 1978-79, although a giant-killing eluded them. In 1973-74, non-league Boston beat Hitchin 1-0 in the second round, depriving them of a lucrative tie with Derby County. Cambridge beat Hitchin in the first round a year later, and in 1976, Swindon finally saw off Hitchin 3-1 after a 1-1 draw at Top Field in the second round. In 1978, Bournemouth beat Hitchin 2-1 in the first round. By the end of the decade, though, the club was in decline and the 1980s was a dismal decade in which finances were limited and the emphasis was on youth.

Decline and fall

In 1988, Hitchin Town suffered relegation from the Isthmian Premier for the first time. Near misses in the previous three seasons had hinted that a fall was coming, but it was a major shock to the club. It took five years for Hitchin to get back to the Premier, but in between, the club had suffered major financial hardship. It was Andy Melvin, the new owner-manager of Hitchin Town that led the club back to the Premier Division, winning the Isthmian First Division in 1992-93. Melvin, a good man-manager, was also thrifty and built a team on very limited resources. In the club’s first season back, he took them to eighth place and in 1994-95, fifth position.

Hitchin Town win the 1992-93 Isthmian Division 1 title.

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Giant-killers

Andy Melvin will be remembered for his part in two exciting FA Cup runs, however. In 1994-95, the club became giant-killers for the first time, beating Hereford United 4-2 at Top Field in the FA Cup first round. The club had started its cup run in the First Qualifying Round and had been close to exiting on more than one occasion. A year later, the Canaries grabbed their biggest scalp, beating Bristol Rovers 2-1 in the first round, thanks to two early goals. It gave them a second round tie at Gillingham, which was lost 3-0. The two years of cup success brought to the fore players like Mark Burke, Shaun Marshall, Gary Williams and Ian Scott. The club gained more media attention than at any time in its history, but by 1998, relegation had come once more. A year on, the club won promotion back to the Isthmian Premier with a new, younger team.

Celebrations after scoring against Bristol Rovers.

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Realistic ambitions

In an age when clubs seem to lurch from financial crisis to crisis, Hitchin’s recent history has been relatively stable. Andy Melvin stepped down in 2001, handing over to Robbie O’Keefe. He was the mastermind of the club’s youth academy, and at times, O’Keefe promised to bring success back to Hitchin. In 2003, however, he left the club, and former Chelsea and England striker Kerry Dixon took over. At the end of 2003-04, Hitchin left the Isthmian League after more than 40 years, and moved to the Southern League. At the halfway stage of the following season, Dixon – who was unable to commit himself fully to the job – was replaced by Darren Salton.

Twenty-first century boys

After taking on the role halfway through 2004-05, Salton had to rebuild a team that had alarming weaknesses in every department. The last few months of the season were tough and Hitchin failed to win any of their last 11 games.

But the following year was better and at the end of 2005-06, the Canaries won the Errea Cup, beating Bromsgrove Rovers in the two-legged final. New faces arrived at Hitchin in the summer of 2006 - Chris Dillon, Grant Carney, Carl Williams, Andy Ross and Paul Taylor were all signed by Salton. Only Dillon and Williams would make an impact, but Rob Miller and Josh Sozzo were added to a squad that played with confidence in the first half of the season. Hitchin were second in the table at Christmas, but it all went wrong in January and February and Salton’s side slid down the league. There was an exodus of players as spring came and many feared for Hitchin’s Premier Division status. New players were brought in, relatively untried but not lacking in passion. Eventually, Hitchin finished 11th, perhaps a flattering position, but nevertheless one which secured Premier Division football in 2007-08. After a lack lustre start to 2007-08, Darren Salton was released by the club and former player Darran Hay was appointed as manager.

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Top Field: Hitchin's home since 1928

Look at an old ordnance survey map of Hitchin in the late Victorian age, and you will notice that Fishponds Road does not extend to the site of Hitchin Town's Football Ground. In fact, the road which is the formal address of the club ended abruptly with a dirt track, some two hundred yards from the Top Field.

In those days, Hitchin played football on a site in Payne's Park, just south of it's existing home. The origins of Football in the area are somewhat ambiguous, but it is known that in the days when Football was almost a tribal war between rival villages and towns, Hitchin and Stevenage started off somewhere between Great and Little Wymondley, and kicked the Pig's bladder from Dawn 'til Dusk. Top Field was separated from Butts Close by a thin path, and was held as part of a trust known as the Cow Trust, which was run by the Cow Commoners. The site was installed as a place of recreation for the people of Hitchin, and as such, that was the pre-requisite for any activity which took place there. If you were a Cow Commoner, you were entitled to run your sheep or cattle along Bedford Road (adjacent to Top Field) and across Butts Close once a year. Needless to say, this is a thing of the past.

The first Hitchin Club played at Top Field not long after their formation in 1865 - the exact date is uncertain, but what is certain is that one of the very first FA Cup ties was was played on that ground. In 1871, Hitchin drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace in torrential rain at Top Field. That, in itself, was an historic occasion.

In the early days of Top Field, the players would change in the Public House opposite Butts Close, The Cricketers. In those days, The Cricketers was on the site that is now the Firs Hotel (some 200 yards from where it is presently). The ground soon took shape, and a fine wooden grandstand, one which was higher than the existing structure, was the pride of the club.

Hitchin FC turned professional in the early years of the 20th Century, but the move was to prove an expensive folly, and they struggled. The grandstand burnt down one terrible night, and as a result the club lost heart and folded.

Football in Hitchin continued, however, in the form of Hitchin Blue Cross, a club run by the local temperance movement. They played their games at the Grammar School in Fishponds Road. It was not until 1928 that Hitchin Town was formed. Top Field again became the home of Senior Football in the town, and in the early years of the reformed club the ground was built up. A grandstand of 450 seats, under cover, was installed and still stands today. A few years later, one of the other notable features of the ground - wooden terracing - was introduced for a big FA Amateur Cup tie, installed as a temporary measure. At one time the terracing used to extend around most of the ground, but the years have taken their toll and there has been some culling due to accident and inclement weather.

In 1955, the record crowd was set when 7,878 filled the ground as Wycombe Wanderers came to Hitchin for an FA Amateur Cup tie.

The biggest change to the ground since the original constructions of the laste 1920's was the installation of £5,000 worth of floodlighting. They were switched on by the late Billy Wright in 1962, when Arsenal came to the ground to commemorate the occasion.

In 1963 a new clubhouse was built, at that time it was considered one of the best in Amateur Football and another innovation, a sauna, was installed in the late 1960's. Healthy crowds flocked to Hitchin in the 1970's, witnessing epic cup battles against, most notably, Swindon Town and Cambridge United but few major improvements were made.

Recent years have seen the construction of concrete terracing at the Ickleford Road end and following a bad storm on 27th October 2002 (left), replacement covering on the popular side. The ground, which is still a monument to 1920s football architecture, remains a welcoming if somewhat archaic place to watch the game.

Did You Know ?

Hitchin FC played on the very first day of the FA Cup in November 1871- drawing 0-0 with Crystal Palace

Top Field, the club’s home since 1928, was one of the first grounds to have a sauna installed.

Hitchin Town built the world’s first football museum. It closed in the mid-1970s.

The Graf Zeppelin flew over Top Field on its way back from Wembley in 1929, where it was photographed flying over the FA Cup final!

Reg Smith, who played for Hitchin in the early 1930s, went on to play for England – lining up alongside Tommy Lawton, Stanley Matthews, Joe Mercer and Stan Cullis.

In the 1930s, more than 10% of the population of Hitchin regularly attended games at Top Field. Crowds frequently topped 2,500

The record crowd for a game at Top Field is 7,878 – Hitchin v Wycombe in the 1955-56 FA Amateur Cup.

Hitchin have reached the second round of the FA Cup four times: 1973-74, 1976-77, 1994-95 and 1995-96

In 2001, Hitchin hosted an international match: England Under 16 v Holland Under 16.

Main Honours

1931-32 AFA Senior Cup winners
1934-35 Spartan League Champions
1953-54 Athenian League Runners-up
1960-61 FA Amateur Cup Semi-finalists
1962-63 FA Amateur Cup Semi-finalists
1968-69 Isthmian League Runners-up
1969-70 London Senior Cup Winners
1972-73 East Anglian Cup Winners
1992-93 Isthmian League Division One Winners
1994-95 FA Cup giant-killers (beat Hereford 4-2 after replay in R1)
1995-96 FA Cup giant-killers (beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 in R1)
1998-99 Isthmian League Division One runners-up
2005-06 Southern League Cup Winners

First Team Results Record

The following links contain the results for the relevent league / competition.

Spartan League Results 1928-1939

Athenian League Results 1945-1963

Isthmian League Results 1963-1988

Isthmian League Results 1988-2004

FA Cup Results 1928-29 - 2007-08

FA Trophy Results 1974-75 - 2006-07

Work is being carried out to compile the records for the following

FA Amateur Cup Results
Other Cup Results (HSC, HCC, AFA Senior Cup, FMC, East Anglian Cup etc).

and will be available soon.

League Record 1928-29 2005-6