If you are thinking of visiting Hungerford we are more than a lovely town situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Hungerford is also a sporting town which supports rugby and cricket clubs as well as a very successful football club who at present play in the sixth tier of English football. Why not after you have enjoyed the arcade pop up to the Bulpit Lane Ground and catch a game? It is only about five minutes drive from the town and for £12.00 (concessions £6.00) you can enjoy a great standard of football and maybe you will see an ex Premiership player doing his best for the opposing side or even turning out for Hungerford Town.
I have been watching Hungerford for a couple of seasons now, although I did take in the odd game before that and also if my memory serves me correctly, played on the sloping pitch in a county cup game in the 1980s. But what of Hungerford Town, well they have been part of the town since their formation in 1886 and for most of that time have played at the Bulpit Lane ground (they previously played on Hungerford Marsh). In the early days they played at Intermediate level and remained there for many years playing in the Newbury & District League and also The Swindon & District League.
Senior status for the club came as late as 1958 and in 196, the club lifted the Hellenic League Benevolent Cup (one does not see many of these charmingly named trophies these days). In was not until the 1970s that Hungerford Town made its mark reaching three Berks & Bucks Cup finals in three years.
In the 1977/78 season (their last in the Hellenic League) the club had an amazing run in the FA Vase losing to Barton Rovers in the semi-final. This helped the club to achieve election to the Isthmian League in 1978 and in the following years, the club narrowly missed out on promotion twice. This said, they were in this time invited to participate in the Anglo Italian Semi-Pro Tournament during this period. I can remember the senior tournament quite well with results (if my memory serves me correctly) such as Swindon beating Juventus 4-0 and Blackpool putting ten past Atalanta without reply. The senior tournament was also remembered for its indiscipline with players often being sent off for fighting.
At the time of writing, I have not found Hungerford’s results but whatever they were, I am sure it was a great experience for the players involved. Although I have visited Italy on many occasions, I have not been able to catch a Series A match and the only football I have seen was from an amateur league not far from Milan and Verona.
But let’s get back to West Berkshire and go back to 1982 when Hungerford won the County Cup beating Wycombe Wanders 1-0. Like most football clubs, Hungerford have had their ups and downs but in 1989 they reached the FA Vase semi-finals only to lose to Sudbury Town when Wembley was so very near.
In the late 1990s Hungerford appointed Swindon Town legend Don Rogers (a player I remember well) as manager but Don resigned just after the start of the 1999/2000 season. A little aside, I was in Swindon recently and noticed that Don’s sports shop was still going strong. It is situated about ten minutes from the new shopping centre and not far from what remains of the Swindon Railway Works. If you are interested just ask for directions I am sure you will find his shop.
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Football is a great sport and wherever you are in the word it is a universal language. In my view, it is one God’s greatest gifts to mankind. Unfortunately this does not stretch to its administrators who I have found very wanting. In my day,the Berks & Bucks FA were more concerned at dissent on the football field than the actual physicality of the game.
More than once I have seen a referee (under instructions from the local FA) enter a changing room before a game and tell the players that he would not tolerate industrial language or dissent on the field and then during the match ignore some very poor tackles. I remember clearly an opposing player being sent off for calling the referee a bloody disgrace during a very unpleasant and physical cup tie in Wokingham in the 1980s in which players from both sides spent ninety minutes kicking lumps out of each other without punishment.
Whilst I am not condoning dissent, one must live in the world of reality. Football is a passionate and physical sport and because of this, emotions can run high. Last season Hungerford went very close to achieving a place in the play offs to the National League which was an amazing feat considering the resources available. But then, the FA put their foot in it and said that the Bulpit Lane ground was not up to standard and even if Hungerford achieved promotion, they would not be promoted which was crass stupidity on behalf of the FA. A great deal of hard work had been put in and to be disqualified for a technicality was pure nonsense.
But this as nothing new, as at the end of the 2001/02 season, Hungerford found that they had not met the FA criteria for ground improvements and as a punishment were forced to play in the newly formed Isthmian Division 2 against their will the following season.
It was a time for reflection and the club thought it wise to play in the Hellenic League (where my old club Holyport are now) and in 2003/04 they dropped down a level. They finished sixth in their first season but won the Hungerford Cup beating AFC Newbury 2-0. By the time the start of the 2006/07 season arrived things were again looking rosy and the club had a great FA Cup run beating Weston Super Mare and Bashley before falling (0-3) to a strong Weymouth side in the 4th Qualifying Round.
In the 2007-08 season, Hungerford reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase before losing 1-0 to Whitley Bay (this was one of the first games I attended) but they sadly lost out on promotion that season.
After the election of a new chairman (Nigel Warrick) the following season, Hungerford after a poor start in the league, went on a twenty-two match unbeaten run and after a draw at Hook Norton clinched promotion to the Southern League. In 2010, Bobby Wilkinson joined the club as manager and this was when things really took off for our local club and in the 2015/16 season Hungerford Town finally made it to the National League South after beating Leamington 2-1 ( in a game that I missed as I was in Kent at the time).
Last season under Wilkinson was better than anybody expected and as I have noted, the club was heading for the play offs until a ridiculous FA decision took the wind out of their sails. One memorable game (there were many) was the 1-1 draw against the eventual champions Maidenhead United when the ground was nearly full and a great atmosphere was shared by everybody
Sadly, Bobby Wilkinson left the club this season (for Wealdstone) and although both Jon Boardman and Ian Herring have done their best, the team has struggled at times.
Injuries and suspensions have not helped and as I write this article, I have just noted that Hungerford have lost 2-0 at Havant which means they are hovering rather close to the relegation places. I believe that the club will survive as judging from the matches I have attended this season, there is a great team spirit which having played football for many years, is very important.
To some extent, Hungerford have not had the rub of the green this season with poor refereeing (nothing changes) not helping the cause. It is important that Hungerford maintain their current status as strictly speaking they are playing in Division Six of the football pyramid which is amazing for a club of Hungerford’s size.
Sadly, football these days is all about money with some famous ex league clubs facing uncertain futures (Hartlepool, Chester) and others falling even further (Darlington, York City). I have known players who were picking up sizable pay packets at part-time clubs who could ill afford them. These players were also holding down well-paid full time jobs.
For a couple of seasons in the 1990’s, I watched Windsor who were playing high in the pyramid, but in recent years reality has taken hold and this fine and friendly club has dropped a number of divisions at now plays at a level more suitable to its reduced budget.
Hungerford is a well-run traditional country football club which has been part of the fabric of the town for many years. I will attend games when I can (I am often away from Hungerford at weekends) as I thoroughly enjoy watching live football. This season I have been thoroughly soaked (Truro Town just before Christmas) and have experienced the joys of early hypothermia and frostbite (many games recently) but I have enjoyed every second on it. I could watch my favourite club (Chelsea) but resent paying some thirty or forty pounds for the privilege (if I can get a ticket at all). I would rather wander along to a Hungerford home game and cheer on the local club and if you have a couple of hours to kill on a Saturday afternoon, I suggest that you join me. The beer is good and cheap and the catering facilities are very acceptable. There is a club shop and you will receive a warm welcome. There is also Sky in the clubhouse. If you cannot make it then, Hungerford’s games are recorded on You Tube which you can access via their website.
You may ask me if there is any Hungerford Town memorabilia to be found in the arcade, but to be truthful, I have not seen any recently. One might find the odd Hungerford Town programme or even a photograph of a long forgotten player when looking.
About five years ago at the Arcade, I picked up a small black and white photograph of a certain Allan Doig who was a noted Newbury goal scorer. The photograph appeared to have been taken in the 1950s although I cannot confirm it. Perhaps if you know more about Allan then you might like to contact the Arcade and share your memories. One thing I can promise you is that after an enjoyable time in the Arcade, you will be in for a memorable afternoon at the football club.
The pitch is not great and on cold days there is not much stopping the Wilshire winds but at least you will not have to suffer the dreaded and totally unnecessary VAR which is making the refereeing of what is a simple game a complete lottery at present.
In my view, the standard of refereeing at all levels is quite poor and the referees that visit Hungerford are a mixed bunch. Some are so poor that that you wonder if they have read the rules whilst others are so good that you hardly notice that they are there at all.
But this is the rich fabric of what you should expect if you pop up the hill and attend a match at Hungerford Town.
I look forward to seeing you there.
And by the way
Happy Hunting
Stuart Miller-Osborne
