Godalming & Farncombe Athletic Football Club
The club, who play at Holloway Hill, was originally formed in 1969 as Ockford Social F.C playing friendly matches, then in 1970 they joined and won the Guildford & District League Division 4, with a record of Played 16, Won 16, Goals for 158 and against 10. They went on to win both Divisions 3 and 2 as well as reaching the League Cup Final on three occasions, winning two and losing the other.
In 1973 they were accepted by the Surrey Intermediate League Premier ‘B’ finishing in third place. The highlight of that season however was reaching the Premier League Cup Final where they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Merrow in an evenly matched contest played at Godalming.
The rest of the 70s and early 80s saw Social finishing in mid-table positions until they were relegated to Division 3 in 1982. Little success on or off the field was seen until in 1984, new club officers were elected, including Barrie Hogan as Secretary (A position he still holds). Since then the club has narrowly missed promotion on an almost regular basis and have reached the Quarter Final stage of the League Cup on no fewer than five occasion and the County Cup quarter final in 1988.
The early 90s continued in the same fashion as Ockford Social just missed on promotion to Division Two in the first three seasons. Then prior to the 1993-1994 season Ockford Social F.C changed its name to Godalming Athletic Football Club.
The rest of the 90s again continued with several missed promotions. Then in the 1998-1999 season Godalming Athletic F.C. finished bottom of the league. This was mainly due to a lack of players for this current season and therefore no Reserve team and a serious lack of experience. The only good thing to come out of the season was the fact that new facilities were being built at Holloway Hill, which would lead to a brand new Clubhouse.
Godalming Athletic F.C had far superior facilities within its new Clubhouse and so we were able to attract new players and in season 1999-2000 the Reserves were reformed. Although the Reserves finished bottom in their respective league the first team finished in the top half of the Surrey Intermediate League Division 3. Also that season we were runners up to Chiddingfold in the final of the Dunsfold Charity Cup.
2000/2001 brought an even better improvement as both the first and second teams missed promotion by one place. The first team finishing fourth and the reserves finishing fifth.
2001/2002 started well with us winning the Dunsfold Cup 3-1 against Milford & Witley.
The cup form was carried into the league with us going top winning our first five games. With only four games left the 1st team had only lost three games all season, champions or promotion at least was the target. Depleted sides were put out and we lost all four games and any chance of promotion. The reserves finished eighth but recorded there biggest win 17-0 against Burymead.
Godalming and Farncombe merge to become Godalming and Farncombe Athletic.
2002/2003 Missed promotion on goal difference but Reserves promoted in second place
Things started in much the same as last year winning seven out of eight games, and we were in the top two of the table all season, untill the last game. Godalming & Farncombe 1 Shalford 3, Ockham 2 Knaphill 1, these two results meant Ockham were champions and Shalford runners up. The week before saw the first team lose 3-1 to Badshot Lea (leaders of division one) in the semi-final of the Premier Cup, along the way we had beaten teams from division one and two.
The reserves are a different story, losing their first game 3-1 they then went unbeaten for twelve games, winning ten and drawing two. With Shalford winning their last game the reserves had to be content with the runners up position and promotion.
2004/05 Football and Cricket clubs raised £17’000 in Chase cricket match
2005/06 Reserves finished runners-up in the League
2006/07 both teams finished mid-table and the Secretary won the Best Secretary Award
2007/08 First team promoted
2008/09 First team relegated Dave Smith won the Linesman award
2009/10 Secretary and Treasurer given awards by the Surrey F.A.
2010/11 Dave Smith won the Linesman award again
2011/12 First team promoted and losing finalist in the Invitation Cup
2012/13 First team finished 4th and Reserves 11th with new Management Team of Adam Keane and Laurence Willis
2013/14 Dean Thomas took over the First team andwon the Challenge Cup and finished 2nd in the League with the leagues leading goal-scorer Matty.Anton
2014/15 First Team promoted to the Elite League with Matty Anton again winning the League leading goal- scorer and the Reserves being promoted to the premier League and losing the Cup Final 1-0
The club, who play at Holloway Hill, was originally formed in 1969 as Ockford Social F.C playing friendly matches, then in 1970 they joined and won the Guildford & District League Division 4, with a record of Played 16, Won 16, Goals for 158 and against 10. They went on to win both Divisions 3 and 2 as well as reaching the League Cup Final on three occasions, winning two and losing the other.
In 1973 they were accepted by the Surrey Intermediate League Premier ‘B’ finishing in third place. The highlight of that season however was reaching the Premier League Cup Final where they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Merrow in an evenly matched contest played at Godalming.
The rest of the 70s and early 80s saw Social finishing in mid-table positions until they were relegated to Division 3 in 1982. Little success on or off the field was seen until in 1984, new club officers were elected, including Barrie Hogan as Secretary (A position he still holds). Since then the club has narrowly missed promotion on an almost regular basis and have reached the Quarter Final stage of the League Cup on no fewer than five occasion and the County Cup quarter final in 1988.
The early 90s continued in the same fashion as Ockford Social just missed on promotion to Division Two in the first three seasons. Then prior to the 1993-1994 season Ockford Social F.C changed its name to Godalming Athletic Football Club.
The rest of the 90s again continued with several missed promotions. Then in the 1998-1999 season Godalming Athletic F.C. finished bottom of the league. This was mainly due to a lack of players for this current season and therefore no Reserve team and a serious lack of experience. The only good thing to come out of the season was the fact that new facilities were being built at Holloway Hill, which would lead to a brand new Clubhouse.
Godalming Athletic F.C had far superior facilities within its new Clubhouse and so we were able to attract new players and in season 1999-2000 the Reserves were reformed. Although the Reserves finished bottom in their respective league the first team finished in the top half of the Surrey Intermediate League Division 3. Also that season we were runners up to Chiddingfold in the final of the Dunsfold Charity Cup.
2000/2001 brought an even better improvement as both the first and second teams missed promotion by one place. The first team finishing fourth and the reserves finishing fifth.
2001/2002 started well with us winning the Dunsfold Cup 3-1 against Milford & Witley.
The cup form was carried into the league with us going top winning our first five games. With only four games left the 1st team had only lost three games all season, champions or promotion at least was the target. Depleted sides were put out and we lost all four games and any chance of promotion. The reserves finished eighth but recorded there biggest win 17-0 against Burymead.
Godalming and Farncombe merge to become Godalming and Farncombe Athletic.
2002/2003 Missed promotion on goal difference but Reserves promoted in second place
Things started in much the same as last year winning seven out of eight games, and we were in the top two of the table all season, untill the last game. Godalming & Farncombe 1 Shalford 3, Ockham 2 Knaphill 1, these two results meant Ockham were champions and Shalford runners up. The week before saw the first team lose 3-1 to Badshot Lea (leaders of division one) in the semi-final of the Premier Cup, along the way we had beaten teams from division one and two.
The reserves are a different story, losing their first game 3-1 they then went unbeaten for twelve games, winning ten and drawing two. With Shalford winning their last game the reserves had to be content with the runners up position and promotion.
2004/05 Football and Cricket clubs raised £17’000 in Chase cricket match
2005/06 Reserves finished runners-up in the League
2006/07 both teams finished mid-table and the Secretary won the Best Secretary Award
2007/08 First team promoted
2008/09 First team relegated Dave Smith won the Linesman award
2009/10 Secretary and Treasurer given awards by the Surrey F.A.
2010/11 Dave Smith won the Linesman award again
2011/12 First team promoted and losing finalist in the Invitation Cup
2012/13 First team finished 4th and Reserves 11th with new Management Team of Adam Keane and Laurence Willis
2013/14 Dean Thomas took over the First team andwon the Challenge Cup and finished 2nd in the League with the leagues leading goal-scorer Matty.Anton
2014/15 First Team promoted to the Elite League with Matty Anton again winning the League leading goal- scorer and the Reserves being promoted to the premier League and losing the Cup Final 1-0
Wanderers Football Club
The Early Years - Founded July 1979
June 1979 – An ad appears in the Surrey Advertiser. "Wanted Football teams to form a local league – Guildford area"
Three guys decided they were secretly world-class footballers and should form their own team and join. These three were not fitness freaks or regular footballers in any sense. They were more at home in a bar than a football pitch.
David Hewitt, Andy Goddard and Tony Schulp over several pints of bitter in the Merry Harriers in Hambledon came to the conclusion they could pull this together. Within a few days they had pulled in Robert (Sid) Philips, who could actually play a bit, so we had a committee of four.
A meeting of the League to be run by Les (what is his name??) was held at a Guildford pub, here we heard all about the Surrey and Hants border league and how they at the time wouldn't take on any more clubs. We had never heard for the Border league or ever been exposed to Cyril West etc.
We had no name at the time, and spun around many on our way to the meeting, eventually The Wanderers was chosen as we had all heard of a team called that, and knew that they had won the FA Cup in the last century!! It seemed a good place to start from.
I believe all the teams that were part of that league that year have now disappeared, but some of the other co-founders were called, Spanish Cosmos, Barden Rangers, Flamenco, Army & Navy, The Victorians and the Drummond Arms from Albury.
Les did incredibly well to pull the project together, looking back today he did a good job and without that ad appearing we would not have started, played our first game or joined the Surrey and Hants Border League.
So we had joined a league! All we needed were players and a pitch!… Oh yes and a kit and balls (Both varieties!) Finding a pitch to play on was one of our biggest problems, we tried many places, from Shere to Northchapel in West Sussex, eventually Andy Goddard, by now our Secretary persuaded Godalming council to let us use Holloway Hill, and as far as our pitches go the rest is now history here.
At the time there were two pitches there and an old dilapidated changing room, but it had character, to use the showers you needed plenty of character!!
In August 1979 the four of us started to recruit friends to join the team, training sessions were organised by David Hewitt’s Girlfriend (Now Mrs H!) who put us through horrific things like sits ups and running, she was definitely fitter than the boys. We pulled together a number of players from all different walks of life in the build up to our very first "Friendly Match" with Spanish Cosmos at what was the Milford Chest Hospital, in Surrey. They were made up of Spanish hospital workers. Who thought that they were a cross between Real Madrid and Barcelona. 2hen we saw them come out we thought they were too.
The initial team is lost in my memory but was made up roughly as follows:
Andy Goddard – Left back, famous for silver wings on his head, gloves (Before John Barnes wore them) and great runs down the wing, sometimes even getting back!
Steve Godbold – Right back, played many seasons for us, a good solid player and scorer of our first goal!
Pat Ferguson – Defence to go on to become our Goal Keeper for a while.
David Hewitt – Captain and Midfield Dynamo, good player who's shot scared the birds. Managed to lose all his teeth one month, then make a come back and break his leg.
Len Philips – Heart of the defence and a Wanderers player and star for 20 years, his slide tackles were a joy to behold.
John Kendall – Midfield, already not 21 when we started, played and managed the Wanderers for many years. That "Old Bloke" tackled and ran rings around some players over 40 years his junior!
Sid Philips – The baby of the side, he must be nearly 23 now.
Joe Goddard – Played about one match for us and this was it, I think our first substitute!
Chris Cumley – Chris played a few games, but injuries ended up ruling him out.
Vernon Watkins – Midfielder, who went on from us to train women’s teams in the USA.
Tim Cumley – Forward for some of our first season.
Tony Schulp – Probably our least skilful player, but very scary for the opposition and other team mates when he went for the ball, nobody knew what was going to happen (Least of all him).
Pip” Adlam – A bloke not to be disagreed with, Pip went on with us to become one of our best Goalkeepers.
We lost this first game 4-1, but scored our first goal via Steve’s head, a memorable day. We lost our subsequent two matches that were our first league games, one of these was against Flamenco another team of Hospital workers, and as we said, we were bloody good in the first half.
Then we played Spanish Cosmos again, this time in the league and ended up drawing 4-4 our first point! Some members of our team had felt that the refereeing that day had left something to be desired!! – They protested by not talking to the opposition afterwards (We were a hard team!).
In this three or four week period we had picked up some key players who were to help turn the Wanderers around to be virtually undefeated for a season the following year and who now provided the impetuous and strength for the club to survive today.
John Terris, who was a centre forward in the Ian Rush mould, in the years he played for us scored a good 40 goals a season, with the author benefiting from about 25 goals himself a season from John’s deflections!
"Marvellous" Martin Taylor – Midfielder who played for Dorking and Woking in his time, goals scored from the halfway line with a volley! Martin was far too skilful for us, even one day brought a young mate with him (So the legend goes!) who was from the Channel Isles who played a game for us, and ended up in the Premiership with a few games for England.
But the two guys who joined then who really made a difference to us in the longer term were John "come in to the showers" Pidgeon and John Taylor, both skilful players, both who helped provide the organisation which has made sure that the club has survived to today. You didn’t easily pass Taylor in those days, at least not with your ankles un-damaged. We also picked up long term players who were with us for many years Bob Caddy and Francis Mitchell.
In October 1979 we had a home league game against the Victorians. Our first win which was a 7-2 result, John Terris’s first Hat Trick. More than a few pints were consumed in the Harriers afterwards. (This was not an era of Orange juice and soda!).
The season went on and we finished half way up the league, we had been asked if we wanted to join the Border league during the year, so we applied and were turned down, never really sure why.
We ended up virtually unbeaten in the following season, (1980/81) playing freindlies against all sorts of clubs. That season ended with a 10-1 victory against Hambledon and 10-0 against Barden Rangers, even with Tony Schulp scoring his first (and last) hatrick and memorable goal from Andy Goddard (They were rare, it even came off his head!)
1981/82 – We joined the Border League, that was over twenty years ago. Today 2002 we are stronger than ever,still in the league and this year we won the Alan Berry Cup for the first time.Still with John Taylor and John Pidgeon running affairs from the top who knows the future…