Wikipedia

Hornchurch F.C.

Hornchurch Football Clubis afootballclub based inUpminster,England. They are currently members of theNational League Southand play at theHornchurch Stadium.

Hornchurch
Full nameHornchurch Football Club
Nickname(s)The Urchins
Founded1923
GroundHornchurch Stadium,Upminster
ChairmanAlex Sharp
ManagerDaryl McMahon
LeagueNational League South
2023–24Isthmian LeaguePremier Division, 1st of 22 (promoted)
Websitehttp://www.hornchurchfc.com

History

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1881 club

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The first Hornchurch Football Club was founded in October 1881. Based atGrey Towers,they played a dozen matches in their first season. The club finished the season with a 7 shilling deficit, albeit thanks to a late half-guinea donation from Joseph Fry.[1]The club was a founder member of theEssex Football Associationin 1882,[2]and entered theFA Cupin1882–83.Drawn at home toGreat Marlowin the first round, the visitors won 2–0, with their inexperience being shown up by not appealing for offside against the first goal until after kicking off again, preventing the referee from considering it.[3]

By the end of the 1882–83 season, the club had 40 members, and enough players for a second team.[4]However, for the club's second FA Cup entry, drawn again at home to Great Marlow in the first round, they only started with 10 players, with some of the better players not turning up. The visitors this time won 9–0, R.A. Lunnon scoring a double hat trick.[5]By the start of the 1885–86 season, the club was bankrupt, with a debt of £22, and had been wound up; a new football club, Hornchurch Wanderers, was formed instead.[6]

1923 club

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The current club was established in 1923 as Upminster Wanderers.[7]They joined the Romford League, which they remained members of until moving up to Division Two East of theSpartan Leaguein 1938, at which point the club adopted the name Upminster Football Club.[7][8]After spending the 1945–46 season back in the Romford League, winning the league title and the Essex Junior Cup, the club returned to the lower divisions of the Spartan League the following season.[7]The club were promoted to the Premier Division of the league in 1950–51, but left to join theDelphian Leaguein 1952, at which point another name change (this time due to a move to theHornchurch Stadium) saw them become Hornchurch & Upminster.[7]

Hornchurch & Upminster were Delphian League runners-up in1958–59,after which the club transferred to theAthenian League.In 1961 they were renamed Hornchurch Football Club.[9]The Athenian League was expanded in 1963, with Hornchurch becoming members of the Premier Division. They were relegated to Division One after finishing bottom of the Premier Division in1965–66,but won the Division One title thefollowing seasonto make an immediate return to the Premier Division. The yo-yoing between divisions continued as they were relegated again in1967–68,promoted from Division One after finishing third in1970–71,and then relegated again at the end of the1972–73 season.[10]

In 1975 Hornchurch transferred to Division Two of theIsthmian League,which was renamed Division One in 1977.[10]The club were relegated to Division Two at the end of the1977–78 seasonsaw them relegated to Division Two. In1980–81they were Division Two runners-up, earning promotion to Division One. League restructuring led to the club being placed in Division Two North for the1986–87 season,before another reorganisation in 1991 saw them moved to Division Three.[10]In2001–02the club were Division Three runners-up and were promoted to Division One.[10]

Hornchurch went on to finish as runners-up in Division One North in2002–03and were promoted to the Premier Division. The2003–04 seasonsaw the club reach the first round of theFA Cupfor the first time. After beating Third DivisionDarlington2–0 in the first round, they lost 1–0 toTranmere Roversin the second.[10]A fifth-place finish in the Premier Divisionthat season(despite a 10-point deduction for going intoadministration) was also enough for the club to earn a place in the newConference South.Theirfirst seasonin the Conference South saw them reach the FA Cup first round again. However, shortly before the match the entire squad was released due to financial problems.[7]With several debutants and youth players, the team lost the match againstBoston United5–2, and subsequently folded followingthe 2004-05 season.[10]

2005 reformation

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The club was quickly reformed under the name AFC Hornchurch,[7]and were placed in theEssex Senior League(three levels below the Conference South) bythe Football Associationon 19 May.[11]In theirfirst seasonthey won the league, as well as the League Cup and the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy.[7]Promoted to Division One North of theIsthmian League,the club won that division in2006–07to earn promotion to the Premier Division. In2007–08AFC Hornchurch finished fourth in the Premier Division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they were beaten 3–1 byAFC Wimbledonin the semi-finals.[12]The2008–09saw the club finish sixth, missing out on the play-offs. They also reached the first round of theFA Cup,losing 1–0 at home toPeterborough United.[13]Although they entered administration in May 2009,[14]the club managed to survive. After a ninth-placed finish in2009–10and coming tenth in2010–11,they were runners-up in2011–12,qualifying for the play-offs. Following a 3–1 win overBury Townin the semi-finals, they defeatedLowestoft Town2–1 in the final, earning promotion to the Conference South.[13]

Theirfirst seasonin the Conference South saw AFC Hornchurch finish 20th, resulting in relegation back to the Isthmian League Premier Division. The2013–14resulted in a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the promotion play-offs. In a repeat of the 2011 final, they faced Lowestoft Town following a 1–0 win overKingstonianin the semi-finals. On this occasion, they lost 3–0 to the Suffolk club.[13]Thefollowing seasonsaw them finish 23rd out of 24 clubs in the Premier Division and relegation to Division One North. They finished fifth in2015–16,again qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beatingThurrock2–0 in the semi-final, they were beaten 3–1 byHarlow Town.[15]In2016–17a fourth-place finish led to another playoff campaign, with the club losing 1–0 toThurrockin the semi-finals.

AFC Hornchurch were champions of the renamed North Division in2017–18,earning promotion back to the Premier Division. At the end of thefollowing seasonthey were renamed Hornchurch Football Club. In2020–21the club won theFA Trophyfor the first time, defeatingHereford3–1 in the final.[16]They finished theleague seasonin fourth place, going on to beatEnfield Town3–2 in the play-off semi-finals before losing the final 3–2 toCheshunt.The club were Premier Division runners-up the2022–23,again entering the play-offs. After beatingCray Wanderers4–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw in the semi-finals, they lost 1–0 toAveleyin the final. Thefollowing seasonthe club Premier Division champions, earning promotion to the National League South.[17][18]

Season-by-season record

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Season League Tier Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Position FA Cup FA Trophy
2005–06 Essex Senior League 9 30 25 3 2 71 21 +50 78 1/16 2Q –
2006–07 Isthmian LeagueDivision One North 8 42 32 7 3 96 27 +69 103 1/22 3Q r 2Q
2007–08 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 20 10 12 68 44 +24 70 4/22 4Q 2Q r
2008–09 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 19 8 15 60 51 +9 65 6/22 1R 1Q r
2009–10 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 16 13 13 51 47 +4 61 9/22 1Q 3Q r
2010–11 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 19 12 11 60 46 +14 69 10/22 2Q r 1R
2011–12 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 26 4 12 68 35 +33 82 2/22 1Q 2R
2012–13 Conference South 6 42 11 11 20 47 64 –17 44 20/22 2Q 3Q
2013–14 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 46 24 11 11 83 53 +30 83 5/24 4Q 1Q
2014–15 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 46 10 10 26 46 70 –24 40 23/24 1Q r 3Q
2015–16 Isthmian LeagueDivision One North 8 46 25 11 10 87 35 +52 86 5/24 4Q 1Q
2016–17 Isthmian LeagueDivision One North 8 46 24 13 9 78 42 +36 85 4/24 1Q P
2017–18 Isthmian LeagueNorth Division 8 46 32 7 7 97 35 +62 103 1/24 3Q P r
2018–19 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 12 14 16 57 59 –2 50 15/22 3Q 2Q
2019–20[a] Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 33 17 11 5 62 28 +34 62 3/22 2Q 2R
2020–21[b] Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 10 4 2 4 17 12 +5 14 8/22 3Q W
2021–22 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 25 6 11 89 42 +47 81 4/22 3Q 3Q
2022–23 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 25 9 8 98 49 +49 84 2/22 4Q 3Q
2023–24 Isthmian LeaguePremier Division 7 42 31 7 4 95 34 +61 100 1/22 3Q 3Q
  1. ^Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the season was ended in March.
  2. ^Due to the lockdowns from the coronavirus pandemic, clubs were unable to complete fixtures and the season was curtailed in February.

Honours

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  • FA Trophy
    • Winners 2020–21
  • Isthmian League
    • Premier Division champions 2023–24
    • Division One North champions 2006–07, 2017–18
  • Athenian League
    • Division One champions 1966–67
  • Essex Senior League
    • Champions 2005–06
    • League Cup winners 2005–06
    • Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy winners 2005–06
  • Romford League
    • Champions 1945–46
  • Essex Junior Cup
    • Winners 1945–46

Records

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Hornchurch Football Club".Chelmsford Chronicle:6. 21 April 1882.
  2. ^"Football".Chelmsford Chronicle:5. 3 November 1882.
  3. ^"report".Essex Herald:7. 30 November 1882.
  4. ^"Hornchurch Football Club".Chelmsford Chronicle:6. 20 April 1883.
  5. ^"report".Essex Herald.12 October 1883.
  6. ^"Hornchurch".Essex County Chronicle:6. 25 September 1885.
  7. ^abcdefgA Brief HistoryHornchurch F.C.
  8. ^Spartan League 1934–1955Non-League Matters
  9. ^Hornchurch & Upminsterat theFootball Club History Database
  10. ^abcdefghiHornchurchat theFootball Club History Database
  11. ^Urchins Go BustDigger Dagger, 17 May 2005
  12. ^2007-08 Isthmian LeagueFootball Club History Database
  13. ^abcAFC Hornchurchat theFootball Club History Database
  14. ^Hornchurch enter administrationBBC Sport, 19 May 2009
  15. ^The rags to riches fairytale as Harlow Town FC seal promotion amid a bright futureHarlow Star, 5 May 2016
  16. ^Hornchurch sink Hereford to claim unlikely FA Trophy winThe Guardian, 22 May 2021
  17. ^"Hornchurch vs Chatham Town".Hornchurch FC.6 April 2024.Retrieved8 April2024.
  18. ^"Hornchurch Take The Title- Whilst Borough And K's Have Relegation Confirmed".Isthmian League.7 April 2024.Retrieved8 April2024.
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