VIRTUAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
CLAPTON ETON MANOR v
Essex Senior League Tuesday October 2013 Kick Off 7.45PM Available on www.claptonfc.info 15th
CLAPTON FC – VIRTUALLY THE BEST TEAM IN LONDON
Clapton Football Club HONOURS LIST Formed as ‘Downs FC’ in 1877 Re-named Clapton Football Club in 1878 Founder members of the Southern League Founder members of the Isthmian League (now Ryman League) The First English Club to play on the Continent. (1890) FA AMATEUR CUP WINNERS 1906/07,1908/09, 1915/15, 1923/24. 1924/25 Runners Up 1904/05 ISTHMIAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 1910/11, 1922/23. Runners Up 1905/06, 1907/08. 1909/10, 1924/25 Division Two Champions 1982/83 ESSEX SENIOR CUP WINNERS 1890/91, 1924/25, 1925/26, 1954/55, 1983/8 LONDON SENIOR CUP WINNERS 1888/89. 1908/09, 1910/11 Runners Up 1988/89 ESSEX SENIOR TROPHY WINNERS 1988/89 ESSEX THAMESIDE TROPHY WINNERS 1982/83, 1983/84 A.F.A. INVITATION SENIOR CUP WINNERS 1965/66 Founded by W.R Davies, at a meeting in his father’s house at 11 Queensdown Road, Clapton E5, August of 1877, Downs FC started playing on Hackney Downs. Three years later in 1880, and with a name change to Clapton Football Club, the Tons moved the short distance to North Mill Field, Leyton. Later that year the Tons were offered their first private enclosure at Elm Farm with a rental of £10 per year. They moved once more before settling at the Dog, to Pilgrims Farm, Walthamstow. It was the founding of the LondonFA that introduced Clapton FC to the Spotted Dog, The Tons played an LFA Cup match against City Albion who had a pitch in the field just north of the Dog. The tenants of the Dog were St Bartholemews Hospital who were about to vacate, so Clapton obtained a lease from the owner, Mrs Vause. It was a bold step, the rent was £35 a year, whilst the club’s annual income amounted to £40. The opening game at the Dog took place on the 29 th September 1888 and the Clapton team beat a team from Old Carthusians by a goal to nil. The scorer was J.S. Sellars. The ground was a roped enclosure and the players changed in a barn in Upton Lane. Many games drew crowds of 4,000 or more, and several notable Ton’s players were recruited from those watching when numbers were short. In 1982 a Southern League game was the first league match ever to be played at the Dog. Before this, only friendly and cup matches had taken place. The brewers, Watneys took over the freehold of the ground and during the second world war the Dog became an anti-aircraft station. During these five years, Clapton played at Newbury Park, the home of Ilford FC. A crowd of 12,000 watched Clapton play Spurs in a cup tie in 1898 which resulted in a 1-1 draw. In more ‘recent’ times, a crowd of 2,000 witnessed an FA Amateur Cup match against Barnet in 1964. In 1992, the Clapton Trust Limited managed to negotiate and finally secure, in 1995, a 99 year lease on the ground. This achievement should have secured the club’s future at the Old Spotted Dog, however, recent events and mismanagement have placed this security in jeopardy will need to be addressed to secure the club future once more.
CLAPTON v ETON MANOR This evening we welcome our old friends from Eton Manor FC to the Old Spotted Dog. Last season the Manor inflicted our heaviest defeat of the season here at the Dog, winning by six goals to nil. I doubt if that scoreline will be repeated tonight and have every reason to expect a hard battle for Essex Senior League points. The Manor, who finished last season in a very credible fifth posiiton but have not made a great start to this campaign. However, they have already won twice on the road this season, one of those victories coming against ‘squatters’ London Bari so the Clapton lads will have to have to work in order to get back into winning ways. Amongst the Manor squad this evening is Sonny Lindsay who played for the Tons last season. We welcome him and his teammates, along with the officials and supporters of the Manor to the Dog and hopefully an entertaining match will ensue. How quickly fortunes can change in football? Before last Saturday’s defeat at the hands of Sawbridgeworth Town, the Tons were flying high with a three successive victories under their belt. However, a string of injuries,mand an inspired performance by the visitors left Clapton folk bested but certainly not too down in the mouth.
Sonny Lindsay
Despite the result, as the Ian Dury’s 80s song goes, there were many ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’. The first of these was the perfomance by the team. A more committed and battling performance could not have been expected and, but for some inspired goalkeeping from the Sawbridgeworth custodian and a little more rub of the green, the result could have been markedly different. The injury situation did, at least, lend it self there being an opportunity for a few of the fringe players to show Woodsy and Neil (“Les Frères Chauves”) what they can do in ninety minutes of competitive action at this level. Nce again, no lack of commitment or effort and there were a few encouraging signs that one or two of those youngsters could soon be figuring in the thoughts of the team management during the course of the season. Secondly, the support was incredible. The largest crowd of the day in the Essex Senior League, conservatively said to be 114, watched the match at the Old Spotted Dog. On 11th October 2011, almost exactly two years previously, Clapton’s match with Basildon United at the Dog was attended by 15 (yes, fifteen) spectators. Furthermore, of the nine Ryman League Division Two matches on the same afternoon, our attendance was bettered by only two games, Dereham Town (210) and Cheshunt (115). As the saying goes, there is plenty of life in the Old Spotted Dog yet. There is little doubt that the word is going around, something interesting is happening at Clapton at last. There was an interesting array of supporters at Saturday’s game. There were those who had not been to the Dog for some years but were back to have a look at what this resurgence in interest was all about. Others were making their first trip to the Dog but were there because they had heard of the Ultras, and this unique atmosphere in Essex Senior League football. Among the crowd was Kevin Rye of Supporters Direct who has been advising the Friends of Clapton FC for some time in relation to the obvious issues that exist concerning the present ‘running’ of our great old club and how to hopefully improve things in the future, particularly with regard to more fan involvement in the running of Clapton FC. He left the ground in a state of euphoria, saying that he had not seen support like ours at level 5 since the birth of AFC Wimbledon in the Combined Counties League in 2002. We were also joined by Mike Bayly, author, and organiser of Non-League Day who’s
team, Wingate and Finchley were without a game, decided to come along. Mike has been to the Dog on a few occasions this season and continues to be impressed at the progress made in whipping up support for the Tons. He will hopefully use this to drum upmore support at Wingate and Finchley FC who, like Clapton have a potential ‘name issue’ as regards local identity. Wingate and Finchley are an amalgamation of two historic old clubs and for them to be playing in the Ryman League is, of itself and achivement. Like us, he will be loking to attract disenfranchised football supporters who may not be able to afford to pay the League prices but are, as yet, unwilling to come and have a look at the football at out level. We wish Mike and his club well with this. Finally, Roy Wembourne of the Save the Old Spotted Dog group was among the crowd. Roy is also a member of the Friends of Clapton FC and was able to exchange a few words with some of the Ultras about the battle to save the historic pub that gave our ground it’s name. Without wishing to sound like a broken record, Heisenberg Hats off to the magnificent Clapton Ultras! The atmosphere they created was clearly inspirational to the Clapton team who, at the final whistle appeared to more upset that their defeat had ‘let the ultras down’ than anything else. The camraderie between the team and the Ultras is fanatstic to see and odes well the future. The support was ultimately enjoyed by the visiting team who came to revel and join in on the occasion with their seagull impressions. I have no doubt that when one of the their players is asked about a match he most remembers during his career, he would probaly mention his part in the 3-0 victory at Clapton in front of the most incredible support in non league football. Whilst the result clearly hurt our team and team management, the positives to be taken from the game are insummountable. Well done to everyone and hail the Polish lager ! Don’t forget that next Saturday’s match against Barking kicks off at the Old Spotted Dog at 1.30pm. This is avoid a clash with West Ham United’s big game with Manchester City that kicks off at 5.30pm. It is hoped that, by moving the kick off we can attract a few more fans through the gates of the .Old Spotted Dog to see what is going on here and to keep our club fully in the spotlight. Come On You Tons !!!!
The club has been drawn away to today’s visitors Eton Manor in the next round of the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy. The date for the fixture has yet to arranged.
Tweet of the Week kevinrye @kevinrye
Afternoon spent @claptonfc with @FO_ClaptonFC & @ClaptonUltras for @SuppDirect Superb. With the right ppl club could go places #fixfootball 05:11 PM - 12 Oct 13
Our visitors - ETON MANOR FC The club was formed in 1901 by rich and influential families of the likes of Barings, Villiers and Lord Chelsea for the benefit of bringing sport to the poor and underprivileged youth of the East End of London. Various clubhouses were used in the early years and eventually the sports ground at Hackney Marshes known as "The Wilderness" was used, this started a period of great success in the thirties for the club's football, cricket and rugby sides. The success continued into the forties, fifties and sixties with many famous players coming from the club, Alf Ramsey and Len Wills are just two to have played for the club in the past. The club became founder members of the Aetolian League in 1959 and followed other former member clubs into the Greater London League as founder members in 1964, winning the championship at the first attempt in 1964–65. The club played at several different venues during this period. After becoming founder members of Metropolitan-London League Division One in 1971, and finishing third in 1973–74, the club moved to the Essex Senior League in 1975 and have stayed with the competition ever since. The first few years in the Essex Senior League were relatively successful for the Manor, with the club well established in the top half of the division. However, the club finished bottom in 1981 and they rarely rose out of the bottom 6 for most of the next 20 years, finishing last of all again in 1997, when they won just one league game.Before the 2003–04 season long-serving Chairman Reg Curtis appointed Kirk Whitelock as manager. Under his stewardship the club stabilised, finishing 9th, 12th and 13th in his three full seasons in charge. However, the club's disciplinary record during this period was poor with red cards an all too familiar occurrence. Half way through the 06–07 season, Whitelock stepped down, handing the reins over to his ambitious assistant manager, Graham Chester. Chester immediately set about building a new team built around the goals of Anton Stephenson. By February the team found themselves in two Cup Finals and a top 4 league position. The Manor were defeated in the first of those finals by Concord Rangers, but turned the tables in the second final to win the Essex Senior League Cup 3–2 against the same opponents. It was the club’s first senior cup win for nearly 70 years. The team finished 4th in the Essex Senior League however, Graham Chester resigned at the end of the season to take over at Isthmian League Division One North club Tilbury. Former Manor player Billy Cove was appointed as manager, but his reign was short lived. He oversaw just five games as manager at the start of the 08/09 season, winning once, before resigning. He was replaced by former Ilford and Waltham Forest manager Kevin Durrant. Durrant spent four years at the club, during which they finished in the top eight of the League on two occasions, with a best finish of 6th place. There was also considerable cup success with 3 semi-final appearances across the Essex Senior League Cup and the Gordon Brasted Trophy. The highlight of his reign was the club's run in the Gordon Brasted Trophy during the 2010-11 season, where Manor defeated Basildon United (4–0), London APSA (2–1) and Witham Town (1–0) to qualify for the final against Burnham Ramblers. Despite Courtney Linton giving Manor the lead, they were eventually beaten 4–2 after extra time, their second defeat in four years in the final of that competition. At the end of 2011-12, which had seen a major transition in the team, Durrant announced his intention to step down as manager. The Manor had an excellent season last year and finished fifth in the Essex Senior League. They did the double over the Tons when both games took place at the Dog. The Clapton ‘home‘ match was won 6-0 and in the return game they completed the double with a 3-2 win.
JOIN THE FRIENDS OF CLAPTON FC Clapton FC are one of the most famous amateur clubs in English football history. They not only won the FA Amateur Cup on five occasions but are recognised by the Football Association as being the first English club to play on the continent and thus instrumental in the growth of the game. In addition, Clapton players have represented England at full International level and numerous others have progressed to the professional ranks and performed with distinction. However, as amateur football became semi-professional and beyond, Clapton's tenure as a prominent club declined. However, they continued to compete in the Isthmian League, a competition that Clapton members were instrumental in founding in 1905. A hundred years later, Clapton were sadly demoted to the Essex Senior League, a competition in which they compete today. Throughout this time Clapton have played at The Old Spotted Dog Ground in Forest Gate, London. This small enclosure, buried amongst residential housing, had hosted both cricket and football before Clapton became tenants in 1888. Clapton are synonymous with the 'Old Spotted Dog' and it remains one of the last traditional bastions of football in the East End of London, an area that has lost great football clubs such as Walthamstow Avenue, Leytonstone and Leyton in recent years. The Clapton players of today represent the club in the great tradition of their predecessors of the yesteryear. Unfortunately, today, the club does not function as a members club where a committee and officers are elected by the membership. Furthermore, it is claimed by Mr Vincent McBean that he owns the club. We have documents show this to be incorrect along with others that disprove his apparent claims to ownership of the ground, lease, and adjoining warehouse (the delightful tyre shop). We are also aware, and have court documents that show that McBean has, in fact, previously undertook to sell the leasehold interest, in his role as a director of a charitable trust. Whilst the primary objectives of the Friends of Clapton FC was to help those who run, administer and play for the Tons, the entity that claims to be Clapton FC has neither acknowledged or accepted that the Friends group have a role to play in the future of the club and would prefer to continue in it’s present shambolic state. In the meantime, the Friends of Clapton remain vigilant as to any perceived problems, and of issues, such as tenure on the ground, that are not addressed by the ‘club’. For example, earlier this year, the lease on the ground was only weeks away from forfeiture, due to maladministration by the self proclaimed 'club owner’. (Not filing accounts at Companies House) The continuance and well-being of the club, the security of tenure at the Old Spotted Dog Ground and promotion of Clapton FC's activities in an open and forthright manner would re-establish the club in the world of football as well as the local community. However, this is not currently on the agenda of those currently running the ‘club’. We believe that Clapton Football Club is deserving of support and whose survival is important, not only to the local area, but also to the sport of association football, the development of which, owes much to the Clapton players, officials and supporters of yesteryear. Please join us and bring about change at Clapton FC by clicking here Any questions or enquiries to secretary@friendsofclaptonfc.org
If you are interested in bringing about a democratic Clapton FC where there is a voting membership, an elected committee and officers? If so, join the Friends of Clapton FC. www.friendsofclaptonfc.info/join/1.htm
CLAPTON FC FIXTURES 2013/14 Sat 10/08/13 Tue 13/08/13 Sat 17/08/13 Sat 17/08/13 Tue 27/08/13 Sat 31/08/13 Tue 03/09/13 Sat 07/09/13 Tue 10/09/13 Sat 14/09/13 Tue 17/09/13 Sat 21/09/13 Sat 28/09/13 Tue 01/10/13 Sat 05/10/13 Tue 9/10/13 Sat 12/10/13 Tue 15/10/13 Sat 19/10/13 Sat 26/10/13 Tue 29/10/13 Sat 02/11/13 Sat 09/11/13 Sat 16/11/13 Sat 23/11/13 Sat 30/11/13
ESL ESL FA CUP FA CUP ESL FA CUP ESL ESL LCC ESL ESL FA VASE ESL ESL ESL GBT ESL ESL FA VASE ESL ESL ESL ESL ESL ESL ESL
Bowers and Pitsea Tower Hamlets Stanway Rovers Stanway Rovers London Bari Mildenhall Town Haringey Borough Hullbridge Sports Great Wakering Rovers London APSA Takeley Wotton Blue Cross Basildon United Ilford Stansted Tower Hamlets Sawbridgeworth Town Eton Manor Barking Southend Manor London Apsa Greenhouse London Sporting Bengal United Great Wakering Rovers Enfield 1893 FC Romania
A 0-0 H 2-3 H 0-0 A 1-0 A 2-0 H 0-2 H 1-1 A 0-0 H 1-1 P H H 2-0 A 1-0 A 0-2 H 4-0 H 2-1 A 3-0 H 0-3 HOME HOME AWAY HOME HOME AWAY HOME AWAY AWAY
Jarriette, Alleyne Matthews Martelli, Hughes Coulson (p) Duyile (p) AET * Parker, Duyile Tacey 3.00PM Martelli 2, Jeffes, Jarriette Duyile, Martelli Jeffes, 7.45pm 1.30pm 3.00PM 7.45pm 3.00pm 7.45pm 3.00pm 3.00pm 3.00pm
No further fixtures have been released by the Essex Senior League * Clapton lose on pens
iProg Contributions Welcome Have you got something to say about Clapton FC, the supporters, the League or anything relating to football itself. Why not air your view in the Clapton FC iProg? All contributions are welcome Send your contributions to iprog@claptonfc.info
THE LINE UPS CLAPTON FC Red Shirts, White Shorts, Red Socks Manager ; Chris Wood Assistant : Neil Day
“THE TONS” PEPE DIAGNE REISS DE SOUZA PETER MOORE CRAIG GREENWOOD MATT TACEY JEROME JARRIETTE JAMIE POOLEY BEN LOWES STEVE PARKER RAPHAEL DUYILE CORY ALLEYNE JOSH COULSON NICK READ JOHNNY HUGHES SAM NAYLOR TOM JEFFES JAMES BRIGGS JEROME MARTELLI BILLY WISE
ETON MANOR FC Light and Dark Blue Manager : Kieren King
Player Sponsored by Gavin Clarke
Andrew Barr
G.V.O.
Ian & Peter Simpson
MATCH OFFICIALS : REFEREE – Olivier Roguez LINOS Adekunle Jide Fawunmi Matteo Starri
OUR NEXT HOME MATCH
THEN
SATURDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2013
TUESDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2013
CLAPTON v BARKING
CLAPTON v LONDON APSA
FA VASE – FIRST ROUND PROPER
ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE KICK OFF 7.45PM AT THE DOG
KICK OFF 1.30pm AT THE DOG
“LET ‘EM COME, LET ’EM ALL COME DOWN TO THE DOG” E7 Now and Then
Save the Spotted Dog LOCAL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY WEBSITES
A group formed to preserve the famous old Tudor pub that adjoins the Clapton football ground. Save the Dog ! www.savethespotteddog.org
Contact Us and we’ll include your site in our next virtual issue.
10 Sebert Road, Forest Gate
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @FO_Clapton FC @Clapton Ultras
A Community Website giving the latest news from London E7 as well as a look back on the history and people of E7 http://www.e7-nowandthen.org
The Woodgrange Web Local community website covering news of events and what’s on in Forest Gate www.woodgrange.org.uk
CLAPTON FC – VIRTUALLY THE BEST TEAM IN LONDON VIRTUAL MATCHDAY TICKET HOLDERS – Mark Barlow, Michael Fogg, Andrew Barr, Ian Simpson, Peter Simpson, Gavin Clarke, Paul Maybin, Michael Cogan, Lew Listz, Ken Harris, Martin McShea, David Barr, Dermot Donovan, Janis Boyce