Bishop’s Stortford Football Club was founded on the 28th of January 1874 at Chequers Hotel. The club eventually moved to play its’ home matches at Rhodes Avenue from 1919 to 1997, when financial issues forced them to sell the ground. The move to Woodside Park was completed in 1999, commemorated with an official opening game against Tottenham Hotspur, and featuring a host of big-name players, including David Ginola. This is part of the 152-year history of the club, which has seen many highs and lows.
Of the clubs many famous moments, the most historic is likely the winning of the 1974 FA Amateur Cup Final, a tournament for non-league sides. In the archives there is a copy of the matchday programme for the game. Contained within the pages are an incredible insight into the season of the team, including the players and their backstory. For example, the captain Dave Lawrence was a midfielder who also worked as an aircraft fitter, while the goalkeeper, Terry Moore, was employed as a carpenter.
Their journey to glory started with new manager Ted Hardy, who had joined in 1971. This resulted in a massive uptick in their fortunes. They were fourth in the 1971-72 Isthmian League, their first season in the premier Southern amateur league, despite the Honorary Secretary’s report into the 1971-72 season admitting that many members of the club had not wanted to join. They had also reached the semi-final of the Amateur Cup in the 1972-73 season, losing narrowly to Slough.
However, the following year the team succeeded. 30,000 Wembley spectators watched “The Bishop’s” win 4-1 thanks to goals from Dave Lawrence, Peter Leakey, Dennis Murphy and Martin Smith. This was the last ever edition of the tournament, making their achievement even more memorable.
Amongst all the clubs’ achievements, many key figures were there for it all. Among them include Brian Bayford, who served as a player, Club Secretary, Vice-President, Director and President. Equally immensely important is John Goodwin. Joining the club in February 1999 as a director, he was key in helping to solve financial issues and securing the move to the current stadium. Such efforts also required work from the groundsman Tedd Scraggs and chief steward Peter Stone, who helped ensure the pitch quality improved.
However, a story of the club would be incomplete without including the loyal faithfuls of the club. The Cross Rhodes, the club’s fanzine, provides a unique and unfiltered recounting of the experiences of fans of the club. Fanzines themselves emerged in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and unlike programmes funded by the football clubs themselves, provided a platform for fans to truly express themselves.
For example, in the special 50th, issue discusses a meeting with the season ticket holders to make the club a limited company. The article underlines reasons for the change being proposed, including the need to raise more money to help cover debts incurred. The fanzine also highlights the negative response from fans and the desire to ensure the Supporters Club would have more voting rights in the future, to protect fan interests. More light-hearted aspects to the experiences exist as well, including the team of the decade for the 1980’s, along with a bizarre article claiming QPR don’t exist (apologies to any such fans reading this).
Anyone interested in finding out more about the club and our notable local institutions can email the museum to discover if we have any available materials on your chosen area.
Article researched and written by Volunteer- Young Curator Project- Thomas
Bibliography:
Football, fanzines and the media today – The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog
Remembering Brian Bayford – Hertfordshire FA
Bishops Stortford Football Club – Bishop’s Stortford and Thorley – A History and Guide
