REAL HOLMESDALE FOOTBALL CLUB
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Real Holmesdale FC Club History
03 Jan 2008
Well, the club was originally formed in the 1920's and can be traced back to the Baptist Church in Holmesdale Road, South Norwood, where it was affiliated to the London FA and competed in the Excelsior Football League. In fact, it was based in Holmesdale Road long before that other football club......Crystal Palace!
After two years in the Excelsior Football league, the club moved to the Thornton Health and District League where they finished second in the 3rd Division and won the Sportsmanship Cup. To play for the team in those days you had to be involved in the church, attend Bible class and pay match fees of 6d (2.5p) with a signing on fee of six shillings (30p). The Holmesdale Baptist FC colours were green and gold shirts with blue knickers (as they were then known!). An original club shirt can be seen on the wall of the clubhouse.
Sadly, in 1923, the team folded for a period of 33 years, before being resurrected in 1956 by the 3rd East Surrey Boys Brigade Company. They were pleased to inherit the original Post Office savings account of the predecessors which had funds of £7.00, but with 33 years interest had risen to the pricely sum of £12.00. During the first season Holmesdale Baptist reached the top of Division 6, having dropped only six points in 18 games - scoring 77 goals and conceding only 24. The first documented team was: J Standing, J Percial, D Lyle, D Swales, L Boxall, B Thomsitt, C Sayers, B Tibbert, D Dunford, D Charlton, P Dalley and reserve A Wooll. You will see on our honours page how our current players contend for trophies and awards inspired by some of these players or their families.
In the 1957-58 season the Holmesdale Baptists were promoted from Division 6 to Division 4 but due to National Service struggled for players. To strengthen the membership the Baptists raided the Holy Innocents Church Youth Club to make up the numbers (we're nothing if not resourceful!) but it meant removing the word Baptists from the name.
As the years progressed, the club went from strength to strength, running more teams and providing more opportunities for players to participate in "the beautiful game" and gaining many successes in the seventies and eighties. However, the club had to wait till the 1986/87 season before winning the Thornton Heath Premier Division. This opened the gateway to the then named Surrey Intermediate League where after six years the club won the First Division Championship which sealed promotion to the Surrey Premier League. The Club played in the Surrey Premier League for six seasons from Oaks Road in Shirley where the dedicated committee devoloped the basic facilities into a Senior status venue, but unfortunately as the ground was owned by the local council we could not install floodlights or have a social / licensed bar area.
In the year 2000 part of Holmesdale FC moved to Oakley Road in Bromley, leaving three of our sides to play from our Shirley Oaks venue with the first and reserve teams moving into the British Energy Kent County League, the 'Holmesdale' branch of the club has continued to flourish since 2000 and has now been elected into the Kent League for the 2007-2008 season.
The section of the club that remained at our Oaks Road venue was renamed 'Real Holmesdale FC' for the 2001 - 2002 season. The club continued to consist of 3 teams; the 1st XI the Reserves and the Vets team, all competing in various divisions of the Sutton & District League. In the 2002 - 2003 season the Reserve team won the Sutton & District 2nd division title and in the 2004 - 2005 the 1st XI missed out on winning the Sutton & District Premier division on goal difference! The club also reached several cup semi finals between 2001 & 2006.
With the demise of the Sutton and District League the whole club moved over to the Redhill & District League for the 2006 - 2007 season with the 1st XI winning the second division and gaining promotion.
As a club we have high hopes for the 2007 - 2008 season with the 1st XI competing in the Redhill & District 1st Division, the Reserves in the 4th Division and we have recently formed an 'A' Team which will be competing in the Surrey South Eastern League Junior Section Division 4. With the addition of several new faces over the summer months we will be aiming to add some more silver to the club cabinet!
2001/02 Season - Real Holmesdale FC's Maiden Season.
11 Nov 2008
Download (doc): 0 Bytes2001 is the year that Real Holmesdale FC were formed from Holmesdale FC's 3rd, 4th & Vets Teams (the part of the club that decided to stay at the Oaks Road venue following Holmesdale's move into the Kent County League). These teams became Real Holmesdale's 1st, 2nd and Vets Teams.
The First season was very tough for the 1st team with them finishing bottom of the Sutton & District Premier Division and being relegated. The very young 2nd team (with an average age of about 16); managed by Bobby Bryce, had a tough start to the season but after Christmas things started coming together resulting in a mid table finish and narrowly missing out on a cup final losing 1-2 to Old Plymothians AET (whom they had lost 9-0 to in the Charity Cup earlier in the season) in the semi final. The Vets team managed a lower mid table finish.
Reserve Team Squad:
Phil Lawrence
Martin Fuller
Mickey Payne
David Roach
Bob Bryce (Player Manager)
Richard Glegg
Paul Davis
Naz Chohan
Ronnie Green
Tony Royce
Sean Keelan
Big Bruce
Marcus....
Kojo....
Malcolm Royce
2002/03 Season
11 Nov 2008
The clubs second season was far more succesful than the previous campaign with the 1st team finishing as runners up in Division 1 and the Reserve team ; again managed by Bobby Bryce, winning Division 2 and reaching two semi finals which were both again lost AET. The Vets team however didn't have such a good year with them finishing second from bottom in their division.
First Team Squad:
Unknown
Reserve Team Squad:
Aaron M
Martin Fuller
Bobby Saunders
Richard Glegg
Mickey Payne
Bob Bryce (Player Manager)
Darren Payne
Malcolm Royce
Tony Royce
David Roach (c)
Gordon the Scot
Valentine Douglass
Sean Watson
Naz Chohan
Paul Davis
2003/04 Season
11 Nov 2008
During the close season Bobby Bryce was promoted to First team Manager and Barry Payne became the new Reserve Team Manager. The decision was made that for the first time in Real Holmesdale's short history, the club would run an up and down system of players between the two teams in theory making the 1st Team stronger.
As the season unfolded it became clear that both teams somewhat under achieved with the first team finishing 5th in a Premier Division they could have won and the Reserve Team finishing 4th in Division 1.
The Vets team once again finished towards the bottom of the Veterans Division.
First Team Squad:
Darren Payne
Bobby Saunders
Bobby Bryce (Player Manager)
Paul Walden
Richard Green
Ronnie Green (c)
Malcolm Royce
Sean Keelan
Tony Royce
Abdul,,,,
Dave Whitelaw
Alan Elingham
Dan Flemming
Reserve Team:
David Roach (c)
Martin Fuller
Warren Rose
Paul Davis
John Cumber
Naz Chohan
Gilberto/Gabriel (Remember this funny fella?)
Gareth ....
Jamie Flemming
Mickey Payne
Wayne
Ricky Bhogul
2004/05 Season
11 Nov 2008
This was the season that the 1st team missed out on winning the Premier Division on goal difference. After a great pre season which included a 2-0 victory over (then Ryman league) Croydon FC, the 1st Team had high expectations of competing for the league title and early season form looked positive having won the first four league games. Then on a cold & wet October afternoon the wheels came off with a 4-0 away defeat to a strong looking AFC Inter side. Form was up and down for the rest of the season it looked as though Real Holmesdale 1st XI would have to settle for second place behind AFC Inter, having played all but one of our games by mid February. However from March Wates were the only team that had games every week and made rapid movement up the table, at the same time AFC inter were found guilty of numerous player irregularities and deducted 9 points - this left it a two horse race; and the league decided that Wates & Real Holmesdale should meet in a one off match to decide the title and promotion to the Surrey South Easter Intermediate League.
The situation was as below with this one fixture to decide the title:
P W D L F A GD Pts
1. Real Holmesdale 11 6 2 3 25 18 +7 20
4. Wates 9 5 2 2 20 18 +2 17
Having believed that the season had finished back on the 19th March we knew that this game on the 28th May was going to be very difficult, as it proved to be. We conceded two late goals to end up losing 4-0 and finishing as runners up in the league, having already lost once again in a cup Semi-Final.
The Reserve Team had a far less interesting season finishing 5th place in the 1st Division and getting into the quarter final of the League cup.
The Vets team finished runners up in a four team Veterans 'B' Division, in what was to be the last season that the club ran a Veterans Team.
Squads:
1st Team:
Manager: Bobby Bryce (Resigned after penultimate game of the Season)
Darren Payne
Bobby Saunders
Julian .......
Anthony ........
John Cumber
Dave Whitelaw
Malcom Royce
Richard Green
Tony Royce
Ronnie Green
Alan Elingham
Dan Fleming
Jamie Fleming
Daryl Archer
Simon 'Maccas'
Reserve Team:
Player Manager: Paul Davis
David Roach
Martin Fuller
Naz Chohan
Simon Veniard
Dave Brown
Bailey
Dion ....
Slim....
Gary Penfold
Danny Drummey
Ricky Bhogul
Mickey Payne
Wayne Marques
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