History of Wisbech Town F.C.
25 Aug 2009

There was a Wisbech Town club in the 1890's who played in local football and the occasional cup-tie. Entry was made to the ill-fated East Midlands League which ran for just a single season in 1897/98 finishing fifth out of seven teams. With the demise of the Town Club, Alfred House and St. Augustines became the leading Clubs in the locality, the latter becoming a senior club before WW1.

With football becoming even more popular after the First World War, the local Clubs were no match for the other Town Clubs in the area, such as March and Kings Lynn. So a decision was made in 1920 to amalgamate three local clubs to form a Town football club which then entered the Peterborough and King's Lynn Leagues - the latter won at the first attempt - while in the Amateur Cup they reached the First Round Proper in 1930/31 only to go out to the losing finalists Hayes.

The Peterborough League Championship was won in 1925, 1928, 1929, 1932 and 1933. The club then turned semi-professional, a Limited Company was formed and entry made into the United Counties and the East Midlands Leagues. The first professional signed was ex-West Ham and Nottingham Forest star Sam Jennings and the UCL Cup was won at the first attempt.

When football restarted after the War, Wisbech reached the First Round Proper of the F.A. Cup, losing to Ipswich Town over two legs. In 1947 the club purchased its own ground, Fenland Park, where they still play and record crowds saw the UCL title won in 1947, 1948 and 1950.

A switch was then made to the Eastern Counties League, and, after winning the League Cup during a two-year stay, the club gained entry to the old Midland League. In the last of their six seasons of membership - 1957/58 - the Town finished as runners-up to Peterborough United who provided the opposition when the record gate of 8,044 was set. That season they reached the Second Round of the F.A. Cup by beating Colchester United 1-0, only to lose 2-1 at Reading.

The Fenmen, as the team had then become known, went in for star players and former England Internationals Jesse Pye, Bobby Langton and Billy Elliott were just three who graced Fenland Park with their skills.

The club entered the Southern League in 1958 and remained there for 12 seasons, their only honours being their Inter-Zone Group title in the first campaign and the Division One title in 1962.

Floodlights were installed in 1964, while in the F.A. Cup the First Round Proper was again reached in 1959, 1960, 1965, and 1966 - when the Fenmen lost by a 10-1 record score at Brighton.

Lack of finance caused the return to the Eastern Counties League and the title was promptly won in 1972 and again in 1977 and 1991, while the League Cup was lifted in 1971, 1972 and 1995. In 1983/84 the Club set an ECL record sequence of 37 unbeaten matches yet finished runners-up on goal difference.

In the F.A. Vase, Wisbech have a proud record having reached the semi-finals twice, losing over two legs to Halesowen in 1985 and to Southall a year later. In 1988 the club reached the quarter-finals losing to eventual winners Tamworth.

In 1988 the East Anglian Cup was won for the first time after twice being losing finalists, while the club has claimed the Cambs Invitation Cup a record nine times.

In 1995 The Fenmen again reached the First Round Proper of the F.A. Cup losing to Kingstonian. This stage in the competition was again attained in the next two seasons, the last making a second appearance in the Second Round Proper losing to Bristol Rovers in front of 3,500 spectators at Fenland Park.

Promotion was won to the Dr Martens - Midland Division in 1997 and in the first season back in the League after 27 seasons the team finished in a creditable fifth place. Four more seasons with the lack of finance the major factor followed before relegation back to the Eastern Counties League. The saddest aspect of this was the undeserved “relegation” from the ECL First Division of the Reserve side who entered the Cambs League.

In the first season back in the ECL, under manager Ian Benjamin, the Club enjoyed a good F.A. Cup run, reaching the fourth qualifying round and enjoyed a 17-match un-beaten run in the League, eventually finishing in sixth place.

By comparison, recent seasons have been very disappointing, even flirting with relegation, which is previously unheard of for the Fenmen at this level. The appointment of Dick Creasey as manager in December 2004 saw an upturn in the Fenmen’s fortunes, finishing 4th in 2005-06, whilst a rather slow start to the 2006-07 campaign dented the Fenmen’s chances of challenging for the League, but a run to the 4th Qualifying Round of the F.A. Cup was a welcome distraction. Poor form at home meant a mid-table finish was always likely and with the purse stings being tightened, Dick decided to call it a day.

His replacements, Ian ‘Jigger’ Jones and Mel Mattless, lasted only a few weeks and it was down to Roy McManus to guide the Fenmen to mid-table safety last season. Following Roy’s decision to leave in early June, former Ely City and Haverhill Rovers manager Steve Taylor was given the task of overseeing the team, but he resigned in November 2008 and was replaced by his Assistant, former Rushden & Diamonds midfielder Gary Setchell. The team eventually finished 16th, having been at one stage in the relegation zone.

The final game was played at Fenland Park in September 2008 and the club now plays first team games at nearby Outwell’s ground, “The Nest”, which has undergone extensive work to bring it up to Ridgeons League standard. Work commenced in early August 2009 on the replacement for Fenland Park with the new facility hopefully ready for the start of the 2010-11 season.