Walton & Hersham FC was formed from the amalgamation of Walton-on-Thames FC and Hersham FC following the resumption of football after the Second World War.
Brief histories of the pre-merger days of Walton-on-Thames FC and Hersham FC can also be found on this site.
Details for the current season can be found on the official club website.
Major Honours
Athenian League Champions 1968-69
FA Amateur Cup Winners 1972-73
Walton FC and Hersham FC were always fierce rivals who for many years played their home matches at grounds just one mile apart. Amalgamation talks had first taken place as early as the 1912/13 season but it was rejected by 22 votes to 7. It was not discussed again until April 1923 but this time the vote was tied and, with no casting vote available, the teams remained separate. Talks were held again during the 1932/33 season but as previously the nays won the day. Following the end of hostilities in 1945 the two clubs met once again to discuss an amalgamation and, with Hersham no longer having a ground to call their own, finally a deal was done. The Walton FC AGM approving the merger, held at The Plough public house, also decided that the new Walton & Hersham FC would join the equally new Corinthian League.
Once the merger was finally agreed the team played its home matches, as it has done ever since, at Stompond Lane but the first competitive match on 1 September 1945 was away against Epsom Town in the Corinthian League where the Swans lost 7-1. Strangely the first competitive match at Stompond Lane three weeks later was also against Epsom Town, although this time in the F.A. Cup, and where the Swans metered out an 11-0 mauling. Quite a turnaround in just twenty one days!
The 1945-46 season was not one of note as the team finished seventh in a division of nine. 1946-47 was somewhat different with the club crowned Corinthian League champions and the title was also won in the following two seasons with "just" runners up spot following in 1949-50. That was to prove to be the last season in the Corinthian league as the club were elected to the Athenian League from 1950-51 onwards.
The Swans started life in the Athenian League very well, finishing as runners up in their first season in 1950-51 having topped the table at one stage. This season also saw them progress to the Quarter Final stage of the F.A. Amateur Cup where they were beaten in a replay at Stompond Lane by the mighty Bishop Auckland. Success was forthcoming in the Surrey Senior Cup where the Swans came from behind to beat Dulwich Hamlet in the Final played at Selhurst Park. Although only finishing 7th in the Athenian league in the following 1951-52 season the Swans made it even further in the F.A. Amateur Cup before being beaten by Walthamstow Avenue in a Semi-final played at Craven Cottage. On the way they knocked out two clubs from County Durham, Bishop Auckland (away) and Crook Town (in a replay at Stompond Lane), the former having previously been unbeaten at home in the F.A. Amateur Cup for 19 years. 1952-53 was a very similar story with the Swans being defeated in the F.A. Amateur Cup Semi-final again, this time by Harwich & Parkeston at Griffin Park. In the league they again finished in 7th place. The subsequent four seasons were largely uneventful other than when the club failed to apply to take part in the F.A. Cup in 1956-57! League performances were getting worse and in 1956-57 the Swans finished 14th in a division of 15 teams.
In the following season the F.A. Cup brought some light to what was a dismal season. After having previously played six ties the 1st Round Proper of the Cup was reached for the first time with the Swans drawn at home against Southampton, the league side coasting to a 6-1 win. The 1957-58 Cup run was in complete contrast to the league where the Swans finished bottom of 16 teams.
For 1958-59 the club followed most others when it scrapped its Selection Committee, following this with the appointment of former fans favourite Reg Sentance as manager. Whilst the Swans reached the semi-final of the Surrey Senior Cup, losing to Woking, the league performance barely improved with a finishing position of 15th, one place off the bottom.
Reg Sentance was replaced as manager for 1959-60 by Don Stoker who was to be around for many years to come. Initially the results of his managerial reign were similar to his predecessor with relative success in the Surrey Senior Cup (beaten finalists) but poor league performances (14th out of 16). The 1960-61 season saw the Surrey Senior Cup won with a 2-1 victory over Wimbledon at Sandy Lane, Mitcham and a league position of 5th was a vast improvement compared to recent seasons. At one stage in that season the Swans played 13 cup matches in a row.
The next four seasons were more of the same with the Surrey Senior Cup retained in 1961-62 and the Semi-final reached in 1963-64. League positions ranged from 5th to 7th. There were events off the field though, with a new stand built over the summer of 1963 and permission granted for floodlights to be installed, all of which led to a doubling of the rent paid to the Council for the use of the ground.
The floodlights were installed in time for the 1965-66 season and the first match played under them was against Worthing in a league match on 24 August 1965. The official switch on, a month later, was celebrated with a home match against a Tottenham Hotspur XI which featured Jimmy Greaves. The league position was not improved, however, with a lowly 11th place finish. The Swans did enter a new Midweek Floodlit league comprising 10 teams and which at that time featured an innovative 3 points for a win. 1966-67 saw no improvement and the Swans finished in 13th place in the league. This was also the last season in which Don Stoker was in charge and he was replaced by Allen Batsford.
For 1967-68 long time manager Don Stoker was replaced by Allen Batsford and without doubt his reign was the most successful in the history of the club.
Batsford's new training and match regime did not bring immediate results with just an 8th place finish in his first season, although the Midweek Floodlit League was won. The following year, however, the Swans started the 1968-69 season with 13 straight wins (scoring 48 goals and conceding just 3 in the process) and went on to become Athenian League Champions, finishing ahead of Slough Town by 4 points. The Midweek Floodlit League was also retained. This success meant that expectations were high for the 1969-70 season. Unfortunately the trophy cabinet remained bare with the Swans finishing as runners-up in the Athenian League, Midweek Floodlit League, the Surrey Senior Cup and the Athenian League Cup. The first round proper of the F.A. Cup was reached but a home defeat to then non-league Barnet put paid to any hopes of a glory tie. 1970-71 was more successful with the Surrey Senior Cup and the Midweek Floodlight League both won. In the league the runners-up spot beckoned once again, as did the first round proper of the F.A. Cup, this time Telford winning 5-2 at Stompond Lane. More importantly for the standing of the club it's application to join the Isthmian League was successful and, together with Bishop's Stortford, it was elected to that league for 1971-72 onwards.
In that first Isthmian League campaign the Swans proved they were very comfortable competing against their previously more illustrious opponents finishing a very creditable 3rd. In the club's final season in the Midweek Floodlight League they finished runners-up to Slough Town and they were also beaten in the final of the Surrey Senior Cup, this time by Woking. This season also saw two Swans players, Dave Bassett and Roger Connell, gain amateur England caps.
The 1972-73 season is the one most fondly remembered by Swans fans (of a certain age!) and the reason behind the url of this website. In the F.A. Cup the Swans reached the first round during which they defeated, for the first time, a football league side, namely Exeter City. The second round saw them drawn at home to non-league Margate who returned to Kent victors and with a tie against Tottenham Hotspur for their efforts. In the F.A. Amateur Cup the Swans finally got to Wembley with Slough Town standing between them and the cup. The Swans had reached the final without conceding a goal and that record was maintained at Wembley as a 1-0 victory courtesy of an 87th minute goal from Roger Connell brought the biggest prize of all to Stompond Lane and the Swans finally crowned F.A. Amateur Cup Winners. Accusations of incentives to players to win the cup were investigated by the FA but found to be without substance. In the league a runners-up spot was achieved and the Surrey Senior Cup was won with a 2-0 victory over neighbours Kingstonian.
The following season had much to live up to and in part did so but finished with unwelcome news. For 1973-74 the Swans were exempt until the first round of the F.A. Cup where once again they had the opportunity to take on a football league side.
The opponents were Brighton & Hove Albion who at that time were managed by Brian Clough following his short lived stay at Leeds United.Stompond Lane was full to capacity to see an entertaining match but one that produced no goals. The replay at the Goldstone Ground saw a stunning display from the Swans and a Clive Foskett hat-trick helped them to a 4-0 win. This went some way to alleviating his disappointment for missing out on a place in the Wembley team the previous April. The second round saw the Swans drawn against a non-league side once again with the same result as the previous season, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Hereford.
In the league the Swans finished just 6th where, for the first time, 3 points were given for a win. Incredibly the final match of the league campaign was not played until 22nd May. The Surrey Senior Cup could not be retained as Dulwich Hamlet beat the Swans 2-0 in a replay. The most disappointing news, however, was that of the resignation of Allen Batsford who had agreed to become the boss of Southern League Wimbledon who, a few season later, he led into the football league.
The team that had been one of the top non-league sides in the country disappeared overnight. For 1974-75 only two players remained from the previous campaigns. Vince Craven was appointed with the unenviable task of stepping into the shoes of Allen Batsford. His reign did not last long as he was sacked in November and replaced by John Martin. At the end of the season the Swans found themselves in 21st place and were relegated to the Isthmian League 2nd division. John Martin was also dismissed at the end of the season.
The following seasons were not ones of note and league positions varied from 16th to 4th. The first round of the F.A. Cup was reached, rather surprisingly, in 1975-76 where a young Swans side lost 1-0 away at Crystal Palace. On the playing side in 1980-81 the Swans signed former Chelsea and England international Peter Osgood. He was only to play two competitive matches, scoring once, before the arrangement stopped.
That could have been the last season for the Swans as, in 1981-82, the official receivers were called in and announced that the club had racked up debts of £30,000. The Isthmian League gave the club 14 days to resolve the position and fortunately a South London businessman, Bob Nourse, stepped in to buy the club. The following years were much of the same with a number of managers unable to take the club out of the division or provide notable success in cup competitions.
The 1986-87 season was the low point with the Swans finding themselves needing 4 points from their last 2 matches to avoid yet another relegation. Fortunately they beat Lewes and drew with Oxford City. The situation improved slightly from there with league finishes in the top ten for the next 6 years. Off the field the club was keen to get an A grade for Stompond Lane and eventually in 1989-90 the local council agreed to the improvements. This was not before time as part of the main stand was crumbling away and had had to be closed to spectators.