History
The 2010/11 season is difficult to sum-up and was one which brought elation and disappointment in almost equal measures. On the plus side we went one better than last season finishing in 3rd place in the SSMFL Premier Division, behind Tring Athletic and the League Champions Chalfont St Peter. For the third season in a row the 1st Team won the South Midlands Floodlit Cup 2-0 with a storming performance against Tring and the Reserves were unlucky to lose out in their final being narrowly beaten by St Margaretsbury 1-0.
The A Side having switched to the BIS Cambs League were Champions of Division 2A and the icing on the cake was beating Chatteris Town Reserves 3-2 in the Divisional play-off final to capture a magnificent trophy which Royston Reserves first won back in 1946/47 – a real piece of history!!!
We should also not forget the success of our Vets team who won the Cambridgeshire Veterans Cup beating a very strong University Press side 4-2 on penalties.
On the other side of the coin there is no doubt that the 1st Team’s mid-season inconsistent form made any real chance of challenging for promotion very unlikely. In the last quarter of the season Paul and Duncan made a conscious effort to strengthen the team both defensively and in midfield – a move which certainly addressed some of the inconsistency issues.
Perhaps most disappointing were our performances in cup competitions. Out of the eight we entered we failed to progress beyond the first round ties in six although they were unlucky in the FA Vase eventually going out in a replay to Leiston after a 2-2 draw at Garden Walk.
So let’s see what 2011/12 will bring. Paul has spent the summer consolidating the existing squad whilst at the same time bringing in a number of new players who we hope will add further quality to the team.
So when did it all begin – it’s a good question and one that at the time of writing does not have a definitive answer. The year 1872 is currently believed to be the year the Club was founded making it the second oldest club in Hertfordshire. However the first public reference to the Club appeared in the Herts & Cambridgeshire Reporter on October 13, 1876 with a report of a game between Saffron Walden and Royston played on Walden Common the result was a 0-0 draw.
During those early years the Club played mainly “friendlies” before floating in and out of the Cambridgeshire & Herts County Leagues in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
The Club’s very first honour came in 1911/12 when they won the Creake Charity Shield beating Wisbech 1-0 in extra time.
During the period up until the early 1930’s the Club played at grounds on Royston Heath, Mackerell Hall and Newmarket Road before acquiring our current home Garden Walk in June 1931.
For the sort of success the Club has had in the last three seasons you have to wait until the late 60’s and 70’s.
The Club’s first major honour came in the guise of promotion to the Herts County Premier League in 1969/70 and they went on to be champions in 1972/73 and 1976/77. In 1978 we rejoined the South Midlands League and won the Division One title at the first time of asking. Success continued with a final appearance in the Herts Charity Shield for the first time in 1979 and runners up spot in the South Midlands League Premier Division in 1980. The Herts Charity Shield was won in 1981/82 and two years later the Club joined the Isthmian League Division Two North where we remained for 10 seasons.
In 1990 the Club lifted the Herts Charity Shield again with a 1-0 defeat of Pirton. However, after a bright start to the following season, we lost our way and dropped from 6th place to 16th. As a result were relegated to Division Three where we remained until resigning from the Isthmian League at the end of the 1993/94 Season despite finishing in 8th spot. It was during this season that the Club achieved its highest official attendance of 876 with the visit of Aldershot Town.
The resignation meant a return to the South Midlands for 1994/95 Season and with Tony Galvin in charge not only did the Club finish in a creditable 4th place, they also captured the South Midlands Floodlit Cup with a 2-1 defeat of Sawbridgeworth Town. The following Season saw a 6th place finish and the departure of Tony Galvin. Paddy Butcher took over as player/manager having returned to the Club from Ware Town. Prior to going to Ware Paddy had played for the Crows for over seven seasons and was the leading goal scorer in all of them.
In 1996/97 the Club finished 6th in the League again and won the Herts Charity Shield for the third time. 1997/98 saw the Club finish 4th in the Premier Division but concluded with the departure of Paddy Butcher.
The next nine seasons saw a period of instability and lack of success as six different managers came and went culminating in relegation from the South Midlands League Premier Division at the end of 2006/07.
In November 2007 Paul Attfield was appointed manager with Tony Galvin returning to Garden Walk as 1st Team Coach.
Paul immediately set about building a new 1st Team squad and a run of 17 games undefeated saw the Club move from bottom of the table to finish in a creditable 5th place in the League.
The foundations had been laid for the 2008/09 season and the first team took the South Midlands Division One League title with one of the best set of stats for any Step 6 Club in the country W33, D4, L3, GF138, GA30, GD+108, Pts 103.
They followed this up by winning the League Cup 2-0 against Ampthill and the season ended on a high when they came from 1-0 down to win the South Midlands Floodlit Cup 2-1 against Oxhey Jets.
The Reserves nearly matched these performances by winning SSFML Division II East with only one defeat all season and in what turned out to be one of the most exciting finals of the season came back from 2-0 down to beat St Margaretsbury 3-2 to take the South Midlands Reserve Section Floodlit Cup.
After the record breaking achievements of the 2008/09 season it was always going to be a difficult act to follow and yet in some ways 2009/10 proved equally successful.
Having made it back to the South Midlands Premier League the Club set its stall out for a top six finish.
The team eventually finished a very creditable 4th in the league just 8 points adrift of the winners Aylesbury and successfully defended the South Midlands Floodlit Cup with a great victory against Broxbourne 2-1.
However, there is no doubt that for many of our supporters the highlight of the season was the fantastic run in the FA Vase. History was made when in a pulsating game against the Aspire Alliance side Tipton Town when the Crows came from behind with a last minute goal to run out winners 2-1 and moved into the last 16 for the very first time. A home draw against Wroxham was our reward and a bumper crowd of 650 turned out to see if the dream of a Wembley final could be realised.
Alas it was not to be. The Town were 1-0 down in the first three minutes and never really recovered to play as we know they can do. In spite of the defeat it was some consolation to know that we had gone out to a very good Wroxham side who eventually became one of the Wembley finalists.
The Reserves managed by Kevin Wilson and John Bloss got off to a rocky start as they adjusted to a higher level league but eventually finished in 3rd place.
The icing on their cake was winning the South Midlands Reserve Floodlit Cup by beating Stotfold Reserves 3-2 after an incident packed encounter at Garden Walk.
Not to be outdone it was Graham Hagger's ‘A Side’ that landed the Club’s first piece of silverware of the season with a 3-1 victory over Cottered in the League Cup and once again finished runners-up in the KB Tyres Hertford & District League.
Honours
First Team
| Winners | |
|---|---|
| 1911/1912 | Creake Shield |
| 1929/1930 | Cambridgeshire League Division Two |
| 1969/1970 | Herts County League Division One |
| 1972/1973 | Herts County League Division One |
| 1976/1977 | Herts County League Premier Division |
| 1977/1978 | South Midlands League Division One |
| 1981/1982 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
| 1989/1990 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
| 1994/1995 | South Midlands Senior Floodlit Cup |
| 1995/1996 | South Midlands Challenge Trophy |
| 1996/1997 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
| 2008/2009 | Spartan South Midlands League Division One |
| 2008/2009 | Spartan South Midlands League Division One Cup |
| 2008/2009 | South Midlands Senior Floodlit Cup |
| 2009/2010 | South Midlands Senior Floodlit Cup |
| 2010/2011 | South Midlands Senior Floodlit Cup |
| Runners Up | |
|---|---|
| 1978/1979 | South Midlands Challenge Cup |
| 1978/1979 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
| 1979/1980 | South Midlands Premier Division |
| 1995/1996 | South Midlands Floodlit Cup |
| 1998/1999 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
| 2004/2005 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
| 2008/2009 | Herts FA Charity Shield |
Reserves
| Winners | |
|---|---|
| 1978/1979 | South Midlands Reserve League Division Two |
| 1979/1980 | South Midlands Reserve League Division One |
| 1988/1989 | Herts FA Intermediate Cup |
| 1992/1993 | South Combination Reserve Floodlit Cup |
| 2008/2009 | Spartan South Midlands Reserve Division Two East |
| 2008/2009 | Spartan South Midlands Reserve Challenge Trophy |
| 2009/2010 | South Midlands Reserve Floodlit Cup |
| Runners Up | |
|---|---|
| 1982/1983 | South Midlands Reserve Section Trophy |
| 2010/2011 | South Midlands Reserve Floodlit Cup |
A Team
| Winners | |
|---|---|
| 1978/1979 | North Herts Division Four League Cup |
| 1979/1980 | North Herts Division Four League Cup |
| 2006/2007 | Hertford and District League Division Three |
| 2009/2010 | Hertford and District Division One Cup |
| 2010/2011 | BIS Cambs FA County League Division 2A |
| Runners Up | |
|---|---|
| 1979/1980 | North Herts Division Four |
| 1981/1982 | North Herts Division Three |
| 1982/1983 | North Herts Division Two |
| 1993/1994 | North Herts Division One |
| 2008/2009 | Hertford and District League Division One |
| 2009/2010 | Hertford and District League Division One |
Under 18's
| Winners | |
|---|---|
| 1989/1990 | Chiltern Youth League Division One |
| 1992/1993 | Chiltern Youth League Cup |
| 2001/2002 | Eastern Counties Youth Cup |
| Runners Up | |
|---|---|
| 1986/1987 | Chiltern Youth League Cup |
| 1992/1993 | Herts FA County Youth Cup |
| 2001/2002 | Eastern Junior Plate |
| 2002/2003 | Eastern Counties Youth League Championships |
| 2002/2003 | Eastern Counties Youth Plate |
| 2003/2004 | Eastern Counties Youth League Championships |
Ladies
| Winners | |
|---|---|
| 1998/1999 | Eastern Region Women’s League Division Two South |
| 1999/2000 | Eastern Region Women’s League Division One |
| Runners Up | |
|---|---|
| 1998/1999 | Herts FA Women’s Cup |
| 2001/2002 | Herts FA Women’s Cup |
Vets
| Winners | |
|---|---|
| 2010/2011 | Cambs FA Veterans Cup |
