Club History

Henley Town F.C. was formed in 1871 and is the oldest club recognised by the Oxfordshire Football Association. By the 1879/80 season, Henley Town was playing in the FA Cup and for some seasons was a full member of the Football Association. Henley Town joined the Reading Temperance League in 1897, and won the Oxfordshire Senior Cup for the first time during the 1903/04 season, then the Oxfordshire Charity Cup a year later. Prior to the outbreak of World War I, Henley Town won the League, then the Oxfordshire Senior Cup three times in four seasons, including a cup double. Henley Town was elected to the Spartan League in 1931. Following many successful seasons, Henley Town was promoted to the Premier Division.

The Oxfordshire Senior Cup was won for the fifth time soon after World War II, and was followed by eight years of success.

Photo of the team that won the Oxfordshire Senior Cup in 1947.

In 1957, Henley Town was elected to the Hellenic League, where many successful years climaxed with the 1962/63 season by winning the Oxfordshire Cup and the Hellenic League Benevolent Cup, followed by the Division One championship. In 1967/68 the club clinched the Division One title again and played 30 league games without losing a match, an unprecedented achievement in any division of the Hellenic Football League. In 1971, their centenary year, Henley Town lost the use of the Reading Road Ground, a pitch they had leased since the turn of the century. Later, Henley Town joined the Wycombe & District Football League, playing on borrowed pitches throughout the 1973/74 season, until securing the use of the Mill Lane Sports Centre and the Triangle, from the Town Council. Henley Town gained immediate promotion to the Ercol Senior Section. In 1978/79 Henley Town won the Ercol Senior League Championship and the Wycombe Senior Cup whilst also being runners-up in the Reading Senior Cup. During the same season the club suffered only 3 defeats in 43 games.

Henley Town joined the newly formed Chiltonian Football League in 1984. In 1987/88 Henley Town won the Division One title to gain promotion to the Premier Division. In 1997/98 Henley Town won the Chiltonian League Bon-Accord Trophy, finished runners-up in the Premier Division and reached the Quarter Final of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup. In the same 1997/98 season the Henley Town Reserves won the Division Two title, the Reserve League Cup and the Reading Junior Cup.

Official opening of the new Club House - 1995

In the 1998/99 season, Henley Town finished runners-up in the newly formed Brian Wells Memorial Cup, and the Reserves finished runners-up in Division One of the Chiltonian League and runners-up in the Reserve League Cup. The 1999/2000 season, which was to be the last of the Chiltonian League before the merger with the Hellenic League, saw Henley Town clinch the League Championship by a record margin of 14 points over nearest challengers Eton Wick.

In season 2000-2001, back in the Hellenic League, Henley Town won Div 1 (East) by 20 points over runners-up, RS Basingstoke.

Promoted to the Premier Division, Henley Town finished 16th and in season 2002-03 acheived 10th place. The Reserves won promotion to Reserve Division One meanwhile and won the Reading Junior Cup in 1997-98 and again in 2002-03. This season they won the Oxfordshire Intermediate Cup for the second time.

FOR MORE HISTORY read the books by John Bailey our reporter and historian. "A Phoenix Once Again" with some splendid photos and covers 1871-1974. "Reg Arlett - The Henley Meteor" an incredible story of a player in the thirties. Also, his latest book "A Pleasant and Unobjectionable Pastime" a history of soccer in the Thames Valley in the 1870s.

Also: "50 Glorious Years of the Hellenic League" with photos & every league table only £4.99

© Mike Trendall, 2003