The Isthmian Years- 1966-67

Only three weeks after the 1966 World Cup Final was played out at Wembley, the new season of the Isthmian League kicked off with the country still basking in the golden glow of victory. World Cup winner Alan Ball was just starting the season with his new club, Everton, after a British record transfer fee of one hundred and ten thousand pounds had been agreed with his former club, Blackpool, and The Beatles album Revolver was flying out of record shops everywhere, whilst their double A-side single, Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby was number one in the singles charts, fighting off the challenge of God Only Knows by The Beach Boys. The group played their last ever concert on August 29th, if you discount the time they spent on top of the roof of the Apple building in Saville Row three and a half years later.

Our reigning champions as the League kicked off were Leytonstone, who in winning the title had equalled Wimbledon’s record of eight titles. It was to be their last- although the merged Leytonstone/Ilford side went on to win two more. Another of our clubs, Wealdstone, kicked off the campaign as FA Amateur Cup holders.

Isthmian League

The opening day was August 20th, and the results were as follows:

Hendon 3 Barking 0
Wycombe Wanderers 4 Clapton 1
Wealdstone 2 Corinthian-Casuals 2
Maidstone Utd 1 Enfield 4
Dulwich Hamlet 1 Hitchin Town 1
Ilford 0 Kingstonian 0
Sutton United 3 Oxford City 1
Tooting & Mitcham U 2 Walthamstow Avenue 2
St Albans City 2 Woking 2

Two sides didn’t play on the opening day, Bromley starting their campaign against Sutton United on 24th August, whilst Leytonstone’s opening fixture saw them entertain Maidstone United on 23rd. Sutton won their match by two goals to nil, whilst Leytonstone were victorious by two goals to one.

Enfield quickly put their FA Amateur Cup Final defeat to Wealdstone behind them as they kicked off at Maidstone United, whilst Leytonstone’s defence of their title also started well. However neither club were really ever in the running for the 66-67 title, Enfield ending the season in fourth, Leytonstone in seventh. Wycombe Wanderers finished the season in third place, but the title battle was between Sutton United and Walthamstow Avenue, which is why we are featuring the programme of a match between the two, as you’ll see when you read on.

At the other end of the table, Dulwich Hamlet’s draw with Hitchin Town gave them a tenth of all the points they were to pick up all season, a campaign which saw them finish bottom by some distance. Hitchin came in second bottom.

Biggest victories:

Sutton United 11 Clapton 1
Enfield 10 Clapton 0
Wealdstone 7 Hitchin Town 0
Tooting & Mitcham Utd 7 Wealdstone 0
Wealdstone 7 Wycombe Wanderers 0
Hitchin Town 1 Enfield 7
Leytonstone 7 Ilford 1
Wycombe Wanderers 7 St Albans City 1
Oxford City 6 Corinthian-Casuals 0
Clapton 6 St Albans City 0
Dulwich Hamlet 1 Oxford City 6
Wealdstone 1 St Albans City 6
Maidstone United 6 Dulwich Hamlet 1
Bromley 6 Kingstonian 1
Hendon 6 Maidstone United 1
Walthamstow Avenue 6 Woking 1
Wealdstone 2 Enfield 6
Wycombe Wanderers 2 Walthamstow Avenue 6
Tooting & Mitcham Utd 2 Woking 6
Woking 2 Wycombe Wanderers 6

You will note that Sutton United feature at the top of the list of biggest victories, but you might also note that they featured only once, despite being the joint-second biggest scorers in the league with eighty-nine goals, level with Walthamstow Avenue and behind only Wycombe Wanderers. Their success was undoubtedly built on their defence, which conceded only thirty-three goals all season- giving them by far the best goal average in the League.

Clapton- who, by the way, had just become the last side in the League to install floodlights- might have been on the receiving end of the two biggest defeats, but they actually had their best finish for eight years, finishing in fifteenth place.

On Tuesday 13th September 1966 Sutton United welcomed Walthamstow Avenue to Gander Green Lane. At that point Sutton were second, a point behind Hendon, whilst Avenue were in eighth place. The programme is only eight pages long, so we’ve included all of it.

Amongst the players on show for Sutton were Dave Roffey, who went on to play in the famous FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Leeds United in 1970, and had already appeared in an FA Amateur Cup Final. He was to have another Wembley appearance in 1969, but sadly no victories. Ted Powell went on to make 409 appearances for the club and score 25 goals, during which time he was capped as an amateur international by England and Great Britain and also captained his country. Dario Gradi became better known for his work with Crewe Alexandra, whilst winger Trevor Bladon also played in those Amateur Cup Finals and against Leeds, making 512 appearances, scoring two hundred and five goals, and playing for the England Amateur side. Larry Pritchard made 786 appearances for the club scoring 134 goals, and was still in the side when they lost in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley in 1981.

The match ended two-nil to the home side, and given they went on to win the title by three points it was a victory that made up two-thirds of the eventual margin! We believe that Blunt and Bladon scored the goals for Sutton- although only because the original owner of the programme has written it in, one goal in each half! The return match, little more than three weeks later, ended in a one-one draw.

The majority of the Avenue side went on to be part of the team that reached the Second Round of the FA Cup the following season, when they were knocked out by Bournemouth- who in those days were known as Bournemouth and Boscombe.

FA Cup

Enfield were our best performing side, getting as far as the Second Round. They hammered Chesham United six-nil in the First Round before losing at home to Watford, who triumphed by four goals to two.

Sutton United fell in the First Round, losing narrowly at Bath City, whilst Wycombe Wanderers fell to Bedford Town at the same stage after THREE replays. Oxford City departed in a replay at Bristol Rovers, Wealdstone fell to a home defeat against Nuneaton Borough, and Hendon went down three-one at home to Reading.

FA Amateur Cup

We had another excellent Amateur Cup season, with Enfield emerging triumphant after a replay. They entered the competition in the Third Round, defeating Leytonstone 1-0 after a replay, and then travelled to Villa Park, home of Aston Villa, to take on Highgate United in the Quarter Final- a match they won convincingly by six goals to nil. Walthamstow Avenue awaited them in the Semi-Final at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace- and once more Enfield triumphed, by the only goal of the game. Avenue must have been sick of the sight of Enfield by season’s end, as they’d also lost against them by five goals to one and three goals to two in the League.

Skelmersdale United awaited in the Final, and the Lancashire Combination side, who had defeated Hendon in a Semi-Final replay to reach Wembley, had a great chance to win the match in extra time, earning a penalty- but Enfield keeper Wolstenholme saved from Bermingham for United in front of a crowd of seventy five thousand. The replay was played at Maine Road, home of Manchester City, and Enfield found their shooting boots once more, goals from Connell and Hill- who got two- giving them a three-nil victory.

As well as our sides making up three of the four Semi-Finalists, Kingstonian meant we had four of the eight Quarter Finalists, too.

Check out our Isthmian Archive site, here- that's where we got the table and much of the other information from.