Clapton F.C.

Full name Clapton Football Club
Nickname(s) The Tons
Founded 1878 as Downs FC
Ground The Old Spotted Dog Ground, London
Ground Capacity 2,000 (100 seated)[1]
Chairman John Murray-Smith
Manager Jon Fowell
League Essex Senior League
2015–16 Essex Senior League, 7th
Website Club home page

Clapton Football Club is a football club based in Forest Gate, East London. The club are currently members of the Essex Senior League and play at The Old Spotted Dog Ground.

History

Established in 1878 as Downs Football Club and initially based at Hackney Downs, Lower Clapton, the Hackney club initially played in dark blue shirts and white shorts, with a distinctive white Maltese cross on the left breast.[2] The following year the club adopted its current name.[2] First based in headquarters at the Downs Hotel,[2] In 1880 the club moved to a pitch at Millfields, adjacent to nearby Lea Bridge Road in Leyton, but changed grounds again shortly after, moving to Elm Farm. In 1888 The Tons made their final switch to the historic sports grounds at The Old Spotted Dog in Forest Gate, after it had been vacated by St Bartholomew's Hospital. The first game at their new home drew a crowd of over 4,000 to see a 1 – 0 victory over Old Carthusians.[2]

Clapton began competing in the FA Cup in 1888–89,[3] and in 1890 became the first club from Great Britain to play in continental Europe, defeating a Belgian XI in Antwerp.[2] In 1894 Clapton became founder members of the Southern League, alongside Luton Town, Millwall and Reading,[1] and were placed in Division One. Finishing eighth in a nine-club league they were forced to play test matches to avoid relegation, defeating Sheppey United 5–1. The following season saw them finish eighth again. Despite winning this round of test matches against 1st Scots Guards, the club left the league at the end of the season as several of the other clubs turned professional.[2]

In 1904–05 the club reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup for the first time, losing 3–2 to West Hartlepool. 1905 also saw Clapton become founder members of the Isthmian League, finishing as runners-up in the inaugural season. The following campaign The Tons won their first Amateur Cup, defeating Stockton 2–1. Three years on, In 1908–09, they won the Amateur Cup again, thrashing Eston United 6–0. In subsequent years Clapton's stock continued to rise and 1910–11 they won their first Isthmian League title. However, growing stature in the league didn't affect their pedigree as a cup team, as in 1914–15 the club won a third Amateur Cup with a 1–0 victory over Bishop Auckland.[3]

In 1922–23 Clapton won another Isthmian League title, and in 1924 celebrated their fourth Amateur Cup success, defeating Erith & Belvedere 3–0 in the final. They remarkably went on to retain their title as Cup holders in the following season by edging out Southall FC 2–1 at The Old Den. In 1925–26 a strong Clapton team, containing two full England Internationals, qualified for the first round of the FA Cup after wins against Norwich City and Ilford in the first and second round. They were eventually knocked out, losing 3–2 at 'home' to Swindon Town, a match that was played at West Ham's Boleyn Ground due to massive local interest. The club would reach the first round of the FA Cup in 1926–27, 1927–28 and 1957–58, losing each to Brentford, Luton Town and QPR.[3]

In season 1975–76 the club finished bottom of Division One of the Isthmian League, dropping down to Division Two, (renamed Division One in 1977). In 1981–82 Clapton were relegated once more to Division Two, but bounced back at the first time of asking as champions. The club won the Essex Senior Cup for a third time in 1984, but were relegated again at the end of the 1984–85 season sinking to Division Two North. In 1991 the club was placed in Division Three after league reconstruction, which later became Division Two due to further reorganising. In 2005–06 Clapton finished in last place in the league for the second consecutive season,[3] and subsequently joined the Essex Senior League after Division Two was disbanded altogether.

In 2014/15 a resurgent Clapton crowned their first consecutive top half league finish since the 1920s by appearing in the final for both The Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy and The Essex Senior League Cup, losing out to Barking and Bowers & Pitsea respectively.[4][5]Twelve months later, in 2016, Clapton ended 27 years without silverware, winning the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy by beating Stansted 4–0 in the final.[6]

The Tons in Europe

Recognised by The Football Association as the first English club to play outside of the UK, Clapton traveled to Antwerp in 1890 winning 8–1 against a Belgium XI. The Tons returned to Belgium three years later, recording another emphatic victory, beating Antwerp F.C 7–0.[7]

Following a visit to Germany in 1912,[8] where a 3–0 victory was recorded against Duisburger SV, Clapton famously embarked on an extended tour of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1913. The trip included a win against Wiener SC and a defeat to SK Slavia Prague

Another excursion to Belgium followed in 1924 prior to The Tons playing a doubleheader against Dutch giants, Ajax,[9] recording a 4–2 win, as well as a 1–0 loss to SC Feyenoord. Ajax later traveled to face Clapton at The Old Spotted Dog, the Amsterdam club getting the better of their hosts at the second attempt, winning 2–0 in front of a crowd of 5,000.[10]

Clapton returned to the Netherlands in 1962 playing four games in total including a match against HVV Laakkwartier.[8]

Notable players

Walter Tull

Widely acknowledged as the first black professional outfield player in English football, Walter Tull joined Clapton in 1908 as a trialist and was established in the first team within 3 months. He won an F.A. Amateur Cup winners medal, a London County Amateur Cup winners medal and a London Senior Cup winners medal in the 1908/09 season. In 1909 Tull's outstanding form in a successful debut year earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur, making his first appearance, away to Sunderland, just 12 months after leaving his orphanage team in Bethnal Green to join Clapton.[11]

Vivian Gibbins

Playing Amateur football for Clapton while he trained as a school teacher, Viv Gibbins was part of the great Clapton team of the 1920s and won the FA Amateur Cup in 1924 & 1925, the latter in front of 25,000 spectators at The Old Den.[12] As a Ton, Gibbins won 2 full England caps, both against France, scoring three times. After a career which saw him play for West Ham United, Southampton and Brentford, Viv retired to become headmaster at nearby Harold Road School in West Ham.[13]

Billy Wise

Following a youth career which saw him registered at Leyton Orient, QPR, and Chelsea, as well as Clapton, Wise went on to represent England at the 2012 Homeless World Cup in Mexico after finding himself without a home aged 17.[14] Having returned to his local club, Clapton, in 2013, Billy continues now as a coach and fundraiser for the Homeless FA and has featured in articles for The Big Issue and The Morning Star.[15]

England players

In 1924–1925, three Clapton players were selected for the England national team.[16]

Other players who have played for Clapton and gone on to win full England international caps:

Other international players

Clapton & West Ham United

Separated by less than a mile, there had been a long-standing relationship between the two clubs who together have shared a London borough since 1965. The first meeting between Clapton and West Ham United took place in 1900, The Hammers needing a replay to knock Clapton out of the FA Cup, winning 2–3 at The Old Spotted Dog.

Clapton were again eliminated from the FA Cup by their professional opponents in 1903. Following these meetings, the two clubs would continue a neighbourly partnership that saw both regularly feature at 'The Dog' and The Boleyn Ground; most frequently between the years 1938 – 1990. Notably, the two East London clubs also met for an exhibition match as part of The Festival of Britain in 1951.

During this period West Ham also used The Old Spotted Dog Ground to host their youth and ‘A’ team matches, which saw many Hammers, including a young Bobby Moore, start their careers. Moore would return to Clapton, along with fellow World Cup winners, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters shortly after their triumph in 1966 to face The Tons in the club's inaugural home match under floodlights. The legendary West Ham side turning out a 6 – 0 Victory.

Throughout the 1980s Clapton regularly hosted West Ham in a decade-long run of annual friendlies, usually in front of capacity crowds of up to four thousand. This period saw the likes of Billy Bonds, Tony Cottee, Ray Houghton and Paul Ince turn out for West Ham,[21] with Clapton recording their last victory against their Newham counterparts in 1984. Due to damage and disrepair at 'The Dog', The Irons' last visit to Forest Gate was on 21 August 1990.[22]

Supporters

Clapton's support includes the "Clapton Ultras". Started in 2012, the group follows the European ultras tradition and has developed around local fans disengaged with modern professional football, migrants to East London and those with an opposition to discrimination and far-right politics within football.[23][24]

Attendance figures have also risen sharply in recent years. In the 2012/13 season Clapton had an average attendance of 43 with the highest gate at 83.[25] In the 2013/14 season their average attendance nearly doubled to 86 and had a highest single attendance figure of any club in the league at 246.[25] For the 2014/15 season the figures again rose substantially with an average attendance of 186 and a highest gate of 519.[26] Clapton's home attendance of 761 occurred in a match against local rivals Ilford on 10 October 2015. This represents the second ever highest attendance figure for an Essex Senior League match of any club.[27]

Honours

Records

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p658 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Club History Clapton Football Club History
  3. 1 2 3 4 Clapton at the Football Club History Database
  4. ↑ http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/sport/football/clapton_assistant_admits_barking_scored_at_the_right_time_in_final_1_4060876
  5. ↑ http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/sport/football/tons_thrashed_by_bowers_and_come_runners_up_in_another_final_1_4068028
  6. ↑ http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/sport/football/a_great_day_for_clapton_fc_and_non_league_football_1_4517903
  7. ↑ http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/22/forget-chelsea-englands-first-club-in-europe-plots-bumper-crowd-3661751/
  8. 1 2 http://claptonfchistory.co.uk/ontour.html
  9. ↑ http://www.afc-ajax.info/match.php?matchnameid=1927-4-17-Ajax-Clapton-FC&languageid=English#tab=basic
  10. ↑ http://www.afc-ajax.info/match.php?matchnameid=1927-4-26-Clapton-FC-Ajax&languageid=English#tab=basic
  11. ↑ http://claptonfchistory.co.uk/waltertull.html
  12. ↑ http://claptonultras.tumblr.com/post/52957891681/if-yer-know-yer-history-clapton-fc-2-1-southall-fc
  13. ↑ http://claptonfchistory.co.uk/vivgibbins.html
  14. ↑ http://www.bigissue.com/features/2854/homeless-world-cup-uk-teams-pitched-against-best
  15. ↑ http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-378c-Ex-homeless-footballer-rallies-behind-E15-mums-to-stop-evictions#.Vhux6KLIaWU
  16. ↑ Club Affiliations – Clapton England Football Online
  17. ↑ Ashdown, Marc (24 May 2013). "First black England player revealed to be Benjamin Odeje". BBC London News. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Appearances of players of Clapton F.C.". National Teams. www.eu-football.info. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  19. ↑ "Wales v Ireland 0–3".
  20. ↑ http://wfda.co.uk/international_details.php?id=52
  21. ↑ https://claptonfootballclub.wordpress.com/2016/05/11/hammers-and-tons/
  22. ↑ http://claptonfchistory.co.uk/clapton&thehammers.html
  23. ↑ Here’s why the Clapton Ultras have more fun than Arsenal fans Dalstonist
  24. ↑ Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/football-revolution-as-disillusioned-fans-head-for-the-nonleague-9810932.html
  25. 1 2 "Essex Senior Football League Official Handbook Season 2014/15". The Official WebSite Of The Essex Senior Football League. Essex Senior League. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Essex Senior Football League". Non-League Matters. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  27. ↑ http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/sport/football/clapton_ilford_in_six_goal_thriller_1_4266720

External links

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