Yet another team from our ‘once-and-never-again’ ledger, us and Halstead Town have always been poles apart in footballing terms. If you had us down as two circles on a Venn diagram, it seems hard to imagine how they’d ever overlap. And yet the very fact that we’ve turned up to write something about them would suggest that – actually – it did happen. Even if that was a genuine Special Edition fixture; a Collector’s Item if you will. The one encounter between us and Halstead Town took place when we came to write this; one we’re happy to forget.
Formed in 1879, the word ‘Town’ wasn’t part of the club’s name to start with. It sounds like the newly-formed outfit didn’t have a lot going on around it during its early years, so they only got friendlies to keep them occupied. That changed in 1895, however, with the North Essex League letting them in. And this started a long-running association between the Humbugs and district or county competitions.
This sort of changed after World War Two. First, they added ‘Town’ to their name. Next came a move into the Essex & Suffolk League. Not exactly big-time, but bigger time than past seasons. Over the following years, they won their fair share of silverware; not least a league and League Cup double in 1958. The years that led up to 1980 were dotted with titles. But we mention this year as a milestone because it’s when they upped sticks for the Essex Senior League.
Why do we know the Humbugs?
It was in 1980 that Boro’ joined the United Counties League, which we think is on the same level of the non-league ladder. So, no chance of meeting each other that way. We then stepped up to the Isthmian League (one above the Essex Senior League). For the Humbugs, their next step ‘up’ was in 1988 when they joined the Eastern Counties League. This, however, was still a step under the Isthmian. So, the league path really didn’t seem like the most obvious path for us to meet.
And we’ve applied our best understanding of the non-league pyramid. If we’re wrong, meh.
The 1990-1 season is when it all came together, however. Both of us were having a right ol’ time of things in our respective divisions. We ended up scoring 122 goals in Vauxhall Football League Division Two North. The Humbugs, meanwhile, racked up 105 on their Eastern Counties League Premier Division adventure that term (and still only finished third). Yet, it was a backwater of a competition in which we met – the knockout stages of the Knights Floodlit League.
How to get to Halstead Town – Travel Information – Distance: 49 miles
By Road
To get to Halstead from Stevenage, take the A602 to Ware and A10 to Standon. Here, you need to take the A120 towards Stansted Airport you want; continuing all the way across to Braintree. At Braintree, follow the A131 for six miles. Turn left into Butler Road as soon as you get to Halstead, before turning right into Chapel Street.
There should be a fair amount of street parking in the immediate area.
By Rail
Not since 1962 has there been a railway station in Halstead. We can’t find any trace of a station in the surrounding area either. The nearest is Braintree – six miles or so away.
We use cookies. Who doesn't? But we have to be boring and make sure you're fine and dandy with it. Cookie SettingsGo On Then
Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
1 year 1 month 4 days
Google Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_ga_*
1 year 1 month 4 days
Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
CONSENT
2 years
YouTube sets this cookie via embedded YouTube videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
6 months
YouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSC
session
Youtube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt.innertube::nextId
never
YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requests
never
YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.