Who are Wolverton Town FC?
A couple of quick facts about Wolverton Town before we go. Well, “facts” from Wikipedia. It’s thought that Wolverton Park (their old home ground) was home to the oldest football stand in the UK until 2007. It’s all now part of a housing scheme, however. And, with their name changes over the years, they once laid claim to the longest name in English football. How about trying to read Newport Pagnell & Wolverton London & North Western Railway Amalgamated Association Football Club on the classified results…
The club originally formed in 1887, which is a long time before Milton Keynes became what it is today. Over the years, they’ve had several different variations of names to reflect who they supposedly represented. At the heart of it all, to be fair, was Wolverton. Anyway, they joined and left the Northamptonshire League on a number of occasions during the early part of the 20th century. It wasn’t until 1962 when they joined for the fourth time that it seemed to stick.
The Northamptonshire League, as long-time readers will know, became the United Counties League. After re-entering the competition in 1962, they spent the next 20 years being part of it; taking them up to a time when Boro’ entered the fray. One season in the London Spartan League Senior Division and another in the Athenian League would act as a buffer between their time in the UCL and a step up to the Isthmian League in 1984. Like Boro’ and a number of others, the club benefited from the Isthmian’s expansion at the time.
There were a few name changes in the late 1980s into the early 1990s; the 1988-9 campaign seeing them step out as Wolverton Town (MK)… and getting relegated from the Isthmian League. ‘MK’ being the end of their name became ‘Milton Keynes’ at the front of it as they entered the South Midlands League. But that’s another one-season thing; dropping the ‘Milton Keynes’ and the ‘Town’ to become plain old Wolverton for their last hurrah. After one full season under their latest name change, they folded during the second.
