Who are Baldock Town?
Formed in 1905 as plain old Baldock Football Club, the Reds didn’t hang around and were straight into Herts County League action. In their early years, they were a middling team in the Northern Division. The 1920-1 season saw them finally finish top of the division. But a win and a defeat in the championship playoff saw Welwyn of the Eastern Division take the title. The summer of 1921 was, however, the year they added Town to their name.
Four years later and the Herts County League came to an end; the Reds moving on to the Bedfordshire & District County League in 1925. It took just three years to get the measure of the competition; crowned Division One champions in 1927. For some more context, the competition was rebadged as the South Midlands League in 1929.
With no more honours to speak of, World War Two came and went. For their first post-war season, the Reds opted for a return to the Herts County League. It was a disaster; ending up propping up the table with 15 defeats from 20. So, back to the South Midlands League they went. What followed was a bit of a whirlwind six years; promoted from Division Two in 1948, winning Division One in 1950 and finishing second in the Premier Division in 1954.
The Reds upped sticks again at this point; joining the Parthenon League for five years and then moving into the London League’s Senior Division. But the draw of the South Midlands League was just too much to keep them away. In 1963, they returned to the competition for the third time. And it ushered in a golden age; winning the title three times in six seasons.
Why do we know Baldock Town?
The Reds dropped back from the summit of the South Midlands League during the 1970s. Third position would be as close as they’d get to reclaiming league glory. We’re not sure if they got bored of trying to win the title again. Or perhaps they just fancied a change. Either way, summer 1983 saw them leave the competition (again). This time, they set a course for the United Counties League; joining us in the Premier Division for the 1983-4 campaign.
By that point, however, we’d already met. Twice, in fact; the 1982-3 season throwing up a couple of cup encounters.
