Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this installment of the blog, we travelled to Oxfordshire for some Hellenic League Premier Division action as Wantage Town took on Worcester Raiders at Alfredian Park.
It's All In The Name
Wantage Town are known as The Freds since Wantage is the birthplace of King Alfred The Great.
There are tributes to him everywhere in Wantage, including a statue in the town centre, a school named after him, and an annual 'AlfredFest' event in his honour.
In 2021, the municipality inaugurated 'AlfredFest', celebrating the king with an outdoor liturgy and concert in Market Place every October.
At a recent ceremony, a local bakery donated a communion loaf, which was carefully burned to honour the classic story of Alfred forgetting to watch the cakes of a peasant woman.
Some Notable People From Wantage:
King Alfred The Great- King Of England
Lester Piggott- Jockey
Hugh Johns- Football Commentator
Frances O'Connor- Actress
Alice Fitwarin- Wife Of Dick Whittington
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
Wantage Town FC (the Freds) has belonged to the Berks and Bucks FA since 1892.
Prior to this, they competed in the Swindon & District North Berks and Reading & District Leagues, winning the Swindon Advertiser Cup in 1903-04 and repeating it in 1907-08 while also becoming League Champions.
Following the First World War, the Freds briefly competed in the North Berks League, winning the North Berks Cup in 1920 and 1921 and the Championship in 1921-22. After a brief stint in the Reading and District League with no success, he returned to the Swindon and District League, winning the title in 1933-34.
The Club's most successful time was in the 1950s, when it won the League in 1952-53 (without losing a game) and again in 1955-56, as well as five cup tournaments in 1954-55, including the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup. Wantage has spent the majority of their seasons in the Premier Division since joining the Hellenic League in 1956. Their best Premier Division finish was third place three times - 1973-74, 82-83, and 93-94 - but they have won promotion from Division 1 six times - as runners-up in 1969-70, 1987-88, 1991-92 (where they set a club record of 32 games unbeaten) and 1995-96, and as Champions in 1980-81 and 2003-4.
Season 2003/2004 was one of Wantage's most successful. The First Team won Division One East, regaining their place in the GLS Hellenic Football division's Premier League, and the Reserves finished first in their division, earning promotion. The Reserves maintained their success in 2004/2005, winning the Reserve Division One title. The First Team maintained its Premier League status, finishing in tenth place. The Freds won the Premier League title in 2010-11, but despite the Club's best efforts, they were not promoted to the Southern League due to a failure to meet ground grading criteria. In the 2012-2013 season, the team received the Southern League Ground Grade but finished second to a very strong Marlow, missing out on promotion once more.
The Freds have a successful season in 2013-2014. The First Team won the Uhlsport Hellenic Premier League title and, with the proper ground grading, was promoted to Division One (South and West) of the Southern League. The Reserves, as runners-up, were promoted to Division One (West) of the Uhlsport Hellenic League, while the 'A' Team was promoted from the North Berks League to Division Two (West) of the Uhlsport Hellenic League. Despite the difficult start to the 2014-15 season, which saw a change of management in the First squad and a number of key players depart, the First Team preserved their position in Division One (South and West) of the Southern League, while the Allied Youth squad won the Allied County Cup.
The Freds spent three years in the Southern League before being relegated to the Hellenic League at the end of the 2016-17 season. In 2018-19, the Freds won the uhlsport Hellenic Premier title for the third time and returned to the Southern League, this time in Division 1 Central. Reading won the Senior Cup twice more: in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The following two seasons in the Southern League were cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however they finished last at the end of 2021-22 and were demoted to the Hellenic Premier League for the 2022–23 season.
Honours
🏆Hellenic Football League Premier Division (Winners: 2010–11, 2013–14, 2018–19) (Runners-up: 2012–13)
🏆Hellenic Football League Division One East (Winners: 2003–04)
🏆Hellenic Football League Division One (Winners: 1980–81) (Runners-up: 1969–70, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1995–96)
🏆North Berks Football League Division One (Winners: 1919–20, 1921–22) (Runners-up: 1920–21)
🏆 Swindon and District League (Winners: 1907–08, 1933–34, 1952–53, 1955–56)
🏆 Berks & Bucks FA Intermediate Cup (Winners: 1954–55)
🏆 Hellenic Football League Division One Cup (Winners: 1980–81, 1991–92)
🏆 Hellenic Football League Floodlit Cup (Winners: 2006–07) (Runners up: 2012–13, 2013–14)
🏆 North Berks Cup (Winners: 1919–20, 1920–21)
🏆 Reading Senior Cup (Winners: 1982–83)
🏆 Swindon Advertiser Cup (Winners: 1903–04, 1907–08)
🏆 Hungerford Challenge Cup (Winners: 1993–94)
🏆 Newbury Greystone Cup (Winners: 1991–92, 1998–99)
🏆 Faringdon Thursday Cup (Winners: 1958–59)
🏆 Faringdon Thursday Memorial Cup (Winners: 1959–60)
🏆 Ian Humpries Memorial Cup (Winners: 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94)
Matchday: Wantage Town 0-1 Worcester Raiders
I wish I could say we travelled directly to Wantage for a football match, but that would be a lie. We originally intended on visiting Malmesbury Victoria, and we had arrived at their ground at 18:30, only for the game to be called off just as we got there. If there was a pitch inspection planned, it would have been nice for this to have been communicated, as we (and the travelling team) only found out when the game had been called off.
Anyway, after checking the Futbology app concurrently with the X app (to see if games we chose were being called off), we landed on Wantage Town, who's game (somehow) didn't get called off. We, however, did only arrive ten minutes before kick off, so it was all a bit rushed.
Arriving at the ground, there is a car park adjacent to the ground that is free, so that was a bonus. We essentially ran into the ground in the pouring rain, and there was a friendly gentleman on the turnstile who informed us that the game may yet be called off, but we could pay in the bar.
In the bar, we were indeed able to pay at the bar. Quite nicely, there was a cabinet full of club merchandise that could be purchased such as beanie hats, scarves and pin badges for £3. In total, with the pin badge and entry, it came to a total of £11. The two ladies who were working in the bar (sorry that I didn't ask for your names), were absolutely lovely, and incredibly, despite the weather, did not stop smiling.
We then went to the food stall which sold a burgers, hotdogs and cheesy chips. Finners enjoyed his cheesey chips, while I had a cheeseburger that cost £4.50. I have to be honest, but when you are paying £4.50 for a burger at the football, I think you are right to expect a bit more than a standard bun, and a thin burger. The option of onions and just a nicer quality burger would have been appropriate. That being said, it was nice, however the bun was VERY dry.
We then went into the stand to watch the game. For the level of football we were watching, this was a pretty decent stand, which shielded us for the torrential downpour that was ensuing (for which we are eternally grateful).
It has to be said that our journey home was absolutely horrendous, with flooding evident everywhere. However, with my extensive driving experience (thanks to travelling to all these grounds), we didn't need to read our last rights just yet.
Teamsheet
Wantage Town
Manager: Daniel Barry
Tommy Rees
Kyle Downie
Gianluca Rennie
Mason Muckelberg
Will Edwards
Luke Ballard (c)
Tyler Blackford
Cameron Squires
Elliott Emm
Felix Robertson
Owain Wheeler
Substitutes
Luke Conner
Nelson Ero
Alfie Tomlin
Cameron Sanchez
Ashley Fowler
Worcester Raiders
Manager: Karl Gormley
Thomas Hayward
Curtis Townley
Kurtis Wood
Harry Stratford
Jordan Stoddart
Kyri Kourouyianni
Jack Cresswell
Vanylson Silva
Daniele Reka
Zaq Hussain
Jordan Murphy (c) ⚽️
Substitutes
Blake Kindred
Sam Judge
Jade Ferron
Jordan Edwards
The game was attritional, and the weather had a significant impact on how both sides performed. There was little to write about in the first half, but the Worcester Raiders were awarded a penalty after 25 minutes. Zaq Hussain's good work led to him getting taken down in the penalty area. Jordan Murphy stepped up and fired low into the bottom right corner, but Wantage Town custodian Tommy Rees was equal to the shot and saved it.
The second half was just as attritional as the first, with neither team able to produce any quality. To everyone's surprise, the deadlock was broken in the dying minutes of the game. A long ball over the top put Jordan Murphy in on goal, and the striker chipped it over the Wantage keeper to secure all three points for Worcester Raiders and trigger possibly the biggest goal celebration ever witnessed at a football match by Zaq Hussain (video available @AFCFinners on X).
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 2/10
Food and Drink: 5/10
Stadium: 5/10
Welcome: 8/10
Overall Experience: 6.5/10
GG
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