Nickname(s) Town, The Humbugs Chairman Darren Mitchell Founded 1879 | Ground Capacity 1,000 (325 seated) Manager Mark Mclean (interim) | |
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Full name Halstead Town Football Club Ground The Milbanks Stadium at Rosemary Lane, Halstead League Eastern Counties Football League First Division | ||
Halstead Town F.C. is an English football club based in Halstead, Essex. The club are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One and play at Rosemary Lane.
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History
Halstead F.C. was formed in 1879 following a meeting in the town hall by a group of 16 men. Due to a lack of football infrastructure in rural areas at the time the club played only occasional friendlies until they joined the newly formed North Essex League in 1894. Their first trophy, the Essex Junior Cup, was won in 1902 with a 2–0 victory over Chingford. During the early 1900s the club played in the Halstead & District League and the Haverhill & District League, and were based at various grounds in the town including Three Gates, Ravens Meadow, King George playing field, Courtaulds Sports Ground and Coggeshall Pieces.
After World War II the club added "Town" to their name and joined Division Two of the North Essex League, and were swiftly promoted to Division One, before going on to re-join the Essex & Suffolk Border League. They also bought their own ground at Rosemary Lane, although in their first season at the new ground the players were forced to change in a local hardware store. They won Division One in 1949–50 and 1951–52.
In 1957–58 they won the Premier Division and the League Cup, beating Lakenheath 11–4 on aggregate in the final. They won the league again in 1968–69 and 1977–78, before joining the Essex Senior League in 1980. In 1988 they became founder members of Division One of the Eastern Counties League, and finished second in the first season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 1993–94 they finished as runners-up, but won the Essex Senior Trophy, beating Canvey Island 2–0 in the final. They went on to win two consecutive league titles in 1994–95 and 1995–96, also winning the League Cup in the latter season with a 4–0 win over Fakenham Town. The following season they won the Essex Senior Trophy for a second time.
In 2000–01 the club were relegated after finishing bottom of the league. They won Division One and the Division One Cup in 2002–03 to return to the Premier Division. They won the League Cup in 2005, but were relegated again in 2006–07 after finishing bottom of the division.