Nickname(s) The Blues Ground Capacity 2,500 (204 seated) Arena/Stadium Hertingfordbury Park | Ground Hertingfordbury Park Founded 1908 | |
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Full name Hertford Town Football Club 2015–16 Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division, 8th League Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division | ||
Hertford Town Football Club is an English football club based in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The club are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and play at Hertingfordbury Park.
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History
Hertford Rovers were established by a merger of Port Vale Rovers and Hertford United at the start of the twentieth century. The club was renamed Hertford Town in 1904, and absorbed two more clubs - Blue Cross and Horns - in 1908. The new club joined the Eastern Division of the Hertfordshire Senior County League. They also played in the East Herts League, which they won in 1912–13 and 1913–14. In 1920 they joined the Middlesex League, before switching to the Spartan League. When the league was restructured in 1929 they were placed in Division One. In 1938–39 they were Division One runners-up and were promoted to the Premier Division.
After World War II they finished bottom of the division in 1946–47, before missing the 1947–48 season as their ground was unavailable. However, they returned to the league in 1948–49, and the following season won the Eastern Division to earn promotion. In 1959 the club transferred to the Delphian League, which they won in their second season and again in their third. In 1962–63 they were leading the league until it was abandoned due to bad weather, but did win the East Anglian Cup by beating Boston United 1–0 in the final, a match played at home in front of a 3,000 crowd. The following season the Delphian League became Division Two of the Athenian League, and at the end of their first season in the new league Hertford were promoted to Division One.
In 1966–67 they won the Herts Senior Cup, whilst a second East Anglian Cup was won in 1969–70. In 1972 the club joined the Eastern Counties League. They won the league cup in their first season and finished third in the league. However, at the end of the season the Isthmian League formed a second division, which the club joined. Division Two was renamed Division One in 1977, and in 1984–85 the club were relegated to Division Two North. In 1989–90 they won the Senior Cup for a second time. When the league was restructured in 1991 they were placed in Division Three. They were promoted to Division Two after finishing runners-up in 1998–99, but were relegated the following season. Further restructuring saw the club placed in Division One North in 2002, but they finished bottom and were relegated to Division Two. After the division was disbanded in 2006 they joined the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League.
Ground
When the club was formed by a merger in 1908, Hertingfordbury Park was the best of the grounds being used by the three clubs, so was chosen as the home of the new one. The ground consists of two stands, and the rest is hard standing. The main stand contains 204 covered seats and is a wooden structure (built in 1959), straddling the halfway line, with an executive box for the announcer. Behind one of the goals is a very small covered terrace, known as 'The Stable End' which can only hold around 150 people due to safety concerns. The ground has a capacity of 2,500; with 204 fans seated, 150 standing covered and 2146 standing uncovered at the side of the pitch on grass banks and flat pathways.