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Ashford Town Football Club was formed in 1964 and first competed in the Hounslow & District League. With a very young team, the Club rapidly advanced through the various divisions of that League, absorbing Staines Youth Club F.C. on the way. Several individuals from that era have remained with the Club and now form the backbone of the Committee, including the Chairman and Secretary. The Club were elected to the Surrey Intermediate League (Western) in 1967 and after a season of consolidation, soon worked their way through to the Premier Division, winning an assortment of League and Cup honours on the way. In 1976, Ashford enjoyed their best season under the managership of ex-Fulham player Frank Reid, winning the League by a substantial margin. Although the championship eluded the Club in following seasons, it usually finished in the top four and prior to season 1982-83 an invitation was extended by Surrey County F.A. to become founder members of the Surrey County Premier League. The invitation was readily accepted and Ashford played their first match in the new league on 4 September 1982, drawing 0-0 away to Farleigh Rovers.
Almost from its foundation, the Club had aspirations to acquire its own ground and after one or two disappointments, this was achieved in August 1985, when a long lease was signed with Spelthorne Borough Council, enabling the Club to move to its present home at Short Lane, Stanwell. From what was nothing more than a field, the facilities were quickly developed, with the first match at Short Lane taking place in February 1986, following two postponements for snow. The Club now possesses a modern clubhouse and bar, kitchen facilities and boardroom. Floodlights were erected in September 1995, whilst the pitch is railed all round and partly walled, with standing covered accommodation for 300 people, plus a purpose built 150-seater stand, built in 1998. For both geographical and historical reasons, Ashford affiliate to both Middlesex and Surrey F.A.'s and in 1989-90, their last season as an Intermediate Club, they reached the final of both Counties Premier Cup competitions, beating Farnham Town in the Surrey version but losing to Willesden Hawkeye in the Middlesex final. Runners-up spot in the League was also secured and with it the opportunity to enter senior football, as members of the Combined Counties League, senior status having been granted in May 1990. During its ten year membership of the Combined Counties, the Club never finished below sixth place, and after finishing 3rd and 2nd in seasons 92-93 and 93-94, it went on to win the League Championship for four successive seasons. It was a relative disappointment to only come 4th in 98-99, even though the Club won the League Cup but a 5th championship in just six seasons was secured in 99-00, along with the Middlesex Charity Cup, the first ever senior county cup honour. With the ground up to the required standard, Ashford took their place in the Ryman League for season 2000-2001 and by finishing in 3rd place, secured promotion to Division 2 at the first attempt. The first season in Division 2 did not the Club making sufficient progress and after a series of indifferent results, long serving manager Dave Kent left the Club on 28 March. His replacement was Nathan Wharf, an ex long serving player, who stepped up from Reserve Team management. Further major improvements were made to the ground to enable the Club to be granted a B-grade and to take its place in the newly regionalised Division One of the Ryman League. A poor start saw the Club in the bottom echelons of the table but a number of new signings saw a significant improvement and a 17th place finish, which was an excellent performance after winning just one of the opening 16 league matches. Further progress was made in 2003-04 as the Club finished 12th in Div 1 South. In the close season prior to 2004-05, the pitch has been completely re-laid to include both irrigation and drainage systems, at a cost of around £50,000, mostly financed by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund. Further medium term plans include new changing accommodation adjacent to the pitch, which will allow enlargement of the present clubhouse, and a hard surface floodlit training area. The Club embarked upon new adventures in season 2004-05 in the Southern League for the first time, having been transferred over as a result of the FA Re-structure. The 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup was reached for the first time and Mark Butler, renowned goal scorer in his day with Aldershot Town, Staines Town etc, was promoted from Assistant Manager to Manager following the resignation of Nathan Wharf in December 2004. The play-offs were reached but resulted in a narrow defeat at Evesham United after extra time. In 2005-06, Ashford went one better, finishing second in Division One West of the Southern League, to secure promotion to Step 3. This brought about a return to the Ryman League for season 2006-07 and saw Ashford competing at their highest ever level. The season brought consolidation with the added bonus of reaching and winning the Westview (League) Cup Final when Ashford triumphed 4-1 over Dover Athletic at Bromley. Senior Honours 1991-92 | Dan-Air Class Elite Cup Finalists | 1992-93 | Parasol Challenge Cup Finalists | 1993-94 | Parasol Challenge Cup Finalists | | Parasol Challenge Case Finalists | | Combined Counties Runners Up | 1994-95 | Combined Counties Champions | 1995-96 | Combined Counties Champions | | Southern Combination Cup Winners | 1996-97 | Combined Counties Champions | 1997-98 | Combined Counties Champions | 1998-99 | Worldwide Carpets Premier Cup Winners | 1999-2000 | Combined Counties Champions | | Middlesex Charity Cup Winners | 2000-01 | Promoted from Div 3 Ryman League | 2001-02 | Southern Combination Cup Finalists Lord of Ashford in Middlesex Charity Cup Joint Winners | 2002-03 | Winners Aldershot Senior Cup | 2003-04 | Finalists Aldershot Senior Cup | 2004-05 | Finalists Middlesex Premier Cup | 2005-06 | Runners-up Southern League – Div One West. Promoted to Ryman League – Premier Division | 2006-07 | Winners Middlesex Premier Cup Winners Westview Cup | | 2007-08 | Southern Combination Cup Finalists Finalists Middlesex Premier Cup Finalists Surrey Premier Cup Champions Southern Youth League | | 2008-09 | Winners Lord of Ashford in Middlesex Charity Bowl |
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