Tangerines on Tour: Hartley Wintney

Into Hampshire we go for our next look at a club we will play in the 2026-27 Isthmian League South Central Division. This time, we examine a familiar opponent with excellent taste in club colours: The Row of Hartley Wintney.

Historic headlines

Formed in 1897 and taking their nickname from the former hamlet of Hartley Row, the club spent decades successfully competing in local leagues before joining the Combined Counties League in 1979, winning the title in 1982-83. By the mid 1990s, The Row were regularly finishing in the bottom half of the table and in 2005 were relegated to Combined Counties League Division One. The club had a single season (2008-09) back in the Premier Division amongst six campaigns in Division One but once Hartley got back to the Premier Division in 2012 it would prove to be a turning point.

After establishing themselves back at Step 5, the Row appointed Dan Brownlie and Anthony Millerick as joint First Team Managers in 2015, with our own Luke Morgan-Tuffs as First Team Coach. A spectacular FA Cup run was surpassed by reaching the Fifth Round of the FA Vase and going toe-to-toe with eventual finalists Hereford in front of a attendance of 1,300. Hartley won the title by 10 points but did not have the required ground grading, so we were promoted as runners-up.

Twelve months later and having amassed 111 points, The Row were champions again, Hampshire Senior Cup semi-finalists and Aldershot Senior Cup finalists. Most significantly, they had completed a series of ground improvements and went up to Step 4. Embracing the challenge of Southern League football, Hartley qualified for the promotion play-offs and beat AFC Dunstable and Cambridge City to achieve a second consecutive promotion. This required further ground improvements, which the club carried out, while the players secured an eighth-place finish. As a village club, Hartley were always ‘punching above their weight’ at Step 3 (something our club knows a fair bit about!) and eventually went down in 2023, joining the South Central division.

About the ground

The Memorial Fields ground has been significantly enhanced in recent seasons and has two seated stands, plus covered terracing. There is a designated area for wheelchair users and a well-stocked clubhouse.

The ground-to-ground journey is 28 miles and should take approximately 37 minutes on a good day. The nearest railway station is Winchfield, which can be reached by taking a train from Ashford to Weybridge, then boarding a Basingstoke bound service. Winchfield Station is a 33 minute walk from the ground or six minutes by car, so booking a taxi on arrival might be sensible.

Have we played them before?

Between 1990 and 2025 there were 33 matches between the clubs. Ashford have won 20 of these fixtures, Hartley Wintney eight, with The Row also winning the only cup-tie between them which went to penalties.