Our penultimate profile of the other clubs in the Isthmian League South Central division is an old club who are new opposition for the Ash Trees, Hampshire based Winchester City.
The club was founded in 1891, adopted its current name in 1907 and has spent most of its history in the Hampshire League. City did have two seasons in the Southern League in the 1970s, but returned to the County competition. After merging with Winchester Castle in 2001-02, City hit a real purple patch. In 2002-03, Winchester did the Hampshire League ‘double’, claiming both the Championship and the League Cup. Promoted into the Wessex League, Winchester promptly won that too and even claimed the 2004 FA Vase, but were denied promotion due to ground grading. City continued to be successful on the pitch, winning the Hampshire Senior Cup in 2005 and earning promotion via another Wessex League Championship in 2006-07. Their stay in the Southern League was just one season, despite a last-day win over the original Windsor & Eton which would have secured safety, but for a three-point deduction which placed City bottom.
Winchester won another Wessex League title in 2011-12 but were again relegated after a single season in the Southern League. In 2014-15, City were Wessex League runners-up but offered promotion in place of Flackwell Heath, who opted to stay at Step 5. Their fourth attempt at Southern League football was the one in which they established themselves at Step 4; they have qualified for the promotion play-offs three times, most recently last season. Their first ever season in the Isthmian League has come about through a lateral transfer from the Southern League.
Winchester City are another club who, like us, have been through a ground redevelopment which included an artificial pitch, LED floodlights, new stands and improved vehicle access. It now has a capacity of 2,444 which includes 250 seats. A ground-to-ground road journey is approximately 52 miles and will take around an hour. National Rail Enquiries offers two potential routes to Winchester; either go from Ashford to London Waterloo and change trains there or go to Reading and connect to a service to Winchester there. The Waterloo – Reading line doesn’t call at Ashford so taking this route requires either a change of trains at Staines or to start the journey from Staines or Feltham.
No, this season’s matches will be the first meetings of Ashford Town (Middlesex) and Winchester City.
Having reached the play-offs in Southern League South last season, Winchester City will surely be fighting for honours this season, so their visit to the RPS is not to be missed. A Season Ticket guarantees you entry when the Citizens come to town, plus you get 20% off in the Clubhouse and at the Tea Bar for the entire season. It might be the best £100 you ever spend, given that it provides access to 32 matches across the Men’s and Women’s First Teams.
