Records show that Witham Town Football Club has been in existence in one form or another for over 150 years and, before the First World War, enjoyed a reputation as one of the strongest Junior sides in the country. Unfortunately, the club was disbanded in 1914 due to the war but, after reforming in 1918, Witham enjoyed many successes including the Braintree & District League Championship in 1920-21 and 1924-25 and the Essex Shield Division 2 in 1925-26.
Interest in the club waned in the 1930’s and with the outbreak of World War II, the club was disbanded once again. The present club owes its existence to a small band of stalwarts, some of whom are still club members, who managed to reform it in 1946. Town became Champions of the Chelmsford & Mid-Essex League Division 2 and won the Tiptree Charity Cup and the Tolleshunt D’Arcy Cup in their first season.
The following season, the club moved to Critall’s ground at the Park and were founder members of the Mid-Essex League Premier Division. A thriving Supporters’ Club was formed and in 1958 the decision was made to join the Essex & Suffolk Border League and step up to Intermediate standard. During the following seasons, the team were very successful winning the League Title and Cup, The Worthington Evans Cup and many lesser competitions. In 1964, the search began for a ground to enable the club to achieve Senior status. 1970 saw the club offered its present ground at Spa Road, although it was still under cultivation and the club did not actually move in until 1975.
In the meantime, Witham Town had been invited to become founder members of the Essex Senior League and had the honour of becoming the inaugural champions in 1971-72. The Town spent many happy seasons in the ESL although they only won the Championship once more in 1986, but once again the club wished to progress and application to the Isthmian League, then the Vauxhall-Opel League, was accepted in 1987. They reached the final of the Essex Senior Trophy on three occasions, winning it once by beating long time rivals Heybridge Swifts 3-2 after extra time in 1986. They recorded their best run in the F A Vase in 1987, reaching the last 16 before bowing out by the only goal at Falmouth.
Witham’s Isthmian League career got off to a tremendous start with a 6-0 victory at Ware and ended the 1987-88 season in a creditable 7th place having gone through four managers, including ex-Scottish International Alan Brazil for a short spell..
Danny Greaves, who eventually moved on to the coaching at Southend United, took over team affairs the following season as Town finished 13th and reached the final of the Essex Senior Trophy for the fourth time but they lost to Clapton. Greaves departed early the following season but they struggled even more, eventually finishing safe from relegation in 20th position.
The 1990-91 season saw the two Division Twos de-regionalised, thus making a top half finish imperative if Town were to retain their Second Division status. A late burst saw Witham finish 6th and they also reached the semi-finals of the Loctite (Associate Members) Trophy. A couple of months into the following season, another change of manager saw team captain Craig Johnson take charge. After a couple of seasons in which they finished in the lower half of the league, 1993-94 proved to be their most successful league campaign to date as they finished 5th. The next season promised better with Witham lying second but a poor finish in which they didn’t win any of their last nine games saw them finish in a disappointing 11th.
At the end of the season, manager Johnson left for Aveley, taking a number of players with him and leaving the club to search for yet another manager. Many seasons of struggling ensued in which various managers came and went. In March 2002, stability was achieved when Tony Last joined as Manager from Braintree and with Assistant Russell Tanner, also from Braintree, has spent the time wisely building a team with a good mix of experienced players and talented youngsters. In 2004, Tony also become chairman of the club and has proved that he is committed to taking the club forward. To this end, for the 2005-2006 season, he decided to step down from the managers job to concentrate on his role as Chairman. He handed the reins over to Russell Tanner and his assistant Ken Varney who last season took the club to Runner Up spot in Ryman League Division Two and therefore promotion to the newly formed Step 4 League, Division One North for this current campaign. However, following a review of the budget at the end of October 2006, the manager and his assistant resigned and the successful Reserve Team Manager Ken O’Donnell was given the job of taking the club forward.
The club’s emblem of the Phoenix rising from its own ashes could not be better as a representation of Witham Town’s history of forming and reforming over the past century. It is thanks to the efforts of many voluntary workers over the years that Witham Town Football & Social Club is still in the forefront of sporting life in the Town.
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