Clive Hawtin sends this picture which he is trying to identify. He says:
“Can you help me please? I have a photo of my wife’s grandfather, Bertie Allen, and I believe it is a photo of Walthamstow Avenue F C. It was taken in London in 1913-14. Have attached photo. Can anyone confirm this is W.A.F.C.? Thanks.”
If anyone can help, please drop us a line.
Walthamstow Avenue 1913/14?
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A decent picture of the main stand at Green Pond Road on the front of a programme from the 1988/89 season (the last season football was played at the ground). Leytonstone Ilford had merged with Walthamstow Avenue in the close season (note the ‘Incorporating Walthamstow Avenue Football Club’ at the bottom).
Leytonstone Ilford won the game 1-0.
Coming soon we will be featuring video footage of what I believe was the last game at Green Pond Road - Leytonstone Ilford v Farnborough Town on 6th May 1989. It includes a tour of the boardroom and dressing rooms before the game, full match action, and Leytonstone Ilford receiving the league trophy after the game.
Leytonstone Ilford v Slough Town programme. Vauxhall-Opel (Isthmian) League Premier Division. 1988/89.
1957-58: Having beaten Bedford Town 1-0 in a replay at Green Pond Road in the 4th Qualifying Round of the F.A. Cup, Avenue were drawn away at Third Division South Coventry City in the 1st Round Proper.
I’m not sure why Coventry wore red & white in this game, as supposedly their home kit was blue & white at the time. The A’s turned out in green & white – was this their away kit at the time?
Coventry went out 4-1 at Aldershot in the next round.
Coventry City v Walthamstow Avenue F.A. Cup 1st Round 1957-58 Programme 1
Coventry City v Walthamstow Avenue F.A. Cup 1st Round 1957-58 Programme 2
Coventry City v Walthamstow Avenue F.A. Cup 1st Round 1957-58 Programme 3
Coventry City v Walthamstow Avenue F.A. Cup 1st Round 1957-58 Programme 4
Match report from 'The Times' Monday 18th November 1957.
Having dispatched Wimbledon in the 1st Round Proper of the 1952/53 F.A. Cup, Amateur Cup holders Walthamstow Avenue were rewarded with a home tie against Watford in the 2nd Round.
The match took place on Saturday 6th December 1952. The A’s led at half-time thanks to a Crocker own-goal, but Watford equalised in the 2nd half through Meadows. The game ended 1-1 and was replayed at Watford on Wednesday 10th. Walthamstow won the replay 2-1 and went on to play Stockport, then Manchester United in the 3rd and 4th Rounds.
So noteworthy was the fog that day, that this picture of A’s goalkeeper Stan Gerula appeared as ‘Life’ magazine’s ‘Picture of the Week’. (Issue dated 22nd December 1952).
Click for a larger version.
AN INDOMITABLE GOALIE IN RECORD FOG. In the circumstances, it was understandable that Goalkeeper Gerula of Walthamstow had only the foggiest idea what was going on as his team met Watford in the British Football Association Cup match. Somewhere downfield the ball, Gerula's opponents and his teammates were lost from sight in London's worst fog on record. Elsewhere across the city, traffic stalled dead, streetlights were invisible beyond 35 yards and even the ducks got lost from their pond in Green Park and went quacking disconsonately through the streets. But in the traditions of British sports, the game had to go on (just as the Oxford-Cambridge cross-country race had to go on with marshals calling, "This way! This way!" to mark the course in scant five-yard visibility). Lonesome but still alert, Goalkeeper Gerula missed only once in the mist and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The just published Issue 58 of quarterly magazine ‘Groundtastic’ has an 8-page piece on Walthamstow Avenue. As well as a well-written history of the A’s, it includes 9 great pictures of Green Pond Road through the ages, including a lovely black and white aerial shot of the ground from 1972 as the centrefold. You can order a copy at www.groundtastic.co.uk for £6.
Here’s the cover:
'Groundtastic' Issue 58. Autumn 2009.
AMATEUR STYLE. London: An attack on Wimbledon goalkeeper A. Hooper (right) by J. Lewis, Walthamstow Avenue's centre-forward, during the second replay of the Football Association Amateur Cup fourth round, at Arsenal's Highbury ground. March 5th. 1952. (Topham)
Match report from The Times (Thursday 6th March)
Match report from The Guardian (Thursday 6th March 1952)
‘Soccer Star’ magazine (originally ‘Raich Carter’s Soccer Star’) was a national weekly magazine that ran from 20 September 1952 until 19 June 1970 (936 weekly issues in total). Here they preview that day’s Amateur Cup final which The Avenue went on to win 2-1.
The front cover 'Soccer Star' Magazine. April 22 1961.
From page 3 of 'Soccer Star' Magazine. April 22 1961.
From ‘Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly’, July 1961
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Standing - Keenes, Prince, Lewis, Grainger, McGuire, Edwards, Bambridge. Sitting - Groves, Saggers, Andrews, Harvey.
Issued by Ardath Tobacco Co. This is the same picture as featured elsewhere on this site in the 1970 ‘Football Monthly’ article – but this version is less cropped, so you can see the players stockings. I do miss the days when players wore ‘knickers’ and ’stockings’!
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Left to right, back row:- E. Took (Hon. Sec.), R. Wright, H. Oliver, C. Mercer, A. Pinner, F. Hicks, H. Garner (Trainer), E. Childs, S. Barlow. Front row :- E. Collins, W. Magner, J. Lewis (Capt.), U. Vincent, F. Davis
Ardath Tobacco Photo Card 1936 (back)
This team photo is taken from the 1961-62 ‘The Topical Times Football Book”‘ annual by D.C. Thomson.
Left to right - back row - Ron Bambridge, Stan Prince, Gary McGuire, Brian Edwards, Terry Keenes. Front row - Brian Harvey, Dave Andrews, Alan Minall, Don Saggers, Jim Lewis, Reg Groves.
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