Match Information
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Feltham 1-2 Shepherd’s Bush
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When: Saturday 17th February 2024
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Kick-off: 2pm
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Where: Pitch 2, Spelthorne Sports Club, 296 Staines Road West, Ashford Common, Ashford, Middlesex TW15 1RY
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Competition: Cherry Red Books Middlesex County Football League Premier Division
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Attendance: 41
The Middlesex County League sits amongst my favourite football competitions. The cosmopolitan and culturally diverse backgrounds of teams and players involved are a fantastic reflection of the catchment area and make it a great league to follow.
This particular fixture caught my eye because it featured two reformed clubs – both possessing a rich past pedigree.
Feltham FC date back to 1946. I went to see them play as Isthmian League participants on 16th August 1978 when Uxbridge were beaten 4-1 at the Feltham Sports Arena (attendance 75) in Middlesex Charity Cup action.
The now demolished venue had a towering main stand and was famously the first Non-League stadium in England to utilise an artificial pitch. In later years, Feltham merged with Hounslow FC to become Feltham & Hounslow Borough.
Then another amalgamation embracing Bedfont Football & Social Club led to Bedfont and Feltham FC being created. But in early 2021, former Feltham players and staff decided to resurrect their club’s sole identity.
Some 17 youth teams were instigated ranging from under-8’s up to under-16’s before a Feltham FC adult side joined the Middlesex County Football League at the start of 2023/24 season. The club plan to develop a ground of their own next to Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institution.
Meanwhile, Shepherd’s Bush FC relaunched three years ago and boast the same red and white striped shirts as their forefathers who were founded in 1880.
It was the original club based at Loftus Road – the current home of Queens Park Rangers FC. Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Bushmen’, they appeared in the Southern, Spartan and Isthmian Leagues
The inaugural football match staged at Loftus Road was on Saturday 22nd October 1904.
Shepherd’s Bush members and season ticket holders were admitted via a gate on Ellerslie Road and were able to view the game from the reserved enclosure and covered stand. Other supporters accessed the rest of the ground by an entrance on Loftus Road.
That initial encounter finished in a 2-2 draw against Old Malvernians FC to satisfy early football odds.
The noisy home crowd were described in The West London Observer newspaper report amidst curiously vibrant terms:
“The Bush partisans are not made of that wishy-washy material, and turned up in strong force to give their pets a send off.”
Shepherd’s Bush FC continued operating until the First World War, when the club found themselves short of players and therefore disbanded. Queens Park Rangers subsequently moved into Loftus Road in 1917.
Ground Description
Feltham use Pitch 2 at Spelthorne Sports Club which is over to the far left hand side having entered off Staines Road West.
A colourful Feltham FC flag adorns the perimeter fence to give a nice sense of identity. One touchline is roped off for the benefit of spectators. This is a good 200 yards across the car park from the enclosed floodlit pitch containing covered stands.
I visited that ground on 7th May 1997 in the Middlesex County League for Spelthorne Sports 3 Pitshanger 0 (attendance 32).
A main sports building houses bar and dressing room facilities with sport betting aided by the TV screens. Thriving cricket and darts sections complement the football at Spelthorne.
Programme Details
Sixteen pages offering plenty of interesting reading material including the in-depth history of Feltham FC.
An eProgramme digital version was also available by virtue of a QR code on display outside the clubhouse.
The Match
The Middlesex County League Premier Division feeds into Step 6 of the national Non-League Pyramid. On a mild yet breezy day, bottom placed Feltham hosted their divisional leaders so I was expecting a one sided affair.
However, the homesters were under a new manager and had recently signed several players. Thus it turned out to be a very tight contest. Shepherd’s Bush eventually edged matters courtesy of strikes by Jordan Grey (36 minutes) and Grego Wright (78 mins).
Feltham scored through Sam Riddett on 63 minutes. The game was enjoyed by a couple of tranquil horses watching intently from an adjacent field.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Tony Incenzo*
