Walton Casuals F.C.

Walton Casuals
Full name Walton Casuals Football Club
Nickname(s) The Stags
Founded 1948
Ground Church Road
Whyteleafe, Surrey
Groundshare at Whyteleafe F.C.
Ground Capacity 2,000
Chairman Tony Gale
Manager Anthony Gale
League Isthmian League Division One South
2015–16 Isthmian League Division One South, 16th
Website Club home page

Walton Casuals Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Founded in 1948, they currently play in the Isthmian League Division One South, having last gained promotion from the Combined Counties League Premier Division.[1] The club is affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association, and have been part of the football pyramid since 1992.[2]

The club currently play their home football at Church Road, the home of Whyteleafe, while developments take place at their former ground, the Waterside Stadium.[3] Plans are in place to develop the Waterside Drive Sports Hub by September 2017, which is expected to see the club share facilities with Walton & Hersham and the Walton Athletics club.[4]

Walton Casuals' most notable rivalry comes with Walton & Hersham, with the club recording their first ever 'derby double' over the Swans during the 2014–15 season.[5] The club also has a rivalry with Molesey, who play in the Isthmian League Division One South. The two teams regularly competed in a pre-season fixture for the Mick Burgess Memorial Trophy, although have not played the annual match since being place in the same league.[6]

History

1946-1969: Formation and early origins

The earliest roots of Walton Casuals Football Club lead back to World War II. Following the conclusion of the war, a group of ex-servicemen returned to their council homes in the Walton-on-Thames area. They soon decided to form an "illegal" Sunday football team, who would go on to play friendlies against other "illegal" teams throughout the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons. They adopted the name White City FC, due to the outside walls of their houses being painted that colour.

In 1948, they decided to become a legitimate Saturday club, and Walton Casuals as they are currently known were founded in July. They became affiliated to Surrey County Football Association and acquired the use of a pitch at Elm Grove Recreation Ground. The club started off in Division One of the Surrey Intermediate (Central) League, and gained promotion to the Premier Division in 1952–53. Walton Casuals would go on to finish as runners-up on 3 occasions: 1954–55, 1956–57 and 1964–65. The Surrey Intermediate (Central) League disbanded in 1965 and the club moved into the League’s Western Section for three seasons.

1969-1992: Various leagues

In 1969 Casuals joined the new Surrey Senior League and moved into its most notorious home at Franklyn Road Sports Field, later known as the Waterside Stadium. Two years later Casuals became founder members of the Suburban League, playing one season at Walton & Hersham’s Stompond Lane ground before moving to Addlestone's Liberty Lane ground for eight seasons. The club then returned to Franklyn Road, where the Reserves had continued playing in the Surrey Combination League. The 1982–83 season saw Casuals win their first major honour, becoming champions of the Suburban League Southern Section and setting a league record of going 23 games unbeaten under manager Kim Harris. The following year Casuals were runners-up behind Sutton United, and in the 1986–87 season reached the Surrey Premier Cup Final, only to lose to Croydon.

1992-2002: Entering the football pyramid

The 1997–98 Walton Casuals squad, managed by Mick Byrne.

Subsequent years saw the club slip into a steady decline, regularly finishing in the bottom two of the Suburban League. After 21 years of competing in the Suburban League, the club decided to switch to the Surrey Premier League in June 1992 in order to join the pyramid system. A year of consolidation paved the way for major changes at Franklyn Road the following summer as Kim Harris was reappointed as manager after a successful spell at Hersham RBL and the club expanded into both Sunday and youth football. In 1993–94 Casuals won the Surrey Premier League Challenge Cup, defeating Holmesdale after a replay, and in 1994–95 the club finished runners-up to Chobham in the league. They were also were losing finalists to Vandyke in the Challenge Cup.

During the summer the club was promoted to the Combined Counties Football League, and the first four seasons of senior football proved a real struggle with Casuals finishing bottom of the table in 1996–97, but able to avoid relegation thanks to the Combined Counties League exercising its prerogative to maintain a minimum number of clubs in the Premier Division. With the help of Walton charities, the installation of floodlights at Franklyn Road was completed in February 1999, a major hurdle overcome as far as ground requirements were concerned. The appointment of Mick Sullivan and Garry Clark as joint managers in the summer of 1999 brought about a dramatic improvement in results. As well as a best-ever finish of 5th in the league, the club won the League Cup in 2000, beating Viking Greenford 4–2 in the final at Farnborough. The following season was also a relatively successful one, with a placing of 7th in the table and another appearance in the League Cup final, beaten on this occasion by double-winners Cove 3–0 at Woking.

2002-2005: The Tony Gale takeover

Tony Gale joined Walton Casuals as Director of Football in 2002.

Although 2002–03 proved a disappointment as the club finished in a lowly 18th spot, the seeds of success had been sown with Spencer Collins taking over as first-team manager in November 2002. As a team capable of much better things slowly began to take shape, ex-West Ham United player Tony Gale installed as Director of Football. After more team-building in 2003–04, and a big jump up the table to finish in 7th spot, the club took the Combined Counties Football League by storm the year after, finishing 26 points clear at the top of the table. After initially failing an FA ground inspection, the club launched a successful appeal and achieved their dream of promotion to the Isthmian League Division One for 2005–06.

2005-2014: Starting life in the Isthmian League

The club finished 15th in their maiden season in the Isthmian League, while regularly finishing in the bottom half in subsequent seasons. In 2009–10 the club achieved its best run in the FA Cup reaching the Third Qualifying Round, before losing to Staines Town. The club appointed Neil Shipperley manager in the summer of 2010 and managed to finish in 12th place, their best finish in the league at the time.

During early 2011 the club opened a new clubhouse and new changing facilities, with Mick Sullivan returning to the helm in October, following the resignation of Shipperley. After being sacked a year later, Danny Carroll took over as manager. With a reprieve saving the Stags in the 2012–13 season, the club appointed ex-Kingstonian assistant manager Mark Hams as manager, along with his brother Neil as assistant. The duo rejuvenated the squad and impressed, leading Walton to their highest ever league finish of 9th. However, after nine league games led to nine defeats, Mark and Neil Hams left their positions at the club by mutual consent in September 2014.

2014-present: Established in the Isthmian League

Anthony Gale took over as Walton Casuals manager in July 2015.

Tony Gale and Anthony Gale were drafted in as caretaker managers, and immediately picked up the club's first win of the season, securing a 1–0 victory in a trip to Redhill. In November 2014, defender Liam Collins was appointed first team manager, with teammate Simon Huckle appointed assistant manager. Collins and Huckle were able to secure the club's safety with a comfortable 18th placed finish. At the end of the season, Collins announced his intentions to step down from his management position to focus on his last few seasons on the field, while Huckle parted ways with the club to join Redhill.

Anthony Gale was announced as first team manager shortly before the start of the club's pre-season campaign. He was joined on the touchline by Jack Johnson, the nephew of Gary Johnson and cousin of Lee Johnson. The duo bought in a number of youth prodigies recently released by professional clubs, and saw their methods result in a number of players signing professional deals elsewhere throughout the season.

Colours and badge

The team's original crest contained the motto "Suprr Omnis Superbia", which is an incorrectly-spelt Latin translation of the phrase "Pride above all".[7] The phrase was removed when the club designed a new badge to celebrate promotion to the Isthmian League in 2005.[8] Historically, the club have a orange, black and white colourway. The current home kit is an orange shirt with black stripes on the shoulders, orange shorts and orange socks. The current away kit is a blue shirt with a white diagonal stripe, blue shorts and blue socks.[3]

Stadium

The entrance to the Waterside Stadium prior to developments.

Walton Casuals currently play their home games at Church Road, Whyteleafe, Surrey, CR3 0AR. The club are ground sharing with Isthmian League Division One South side Whyteleafe during the 2016–17 season, while developments are made at their own ground.[9]

Traditionally, Walton Casuals play their home grounds at the Waterside Stadium, Waterside Drive, Walton on Thames, Surrey, KT12 2JP. Plans have been announced with the council to redevelop a Sports Hub at Waterside Drive, which will see a whole stadium built for Walton Casuals and Walton & Hersham, as well as the local athletics club with an eight-lane Olympic standard athletics track.[10] Work officially begun on the new stadium in late March, and the football pitch is expected to be completed in time for the 2017-18 season.[11]

The club first played at Elm Grove Recreation Ground until 1969, before moving into Franklyn Road - the former name of the Waterside Stadium. In 1972, they groundshared with Walton & Hersham for the season at Stompond Lane, before spending eight years at Addlestone's Liberty Lane. The Stags then returned to Franklyn Road, although the Reserves had remained in Walton-on-Thames during the time away.

Once progress began on the plans for the Waterside Drive Sports Hub, the club groundshared with Merstham at the Moatside Stadium for the 2015–16 season, and Whyteleafe at Church Road the following year.[12]

Players

Current squad

As of 2 December 2016.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK James Brace
England GK Harvey Cheadle
England GK Denzel Gerrar
England DF Jordan Cheadle
England DF Max Fitzgerald
England DF Harry Knock
England DF Oluseyi Obaye-Daley
England DF Dominic Ogun
England DF Rhys Paul
England DF Phil Stevenson
Democratic Republic of the Congo MF Johnathan Babwana
England MF Sam Bello-Balogun
Thailand MF Cian Boonpen
No. Position Player
Democratic Republic of the Congo MF Tumba Bokvia
England MF Daryl Coleman
England MF Luke Holness
England MF Jake Nicholson
England MF John-Prince Rylah
England MF Jamie Summers
Cyprus MF Jack Sammoutis
England FW Glenn Boosey
England FW Roscoe D'Sane
England FW Malachi Hudson
Nigeria FW Gabriel Odunaike
Nigeria FW Shola Oladipo
England FW Sol Pinnock

Dual registered

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England DF Dan Choules (with Guildford City)
England DF Tom Jelley (with Hampton & Richmond Borough)
England DF Isaac Olorunfemi (with Maidenhead United)
England MF Glen Malyon (with Sutton United)

Most competitive appearances

The following table shows players who have made at least 100 competitive (league and cup) appearances for the club in descending order. Records begin in 1992 when the club joined the football pyramid.[13]

Player Apps
1997-2005* Lawrence Ennis 288
2001-2011* Anthony Gale 283
2007-2013 Craig Lewington 279
2002-2010 Michael Cayford 248
1994-2004* Mark Postins 236
1997-2010* Scott Harris 233
2002-2007 Craig Carley 223
1993-2004* Graeme Cooksley 209
2004-2009 John Ambridge 205
1994-1999 Dave Francis 196
1999-2004 Emmerson Barrs-James 184
2003-2008 Greg Ball 179
1992-1998 Richard Murray 164
1993-1999 Gary Millar 164
Seasons Player Apps
1994-2003* Michael Kennedy 162
2013-2016 Scott Day 150
1999-2004 Dave D'Rozario 148
1992-1997 Graham Elliott 148
1999-2016 Liam Collins 146
1999-2003 Mark Hunter 146
2005-2012* Kristian Webb 145
1992-1998 Steve Crozier 143
2000-2006 Carlo Castronovo 142
2000-2004 Mark Osikoya 140
2013-Present Gabriel Odunaike 130
2003-2007 James Pearson 124
2003-2007 Danny Andrews 124
Seasons Player Apps
1993-1999 Paul Mills 123
1992-1998 Salvatore Costanzo 122
1997-2004 Paul Roberts 122
2008-2012 Michael Barima 121
2006-2015* Sol Paterson-Bohner 118
1993-2001* Danny Nicholson 116
1999-2002 Jamie Reive 113
2003-2007 Luke Dowling 109
2001-2008* Grant Keywood 108
1994-1999 Greg Tree 104
1992-2001* Spencer Collins 104
2004-2008 James Crowe 103
1995-2000 Richard Crow-Mains 102

Most competitive goals

The following table shows players who have scored at least 25 competitive (league and cup) goals for the club in descending order. Records begin in 1992 when the club joined the football pyramid.[13]

Seasons Player Goals
1993-1999 Paul Mills 111
1999-2004 Emerson Barrs-James 96
1994-2004* Mark Postins 88
2003-2008 Greg Ball 74
Seasons Player Goals
2002-2007 Craig Carley 72
2013-Present Gabriel Odunaike 66
2001-2011* Anthony Gale 51
1999-2004 Dave D'Rozario 44
Seasons Player Goals
1994-1999 Greg Tree 43
2013-2016 Scott Day 39
1999-2003 Mark Hunter 31
1999-2001 Graham Morrow 30

Club officials

Coaching Staff

  • First Team Manager: Anthony Gale
  • Assistant Manager: Matt Howard
  • First Team Coach: Glenn Boosey
  • Goalkeeping Coach: Harvey Cheadle
  • Physiotherapist: Danny Kusimo
  • General Manager: Lee Malyon
  • Kit Manager: Jack Findlay

Senior Club Staff

  • Chairman: Tony Gale
  • President: Graham James
  • Vice-Chairman: Paul Saunders
  • Vice-President: Duncan Saunders
  • Club Secretary: Gus Schofield
  • Press & Communications Officer: Kane Brooker
  • Media Officer: James Spiking

Affiliations

Walton Casuals lost 3-2 to Fulham U21s in the 2014 friendly.

Walton Casuals have an affiliation with Football League Championship club Fulham, which began through former England assistant manager Ray Lewington. With his son, Craig, playing for the club at the time, he organised an annual friendly for the two clubs, where he was assistant manager at the time.[14]

The inaugural game saw Fulham emerge as 3–1 victors in June 2008.[15] The Lilywhites inflicted a 5–0 defeat on Walton Casuals in 2009, with Erik Nevland providing two of the goals. Philippines international Neil Etheridge and Manchester United defender Chris Smalling both played at the Waterside Stadium.[14] Walton Casuals picked up their first win of the affiliation in 2011, with Dan Burn, Alexander Kacaniklic and Cauley Woodrow all playing as the hosts secured a 2–1 victory.[16] Burn also represented Fulham during a 1–1 draw in August 2012, which included Marcus Bettinelli as an unused substitute.[17] The 2014 friendly saw the visitors record a 3–2 victory, with Fernando Amorebieta and Luis Boa Morte included in the squad.[18]

The fixture was not played ahead of the 2015–16 season, with Walton Casuals deeming the friendly unsuitable given their ground share. Friendlies between the two clubs were not played ahead of the 2010–11 or 2013–14 seasons. The affiliation also sees Walton Casuals run an annual offer on Non-League Day for Fulham season ticket holders to gain free entry during the international break.[19] Walton were also named as a Partner Club of Fulham in September 2012.[2] The club have a number of links to Fulham, most notably through chairman Tony Gale - who made 277 appearances for the club over a seven-year period, while remaining to write a column for the website.[20]

Honours

Mark Hams lifting the Mick Burgess Memorial Trophy in 2014.

Walton Casuals' most successful season came in 2004–05, when they won the Combined Counties League Premier Division title. Recording 138 points and a goal difference of 99, the Stags suffered just four draws and four league defeats all season. In the same season, the club record their biggest ever victory - a 10–0 win over Chessington United. The club scored at least five times in a single match on six occasions.[21]

The Casuals have also enjoyed success in the Mick Burgess Memorial Trophy, a pre-season fixture played annually with Molesey. The trophy competition was founded in 2008, following the death of former Walton Casuals and Molesey manager Mick Burgess in February 2008.[22] Walton Casuals have dominated in the competition, winning five of the seven games played.

The 2015–16 season was the first year the fixture was not played since its creation, due to Molesey earning promotion to the Isthmian League Division One South, a trend that has continued while they play in the same league.[23]

Honour Winners Runners Up
Combined Counties League Premier Division 2004-05 -
Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup 1999-2000 2000-01
Suburban League Southern Section 1982-83 1983-84
Suburban League Premier B 2012-13 -
Surrey County Premier League - 1994-95
Surrey County Premier League Challenge Cup 1994–95, 1995–96 -
Surrey County Premier Cup 2012-13 1986-87
Mick Burgess Memorial Trophy 2008-09, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15 2009-10, 2013-14

Records

Gabriel Odunaike was named top scorer three times.
Calogero Scannella made his debut at 16 years, 11 days.
Luke Holness scored in the FA Cup aged 17 years, 364 days.

Records for the club began when the club joined the football pyramid in 1992.[13][21][24]

Appearances

Goals

Fixtures

Competitions

Former players

  1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
  2. Players with full international caps.

Recent managers

Managerial statistics

As of 28 November 2016.

These statistics incorporate results for league matches and results in cup competitions (including the Isthmian League Cup, Surrey Senior Cup and Southern Combination Challenge Cup) as well as results in the FA Trophy and the FA Cup.

Caretaker managers are shown in italics.

Name From Until Games Won Drawn Lost Win %
England Anthony Gale1 July 2015Present8334114840.96
England Liam Collins*2 November 20141 July 2015241541544.12
England Anthony Gale20 September 20142 November 20141253441.67
England Mark Hams12 June 201320 September 2014652463536.92
England Tony Gale21 March 20131 May 2013812512.50
England Danny Carroll**15 November 201221 March 201322541322.73
England Mick Sullivan20 October 201115 November 2012511852835.29
England Neil Shipperley1 July 201017 October 20116621133231.82
England Spencer Collins***15 November 20085 January 20098222174326.83
England John Morris15 November 200815 November 200821551123.81
England Luke Dowling19 September 200726 April 20084416131536.36
England Anthony Gale All managerial spells 95 39 14 42 41.05

* Liam Collins took the role as a player-manager, but stepped down to focus on his playing career.
** Danny Carroll's statistics include two games as caretaker manager before his permanent appointment.
*** Spencer Collins' statistics include ten games as caretaker manager before his permanent appointment.

Previous managers

The following managers are currently unaccounted for in statistics, due to the exact dates of their employment being unknown.

  • England Kim Harris 2007–2008
  • England Spencer Collins 2005–2007
  • Republic of Ireland Ray Noad 2002–2005
  • England Mick Sullivan & Garry Clark 1999–2002
  • England Mick Byrne 1997–1999

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Clubs In Membership". www.isthmian.co.uk. The Ryman Isthmian Football League. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Fulham and Surrey FA Launch Community Clubs Partnership". www.surreyfa.com. The Football Association. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Walton Casuals - The Ryman Isthmian Football League". www.isthmian.co.uk. The Ryman Isthmian Football League. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Elmbridge Sports Hub". www.elmbridge.gov.uk. Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Brooker, Kane (1 July 2014). "2014-15 Results - Walton Casuals FC". www.waltoncasuals.com. Walton Casuals FC. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Constable, Alan (29 July 2015). "Mick Burgess Memorial Match at Molesey FC". www.combinedcountiesleague.co.uk. Combined Counties League. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Roberts, Stuart (30 August 2003). "'The Casuals' Matchday Programme v Walton & Hersham". Walton Casuals FC. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Symonds, David (20 August 2005). "'Casual Talk' Matchday Programme v Corinthian-Casuals". Walton Casuals FC. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Carruthers, Mark (24 May 2016). "Casuals announce Whyteleafe groundshare agreement". www.nonleaguedaily.com. Non-League Daily. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Smurthwaite, Tom (10 July 2015). "Walton's new sports hub gets go-ahead despite objections". www.getsurrey.co.uk. Get Surrey. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  11. ↑ Dudman, Janet (1 February 2016). "Elmbridge Sports Hub Newsletter - February 2016". www.elmbridge.gov.uk. Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Blaylock, Deanne (25 June 2015). "Merstham to groundshare with Walton Casuals". www.surreymirror.co.uk. Surrey Mirror. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Brooker, Kane (28 August 2015). "A complete statistical database of Walton Casuals FC (1992-2016)". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Walton Casuals 0-5 Fulham Reserves". www.fulhamfc.com. Fulham FC. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Fulham Reserves Face Portsmouth". www.fulhamfc.com. Fulham FC. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  16. ↑ "Walton Casuals 2-1 Fulham Reserves". www.fulhamfc.com. Fulham FC. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "Walton Casuals 1-1 Fulham U21". www.fulahmfc.com. Fulham FC. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "Walton Casuals 2-3 Fulham U21s". www.fulhamfc.com. Fulham FC. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "Walton Casuals Offer". www.fulhamfc.com. Fulham FC. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  20. ↑ Gale, Tony (14 September 2016). "The Tony Gale Column". www.fulhamfc.com. Fulham FC. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  21. 1 2 Brooker, Kane (1 July 2015). "Club Honours and Records". www.waltoncasuals.com. Walton Casuals FC. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Youlton, Clive (20 February 2008). "Tributes flood in after death of MRA councillor". www.getsurrey.co.uk. Get Surrey. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Administrator, getsurrey. "Tributes flood in after death of MRA councillor". getsurrey. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  24. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Walton Casuals". www.fchd.info. Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 May 2016.

External links

Coordinates: 51°23′57.851″N 0°24′44.122″W / 51.39940306°N 0.41225611°W / 51.39940306; -0.41225611

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