Villa is a reasonably common appendage to a town's football club name and Aston Villa is an obvious example. Founded in March 1874, the club was named after the Villa Cross, Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth, West Midlands and played at Villa Park from 1897. The club supported both cricket and football in its foundation.
"The team struggled in Division 1 of the Hounslow & District League, during its first years, when scoring a goal was usually celebrated with a public holiday. Following some hard work by Jimmy Connors, the team was completely rebuilt and this led to the Division 1 Championship.
The following Season saw the club start an incredible run in the league, which finished 68 matches later, with the ’Villains’ winning the Hounslow Premier League and the West Middlesex Divisions one and two championships. The success continued with Hanworth being elected to the newly formed Middlesex County Football League in 1984/1985.
From 1980 the club had a nomadic existence but in 1997 moved to their current HQ at Rectory Meadow. This move led to the formation of Hanworth Villa Sunday and a new reserve team, being an amalgamation of teams from local pubs, The Sawyers Arms, The Queen Dowager and Feltham Railway Club. A Chiswick League double in 1992/1993 and a 19-0 Cup Final victory in the National Railways Cup cemented the successful amalgamation.
Dave Brown, once again worked his magic, enabling the club to be granted the permanent lease at Rectory Meadow, and so the club converting the existing pavilion into a clubhouse, known as the ‘Ranch’. With this security, Villa were also able to concentrate on improving the level of football and in 2002/2003 the Saturday first team won ‘the treble’ of the Middlesex County Premier Cup, the Open Cup and the Middlesex County League. After another Premier League title in 2004/2005, with a record number of points, it was decided to move on and the club were elected to Division 1 of the Combined Counties League in 2005/2006, a Step Up!
In the second season they managed to win the Challenge Cup and in the following season, 2007/2008, defended the Challenge Cup, narrowly missing out on the league title, coming runners-up. As per ruling! the lack of facilities at the ‘Ranch’ prevented promotion to the Premier Division.
The committee soon managed to raise the funds to ensure that floodlights and a spectator stand were installed in time for the 2008/2009 campaign. The effort was not in vain as once again the team finished second and following a successful ground inspection Hanworth Villa were promoted to the Combined Counties Premier League for the 2009/2010 season, a league I know well having lived in Godalming for a number of years. BTW Paul Merson made two apps for Villa in Dec 2019!
The debut season was difficult with points being few and far between and it was not until the second half of the campaign that the team came to terms with the standard of football required, collectin enough points to finish 17th, three points clear of relegation. In the second season, the team finish in 5th position in the league, but also reached the finals of the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup and the Southern Combination Cup. No trophies from these to show off in the club house, sadly.
The 2011/2012 season will live long in the memory of all concerned at the club as being their most successful in national competition. In the FA Cup the team, after victories over Shrivenham, Bedfont Sports, Wembley, Aveley and Slough the team lined up against AFC Totten for a place in the 1st Round proper, a rare achievement for a team competing at national level 9. AFC won 3-2.
In the FA Vase the team reached the 3rd round losing to Herne Bay, one of the beaten semi-finalists that year.
In 2013/2014 the team were successful in achieving a double, in winning both the Middlesex Premier League Cup and the Southern Combination Cup.
At the end of the 2015/16 season the club appointed former Queens Park Rangers and Fulham defender Rufus Brevett as their new manager. Villa won the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup with a 3 – 2 win over Spelthorne Sports, the second occasion in three years that the team have won this trophy.
In December 2018, by mutual agreement, Rufus Brevett stepped down as first team Manager with Louis Carder-Walcott, previously Assistant Manager at Westfield FC, being appointed shortly after.
Following a poor run of form at the start of the 2019/20 and with no positive signs of recovery it was, mutual agreement, decided that Louis would step down as Manager of the club. In November 2019 the position was filled by Simon Haughney and his management team of Paul Thomas and Leon Solomon.
AND if you are still with me. I discovered Montpelier Villa FC from the Brighton area, playing in the Southern Combination Div 2, with 16 teams based at Lancing FC's, Culver Road.
AND Pelsall Villa FC (Pelsall means a "nook" between two rivers) was founded in 1897, sited in Walsall and they played in the Midland League Div 2 until 2017-18 when financial irregularities brought about their downfall. Their ground is now used by Aston Villa's ladies young and old; so full circle! Know any others?
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