The Story So Far...
In the summer of 1998 two ex-pupils of Whitgift School, Neil Gardner and Chris Mastin approached the Old Whitgiftian Association with the idea of setting up a football section to complement the already thriving rugby, hockey and cricket clubs that were in place.
The club was duly formed with OWA support and a team was entered into the Croydon Football Sunday League for the 1998/1999 season.
Despite having neither kit, matchballs (kindly sponsored by OWCC's Nick Bonneywell) nor a pitch for the opening game, the team overcame these hurdles and by the end of the inaugural season some impressive results were being garnered. With the backing of only a handful of regular supporters (parents, friends and OWCC members) the small squad bonded well in Sunday League football.
This initial success was built on in the second season with an influx of players and more organised training sessions, run by Club Captain Neil Gardner, strengthening the club. It was this second season in fact that the club re-christened their home ground ' Fortress Croham Road ' as opposition teams found it more and more difficult to come away with any points against the Old Whits. By the end of the season the club secured an impressive league and cup double which was a fantastic achievement for a fledgling club. With the league title already secured, the club played their first cup final at Carshalton Athletic in front of a record crowd of at least 200! An exciting 3-3 match was eventually won on penalties and the silverware was collected by captain Gardner.
The following season a new challenge was sought in the form of Saturday afternoon football. Entering the London Old Boys Football League promised a higher standard of opposition and new teams to face. With self-styled 'Ice-Man' Graham Spring taking over the reigns as captain it was another successful year with the team just missing out on winning their division, but securing promotion by finishing a comfortable second in their division. Kieron Fisher continued his impressive form in front of goal by finishing season top scorer.
The next couple of seasons saw a team in transition. With a number of the original players now leaving the club for pastures new it was left to virtual ever-presents Mike Tarlton and Toby McNamara to keep the club moving in the right direction. New players were to come and go and although the team always managed to field a full eleven, the squad was small and results were mixed.
To combat this struggle for players, the club formed a 2nd XI to play a season of friendlies and help bolster the squad numbers. Although the season of 2003/04 was not particularly successful in terms of results, it was a vital season for the club because of the foundations which were laid in place for the future. The move to running two teams was so successful that in the 2004/05 season the Old Whits were able to enter two teams into league football.
With the London Old Boys Football League merging with the Southern Olympian League the club were now playing in the largest amateur football league in Europe with over 100 clubs and 350 sides - the Amateur Football Combination (AFC).
The club continued to attract new players and the 2nd XI secured promotion by finishing second in their division with Tom Apperley as season top goalscorer.
Over the next couple of seasons, under the chairmanship of Joe Burns, the club continued to thrive with both teams winning a high percentage of their games.
Unfortunately further promotions were missed by the smallest of margins, as the teams failed to find consistency for their entire season campaigns. In the 2006/07 season Kenny Cobbett broke the record for most goals scored for the club (taking the crown from Kieron Fisher) by amassing an incredible 60 in 81 appearances.
With 2007/08 the club's 10th anniversary season the OWAFC is the strongest it has ever been. With new players, coaches and committee members it is hoped that this can be the most successful season in its history.
For anyone who has played at the club for any length of time hopefully they have memories to treasure. Hard fought matches won, moments of sublime skill or occasions away from the pitch where friendships are made over a few drinks at the bar. This is only a brief history of the club. To go into any further detail would require an explanation of the Sunday league banter, mint kit, 'Deano' and handballs and red cards in cup finals.
In any history it is difficult to include all the people who have played a part, however as well as those mentioned above, the following were major contributors to the success of the club over the last 9 seasons - Josh Mastin, Doug BC, Paul McNamara, Marco Ghione, Obi, Nish, Rungi, Toddy and of course 'Hellfire'.