C O M M E N T S
/  H I G H L I G H T S

SSL

Not completed

Surrey
Combination

Position 1st out of 9

CHAMPIONS!

FAC

Not completed

AC

Not completed

SSC

2nd

Nunhead

1-3

SEASON
SUSPENDED FOR WORLD WAR II - Declared 3rd September 1939

Epsom Town
entered the Surrey Combination instead, which appeared at short notice, and
started on 2/12/39.

Home
Ground:

West Street, Ewell

25/5/39 AGM of
Surrey Senior League at Three Fishes Hotel in Kingston. Cranleigh have
resigned, but Cobham, who

had resigned,
wish to be reinstated, as do Guildford, and they are. Epsom Town, and Epsom
Manor are both accepted.

Not sure
whether Venners are still in League. There is no talk of them leaving at this
point, but seeing as they moved to

Epsom to get a
senior ground, it is presumed that they drifted back to Intermediate
football. Hersham may leave for

Athenian League
it is reported, but they are not accepted, and eventually join the London
League instead.

May 39 Cobham
and Cobham Avorians deny talk of a merger, and Cobham remain in SSL at their
own ground. However

later this year
they fold or hibernate, and Avorians come in to the Surrey Combination
instead.

June 39 It is
reported that the Committee are keen on reforming a Reserve Team, but this
doesn't happen.

This is
because of the formation of a new team, Epsom Town. They are separate to
Epsom F.C. but will share West

Street on
alternate Saturdays.

June 39
Attempts to form a "real" Surrey County League are proposed at
Walton's Annual Dinner. Proposed to include

Epsom, Walton,
Carshalton and Hersham.

Aug 39 Sort of
AGM for Epsom Town, with Charles Pettett as President, and Stephen King as
Chairman, W Challis as

Secretary + Phil Parr as Treasurer. Dick Wilson is to lead
the side as captain, and it is expected that his younger brother

T.Wilson will
also play. Scard (Worthing) will join (teacher in Ewell). First League match
is on 2/9/39 v Godalming in SSL.

The Selection
Committee comprises Reg Marlow and Bill Dayman. Dayman gave his services when
he heard of the

Town revival,
as Pettett calls it.

They were due
to be at home to Leyland Motors on 9th Sept and at Egham on 16th Sept. They
were drawn at home to

Banstead
Hospital in the Amateur Cup but would have to play away on 23rd Sept, as
Epsom Town are at home that day.

Secretary WH
Challis' address is Windy ridge, Mill Road, Epsom.

Club colours
will be a white shirt with a broad blue band across the chest bordered by
narrower bands of dark blue, and

navy shorts
with light blue vertical stripes!!

Aug 39
Prospects for Epsom Town: Nearly 50 applications. First trial was 15/8 and
another trial is planned for 19/8.

Dick Wilson has
Jackie Collins, younger brother of Geoff, Scard (Worthing) and Ham (Bexley
Res).

Aug 39 opening
fixtures in SSL included West Norwood v Met Police, and Brookwood MH v Epsom
Manor. For 2nd Sept.

Aug 39 Amateur
Cup draw has Epsom v Reigate Priory with Epsom Town v Banstead Hospital both
at home in Group 17.

The winners of
Epsom F.C.s game would be at home to Cobham or Venners Sports in the next
round.

19/8/39
Instead of a Probables v Possibles trial, it was a sort of Epsom FC v Epsom
Town trial, which Epsom won 7-1. It

was a hot day, even for cricket said the papers! Fred
Stenning got a HT whilst Solly and Curtis were amongst the scorers.

Paper says
that Dick Wilson's team showed promise with his brother T Wilson and four
other youngsters, including RWF

Munns
(Chelmsford Res) Ham, H Eason, J Dodswell. Also Williamson and Billy Neave
(ex Dagenham g/k) played. Ham

was replaced
at HT by WH Haines, while TG Temlett played well, while Welch replaced
Bywater, and VE Curd replaced

Dodswell.
Probables: Welch, Baker, J Bruce, Billy Heal, Bryn Evans. Tommy Rochester, HE
Hook, Basil Solly, Fred

Stenning,
Jimmy Jones, AF Curtis. Possibles: WJ Neave, A Williamson, JE Morgan, H
Easton, J Dodswell, D Wilson,

Bywater, Ham,
RWF Munns, TG Temlett, T Wilson.

21/8/39
Further trial for Epsom Town with further new players inc Purdie (19) 6ft 2in
and over 12st. goalkeeper who came

from a local
Carshalton postal team. Outside left Lloyd came from a junior team in
Twickenham. Don Butcher came from

Wandgas, and
played at left back. Would become an Epsom regular after the war. Wandgas
were a London League

Division 1
team. Roy Marlow also played in this trial, despite having left Epsom for
Sutton, while WH "Bronk" Challis

was at left back, but wouldn't play regularly, as he was
getting on a bit by now. Further trial planned for 26/8 after Epsom's

game with Eton
Manor.

2/9/39 Epsom Town opened (and closed) their Surrey Senior
League campaign with a 2-1 win over Godalming at West St.

Epsom were the
better team, despite having to play with ten men for most of the game, after
G Clayton injured his

cartilage.
Dick Wilson was also unable to play, but Temlett was very good, and scored a
second half penalty, to go with

Jackie Collins
first half strike, while Godalming got a consolation at 2-0.

A programme was produced for this game, which was the
first and probably last ever produced until 1945/46 by Epsom Town.

Charles Pettett writes in the programme as Bert Pettett.
Must have been Herbert Charles Pettett. It was "Today I have the

pleasure of
introducing the new Epsom Town team for your approval and support."

FAC XPR was
also this day, but neither Epsom side were expected to play until 16/9 in
first qualifying round. Obviously,

this never
happened, as the Cup was abandoned after the imminent declaration of war.

3/9/39 World
War II declared. All competitions suspended.

15/9/39
reported at this time that Charles Pettett was now Chairman of Epsom Town FC,
and stated that the Town

club hopes to
continue, as only 4 call ups so far.

23/9/39 Epsom
FC decide to close down for the duration of the war.

4/11/39 Erith & Belvedere draw 1-1 with Sutton United
in the opening match of the South Eastern Combination. Epsom Town

would join it
next season. In the Sutton side were David Wesley, Bobby Gill and Basil
Solly.

Hersham apply,
but are not accepted, and join Surrey Combination instead.

24/11/39 Epsom
Town are named as one of the 14 teams in the Surrey Combination and matches
are due to begin on

16th December.
However, only 9 teams actually start the league. Charles Pettett is credited
with having a lot to do with

the league's
formation. The trophy and medals are to be presented by E Cox (vice-president
of Hersham).

Permit players
will be allowed, and there will be no registration, but clubs are duty bound
to notify other clubs if a player

decides to
change teams. It is therefore possible for a pro to play for Epsom one week,
and against them, the next!

The League was
suggested by the Joint Leagues Board, comprising Athenian, Isthmian, Spartan
and London, and was

originally to
be called the Surrey Emergency League. League formed on 19/11/39 at
Coronation Club, Kingston.

Fixture list
is to be completed on 26th November. Much work is required at the ground as
the groundsman was released

from his
duties after the declaration, and the grass was long and thick! The dressing
rooms have damage, and some

windows were
broken, probably by young boys. Kingstonians are reported as being worse off
as their ground has been

taken over by the ARP and dressing rooms
converted into decontamination quarters!! They do not start the season.

Hersham had offered the use oft heir ground to Kingstonian
but the offer wasn't taken up. Venners were one of the expected 14 clubs.

It has been
confirmed that the Trustees of the ground have agreed for it to be let to
Epsom Town.

2/12/39 Opening fixtures in Surrey Combination this day
saw Vickers beat Walton by 5 goals, + Hersham beat Woking 3-1.

Former Epsom
player T Pierce is playing for Walton this day, while Harry Payton and Bill
Ruffell are with Hersham.

Dec 39 J
Youdale and Lionel Hanton playing for Dorking Sports in 5-2 win over Mr S
Denyer's XI at the Dorking Sports

Ground, which
was in Meadowbank. (Earliest reference). Future wartime player Alan Redman
also at Dorking Sports.

9/12/39 Epsom
Town were unlucky not to win their opening fixture, as a deflection led to a
Walton equaliser. Town were

strongest on the left, and Tommy Rochester played his
usual intelligent game at right half. Epsom were a goal down after

10 minutes, but Tommy Dunne equalised after good work from
J.Osborne, who got the second before HT. Both sides tired

in the second
half, and there was an exciting ending with many half chances in the closing
minutes.

T Pierce and
Harry Payton are now playing for Epsom, so Pierce played with Walton last
week, and against them now!

Dec 39 Comet
states that there are few grounds as chilly and depressing as Nunhead in bad
weather!

15/12/39 reported from "a Langley Vale supporter of
some 15 years standing" congratulating Charles Pettett on sticking to

his guns.
"All local supporters will voice their thanks that Saturday afternoon
football is again available".

Dec 39 Syd
Faggetter is at Redhill in SEC this year. Later on though is playing for
Leyland Motors!

Manor Hospital
and Long Grove Hospital and St Ebba's (was Ewell Mental Hospital) all playing
friendlies still.

Also
Leatherhead Hospital Shield still continuing through the war, although it
would end in 1946. Even the Sutton &

District are
operational this season, although split into two regional groups.

16/12/39 A
good 6-1 win over Vickers saw an inspiring debut at West Street. A good game
which deserved the support of

a larger crowd. Even heavy wet ground failed to deter the
players. Williams got the first two after work by Bill Ruffell. HT 2-1.

Goals from Rochester and Osborne in the first five minutes
of the second half put the result beyond doubt. Then J Beasley

scored from 40
yards and Ruffell got the last one.

Surrey Advertiser says Ruffell got two and Osborne didn't
score but it was an away team report so will stick with what I have.

23/12/39 No
game for first team. They were meant to travel to Cobham, but the blackout
stopped this.

Cobham Avorians play this season at "The Fairmile,
Cobham". No connection to Cobham FC, although some players were

Cobham players.
Connected to Cobham Avorians Cricket Club.

26/12/39 Game abandoned v Cobham Avorians after 5 minutes
of the second half with the score 1-1.
due to "intense blackness

descending on
the ground". It had been an even game up to this point, although Cobham
had scored after 8 minutes and

Mitchenson had
missed a penalty (WIDE) in 1st half at 0-1. Just before HT Osborne equalised.

Bryn Evans
played for Cobham this day. The match started late and it was agreed to play
only 40 minutes each way.

30/12/39 Epsom
beat Walton on Thames 2-0. Most attractive football but attendances remain
below 1,000. Play has

merited three
times that amount. Paper headline says "Poor support at Epsom".
Walton had ten men for first 40

minutes until
secretary P.Tomlin came on to make up the 11. Epsom had 75% of play. Osborne
has scored in all of

Epsom's
matches so far. Rochester scored a penalty in first five minutes. This match
was only 35 minutes each way.

Future England
Olympic squad player Jack Neale plays for Walton this day, after being with
Hersham. Would still play

occasionally
for both!

Dec 39
Abandoned match with Cobham will be replayed this week 6/1/40

30/12/39 West
Norwood are still in existence and win at Carshalton Athletic in London
Senior Cup.

6/1/40
conditions not ideal but the game is played this time. Rochester scored a
penalty after 5 minutes and Fred

Stenning and
Bryn Evans were playing for Cobham. Both ex-Epsom players. Epsom dominated
2nd half but scored just

the once
through Osborne. Ruffell had a poor match, missing chance after chance and
cancelling out a Williams goal

through an
offside. Herald is kinder to Ruffell than Comet was, calling him
"brilliant" as was Bryn Evans. C Farringdon did

well in goal
"an entirely satisfactory substitute" for Strudwick. A goal in each
half as Epsom win 2-0.

Jan 40
reference to WJ Keeling's shop at 15 High St, Epsom. He is a house furnisher
and was father of Fred and Harold.

13/1/40 Epsom lose their unbeaten record in friendly at
Sutton. Basil Solly, Bobby Gill and Maurice Gill playing for Sutton.

Solly played a
large part in all three goals. Epsom have two professionals in their side,
Mitchenson and Osborne, but

many others
were away. Ruffell was working, while Williams was on holiday in Wales.
Despite this Tommy Rochester

played well in
"a grand game".

Jan 40 SSC draw
v Vickers Armstrong (H) to be played on 10/2/40. Already beaten VA on
16/12/39 6-1.

20/1/40 Epsom
are 0-0 at home to Woking at HT and Woking scored first after 55 minutes, but
Epsom replied with five.

It was a small
attendance sees "a sparkling game" with Woking edging the first
half. The Beasley equaliser gave Epsom

heart. Herald
says that not once have Epsom failed to put on an attractive game this
season.

27/1/40 No
game. Sutton had a game postponed for bad weather, but it's not clear whether
Epsom had one planned.

Many games were postponed this day with only 7 starting in
England & Scotland according to the Times. One of those was

abandoned. Only
6 were played at Amateur level.

3/2/40 Epsom
unable to fulfil their match v Leyland Motors this day. Not sure what
happened here yet.

3/2/40 Very
likely it was weather reelated as only one match played in the entire country
and that was in Plymouth!

10/2/40 A
Williams hat trick sees Epsom record a comfortable win over Vickers in the
SSC. Advertiser says Osborne

scores again, and has scored in every single competitive
match this season so far. However, Herald looks more accurate,

and says
Williams got a HT and Bill Ruffell the other two. Williams scored after 30
minutes, HT 1-0, but 58 minutes was

1-1. Williams scored again two minutes later,  and got a third soon after, while Ruffell
got the last two against J Beby, the

ex-Leicester
City goal keeper.

10/2/40 Tom
Ogle made his debut, and papers refer to there only being 14 players in Epsom
Town's ranks. Tom had

played briefly
in the mid-thirties for Epsom FC.

Papers say
that ex-player Fred Stenning was playing for Vickers "He has not
improved". He was actually playing

for Cobham in
January, and played v Epsom on 6/1/40.

10/2/40
Wimbledon defeat Walton on Thames 15-2 in SSC1!! Other games: Redhill 6-0
Carshalton Ath, Guildford 6-0

Cobham Av,
T&M 2-2 Met Police a.e.t., Hersham 0-1 Sutton United. Woking &
Nunhead byes?

17/2/40 home
game v Camberley & Y postponed.

24/2/40 Bill
Dellow (Croydon) is referee for a SJC 2 tie between Leatherhead United and
Trojan Sports at Fetcham Grove

won 4-2 by Trojan who were a car making factory. A future
Secretary of the Southern League who would name the League Cup after him.

24/2/40 Epsom
let a two goal lead slip against Camberley & Yorktown and draw 2-2.

Apparently
Camberley & Yorktown did not play at Krooner Park this season. As it was
requisitioned for the war effort.

Played at
Camberley Recreation Ground instead.

Williams had taken the lead for Epsom after a dribble and
shot from an acute angle after 40 minutes which went in the top

right corner of the net. Harry Payton got the second after
55 minutes. Camberley's equaliser was "a miracle of a goal" with

a flying full
length header by Stockley. Ives got their first goal.

2/3/40
"The best game before the best gate was won by the better team"
Nunhead win 3-1 in SSC. Nunhead had 4

Amateur
Internationals & Henley who was a schoolboy international on Arsenal's
books.

Tommy Rochester
returned at centre forward, but had no success, and Beasley's goal was a late
consolation.

2/3/40 Other results in SSC Met Police 0-4 T&M
(replay) 2nd Round: Wimbledon 5-2 Redhill, Woking 2-0 Sutton and presumably

Guildford v
T&M to come in remaining qf.

2/3/40 EL Gould
came in for JR Mitchenson. Both Rochester and Ruffell hit the post.

2/3/40
Wimbledon defeat Redhill 5-2 in front of 1,200 at Plough Lane in SSC.

9/3/40 Epsom
led 3-2 at HT but lose 4-3. Fred Stenning scores for Vickers, after starting
the season with Epsom.

9/3/40
Strudwick injured his hand and was off for half an hour with Pierce
deputising, but they scored the winner during

the time he was off the field. Herald calls it
"Epsom's unlucky day". 1-0 down after 2 minutes, but 3-1 up after
30, and 3-2

at HT. Then
Strudwick injured himself after making a save, as the forward lunged in after
the ball to get it over the line.

T Pierce went
in goal instead, and when Strudwick returned, it was on the wing as a
passenger. At 3-4 down, Epsom

nearly saved
it. FG Bacon played for Epsom (debut) (Barnet and Southall), while Osborne is
"deteriorating".

9/3/40 Reigate Boys defeat Epsom Boys 5-0 at Reigate
Priory in Hood Shield Regional Final. No future Epsom players in the line up.

9/3/40 Sid
Faggetter scored four for Leyland v Woking

16/3/40 Epsom
losing 2-1 at HT despite going downhill, yet turned it around in 2nd half and
won 4-2 v Hersham.

Reference to T
Gillick playing and scoring for Hersham, who had previously played for Ewell
and Stoneleigh

C Farringdon
played well in Strudwick's absence, although Payton and Ogle were not as good
as usual.

16/3/40
reference to Goblin Sports playing Ashtead in Sutton & District League at
Gibraltar Rec, Ewell. They later play

at Court Rec in
another home match.

22/3/40 Epsom
had 80% of the play v Guildford City Reserves, but failed to score in 1st
half, and lost 1-0 after a more

even 2nd half.
Ruffell was the main culprit, and admitted as much afterwards. Goal was in
47th minute. Osborne and

Williams were
better this week.

23/3/40 Woking travel to Guildford for the first leg of
the Surrey Combination Cup and play the second leg on 27th April, losing

0-3 and 1-3.
This was just a two team event even though it was called a League Cup!

25/3/40 Easter
Monday saw Guildford City field their full first team in front of the largest
gate of the season so far at

West Street.
Guildford C narrowly won the match. Not helped by a leg injury to Bill
Ruffell in mid second half which

rendered him
"less effective". Herald says C Farringdon is "a find".
Epsom were 1-0 down after 20 minutes, but Gould

equalised after
47, but lost, with Williams hitting the post right near the end.

30/3/40 Sid
Faggetter, previously with Redhill, and future Redhill player, and Epsom
player coach in 49/50 scores all

four goals for
Leyland Motors at Kingston after Epsom had taken an early 2-0 lead. Tom Ogle
injured hip. Passenger.

This was Epsom's third straight defeat, and they were 2-0
down after 10 minutes. They got it back to 2-2 after 48 minutes,

and had a shot
by Williams held by the keeper over the line, but the referee was not up with
the play and didn't allow it.

The score was 2-3 at the time. The referee was Mr A
Horwood, who had taken charge of the Clapton Orient v Epsom Town

match back in
1933/34.

30/3/40 T&M
3-1 Guildford City in SSC 2 (QF).

6/4/40
Wonderful "sparkling" game of football with Woking which was won
3-2. In the first half saw the best
football seen

all season in the Combination. 2 new players
played - Lawlor (Dartford) and Mackay from Camberley. Mackay only

played once
though before returning to Camberley, so may have been a guest player. He
replaced C Farringdon, who has

now joined the
army. Woking had some famous names from Fulham, Abbott, Griffiths and Price.
Lawlor scored after 4

minutes of
debut, but it was 1-1 two minutes later. Williams put Epsom 2-1 up with
"a marvellous shot", but HT was 2-2.

Beasley beat
three players before passing to Lawlor who did the same, and passed for
Ruffell to score an easy winner

after 75
minutes.

13/4/40 Worcester Park v Fetcham OB @ Epsom in Final of
Sutton & Cheam Hospital Cup. W Park won 4-3. A second ball

was required when a first ball was impaled on a corrugated
iron fence. This match was followed by the Junior Hospital Cup

Final where
Cuddington beat Epsom Spartans 5-0. K.O. 6pm after the earlier match at 3.30.
There was a fair crowd and

large number of
ladies present for the Worcester Park v Fetcham game

April 40
reference to Basil Solly, Bobby Gill and brother Maurice Gill playing for
Sutton.

13/4/40
Williams for Epsom and Miller for Cobham both injured towards the close of
the first half which ended 0-0, but

Both became
passengers. Game was uninspiring say papers, even though it was 5-0.

Epsom scored
five v Cobham Avorians in 2nd half. Game was played at Cobham Recreation
ground pre-Anvil Lane days.

Epsom were well
on top, even in the first half. Gregory had a great game in goal for Cobham.

20/4/40 A
decisive and well merited win, and an entertaining and keenly fought game,
which was goalless at HT. Ruffell

did well, and
Epsom played a new outside right in T Wingrove. CV George and RE Mackay both
played for Camberley.

Osborne scored
after 50 minutes and Ruffell got the second after 58. Epsom should have
scored more, but their shooting

was too high..
Herald says H Hall, not S Hall. It is possible that H Hall was also H Howe,
who played in the next match.

20/4/40 SSC SF
T&M 3-1 Nunhead @ Wimbledon.

27/4/40 Last
league game ever played by Hersham was at Mole House v Epsom. Epsom won 5-0.

The first half
was very even, with Hersham perhaps just on top. "Strudwick has played
many excellent games for Epsom,

but never one
to surpass his performance at Hersham on Saturday". HT was 2-0 to Epsom.
Herald refers to Drysdale as

J Drysdale, not
F Drysdale, yet Comet calls him F Drysdale in same match. I will go with J.

Latest Surrey
Combination Table is in Surrey Comet on 1/5/40.

10/5/40
reported that Epsom will play Sutton in a return friendly on 13/5/40. Epsom
requested that all four ex-Epsom

players are
included, Maurice Gill, Bobby Gill, David Wesley and Basil Solly.

11/5/40 Epsom
beat Leyland Motors 3-1 to become Champions of the Surrey Combination.
Attendance was not up to

expectations
though. They went behind early to another Sid Faggetter goal, but equalised
quickly through Ruffell.

Club captain
Ruffell got another before half time, and Lawlor got the third three minutes
from time.

Epsom had
scored the most goals and had the least number scored against them.

Herald
reported a tired end of season feeling, even though it was a title winning
match. The second half saw "considerable

bad
feeling". Lawlor's third as he "headed a perfect goal from a well
judged Burns corner kick"

Herald also comments on how the gates have met expenses
with the exception of the rent and rates on the ground and "part of the

programme charges". Although a programme was produced
for the opening SSL match I assumed they had stopped once war was

declared. Keep looking!

11/5/40
Wimbledon 2-2 Woking - SSC SF @ Dulwich. To replay 18/5/40 at Guildford.

13/5/40
Friendly with Sutton United cancelled due to the war situation.

18/5/40
Wimbledon 3-1 Woking - SSC SF at Guildford.

25/5/40 Wimbledon 3-1 Tooting & Mitcham - SSC F.
Played at Wimbledon FC. Competition would not restart until 1943/44.

June 40 Elected
to South Eastern Combination.