Please note this book is now available and follows on from 'Farewell to the County' published last year. With it looking possible Saturday's game will be postponed, please let me know if you want a copy before Christmas.
In the 1950s, Horsham Football Club became one of the first clubs in Sussex to try and progress from county football by joining a wider-based competition. The fact they joined one in which they played against top Football League clubs only served to spark the enthusiasm of the public. The Metropolitan League was an intriguing and exciting competition that captured the imaginations of football fans across the south, until it largely outdid itself by becoming too strong to allow amateur clubs to live their dreams of playing against the biggest names in the land – Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Chelsea ... Haywards Heath! Ultimately the league faded into obscurity and merger along with most others that sprang up in the post-war football boom years, but when the Horsham club joined, the competition was just about to soar in status and a whole host of teams would fight to become members. This affected Sussex perhaps more than any other county. Worthing had left the County League in 1948 to join the Corinthian League. Horsham left in 1951 and opted for the Metropolitan League. From 1952 to 1957, eight other County League clubs looked to move on from that competition and every one of them wanted to join the Metropolitan League. It had that little bit of magic that made it stand out from the rest. To join the Metropolitan League was to embark upon an adventure.
There is a report on every game, the thoughts of the players involved and a look at the famous player-coach the club hired to help them find success. The era saw four major trophies, a game against the mighty Arsenal’s first team, the club’s first imported London players, ambitious plans to improve facilities at the ground, and an ongoing battle with the local press, dissatisfied supporters and former officials who were unhappy with the direction the club was moving.
Metropolitan Adventure' is 484 pages and is available from Horsham FC home games, the Horsham Museum,
or The Printed Word, Unit D, Huffwood Trading Estate, Billingshurst RH14 9UR. Telephone 01403 782776.
It is also available on-line at www.hornetsreview.co.uk, the official website of Horsham Football Club (when it works).
Price £14.95 (plus £4 postage and packing)
In the 1950s, Horsham Football Club became one of the first clubs in Sussex to try and progress from county football by joining a wider-based competition. The fact they joined one in which they played against top Football League clubs only served to spark the enthusiasm of the public. The Metropolitan League was an intriguing and exciting competition that captured the imaginations of football fans across the south, until it largely outdid itself by becoming too strong to allow amateur clubs to live their dreams of playing against the biggest names in the land – Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Chelsea ... Haywards Heath! Ultimately the league faded into obscurity and merger along with most others that sprang up in the post-war football boom years, but when the Horsham club joined, the competition was just about to soar in status and a whole host of teams would fight to become members. This affected Sussex perhaps more than any other county. Worthing had left the County League in 1948 to join the Corinthian League. Horsham left in 1951 and opted for the Metropolitan League. From 1952 to 1957, eight other County League clubs looked to move on from that competition and every one of them wanted to join the Metropolitan League. It had that little bit of magic that made it stand out from the rest. To join the Metropolitan League was to embark upon an adventure.
There is a report on every game, the thoughts of the players involved and a look at the famous player-coach the club hired to help them find success. The era saw four major trophies, a game against the mighty Arsenal’s first team, the club’s first imported London players, ambitious plans to improve facilities at the ground, and an ongoing battle with the local press, dissatisfied supporters and former officials who were unhappy with the direction the club was moving.
Metropolitan Adventure' is 484 pages and is available from Horsham FC home games, the Horsham Museum,
or The Printed Word, Unit D, Huffwood Trading Estate, Billingshurst RH14 9UR. Telephone 01403 782776.
It is also available on-line at www.hornetsreview.co.uk, the official website of Horsham Football Club (when it works).
Price £14.95 (plus £4 postage and packing)
