Dulwich Hamlet will welcome the Generals in the Buildbase FA Trophy

This afternoon’s FA Trophy draw saw the Hamlet paired with old friends from Buckinghamshire as Chesham United head for the Hill.

Chesham United reached this stage of the competition with a narrow 3-2 away to Dulwich’s Ryman League rivals, Leatherhead with Dave Pearce scoring twice to put them in control at 3-1 before Tom Bradbrook nicked an 82nd goal to make for a nervy finish. Chesham will visit Champion Hill on Saturday 12th November, a game which replaces Hamlet’s scheduled Ryman League trip to Kingstonian. Details of the full Buildbase FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round draw can be found on the FA website by clicking here.

The Generals can trace their history all the way back to 1879 when Chesham Town FC were formed by Rev Reade, curate of Christ Church, Chesham, merging in 1917 with Chesham Generals, the football of the General Baptist Church hence their nickname. Before the Second World War they enjoyed relative success first in the Spartan League before joining the Corinthian League after the cessation of hostilities where runners-up in 1961 on goal average alone. Three years later they moved into the Athenian League when the Corinthian League was disbanded.

In the 1967/68 season, little Chesham United caught the attention of the nation when, against all the odds, the Generals marched all the way from the Preliminary Round to the final of the FA Amateur Cup. Literally the whole town turned out at Wembley as Chesham narrowly lost to one of the giants of the amateur game going down 1-0 to Leytonstone in front of a 54,000 Wembley crowd. At a time when the population of Chesham was just 18,000 people, the club sold 22,000 tickets for this game!

In 1973 they were welcomed into the Isthmian League when it was expanded becoming champions of Division Two North in 1987. Crowned Division One Champions in 1991 signalled a golden period for the club back-to-back Berks & Bucks Cup triumphs sandwiched their first ever Isthmian League Premier Division title. In October 1992, the club went to the very top of the Isthmian league after a famous win at Enfield, and stayed ahead of the pack until the end of the season, being crowned Champions on the last day after a 4-0 win over Dulwich Hamlet. Crowds regularly pushed the four-figure mark but off the field failure to meet ground grading meant ascend into the Conference was denied.

There were turbulent times ahead with big name managers including Graham Roberts and Luther Blissett at the helm and even the sight of former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar between the sticks. It was Bob Dowie’s team of the early 2000’s that re-established the Generals as a force to reckoned with in the Isthmian League though perhaps he underachieved with the resources at his disposal. Two years after finishing sixth, the Generals slumped back into Division One.

The 2003/04 restructuring of the Non-League Pyramid sent Chesham into the Southern League Premier Division after finishing fourth in Division One North. However, it proved to be the start of desperate times at The Meadow with the club knocking at death’s door by 2006. Fortunately, a saviour was at hand in the shape of local businessman Charles Manchester who stepped in to get the club back on a firm footing with the help of the Supporters’ Trust. A decade later and the club is once more thriving though Manchester has stepped aside. Further investment has allowed Chesham United to create a club consistently able to challenge for promotion to The National League South.

Promoted from the Midlands Division of the Southern League in after thumping Slough Town 4-0 in front of 1115 at The Meadow, they surprised many, included themselves as they consistently challenged at the Premier Division. Twice they suffered playoff heartache finishing third in 2013 but going down to Hemel Hempstead Town in the playoff semi-final, then the following chasing Hemel all the way in the title race before having to settle for a play place where they would eventually go down 3-1 to St Albans City with nearly 3000 fans crammed into the Meadow. The hangover from those disappointments must have lingered long as, for the last couple of seasons, Chesham have had to settle for midtable mediocrity.

Yet in the FA Cup Chesham have excelled, reviving memories of their great run of 1979/80 when they reached the Third Round Proper of the competition, finally beaten 2-0 at home by Cambridge United in front of an astonishing 5000 fans. In the last campaign, they once more made headlines as Ryan Blake’s goal earned them a 1-0 First Round win away to Bristol Rovers, though they were unable to repeat the feat against Bradford City. This season they have once again reached the First Round Proper, travelling to Peterborough United this Saturday after beating Saffron Walden Town, Sevenoaks Town (after a replay), Staines Town and Potters Bar Town. Meanwhile they sit well placed in the Evo-Stick Southern League having not lost since going down 1-0 to Hayes and Yeading back on the 13th September.