Woodford Town question.

[Exiled O]

I used to go to Snakes Lane around 83-84. Woodford Town were playing in the Southern league and were getting gates of around 50. Then in 1987 they finished third in the league ( their best finish for well over a decade,) and played Orient in the first round of the FA cup in front of a crowd of over 2K. They also sold Paul Williams to Charlton for 10K. However, the next season they dropped down to the Essex Senior League and by 1993 had been evicted for non-payment of rent. How did they go from must of been their best financial season in decades to the ESL and then eviction ? Do any boarders know ? I do seem to remember that Vince McBean (of Clapton fame) was somehow involved in this.

[tuffers#1]

They had a bunch of ex spurs youth/reserves there

Joey & John Simmonds ( Ex Spuds )
who used to play with the Kanes fron O's reserves
At Cowley Boys/ Beaumont FC ( sunday league) .
A lot of them left pro football & a few ended up at woodford .
The owner at the time was worth a few quid . Went skint &
Then the club bar caught fire & a claim was made for insurance .

[Exiled O]

Christ, the club bar was called Woody's and used to double as a downmarket nightclub. In those days every area had a pub or bar where it was easy to get served even if you were clearly underage. For a year or two Woodys was one of those places. I reckon a foetus could have got served in there.

[tuffers#1]

Woodys.was definitely the place to go for an underage drinker .

It did have certain nights where a dj was paid & the clientel were legal.

It was Woodys that burned down under very mysterious circumstances .

Im sure it got rebuilt then caught fire a 2nd time .

[Exiled O]

Am I right in thinking that McBean was involved somehow ?

[Lovejoy]

I used to live near Woodys and they used to do a late one on Sunday afternoons, unntil one day there was a knock on the door and the old bill came walking in. Nobody got nicked but the old bill did shout at us not to drive home. That would have been about 1985.

[Thor]

Is the ground still there? Not been there for years, but the last I went past it was still there.

[tuffers#1]

Called Foundation Sports ground

As far as I know ExiledO, MacBean wasnt anything to
do with the running of the club back then , for some reason
My memory is dragging up a bloke who was a builder &
It was him in charge in the 80s .

[Thor]

Pleased it’s still a sports ground.

[Beradogs]

I went to the game. The only time in my life I didn’t support Orient in a football match (grew up in Woodford). I was sat near the group of Broadmead skins (the local estate) who fired rockets at the players in the second half and were sniffing glue for the 90 mins. You’ll never make the station!.

[BIGRON]

A 1-0 win to the O's if I remember rightly

[slacker]

The current “mob” look like they are trying to channel the Clapton Ultras vibe, which is great, but it seems a bit more Streatham Rovers than anything.

[Lovejoy]

A 1-0 win to the O's if I remember rightly

Yep,and a late goal by Colin Foster I think.

[Oiram]

https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/p ... -1-6383645

[Oiram]

https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/p ... -1-6383645

[Omygawd]

Woody’s attracted a number of “interesting” people some of who had been regulars at Wooly Hall in Chigwell a few years before. The lock ins and eventual burning down were of no real surprise given some of the clientele. Remember though this was a bit of an hedonistic and rebellious era fuelled by more than the odd Babycham and Tizer top. Had a few good nights in there but it always had a slightly menacing atmosphere. It would be great to see the current version of Woodford Town back in the area albeit across the road.

[Oiram]

I used to go to Snakes Lane around 83-84. Woodford Town were playing in the Southern league and were getting gates of around 50. Then in 1987 they finished third in the league ( their best finish for well over a decade,) and played Orient in the first round of the FA cup in front of a crowd of over 2K. They also sold Paul Williams to Charlton for 10K. However, the next season they dropped down to the Essex Senior League and by 1993 had been evicted for non-payment of rent. How did they go from must of been their best financial season in decades to the ESL and then eviction ? Do any boarders know ? I do seem to remember that Vince McBean (of Clapton fame) was somehow involved in this.

Didn’t Mr. F. Lampard senior have some connection with it at some point?

[Kevash]

The ground update is nearly complete and there is already fixtures planned for them at Ashton Playing Fields. Think the first one should have already happened but cancelled for lockdown 2