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Walton Casuals History
Walton Casuals Football Club was formed in July 1948, owing its early origins to members of the
Armed Forces who formed a Sunday side, having played only friendly fixtures throughout the
1946-47 season.
The club commenced its inaugural season in Division 1 of the Surrey Intermediate (Central)
League, playing at Elm Grove Recreation Ground. Soon gaining promotion to the Premier Division
during the 1952-53 season, Walton Casuals later finished as runners-up on three occasions:
1954-55, 1956-57 and 1964-65. With the disbandment of the Surrey Intermediate
(Central) League in 1965, the club opted to move to the league’s Western Section for three seasons.
However, in 1969 Casuals joined the new Surrey Senior League, during which they moved into
their recent home at Franklyn Road. Just two years later the Stags become founder members of
the Suburban League, and after one season at Walton & Hersham’s Stompond Lane, moved into
Liberty Lane at Addlestone for eight seasons. Nonetheless, they soon returned to Franklyn
Road – which had remained host to the reserve squad – while playing in the Surrey Combination
League.
Walton Casuals scooped their first major honour during the 1982-83 season, as manager Kim
Harris guided the club to become champions of the Southern section of the Suburban League,
while also setting a league record of an impressive 23 games unbeaten. Casuals could only
manage a second place finish the following year through, falling to Sutton United.
The 1986-87 season produced another impressive display as the Stags reached the Surrey
Premier Cup Final, but lost to Croydon before falling into a steady decline in subsequent years –
regularly finishing in the bottom two of the Suburban League.
After 21 years of competing in the Suburban League, the club decided to join the Surrey Premier
League in June 1992 in order to compete in the pyramid system. Following a year of consolidation,
major changes paved the future of the club at Franklyn Road – notably with the reappointment
of Kim Harris as first-team manager, who had recently enjoyed a successful spell at Hersham
RBL.
With the club expanding into both Sunday and youth football sides in the coming seasons, the
club saw greater success in the following years. Lifting the Surrey Premier League Challenge
Cup during the 1993-94 season, defeating Holmesdale after a replay, the club also finished as
runners-up to Chobham in the league just one year later. Despite losing to Vandyke in the Surrey
Premier League Challenge Cup at the second time of asking, the club was promoted to the
Combined Counties League in the summer.
However, the progression proved to be a challenge for Casuals. The first four seasons produced
treacherous results, and the 1996-97 season saw the side finish bottom of the table. Fortunately,
relegation was avoided with the Combined Counties League exercising is prerogative to maintain
a minimum number of clubs in the Premier Division. February 1999 produced colossal developments
for the club, as with the help of local charities, the installation of floodlights at Franklyn
Road was completed – a major step for ground requirements should they progress in the
league system.
The appointment of Mick Sullivan and Garry Clark as joint managers in the summer of 1999
bought a dramatic improvement in terms of results. As well as a 5th place finish in the league,
the club won the League Cup in 2000, beating Viking Greenford 4-2 in the final at Farnborough.
The following season was also a relatively successful one, with a placing of 7th in the table and
another appearance in the League Cup Final, beaten on this occasion by double-winners Cove 3
-0 at Woking.