Maidenhead United F.C.

History

Maidenhead Football Club was established in October 1870, with the club's first match played on 17 December 1870 against Windsor Home Park at Bond's Meadow. They were one of the fifteen clubs to play in the inaugural FA Cup competition in 1871–72, beating Marlow 2–0 in the first round before losing 3–0 at Crystal Palace. The club reached the quarter finals the following season, eventually losing 4–0 to Oxford University. The club were quarter-finalists again in 1873–74 – losing 7–0 at Royal Engineers – and 1874–75, when they were beaten 1–0 at Old Etonians. Maidenhead Temperance and Boyne Hill both merged into the club in 1891.

Maidenhead were founder members of the Southern League in 1894, joining Division Two. They finished bottom of the division in its inaugural season and again in 1898–99 and 1899–1900, before leaving the league in 1902. before joining the new Great Western Suburban League alongside Maidenhead Norfolkians in 1904.

Following a meeting in April 1919 Maidenhead Norfolkians merged into the club. The newly-united won the Great Western Suburban League in 1919–20, They won the Division One title in 1926–27, before being placed in Division One West in 1928 amidst league reorganisation. The club were Division One West runners-up in 1928–29 before being placed in the Premier Division the following season.

Maidenhead were Premier Division runners-up in 1930–31 and went on to win the league the following season. They then joined the newly formed Corinthian League. The club won the league's Memorial Shield in 1956–57 and were league champions the following season. After winning the league again in 1960–61, they won the league and Memorial Shield double in 1961–62.

Another FA Cup first round appearance followed in 1962–63, ending with a 3–0 defeat at home to Wycombe Wanderers. In 1963 the Corinthian League merged into the Athenian League, with Maidenhead becoming members of the Premier Division. In their first season in the new league the club reached the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 2–0 at home to Bath City. A fourth FA Cup first round appearance in 1971–72 saw them lose 2–0 at Enfield. In 1973 the club joined Division Two of the Isthmian League, which was renamed Division One in 1977. They were relegated to Division Two South at the end of the 1986–87 season, where they remained until finishing as runners-up in 1990–91, earning promotion back to Division One. In 1996–97 the club won the league's Full Members Cup.

A third-place finish in Division One in 1999–2000 saw Maidenhead promoted to the Premier Division. In 2003–04 they finished twelfth in the Premier Division, earning a place in the new Conference South. However, after finishing bottom of the division in 2005–06, the club were relegated to the Premier Division of the Southern League. The following season saw them reach the FA Cup first round for the first time since the 1970s, losing 2–0 at Stafford Rangers in a replay; they also finished fourth in the Premier Division qualifying for the promotion play-offs; the club went on to defeat King's Lynn 1–0 in the semi-finals before beating Team Bath by the same scoreline in the final to secure promotion back to the Conference South. Another FA Cup first round appearance in 2007–08 ended with a 4–1 defeat at Horsham. They reached the first round again in 2011–12 (losing 2–0 to Aldershot Town in a replay) and 2015–16 (losing 3–1 at home to Port Vale in another replay).

In 2016–17 Maidenhead won the renamed National League South, earning promotion to the National League. In their first season in the division, another FA Cup first round appearance saw them lose 2–0 at Coventry City. They reached the first round again in 2019–20, losing 3–1 at home to Rotherham United. The 2019–20 National League season was officially curtailed on 31 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring the outcome of the final table to be decided on a points per game basis. Maidenhead were narrowly spared from relegation to the National League South after Ebbsfleet United were relegated by 0.002 of a point.

After finishing third-from-bottom of the National League in 2024–25 Maidenhead were relegated to the National League South.

Colours

The club's original colours were red and black hooped jerseys. In 1919, after the merger with Norfolkians, the club colours were changed to black and white.

Ground

Main article: York Road (Maidenhead)

The club played their first home match at Bond's Meadow, before moving to York Road in 1871, with the first match at the new ground played on 16 February 1871 against Marlow. York Road had been a cricket ground from the late eighteenth century, and is acknowledged as the 'oldest senior football ground continuously used by the same club'. The freehold of the ground was bought in 1920. The club's record attendance of 7,920 was set for an FA Amateur Cup quarter-final against Southall on 7 March 1936, with Maidenhead winning 1–0.

Women

Maidenhead United Women were formed in 2008. Following two promotions, the club have operated at Tier 4 of women's football in England since 2015, competing in FA Women's National League Division 1 South West.

Juniors

Maidenhead United Juniors was founded in 2019 and currently runs more than 60 teams providing football football for youngsters between the ages of 6 and 18 across various local leagues in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Staff

References

References

1. [https://footballgroundguide.com/leagues/conference/conference-premier/maidenhead-united-york-road.html Maidenhead United] Football Ground Guide
2. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-19928342 Country's 'oldest' football ground in Maidenhead gets plaque] {{Webarchive. link. (6 December 2020 BBC News, 13 October 2012)
3. [http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/maidenheadunited/a/history-7508.html History] {{Webarchive. link. (19 December 2017 Maidenhead United F.C.)
4. {{fchd
5. The club subsequently dropped into the West Berkshire League and the Berks and Bucks League. They won the West Berkshire League at the first attempt and were runners-up in 1903–04,[http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/maidenheadunited/a/honours-9971.html?page=2 Honours] Maidenhead United F.C.
6. [http://nonleaguematters.co.uk/nlmnet/Regions_2/GWSL04.html Great Western Suburban League 1904–1931] Non-League Matters
7. link. (3 March 2016 Non-League Matters)
8. Ilford]] at [[Boleyn Ground. link. (23 June 2015 Non-League Matters)
9. [http://nonleaguematters.co.uk/nlmnet/Regs1Df/Athcor.html Corinthian League 1945–1963] Non-League Matters
10. In [[1960–61 FA Cup. 1960–61]] they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since the formation of the [[English Football League. Football League]], losing 5–0 at [[Colchester United F.C.
11. "National League South Table & Standings". Sky Sports.
12. (5 November 2017). "Coventry City 2–0 Maidenhead United". BBC Sport.
13. (9 November 2019). "Maidenhead United 1–3 Rotherham United". BBC Sport.
14. (31 March 2020). "National League 'indefinitely suspends' season due to coronavirus outbreak". The Guardian.
15. (17 June 2020). "Barrow promoted back to English Football League after National League vote". BBC Sport.
16. (14 July 2020). "Ebbsfleet United: National League club call off relegation legal challenge". BBC Sport.
17. (1872). "Football Annual". Virtue.
18. (1876). "Football Annual". Ward, Lock, & Tyler.
19. "FootballSquads - Maidenhead United - 2022/2023".
20. "Men's Coaching Staff". Maidenhead United Football Club.
21. link. (29 December 2017 Maidenhead United F.C.)
22. Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) ''Non-League Club Directory 2017'', Tony Williams Publications, p132 {{ISBN. 978-1869833695