History

Chalfont St Peter AFC History  

The club was formed in 1926 and played local junior football from its ground on Gold Hill Common.

1948 saw a move to the Great Western Combination and a year later the club moved to its present location, although the picturesque name of Mill Meadow belies its origins as a refuse tip. As the club developed off the field thanks to the support of many volunteers so success began to arrive on the field and in 1952 the first silverware was won, the Berks & Bucks FA Intermediate Cup. Senior status followed and progress through the Parthenon League, London League and Spartan League followed.

The early 1970’s were difficult for the club but a move into the Athenian league saw a change in fortunes.

The 1980’s, now in the Isthmian League, brought some consistency in league performances and some successful campaigns in the FA Cup and FA Vase.

The 1990’s was another difficult decade, culminating in a low point of two successive bottom places.

2001/02 saw a rebuild under Martin Dean with a good start to the season but a subsequent falling away saw them finish 14th. The lower echelons became the accustomed territory for Saints for several seasons until Dean’s departure at the end of the 2003/04 season.

Managing Chalfont to victory in the Berks & Bucks Under-18 Challenge Cup was a young Danny Edwards. His reward was to be handed the reins of the First Team for the new season. And so began a rollercoaster ride of success and near misses that continued until just recently.

A restructuring within the Isthmian league at the end of the 2005/06 season saw Saints moving to the Spartan South Midlands Premier League.

2006/07 saw a top half finish in their first season in the Spartan and a trophy for the cabinet, the Wycombe Senior Cup, secured with a 7-0 win over Downley Albion at the Wycombe Wanderers ground.

2007/08 was a hugely successful season. Danny Edwards was developing an exciting squad and the style of play was both entertaining and successful. Good runs in both the FA Cup and FA Vase came together with a Final appearance in the Premier Division Cup. Topping them all was winning the Challenge Trophy with a 2-0 win over Brimsdown Rovers. A close three-horse race in the league saw Saints pipped at the post into runners-up spot.

2008/09 was about building on the standards set in the previous season. And it didn’t disappoint. Some top scalps in the FA Cup heralded a season of cup runs. The FA Vase was the crowning glory, with the Saints making it all the way to the semi-final and being heart breaking seconds away from winning the right to play at Wembley. Saints were in the hunt for the league title all the way to the last week of the season but the fixture congestion caused by the cup successes began to tell and they couldn’t quite make it across the line, eventually finishing a brave third. Losses in the finals of the Challenge Trophy and the Wycombe Senior Cup took a little bit of the shine off what was a brilliant season for the club.

Expectations were high going into season 2009/10 after going close to promotion in the two previous seasons. A slow start and a nightmare run of losses in October saw the title chase wobble and rapid exits from all cup competitions. But an incredible run of form with just one defeat in 23 took Saints to the top to the pile where they became the target for other teams’ top performances and it wasn’t until they were overtaken by Aylesbury in the last two games that they had to settle for the runners-up spot again.

At the start of 2010/11, the aim was clear: promotion was the number one target. Getting off to an incredible start in notching up seventeen straight wins, Saints grabbed top spot and refused to relinquish it for the entire season, never being less than four points clear at any stage. The focus was clear and any progress in the cups was quickly curtailed. Such was the dominance in the league, the champagne corks popped with five games to spare as the title was secured. The curtain was brought down on the record breaking season and their five year stay in the Spartan League by winning the Challenge Trophy for an unprecedented league and cup double.

For the 2011/12 season, life was expected to be a trial for Saints yet they made a bright start in their new environs and quickly acclimatised. For long periods they were genuine contenders but a poor end to the season, combined with the loss of totemic striker Charlie Strutton to the professional ranks, saw them fall away into the mid table.

A strong run in the FA Cup illuminated the 2012/13 season. An impressive win at Carshalton Athletic earned a tie against Conference side Bishop’s Stortford. A draw at Mill Meadow set up a replay that ultimately proved a step too far. Playing with style, Saints were to earn the Division’s Fair Play title but couldn’t reach the play-off positions.

With a lack of firepower, the 2013/14 was a disappointing way to mark Danny Edwards’ tenth season in charge. The lack of goals consigned the side to a mid-table finish despite boasting one of the meanest defences.

2014/15 saw the goals begin to return. A promising start saw the side hard to beat but too many draws held them back. A run in the FA Cup, highlighted by a deserved win in front of a baying Kettering crowd was coupled with a strong run in November that saw the club in a playoff position but from such heights, a miserable New Year run saw them tumble down into relegation territory. It took a stubborn recovery in April to ensure eventual safety.

2015/16 was a highwater mark for Saints in their current run in the Southern League. Putting aside an early exit in the FA Cup Saints went on to head the table at New Year and looked set for their first tilt at the play offs, if not more. Sadly they repeated the poor run of results thereafter and fell away to finish sixth. Still an excellent all-round season as Tony Mendy secured top scorer honours in the division with 30 goals.

In contrast, season 2016/17 was possibly the poorest in over a decade. A storming start to the season saw Saints in top spot throughout August but the hole left by the departed Mendy was never filled and as the goals dried up so the tumble down the table gathered pace. Some poor signings added to the problems and the second half of the season delivered just four wins and for a while relegation was a real possibility before safety was finally achieved.

The 2017/18 was one of our most exciting seasons in the Southern League, our seventh, with the side in playoff contention right up until the final few games. Our peerless record against those sides who ultimately claimed the top places, with just the single defeat in 12 games, including a notable double against champions Beaconsfield Town, underlined how competitive a side we were. Still struggling for goals, it was our defence that led the way with 16 clean sheets. It was a season that saw evergreen skipper Alan Hedley pass the 500 games mark and manager Danny Edwards reach 700 games in charge. Saints embrace change but enjoy stability at the same time.

2018/19 saw Saints return to the Isthmian League after 12 seasons as football was restructured. An inconsistent defence and a shortage of goals ensured Saints were unable to escape the mid-table places. Towards the end of the season, Danny Edwards signalled his wish to step down from the role he had held with such distinction and Saints had to begin the process of finding a new manager.

The dawn of the 2019/20 season sees Saints, not only with a new management team, led by Finlay Johnson, another young manager being given the opportunity to prove himself at the higher level, but also a wholly new squad as players followed Edwards to new pastures. The opportunity to build something new from the ground up promises to be an exciting one.