DESBOROUGH TOWN FC

Desborough Town have a remarkable history since it was formed in 1896 and joined the Northants League which is now known as the United Counties League. It has been a continual member of that combination apart from Season 1945/46 when the club had not been reformed following the break for the second world war.

The club was first affiliated to the Northants Football Association in 1896 with the Secretary being Mr A.L Mobbs the landlord of the Swan Inn which used to stand in Lower Street. The club has always played its home matches at the Waterworks Field and in the early days used to change in the outbuildings at the back of the Swan Inn before marching up the Braybrooke Road to the ground. The second season saw the Formation of Northampton Town and the Cobblers first ever League game was played at the Waterworks Field on 25th September 1897 with Ar Tarn triumphing by two clear goals

It was at this period that Desborough inherited the nicknames that are not forgotten with the passing of time. ‘Ar Tarn’ the local dialect meaning our town has probable survived the longest ‘The Buckets’ is a reference to the adjacent waterworks and was used by the local newspaper’s licensed crank in his reports on the Desborough matches at the time. The most infamous of them all was ‘Dirty Desborough’ which had no reference to the team at all and were remarks made by a visiting medical officer referring to the town’s poor sanitation.

Success on the field came quickly to the Desborough Town team and in season 1900/01 they captured the Northants League title for the very first time. There was a double celebration in the town as the club also captured the Northants Junior Cup beating Northampton Town Reserves in the Final Desborough’s first glory in the F.A Cup came in season 1910/11 when they reached the Fourth Qualifying Round of the competition before losing to Midland League Champions Chesterfield at the Waterworks Field before a crowd of over 2000 spectators. Chesterfield went on to beat Rotherham and Bolton before eventually losing to Chelsea. Desborough’s best run in the competition was reserved for season 1926/27 when they reached the first round proper of the competition and were drawn at home to Doncaster Rovers.

The joy which swept the town was short lived however when the committee decided that the gate would be severely reduced by the fact that Kettering were playing Coventry City in another tie just six miles away and the game was switched to Doncaster’s Belle Vue ground. This proved to be a disastrous decision as many of the towns spectators claimed they had been robbed of the greatest game ever to be staged at the Waterworks Field and deserted the club. As a result the club soon found itself with financial problems and the glory years of the twenties were not to be repeated. As for the game itself Desborough were drawing with just eight minutes

remaining when the match was abandoned through fog and in the midweek replay they went down by three clear goals. 

The twenties were certainly the glory years for Desborough Town as they captured trophy after trophy and on only two occasions in 1949 and 1967 have they been able to top the league chart since. However whilst they may not have had so much success on the field the progress behind the scenes has certainly been tremendous. They have purchased the freehold of the ground allowing them a secure future, they have erected the best floodlighting system in the league and more recently have erected a first class social club following the destruction of their original premises through fire in 2009 and in 2014 the club rebuilt the changing facilities. The transfer of the cricket club to a new ground has now seen the club in total control of their premises with full training facilities next to the main pitch

United Counties League champions:-

1900-01            1901-02            1906-07             1920-21            1923-24

1924-25            1927-28            1948-49             1966-67

Reserve team champions

1910-11            1928-29

County Senior Cup Winners 

1910-11            1913-14            1928-29             1951-52