Northwood F.C. - History: Formation in 1926, To 2010

History: Formation in 1926, To 2010

A club in the Northwood area was established in 1899, however Northwood as they are today were not believed to have been formed until 1926. Their early history is largely unknown and it is unclear what leagues they played in until 1931, when they joined the Harrow & Wembley League. They were champions of this league for six years in a row just prior to World War II and three more times after the war. This success did not last, however, and the 1950s and 1960s were mainly spent playing local junior-level football. In 1969 the Woods joined the Middlesex County Senior League. Northwood began life as Northwood Rovers and later United, but after The Second World War they dropped the suffix, to become what they are today – simply Northwood FC.

In 1978, Northwood won the Middlesex League championship and were able to step up to the Hellenic League Division One, which they won in their debut season. This led to promotion to the Premier Division, where they spent five, mostly mid-table, seasons.

The club moved across the pyramid in 1984 to the London Spartan League, which was renamed back to the Spartan League in 1992. In an eight-season spell, Northwood finished in the top three on four occasions, culminating with the Premier Division title in the 1992–93 season, leading to admission to the Isthmian League in 1993. In 1994, the club progressed to the final of the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup but were beaten by Staines Town.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the club enjoyed their best spell in their history with strikers Lawrence Yaku, Steve Hale and Scott Fitzgerald – who joined Watford in 2003 – regularly scoring in excess of twenty goals, making them a potent strike force. In fact, Yaku's tally of 53 goals in his first season (1999/2000) remains the most by any Woods player in a single season, and he sits second on the list of Northwood's all time top goalscorers with 137 goals. Club Legends Chris Gell – who made a club record 489 appearances for the club, Dave Nolan who made 450 appearances and Dave Sargent who too played more than 400 games for the club, where also mainstays throughout the period and played a key part in the success enjoyed on the field. Northwood gradually climbed through the divisions of the Isthmian League under Tony Choules winning the Isthmian Charity Shield in 2002, and then reaching the Premier Division in 2003 after winning the 2002/03 Isthmian Division One North. The side was then switched to the Southern League in 2005, where they remained until 2007, but after relegation from the Southern League Premier Division, they were moved "sideways" to the Isthmian League Division One North. Despite relegation, Northwood did lift the 2006/07 Middlesex Senior Cup as they beat Conference South outfit Hayes 4–2 on penalties, although it was the only real bright point in a disappointing season. In the past few years Northwood have seen a few managers come and go, Dave Anderson (now at Harrow Borough) was the most successful in that period, as he helped the club finish 6th and 10th in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 season's respectively before departing in March 2010.