Honiton Town FC
Mountbatten Park
1 Ottery Moor Lane
Honiton
Devon
EX14 1AW
Ground Number: 1237
Friday 20th October 2023
Honiton Town 2-2 Cullumpton Rangers
South West Peninsula East
Friday 20th October 2023
Honiton Town 2-2 Cullumpton Rangers
South West Peninsula East
HONITON TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was established in 1950 and they joined the Devon & Exeter League upon formation. They started out in Division Junior 2A, switching to 2B the following season. They were divisional champions in 1954, winning promotion to Junior 1 in the process. Honiton fell just short in 1957, finishing as runners-up to Alphington. The divisions became regionalised in the early 1960s but in 1965 the club made the step up to the Senior Division 1B. Honiton would finish bottom of the table in 1970 and were relegated back to the Junior Division 1 East. A runners-up spot behind Seaton Town in 1973 was good enough to see the team promoted back to Senior 1B. They would finish bottom again in 1975 but would bounce back as champions of Intermediate 1 East the following season. Honiton Town pushed on from here and were Senior 1B champions in 1979. Promotion to Senior 1A followed and by 1982. a runners-up spot behind Feniton was good enough for promotion to the Premier Division. A 5th place finish in their debut season was the best that they could manage but they remained in the Premier Division until they withdrew from the league midway through the 1997/98 season. For financial reasons or otherwise, Honiton Town had to start afresh at the bottom and they would storm to the Intermediate Division 3 title the following season. Surprisingly, they would finish second-bottom in Division 2 and suffer relegation but would bounce back as Intermediate Division 3 champions in 2001, remaining unbeaten in 22 games in a season that was cut short due to foot and mouth disease. This time they fared much better and were Intermediate Division 2 champions in 2002. This won them promotion to the Senior Division 4 where they finished as runners-up to Heavitree Social Club in 2003. A 4th place finish in their first season was good enough for promotion to Division 2. They'd remain here until 2010 when a 3rd place finish was good enough for promotion to Division 1. Honiton Town would only last one season before being relegated back to Division 2. They'd remain here until 2014 when they finished as runners-up to Dolphin and then they won Division 1 the following season. Back in the Premier Division for the first time in 18 years, Honiton Town would achieve a best-ever 3rd place finish in 2016 before being crowned champions the following season. They've been in the South West Peninsula East ever since, tending to finish in the bottom half of the table.
MY VISIT
A while ago, I made a list of the ground that I most wanted to do. Honiton Town was on there as I'd already started a blog and so I was pleased when some time ago they announced a Friday night game. I'd been planning to go on Boxing Day 2021 but with my Dad on his last legs, I opted to stay at home with family instead. I'd had a double with Sherborne Town pencilled in that day, which had been on my priority list too. I'd been planning to go on my week off work in mid-September, however, it fell victim to the rain, as did my replacement of a revisit to Guildford City. It was a sign of the times with constant rain and grotty weather even in July. When I looked at this week's weather, it was more of the same and when I was researching this blog on Wednesday night, several games had been called off. With that in mind, I was glad that there was a backup game on 3G at Bridgwater Academy en route. It was a 3G cage, but better than nothing.
If it looked dodgy before I left I had the option of Flint Mountian or Keyworth United, or indeed spending the evening at home. I really wanted to do Honiton though, especially after their chairman took the time to message me and let me know there would be a pitch inspection early on. The rain was torrential near home on Thursday and there was a slight change in my hours as I was asked to leave early and do more hours tomorrow. I said I'd come in early as I couldn't stay on. When I checked on Thursday night, the rain looked to have eased off in Honiton which was a blessing. The Flint Mountain game had been postponed due to the Welsh Cup, something that I didn't realise until the club pointed it out to me on Twitter. I'd have double-checked before leaving but it was appreciated.
It was strange getting up in the dark at 6.10, just over an hour early. I should have given it an extra ten minutes as the typical Cadent abandoned hole in the road meant I was late. It was dark and foggy too and busy at work. My mood was lifted around 10 a.m. when the game was confirmed as on. From then on, the day went a lot quicker and I went for my break at 2.30 before leaving at 3. I opted to fill up with petrol before leaving given that it was 6p a litre dearer in Honiton. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered as the journey was a nightmare. From a piece of debris on the M4 smacking the underneath of my car and creating a squeaky rattling noise it went downhill from there. The A303 was a stop-start affair thanks to roadworks and it being woefully inadequate for the amount of traffic. A journey that should have taken two and a half hours took 4H20 with estimates varying wildly. We made up some time near the end, the streets were busy outside the ground but I found a space. I'd had plans of going for a sit-down meal at Wetherspoons or getting a Chinese takeaway but rather than arriving at 5.50, we were there at 7.34. The whistle to kick off sounded as we approached the ground. Entry was excellent value at £5 and it was a lovely welcome.
Honiton Town were in 13th with Cullompton Rangers a place higher in 8th. League-wise, Honiton had not won in 8, their last win came on 2nd September when they won 5-1 at Torridgeside. They'd drawn 1-1 with Bridport in their last league game. Cullompton Rangers form was patchy, their last game had seen them lose 1-0 to Elburton Villa but the game before they'd beaten Okehampton Argyle 3-0. Honiton were by far the better side and they took the lead on 13 minutes with a bullet header from Owen Hanks. The same player scored another header on 38 minutes, this time it was a lot scrappier but they all counted. Honiton were good value for their lead but the second half was a different game. Lewis Hill knocked home from close range on 61 minutes to reduce the deficit. Five minutes later, it was all square, Lucas White finding the bottom left corner with the ball just creeping in. From then on Cullompton looked the most likely but both sides had chances to win the game. Frustrations boiled over and there was a sending-off for a second booking but no further goals.
Halftime had given us the chance to finally get some sustenance. Local produce was the order of the day and a cheeseburger with onions was £4 and delicious. It came from Complete Meats. It was then a very slow-moving queue at the bar but eventually, I got a bottle of Norcotts Cider which was also produced in Honiton. Not the finest but pleasant enough and it took the edge off what had been a frustrating journey. We then went outside where chairman Roger gave us each a freebie burger and thanked us for coming. It is moments like this that make the effort worthwhile. There had been a bumper attendance of 183 and this included SWP League secretary Phil as well as hoppers George and Cherryhopper (Michael). I left in a decent mood with us getting away at 9.35. The journey home was far better and I dropped Colin off just before 12.40, getting home myself 15 minutes later.
THE GROUND
MOUNTBATTEN PARK is a charming venue but is one of the more basic grounds at this level. The only covered area is the seated stand and this holds around 75. Two sides have hard standing and metal barriers and the other two have grass owing to being shared with cricket. Food is via an excellent BBQ and the bar offers a reasonable range. There is a small car park and street parking too. The town which also has a train station is a 10-15 minute walk away.
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