Walthamstow

Walthamstow Football Club are a football club from Walthamstow, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest who play in the Essex Senior League. They have played under a number of names and were known as Leyton Pennant up until the end of the 2002–03 season, and Waltham Forest until the end of the 2017-18 season.

History

Pennant Football Club was formed as a junior side in 1959 by William Bode, initially joining the South West Essex League. The league's Premier Division title was won by Pennant in 1972–73. Two seasons later the club joined the Metropolitan League, winning the league at the first attempt.

Pennant joined the London Spartan League in 1983, becoming a senior club. They finished 4th in the Senior in their first season, which was sufficient to gain promotion to the Premier Division. In 1988 neighbours Walthamstow Avenue were swallowed up by Redbridge Forest, so Pennant changed their name to Walthamstow Pennant in order to keep the footballing name of Walthamstow alive. The 1988–89 season saw the renamed club win the Spartan League Cup and the installation of floodlights installed at Wadham Lodge.

1990–91 saw Walthamstow Pennant win the Spartan League title by a single point from Barkingside with a 4–0 defeat of Thamesmead Town in their final game. A double was achieved through the defeat of Haringey Borough in the League Cup. However, promotion to the Isthmian League was denied due to inadequate ground facilities and the league's rejection of a proposed groundshare at Leyton-Wingate.

In 1995–96 neighbours Leyton saw no future at their ground and moved to Wadham Lodge, incorporating Walthamstow Pennant. The club was renamed Leyton Pennant, and assumed Leyton's place in the Isthmian League. By 1999–2000 the club was struggling on and off the pitch, resulting in a very poor run of form and relegation to the Isthmian League Second Division. 2000–01 saw great inconsistency in results, accompanied by one of the poorest disciplinary records in the whole of