Witham Town FC

Witham Town Football Club are a team from the heart of Essex that has lived more lives than you would imagine. There are records of football being played in the town in the 1830s – decades before it became an official sport. Since then, Witham have become known for their original red kits, colourful nicknames, wartime sacrifice, local rivalries, and a badge that today symbolises many a rebirth.

Witham’s badge is dominated by the image of the phoenix (much like Aldershot's). Rising from flames, it’s a fitting image for a club that has been disbanded and reformed several times in its history. I’ve not been able to confirm exactly when or why this badge was chosen, but the symbolism is hard to ignore. Like the mythical bird, Witham Town keep coming back. It’s also worth noting that the historic Witham family crest features three birds — officially listed as eagles — but which could easily pass for phoenixes. Whether coincidence or not, I am not sure. If anyone from the club knows exactly, please let me know 🙏.

Witham Town’s own website has an excellent history section — something more clubs should copy. Early on, they played in red and went by the nickname The Red Herrings. Their first real interruption came with the outbreak of the First World War. The entire team marched down to the local barracks and signed on, joining the Essex Regiment. Football paused, and players swapped the training ground for the trenches. Different times indeed.

In the interwar years, a local rivalry emerged with the Crittall Works team from across town. The Works side was made up of employees from the Crittall Window Company — a manufacturer of steel-framed windows that became famous worldwide. Crittall windows would later feature in landmark buildings including the Houses of Parliament and Coventry Cathedral. That works team would evolve into modern-day Braintree Town FC, now known as The Iron.

The decades since have brought highs and lows. Promotions, relegations, cup runs, and rebuilds. In the mid-2000s, Witham came close to reaching the higher levels of the Isthmian League, missing out on third place in 2006 by a single goal on goal difference. Their best FA Trophy run came in 2007–08, with a memorable giant-killing over Horsham, then leaders of the Isthmian Premier Division.

2009 saw some celebrity glamour with local lad, and former Witham player, Olly Murs shooting to fame after finishing runner-up on The X Factor. He swapped Spa Road for stadium tours, but still gets the occasional mention from fans. That same season, Witham were relegated to the Essex Senior League. If the phoenix on the badge wasn’t already there, it could have been added then — because they bounced straight back.

Under manager Garry Kimble in 2011–12, Witham enjoyed one of their most successful seasons ever. They won the Essex Senior League title, the League Cup, the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy, and the Tolleshunt D’Arcy Cup — and went unbeaten away from home in the league. Three of their strikers finished as the top three scorers in the division.

The town of Witham itself is steeped in history. It sits on the old Roman road between Colchester and London — and if the Romans could see the state of the modern A12 that runs parallel to it, they’d hang their heads in shame.

Archaeological digs have revealed a Roman temple complex at the nearby Ivy Chimneys site. Witham even played a role in Anglo-Saxon military history — in 913, King Edward the Elder camped here while moving to cut Essex in two and reclaim territory from Viking control.

In 1148, the manor of Witham was granted to the Knights Templar. To this day, the Witham Town Council crest carries the red cross of the Knights Hospitaller, a reminder of those medieval links. The Templars were replaced by the Church after the order was dissolved, and later the land passed into private hands. The town’s St Nicolas’s Church, on Chipping Hill, still serves a Sunday congregation, much as it has for centuries.

In the 18th century, Witham enjoyed a brief spell as a spa resort after a mineral spring was discovered. Visitors came seeking the health-giving waters, and the current football ground’s address — Spa Road — nods to that chapter. This was also a town that produced notable figures, such as Admiral Sir William Luard, a decorated naval officer whose funeral procession in 1910 drew thousands of mourners.

More recently, Witham gained a literary link with crime writer Dorothy L. Sayers, one of the “Queens of Crime” of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Her statue stands opposite the town library, not far from her former home. Sayers brought depth and characterisation to the detective genre, much as Witham Town have brought resilience and personality to the non-league football scene.

Today, Witham Town continue to compete in the Isthmian League North Division. The facilities may have changed over the decades, the league structure may have been reshuffled, but the badge still carries that phoenix — a quiet warning to opponents that no matter the setback, they’ll be back.

From Roman Roads to Crusading Knights to Trench Warfare. From Decorated Admirals to Pioneering Authors to Pamous Singers — Witham likes to reinvent itself and come back fighting.