Felixstowe & Walton United FC

Before Saturday’s home game against Basildon United, club Chairman Andy Wilding invited Dave Ashford’s daughter Alison to cut the ribbon at the Colneis Road end of the ground marking the new name of the seating behind the goal as The Dave Ashford Stand. It has been named such as a measure of thanks from the club to both Dave for his contribution to the club over the years and the appreciation the club would like to show to Alison and T4 Intelligent Infrastructure for the financial contribution they are making to the club. Read the full story here.

Felixstowe & Walton Utd FC will soon be taking delivery of a purpose built medical room, which will be installed within the players entrance to the playing area. This has been made possible due to the generosity of T4 Intelligent Infrastrucure Ltd., of Mendlesham.

The need for this facility was brought up by former club physio, Pat Alexander, who has a long standing friendship with Club President Dave Ashford, who tòok up the challenge of trying to raise either the rental, or purchase price, of the building. 

In the course of making contact with various people who might be prepared to assist, Ashford mentioned the scheme to his daughter and son-in-law, the owners of T4. 

The following day, Alison Ashford-Havers rang to advise that after speaking to her husband Mark Havers, they had agreed to purchase the facility outright for the benefit of the club and its players. The fully-fitted portakabin will enable players to be treated on-site by club physios. It will include treatment tables, seating and an ice bath along with storage facilities for first aid and the like.

Alison is no stranger to the history of the football club, having assisted when younger with a variety of jobs on behalf of the old Felixstowe Town F.C. Along with her brothers, she kept the first aid box clean and tidy and fully equipped with weekly trips to the local chemists. She also assisted from time to time in taking the dirty kit to the local launderette.

Back then, the players travelled to away games in a converted transit van, complete with card tables, radio, television and music centre. Players were treated to food, and each man was provided, during the winter months, with a half-pint flask of hot soup. Occasionally, a hard-boiled egg would be included, which brought forth a few pranks. After an away game at Haverhill, each player was given a hard boiled egg, and on the count of three, the players agreed to smash the shell against their foreheads. All except one egg was hard boiled, but a certain schoolteacher was the unlucky one, whose egg wasn't cooked, and ended up "with egg on his face."

Alison prepared a lot of the food for these away trips. When the ECL ruled that every member club provide hospitality for visiting teams and supporters, Alison took on for some time the cooking in the Old Pavilion, supplying burgers, sausages and a limited supply of hot food and drinks.

Some older ex-players will remember the practical jokes which took the club by storm some 40 odd years ago. These pranks certainly built team spirit and a lot of hilarity amongst players. At Haverhill, a bucket load of crabs was tipped into the Felixstowe communal bath. Players previously considered "slow", exited the bath in a flash.

At Cambridge Utd, who also had home & away communal baths, a pig’s head, complete with eyes, was thrown into the bath by Ray Stanbridge. Ray found the head in his bag after the game, and without telling anyone about it, simply threw it into the bath full of players.

At the time Cambridge United first team was in the old Second Division. Alison was in on a lot of these practical jokes. Before the club had its own bar, the players would be invited to have a few beers after some away games at the teenage Alison's home in Ipswich. She would wait on the lads, pouring beers and occasionally providing sandwiches for some of the more cheeky lads who had the audacity to ask for something to eat. 

Now a mother of four grown-up children with several grandchildren to keep her busy, she has renewed her association with the club, by agreeing, with her husband Mark Havers, to provide the much needed medical facilities, required by club's competing at the level, FWUFC currently enjoys.

Our sincere thanks to T4 for their generosity.

A video of the naming of the stand can be seen .

Dave Ashord’s Biography

Born in Lambeth in 1940, Dave has been involved in football all his life. In his position as a more than useful goalkeeper, he played representative football for South London Boys at elementary level, and on graduating from High School played top class amateur football for Leytonstone, Walthamstow Avenue and Epping Town, being selected for the London League representative side, before joining Woodford Town in 1965, playing in the Metropolitan League (then the equivalent to The Southern League).

It was a short stay at Woodford, as the ever-expanding Felixstowe Dock & Railway Company beckoned and Dave ‘got a job’. He then signed for Harwich & Parkeston in the Athenian League, who at that time were one of the top ‘amateur’ clubs in the country.

A work colleague, the late Barry Gould, who was to become his business partner, was playing for Felixstowe Town, then in the Ipswich & District League. They eventually formed their own very successful business in 1968 and, overwhelmed with all the travelling with Harwich, Dave went along to a training session at Maidstone Road school in 1968 and thus began his association with the club that has lasted over 50 years so far.

Dave had obtained his FA Preliminary badge and went on to firstly take over the reserve team manager’s role in 1968 and then as first team manager from 1969 to 1977, seeing the old Felixstowe Town through the Essex & Suffolk Border league, winning the Suffolk Senior Cup and into the Eastern Counties League, FA Cup and FA Vase competitions.

Dave was elected chairman in the early 80s and has done just about every job within the club including the role of treasurer and being on the ECL Management Committee. The one role he never took up was that of secretary.

Dave was friends with Sir Bobby Robson via his association with both Felixstowe and Ipswich Town and started The Sportsman’s Dinners in 1989.

He was joint chairman with Tony Barnes when Felixstowe Town and Walton United merged and then became President eleven years ago and still remains a firm figurehead for the club, respected throughout the game for his contribution not only to the club, but football in general.

Dave will still be seen at some home games, as enthusiastic as ever, but unfortunately unable to attend each and every game due to family illness.