I started going regularly to watch Rushden Town in season 1962/63 which was my last year at Newton Road Junior School. Rushden Town  finished up Runners Up in the United Counties League Division 1 which was the top division. The League was not particularly strong in numbers that year with only fourteen clubs, which was good as the winter was very severe. Rushden Town had only just rejoined the United Counties League from the Central Alliance and was one of the clubs trying to rebuild the league in status. The snow started in the evening on Boxing Day and snow was still piled high in the streets in late March. Rushden only lost three games in the League all season at  Destborough, Wellingborough and critically at home to Bletchley Town. They also lost 1-4 at Bourne Town in the F.A. Cup. The Bletchley game was played on a Sunday at the end of the season because of a County Cricket match between Northamptonshire and Lancashire being played at the next door Town Cricket  ground and Rushden needed to win to stay in touch with leaders Wellingborough but lost the game 0-4 to finish Runners Up. The Season will be remembered for the F.A. allowing Sunday Football to be played because of the fixture pile up cased by the bad weather. When Rushden played Desborough at Hayden Road over 1,000 spectators turned out to watch Rushden triumph 1-0.

For the 1963/64 season I had started to help the grounds man on Saturday mornings prepare the playing surface for the afternoons match, I also sold programmes at home matches after turning up to a match early and there being no one available for the job. I also started to travel on the team coach to away matches the first game was Bletchley Town at Manor Fields, first of all with my father and then with my four friends Tito Martire, Charles Dickens, Brian and Martin Joyce. Tito had recently moved into Rushden and we became firm friends and we still in contact today. I have always thought that if Tito had been given the opportunity in Youth football that youngsters have today he would have played at quite a high standard. Rushden Town played in green and white striped shirts at this time and we had bobble hats and scarves in the club colours, mine were kitted by my sister Sheila. We all had a wooden football rattle purchased from Jim Osborne Sports Shop and duly painted green and white. We also used to take with us an old flag with R.T.F.C. in large letters which we used to drape over the  pitch perimeter fence at away games. This was fine until we played Raunds Town in the Northants Senior Cup and a wag at the former ground at Burysteads said look 'they have converted to supporting  Raunds'.

For the 1963/64 season the league had been strengthened by the inclusion of Holbeach United from Lincolnshire, Biggleswade Town from Bedfordshire, and Northamptonshire’s Timken Athletic from Daventry being promoted from Division 2.  Holbeach and Rushden were neck and neck all season winning on their first appearance at Carters Park by a goal to nil in November and drawing the return game at Rushden in March with no goals scored.  Holbeach had a player sent off by the Referee for violent conduct which was very unusual in those days. The match at Rushden was watched by a crowd of over 1,000 and we sold out of programmes well before the scheduled kick off.

For the Holbeach home match my friends and I (as we were off school, on holiday) were at the ground all week with the water sprinklers on because the Manager John (Charlie) Marlow thought that his team always played better in the rain.

The League could have been won at third placed Biggleswade in mid April but Rushden slipped to an unexpected 3-1 defeat before a large crowd containing a large contingent from the visitors.

But we did not have long to wait as the Wolverton game was re-scheduled for the Wednesday night and the team duly won 3-0 with much celebrating done after the game.

The final game at home to last season’s champions Wellingborough Town resulted in a 3-0 defeat but Rushden finished with nine fit men, no substitutions in those days, but who cared the Championship was back in Rushden after twenty six years and the trophy and winner's flag which flew proudly over our Newton Road ground was duly presented at the end of the match.

The next season saw the parting of the ways with Charlie Marlow and the Committee and the club finished 9^th in the league. Former Bedford Town player Terry Murray was appointed Manager and although they played some very attractive football particularly with Bobby Gilmour in the side he could never recreate that Championship style of previous season. Charlie Marlow went back to Desborough Town as player Manager and he scored a lot more goals and brought the Championship back to the Waterworks in season 1966/67.

The players had a collection so that I and my four mates could attend the Annual Dinner at the Athletic Club. I had a Beatle style suit bought by mother to attend this. Happy Days.

Note: the ground was known as Newton Road in this period as Hayden Road was then an unmade Road.

League Table United Counties League Division 1 season 1963/64

I watched Rushden Town until 1966 when I started to go and Support Tottenham Hotspur going to matches in the early days on Birch's Buses, I have just completed 50 years of watching and I am a Season Ticket holder in the North Stand.