For decades, the heart of local football beat proudly at Finchampstead Road.
Before the ground was sold to developers in 1999 and the club eventually merged to form Wokingham & Emmbrook in 2004, Wokingham Town FC – now affectionately known as the Sumas – enjoyed some truly golden eras.
While our lads spent their weekends battling it out in the Isthmian, Athenian, and Southern leagues, Finchampstead Road occasionally played host to absolute footballing royalty.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and look at some of the most famous teams and players to ever line up against Wokingham Town, while gently separating local myth from reality!
The Blues came to Berkshire
In the late 1920s, the club was making serious moves.
In 1926, the club purchased the Finchampstead Road ground outright, and by 1928, they had constructed a magnificent new grandstand and pavilion at the cost of £630.
To officially open the new facilities in April 1928, the club arranged a prestige friendly against First Division heavyweights Chelsea FC. Around 900 supporters packed into the ground to watch the West London professionals go to work.
While the Blues ultimately ran out 5-2 winners, it was a landmark day that put Wokingham on the footballing map and gave local fans a rare glimpse of top-tier talent right on their doorstep.
Decades later, the Chelsea connection would return with a bang.
During a friendly fixture against the West London side in the early 1990s, the Town lined up against an incredible mix of emerging talent and notorious hardmen.
A promising young left-back named Graham Le Saux was showcasing his trademark pace long before he was flying down the wing for England.
Sharing the pitch with him was none other than the legendary Vinnie Jones.
During his brief stint at Stamford Bridge, the notoriously uncompromising midfielder brought his fearsome “Crazy Gang” reputation straight to the Finchampstead Road turf.
You have to pity the Wokingham Town players who had to contest a 50/50 challenge with him in a “friendly”.
World Cup magic under the lights
Fast forward to September 20, 1966.
English football was riding the highest wave in its history, just weeks after Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Wokingham Town were celebrating a major milestone of their own: the installation of their very first floodlights.
To inaugurate the lights, Wokingham hosted a special friendly against First Division Fulham FC. The Cottagers’ squad during that era was legendary, boasting the likes of iconic playmaker Johnny Haynes and right-back George Cohen.
Cohen, a one-club man for Fulham, had just played every minute of England’s 1966 World Cup triumph. Bringing a top-flight London side to RG40 for an evening under the brand-new lights remains one of the most glamorous nights in the town’s sporting history.
An England legend in the FA Cup
In the late 1970s, Jimmy Greaves – the greatest goalscorer in English top-flight history – graced the Finchampstead Road pitch.
Following his legendary stints with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, and the England national team, the great man saw out his playing days with Southern League side Barnet.
During the 1978/79 season, Barnet’s FA Cup run brought them to Berkshire for a Third Qualifying Round tie against the Town
Wokingham boss Roy Merryweather bravely opted against man-marking the iconic striker, famously telling the local press he was instructing his team to just play their normal game.
The anticipation across the town was electric, with a crowd of around 700 – double the club’s usual gate – packing into the ground.
While the non-league fairytale didn’t go Wokingham’s way that afternoon as Barnet cruised to a 4-0 victory, the sight of a World Cup winner and Spurs legend playing a competitive fixture in Wokingham was unforgettable.
Greaves clearly retained a soft spot for the area, returning in the late 1980s alongside his beloved Saint and Greavsie co-host Ian St. John to officially open the synthetic pitch at Cantley Park.
FA Cup fever: The Cardiff City clash
When it comes to competitive fixtures, nothing tops the magic of November 20, 1982.
For the first and only time in their history, Wokingham Town reached the first round proper of the FA Cup. Their reward? A home tie against Third Division powerhouse Cardiff City.
The Bluebirds arrived in Berkshire with a squad full of seasoned Football League talent.
Their ranks included Phil Dwyer, the man who still holds Cardiff’s all-time appearance record, and a young Paul Bodin, who would go on to win 23 caps for Wales and become a Premier League regular.
Despite the gulf in league status, the Town held their own.
Striker George Torrance – a soldier serving in the REME who was specially flown back from his base in Berlin just for the match – scored a famous goal to secure a 1-1 draw.
Though Cardiff would comfortably win the replay 3-0 at Ninian Park, the sight of Football League giants battling it out at Finchampstead Road is forever etched in Wokingham folklore.
Goalkeeping royalty: Big Pat and Phil Parkes
During the 1980s, if you stood behind the goals at Finchampstead Road, there was a very good chance you were watching a genuine Football League legend at work.
On January 21, 1986, Tottenham Hotspur brought a side to town for a mid-season friendly.
Jennings had returned to Spurs specifically to maintain his match fitness ahead of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
The Wokingham faithful were treated to the sight of an absolute titan between the sticks, and the Sumas put on a brilliant display to hold the Spurs side to a 1-1 draw.
Jennings wasn’t the only giant of the era to visit. West Ham United also brought teams to Berkshire for exhibition and friendly matches.
Lining up for the Hammers was the unmistakable figure of Phil Parkes.
Having won the FA Cup in 1980 and widely regarded as one of the finest English goalkeepers of his generation, seeing “Parkesy” command the penalty area at Wokingham was a brilliant treat for local fans.
Capital League Kings: Palace and West Ham prospects
While first-team friendlies brought massive crowds, hardcore fans will fondly remember the days of the Capital League in the early to mid-1990s.
This regional competition pitted non-league sides against the reserve and development squads of professional Football League clubs, and it was here that Wokingham Town fans got an early look at a golden generation of talent.
Before they were managing their respective national teams on the biggest stages, both Gareth Southgate and Chris Coleman were cutting their teeth in the Crystal Palace system.
Long before Southgate led the Three Lions and Coleman masterminded Wales’ incredible run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, they were sent down to Berkshire to battle it out against Wokingham Town in the Capital League.
It was in this competition that Wokingham Town fans got an early look at two future England legends:
Before he was leading the Three Lions from the dugout or anchoring Premier League defenses, a young Southgate was cutting his teeth in the Crystal Palace youth and reserve system, battling it out against the Sumas in the Capital League.
Frank Lampard, the famed West Ham United “Academy of Football” regularly used the Capital League to toughen up their brightest prospects against seasoned non-league men.
A teenage “Super Frank” stepped onto the pitch against Wokingham Town for the West Ham reserves, well before his days of Champions League glory and breaking Chelsea’s all-time goalscoring records.
The White Hart Lane excursion
It wasn’t always about welcoming the giants to Berkshire. Sometimes Wokingham Town went to them.
In a fantastic piece of local folklore, Wokingham Town travelled to North London to play Tottenham Hotspur in a friendly at the legendary White Hart Lane in the 1980s.
Turning out for Spurs that day was none other than the brilliant Argentine World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles.
For a non-league side to play at one of the country’s most famous stadiums against a player of Ardiles’ international pedigree is a true testament to the respect Wokingham Town commanded during that era.
‘Crazy Horse’ inspired the next generation
It wasn’t just competitive matches and friendlies that brought giants to the borough. The club’s facilities also hosted top-tier coaching for the area’s youth.
The legendary Emlyn Hughes – the charismatic, double European Cup-winning captain of Liverpool and stalwart of the England national team – famously held one of his popular soccer schools at Wokingham Town.
Having “Crazy Horse” himself barking encouragement and passing on his elite knowledge to starstruck local kids on the Finchampstead Road turf is a cherished memory for a whole generation of Berkshire footballers.
A future superstar in the making: Stan Collymore
Long before he broke the British transfer record with his move to Liverpool, a young Stan Collymore was a raw, powerful striker terrorizing the non-league pyramid. During his brief but explosive stint with Stafford Rangers around the turn of the 1990s, Collymore found himself lining up against Wokingham Town in an FA Trophy encounter..
The Wokingham defenders tasked with marking him that day got a first hand preview of the blistering pace and devastating finishing that would soon make him a Premier League icon.
The man in the middle: Graham Poll
It wasn’t just the players on the pitch who went on to achieve global recognition.
If you stood on the terraces at Finchampstead Road during the club’s Isthmian League days, there is a very good chance you enthusiastically shared your tactical opinions with a young Graham Poll.
Long before he was officiating in the Premier League, refereeing FA Cup finals, or handing out cards at the FIFA World Cup, Poll was a regular face learning his trade on the non-league circuit.
He frequently refereed Wokingham Town fixtures, dealing with the famously uncompromising tackles of 1980s and 90s grassroots football years before he had to manage the multi-million-pound superstars of the top flight.
