Walton Casuals

1946–1969: Formation and early origins

The earliest roots of Walton Casuals Football Club lead back to World War II. Following the conclusion of the war, a group of ex-servicemen returned to their council homes in the Walton-on-Thames area. They decided to form an "illegal" Sunday football team, White City FC, to play friendlies against other "illegal" teams throughout the 1946–47 and 1947–48 seasons.

In 1948, they decided to become a legitimate Saturday club, and Walton Casuals as they are currently known were founded. They became affiliated with the Surrey County Football Association and acquired the use of a pitch at Elm Grove Recreation Ground. The club started off in Division One of the Surrey Intermediate (Central) League and gained promotion to the Premier Division in 1952–53. Walton Casuals would go on to finish as runners-up on 3 occasions: 1954–55, 1956–57 and 1964–65. The Surrey Intermediate (Central) League disbanded in 1965 and the club moved into the League's Western Section for three seasons.

1969–1992: Various leagues

In 1969, the Casuals joined the new Surrey Senior League and moved into its most notorious home at Franklyn Road Sports Field, later known as the Waterside Stadium. Two years later the club became founder members of the Suburban League, playing one season at Walton & Hersham's Stompond Lane ground before moving to Addlestone's Liberty Lane ground for eight seasons. The club then returned to Franklyn Road, where the Reserves had continued playing in the Surrey Combination League. The 1982–83 season saw the Casuals win their first major honour, becoming champions of the Suburban League Southern Section and setting a league record of going 23 games unbeaten under manager Kim Harris. The following year the Stags were runners-up behind Sutton United, and in the 1986–87 season reached the Surrey Premier Cup Final, only to lose to Croydon.

1992–2002: Entering the football pyramid

Subsequent years saw the club slip into a steady decline, regularly finishing in the bottom two of the Suburban League. After 21 years of competing in the Suburban League, the club decided to switch to the Surrey Premier League in June 1992 to join the pyramid system. A year of consolidation paved the way for major changes at Franklyn Road the following summer, as Kim Harris was reappointed as manager after a successful spell at Hersham RBL and the club expanded into both Sunday and youth football. In 1993–94, the Casuals won the Surrey Premier League Challenge Cup, defeating Holmesdale after a replay, and in 1994–95 the club finished runners-up to Chobham in the league. They were also losing finalists to Vandyke in the Challenge Cup.

During the summer the club was promoted to the Combined Counties Football League, and the first four seasons proved a real struggle. Finishing bottom of the league in 1996–97, the club avoided relegation thanks to the Combined Counties League exercising its prerogative to maintain a minimum number of clubs in the Premier Division. With the help of local charities, the installation of floodlights at Franklyn Road was completed in February 1999 – a major hurdle overcome as far as ground requirements were concerned. The appointment of Mick Sullivan and Garry Clark as joint managers in the summer of 1999 brought about a dramatic improvement in results. As well as a best-ever finish of 5th in the league, the club won the League Cup in 2000, beating Viking Greenford 4–2 in the final. The following season was also a relatively successful one, with a placing of 7th in the table and another appearance in the League Cup final, beaten 3–0 by double-winners Cove.

2002–2005: The Tony Gale takeover

Although 2002–03 proved a disappointment as the club finished in a lowly 18th spot, the appointment of Spencer Collins as manager in November 2002 sparked positive changes. As a team capable of much better things slowly began to take shape, ex-West Ham United player Tony Gale was installed as director of football. After more team-building in 2003–04, and a big jump up the table to finish in 7th spot, the club took the Combined Counties Football League by storm the year after, finishing 26 points clear at the top of the table. After initially failing an FA ground inspection, the club launched a successful appeal and achieved their dream of promotion to the Isthmian League Division One for 2005–06.

2005–2014: Starting life in the Isthmian League

The club finished 15th in their maiden season in the Isthmian League, while regularly finishing in the bottom half in subsequent seasons. In 2009–10 the club achieved its best run in the FA Cup reaching the Third Qualifying Round, before losing to Staines Town. The club appointed Neil Shipperley manager in the summer of 2010 and finished in 12th place, their highest ever league finish at the time.

During early 2011 the club opened a new clubhouse and new changing facilities, with Mick Sullivan returning in October following the resignation of Shipperley. After being sacked a year later, Danny Carroll took over as manager. With a reprieve saving the Stags in the 2012–13 season, the club appointed ex-Kingstonian assistant manager Mark Hams as manager, along with his brother Neil as assistant. The duo rejuvenated the squad and guided Walton to their highest ever league finish of 9th. However, after nine defeats in as many league games, the Hams brothers left their positions at the club in September 2014.

2014–2018: Established in the Isthmian League

Tony Gale and Anthony Gale were drafted in as caretaker managers, and immediately picked up the club's first win of the season, securing a 1–0 victory in a trip to Redhill. In November 2014, defenders Liam Collins and Simon Huckle were named as the new management team. Collins was able to secure the club's safety with a comfortable 18th-placed finish, but announced his intentions to step down from his management position at the end of the season to focus on his last few playing seasons. Assistant manager Huckle left the club to join Redhill.

Anthony Gale was announced as first team manager shortly before the start of the 2015–16 season and guided the club to 18th in his first full season in charge. The following season saw the Casuals equal their best ever FA Cup run, reaching the Third Qualifying Round before defeat to Westfields.

The club moved into the Elmbridge Sports Hub, an £18 million sports complex built on the site of the Waterside Stadium, for the 2017–18 season and enjoyed great success. Losing just two games at home throughout the campaign, Walton secured qualification for the play-offs in the final 15 minutes of the season with a dramatic conclusion at Ashford United. A semi-final tie at Cray Wanderers' Hayes Lane ended in a 5–2 victory for the Casuals, followed by a penalty shoot-out victory at Corinthian-Casuals after a goalless 120 minutes in the final. The win earned them a place in the seventh tier for the first time in the club's history.

2018–2022: Southern League

Following a restructuring of the non-league pyramid by the FA, the club were moved across to the Southern Football League for the 2018–19 season. In their first campaign, the club avoided relegation on the final day of the season with a win away at Merthyr Town and other results going in their favour. The club also lifted the Southern Combination Challenge Cup for the first time in its history, with a 4–2 extra-time win against Sutton Common Rovers in the final.

In May 2019, Gale announced his resignation as manager. Later that month, he was replaced by Steve Conroy, who had most recently managed league rivals Kings Langley. The changes saw several senior players depart from the club.

On 9 June 2022, the Board of Directors announced that the club had folded after attempts to find new owners and investment had been unsuccessful.