The first Hitchin FC was formed in 1865. The club took part in the first FA Cup in 1871-72, and reached the quarter finals of the competition, losing to eventual finalists Royal Engineers. That first Hitchin club, a struggling professional outfit, folded in 1911, debt-ridden and the victims of a fire at their ground.

It was not until 1928 that Hitchin Town FC was formed, and it was at this point that the nickname, “The Canaries”, was established. Hitchin Town gained admission to the Spartan League. The 1930s were a golden age for Hitchin Town. The club won the AFA Senior Cup in 1932, beating Derbyshire Amateurs in the final and in 1935, they won the Spartan League Premier Division. The club entered the Athenian League in 1939, but after two league games and a Herts Charity Cup tie, WW2 intervened.

Hitchin struggled in the aftermath of World War Two in the Athenian League, not recovering until the mid-1950s. In 1956 a record crowd of 7,878 watched Hitchin Town beat Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 in the FA Amateur Cup. At the end of the 1962-63 season, the Canaries moved into the Isthmian League. This move was not an easy one for the club, and the early years were a constant struggle. But in 1968-69, Hitchin finished runners-up in the Isthmian League and a year later, won the London Senior Cup, beating St.Albans 4-2 in the final. Hitchin stayed in the Isthmian League until 2004, when as a result of a reorganisation they transferred to the Southern League. They won the Southern League Cup in 2006, and despite relegation in 2009, they won promotion back to the Premier Division in 2012, and in 2015-16 and 2016-17, they enjoyed their best-ever seasons in the Southern League, reaching the play-offs on both occasions but missing out on promotions through defeat in the semi-final and then the final. The team also won the Herts Senior Cup in both seasons.

The seasons between 2017-18 and 2022-23, with or without curtailments, saw league finishes of between 10th and 18th.It should be noted though during recent years, the Canaries have had a little more success in Cup competitions. A second Southern League Cup success came the way of the Canaries in 2017-18, along with the Herts Charity Cup, which was retained in the 2018-19 season. But the highlight of this season was in the FA Cup, where the Canaries reached the First Round Proper for the first time in 23 years before bowing out at home to Solihull Moors in front of a crowd of 3,148, the highest attendance at Top Field for over 40 years.

Season 2022-23 proved to be, in relative terms, quite successful for the Canaries. The team finished in a very creditable 12th position. The team also reached the Hertfordshire Senior Cup final, where they lost narrowly to Berkhamsted on penalties.

The 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons are best forgotten. After a really bright start, the 2023-24 season ended with relegation on the last day of the season. The season also saw the departure of long-serving manager Mark Burke after 11 years at the helm. Season 2024/25 preparations saw new manager Brett Donnelly building for life at Step 4 and the task of a swift return to Step 3 when out of the blue on Tuesday 28th May 2024, Hitchin Town were handed a reprieve from relegation. That meant an eleventh-hour total rebuild of the squad for Brett, and a completely new squad was assembled for the 2024/25 season.

A poor start reaped eight points in the first 13 League games, including two consecutive games where five goals were conceded, resulting in Brett being relieved of his duties as manager late in October 2024. Coach Michael Jones, having served a brief term as Interim Manager in which the team won two games and drew one, was appointed Manager. However, survival was always going to be a tough uphill battle, and after a 13 year stay in the Premier Division, the Canaries were relegated in 21st place to Division 1 Central.

Season 2025/26 campaign was approached as a complete “reset”, with the major objective being to bring a winning mentality back to the club after so long with a losing culture. Michael Jones built a group that had the right balance and positive attitudes to buy in to the approach. The highlight of the season was clearly a 5-0 home victory over eventual champions Leighton Town, but the really successful campaign, which saw support continue to grow both home and away, was not without its minor hiccups – dropping points at home to relegated clubs Rayners Lane and Northwood, and a defeat away to Leverstock Green, all games where maximum points should have been gained and might have made the difference in automatic promotion or having to secure promotion through the play-offs. Nevertheless, and in spite of losing top scorer Taylor Rhiney to injury, the Canaries showed just what character and resolve had been built during the season, and as runners-up to Leighton, won promotion with victories over Thame United in the semi-final and then Biggleswade FC (who they hadn’t previously beaten in three attempts) in a final in front of an incredible, sell-out attendance of 3,027. They also tasted cup success in lifting the Hertfordshire Senior Cup in nine years, beating Bishops Stortford 10-9 in an epic penalty shoot out after a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes.

So the new season sees group changes at Hitchin Town as the squad is rebuilt to cope with the much greater challenges of Step 3 football, and a winning mentality going into the season. It will be very interesting to see how they fare.


5	BromsgroveSporting	-
6	Bury Town FC	-
7	Halesowen Town	-
8	HitchinTown	-
9	Kettering	-
10	Leamington	-
11	Leighton	-

Hitchin Town

Match Outlook

Premier Central