Non-League and Academy football writer

Tudor Park, as they were previously known, were formed in 1946 by the great-grandfather (Charlie West) of the current chairman of Feltham FC, James West-Beard. James West-Beard’s grandfather Reg West was also a player for the old Tudor Park side, and so the family connection with Feltham has always been there for James. Tudor Park would change name to Feltham FC during the 1960s, because of the fact that they had progressed to a level where the name of the club had to represent the place (for example a town) where they played. Feltham would later, in 1991, after playing at a good level of non-League football, of which saw them play under the Isthmian League and feature in the preliminary rounds of the FA Cup, merge with Hounslow Borough. Although the club would return to the name of Feltham around four years later, and the club who used to play at The Feltham Arena would later merge with Bedfont Football & Social Club. The club was then known as Bedfont & Feltham for the beginning of the 2012/13 season. However, they would rename the club as Bedfont FC in 2022.

The 2023/24 season so far for Feltham FC, who had previously formed as a club that had played football at youth level, has obviously been a challenging one, starting at step 7 in the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division. However, the league is a strong one, and the work of people at the club such as James West-Beard and Scott Savoy is a project for the future as well, without just focusing on the current 2023/24 season. At the time of writing this piece, Feltham FC are in 17th place in the league, with seven points from 25 league games played. Feltham won their most recent league fixture 3-2 against 16th place Slough Town (JFC), so there is hope that they can finish the season strongly, and also try and build on that going into next season. I recently interviewed both current club chairman James West-Beard and Feltham FC’s club secretary Scott Savoy (Scott had previously worked for Bedfont & Feltham, and has a vast knowledge of Feltham FC), recently about the club and its first season in senior football. 

What have you made of the current 2023/24 season, for Feltham FC in the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division, in their first season as a club in senior football?

James: At this stage it has been difficult, but it’s been an awesome experience and it’s been brilliant, not just for the teams, but also for the club itself. We’ve gone from starting up a club with a single youth team to now having nine youth teams, which has been difficult because we have full-time jobs as well, but it’s been really good. As for this season for the senior team, it has definitely been an eye opener, but ability wise I don’t think that we’re that far off the teams who are playing in this league this season. I just think that we’ve been missing that consistency that you need. We changed managers halfway through this season, but our previous manager (Owen) actually set the foundations for the team, but something had to give. You can’t always blame the manager as at the end of the day the players are playing. So it has been an interesting season, but I personally do think that we’ve still got a chance of staying up in the league during the remainder of this season. Once you get that first win with the new players who are gelling together, then I think that we continue to do well as a team.

Scott: This season has been quite hard and we needed to win more games than we have so far. So it has been quite challenging to be honest with you, and so you’ve got players who play the game differently to how we used to see non-League/grassroots football being played, when we were youngsters, and so they want to play the game the modern way, and play football out from defence.

For those who haven’t seen Feltham play, could you describe to me what style of football they like to play?

James: Personally being an Arsenal fan, I like tiki-taka football and so for the youth players at the club, they watch and want to emulate players who they see on TV, and that influences the game a lot nowadays. But in terms of the footballing philosophy going forward, playing the Feltham way is definitely on our agenda, possibly even from next season, but we want to discuss that with the coaches at somepoint in the near future.

Scott: So we go with whatever way that the managers thinks that suits us/wants to play, and that he thinks is good. Obviously we want to get to that stage where we have a set way of playing, that goes from top to bottom at the club, but we’re currently a couple of years off that.

How have you found it as a club this season, starting at step 7 non-League football?

James: One thing that I’d love us to have is our own ground, because ground-sharing is not the endgame for me. We’re currently at Spelthorne Sports, but I do want a place of our own, like we had previously with the Feltham Arena. Tudor Park Sports facility, where we also play some of our home games, they are very good to us here, and they are open to change over the next couple of years, with there being a possibility that we could have a league qualifying grass pitch. But wholeheartedly what I want next for Feltham FC is to secure our own space. We’ve spent the whole year proposing new ideas to the local council, and also to the local prison service, as there’s a lot of spare ground near them. But it’s about finding that backer, and there’s a lot of football teams in Middlesex, and everyone’s vying for a piece of the pie. I think that we will get to that stage where we have our own ground, but for now we’ve just got to keep on pushing, until we get there.

Scott: Keeping the club in Feltham is our main aim. Obviously a lot of places/areas in Feltham are places that flats are being built on, so that is hard. Obviously we want to be somewhere like Feltham Park for example, where the club used to play. We just have to deal with the setbacks on the way, like possibly being relegated to step 8 for next season.

Could you talk me through a bit about the current first team squad at Feltham?

James: Our new manager Louis Carder-Walcott has brought in some experienced players to the club, who have played at a really high level, and I think that is what we missed during the early stages of the season. We had the legs but we didn’t have the experience, or the maturity to continue with the game after conceding goals/going down in games. Now that we’ve got the more experienced players into the club, we are slightly different as a team. We haven’t had the easiest of games recently though, against clubs such as PFC Victoria London and Shepherd’s Bush. 

What are some of your personal aims/the clubs hopes for the future, for Feltham FC?

James: I want to carry on the legacy of my grandad and great- grandfather before me, and push Feltham as far as they can possibly go. That is what drives me to progress the club.

Scott: We just want to have a club for the community, and one that they can come to and watch football, and support the club as well.

Who has been in your opinion, the toughest/most difficult team that Feltham FC have faced this season?

James: PFC Victoria London. For me they are a fantastic team who are so organised as a team.

What has been your favourite game (so far) this season?

James: That would be the home league game against Shepherd’s Bush, when we narrowly lost 2-1.

Scott: That would be the away game at Cricklewood Wanderers, when we won 3-1. I think that was the best that we’ve played so far this season.

What are your hopes/aims for the remainder of this season for Feltham?

James: For me it is for us to avoid relegation to step 8, and that for me was the actual goal at the start of the season. If we could survive this season and then rebuild as a club, then that would be brilliant. Step 7 football is a really good level, and I’m a big fan of the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division.

Scott: To stay up this season is the main aim, and we realistically need to win all of our remaining games in order to achieve that goal.