As a platform dedicated to elevating grassroots football to heights once seen as unfathomable; relaying success stories to our readers is a task that we view as nothing short of a privilege. And safe to assume, most teams throughout London and Essex come with their own fair shares of history. Though, despite holding a strong sense of pride in representing every football pioneer we come into contact with, it would be dishonest of us to make the claim that certain stories don’t resonate with us more so than others. This week’s feature in The Voice of Grassroots Football: The Rising Story is a team equipped with over a decade of history – with their ventures finding the Reserves side currently situated top of the Third Division of the Mid Essex League. With reasonably attainable aims of reaching the promise-land of the Premier Division, it is with great pleasure to present the ongoing story of Haver Town FC.
Currently situated in Ramsden Heath, Billericay – Haver Town FC are well-accustomed to high degrees of success. The club's Reserves side are managed by experienced coach Ross Masterson; who’s early playing career at teams such as Pegasus FC, Ferns FC, Heath Park FC, Brentwood Town FC and Harold Wood FC equipped him with the football acumen required to form a new team in Haver Town Football Club in 2008. The club later solidified their status through securing sponsorship deals with Charlie’s Bar Brentwood and Custom Clobber Club – both of whom provide strong support for Haver Town’s continuing success.
Fast-forward to an emphatic 13-year spell, the club’s efforts have seen them momentously grab silverware on eight separate occasions. Their dominance oversaw a respectable second-placed finish and a Division 4 league cup title during their first ever season in the Romford and District League, as well as the Division 5 and Division 3 Mid Essex League titles in unbeaten seasons. To further add to their list of achievements, Haver Town also triumphed within several cup competitions; including an impressive 11-a-side tournament victory in Amsterdam, and notable coups of the Mid Essex Premier League Divisional Cup and the Liberty of Havering Cup. Equally significant, the levels of relentless ambition at Haver Town is evident in their final league positions during seasons where they were unsuccessful in capturing league titles. The club found themselves well within the run-in during most campaigns, finishing runners-up on eight separate occasions. With Masterson accrediting the team’s success to instilling a genuine desire to win every battle no matter the circumstances, it’s fair to assume that the club maintain exceedingly high standards every season.
Led by captain Dane ‘the Train’ Willis – dubbed by Masterson as an absolute machine – the manager notes Willis’ strength, fitness and pace as notable qualities that aid him in leading Haver Town’s reserves team during matches. Described as a ‘defence’s worst nightmare’, Willis started at the club as a right winger before being converted into one of the team’s main striking outlets. The marksman enjoyed an emphatic pre-lockdown campaign, scoring 11 and assisting 8 in only 9 games. Haver Town Reserves’ attacking options are further strengthened by the abundance of talent around Willis; namely in Alex Gipps, Charlie Bruce, Jack Levy, Jayden Posener and Rob Rice. Masterson notes these players to hold strong elements of indispensability in the team’s attacking threat, each possessing their own respective qualities which have brought the club so much success in front of goal this season.
On naming what he perceived to be the strongest area of his squad however, the coach reiterated how valuable an asset each member of the squad is; from the engines of Brandon Richmond and Perry Fowkes as wing-backs, to the silkiness and quality of Alex Gipps in the forward position. In sitting on the fence however; Masterson named the spine of his squad in the goalkeeper, the center halves, the central midfielders and the strikers as perhaps the squad's focal points. Jokingly naming himself his team’s most underrated player however, Ross Masterson definitely fancies a stint in the team. He said, “I would say our most underrated player would probably be myself. Aged 35, I can’t run a bath let alone chase youngsters on a Saturday afternoon – but I still love a tackle and would die on the pitch through effort and desire. I’m the unsung hero who can’t get a game!” By the looks of their dominance however, it seems Haver Town are doing well enough without the playing expertise of their manager.
With their main ambition of earning promotion into the Premier Division of the Mid Essex League, Ross Masterson remains optimistic of what his team can produce this season. Haver Town Reserves have enjoyed a fantastic start to the campaign, winning 5 of their first 6 games and scoring 22 goals in the process. Where the impacts of COVID-19 remains a bother, coach Ross Masterson remains optimistic of gaining the promotions his squad so desperately desire. He stated, “my main aim is to get back to Premier Division. This current team is in its third year, but the last two seasons have been interrupted by COVID. On our day, I truly believe we are strong enough to compete with that Premier Division standard and we would relish the chance to show that.” To attain their coveted division title however, Haver Town will have to overcome long-time foes Writtle F.C. Saturday Reserves, who Masterson admitted to be their main threat this season. On top of being the only side to defeat Haver Town this campaign, Writtle are second in the league – trailing Haver Town by 3 points with a game in hand. It remains to be seen where the two clubs will finish come the tail-end of the season, however Haver Town vs Writtle is definitely a fixture to look out for.
With all their accumulated success over the years, Haver Town FC remain eager to welcome new talent to their squad. On being probed if the Reserves team are currently looking to recruit new players, Masterson replied, “the squad is pretty settled and we have some real good talent involved this season. However, I would never close the door on anything that can make us better. Do you happen to have Messi and Ronaldo’s number by any chance?!” Even with the relative unlikelihood of signing the world’s two greatest ever footballers, Haver Town Reserves are making many positive strides – and their current endeavours could easily see them do battle within the Premier Division alongside their first team in the coming years.
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