Bourne Town - The Wakes
Hereward the Wake led the Anglo-Saxon resistance against the invading Norman armies following their invasion via Hastings in 1066. Legend has it that he operated mainly in the Fens, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, something akin to a lowlands Robin Hood. Although no-one knows for sure, Bourne lays claim to be the birthplace of Hereward, hence the clubs nickname, The Wakes.
Chalvey Sports - The Stabmonks
Chalvey Sports, founded in 1885 and currently playing in the Hellenic League, have one of the more unusual nicknames in non-league. The Stabmonks' name probably dates back to the the Victorian era. The most likely source of the name comes from a tale about an organ-grinder's monkey biting the finger of a child. The father of the child then stabbed the monkey to death which, obviously, greatly upset the organ grinder. The Chalvey villagers took pity on the man, had a collection, purchased a new monkey and held a funeral and wake (involving free beer) for the departed animal. The wake proved so successful that it became an annual event for quite some time. To this day anyone born and bred in Chalvey is described as a stab-monk. The full tale can be read on the Slough History Online site - sloughhistoryonline.org.uk
Sandhurst Town - The Fizzers
The Sandhurst Town club web site quotes two possibilities for their unusual nickname. The first, and probably most logical, is that they were named after a Friendly Insurance Society (F.I.S) that was set up in the town in the early 1930's. The alternative is that it is derived from the chant 'Fizz, Fizz, Bang!', shouted by the club's supporters when the team scored a goal. Personally, that's the one I would go with.
Hallen - The Armadillos
The origin of the club's nickname is not that clear, even on the club's history page on its website there is no direct mention of where the moniker came from. However, further inspection of the wonderful account of the club's early days recounted by lifetime member and one of the founders, Gordon Bradley, shows that the club originally played their games at Kingsweston House when they began in 1949. The house was used as a British Army camp during the war and, leftover from this time, was a Nissen hut that the club adopted as changing rooms. Nissen huts bare a striking resemblance to an armadillo, which could well be where the odd nickname came from.
Sittingbourne - The Brickies
Sittingbourne Football Club can be traced back to 1886. However, there are records of a team in the town previously to the current incarnation. The fact that the club was born in the late Victorian era also gives some clue to their nickname, The Brickies. A few years prior to the foundation of the team, the local brick and tile industry was the biggest in the country, even outstripping the Midlands brickworks. The Grade II listed London Bridge - Greenwich Railway Viaduct is constructed entirely of Sittingbourne brick.
Weymouth - The Terras
Not, as I first thought, a shortened version of Terrors, referring to the them terrifying opponents. Is is actually a reference to their original terracotta coloured kit back in the 1890s. Since that time the clubs colours have changed slightly and are now more maroon and light blue. However, the nickname remains.
Merthyr Town - The Martyrs
The club gets its nickname from the origins of Merthyr Tydfil, the town that the club represents. Legend has it that Tydfil was the daughter of King Brychan of Brycheniog, which at the time was an independent kingdom between Wales and England. Tydfil was martyred after being killed by pagans late in the 5th century. The town was named Merthyr (Welsh for martyr) Tydfil. The club was reformed in 2010 but has retained the nickname. For a full account of the history of football in Merthyr the club's website has a very good article - https://www.merthyrtownfc.co.uk/our-story/history/
Hereward the Wake led the Anglo-Saxon resistance against the invading Norman armies following their invasion via Hastings in 1066. Legend has it that he operated mainly in the Fens, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, something akin to a lowlands Robin Hood. Although no-one knows for sure, Bourne lays claim to be the birthplace of Hereward, hence the clubs nickname, The Wakes.
Chalvey Sports - The Stabmonks
Chalvey Sports, founded in 1885 and currently playing in the Hellenic League, have one of the more unusual nicknames in non-league. The Stabmonks' name probably dates back to the the Victorian era. The most likely source of the name comes from a tale about an organ-grinder's monkey biting the finger of a child. The father of the child then stabbed the monkey to death which, obviously, greatly upset the organ grinder. The Chalvey villagers took pity on the man, had a collection, purchased a new monkey and held a funeral and wake (involving free beer) for the departed animal. The wake proved so successful that it became an annual event for quite some time. To this day anyone born and bred in Chalvey is described as a stab-monk. The full tale can be read on the Slough History Online site - sloughhistoryonline.org.uk
Sandhurst Town - The Fizzers
The Sandhurst Town club web site quotes two possibilities for their unusual nickname. The first, and probably most logical, is that they were named after a Friendly Insurance Society (F.I.S) that was set up in the town in the early 1930's. The alternative is that it is derived from the chant 'Fizz, Fizz, Bang!', shouted by the club's supporters when the team scored a goal. Personally, that's the one I would go with.
Hallen - The Armadillos
The origin of the club's nickname is not that clear, even on the club's history page on its website there is no direct mention of where the moniker came from. However, further inspection of the wonderful account of the club's early days recounted by lifetime member and one of the founders, Gordon Bradley, shows that the club originally played their games at Kingsweston House when they began in 1949. The house was used as a British Army camp during the war and, leftover from this time, was a Nissen hut that the club adopted as changing rooms. Nissen huts bare a striking resemblance to an armadillo, which could well be where the odd nickname came from.
Sittingbourne - The Brickies
Sittingbourne Football Club can be traced back to 1886. However, there are records of a team in the town previously to the current incarnation. The fact that the club was born in the late Victorian era also gives some clue to their nickname, The Brickies. A few years prior to the foundation of the team, the local brick and tile industry was the biggest in the country, even outstripping the Midlands brickworks. The Grade II listed London Bridge - Greenwich Railway Viaduct is constructed entirely of Sittingbourne brick.
Weymouth - The Terras
Not, as I first thought, a shortened version of Terrors, referring to the them terrifying opponents. Is is actually a reference to their original terracotta coloured kit back in the 1890s. Since that time the clubs colours have changed slightly and are now more maroon and light blue. However, the nickname remains.
Merthyr Town - The Martyrs
The club gets its nickname from the origins of Merthyr Tydfil, the town that the club represents. Legend has it that Tydfil was the daughter of King Brychan of Brycheniog, which at the time was an independent kingdom between Wales and England. Tydfil was martyred after being killed by pagans late in the 5th century. The town was named Merthyr (Welsh for martyr) Tydfil. The club was reformed in 2010 but has retained the nickname. For a full account of the history of football in Merthyr the club's website has a very good article - https://www.merthyrtownfc.co.uk/our-story/history/
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