In the Herts. County League the conclusion of the 1972/73 season saw Rolls-Royce Engines win the Premier Division title with Leggatts Way Old Boys runners up and Knebworth third. Royston Town won Division One, Bushey Rangers Reserves Division Two and Bovingdon Reserves Division Three. Knebworth Reserves finished in mid table in Division One. Rolls Royce Engines achieved the double defeating Sun Sports 2-0 in the Aubrey Cup Final. The boot was on the other foot however in the Reserve Cup Final as Knebworth Reserves again won the competition defeating Rolls-Royce Engines Reserves 3-0 in the final. In the Amateur Cup Rickmansworth Town beat Hazells, Aylesbury in the Preliminary Round 2-1 after a 0-0 draw and then lost to Marlow Town 3-0 in the First Qualifying Round. This was the last time a Herts. County League club would be accepted into the Amateur Cup competition.
In the Isthmian League at the end of the season Hitchin Town again finished in mid table, with Stevenage Athletic finishing in the bottom half of the Southern League Division One (North).
Major changes were afoot however for the start of the 1973/74 season, as the Isthmian League would form a second division, with the two divisions known as Division One and Division Two. Division Two had been created by taking fifteen clubs from the Athenian League and one, Hertford Town, from the Eastern Counties League. Hertford Town had left the Athenian League a year earlier to join the Eastern Counties League and thought this move would seriously jeopardise their chances of joining the Isthmian League, however this did not prove to be the case. In its inaugural season Hertford Town would finish third, the nearest they ever came to playing in the top flight of the Isthmian League. Letchworth Town were not accepted into this new division as they could not meet the facility requirements, not having any floodlights. The Athenian League was considerably decimated by this action and reduced its constitution to two divisions.
Missed an installment of Mick’s Memories? Catch up here…
Knebworth FC 