The Spartan South Midlands Years
1997 to date

In 1997, the Spartan League and the South Midlands League merged to form the Spartan South Midlands League and Harpenden Town were placed in the Premier Division North for the competition’s debut season, finishing eighth. The club entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1998-99, beating Burnham in their first tie.

In 1999-2000, the club finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the Senior Division, which was subsequently renamed Division One.

Promotion back to the Premier Division followed in 2002-03, as the club finished runners-up to Pitstone and Ivinghoe but the stay in the top division was shortlived and in 2006 they returned for a lengthy spell in Division One.

It took 11 seasons to regain promotion. They were eighth in 2013-14, then sixth and fourth before edging out Baldock Town by a single point to finish runners-up to Biggleswade and claim promotion in 2016-17 under manager Danny Plumb.

The team’s impact on the Premier Division during the 2017-18 season was immediate as they challenged Berkhamsted for the runners-up spot behind runaway champions Welwyn Garden City. Harpenden fell just short, missing out on promotion to Step 4 by three points. The club also won the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Cup.

Hopes of another promotion push faded the following season with a 14th-place finish, then came two seasons curtailed by the Covid pandemic.

Micky Nathan, who was appointed manager shortly before lockdown, then steered Harpenden to fifth place in 2021-22 and 11th last season.

To mark the 130th anniversary in 2021, the team adopted green and gold stripes – which had been the club’s colours in its early days – as the new home kit.

Oaklands Ladies joined the club in summer 2022, becoming Harpenden Town Women. They reached the first round proper of the FA Cup earlier this season before losing to Luton Town and are pushing for promotion to the Eastern Region Women’s Football League Premier Division.

In summer 2023, the club embarked on the biggest project in its history, overseen by chairman Roman Motyczak, who has been at the helm for a decade. Harpenden Town played their final game on the grass pitch at Rothamsted Park in March before installation of a state-of-the-art 3G pitch. The creation of terracing, a covered standing area and new seating in the Centenary Stand have transformed the ground.

Six months after their final home game on grass, Harpenden Town welcomed Dunstable Town for the first match on the new pitch in September 2023. A big crowd of 427 enjoyed sun-kissed conditions and a 4-0 home win.

The club also runs a men’s development team, four under-18 teams and a women’s under-23 team. The improved facilities and all-weather pitch have allowed for closer ties with Harpenden Colts, one of the largest junior football clubs in the country, ensuring a pathway from under-sevens to adult football.

The 2023-24 season saw Harpenden equal their best league finish since the formation of the Spartan South Midlands League in 1997-98. A run of seven consecutive wins lifted the team to third place in the Premier Division, earning a home play-off semi-final against Leverstock Green. Harpenden lost the match 3-1 but a record crowd of 917 packed Rothamsted Park. The team rounded off a successful season with a 3-1 St Mary’s Cup final win over Leverstock Green at Hemel Hempstead Town, to give the club its first piece of silverware in six years.