 | |||
| Full name | Metropolitan Police Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Met The Old Bill The Blues and Twos | ||
| Founded | 1919 | ||
| Ground | Imber Court,East Molesey | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 (297 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Desmond Flanders | ||
| Manager | Suj Khera & Scott Kemp | ||
| League | Isthmian League South Central Division | ||
| 2024–25 | Isthmian League South Central Division, 16th of 22 | ||
| Website | https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/metropolitanpolicefc | ||
Metropolitan Police Football Club is afootball club based inEast Molesey,Surrey, England. Originally made up of players from theMetropolitan Police, the rule requiring players to be employees of the service was removed when the Commissioner refused to sanction time off for playing. However, the club is still part-funded by a police staff lottery.[2] They are currently members of theIsthmian League South Central Division and play at Imber Court, the base of the Met Police Sports and Social Club.
The club was established in 1919 as a team for officers and civilian staff of the Metropolitan Police.[3][4] After playing friendlies for nine years and winning theMiddlesex Senior Cup in 1927–28,[3][5] they joined Division One East of theSpartan League in 1928, with the reserves joining Division Two East.[6] Both teams won their division in their first season in the league.[6] The reserves then left the league, with the first team placed in the Premier Division amidst league reorganisation, going on to win the title in the 1929–30 season.[6] In1931–32 they reached the first round of theFA Cup but lost 9–0 atNorthampton Town.[7] The following season saw them win theSurrey Senior Cup,[5] beatingDulwich Hamlet 2–1 in the final. The club wereFA Amateur Cup semi-finalists in 1933–34, losing 2–0 to Dulwich Hamlet.[7] The following season saw them finish as runners-up in the Premier Division.[8]
Metropolitan Police were Spartan League champions again in 1936–37 and 1938–39. When the league restarted afterWorld War II, they were placed in the Central Division for the 1945–46 season, winning the title without losing a match.[8] Placed in the Premier Division the following season, the club won the league title in 1946–47 and were runners-up in 1947–48.[8] They won back-to-back titles in 1953–54 and 1954–55.[8] In 1960 the club transferred to theMetropolitan League, finishing bottom of the league in 1961–62.[7] They won the League Cup in 1968–69, and when the league folded in 1971, they transferred to Division One South of theSouthern League, where they remained until moving to Division Two of theIsthmian League in 1977.[7] They were Division Two runners-up in1977–78, earning promotion to Division One.[7] In1984–85 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup, losing 3–0 at home toDartford.[7]
At the end of the1984–85 season Metropolitan Police were relegated to Division Two South. Although they were promoted back to Division One after finishing as runners-up in the division in1987–88, the club were relegated to Division Two at the end of the1990–91 season.[7] Another FA Cup first round appearance in1993–94 ended in a 2–0 defeat at home toCrawley Town. Amidst league reorganisation, the club were moved into Division One South in 2002, before being placed in Division One in 2004. A fifth-placed finish in2004–05 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs, but they lost 4–3 on penalties toBromley in the semi-finals after a 1–1 draw. The club finished fourth in the division thefollowing season, but lost in the play-off semi-finals again, defeated 1–0 byDover Athletic.
More league reorganisation saw Metropolitan Police placed in Division One South in 2006. They finished fourth in2007–08, losing 2–0 toCray Wanderers in the play-off semi-finals. Another fourth-placed finish in2008–09 was followed by a 1–0 win againstFleet Town in the play-off semi-finals before a 1–0 loss to Cray Wanderers in the final. They won theLondon Senior Cup in 2009–10,[5] beatingAFC Wimbledon in the final on penalties. In2010–11 the club won Division One South, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[7] A fourth FA Cup first round appearance in2012–13 saw the club drawn at home to Crawley Town again, this time losing 2–1.[7] In2014–15 they finished fifth, going on to lose 2–1 toHendon in the play-off semi-finals.[7] The club also won the Surrey Senior Cup,[5] beatingMerstham 2–0 in the final.
At the end of the2017–18 season Metropolitan Police were transferred to the Premier South division of the Southern League as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid. Thefollowing season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 2–0 toNewport County. They also won the Surrey Senior Cup, and finished third in the Premier Division South. In the play-offs they defeatedSalisbury 3–2 in the semi-finals, and went on to win the final againstPoole Town 1–0, qualifying for the super play-off final againstTonbridge Angels, which they lost 3–2 after extra time. Despite finishing eighth in the Premier Division South in2022–23, the club were voluntarily relegated to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League.
The club have played at Imber Court since their establishment. The site was purchased by the Metropolitan Police Service in 1919, with a clubhouse opened in 1920.[9] A grandstand was opened in 1923 and doubled in size to accommodate 672 spectators in 1934.[9] Floodlights were erected in 1971 and the ground was enclosed in 1973.[9] Terracing was installed on three sides of the pitch in 1984, with a cover added to the Mounted Branch End in 1988.[9] In 1994 the original stand was demolished and replaced with a 300-seat stand, which was opened with a commemorative match against theArmy.[9]
When playing at home, the players come out to the tune of "I Fought the Law" byThe Clash.[10]
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