The draw for the 2025/26 Herts Charity Shield has been made – and Hoddesdon Town FC will begin their campaign with a First Round away trip to Harpenden Town.

The tie is one of several intriguing fixtures in the opening round of the county competition, with Sawbridgeworth Town hosting Oxhey Jets, and London Colney welcoming Wormley Rovers. The winners of our clash with Harpenden will host either London Colney or Wormley Rovers in the Second Round.

A Historic County Competition
The Herts Charity Shield is one of Hertfordshire football’s longest-running and most respected cup competitions, dating back over a century. It was originally established to raise money for local causes, often tied to hospitals or civic charities, hence the "Charity" in its name.

Traditionally contested by senior non-league sides from across the county, the Shield has often served as a pre-season or early-season competition and has provided thrilling encounters over the decades. Many clubs have used the tournament as a platform to build momentum for league campaigns.

Usually the competitive curtain raiser to a new season, the Herts Charity Shield has a rich history dating back to 1919, where Hertford Town were crowned inaugural winners, beating Letchworth Town 3-1. Hoddesdon Town are five time winners of the trophy, with their last victory coming in the 2003/2004 season, after a 3-2 win against Welwyn Garden City.

Our first appearance in the final came way back in 1922 where, after a 0-0 stalemate in 90 minutes, opponents Hitchin Blue Cross turned on the after burners and ran out 3-1 winners after extra time. We were again on the wrong side fortune in 1928, when Welwyn Garden City won their first ever trophy in the club’s history, at the expense of Hoddesdon Town, sweeping us aside 5-2 in 90 minutes.

In the early 1940’s. the competition wasn’t played due to the onset of World War II, but in 1948 the Lilywhites finally refused to be denied, claiming their first ever win in the final, a 2-0 victory against St Albans City Reserves. It would be twenty long years before Hoddesdon made the final again, but they did so two seasons on the bounce in 1968 and 1969. Unfortunately, they lost both games to Harpenden Town (1-2) and Tring Town (0-1) respectively.

However, it wasn’t long until double heartache was banished, and double delight was ushered in, winning both the 1971 and 1972 finals, beating Leggatts Way Old Boys (3-0) and Tring Town (4-1) respectively. Indeed, the 1971 victory formed one third of the famous treble win, sitting alongside victory in the Spartan League Challenge Cup Final and winning the Spartan League itself. Hoddesdon also retained the Spartan League Challenge Cup in 1972, completing an excellent ‘double’ that season.

Shield number four was attained in the 1978-79 season as the Lilywhites handsomely beat Royston Town 4-1.

More heartbreak was dished out in the 1994 and 1998 finals by London Colney, as they saw off Hoddesdon 2-0 and 1-0 in the respective culminations of the competition.

Hoddesdon, however made it win number five in 2004 with the afore mentioned 3-2 win against Welwyn Garden City. That was the last time Hoddesdon made it all the way to the showpiece final and with the competition once again being suspended between the 2019-20 season and the 2022-23 season due to Covid19 protocols, it would be marvellous if the team could make an appearance in one of Hertfordshire’s oldest competitions. However, Harpenden will be no push over for Simon Riddle’s side, as they clash sometime in August.

With 11 final appearances and 5 wins, Hoddesdon would love to find themselves, once again, at The County Ground come April 2025, and that begins with the tricky trip to Harpenden to face Micky Nathan's side.

Nathan has a very strong link with Hoddesdon Town Football Club so we are sure it is a game he will be looking forward to. His father John played for the Lilywhites when they won the inaugural FA Vase in 1975, beating Epsom & Ewell 2-1 at Wembley and he would love to go on a similar magical cup run of his own.

You can view all the previous winners of the Herts Charity Shield by clicking HERE.

Route to the Final
The competition’s knockout format remains in place, with First and Second Rounds followed by Semi-Finals and a Final. A breakdown of the draw reveals that, should Hoddesdon progress past Harpenden and their next opponents, they could be on course for a potential Semi-Final clash against teams like Tring Athletic or Colney Heath, depending on other results.

Here’s a snapshot of the First Round draw:

Sawbridgeworth Town vs Oxhey Jets
St Margaretsbury vs Baldock Town
Harpenden Town vs Hoddesdon Town
London Colney vs Wormley Rovers

And the potential Second Round fixtures:

Tring Athletic vs Colney Heath
Letchworth Garden City Eagles vs Everett Rovers
Harpenden or Hoddesdon vs London Colney or Wormley Rovers
St Margaretsbury or Baldock Town vs Sawbridgeworth or Oxhey Jets

Eyes on the Prize
Speaking after the draw, Chairman Stuart Varney said:

"We’re looking forward to the challenge. Harpenden is always a tough place to go, but we’ll prepare well and aim to make a strong start to our Charity Shield run. It’s a competition with great tradition and one we’d love to go far in this season."

The dates for the First Round fixtures will be confirmed shortly and announced across our official channels.

Stay tuned to @HoddesdonTownFC for match updates, team news, and more as we prepare for another exciting county cup adventure.

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