Rather like Dagenham and Redbridge, the history of Haringey Borough FC is a complicated one, full of renamed clubs and mergers. Their club website identifies the club as being formed in 1907. This was as Tufnell Park FC, which played in Campdale Road, Holloway, Allbury Ride in Cheshunt and the Barrass Stadium in Edmonton. In 1950, Tufnell Park merged with Edmonton Borough FC whose stadium they'd been playing at, to form Edmonton FC.

This is where things get really confusing. Back in 1911, Tufnell Spartans FC had been formed as a breakaway club from Tufnell Park. In 1920 they renamed themselves as Wood Green FC and then in 1930 elongated that to Wood Green Town FC, which in itself was taking the name of a club that had played in the London League between 1909 and 1913, although was unconnected with them. This club initially played in Barnet, but moved to Wood Green Recreation Ground, before heading to a ground on White Hart Lane opposite Perth Road. In 1930, they shuffled further eastbound to Coles Park.

In 1973, these two separated strands decided to rejoin. Edmonton FC and Wood Green Town FC merged to form Edmonton and Haringey FC, taking the place of Edmonton in the Athenian League Division One, and it is this merger that established the club that exists today, with them taking up the name of Haringey Borough FC in 1976 for the first time. In 1984, the Athenian League was dissolved and they joined the Isthmian League at Division Two level. This lasted only five years, with them changing to the Spartan League in 1989.

Another identity crisis ensued in 1995 as they became Tufnell Park FC, restoring their original club's name, but a year later they decided to do a u-turn, adopting the name of Haringey Borough FC for a second time. From 1996 onwards they have stuck with this name. A league restructuring saw them placed in the Spartan South Midlands League from 1997, before transferring across to the Essex Senior League in 2012.

More recently, the club has been on an upward climb. In the 2014-15 season, they won the Essex Senior League and chose that moment to rejoin the Isthmian League at Division One North Level. They were then promoted again in 2017-18, via the play-offs, beating Heybridge Swifts and Canvey Island to get into the Isthmian League Premier Division for the first time. Finishing third at the first attempt, the club also saw the 2018-19 season record their best ever performance in the FA Cup - reaching the First Round Proper for the first time, losing at home to AFC Wimbledon in front of their club record attendance.

Haringey installed a 3G pitch at Coles Park in 2016, providing an unusual test for a club like Yeovil Town that won't be used to the way such pitches are being used further down the pyramid, and at one or two grounds in the National League. They are managed by Tom Loizou, who is not only the club's first team manager, but is also their Stadium Manager, and will even be spotted selling tickets for matches, presumably only outside matchdays! Their Chairman Ali Achillea has had an association with the club since 1995 - as a lawyer he offered to sort out the club's lease agreement at the stadium, and ended up sticking around. They've managed to finance the club via the hire of the 3G pitch for events outside of matchdays, and are ultimately seeing the National League as their current end goal, meaning that they will see the visit of Yeovil Town as a test of those credentials.

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If you do decide to drive, consider driving to somewhere like Cockfosters and parking up there and taking the tube down to Wood Green (see below) rather than getting snarled up in the London traffic.

By Road

There are two options. One is to drive into London via the M4, M40 or M1, and then join the A406 North Circular going clockwise around London. The other alternative is to take the M25 as far as Junction 25 and then follow the A10 into London. The North Circular route is less mileage, but relies on you being comfortable with driving on a busy and occasionally boisterous road with plenty of speed cameras on it.

For the A406 route, the recommended way of getting there is to take the A303, then M3 then M25 clockwise. Leave the M25 at Junction 16, and take the M40 London-bound, which turns into the A40. At the Hangar Lane junction, get in the left-hand lane which splits from the A40 and takes you up to the large Hangar Lane Roundabout. Take the second exit onto the A406 and follow this past the junctions for the M1 and A1.

When you reach New Southgate, your SatNav may recommend you drop off towards Bounds Green, taking you via the A109 and A105 to connect onto White Hart Lane. If you don't have SatNav or what a more simple route, then continue on the A406 until you reach the junction with the A10 (Great Cambridge Road). Take the A10 southbound towards London. Look out for signage on the left for the Selby Centre - at that point you need to get in the right-most lane on the A10, and take the slip road that takes you into a right turn into White Hart Lane. Go past the petrol garage and you'll find Coles Park Stadium on your left hand side.

Parking

There is parking available at Coles Park. However, they have been using their stadium as car parking facilities for Spurs fans, so expect a few to bag spaces there. You'll pay £5.00 on a first come, first served basis. White Hart Lane itself has parking restrictions from 8.00a.m. until 6.30p.m. from Monday to Saturday and will be coned off for Spurs matches. There is street parking off the main road further west, but pay careful attention to signage and protocol and don't block driveways or junctions. The other alternative is to try parking somewhere further out like Cockfosters and taking the tube in for the last few miles.

By Rail

The nearest Underground station is Wood Green on the Piccadilly Line. It's a Zone 3 station on the North-East branch. From London Waterloo, change at Leicester Square on the Northern Line, and then head towards Cockfosters. Once you reach Wood Green, you are just over a mile from the ground. Turn left out of the station and then immediate left into Lordship Lane (A109). Just past a row of shops, including a fish'n'chips shop, branch left into Perth Road and follow this up to the end until you reach White Hart Lane. Turn right and the ground is on your right hand side. If you don't fancy the walk, there is a bus that can help you (see below).

An alternative is to take a train from Liverpool Street to White Hart Lane railway station, and then walk Westbound along the length of White Hart Lane, crossing the A10, where you'll find the ground on your left. Needless to say, as Spurs are playing Watford on the same day as our 2019-20 fixture, you'll find this a slower route, particularly on the way back when you're going to end up snarled up in queues of Spurs fans. Again, it's about a mile walk. Check the National Rail Enquiries site for details of services.

By Bus

Bus Route W3 travels from Wood Green towards Northumberland Park and passes the ground. Allow about five minutes for the journey, plus whatever time it takes for the bus to arrive.

By Taxi

A selection of Tottenham taxi companies can be found here.

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Whether travelling by road or rail we'd strongly advise approaching Coles Park from the western rather than eastern side. On Tottenham Hotspur matchdays there are road closures and diversions all around their stadium; the London Overground line up to White Hart Lane and adjacent stations is bedlam; and there's those barrier filter systems installed post-match that means getting back into a station to catch a train can easily entail half an hour or more of shuffling along in the queues. However, for those who choose or need to use this route, our pub recommendation on the western edge of central Tottenham, thus closer than most to Coles Park Stadium, is the Antwerp Arms (below) - but at under ten minutes walk from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium expect it to be rammed!

Immediately around Wood Green Underground Station there are four pubs of various merits, or otherwise - mostly otherwise. There were reports that the Lord Nelson was closed at the end of the Summer. Whether it is back open we're not sure. Of the other three, all we'll say is one of the least desirable looking Spoons from the outside (Spouter's Corner - below) one will come across could be a better option than the remaining two. Further from the station, The Prince (below) is worth the walk.

Club Bar :

There is a Clubhouse/Function Hall with a bar, to be found behind the Main (well, the only) Stand. Photos suggest three keg lines, with Untappd entries over the last few months indicating Guinness, Kronenbourg 1664 Lager and John Smith's Extra Smooth are the likely candidates. There are also some bottled beers stocked, mostly from the Marston's stable. A sign states "Cash only, no cards" - the opposite of what one sees in the fashionable parts of That London. And that, to be honest, is as much as we know about provision within the ground. Food? Teas? There'll be some, somewhere, presumably.

Local Pubs :

Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You :

Cor blimey guv'nor! Okay we may not be within earshot of Bow Bells of the East End, but this is most definitely Laaaaaaandon, me old china! Settle down and watch a month's worth of Eastenders Omnibus edition, and you may be prepared to make the trip.

Top-Tip :

If Tottenham Hotspur are at home at the same time as Haringey Borough, travel up via the Wood Green route. That will still be busy, but not as busy as trying to navigate your way along White Hart Lane on a matchday!

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You may note that the spelling of the London Borough of Haringey and Haringey Borough FC differ in spelling from Harringay, which is a district at the south end of the borough. The thinking is that both are derived from the same source - an old Saxon chieftain called Hering, with Heringes-hege meaning the district belonging to him. It seems that over the years, the spelling became disputed. The actual London Borough of Haringey was only created in 1964 - the belief is this spelling was adopted because official papers for the previous Borough of Hornsey had adopted that version.

[No responsibilty is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice.]

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