This season, the Moors are unbeaten at home in the league and will be searching for consecutive wins for the first time this campaign after beating Halifax in the last outing.

Wealdstone has endured a tricky start to the season and currently sits in the relegation zone but just three points separate the sides in the table, despite the Moors being in 12th position.

The Midlands side will be confident heading into this fixture and pinched four points from their opponents in their league clashes last campaign.

History of Weadlstone FC

Wealdstone was formed in 1899, taking over from Wealdstone Albion FC, which had combined Wealdstone Rovers and Weadlstone Juniors the previous year. The club originally joined Division Two of the Willesden & District League. Wealdstone was promoted a year later after this league was scrapped and won Division One in 1906. Despite this success, the Hillingdon-based side was disbanded that year but was quickly reformed in 1908 and scooped the Division One title again.

In 1928, Wealdstine joined the Athenian League and then won the Middlesex Senior Cup in the 1929/30 campaign. At the start of the 1950s, the Stones clinched the Athenian League and won the Middlesex Senior Cup on three occasions between 1959 and 1964.

1971 was a ceremonial moment for Wealdstone as the club joined the Southern League and turned professional. They moved to Division One South the following season and won the competition in 1974, which earned promotion to the Premier Division.

1979 was another transformative moment for the club as it was a founding member of the Alliance Premier League, the new national top division of non-league football. However, the Stones were relegated in 1981 but secured an immediate promotion in the following campaign. Wealdstone’s performance in the Alliance Premier League was far more encouraging this time as they finished third and fourth in consecutive seasons. This culminated in an eventual title win in 1985, and an FA Trophy in the same year. Their name was etched into grassroots folklore as it was the first time a non-league double had been achieved. Following this tremendous success, Wealdstone was relegated by the decade's end.

The 1990s started terribly as the club encountered financial issues and was relegated to the Southern League South Division. The club then entered administration but achieved a promotion before the millennium.

In 2004, Wealdstone secured promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. Four years later, the Stones acquired the Grosvenor Vale, their current home. The club achieved promotion to the Conference South in 2014, winning the league as champions.

During the 2019/2020 season, Wealdstone was top of the league before the pandemic struck and in June it was confirmed the club would be promoted to the National League as champions on a points-per-game basis.

In their second campaign in the National League, the Stones finished 16th, their highest finish for over 30 years. They beat this feat again in the third season, finishing 13th.

Experience at the back

In the realm of National League transfers, Wealdstone’s coup of former Premier League defender Adrian Mariappa is a huge statement of intent as the club aims to move further up the table.

The defender is most famous for his stints at Watford, Reading and Crystal Palace. In two different spells with the Hornets, Mariappa accumulated 340 appearances for the club and was regularly featured in the Championship and Premier League. He had much shorter spells at Reading and Crystal Palace but remained within the top two tiers of English football for the majority of his career.

Speaking to the club’s website, manager Matt Taylor described Mariappa as a “big character” with a “fantastic pedigree” whose “leadership skills will be vital.”

Manager of top-flight descent

Taylor has been manager of Wealdstone since May 2024. During an impressive playing career, Taylor appeared in the Premier League for Portsmouth, Bolton, West Ham and Burnley.

The 42-year-old completed his coaching badges during the latter stages of his playing career, working with Luton Town’s under-15 and 16 teams. He was then named interim manager of Swindon Town in 2018 and also coached Tottenham under-18s, Walsall and Shrewsbury Town.

Upon his appointment, Wealdstone chairman Rory Fitzgerald told the club’s website: "His experience at the top levels of football, both as a player and a coach, will be invaluable as we strive to develop our club to achieve our long-term ambitions. Matt's vision for the team, his clear principles for how he wants us to play and his track record of developing young talent are exactly what we need.”