By: Daniel Cencic
Twitter: @DC_EFL
Nestled in the pocket of Fraser Place, lies 50 years of history unique to those who have donned the green and white across five decades of the Forest Hill Football Club.
The rich history of the Zebras will be officially recognised at the club’s official 50-year anniversary function on Saturday night, as close to 400 people are expected in attendance to reminisce about and celebrate the respective decades of the club.
Among them will be Jeff ‘Jedda’ Howell, a member of the organisational committee behind the Zebras’ night of nights, which has been almost two years in the making.
Howell has ridden the highs and lows at Forest Hill after almost 50 years of involvement at his beloved Zebras, first joining the fold in 1974 after his older brother started playing in 1973.
‘Jedda’ began playing in 1975 and played all his junior, reserves and senior football in the green and white, totalling over 300 games collectively.
Since first fielding a senior side in 1970, Howell has seen the club forge its own identity unique to that of the neighbouring clubs, and local football.
“We’re a small club – we’re surrounded by the EFL powerhouses – the Blackburns, the Vermonts, the Mitchams, the East Burwoods,” Howell said.
“The club’s struggled at times with that competition on its doorstep but we’ve persevered and worked real hard over the years to maintain our own identity and the club I think now is starting to bear some fruits of that.”
It is an identity that has solidified the club through the toughest of times, including its current premiership drought of 32 years, having not tasted the ultimate success since 1984.
Despite a number of close calls in recent seasons, the Zebras’ stalwart feels a premiership is edging ever so close.
“It’s getting closer,” Howell said.
“It’s been a long drought and it’s not a record we’re very proud of at Forest Hill.
“Its current coach (Martin Stillman) and the playing group – I don’t think they’re far away from the mark.”
The club will be naming its respective teams of each decade on Saturday night.
Although situated in a catchment area surrounded by historic powerhouse clubs, the Zebras have certainly never been short of champion players.
It has been somewhat of a ‘welcomed’ problem by the selection committee, as Howell can well attest to.
“We formulated a criteria that every player on the evening that is mentioned in teams of the decade through the seniors, reserves and juniors must have played three seasons at the club and to qualify in any decade they were represented in the greater decade they partook in,” Howell said.
“There’s over 3000 players that have been through the club doors, then you break them down to what decade and you’re still coming up with massive numbers that you’ve got to try and get into 22 spots.
“The group of guys that worked on it, I can’t thank them enough.
“It wasn’t one night where it was resolved, it was a night of many and it isn’t an easy process.
“It’s been done in the most transparent way we can possibly do it.”
The 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s, 2000s and 2010s have produced a plethora of superstars at the Zebras.
From names such as Ian Atkinson, Mark Jowett, Russell Warburton, Stephen Clegg and Duncan Ford, the Zebras community and the wider football fraternity have been blessed over the decades.
“Mark Jowett through two decades – he was a powerhouse ruckman through our successful period (and) Russell Warburton is a four-time best and fairest winner at the club,” Howell said.
“Stephen Clegg was probably the smallest player to have ever played at Forest Hill in stature.
“He left Forest Hill in 1984 to try his hand at first division football and was successful enough at East Burwood at that stage to win the League’s best under-21 player.
“He then returned to Forest Hill two years later, played another period then went back to East Burwood and won a competition best and fairest in first division.
“To this day, him and his father (Johnny Clegg) are the only father-son combination to win a first division best and fairest within the EDFL (Eastern Districts Football League) and EFL.
“Footscray were chasing him and I think Essendon had a crack at him. He’s probably the most significant player without letting too much out of the bag.
“He was a cheeky-little bugger – he gave as good as he got.”
“Duncan Ford back in the ‘80s came across from Beverley Hills (and) at 19 years of age at the time, ‘Fordy’ managed to kick 141 goals during the home and away and 13 during the semi-final and grand final with a haul of six and seven,” Howell said.
“He won the comp best and fairest that year and the goal-kicking (and) when we went to second division, he won it two years in a row.
“(Duncan) tried his hand at Richmond, and the problem he had at Richmond was that he was up against Michael Roach, Brian Taylor, Mark Jackson, and he was probably fourth in the queue.”
The family connection to Forest Hill, for Jeff Howell, runs deep through the veins.
“Forest Hill’s always had that special part in my bloodlines,” he said.
“The reserves best and fairest is named after my father (the Don Howell Medal), and the senior best and fairest is named after Don Barnes.
“They’re two significant people in the history of the club and they’re certainly going to be acknowledged on the evening as well.”
Moments throughout decades have the ability to shape and define clubs – whether it be on-field or off-field, football clubs are built on the foundations of its history.
Howell remembers each defining moment across each decade.
“The defining in the very early period was the ability we had to attract players – a lot of Box Hill players and East Burwood players,” he said.
“The ‘80s were very successful with the seniors and reserves premierships of ‘84.”
The 1986 season would however present the challenges of an ever-competitive second division competition in which the Zebras would win 10 games, in a year which Howell believes was one of the defining periods for the club in the ’80s.
“A very successful period of the club somewhat forgotten was 1986,” Howell said.
“We just missed out on playing in the finals in second division. It was one spot out of the finals (and) that was a pretty defining moment for the club because it was very competitive.”
Fast forward to the 1990s and a finals appearance in 1992 after 12 wins and second-place, followed by a grand final appearance in 1993 from fourth stand out.
“The ‘90s exploded,” Howell said.
“Statistically that team of ‘92 was our best team we’ve ever had.”
The 21st century has been somewhat of the most testing of times for Forest Hill, particularly across 2002 and 2003 when the club posted a combined total of four wins across the two seasons.
“The recent times speak for themselves,” Howell said.
“The club was on its knees (and) there were merger talks about the options of that.
“Fortunately, the club decided to fight its own battle.
“Michael Tarrant – a former Forest Hill junior, came back to coach the club when it was on its knees.
“It was a commendable effort.”
The 2010s has produced two grand final appearances from the Zebras, along with consistent finals campaigns.
In 2013, an eager Forest Hill outfit came from fourth position to meet South Belgrave in the grand final, who had lost the previous year to The Basin.
In a thrilling final term, with the scores locked at the final siren, the decider went into extra-time.
A long-awaited premiership wasn’t to be, but after a grand final appearance in 2016 and the Zebras’ 2017 season to date which has produced six wins to be sitting in fourth spot in one of the most even Division 4 premiership races in years, the faithful have dared to dream again.
“(In 2013) they came from outside the square,” Howell said.
“The players took it (the grand final loss) really hard.
“Talking to the players nowadays, that was definitely the one that slipped.
“The club took it pretty hard because we didn’t expect to be where we were, but once you get an opportunity, you don’t knock them back.
“(Former coach) Brett (Shalders) was very determined to keep pushing forward – he said we’ve got to better it.”
Ahead of the club’s night of nights, planes will be boarded from all over the nation and across the globe to celebrate five decades of the Forest Hill Football Club, which holds the dearest of places in many hearts.
“We’ve got people coming from every state and territory in Australia, and overseas for one night,” Howell said.
“Everyone will really enjoy themselves.”
