By John May

Fallon has taken Histon on a long journey

To many people, Histon is a vaguely familiar name on a jamjar label.

Which is apt, as something has been slowly coming to the boil in the Cambridgeshire countryside, and as it comes to fruition, the taste will be oh-so sweet.

Histon - population 4,500 and the place where Mr Chivers set up his jam factory after being impressed with how his orchards flourished - will line up in the Conference next season.

Their rise and rise through the pyramid is a football fairy story, a fable on how a lot can still be achieved with little more than dreams, ambition and determination.

A village football team 15 years ago, Histon will lock horns with former Football League big guns such as Oxford United after clinching the Conference South title.

Manager Steve Fallon told BBC Sport: "It's something we hoped for a few years ago and it's come along quicker than we expected.

The banner tells the tale - Histon are in the Conference

"But were not going in there just to make up the numbers. We've become used to doing well and we want that to continue."

Fallon has managed the Stutes - nicknamed from a previous incarnation as Histon Institute - for 10 years and is the first to pay tribute to chairman Gareth Baldwin.

Histon were on the verge of folding when Baldwin stepped in 15 years ago. But his hard work and ambition drove the club's rise.

Fallon said: "He's been the major part of this club's success. He had to be thick-skinned for a long time and in the first few years he had a lot of problems but he stuck it out.

"This club's rise has not been through a massive cash investment. But we have shown what can be done if a chairman has ambition for his club and he's prepared to work as hard as Gareth.

With the sort of pragmatism associated with rural ways, Histon refuse to have their heads turned by the temptation of joing the vast majority of Conference clubs in full-time status.

Fallon said: "We're going to remain part-time, unless you have unlimited funds there's no way you can go full-time.

"It's all very well spending money on players but they're not particularly interested in the club. You get one or two years out of them and then they want to move on.

"We've signed six players in the close season, all of whom want to play in the Conference, and they're hungry to succeed. They have careers ahead of them and they'e not just serving time.

Chairman Gareth Baldwin has been the driving force

"We'll get the players in one afternoon a week, probably Monday, and if we can do that, along with two evenings a week, we're not far off what the full-time clubs are doing.

Fallon adds: "We've tried to keep a settled side all the way through as much as possible," and the club are due to pay tribute to three players who have been on the ride all the way.

Neil Andrews and Jamie Barker have clocked up 10 years with the Stutes, while stalwart striker Neil Kennedy has been there longer and notched his 300th goal for the club at the end of last season.

Any good fairy tale contains a twist and Histon's rise mirrors the slide of Cambridge United.

In 1992, Cambridge made the old Division 2 play-offs and were three games away from English football's top flight.

At that time, Histon would not have figured on Cambridge's radar, but the pair are on collision course to meet in the Conference next season.

That Cambridge managed by John Beck, made its own rapid rise through the leagues although their direct style made football purists wince.

Beck is now Fallon's coach, but as they prepare to meet on equal terms there is no crowing from Histon mangement towards their local rivals.

John Beck has proved a valuable foil to Fallon

Fallon said: "When they were one step away from the Premiership, we were just about hanging on, waiting to be closed down. Now we're meeting them on even terms."

"Yes, they're our rivals but we're not looking to make it into a rivalry, we welcome Cambridge fans.

"We're a village team and we get support from the village, but we have to look to bring other people in, and make ourselves a similar option to Cambridge United.

"We'll be playing on alternate weeks so if people aren't watching Cambridge, come and watch us."

All good fairy stories, though, contain a warning against flights of fancy and Histon are aware of flying too close to the sun.

"It's good that a club playing at the level we were 10 years ago, is now knocking on the door of the football league," says Fallon.