So what happened to the 22 clubs that competed in the old
Kent League between 1946 and 1959? Well, here is a brief summary
in alphabetical order....
Ashford Town
Ashford progressed to the prestigious Southern League after the closure of
the Kent League in the summer of 1959.
Following a revamp of the FA football pyramid and greater
regionalisation, they were relocated to the Ryman Isthmian
League in 2004/5 where they now play in Division 1. (Note: The
Southern League is now confined to clubs in the central and
western parts of the south. The equivalent Isthmian League
covers the South East and East Anglia)
Aylesford Paper Mills
After struggling at the foot of the table for their their four seasons in the
Kent League Division 1 (1947/48, 1948/49, 1949/50, 1950/51), they were
eventually relegated.
Although we do not know the full history, we do know that the
club still exists under the the name APM Mears FC. It competes in Division 2 East of the British Energy Kent County
League. (Note: The Kent County League is rated immediately below
the current day Kent League in the FA Pyramid. However, it is a long
road back to senior football for the paper mill side as the
county league includes both a Division 1 East and a Premier Division).
Recently, I came across photos that suggest that APM Mears
use the same ground as the 1950s team and that the main stand
still exists as a legacy of days gone by.
Betteshanger Colliery Welfare
Betteshanger were thrown into the wilderness when the Kent League disbanded
and we have yet to discover the path taken by the club in the latter part of the
twentieth century. However, despite the closure of the pit in 1989, a team called
Betteshanger Welfare now competes in Division 1 East of the British Energy
Kent County League. (Note: Betteshanger was the last of the Kent collieries to
cease operations. The others closed in 1969 [Chislet], 1985 [Tilmanstone] and
1987 [Snowdown]).
Bexleyheath & Welling
The club moved up to the Southern League in 1959 where it
remained until the 1975/76 season. However, it changed its name
to "Bexley United" in the summer of 1963. At one time, it had its
sights firmly set on a place in the Football League but a change
of playing fortunes and financial problems led to its closure in
1976.
During 1977, the substantial Park View ground was taken over
by an ambitious nearby club - Welling United. After seasons in
the London Spartan and Athenian Leagues, the new residents
brought Southern League football back to the ground for the
1981/82 season. Since then, Welling have oscillated between the
Southern League and the prestigious Conference and remain one of
Kent's most prominent non-league clubs.
Bowater-Lloyds of Sittingbourne
Although a founder member of the old Kent league, the club left the
competition as early as 1953. We believe a team called Bowaters may have
competed in the British Energy Kent County League a few years ago.
Canterbury City
After the closure of the old Kent League, Canterbury City competed in the
Metropolitan League for one season (1959/60) before joining other top Kent clubs
in the Southern League in 1960.
They remained in the Southern until 1994 when they were
relegated to the lesser Kent League of today. Sadly, they lost their
Kingsmead Stadium to developers and, despite promises of a new
home ground, the club withdrew from the competition after the
2000/2001 season.
Despite having no senior team, dedicated officials and
supporters have kept the dream alive and it now seems that the
club will make a welcome comeback by competing in British Energy Kent County League
during 2007/2008.
Negotiations with Canterbury City Council suggest that they
may eventually acquire a new home that will meet the standards
for a return to higher grade football. They have been sadly missed.
Chatham Town
Along with some of the other less successful clubs of the old
Kent League, Chatham competed in a newly formed competition (the
Aetolian League) from 1959 to 1964. They then moved on to the
Metropolitan League (1964-68) before entering the reformed Kent
League in 1968.
Apart from a spell in the Southern League (1983-1988), the
club continued as a Kent League competitor until they gained
promotion in 2001. They now play in the Ryman Isthmian
League.
Dover
As one of the top teams in the old Kent League, Dover moved to the Southern
League in 1959. However, after many seasons in that competition, the club folded
in 1983 as a result of tax demands lodged by the Inland Revenue.
Fortunately, a new club (Dover Athletic) was formed to take
over both the Crabble ground and the league position of the old
Kent League side. As a result, Athletic competed in the Southern
League from 1983 to 1993 and eventually achieved its highest
standing - a place in the prestigious Conference. Sadly, they
were relegated back to the Southern in 2002 and, following a re-organisation
of the FA pyramid, moved to the Ryman Isthmian League in
2004. However, they remain one of the county's best
supported and most prominent clubs.
Deal Town
Deal Town have experienced mixed fortunes since the old Kent League
disbanded. Along with other smaller clubs, they moved to a newly
formed Aetolian League in the autumn of 1959 but re-joined some
of the more powerful outfits in the Southern League from 1963/64
to 1965/66. The promotion didn't work out for them and they
dropped into The Greater London League in 1966 before switching
to the "new" Kent League in 1968.
They have remained a Kent League club to this day and
have had some very successful seasons. In 1999/2000 they made
history by becoming
the only Kent club to win the nationwide FA Vase competition.
They defeated Chippenham Town 1-0 at the old Wembley Stadium.
Faversham Town
Faversham slipped into the Aetolian League in 1959. When that
competition folded in 1964, they moved on to the Greater London
League before competing in the new Kent League from 1966 to
1971.After a brief spell in the Athenian (1973-1976), they
returned to the Kent League but ran into financial problems
during the 2002/2003 season. This caused them to resign from the
competition with eight matches unplayed.
Since then, they have gradually recuperated. After a short
spell in the British Energy Kent County League they made a
welcome return to the Kent League for the 2006/2007 season. They
have been missed.
Folkestone Town
As one of the most consistent and powerful clubs in the old
Kent League, Folkestone Town progressed to the Southern League
where they oscillated between Division
1 and the Premier Division for several years. They also underwent several changes
of name and, at various times, were known as "Folkestone"
and
"Folkestone & Shepway".
In 1990, the club ran into financial trouble. A new club
called "Folkestone Town" was formed to take over the
Southern League position of the old outfit. Sadly, this flopped after just 17 matches and the record for the
1990/91 season was expunged by the league authorities.
Thus, Folkestone Town ceased to exist and ties with the old
Kent League disappeared. However, a nearby club called
Folkestone Invicta took over the superb Cheriton Road
ground and gained entry to the present day Kent League for the
1992/3 season. Invicta gained promotion to the Southern League
in 1998 and, in a revamp of the FA pyramid, transferred to the
Isthmian League during the summer of 2004. They now play in the
Ryman Isthmian Premier Division.
Gillingham Reserves...
The team joined other Football League reserve teams in the
Football Combination league for the 1959/60 season - playing in
Division 2.
Herne Bay
Along with other former Kent League clubs of similar stature,
Herne Bay played in the Aetolian League from 1959-1964. They
then progressed to the Athenian league and gained promotion to
the First Division of that competition. However, in 1974, they
switched to the reformed Kent League.
Maidstone
Maidstone made an early and surprising exit from the old Kent
League in the summer of 1950. In the decades that followed, they
became the county's second Football League team and, for a short
while, rivalled Gillingham. Unfortunately, it all came to a sad
end in 1992.
Their route to the top was a long and tough affair. After
playing in the Corinthian League from 1950 to 1957, they
progressed to full Football League status in 1989 via the
Athenian (1957-1959), Isthmian (1959-1971), Southern
(1971-1979), Alliance Premier (1979-1986) and Conference
(1986-1989).
They remained in the Football League for just three seasons
(1989/90 to 1991/92) before losing their home ground to
developers. Despite ground share arrangements, they eventually
disbanded in 1992.
Fortunately, local people managed to get the club back on the
football map. The reformed team gained promotion to the Kent
League Premier division for the 2001/2002 season and, at the
time of writing, they have progressed to the Ryman Isthmian
League Premier Division alongside other top Kent clubs -
Margate, Ramsgate, Folkestone and Tonbridge.
Margate
Margate were one of the most successful and well supported
teams of the old Kent League.... and they have pretty much
retained that status to this day. They moved to the Southern
League in 1959 and progressed to their highest positon in 2001
when they were promoted to the Conference. Since then, they have
slipped back to the Ryman Isthmian League Premier Division but
remain one of the county's most influential clubs.
Ramsgate Athletic
As one of the most powerful and successful of the old Kent
League clubs, Ramsgate moved up to the Southern League in 1959
and continued there until 1976. However, they dropped back into
the reformed Kent League for the 1976/77 season and remained
there until they achieved promotion to the Ryman Isthmian League
Division 1 in 2005. They have now made further progress to the
Ryman Isthmian Premier Division.
Royal Marines Chatham
The Chatham Division of the Royal Marines was disbanded in
August 1950 - presumably as a result of a general post-war
rationalisation of the armed forces. Thus, the Kent League team
ceased to exist. (Note: The Royal Marines were deployed in three
Divisions - at Plymouth, Portsmouth and Chatham).
Sheppey United
This is another sickening story of a famous old Kent club
being devastated when their home ground was handed over to
developers.
After the demise of the old Kent League, Sheppey moved to the
Aetolian League which also disbanded in 1964. They moved on to
play in the
Greater London ((1964/65) and the Metropolitan League from 1965 to 1971. A
switch to a new Kent League in 1972 saw them make progress and
they were promoted to the Southern League in 1984 where they
remained until 1990.
Sadly, it was downhill from there. They rejoined the Kent
League but eventually had their substantial Botany Road ground
(Sheerness) taken from them. Ground share arrangements with
Canterbury, Faversham and Sittingbourne kept the club going for
a few seasons but they were forced to resign from the league in
2000/2001 after playing just 21 matches. Their record for that
season was
expunged by the KL authorities and the club dropped into the
wilderness. It now plays in Division 1 East of the British Energy
Kent County League. Hopefully, it will return to
senior football but it is now a long road back.
Shorts Sports
Shorts Sports was a founder member of the post-war Kent
League but competed in the competition for just one season
(1946/47). In January 1947, the club merged with another Medway
Club (Chatham) to form Chatham Town FC. The new club replaced
Shorts Sports in the Kent League Divison 1 for the 1947/48
season. (See the entry for Chatham Town for details after 1947).
The merger was convenient for both clubs. We suspect
that Shorts Sports FC represented the well known Shorts aircraft
company. This enterprise produced sea planes and was
particularly prominent in Kent during the war years. However,
with peacetime operations resuming, it closed its Medway
operations at the end of 1946 and left the football team seeking
ways of securing its sporting future.
Chatham was a club with a long and distinguished history
stretching back to 1882 and including Southern League
experience. However, in recovering from wartime, it had competed
in the Kent Amateur League during the 1946/47 season and was
looking to regain its senior status.
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne moved to the Southern League in 1959 where they
competed for several seasons before being relegated to the
reformed Kent League in 1967. Their new Kent League career
extended to 1991 when they regained Southern League status.
Following the recent reorganisation of the FA Pyramid, they are
now members of the Ryman Isthmian League Division 1.
Snowdown Colliery Welfare
Despite being one of the most consistent performers in the old Kent League,
Snowdown CW have experienced one of the biggest descents short of actually
folding. The club's progress was not helped by the closure of the Snowdown pit
in 1987 and the complete demise of the Kent coalfield by 1989.
We do not know the full history but the club joined the
Aetolian League in 1959 and completed several seasons in that
competition before moving on to the Greater London League for
the 1964/65 season. They later played in a reformed Kent
League from 1966 to 1971 and from 1972 to 1979. At that stage, they voluntarily
accepted demotion to Division 2 where they would have played against a multitude
of reserve teams.
The club eventually left the KL altogether but we have come
across some evidence that it may have played in the eastern section of
the British Energy County League some time between 1995 and 2003. A club
called Snowdown Colliery Welfare currently competes in the
Canterbury & District League and recently lifted
the Joe French Trophy at Herne Bay's Winch's Field ground.
Tunbridge Wells United
Despite having a torrid time in the early years of the old
Kent League, the club made progress and finished strongly in the
final years of the competition. As a result, they progressed to
the Southern League in 1959 and changed their name to Tunbridge
Wells Rangers in 1963. However, they ran into problems and the
club folded in the mid-1960s.
A new club (Tunbridge Wells) was formed at Culverden Stadium
and this entered the 'new' Kent League in 1967. The club continues
to compete in that competition.
Whitstable
Whitstable joined the Aetolian League in 1959 but resigned
after one season when the cost of travelling to distant clubs in
London caused financial difficulties. As a result, the club
hit an all time low and spent two seasons in the lowly Kent
Amateur League. Fortunately, they bounced back to feature in the
final year of the Aetolian League (1963/64) and take a place in
the Greater London League during the 1964/65 season.
I suspect that The Reds played one season (1965/66) in a
competition called the Seanglian League before joining a
reformed Kent League for its inaugural season of 1966/67. It remained
a Kent League club until 2006/2007 when it
gained promotion to the Ryman Isthmian League Division 1 South. By
so doing, it achieved its highest standing since the golden era of the
1950s Kent League.
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