1996–97_Kent_Football_League

1996–97 Kent Football League

Football league season

The 1996–97 Kent Football League season (known as the Winstonlead Kent League for sponsorship reasons) was the 31st in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition in England.

The League structure comprised two divisions: Division One and Division Two with the latter known as the Reserves Section (reserves teams were not permitted in Division One). Additionally there were two league cup competitions: the Challenge Cup for the Division One clubs and another for the teams in Division Two.

Division One

Quick Facts Season, Champions ...

Kent Football League Division One
Season	1996–97
Champions	Herne Bay
Matches played	420
Goals scored	1,227 (2.92 per match)
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

The league featured 21 clubs, 19 of which competed in the previous season together with two additional clubs:^[1]

Lordswood, joined from the Kent County League
Woolwich Town, transferred from the Spartan League

The league was won for the third time during the 1990s^[2]^[3] by Herne Bay,^[4] who recorded a League and Cup double.

League table

More information Pos, Team ...

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Herne Bay	40	23	11	6	73	35	+38	80
2	Ramsgate	40	24	5	11	82	47	+35	77
3	Furness	40	23	8	9	66	38	+28	77
4	Sheppey United	40	22	7	11	74	47	+27	73
5	Deal Town	40	20	5	15	80	56	+24	65
6	Folkestone Invicta	40	19	7	14	66	57	+9	64
7	Whitstable Town	40	17	12	11	61	44	+17	63
8	Chatham Town	40	16	11	13	60	52	+8	59
9	Greenwich Borough	40	16	10	14	71	62	+9	58
10	Faversham Town	40	16	9	15	58	73	−15	57
11	Beckenham Town	40	15	10	15	49	47	+2	55
12	Canterbury City	40	15	10	15	47	55	−8	55
13	Hythe United	40	15	8	17	70	76	−6	53
14	Thamesmead Town	40	15	8	17	53	61	−8	53
15	Lordswood	40	14	8	18	57	72	−15	50
16	Slade Green	40	12	9	19	45	50	−5	45
17	Woolwich Town	40	10	13	17	40	62	−22	43
18	Cray Wanderers	40	11	6	23	43	66	−23	39
19	Crockenhill	40	9	11	20	51	80	−29	38
20	Tunbridge Wells	40	8	10	22	44	76	−32	34
21	Corinthian	40	8	6	26	37	71	−34	30

Source: FCHD nonleaguematters
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Challenge Cup

The 1996–97 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won for the first time in their history by Herne Bay,^[5] who completed a League and Cup double.

The competition was contested by the 21 teams from the Division One over five rounds: the first three were a single match knock-out followed by the semi-finals on an aggregate basis (home and away matches) and the final match played on a neutral ground (at Folkestone Invicta F.C.^[6] this season).

Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Sheppey United

1^{[lower-alpha 1]}

1^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Cray Wanderers

Herne Bay

0^{[lower-alpha 2]}

1^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Slade Green

0^{[lower-alpha 2]}

2^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Slade Green

0^{[lower-alpha 4]}

Herne Bay

3^{[lower-alpha 4]}

Herne Bay

Greenwich Borough

After extra time, score at 90 minutes 0–1 to Cray Wanderers
After extra time
Replay
After extra time, score at 90 minutes 0–1 to Herne Bay

Sources

Quarter-finals: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, quarter finals". Kent Today. 17 February 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Last night's results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, quarter-final replay". Kent Today. 19 February 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Semi-finals: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, semi final, first leg". Kent Today. 24 March 1997. p. 43. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, semi-final, second leg". Kent Today. 1 April 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Final: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League, Division 1 Cup final". Kent Today. 6 May 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Second Round

Lordswood 1 – 3 Sheppey United
Canterbury City 0 – 0 (aet) Tunbridge Wells
REPLAY: Tunbridge Wells 5 – 1 Canterbury City
Hythe United 4 – 0 Corinthian
Thamesmead Town 1 – 2 Cray Wanderers
Deal Town 3 – 0 Beckenham Town
Furness 1 – 1 (aet) Slade Green (score at 90 minutes: 1–1)
REPLAY: Slade Green 0 – 0 (aet) Furness. Slade Green won 3–0 on penalties.
Herne Bay 2 – 0 Woolwich Town
Greenwich Borough 6 – 0 Folkestone Invicta

First Round

Lordswood 2 – 1 Crockenhill
Sheppey United 5 – 1 Faversham Town
Slade Green 1 – 0 (aet) Ramsgate
Herne Bay 3 – 1 Chatham Town
Greenwich Borough 1 – 0 Whitstable Town
Byes for the other 11 clubs

Sources:

Second Round: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 27 January 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Last night's results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, second round replay". Kent Today. 29 January 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
First Round: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, First Round". Kent Today. 28 October 1996. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Reserves Section

The letter "R" following team names indicates a club’s reserves team.

The 1996–97 Division Two featured reserves teams (which were not permitted in Division One) of clubs from Kent and the adjacent area whose first team played in Division One and other higher ranked leagues. There was a League Cup competition for the teams in the section.

Division Two

Quick Facts Season, Champions ...

Kent Football League Division Two
Season	1996–97
Champions	Tonbridge AFC R
Matches played	380
Goals scored	1,412 (3.72 per match)
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

The division featured 20 clubs, 17 who had competed in the previous season together with three addidtional clubs:^[7]

Dartford R
Hythe United R
Lordswood R, joined from the Kent County League Reserves Section

Tonbridge AFC R were the division winners.^[8]

League table

More information Pos, Team ...

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Tonbridge AFC R	38	28	6	4	103	41	+62	90
2	Dartford R	38	26	6	6	100	46	+54	81^{[lower-alpha 1]}
3	Sittingbourne R	38	24	7	7	108	57	+51	76^{[lower-alpha 2]}
4	Furness R	38	22	7	9	73	38	+35	73
5	Hythe United R	38	18	9	11	76	60	+16	63
6	Deal Town R	38	18	6	14	80	53	+27	60
7	Herne Bay R	38	18	6	14	63	54	+9	60
8	Dover Athletic R	38	18	6	14	62	66	−4	60
9	Lordswood R	38	18	4	16	77	69	+8	58
10	Margate R	38	16	8	14	64	66	−2	53^{[lower-alpha 3]}
11	Hastings Town R	38	13	10	15	80	80	0	49
12	Crockenhill R	38	15	4	19	67	82	−15	49
13	Thamesmead Town R	38	13	9	16	59	65	−6	45^{[lower-alpha 4]}
14	Ramsgate R	38	11	11	16	72	90	−18	44
15	Whitstable Town R	38	10	9	19	56	68	−12	39
16	Chatham Town R	38	11	8	19	39	72	−33	38^{[lower-alpha 5]}
17	Beckenham Town R	38	11	5	22	61	97	−36	38
18	Folkestone Invicta R	38	9	6	23	48	100	−52	33
19	Corinthian R	38	6	6	26	49	87	−38	24
20	Faversham Town R	38	6	5	27	75	121	−46	23

Source: "Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2". Kent Messenger. 16 May 1997. p. 58. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

Dartford AFC R were deducted three points
Sittingbourne R were deducted three points
Margate R were deducted three points
Thamesmead Town R were deducted three points
Chatham Town R were deducted three points

Division Two Cup

The 1996–97 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by East Sussex club Hastings Town R.^[9]

The competition for the 20 teams from Division Two comprised five rounds: the first three were a single match knock-out followed by the semi-finals on an aggregate basis (home and away matches) and a single match final on a neutral ground (at Dover Athletic F.C.^[10] this season).

Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals				Final

Whitstable Town R	1

Margate R	2
		Margate R	1	1	2

		Deal Town R	4	0	4
Herne Bay R	1

Deal Town R	2
						Deal Town R	0

						Hastings Town R	1
Crockenhill R	0

Hastings Town R	4
		Hastings Town R	1	6	7

		Furness R	1	2	3
Tonbridge AFC R	1^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Furness R	3^{[lower-alpha 1]}

After extra time, score at 90 minutes: 0–0

Sources:

Quarter-finals: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, quarter-finals". Kent Today. 24 February 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Last night's results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, quarter-finals". Kent Today. 5 March 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, quarter-finals". Kent Today. 10 March 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Semi-finals: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, semi final, first leg". Kent Today. 24 March 1997. p. 43. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, semi-final, second leg". Kent Today. 1 April 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Final: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup Final". Kent Today. 21 April 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Second Round

Hastings Town R 5 – 2 Folkestone Invicta R
Whitstable Town R 5 – 0 Corinthian R
Crockenhill R 1 – 0 Hythe United R
Lordswood R 3 – 3 (aet) Deal Town R (Score at 90 minutes: 3–3)
REPLAY: Deal Town R v Lordswood R. Result: Deal Town R 1–2(aet) Lordswood R (Score at 90 minutes: 1–1). However, Deal Town R progressed to quarter-final
Chatham Town R 0 – 2 Margate R
Herne Bay R 1 – 1 (aet) Ramsgate R (Score at 90 minutes: 1–1)
REPLAY: Ramsgate R 3 – 0 Herne Bay R
Thamesmead Town R 1 – 4 Tonbridge AFC R
Sittingbourne R 1 – 2 (aet) Furness R (Score at 90 minutes: 1–1)

First Round

Dover Athletic R 4 – 4 (aet) Thamesmead Town R (Score at 90 minutes: 3–3)
REPLAY: Thamesmead Town R 1 – 1 (aet) Dover Athletic R. Thamesmead Town R won 3–2 on penalties
Beckenham Town R 1 – 2 Chatham Town R
Herne Bay R 2 – 1 Faversham Town R
Ramsgate R 3 – 1 Dartford R
Byes for the other 12 clubs

Sources:

Second Round: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 9 December 1996. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 16 December 1996. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 23 December 1996. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Last night's results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 15 January 1997. p. 29. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 20 January 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Last night's results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round replay". Kent Today. 29 January 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
First Round: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, first round". Kent Today. 11 November 1996. p. 39. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Football Results, Fixtures & Tables: Results: Tuesday, November 12: Winstonlead Kent League: Division Two Cup 1st round replay". Dover Express. 14 November 1996. p. 76. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

References

[1]
"Struggling Faversham re-elected to league". Kentish Gazette. Aylesford. 13 June 1996. p. 55.
[2]
"Herne Bay F.C. – New history". Herne Bay F.C. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
[3]
"Herne Bay at FCHD". FCHD. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
[4]
"First Division past winners / runners-up". kentleague.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
[5]
"League Cup Winners since 1923". SCEFL. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
[6]
"The Sporting Week ahead: Saturday: Soccer: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup final". Kent Today. Aylesford. 28 April 1997. p. 31.
[7]
"Struggling Faversham re-elected to league". Kentish Gazette. Aylesford. 13 June 1996. p. 55.
[8]
"Reserves Division Section Winners 1978-2012". SCEFL. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
[9]
"Reserves Division(s) League Cup". kentleague.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
[10]
"The Sporting Week ahead: Saturday: Soccer: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup final". Kent Today. Aylesford. 14 April 1997. p. 35.

External links

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