1968–69 Kent Football League
The 1968–69 Kent Football League season was the third in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition based in and around the county of Kent in England.
From this season the league was renamed and known as the Kent Football League from its previous title the Kent Premier League.[1] Additionally it was agreed that all member clubs must have 'Senior Status' (relating to the footballing facilities of the club rather than age of players). Current club Orpington Athletic were permitted to retain membership whilst they applied for accreditation.[1]
The league comprised one division and there was also a league cup competition, the Challenge Cup.
Kent Football League[edit]
| Season | 1968–69 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Brett Sports |
| Matches played | 306 |
| Goals scored | 1,186 (3.88 per match) |
← 1967–68 1969–70 → | |
The league featured teams from 18 clubs including eight reserves teams. Fifteen of the clubs had competed in the league the previous season and they were joined by three additional clubs:
- Chatham Town, joined from the Metropolitan League[2]
- Crockenhill, joined from the Greater London League[2]
- Gravesend & Northfleet Reserves, newly reformed[2]
Also, Folkestone Town Reserves changed their name to Folkestone Reserves.[3]
The league was won by Brett Sports.
After the end of the season three clubs, Canterbury City Reserves, Gravesend & Northfleet Reserves and Tonbridge Reserves left the league whilst Orpington Athletic were expelled as they had not obtained Senior status and their ground facilities were not of the required standard.[4]
League table[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Sports | 34 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 98 | 27 | 3.630 | 51 | |
| 2 | Tunbridge Wells | 34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 92 | 41 | 2.244 | 50 | |
| 3 | Margate Reserves | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 89 | 43 | 2.070 | 48 | |
| 4 | Sittingbourne | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 77 | 40 | 1.925 | 48 | |
| 5 | Chatham Town | 34 | 20 | 6 | 8 | 80 | 52 | 1.538 | 46 | |
| 6 | Ramsgate Athletic Reserves | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 90 | 59 | 1.525 | 42 | |
| 7 | Tunnel Sports | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 70 | 47 | 1.489 | 40 | |
| 8 | Sheppey United Reserves | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 75 | 52 | 1.442 | 40 | |
| 9 | Orpington Athletic | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 52 | 64 | 0.813 | 33 | Expelled after season |
| 10 | Faversham Town | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 60 | 63 | 0.952 | 31 | |
| 11 | Whitstable Town | 34 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 61 | 66 | 0.924 | 31 | |
| 12 | Deal Town Reserves | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 59 | 69 | 0.855 | 29 | |
| 13 | Canterbury City Reserves | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 51 | 79 | 0.646 | 28 | Resigned from league |
| 14 | Crockenhill | 34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 57 | 82 | 0.695 | 27 | |
| 15 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 54 | 60 | 0.900 | 26 | |
| 16 | Folkestone Reserves | 34 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 50 | 88 | 0.568 | 24 | |
| 17 | Gravesend & Northfleet Reserves | 34 | 5 | 3 | 26 | 36 | 125 | 0.288 | 13 | Resigned from league |
| 18 | Tonbridge Reserves | 34 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 35 | 129 | 0.271 | 5 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average; 3) number of goals scored.
Challenge Cup[edit]
The 1968–69 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Margate Reserves.
The competition was contested by the 18 teams from the league over four single match knock-out rounds followed by the final played on a neutral ground (at Sittingbourne F.C. this season).
Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final[edit]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Margate Reserves | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Tunnel Sports | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Margate Reserves | 1 | 1[a] | ||||||||||||
| Whitstable Town | 1 | 0[a] | ||||||||||||
| Whitstable Town | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Folkestone Reserves | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Margate Reserves | 5[c] | |||||||||||||
| Brett Sports | 3[c] | |||||||||||||
| Chatham Town | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Orpington Athletic | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Chatham Town | 0 | 0[b] | ||||||||||||
| Brett Sports | 0 | 5[b] | ||||||||||||
| Brett Sports | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Crockenhill | 0 | |||||||||||||
Second Round[edit]
- Margate Reserves 5 – 0 Faversham Town
- Tunnel Sports 2 – 0 Snowdown Colliery Welfare
- Deal Town Reserves 3 – 3 Whitstable Town
- REPLAY ONE: Whitstable Town 4 – 4 (aet) Deal Town Reserves (score at 90 minutes: 2–2)
- REPLAY TWO: Deal Town Reserves 1 – 3 (aet) Whitstable Town (score at 90 minutes: 1–1) Played at Canterbury City F.C.
- Sheppey United Reserves 0 – 1 Folkestone Reserves
- Gravesend & Northfleet Reserves 1 – 2 Chatham Town
- Orpington Athletic v Canterbury City Reserves
- Brett Sports 2 – 0 Tonbridge Reserves
- Tunbridge Wells 2 – 3 Crockenhill
First Round[edit]
- Tunnel Sports 2 – 1 Ramsgate Athletic Reserves
- Sheppey United Reserves 2 – 1 Sittingbourne
Byes for the other 14 teams
Sources: "Kent League Cup". Whitstable Times. 17 January 1969. p. 4. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Sport Summary: Kent League Cup". Daily Mirror. 6 February 1969. p. 23. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Kent Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League". Kent Messenger. 21 February 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Kent Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League". Kent Messenger. 28 February 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Kent Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League; Tuesday: Kent League". Kent Messenger. 7 March 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Town Held Nap Hand". Whitstable Times. 14 March 1969. p. 4. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Kent Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League". Kent Messenger. 21 March 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 1 April 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 15 April 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Kent League: Semi-final Replays". Whitstable Times. 25 April 1969. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Last Saturday's Results: Kent League Cup Final". Whitstable Times. 23 May 1969. p. 4. Retrieved 25 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Carpenter, Gordon (5 July 1968). "Kent League: 'wonderful future'". Kent Messenger. Maidstone. p. 15.
- ^ a b c "Newcomers to Kent League". Kentish Express. Ashford, England. 5 July 1968. p. 22.
- ^ "Folkestone Reserves". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Kent League to consist of 15 clubs". East Kent Times. Ramsgate. 11 July 1969. p. 14.