1982–83 Kent Football League

The 1982–83 Kent Football League season was the seventeenth in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition featuring teams based in and around the county of Kent 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

Kent Football League Division One
Season1982–83
ChampionsCrockenhill
PromotedChatham Town
Matches played272
Goals scored781 (2.87 per match)

The league featured seventeen clubs, fifteen which competed in the previous season together with two additional clubs which both transferred from the London Spartan League:

The league was won by Crockenhill,[3] their only season as champions of the Kent League.

At the end of the season seventh placed team Chatham Town left the league following their election to the Southern Football League.[4]

League Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Season End Notes
1 Crockenhill 32 19 6 7 55 26 +29 44
2 Hythe Town 32 18 7 7 66 37 +29 43
3 Deal Town 32 15 11 6 51 34 +17 41
4 Sittingbourne 32 15 10 7 70 33 +37 40
5 Tunbridge Wells 32 14 9 9 52 46 +6 37
6 Herne Bay 32 13 10 9 33 32 +1 36
7 Chatham Town 32 12 11 9 42 36 +6 35 Elected to the Southern League Southern Division
8 Cray Wanderers 32 12 10 10 65 53 +12 34
9 Beckenham Town 32 12 9 11 46 46 0 33
10 Sheppey United 32 13 6 13 51 49 +2 32
11 Alma Swanley 32 12 8 12 50 49 +1 32
12 Slade Green Athletic 32 12 7 13 41 35 +6 31
13 Faversham Town 32 11 5 16 40 53 −13 27
14 Darenth Heathside 32 5 12 15 27 51 −24 22
15 Whitstable Town 32 6 9 17 36 59 −23 21
16 Kent Police 32 6 7 19 34 80 −46 19
17 Ramsgate 32 4 9 19 22 62 −40 17
Source: "Non League Tables for 1982–1983: Kent League Division One". Non League Matters. Retrieved 20 May 2024. with Cray Wanderers goals against totals adjusted by "Latest league tables". Whitstable Times. 20 May 1983. p. 15. Retrieved 20 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Challenge Cup

The 1982–83 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Slade Green Athletic, who defeated Faversham Town in the final,[5] their only winners trophy whilst members of the Kent League. The competition, contested by all seventeen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds (with only one tie in the first round) culminating in the final.

Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Ramsgate 1 0 [a]
Darenth Heathside 1 1 [a]
Darenth Heathside 1[b]
Faversham Town 2[b]
Crockenhill 0
Faversham Town 1
Faversham Town
Slade Green Athletic
Slade Green Athletic 1
Hythe Town 0
Slade Green Athletic 0[c] [d]
Sheppey United 0[c] [d]
Sheppey United 2
Herne Bay 0
  1. ^ a b Replay
  2. ^ a b After extra time
  3. ^ a b After extra time
  4. ^ a b Replay

Second Round

First Round

Sources:

Reserves Section

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

Division Two featured mostly reserves teams (which were not permitted in Division One) from 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

Kent Football League Division Two
Season1982–83
ChampionsMaidstone United R
Matches played305
Goals scored1,125 (3.69 per match)

The league featured eighteen clubs (including one non-reserve team, Snowdown Colliery Welfare), sixteen of which had competed in the division the previous season with two additional clubs:

The division was won by Maidstone United R[6] for the second successive season.

At the end of the season four clubs left the league: Sheppey United R, and three who joined the Essex and Herts Border Combination: Dartford R, champions Maidstone United R and Welling United R.[7]

League Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Season End Notes
1 Maidstone United R 34 25 5 4 106 42 +64 55 Resigned
2 Welling United R 34 23 7 4 85 32 +53 53
3 Erith & Belvedere R 34 20 8 6 87 39 +48 48
4 Sheppey United R 34 16 6 12 69 62 +7 38 Resigned
5 Darenth Heathside R 34 14 9 11 51 43 +8 37
6 Beckenham Town R[a] 33 13 9 11 56 51 +5 35
7 Faversham Town R 34 14 7 13 49 54 −5 35
8 Sittingbourne R 34 15 5 14 67 71 −4 35
9 Herne Bay R 34 13 9 12 62 73 −11 35
10 Chatham Town R 34 12 9 13 48 43 +5 33
11 Dover R[a] 33 12 9 12 53 53 0 33
12 Ashford Town R 34 10 12 12 56 57 −1 32
13 Hastings United R 34 11 9 14 68 81 −13 31
14 Dartford R 34 10 9 15 75 80 −5 29 Resigned
15 Hythe Town R 34 9 7 18 51 62 −11 25
16 Folkestone R 34 9 5 20 61 94 −33 23
17 Snowdown Colliery Welfare 34 4 10 20 42 89 −47 18
18 Whitstable Town R 34 4 7 23 39 99 −60 15
Source: "Non League Tables for 1982–1983: Kent League Division Two". Non League Matters. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
  1. ^ a b missing Beckenham Town R versus Dover R

Division Two Cup

The 1982–83 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Erith & Belvedere R who defeated Hythe Town R in the final.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Alma Swanley". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Beckenham Town". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. ^ "First Division past winners / runners-up". kentleague.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  4. ^ "(column 4) Hounslow FC . . ". The Hounslow Informer. Kingston upon Thames. 24 June 1983. p. 36.
  5. ^ "Archives: League Cup Winners". SCEFL: Southern Counties East Football League. February 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Reserves First Division winners / runners-up". kentleague.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Non League Tables for 1983–1984: Reserve Team Football - Essex & Herts Border Combination Eastern Division". Non League Matters. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Reserves Division(s) League Cup". kentleague.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2024.