2019–20 Eastern Counties Football League

The 2019–20 season was the 77th season in the history of Eastern Counties Football League, a football competition in England. Teams are divided into three divisions, the Premier Division, Division One North and Division One South.[1]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this season's competition was formally abandoned on 26 March 2020, with all results from the season being expunged, and no promotion or relegation taking place to, from, or within the competition.[2] On 30 March 2020, sixty-six non-league clubs sent an open letter to the Football Association requesting that they reconsider their decision.[3] A legal appeal against the decision, funded by the Northern Premier League's South Shields, was dismissed later in June.[4]

Premier Division

Eastern Counties
Football League
Premier Division
Season2019–20
Matches played279
Goals scored1,052 (3.77 per match)

The Premier Division featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with three new clubs:

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Stowmarket Town 28 23 5 0 95 17 +78 74
2 Norwich United 27 18 5 4 73 26 +47 59
3 Stanway Rovers 28 18 5 5 70 32 +38 59
4 Newmarket Town 27 16 3 8 69 40 +29 51
5 Wroxham 25 14 5 6 37 18 +19 47
6 Brantham Athletic 31 15 2 14 44 54 −10 47
7 Woodbridge Town 28 14 3 11 71 61 +10 45
8 Mildenhall Town 28 14 2 12 53 41 +12 44
9 Long Melford 30 13 4 13 51 61 −10 43
10 Whitton United 28 12 6 10 49 55 −6 42
11 FC Clacton 28 11 6 11 61 48 +13 39
12 Godmanchester Rovers 25 12 2 11 51 52 −1 38
13 Kirkley & Pakefield 28 10 3 15 43 48 −5 33
14 Haverhill Rovers 28 8 6 14 45 65 −20 30
15 Swaffham Town 27 8 5 14 33 62 −29 29
16 Thetford Town 30 9 2 19 52 86 −34 29
17 Walsham-le-Willows 28 7 3 18 42 65 −23 24
18 Ely City 30 6 6 18 37 72 −35 24
19 Hadleigh United 27 5 5 17 36 69 −33 20
20 Gorleston 27 6 2 19 40 80 −40 20
Updated to match(es) played on 10 March 2020. Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [5]

Stadia and locations

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Locations of the Premier Division clubs
Team Stadium Capacity
Brantham Athletic Brantham Leisure Centre 1,200
Ely City Unwin Sports Ground 1,500
Clacton The Rush Green Bowl 3,000
Godmanchester Rovers Bearscroft Lane 1,050
Gorleston Emerald Park 3,000
Hadleigh United Millfield 3,000
Haverhill Rovers New Croft 3,000
Kirkley & Pakefield Walmer Road 2,000
Long Melford Stoneylands
Mildenhall Town Recreation Way 2,000
Newmarket Town Cricket Field Road 2,750
Norwich United Plantation Park 3,000
Stanway Rovers Hawthorns 1,500
Stowmarket Town Greens Meadow 1,000
Swaffham Town Shoemakers Lane
Thetford Town Mundford Road 1,500
Walsham-le-Willows Summer Road 1,000
Whitton United King George V Playing Fields 1,000
Woodbridge Town Notcutts Park 3,000
Wroxham Trafford Park 2,000

Division One North

Eastern Counties
Football League
Division One North
Season2019–20
Matches played278
Goals scored1,100 (3.96 per match)

Division One North featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with three new clubs:

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Mulbarton Wanderers 28 21 4 3 78 30 +48 67
2 Lakenheath 28 19 4 5 66 32 +34 61
3 Downham Town 29 18 5 6 70 37 +33 59
4 March Town United 28 17 4 7 77 37 +40 55
5 Fakenham Town 28 17 2 9 72 37 +35 53
6 Norwich CBS 27 16 4 7 67 34 +33 52
7 Sheringham 30 15 3 12 66 52 +14 48
8 Ipswich Wanderers 28 13 6 9 65 36 +29 45
9 Debenham LC 26 14 2 10 50 48 +2 44
10 Great Yarmouth Town 26 11 7 8 35 28 +7 40
11 Diss Town 28 13 1 14 50 54 −4 40
12 Needham Market reserves 28 9 6 13 51 72 −21 33
13 AFC Sudbury reserves 29 9 5 15 60 66 −6 32
14 Leiston reserves 27 10 1 16 56 86 −30 31
15 Cornard United 27 9 3 15 41 60 −19 30
16 Framlingham Town 28 8 4 16 55 70 −15 28
17 Haverhill Borough 27 8 3 16 45 63 −18 27
18 King's Lynn Town reserves 27 7 4 16 43 63 −20 25
19 Felixstowe & Walton United reserves 28 5 2 21 21 89 −68 17 Resigned from the league
20 Wisbech St Mary 29 2 4 23 32 106 −74 10
Updated to match(es) played on 11 March 2020. Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [5]

Stadia and locations

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Locations of Division One North clubs
Team Stadium Capacity
AFC Sudbury reserves King's Marsh 2,500
Cornard United Blackhouse Lane 2,000
Debenham LC Maitlands 1,000
Diss Town Brewers Green Lane 2,500
Downham Town Memorial Field 1,000
Fakenham Town Clipbush Park 2,000
Felixstowe & Walton United reserves Dellwood Avenue 2,000
Framlingham Town Badingham Road
Great Yarmouth Town Wellesley Recreation Ground 3,600
Haverhill Borough New Croft (artificial, groundshare with Haverhill Rovers) 3,000
Ipswich Wanderers Humber Doucy Lane 1,000
King's Lynn Town reserves The Walks 5,733
Lakenheath The Nest
Leiston reserves Victory Road 2,500
March Town United The GER Sports Ground
Mulbarton Wanderers The Common
Needham Market reserves Bloomfields 4,000
Norwich CBS FDC Bowthorpe
Sheringham Weybourne Road
Wisbech St Mary Beechings Close

Division One South

Eastern Counties
Football League
Division One South
Season2019–20
Matches played221
Goals scored841 (3.81 per match)

Division One South featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with three new clubs, relegated from the Essex Senior League:

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 White Ensign 25 17 4 4 71 30 +41 55
2 Lopes Tavares 22 16 2 4 53 22 +31 50
3 Little Oakley 24 15 3 6 74 31 +43 48
4 May & Baker 24 15 3 6 54 38 +16 48
5 Holland 25 13 6 6 50 39 +11 45
6 Barkingside 24 14 2 8 48 47 +1 44
7 Halstead Town 25 13 3 9 52 40 +12 42
8 Wormley Rovers 25 12 3 10 40 41 −1 39
9 Coggeshall United 21 11 5 5 46 23 +23 38
10 Harwich & Parkeston 26 10 7 9 44 41 +3 37
11 Benfleet 27 11 4 12 59 66 −7 37
12 Wivenhoe Town 25 11 3 11 54 40 +14 36
13 Frenford 26 10 5 11 43 39 +4 35
14 Burnham Ramblers 28 7 6 15 42 53 −11 27
15 Hackney Wick 26 5 5 16 32 58 −26 20
16 Brightlingsea Regent reserves 27 3 3 21 32 88 −56 12 Resigned from the league
17 Newbury Forest 22 2 3 17 30 67 −37 9
18 Fire United 20 1 3 16 17 78 −61 6 Resigned from the league
19 Leyton Athletic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0[a] Club folded, record expunged
Updated to match(es) played on 11 March 2020. Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [5]
Notes:
  1. ^ Leyton Athletic resigned from the league after playing, and losing, one game. This result had been expunged.[6]

Stadia and locations

2019–20 Eastern Counties Football League is located in East of England
Barkingside
Barkingside
Benfleet
Brightlingsea Regent res
Burnham Ramblers
Coggeshall United
Fire United & Lopes Tavares
Fire United & Lopes Tavares
Frenford
Frenford
Hackney Wick
Hackney Wick
Halstead Town
Harwich & Parkeston
Holland
Little Oakley
May & Baker
May & Baker
Newbury Forest
Newbury Forest
Leyton Athletic
Leyton Athletic
White Ensign
Wivenhoe Town
Wormley Rovers
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Locations of Division One South clubs
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Greater London Division One South football clubs
Team Stadium Capacity
Barkingside Cricklefield Stadium (groundshare with Ilford) 3,500
Benfleet Park Lane (groundshare with Canvey Island) 4,100
Brightlingsea Regent reserves North Road 1,000
Burnham Ramblers Leslie Fields 2,000
Coggeshall United West Street (groundshare with Coggeshall Town)
Fire United Terence MacMillan Stadium (groundshare with Lopes Tavares)
Frenford Jack Carter Centre
Hackney Wick Coles Park (groundshare with Haringey Borough)
Halstead Town Rosemary Lane 1,000
Harwich & Parkeston Royal Oak
Holland Dulwich Road
Leyton Athletic Wadham Lodge
Little Oakley Memorial Ground
Lopes Tavares Terence MacMillan Stadium (groundshare with Fire United)
May & Baker Gale Street (groundshare with Barking RFC) 1,000
Newbury Forest Oakside (groundshare with Redbridge) 3,000
White Ensign Basildon Sports Village
Wivenhoe Town Broad Lane 2,876
Wormley Rovers Wormley Playing Fields

References

  1. ^ "2019/20 Club Allocations Announced by FA". Thurlow Nunn League. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Coronavirus: All football below National League to end". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Sixty-six non-league clubs send open letter to FA over expunging season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. ^ "South Shields: Legal challenge to steps three to seven season voiding dismissed". BBC Sport. 9 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "The FA Handbook 2019/20 (part 30 Standardised Rules section 12.2)". The FA. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Leyton Athletic withdraw from Eastern Counties Football League". Guardian Newspapers. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.