1976–77 Kent Football League Explained

The 1976–77 Kent Football League season was the eleventh 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 comprised one division and there was also a league cup competition, the Challenge Cup.

League table

Competition:Kent Football League
Season:1976–77
Winners:Medway
Matches:271
Total Goals:846
Prevseason:1975–76
Nextseason:1977–78

The league featured teams from seventeen clubs, including three reserves teams. Fifteen of the clubs competed in the previous season together with two additional teams:[1]

The Dartford Amateurs team from the previous season was renamed Dartford Glentworth.[2]

The league was won by Medway, their third league title in six seasons[3] and part of a league and cup double – a feat they had previously achieved (when named Chatham Town) in the 1971–72 season.

At the end of the season both bottom clubs applied for re-election: Slade Green Athletic were successful; Folkestone & Shepway Reserves were initially refused (perceived to be part of the League's agenda to remove reserves teams from the division)[4] however following an appeal to the Kent County FA they were reinstated.[5]

Challenge Cup

The 1976–77 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Medway[6] who completed a league and cup double – a feat they had previously achieved (when named Chatham Town) in the 1971–72 season.

The competition, contested by all seventeen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds (with the first round featuring one tie) culminating in a drawn final (played at Sittingbourne)[7] which required a replay (played at Sheppey United)[8] to decide the winner.

Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

Second Round

First Round

Sources:

Notes and References

  1. News: 5 July 1976 . Gordon . Carpenter . Enter Faversham . Evening Post . 20 . Chatham.
  2. Web site: Dartford Glentworth . Football Club History Database . 7 May 2024 .
  3. Web site: First Division past winners / runners-up . kentleague.com . 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130417042108/http://kentleague.com/Archives/top-first%20div%20winners.php . 17 April 2013 . 29 March 2024.
  4. News: 20 June 1977 . Gordon . Carpenter . Reserves are given the boot . Evening Post . 20 . Chatham.
  5. News: 1 July 1977 . Folkestone repreived . Evening Post . 48 . Chatham.
  6. Web site: Archives: League Cup Winners . February 2022 . SCEFL: Southern Counties East Football League. 31 January 2024.
  7. News: 9 May 1977 . Brian . Richards . What A Pity This Show Had To End! . Evening Post . 17 . Chatham.
  8. News: 16 May 1977 . Brian . Richards . It's a Medway Double! . Evening Post . 19 . Chatham.