1973–74 Kent Football League
The 1973–74 Kent Football League season was the eighth 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
[edit]| Season | 1973–74 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chatham Town |
| Matches played | 342 |
| Goals scored | 1,159 (3.39 per match) |
← 1972–73 1974–75 → | |
The league featured teams from 19 clubs, including eight reserves teams. Eighteen of the clubs had competed in the league the previous season and they were joined by Canterbury City Reserves.[1]
The league was won by Chatham Town, for the second time in three seasons.[2]
At the end of the season Bexley United Reserves resigned from the league and both bottom clubs, Snowdown Colliery Welfare and Folkestone Reserves, were re-elected to continue their membership of the league.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chatham Town | 36 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 113 | 31 | 3.645 | 62 | |
| 2 | Sittingbourne | 36 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 97 | 29 | 3.345 | 59 | |
| 3 | Sheppey United | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 80 | 41 | 1.951 | 47 | |
| 4 | Bexley United Reserves | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 57 | 51 | 1.118 | 40 | Resigned from the league |
| 5 | Dartford Amateurs | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 76 | 66 | 1.152 | 39 | |
| 6 | Crockenhill | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 55 | 55 | 1.000 | 37 | |
| 7 | Margate Reserves | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 64 | 64 | 1.000 | 37 | |
| 8 | Tunbridge Wells | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 71 | 54 | 1.315 | 36 | |
| 9 | Deal Town | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 59 | 56 | 1.054 | 36 | |
| 10 | Kent Police | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 57 | 60 | 0.950 | 35 | |
| 11 | Whitstable Town | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 52 | 57 | 0.912 | 35 | |
| 12 | Slade Green Athletic | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 55 | 73 | 0.753 | 33 | |
| 13 | Tonbridge Reserves | 36 | 14 | 5 | 17 | 38 | 54 | 0.704 | 33 | |
| 14 | Canterbury City Reserves | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 50 | 62 | 0.806 | 31 | |
| 15 | Ashford Town Reserves | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 64 | 80 | 0.800 | 31 | |
| 16 | Dover Reserves | 36 | 8 | 11 | 17 | 45 | 70 | 0.643 | 25[a] | |
| 17 | Ramsgate Reserves | 36 | 11 | 2 | 23 | 42 | 78 | 0.538 | 24 | |
| 18 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 36 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 45 | 88 | 0.511 | 24 | Re-elected |
| 19 | Folkestone Reserves | 36 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 39 | 90 | 0.433 | 18 |
Source: "Kent League Tables: Kent League '73–'74". SCEFL. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2024. & "Kent League". Kent & Sussex Courier. 31 May 1974. p. 29. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive. (for adjusted Tonbridge R goals against total)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average.
Notes:
- ^ Dover Reserves were deducted two points for playing an ineligible player.
Challenge Cup
[edit]The 1973–74 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Sittingbourne.[4]
The competition, contested by all nineteen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds culminating in the final which was played on a neutral ground (at Sheppey United F.C.[5] this season).
Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final
[edit]| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Slade Green Athletic | 2 | 0[a] | ||||||||||||
| Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 2 | 1[a] | ||||||||||||
| Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Sittingbourne | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Sittingbourne | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Ashford Town Reserves | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Sittingbourne | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Chatham Town | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Kent Police | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Dartford Amateurs | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Dartford Amateurs | 1 | 1[c] | ||||||||||||
| Chatham Town | 1 | 2[c] | ||||||||||||
| Sheppey United | 2 | 1[b] | ||||||||||||
| Chatham Town | 2 | 2[b] | ||||||||||||
Second Round
[edit]- Dover Reserves 0 – 0 Slade Green Athletic
- REPLAY: Slade Green Athletic 2 – 1 Dover Reserves
- Tunbridge Wells 1 – 1 Snowdown Colliery Welfare
- REPLAY: *Snowdown Colliery Welfare 1 – 0 Tunbridge Wells
- Crockenhill 1 – 4 Sittingbourne
- Margate Reserves 2 – 3 Ashford Town Reserves
- Kent Police 3 – 1 Bexley United Reserves
- Dartford Amateurs 4 – 0 Ramsgate Reserves
- Canterbury City Reserves 0 – 1 Sheppey United
- Chatham Town 2 – 1 Deal Town
First Round
[edit]- Margate Reserves 4 – 1 Folkestone Reserves
- Sittingbourne 4 – 1 Whitstable Town
- Canterbury City Reserves 1 – 0 Tonbridge Reserves
- Byes for the other thirteen clubs
Sources:
- Final: "Other Football: Kent League Cup-Final". Sunday Mirror. 12 May 1974. p. 45. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Semi-finals: "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 9 April 1974. p. 22. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 23 April 1974. p. 19. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Quarter-finals: "Replay sets Pulley a poser: Saturday's results: Kent League Cup". Evening Post. 4 March 1974. p. 28. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 12 March 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 19 March 1974. p. 20. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Second Round: "Double Chasing: Saturday's results: Kent League Cup". Evening Post. 7 January 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Sheppey falling out of race: Saturday's results: Kent League Cup". Evening Post. 14 January 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Bourne pull away: Saturday's results:Kent League Cup". Evening Post. 4 February 1974. p. 24. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Kent League: Results". Sheerness Times Guardian. 15 February 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "All the County details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup 2nd round". Kentish Express. 22 February 1974. p. 14. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 26 February 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Replay sets Pulley a poser: Saturday's results: Kent League Cup". Evening Post. 4 March 1974. p. 28. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- First Round: "All the County football details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup 1st round". Kent Messenger. 2 November 1973. p. 16. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 6 November 1973. p. 18. Retrieved 3 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
References
[edit]- ^ "League shuffle mooted". Kent Messenger. Larkfield, Maidstone. 22 June 1973. p. 16.
- ^ "First Division past winners / runners-up". kentleague.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Boxley (sic) bow out with a fine". Evening Post. Chatham. 18 July 1974. p. 31.
- ^ "League Cup Winners since 1923". SCEFL. February 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Hales ban hits Chats". Evening Post. Chatham. 7 May 1974. p. 28.