Sheppey United F.C.

Sheppey United

Sheppey United FC Club Crest
Full name Sheppey United Football Club
Nickname(s) The 'Ites'
Founded 2010
Ground Holm Park
Chairman Matthew J. Smith
Manager Ernie Batten
League Kent Invicta Football League
2014–15 Kent Invicta Football League, 2nd

Sheppey United F.C. is an English football club based on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The club are members of the Kent Invicta Football League and play at Holm Park. The club is affiliated to the Kent County Football Association.[1]

History

The club was formed in 1890 by a merger of Sheerness Victoria and Invicta, and initially played at the Sheppey United Cricket Club ground at Botany Road.[2][3][4] They were founder members of both the Southern League and the Kent League in 1894.[5][6] In the Southern League they were placed in Division Two, in which they finished as runners-up in the first season, before losing the promotion/relegation test match against Clapton 5–1.[6] The following season they finished second again, and this time won the test match, defeating Royal Ordnance Factories 4–2 to earn promotion to Division One. At the end of the season they left the Kent League.[6] The season also saw the club make their debut in the FA Cup when they played Millwall Athletic, but lost 4–0.[6]

In their first season in Division One they finished second bottom of the table, but avoided relegation by defeating RETB Chatham 2–1 in the test matches. In 1898–99 they again finished second bottom of the table but retained their Division One status after drawing the test match against Thames Ironworks 1–1.[6] However, the following season they finished bottom of the table and lost the test match against Watford 2–1, resulting in relegation back to Division Two.[6]

The club rejoined the Kent League prior to the start of the 1900–01 season, as well as remaining in the Southern League.[7] However, after a single season back in Division Two, the club withdrew from the Southern League.[6] In 1905–06 they won the Kent League and repeated the feat the following season.[8] A third title was won in 1927–28, by the reserve team as the first team had rejoined the Southern League for that season and were placed in the English Section.[9] However, after finishing bottom of the league in both 1930–31 and 1931–32 they resigned, and returned to the Kent League in Division One.[6][9]

At the end of the 1938–39 season Sheppey finished bottom of the league and should have been relegated, but the league was suspended due to the Second World War.[9] After the war Sheppey were placed back in the top division of the Kent league for the 1945–46 season.[10] The club then remained in Division one until the 1958–59 season when the Kent league stopped.[10]

In 1959 they were founder members of the Aetolian League, which they played in until it merged with the London League to form the Greater London League in 1964.[11] After winning Section B of the Greater London League in 1964–65, the club joined the Metropolitan League.[6][12] They had a single season in the Metropolitan–London League in 1971–72 after it was formed by a merger of the Metropolitan League and the Greater London, before rejoining the new Kent League in 1972. They won the title in their first season back in the league and were league champions again in 1974–75 and 1978–79, as well as winning the League Cup in 1975–76 and 1978–79.[13] After finishing second in 1983–84, the club rejoined the Southern League for a third spell.[13] However, after finishing bottom of Division One South in 1989–90 they returned to the Kent League.[13] They finished bottom of the table in their first season back, but a gradual improvement saw them win the league in 1994–95.[14]

In March 2001 the club resigned from the Kent League and their record was expunged.[6] The senior team was disbanded until being reformed in 2003, when they joined Division Two East of the Kent County League.[6] They finished second in their first season and were promoted to Division One East.[6] The club was renamed AFC Sheppey in 2007, but was disbanded and reformed under their original name prior to the 2010–11 season.[2][15]

During the 2015-16 season Sheppey broke two long-standing records. Firstly, on the Easter Bank Holiday Monday a league record crowd of 708 saw The Ites defeat Glebe 3-1. Secondly, during the same campaign Sheppey boasted having the shortest fully grown adult supporter in English non league football. Mr Karl O'Brien measures in at a disappointing four feet eleven inches.

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Ground

Sheppey United FC play their home games at the newly developed Holm Park, Queenborough Road, Sheerness ME12 3DD.

Clubhouse undergoing refurb

Honours

League honours

Cup honours

+ Won by Reserves

Records

Notable former players

  1. Players that have played/managed in the Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
  2. Players with full international caps.

References

  1. ↑ "Kent County Football League". Kent County Football League. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  2. 1 2 Rees, Mike (2010-06-16). "Sheppey United replace AFC Sheppey in next season's Kent County League". Kentonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Origins of football on the Isle of Sheppey". Sheppey United. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  4. ↑ "founded". Sheppey United. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  5. ↑ "Club history index". Sheppey United. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 SHEPPEY UNITED at the Football Club History Database
  7. ↑ "Season 1900/01 league table". Sheppey United. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  8. ↑ "Original Kent League 1894–1922". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "The 'original' Kent League 1922–1939". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  10. 1 2 "The 'original' Kent League 1944–1959". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  11. ↑ "Aetolian & Seanglian Leagues 1959–1964". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  12. 1 2 "Greater London League 1964–1971". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  13. 1 2 3 "Kent League 1972–1992". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  14. ↑ "FOOTBALL GROUNDS IN FOCUS". FGIF. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  15. 1 2 A F C SHEPPEY at the Football Club History Database
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Club honours". Sheppey United. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  17. ↑ "Kent League glory days". Sheppey United. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  18. 1 2 "Kent County Football League". Kent County Football League. Retrieved 2012-08-08.

External links

Coordinates: 51°25′19″N 0°46′11″E / 51.421965°N 0.769617°E / 51.421965; 0.769617

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