Northfleet United F.C.

Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent.

Northfleet United Football Club
Full nameNorthfleet United Football Club
Nickname(s)The Fleet
Founded1890
Dissolved1946
GroundStonebridge Road
Northfleet
Gravesham

History

The club was founded in 1890. In 1905 Northfleet United moved into the newly constructed Stonebridge Road ground. They joined the Kent League in 1906–07 and were runners-up in their inaugural season. 'The Fleet' followed that with three successive championship titles in 1907–08, 1908–09 and 1909–10. The team repeated winning the championship in 1919–20 and were runners-up in 1921–22. In the intervening season, 1920–21, they were winners of the Kent Senior Cup.

Following financial difficulties in 1923, Northfleet entered into a[1] formal arrangement whereby they played youngsters from Football League Tottenham Hotspur. United were Kent League Cup winners[2] in 1923–24, League runners-up in the following season and a year later in 1925–26 were Kent League Division 1 champions scoring 172 goals over a 36 match season. The club were Kent League Cup finalists in 1926–27, losing to the Chatham-based Royal Naval Depot. For five successive seasons between 1923–24 to 1927–28 Northfleet United won the Kent Senior Cup.

Northfleet United joined the Southern League in 1927–28, joining the Easern Section, but left in 1930.[3] and rejoined the Kent League

In 1931, the arrangement with Tottenham Hotspur was upgraded to full nursery team status,[1] and this heralded a period of seven seasons of success during which period they scored a minimum of 110 goals in league competition each season. Northfleet were Kent League Division 1 Championship and Kent League Cup double winners in 1931–32, 1934–35, and 1936–37. Additionally, they were Kent League Division 1 Championship winners twice more in 1935–36 (completing a straight hat-trick as league toppers) & 1938–39, were Kent League Cup victors again in 1937–38, and lifted the Kent Senior Cup in 1937–38 too. The club were Kent Senior Cup semi-finalists in both 1935–36 and 1936–37, losing to ultimate winners and Arsenal nursery team[1] Margate on both occasions. The 1932–33 season was by comparison a relative anticlimax as Kent League runners-up, to Margate on goal average only!

With the outbreak of the Second World War league competition ceased as did the nursery team arrangement.

In 1946, the club merged with Gravesend United to form Gravesend & Northfleet, which is now known as Ebbsfleet United who continue to play at the Northfleet United home ground of Stonebridge Road.

In November 2015, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of its founding, a complete history of the club – called Set in Concrete – was published.[4]

Season Playing Records

SeasonLgePldWDLGFGAPtsPosFA CupOther*
1906–07Kent League149053719182/84Q
1907–08Kent League1614112411291/9
1908–09Kent League1613125222271/94Q
1909–10Kent Lge Div 12217237431361/12
1910–11Kent Lge Div 126741538641813/14
1911–12Kent Lge Div 128105134748258/15
1912–13Kent Div Lge 12814595855334/15
1913–14Kent Div Lge 13017586349374/162pts deducted
1919–20Kent League2419327022411/13ru:KSS
1920–21Kent Lge Div 13221387640453/17
1921–22Kent Lge Div 12818647836422/155Q
1922–23Kent Lge Div 132175108841394/17
1923–24Kent Lge Div 130155106135354/16w:KLC & KSC
1924–25Kent Lge Div 134291411425592/18w:KSC
1925–26Kent Lge Div 136293417248611/19R1w:KSC
1926–27Kent Lge Div 12615387651335/14R2ru:KLC; w:KSC
1927–28Sthn Lge: East34177108354413/18R1w:KSC
1928–29Sthn Lge: East36174158765389/19R2
1929–30Sthn Lge: East32671953771916/17R2
1930–31Kent Lge Div 1362231112558474/19R1
1931–32Kent Lge Div 136322213822661/19R1w:KLC
1932–33Kent Lge Div 134281512650572/18
1933–34Kent Lge Div 1362331012247484/19R1
1934–35Kent Lge Div 136267311051501/194Qw:KLC
1935–36Kent Lge Div 136265515841571/19sf:KSC
1936–37Kent Lge Div 132252512829521/17w:KLC; sf:KSC
1937–38Kent Lge Div 132235411629513/17w:KLC & KSC
1938–39Kent Lge Div 128204412538441/15
*KEY: KLC=Kent League Cup; KSC=Kent Senior Cup; KSS=Kent Senior Shield

Key

Sources

Non-League Football matters

Football Club History Database Archived 11 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine

The Southern Counties East Football League

Jeff Trice's Margate FC history website

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.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.

References

  1. Kent's nursery clubs Archived 6 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 May 2009
  2. Kent League Cup Winners Retrieved 19 April 2014
  3. Northfleet United at the Football Club History Database
  4. Retrieved 5 November 2015
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