In this article we are going to delve into the topic of 2002–03 Kent Football League and all the implications that it entails. 2002–03 Kent Football League is a topic of great relevance today and has generated a great debate in different areas. Throughout this article we will explore different perspectives and opinions of experts on the subject, as well as concrete examples that will help us better understand the importance of 2002–03 Kent Football League in today's society. We will also look at the impact 2002–03 Kent Football League has had throughout history and how it has evolved over time. By the end of this article, we hope that readers will have a broader and more complete view about 2002–03 Kent Football League and its relevance in today's world.
The 2002–03 Kent Football League season (known as the Go Travel Kent League for sponsorship reasons) was the 37th in the history of Kent Football League a football competition in England.
The League structure comprised three divisions: a Premier Division together with a Reserves Section comprising two equal ranked geographically based divisions known as Division One North and Division One South – with a play-off between the winners of these two divisions to decide the Division One champion. Reserves teams were not permitted in the Premier Division. Additionally there were two league cup competitions: the Challenge Cup for the Premier Division clubs and another for the teams in the Reserves Section.
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cray Wanderers |
| Matches played | 232 |
| Goals scored | 825 (3.56 per match) |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → | |
The league featured 16 clubs which competed in the previous season, no new clubs joined the league this season.
Faversham Town resigned towards the end of the season with eight games to play. As per league rules as they resigned after 1 March their record was not expunged and, owing to the resulting unequal number of matches played by the remaining clubs, the final league positions were decided on a points per game basis.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cray Wanderers | 29 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 68 | 23 | +45 | 62 | 2.14 | |
| 2 | Maidstone United | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 76 | 31 | +45 | 63 | 2.10 | |
| 3 | Thamesmead Town | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 76 | 39 | +37 | 63 | 2.10 | |
| 4 | Deal Town | 28 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 62 | 40 | +22 | 54 | 1.93 | |
| 5 | Ramsgate | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 55 | 1.83 | |
| 6 | Whitstable Town | 29 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 53 | 1.83 | |
| 7 | VCD Athletic | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 48 | 1.60 | |
| 8 | Hythe Town | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 45 | 1.50 | |
| 9 | Slade Green | 29 | 10 | 5 | 14 | 57 | 54 | +3 | 35 | 1.21 | |
| 10 | Beckenham Town | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 33 | 1.14 | |
| 11 | Herne Bay | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 53 | 54 | −1 | 34 | 1.13 | |
| 12 | Tunbridge Wells | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 53 | 66 | −13 | 29 | 1.00 | |
| 13 | Lordswood | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 37 | 66 | −29 | 24 | 0.80 | |
| 14 | Greenwich Borough | 30 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 36 | 70 | −34 | 20 | 0.67 | |
| 15 | Erith Town | 29 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 36 | 71 | −35 | 18 | 0.62 | |
| 16 | Faversham Town | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 18 | 88 | −70 | 7 | 0.32 | Resigned from the league |
The 2002–03 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Cray Wanderers who completed the League and Cup double.
The competition was contested by the 16 teams from the Premier Division over four rounds: the first two a single match knock-out followed by the semis-finals on an aggregate basis (home and away matches) and the final match played on a neutral ground (at Folkestone Invicta F.C. this season).
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tunbridge Wells | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Herne Bay | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tunbridge Wells | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cray Wanderers | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Maidstone United | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cray Wanderers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cray Wanderers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| VCD Athletic | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Deal Town | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Slade Green | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Deal Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| VCD Athletic | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| VCD Athletic | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Erith Town | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Sources: Beckenham Town FC: Cup Draws & Results (archived) & Herne Bay FC (archived)
The letter "R" following team names indicates a club’s reserves team.
The 2002–03 Reserves Section comprised two equal ranked geographically based divisions, Division One North and Division One South. The top club in each division played a single match to decide the Division One Champion. Promotion from the Reserves Section into the Premier Division was not permitted. There was a single League Cup competition for all teams in the section.
Deal Town R were the Division One champions. They won the single play-off match, played at Herne Bay F.C., between the top team from each of the Division One North and Division One South:
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cray Wanderers R |
| Matches played | 131 |
| Goals scored | 513 (3.92 per match) |
← 2001–02 | |
The division featured 12 clubs, 10 of which had competed in the previous season together with two additional clubs:
Prior to the season the Swanley Furness club was renamed Danson Furness
At the end of the season the top six teams were moved to the newly formed Division One and the bottom six to the newly formed Division Two.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cray Wanderers R | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 68 | 18 | +50 | 56 | Moved to Division One |
| 2 | Thamesmead Town R | 21 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 65 | 34 | +31 | 48 | |
| 3 | Danson Furness | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 40 | |
| 4 | Corinthian | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 36 | |
| 5 | Erith Town R | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 33 | |
| 6 | Dartford R | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 31 | |
| 7 | Chatham Town R | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 30 | Moved to Division Two |
| 8 | Beckenham Town R | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 40 | 59 | −19 | 24 | |
| 9 | Tunbridge Wells R | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 34 | 56 | −22 | 24 | |
| 10 | Lordswood R | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 44 | −17 | 18 | |
| 11 | VCD Athletic R | 32 | 5 | 12 | 15 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 27 | |
| 12 | Erith & Belvedere R | 22 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 29 | 62 | −33 | 16 |
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Deal Town R |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 516 (3.91 per match) |
← 2001–02 | |
The division featured 12 clubs, 11 of which had competed in the previous season together with one additional club:
Prior to the season the Hastings Town club was renamed Hastings United
At the end of the season the top six teams were moved to the newly formed Division One, Margate R resigned from the league and the remaining five clubs were moved to the newly formed Division Two.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deal Town R | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 55 | 25 | +30 | 46 | Moved to Division One |
| 2 | Dover Athletic R | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 69 | 35 | +34 | 42 | |
| 3 | Herne Bay R | 22 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 47 | 26 | +21 | 41 | |
| 4 | Ashford Town (Kent) R | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 43 | 26 | +17 | 39 | |
| 5 | Ramsgate R | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 41 | 42 | −1 | 35 | |
| 6 | Hastings United R | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 27 | +13 | 32 | |
| 7 | Sittingbourne R | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 26 | Moved to Division Two |
| 8 | Folkestone Invicta R | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 25 | |
| 9 | Maidstone United R | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 38 | 43 | −5 | 25 | |
| 10 | Whitstable Town R | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 23 | |
| 11 | Margate R | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 22 | Resigned from the League |
| 12 | Hythe Town R | 22 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 25 | 79 | −54 | 11 | Moved to Division Two |
The 2002–03 Kent Football League Division One Cup was won by Cray Wanderers R.
The competition was contested by all 24 teams from both the Division One leagues over a total of five rounds: the first two were on an aggregate home and away basis; the third round, the quarter-finals a single match; the semis finals again on an aggregate basis; and a single final match which was played on a neutral ground (played at Ashford Town (Kent) F.C. this season).
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sittingbourne R | 2 | 4p | ||||||||||||||||||
| Maidstone United R | 2 | 3p | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sittingbourne R | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cray Wanderers R | 4 | 5 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cray Wanderers R | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Erith Town R | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cray Wanderers R | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dover Athletic R | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hastings United R | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dartford R | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dartford R | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Dover Athletic R | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Dover Athletic R | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Beckenham Town R | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
(Matches played on an aggregate home and away basis)
(Matches played on an aggregate home and away basis)
Byes for the remaining eight clubs
Sources: Herne Bay FC: team pages (archived) & Beckenham Town FC: results (archived)