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Beckenham Town F.C.

Coordinates: 51°23′34″N 0°1′44″W / 51.39278°N 0.02889°W / 51.39278; -0.02889
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Beckenham Town
Beckenham Town badge
Full nameBeckenham Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Reds, The Becks
Founded1971
GroundEden Park Avenue, Beckenham
Capacity4,000 (120 seated)[1]
ChairmanJason Huntley
ManagerDel Oldfield
LeagueIsthmian League South East Division
2023–24Isthmian League South East Division, 19th of 20

Beckenham Town Football Club is a football club based in Beckenham, London, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League South East Division and play at Eden Park Avenue.

History

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The original Beckenham Town were established in the late 19th century, affiliating to the Kent County Football Association in 1887.[2] In 1923 the club joined Division One of the London League.[3] They won Division One in 1927–28,[3] and were promoted to the Premier Division. However, after finishing second-from-bottom in their first season in the Premier Division, they ended the 1929–30 season in last place, and were relegated back to Division One.[4]

The following season saw them finish second in Division One, earning promotion back to the Premier Division. Despite finishing bottom of the Premier Division in 1931–32 they remained in the division, but after repeating the feat in 1932–33, they were relegated back to Division One.[4] After finishing bottom of Division One in 1934–35 the club left the league.[4] They had also entered a team into the Kent County Amateur League a few seasons before, and continued playing in the Premier Division of the Western Section until rejoining the London League in 1951,[5] where they were placed in the Premier Division.

They remained in the London League's Premier Division until joining the Aetolian League in 1961.[6][7] This merged with the London League in 1964 to form the Greater London League, with Beckenham placed in Section B.[8] A fifth-place finish in the league's inaugural season saw them win a place in the Premier Division for the 1965–66 season. However, after finishing second-from-bottom of the division that season, they were relegated to Division One.[8] They folded in 1969.[2]

In 1971 the club was reformed based on the Stanhope Rovers junior team.[9] After playing in the South East London Amateur League,[1] they joined Division Two of the new London Spartan League in 1975.[10] After being runners-up in 1977–78, they were promoted to the Premier Division.[10] In 1982 they transferred to Division One of the Kent League, which became the Premier Division in 1998.[7] They finished as runners–up in 2005–06. The league was subsequently renamed the Southern Counties East League in 2013.[7] The club won both the Kent Senior Trophy[11] and the League Cup[12] in 2013–14, and went on to win the Roy Vinter Shield at the start of the 2014–15 season.[13] In 2019–20 the club were top of the league when the season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic; this would have been the club's highest finish since reforming in 1971. At the end of the 2020–21 season they were transferred to the Premier Division South of the Combined Counties League. During their first season in the Combined Counties League, Beckenham were Premier Division South champions, earning promotion to the Isthmian League.[14] In their first season in the Isthmian League the club finished fourth, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They went on to lose 1–0 to Whitehawk in the semi-finals. The following season saw them finish in the relegation zone of the South East Division, but they were reprieved from relegation.[15]

Seasons-by-season

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Ground

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The club played at Stanhope Grove until July 1980 when they moved to Eden Park Avenue.[2] The ground has a capacity of 4,000, of which 120 is seated and covered.[1]

Honours

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  • London League
    • Division One champions 1927–28
  • Combined Counties League
    • Premier Division South champions 2021–22
  • Southern Counties East League
    • Challenge Cup winners 2013–14
    • Roy Vinter Shield winners 2014–15
  • Kent Senior Trophy
    • Winners 2013–14

Records

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  • Best FA Cup performance: Fourth qualifying round, 2022–23
  • Best FA Trophy performance: First qualifying round, 2022–23[7]
  • Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round, 1980–81
  • Record attendance: 1,661 vs Dagenham & Redbridge, FA Cup fourth qualifying round, 15 October 2022[16]
  • Most appearances: Lee Fabian, 985[1]
  • Most goals: Ricky Bennett[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p687 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  2. ^ a b c History 1887-2016 Archived 21 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Beckenham Town
  3. ^ a b London League 1910-1928 Non-League Matters
  4. ^ a b c London League 1928-1950 Non-League Matters
  5. ^ Kent County Amateur League Non-League Matters
  6. ^ London League 1950-1964 Non-League Matters
  7. ^ a b c d Beckenham Town at the Football Club History Database
  8. ^ a b Greater London League 1964-1971 Non-League Matters
  9. ^ Beckenham Town – History Archived 12 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine Beckenham Town F.C.
  10. ^ a b London Spartan League 1975-1987 Non-League Matters
  11. ^ Kent Senior Trophy Archive SCEFL
  12. ^ Corinthian 0-2 Beckenham Town - I need a new challenge, says Matt Longhurst Kentish Football, 5 May 2014
  13. ^ Whyteleafe 0-3 Beckenham Town - We've deserved all three trophies, says Jason Huntley Kentish Football, 2 August 2014
  14. ^ @beckenhamtownfc (13 April 2022). "These Players. This Team. 44 years after clinching promotion to the London Spartan League's Premier Division back in 1977/78... Becks have sealed promotion to the Isthmian League... We Are Going Up! #Step4 #UpTheBecks" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Millers One Point From The Title- Whilst Wasps Secure Their Survival". www.isthmian.co.uk. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  16. ^ It might have not been @beckenhamtownfc day in the @EmiratesFACup today against @Dag_RedFC but the Becks recorded their record attendance at Eden Park with a massive crowd of 1661... wow !!! Kent Non League Attendance Stats
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51°23′34″N 0°1′44″W / 51.39278°N 0.02889°W / 51.39278; -0.02889

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