# 1978–79 Kent Football League

The 1978–79 Kent Football League season was the thirteenth in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition featuring teams based in and around the county of Kent in England.
Following the decision taken previously to form a second division from this season the League structure comprised two divisions: Division One (now for clubs' first teams only) and a newly formed Division Two (to take the reserves teams which were no longer permitted in Division One, however this division was not limited to just reserves teams) with the latter becoming known as the Reserves Section. Additionally there were two league cup competitions: the Challenge Cup for the Division One clubs and another for the teams in Division Two.

## Division One

The league featured eighteen clubs, the fifteen non-reserves teams that had competed in Division One the previous season together with three additional clubs:
* Cray Wanderers, transferred as league champions from the London Spartan League
* Darenth Heathside, renamed from Heathside Sports and transferred from the London Spartan League
* Erith & Belvedere, transferred from the Athenian League
The league was won by Sheppey United, their third championship in seven seasons and part of a league and cup double.
League winners Sheppey United and fourth placed Medway both applied to join the Southern League for the following season however, their applications were unsuccessful.
At the end of the season Crockenhill were re-elected to continue their membership of Division One whilst bottom club Snowdown Colliery Welfare had their application to drop to Division Two approved.

### League Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Sheppey United | 34 | 22 | 11 | 1 | 73 | 28 | +45 | 55 | |
| 2 | Hythe Town | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 71 | 34 | +37 | 49 | |
| 3 | Faversham Town | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 71 | 37 | +34 | 49 | |
| 4 | Medway | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 64 | 27 | +37 | 46 | |
| 5 | Whitstable Town | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 52 | 35 | +17 | 43 | |
| 6 | Sittingbourne | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 42 | +15 | 39 | |
| 7 | Tunbridge Wells | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 52 | −1 | 36 | |
| 8 | Darenth Heathside | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 32 | |
| 9 | Deal Town | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 40 | 50 | −10 | 32 | |
| 10 | Ramsgate | 34 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 42 | 59 | −17 | 32 | |
| 11 | Slade Green Athletic | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 46 | 47 | −1 | 29 | |
| 12 | Herne Bay | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 49 | 59 | −10 | 28 | |
| 13 | Dartford Glentworth | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 52 | −12 | 28 | |
| 14 | Cray Wanderers | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 27 | |
| 15 | Erith & Belvedere | 34 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 25 | |
| 16 | Kent Police | 34 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 46 | 67 | −21 | 24 | |
| 17 | Crockenhill | 34 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 43 | 73 | −30 | 21 | Re-elected |
| 18 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 29 | 102 | −73 | 15 | Resigned to Division Two |
* ↑ Herne Bay were deducted two points and two goals for fielding an ineligible player (the deducted goals have been added back in this table).
* ↑ Herne Bay deducted two points.

### Challenge Cup

The 1978–79 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Sheppey United, who completed a league and cup double. The competition, contested by all eighteen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds (with the first round featuring two ties) culminating in the final which was played on a neutral ground (at Sittingbourne this season).

#### Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Faversham Town | Faversham Town | 2 | | | | | | |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 0 | | | | | | |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 0 | Faversham Town | 2 | 1 | | | |
| | | | Sheppey United | 2 | 2 | | | |
| Sheppey United | 1 | 1 | Sheppey United | 2 | 2 | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 1 | 0 | | | | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 1 | 0 | | | | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | 4 |
| | | | | | | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 1 |
| Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | 1 | | | | | | | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 1 |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 2 | | | | | | |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 2 | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 3 | | | |
| | | | Hythe Town | Hythe Town | 1 | | | |
| Dartford Glentworth | 1 | 1 | Hythe Town | Hythe Town | 1 | | | |
| Hythe Town | 1 | 3 | | | | | | |
* 1 2 Replay
* 1 2 Replay, after extra time (score at 90 minutes 0-0)
* 1 2 Replay

#### Second Round

* Faversham Town 2 – 1 Medway
* Tunbridge Wells 3 – 1 Kent Police
* Sheppey United 2 – 1 Deal Town
* Whitstable Town 0 – 1 Darenth Heathside
* Snowdown Colliery Welfare 0 – 3 Cray Wanderers
* Erith & Belvedere 0 – 0 Herne Bay
* REPLAY: Herne Bay 3 – 1 Erith & Belvedere
* Sittingbourne 6 – 2 Dartford Glentworth
* Hythe Town 2 – 1 Crockenhill

#### First Round

* Tunbridge Wells 1 – 1 Slade Green Athletic
* REPLAY: Slade Green Athletic 1 – 2 Tunbridge Wells
* Hythe Town 3 – 1 Ramsgate
* Byes for the other fourteen clubs
Sources:
* Final: "Checkpoint: Soccer Results: Kent League Cup Final". Sunday Mirror. 6 May 1979. p. 44. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Semi-finals: "Checkpoint: Soccer Results: Kent League Cup.–Semi-finals". Sunday Mirror. 11 March 1979. p. 44. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Sports Summary: Soccer: Kent League Cup.–Semi-final replay". Daily Mirror. 22 March 1979. p. 31. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Quarter-finals: "County Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup quarter finals". Kentish Express. 9 February 1979. p. 55. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.;"Results: Kent League Cup". Thanet Times. 13 February 1979. p. 31. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "County Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup second (sic) round replay". Kentish Express. 2 March 1979. p. 55. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "County Soccer Details: Results: Tuesday: Kent League Cup quarter-final". Kentish Express. 2 March 1979. p. 55. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Second Round: "County Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup, 2nd round". Kentish Express. 15 December 1978. p. 55. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "County Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup, 2nd round & 2nd Round replay". Kentish Express. 22 December 1978. p. 47. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "Checkpoint: Soccer Results: Kent League Cup". Kent Messenger. 1 October 1978. p. 42. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "County Soccer Details: Results: Saturday: Kent League Cup, 1st round replay". Kentish Express. 20 October 1978. p. 63. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

## Reserves Section

The letter "R" following team names indicates a club's reserves team.
The newly formed 1978–79 Division Two was formed to take the reserves teams (which were now not permitted in Division One) of clubs whose first team played in Division One and other higher ranked leagues – but was not limited to reserves teams. There was a League Cup competition for the teams in the section.

### Division Two

The league featured reserve teams from eleven clubs: Dover R, previously in Division One; Faversham Town R, Medway R and Sittingbourne R from the New Brompton League; Deal Town R, Herne Bay R, Hythe Town R, Margate R, Ramsgate R from the Kent Amateur League; together with Cray Wanderers R and Darenth Heathside R.
Medway R were the inaugural league winners and were unbeaten over the twenty match league campaign.
At the end of the season Margate R resigned from the league.
(The table below is not the final table, maximum potential matches per team = 20)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Medway R | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 59 | 16 | +43 | 36 | |
| 2 | Herne Bay R | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 41 | 24 | +17 | 28 | |
| 3 | Darenth Heathside R | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 17 | +20 | 21 | |
| 4 | Faversham Town R | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 23 | +6 | 20 | |
| 5 | Dover R | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 37 | 27 | +10 | 19 | |
| 6 | Deal Town R | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 25 | −5 | 15 | |
| 7 | Margate R | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 14 | Resigned |
| 8 | Hythe Town R | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 32 | −7 | 13 | |
| 9 | Cray Wanderers R | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 36 | −18 | 9 | |
| 10 | Sittingbourne R | 19 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 50 | −24 | 9 | |
| 11 | Ramsgate R | 17 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 13 | 54 | −41 | 5 | |
* ↑ Faversham Town R were deducted one point and one goal for fielding an ineligible player (the deducted goal has been added back in this table).
* ↑ Faversham Town R were deducted one point.
* ↑ Deal Town R were deducted two points and one goal for fielding an ineligible player (the deducted goal has been added back in this table).
* ↑ Deal Town R were deducted two points.

### Division Two Cup

The 1978–79 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Dover R with Darenth Heathside R runners-up.
For the competition the eleven clubs from Division Two were arranged into two geographical groups and played each team on their group on a home and away basis. The winners of the groups advanced to the final.
Deal Town R, Dover R, Herne Bay R, Hythe Town R, Margate R and Ramsgate R were included in one group, with the remaining clubs, Cray Wanderers R, Darenth Heathside R, Faversham Town R, Medway R and Sittingbourne R in the other.