# 1985–86 Kent Football League

The 1985–86 Kent Football League season (known as the Winstonlead Kent League for sponsorship reasons) was the twentieth in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition featuring teams based in and around the county of Kent in England.
The League structure comprised two divisions: Division One and Division Two with the latter known as the Reserves Section (reserves teams were not permitted in Division One). 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, seventeen of which competed in the previous season together with one additional club:
* Thames Polytechnic, transferred from the London Spartan League
The league was won, for the only time in their history, by Alma Swanley.
At the end of the season both bottom clubs, Slade Green Athletic and Deal Town were re-elected to continue their membership of the division.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Alma Swanley | 34 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 78 | 39 | +39 | 75 | |
| 2 | Sittingbourne | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 76 | 37 | +39 | 70 | |
| 3 | Crockenhill | 34 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 68 | 33 | +35 | 68 | |
| 4 | Darenth Heathside | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 57 | 32 | +25 | 62 | |
| 5 | Tunbridge Wells | 34 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 99 | 58 | +41 | 58 | |
| 6 | Faversham Town | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 53 | 50 | +3 | 54 | |
| 7 | Greenwich Borough | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 49 | |
| 8 | Ramsgate | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 50 | 53 | −3 | 44 | |
| 9 | Kent Police | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 53 | 61 | −8 | 43 | |
| 10 | Thames Polytechnic | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 49 | −13 | 42 | |
| 11 | Herne Bay | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 34 | 52 | −18 | 42 | |
| 12 | Hythe Town | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 40 | |
| 13 | Metropolitan Police (Hayes) | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 40 | |
| 14 | Cray Wanderers | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 39 | |
| 15 | Beckenham Town | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 43 | 64 | −21 | 37 | |
| 16 | Whitstable Town | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 37 | 52 | −15 | 36 | |
| 17 | Slade Green Athletic | 34 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 14 | 42 | −28 | 25 | Re-elected |
| 18 | Deal Town | 34 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 36 | 74 | −38 | 22 | Re-elected |

### Challenge Cup

The 1985–86 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Tunbridge Wells, their third win following two occasions during the 1970s.
The competition, contested by all eighteen clubs in Division One, 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 F.C. this season).

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

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Whitstable Town | Whitstable Town | Whitstable Town | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Sittingbourne | Sittingbourne | Sittingbourne | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Sittingbourne | Sittingbourne | Sittingbourne | 2 | Sittingbourne | Sittingbourne | Sittingbourne | 2 | | | | |
| | | | | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | 3 | | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 2 | 2 | 2 | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | 3 | | | | |
| Deal Town | 2 | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Deal Town | 2 | 2 | 1 | | | | | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 1 |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 5 | | | | | | | | | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 1 |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 2 | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | Crockenhill | Crockenhill | Crockenhill | 1 | | | | |
| Alma Swanley | Alma Swanley | Alma Swanley | 0 | Crockenhill | Crockenhill | Crockenhill | 1 | | | | |
| Crockenhill | Crockenhill | Crockenhill | 2 | | | | | | | | |
* 1 2 After extra time
* 1 2 1st Replay, after extra time
* 1 2 2nd Replay

#### Second Round

* Whitstable Town 2 – 1 (aet) Greenwich Borough (score at 90 minutes: 1 –1)
* Sittingbourne 2 – 1 (aet) Faversham Town
* Beckenham Town 1 – 5 Darenth Heathside
* Deal Town 3 – 0 Metropolitan Police (Hayes)
* Slade Green Athletic 0 – 2 Tunbridge Wells
* Thames Polytechnic 0– 1 Herne Bay
* Ramsgate 2 – 5 (aet) Alma Swanley
* Hythe Town 1 – 2 Crockenhill

#### First Round

* Cray Wanderers 2 – 2 (aet) Metropolitan Police (Hayes)
* Replay 1: Metropolitan Police (Hayes) 3 – 3 (aet) Cray Wanderers
* Replay 2: Metropolitan Police (Hayes) 1 – 1 (aet) Cray Wanderers; Metropolitan Police (Hayes) won 4–3 on penalties
* Kent Police 0 – 1 Hythe Town
Sources:
* Final: "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup final". Kentish Gazette. 9 May 1986. p. 61. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Semi-finals: "Kent League". Dover Express. 18 April 1986. p. 55. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Quarter-finals: "Sport yields to icy blast". Kentish Gazette. 14 February 1986. p. 64. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, third round". Kentish Gazette. 21 March 1986. p. 62. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Gazette Soccer: Results: Tuesday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, third round replay". Kentish Gazette. 27 March 1986. p. 71. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, third round". Kentish Gazette. 4 April 1986. p. 62. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, third round second replay". Kentish Gazette. 11 April 1986. p. 63. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Second Round:"Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, Round 2". Kentish Express. 18 October 1985. p. 53. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Town in search of league points: Winstonlead League Cup second round". Whitstable Times. 14 November 1985. p. 17. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Senior soccer details: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Cup 2nd rd". Kent Messenger. 17 January 1986. p. 79. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, Round 1". Kentish Express. 4 October 1985. p. 52. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, Round 1". Kentish Express. 11 October 1985. p. 53. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, 1st round replay". Kentish Express. 18 October 1985. p. 53. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Town in search of league points: Winstonlead League Cup 1st round replay". Whitstable Times. 14 November 1985. p. 17. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

## Reserves Section

The letter "R" following team names indicates a club's reserves team.
Division Two featured mostly reserves teams (which were not permitted in Division One) from clubs from Kent and the adjacent area whose first team played in Division One and other higher ranked leagues. There was a League Cup competition for the teams in the section.

### Division Two

The league featured eighteen clubs (including one non-reserve team, Snowdown Colliery Welfare), sixteen of which had competed in the division the previous season together with two additional clubs
* Dover Athletic R
* Thames Polytechnic R
The division was won for the second occasion in three seasons by Fisher Athletic R who pipped Sheppey United R to the top position by goal difference only.
After the end of the season both Canterbury City R and Chatham Town R resigned from the division.

#### League Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Fisher Athletic R | 34 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 95 | 34 | +61 | 80 | |
| 2 | Sheppey United R | 34 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 76 | 30 | +46 | 80 | |
| 3 | Sittingbourne R | 34 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 75 | 38 | +37 | 67 | |
| 4 | Ashford Town R | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 53 | 44 | +9 | 62 | |
| 5 | Faversham Town R | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 55 | |
| 6 | Thames Polytechnic R | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 52 | |
| 7 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 51 | 45 | +6 | 50 | |
| 8 | Folkestone R | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 48 | |
| 9 | Darenth Heathside R | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 63 | 54 | +9 | 47 | |
| 10 | Thanet United R | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 47 | |
| 11 | Erith & Belvedere R | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 46 | |
| 12 | Dover Athletic R | 34 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 46 | |
| 13 | Hythe Town R | 34 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 63 | 61 | +2 | 46 | |
| 14 | Deal Town R | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 35 | |
| 15 | Canterbury City R | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 34 | Resigned |
| 16 | Herne Bay R | 34 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 33 | 67 | −34 | 26 | |
| 17 | Whitstable Town R | 34 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 32 | 86 | −54 | 23 | |
| 18 | Chatham Town R | 34 | 4 | 2 | 28 | 39 | 107 | −68 | 14 | Resigned |

### Division Two Cup

The 1985–86 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Faversham Town R.
The competition, contested by all eighteen clubs in the division, 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 Ramsgate F.C. this season).

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

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Sheppey United R | Sheppey United R | 3 | | | | | | |
| Fisher Athletic R | Fisher Athletic R | 1 | | | | | | |
| Fisher Athletic R | Fisher Athletic R | 1 | Sheppey United R | Sheppey United R | 1 | | | |
| | | | Deal Town R | Deal Town R | 2 | | | |
| Deal Town R | Deal Town R | 2 | Deal Town R | Deal Town R | 2 | | | |
| Thanet United R | Thanet United R | 1 | | | | | | |
| Thanet United R | Thanet United R | 1 | | | | Deal Town R | Deal Town R | 0 |
| | | | | | | Faversham Town R | Faversham Town R | 2 |
| Erith & Belvedere R | Erith & Belvedere R | Erith & Belvedere R | | | | | | | Faversham Town R | Faversham Town R | 2 |
| Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | | | | | | |
| Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | Erith & Belvedere R | Erith & Belvedere R | 0 | | | |
| | | | Faversham Town R | Faversham Town R | 2 | | | |
| Faversham Town R | Faversham Town R | 5 | Faversham Town R | Faversham Town R | 2 | | | |
| Chatham Town R | Chatham Town R | 0 | | | | | | |
* 1 2 After extra time, score at 90 minutes 0–0

#### Second Round

* Sheppey United R 3 – 0 Ashford Town R
* Thames Polytechnic R 0 – 1 Fisher Athletic R
* Canterbury City R 0 – 5 Deal Town R
* Snowdown Colliery Welfare 1 – 3 Thanet United R
* Sittingbourne R 0 – 1 Erith & Belvedere R
* Herne Bay R 2 – 1 Darenth Heathside R
* Whitstable Town R 1– 3 (aet) Faversham Town R
* Dover Athletic R 1 – 2 Chatham Town R

#### First Round

* Herne Bay R 1 – 0 Folkestone R
* Chatham Town R 2 – 1 Hythe Town R
Sources:
* Final: "Gazette Soccer: Results: Wednesday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup Final". Kentish Gazette. 16 May 1986. p. 61. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Semi-finals: "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, semi-finals". Kentish Gazette. 11 April 1986. p. 63. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Quarter-finals: "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, third round". Kentish Gazette. 7 February 1986. p. 63. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, third round". Kentish Gazette. 21 March 1986. p. 62. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Winstonlead Kent League: Results: League Cup 3rd round". Faversham News. 21 March 1986. p. 35. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Second Round:"Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2: League Cup, Round 2". Kentish Express. 8 November 1985. p. 53. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, Round 2". Kentish Express. 15 November 1985. p. 53. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, Round 2". Kentish Express. 6 December 1985. p. 45. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Gazette Soccer: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second round". Kentish Gazette. 3 January 1986. p. 55. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2: League Cup, Round 1". Kentish Express. 1 November 1985. p. 45. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Fixtures and Results: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: League Cup, Round 1". Kentish Express. 15 November 1985. p. 53. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.