# 1997–98 Kent Football League

The 1997–98 Kent Football League season (known as the Winstonlead Kent League for sponsorship reasons) was the 32nd in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition 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 the Division Two.
Following this season the two divisions, Division One and Two were renamed the Premier Division and Division One respectively..

## Division One

The league featured 22 clubs, 21 of which competed in the previous season together with one additional club:
* VCD Athletic, joined from the Kent County League – the first club promoted to the Kent League via the football pyramid system.
Also, Furness changed their name to Swanley Furness, and Woolwich Town changed their name to Erith Town.
The division was won by Herne Bay for the second season in succession, and for the fourth time during the 1990s. Runners-up Folkestone Invicta took promotion to the Southern League.
Corinthian finished bottom of the table for the second season running, and resigned at the end of the season after seven years in the Kent Football League. The club withdrew from senior football for several years in order to concentrate on its youth teams.
Swanley Furness also resigned from the league despite finishing fourth in the table, dropping down to Division Two due to the club's lack of floodlights which were a requirement from the following season.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Herne Bay | 42 | 34 | 5 | 3 | 105 | 29 | +76 | 107 | |
| 2 | Folkestone Invicta | 42 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 127 | 42 | +85 | 97 | Promoted to the Southern League Southern Division |
| 3 | Sheppey United | 42 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 110 | 63 | +47 | 91 | |
| 4 | Swanley Furness | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 75 | Resigned to Division Two |
| 5 | Greenwich Borough | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 83 | 42 | +41 | 74 | |
| 6 | Cray Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 70 | 50 | +20 | 71 | |
| 7 | Beckenham Town | 42 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 67 | 54 | +13 | 70 | |
| 8 | Whitstable Town | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 72 | 54 | +18 | 68 | |
| 9 | VCD Athletic | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 88 | 62 | +26 | 65 | |
| 10 | Lordswood | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 63 | |
| 11 | Tunbridge Wells | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 73 | 76 | −3 | 57 | |
| 12 | Thamesmead Town | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 69 | 70 | −1 | 54 | |
| 13 | Ramsgate | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 80 | 85 | −5 | 51 | |
| 14 | Hythe United | 42 | 15 | 5 | 22 | 75 | 103 | −28 | 50 | |
| 15 | Faversham Town | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 62 | 68 | −6 | 49 | |
| 16 | Slade Green | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 58 | 67 | −9 | 49 | |
| 17 | Deal Town | 42 | 15 | 4 | 23 | 76 | 97 | −21 | 49 | |
| 18 | Chatham Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 48 | |
| 19 | Erith Town | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 48 | 86 | −38 | 42 | |
| 20 | Canterbury City | 42 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 45 | 96 | −51 | 30 | |
| 21 | Crockenhill | 42 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 31 | 133 | −102 | 20 | |
| 22 | Corinthian | 42 | 2 | 5 | 35 | 36 | 130 | −94 | 11 | Resigned from the league |
* ↑ Faversham Town were deducted five points.

### Challenge Cup

The 1997–98 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Greenwich Borough.
The competition was contested by the 22 teams from the Division One over five rounds: the first three were 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 and Final

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Erith Town | Erith Town | Erith Town | Erith Town | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Erith Town | Erith Town | Erith Town | Erith Town | 2 | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 5 | 1 | 6 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 3 | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Sheppey United | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sheppey United | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | Sheppey United | 7 | | | | | | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | Herne Bay | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 1 |
| Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 1 |
| VCD Athletic | VCD Athletic | VCD Athletic | VCD Athletic | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| VCD Athletic | VCD Athletic | VCD Athletic | VCD Athletic | 1 | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 6 | 1 | 7 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | 1 | Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Swanley Furness | Swanley Furness | Swanley Furness | Swanley Furness | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
* 1 2 After extra time, score at 90 minutes 3–3
Sources:
* Quarter-finals: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup Quarter-Finals". Kent Today. 2 February 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Semi-finals: "Weekend Results: Kent League, Division 1 Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg". Kent Today. 23 March 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Division 1 Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg". Kent Today. 30 March 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Final: "Weekend Round-up: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup final". Kent Today. 5 May 1998. p. 32. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

#### Second Round

* Herne Bay 3 – 0 Ramsgate
* Erith Town 3 – 1 Corinthian
* Thamesmead Town 1 – 2 (aet) Tunbridge Wells (Score at 90 minutes: 1–1)
* Lordswood 1 – 2 Sheppey United
* Hythe United 3 – 5 (aet) Greenwich Borough (score at 90 minutes: 2–2)
* Chatham Town 0 – 1 VCD Athletic (played at VCD Athletic F.C.))
* Cray Wanderers 5 – 0 Slade Green
* Swanley Furness 1 – 0 Whitstable Town

#### First Round

* Deal Town 1 – 2 Erith Town
* Thamesmead Town 2 – 1 (aet) Canterbury City (score at 90 minutes: 1–1)
* Faversham Town 0 – 3 Tunbridge Wells
* Beckenham Town 1 – 3 Lordswood
* Sheppey United 4 – 1 Crockenhill
* Swanley Furness 3 – 2 Folkestone Invicta
* Byes for the other 10 teams
Sources:
* Second Round: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, second round". Kent Today. 10 November 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, 2nd round". Kent Today. 17 November 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "Soccer Details: Last night's results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, first round". Kent Today. 18 September 1997. p. 47. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 1 Cup, first round". Kent Today. 22 September 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

## Reserves Section

The letter "R" following team names indicates a club’s reserves team.
The 1997–98 Division Two featured reserves teams (which were not permitted in Division One) from Kent and the adjacent area based clubs 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 season commenced with the 20 clubs who had competed in the division the previous season, however Faversham Town R withdrew in October and their playing record was expunged.
Prior to the season Furness R changed their name to Swanley Furness R.
The division was won by Sittingbourne R.
At the end of the season two clubs left the division: Tonbridge R resigned from the league and transferred to the Suburban League; and Corinthian R who withdrew from senior football to concentrate on its youth teams.

#### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
| 1 | Sittingbourne R | 36 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 105 | 35 | +70 | 82 | |
| 2 | Tonbridge R | 36 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 93 | 34 | +59 | 81 | Transferred to the Suburban League |
| 3 | Thamesmead Town R | 36 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 72 | |
| 4 | Swanley Furness R | 36 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 79 | 45 | +34 | 65 | |
| 5 | Folkestone Invicta R | 36 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 69 | 57 | +12 | 65 | |
| 6 | Dartford R | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 75 | 49 | +26 | 64 | |
| 7 | Dover Athletic R | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 85 | 49 | +36 | 63 | |
| 8 | Lordswood R | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 59 | |
| 9 | Herne Bay R | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 75 | 57 | +18 | 58 | |
| 10 | Margate R | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 55 | |
| 11 | Hastings Town R | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 85 | 69 | +16 | 49 | |
| 12 | Chatham Town R | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 47 | 61 | −14 | 40 | |
| 13 | Ramsgate R | 36 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 60 | 94 | −34 | 37 | |
| 14 | Whitstable Town R | 36 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 59 | 89 | −30 | 35 | |
| 15 | Hythe United R | 36 | 11 | 2 | 23 | 62 | 103 | −41 | 35 | |
| 16 | Corinthian R | 36 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 47 | 74 | −27 | 32 | Resigned |
| 17 | Beckenham Town R | 36 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 40 | 86 | −46 | 27 | |
| 18 | Crockenhill R | 36 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 38 | 98 | −60 | 26 | |
| 19 | Deal Town R | 36 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 43 | 110 | −67 | 18 | |
* ↑ Dartford R were deducted six points

### Division Two Cup

The 1997–98 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Thamesmead Town R.
The competition was drawn for the initial twenty teams from Division Two (prior to the resignation of Faversham Town R) and comprised five rounds: the first three were a single match knock-out followed by the semis-finals on an aggregate basis (home and away matches) and a single match final on a neutral ground (at Whitstable Town F.C. this season).

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

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hythe United R | Hythe United R | Hythe United R | Hythe United R | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hythe United R | Hythe United R | Hythe United R | Hythe United R | 2 | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | 5 | 1 | 6 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Folkestone Invicta R | Folkestone Invicta R | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| Folkestone Invicta R | Folkestone Invicta R | Folkestone Invicta R | Folkestone Invicta R | 1 | Folkestone Invicta R | Folkestone Invicta R | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| Dartford R | Dartford R | Dartford R | Dartford R | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dartford R | Dartford R | Dartford R | Dartford R | 0 | | | | | | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | Herne Bay R | 1 | 4p |
| | | | | | | | | | | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | 1 | 5p |
| Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | | | | | | | | | | | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | 1 | 5p |
| Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | | | | | | | | | | |
| Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Swanley Furness R | Thamesmead Town R | Thamesmead Town R | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Sittingbourne R | Sittingbourne R | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| Lordswood R | Lordswood R | Lordswood R | Lordswood R | 1 | Sittingbourne R | Sittingbourne R | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| Sittingbourne R | Sittingbourne R | Sittingbourne R | Sittingbourne R | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
* 1 2 After extra time, score at 90 mins: 0–0
* 1 2 Penalty shoot-out
* 1 2 After extra time, score at 90 mins: 0–0
Sources:
* Quarter-finals: "Kent Winstonlead League: Division 2 Cup, Quarter Final". Kent Today. 26 January 1998. p. 34. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Details: Last Night's Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, quarter-final". Kent Today. 28 January 1998. p. 39. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Senior Soccer: Results: Saturday: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, quarter-final". Kentish Gazette. 5 February 1998. p. 66. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Semi-finals: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg". Kent Today. 16 March 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg". Kent Today. 23 March 1998. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Final: "Cup lost on penalties". Herne Bay Times. 16 April 1998. p. 62. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

#### Second Round

* Herne Bay R 2 – 1 Dover Athletic R
* Beckenham Town R 2 – 4 Hythe United R
* Ramsgate R 2 – 5 Folkestone Invicta R
* Thamesmead Town R 2 – 0 Crockenhill R
* Swanley Furness R 6 – 3 (aet) Tonbridge R
* Lordswood R 0 – 1 Chatham Town R
* Corinthian R 1 – 4 Sittingbourne R
* Bye for Dartford R owing to resignation of Faversham Town R

#### First Round

* Ramsgate R 3 – 0 Whitstable Town R
* Folkestone Invicta R 2 – 1 Hastings Town R
* Lordswood R 2 – 0 (aet) Deal Town R
* Chatham Town R 2 – 2 Margate R (extra time not played)
* REPLAY: Margate R 0 – 1 (aet) Chatham Town R
* Byes for the other 12 teams (the draw originally included Faversham Town R)
Sources:
* Second Round:"Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, second Round". Kent Today. 10 November 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, 2nd round". Kent Today. 17 November 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup". Kent Today. 1 December 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "Weekend Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup". Kent Today. 22 September 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Details: Last Night's Results: Winstonlead Kent League: Division 2 Cup, first round replay". Kent Today. 1 October 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.