# 1984–85 Kent Football League

The 1984–85 Kent Football League season was the nineteenth 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 seventeen clubs, fifteen of which competed in the previous season together with two additional clubs:
* Greenwich Borough, transferred from the London Spartan League
* Metropolitan Police (Hayes), joined from the Kent County Amateur League
The league was won by Tunbridge Wells, their first league winners title in the reformed Kent League.
At the end of the season both bottom clubs, Crockenhill and Ramsgate 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 | Tunbridge Wells | 32 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 83 | 39 | +44 | 72 | |
| 2 | Hythe Town | 32 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 70 | 33 | +37 | 72 | |
| 3 | Sittingbourne | 32 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 66 | |
| 4 | Beckenham Town | 32 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 67 | 46 | +21 | 59 | |
| 5 | Cray Wanderers | 32 | 17 | 2 | 13 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 53 | |
| 6 | Greenwich Borough | 32 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 51 | |
| 7 | Faversham Town | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 47 | |
| 8 | Darenth Heathside | 32 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 45 | 43 | +2 | 46 | |
| 9 | Metropolitan Police (Hayes) | 32 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 66 | 66 | 0 | 43 | |
| 10 | Whitstable Town | 32 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 40 | |
| 11 | Alma Swanley | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 39 | |
| 12 | Deal Town | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 37 | |
| 13 | Herne Bay | 32 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 29 | |
| 14 | Slade Green Athletic | 32 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 35 | 66 | −31 | 28 | |
| 15 | Kent Police | 32 | 8 | 3 | 21 | 48 | 88 | −40 | 27 | |
| 16 | Crockenhill | 32 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 34 | 63 | −29 | 25 | Re-elected |
| 17 | Ramsgate | 32 | 6 | 6 | 20 | 36 | 73 | −37 | 24 | Re-elected |
* ↑ Alma Swanley were deducted one point and one goal, the deducted goal has been reinstated in the table
* ↑ Alma Swanley were deducted one point
* ↑ Kent Police were deducted two goals, which have been reinstated in the table.

### Challenge Cup

The 1984–85 Kent Football League Challenge Cup (named the Winstonlead Kent League Cup for sponsorship reasons) was won by Greenwich Borough in their first season in the league. The competition, contested by all seventeen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds (with a single tie in the first round) culminating in the final.

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

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Sittingbourne | 1 | 1 | | | | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 1 | 3 | | | | | | |
| Darenth Heathside | 1 | 3 | Darenth Heathside | Darenth Heathside | 0 | | | |
| | | | Beckenham Town | Beckenham Town | 2 | | | |
| Beckenham Town | Beckenham Town | 3 | Beckenham Town | Beckenham Town | 2 | | | |
| Alma Swanley | Alma Swanley | 2 | | | | | | |
| Alma Swanley | Alma Swanley | 2 | | | | Beckenham Town | Beckenham Town | 2 |
| | | | | | | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 3 |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 3 | | | | | | | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 3 |
| Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | 0 | | | | | | |
| Cray Wanderers | Cray Wanderers | 0 | Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | 1 | | | |
| | | | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 2 | | | |
| Kent Police | Kent Police | Kent Police | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | 2 | | | |
| Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | Greenwich Borough | | | | | | |
* 1 2 Replay
* 1 2 After extra time

#### Second Round

* Hythe Town 0 – 2 Sittingbourne
* Darenth Heathside 1 – 0 Ramsgate
* Crockenhill 3 – 4 Beckenham Town
* Whitstable Town 0 – 1 (aet) Alma Swanley (score at 90 minutes 0–0)
* Herne Bay 0 – 3 Tunbridge Wells
* Cray Wanderers 1– 0 Metropolitan Police (Hayes)
* Kent Police 5 – 5 Deal Town
* REPLAY 1: Deal Town v Kent Police
* REPLAY 2: Kent Police 4 – 0 Deal Town
* Greenwich Borough 4 – 0 Slade Green Athletic

#### First Round

* Faversham Town 2 – 3 Greenwich Borough
* Byes for the other fifteen teams
Sources:
* Final: "Minor Results: Kent: Cup Final". The Sunday People. 12 May 1985. p. 45. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Semi-finals: "Senior soccer details: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Winstonlead Cup semi-final". Kent Messenger. 12 April 1985. p. 79. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Minor Results: Kent: Cup semi-final". The Sunday People. 5 May 1985. p. 45. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Quarter-finals: "Senior soccer details: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Winstonlead Cup 3rd rnd". Kent Messenger. 22 March 1985. p. 79. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Results and Fixtures: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Division 1: League Cup, Round 3 replay". Kentish Express. 28 March 1985. p. 52. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* Second Round:"Senior soccer details: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Winstonlead League Cup 2nd rd". Kent Messenger. 1 March 1985. p. 79. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Soccer Results, Fixtures and Tables: Results: Saturday: Kent League: League Cup, Round 2". Kentish Express. 7 March 1985. p. 46. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.; "Senior soccer details: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Winstonlead Cup: Second rnd replay". Kent Messenger. 22 March 1985. p. 79. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
* First Round: "Results, Fixtures: Results: Saturday: Kent League: Division 1 Cup". Kentish Express. 15 November 1984. p. 47. Retrieved 22 May 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 seventeen clubs (including one non-reserve team, Snowdown Colliery Welfare), thirteen of which had competed in the division the previous season together with four additional clubs
* Sheppey United R, returning following a one season absence
* Canterbury City R joined from the Kent County Amateur League
* Deal Town R joined from the Kent County Amateur League
* Thanet United R, formerly Margate R, joined from the Kent County Amateur League
The division was won by returnees Sheppey United R who completed a league and cup double.
At the end of the season Hastings United R folded and left the league and both bottom clubs, Deal Town R and Whitstable Town R 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 | Sheppey United R | 32 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 77 | 25 | +52 | 75 | |
| 2 | Ashford Town R | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 63 | |
| 3 | Erith & Belvedere R | 32 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 61 | 33 | +28 | 61 | |
| 4 | Fisher Athletic R | 31 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 79 | 28 | +51 | 56 | |
| 5 | Faversham Town R | 32 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 71 | 56 | +15 | 51 | |
| 6 | Herne Bay R | 31 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 69 | 55 | +14 | 50 | |
| 7 | Hythe Town R | 32 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 53 | 46 | +7 | 48 | |
| 8 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 44 | 47 | −3 | 43 | |
| 9 | Hastings United R | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 42 | Resigned, club folded |
| 10 | Sittingbourne R | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 72 | 61 | +11 | 40 | |
| 11 | Darenth Heathside R | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 39 | |
| 12 | Folkestone R | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 51 | 76 | −25 | 37 | |
| 13 | Chatham Town R | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 41 | 49 | −8 | 36 | |
| 14 | Thanet United R | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 39 | 56 | −17 | 31 | |
| 15 | Canterbury City R | 32 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 46 | 71 | −25 | 27 | |
| 16 | Deal Town R | 32 | 7 | 5 | 20 | 34 | 87 | −53 | 26 | Re-elected |
| 17 | Whitstable Town R | 32 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 30 | 97 | −67 | 19 | Re-elected |
* ↑ Fisher Athletic R were deducted nine points and eleven goals, the deducted goals have been reinstated in the table; match versus Herne Bay R not played
* ↑ Fisher Athletic R were deducted nine points
* ↑ Faversham Town R were deducted one goal which has been reinstated in the table
* ↑ Herne Bay R were deducted one goal which has been reinstated in the table; match versus Fisher Athletic R not played
* ↑ Sittingbourne R were deducted three points and four goals, the deducted goals have been reinstated in the table
* ↑ Sittingbourne R were deducted thee points
* ↑ Thanet United R were deducted three goals which have been reinstated in the table

### Division Two Cup

The 1984–85 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was won by Sheppey United R, who defeated Fisher Athletic R in the final, and completed a league and cup double.