Erith & Belvedere F.C.
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| Full name | Erith & Belvedere Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Deres | ||
| Founded | 1922 | ||
| Ground | Park View Road, Welling | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 (1,000 seated) | ||
| Chairman | John McFadden | ||
| Manager | Matt Longhurst | ||
| League | Southern Counties East Football League | ||
| 2014-15 | Southern Counties East Football League, 3rd | ||
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Erith & Belvedere F.C., established 1922, is a football club representing Erith, in the London Borough of Bexley. They are currently members of the Southern Counties East Football League.
History
An Erith FC had existed at the turn of the 20th century, however Erith and Belvedere FC was formed due to restructuring of Belvedere and District FC in 1922; which itself had only existed since 1918. On formation it joined the Kent League. Apart from two seasons (1929–31) in the London League, the Deres remained in the Kent League until the war, with third place in 1928–29 being their highest finish.
After World War II, the Deres were founder members of the Corinthian League, winning the Memorial Shield (League Cup) for three seasons in succession (1948–50). The Deres were one of only three clubs to remain in the Corinthian League throughout its existence, and in 1963 they joined Division 1 of the Athenian League on its expansion to three divisions. They reached the Athenian premier division in 1971, and won the League Cup in 1974, beating Redhill 1–0, via a goal scored by Charlie Carroll. The final was played at Park View on 25 May.
In 1978 the club opted to return to the Kent League, but in 1982 won the championship and were promoted to the Southern League. However, although they remained at that level for over twenty years, they always struggled until finally they were relegated in 2004–05 (the first relegation in the club's 83-year history).
To add to their problems during this period, the club was forced to leave its original ground, Park View, Belvedere, after a fire wrecked the main stand in September 1997, and entered a ground share arrangement with Welling United at their present home Park View Road (within the town of Welling).
Since 2010, the Deres hired Micky Collins and Julian Leigh to replace Richie Radbourne as manager and assistant manager respectively. After finishing 5th in 2010-11 campaign, the Deres finally found their feet during 2011-12 and came 2nd to Herne Bay. However, a strong campaign in 2012-13 finally clinched the Deres their first major league success since 1982 by winning the Kent League Premier Division on the final day of the season and returned the Deres to step 4 football in the Isthmian League Division One North for the first time since 2005. Also winning the Macron sponsored Kent League cup beating Corinthian 4-1 in the final thus clinching the Double. Micky Collins resigned at the end of that season. Chris Cosgrove and Martin Ford became the managers, but Ford was sacked in October and this sparked a downward spiral which left the club finishing bottom of the Isthmian League Division One North which meant relegation to the former Kent League, now known as the Southern Counties East League. Cosgrove was sacked on 1 May 2014 and replaced by Matt Longhurst.
In the 2014/15 season the club achieved their best ever run in the FA Vase, reaching the quarter-finals. In front of a record Park View Road crowd of 503 the team lost to eventual winners North Shields.
Ground
Erith & Belvedere play their home games at Park View Road, Welling, Kent, DA16 1SY. The Ryman Youth, U18 Kent Youth and U15 Girls teams all play at The Meridian Sports and Social Club in Charlton.
Club staff
- Chairman - John McFadden
- Club secretary - Adam Peters
- First team manager - Matt Longhurst
- Player/Assistant manager - Bill Manners
- Player/Coaches - Brendon Cass
- Coach - Sonny Gladdish
- Goalkeeper coach - Darren Mace
- Physiotherapist - Kirsty Harding
- Head of Player Development & Scouting - Neil Hunter
- Ryman Youth League Managers - Jon Coppen & Darren Mace
- Girls Team Managers - James Newe & Martyn Hyland
Honours
- Kent League Premier Division Champions: 1982, 2013
- Kent League Premier Division Runners-up: 2012
- Kent League Premier League Cup Winners: 2013
- Kent Senior Cup Winners: 1942 Runners-up: 1982, 2009
- London Senior Cup Winners: 1945 Runners-up: 1939[1]
- Athenian League Division 1 Runners-up: 1971
- Athenian League Cup Winners: 1974
Amateur/Reserves Trophies
- Kent League Division 1 Champions 2005
- Kent League Division 2 Champions 2004
- Kent Amateur Cup Winners: 1924, 1948, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970 Runners-up: 1934, 1935, 1947, 1952, 1974
- South East Combination Champions and Cup Winners: 1942
- Corinthian League Memorial Shield Winners: 1948, 1949, 1950 Runners-up: 1968
- Kent League: Reserve Division(s) Cup Winners: 1983, 1984
- Kent League: Reserve Division(s) Cup Runners Up: 2011
Club records
- Best league position: 7th in Southern League Southern Division, 1992–93
- Best FA Cup performance: 3rd qualifying round on several occasions, most recently 2001–02
- Best FA Trophy performance: 3rd qualifying round, 1989–90
- Best FA Vase performance: Quarter Finals, 2014-15
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Erith & Belvedere at the Football Club History Database
External links
- Use dmy dates from June 2015
- Use British English from June 2015
- Football kits with incorrect pattern
- Football clubs in England
- Association football clubs established in 1922
- Sport in Bexley
- Isthmian League
- Southern Counties East Football League
- Southern Football League clubs
- Corinthian League (football)
- Athenian League
- 1922 establishments in England
- Football clubs in London
