1886-1890 - The origins of football on the Isle of Sheppey

 

:: 1886-1890 - Origins of football on the Isle of Sheppey :: 1890-1894 - Sheppey United are born :: 1894-1901 - Original members of the Southern League :: 1901-1914 - From the Southern League to the Kent :: 1914-1919 - A wartime interlude :: 1919-1927 - Kent League days :: 1927-1932 - Back to the Southern League :: 1932-1939 - Depression brings back the Kent League :: 1939-1945 - World War II interrupts :: 1945-1959 - Tough times in the Kent League :: 1959-1972 - Professional football returns :: 1972-1984 - Glory days in the Kent League! :: 1984-1990 - Southern League revisited ::1990-2001 - Anyone got a ground? ::2001-2003 - The senior side's disbanded ::2003-present - A new beginning? :: Season by Season League Tables

Football first makes an appearance in the island's papers in 1886 with a report of a friendly between 2 of the 3 clubs playing on the Isle of Sheppey at the time - Sheerness Victoria and Sheppey Rovers with the game played on the 9th October 1886. The game finished with Rovers winning the game 6-2 after the game being 2-2 at half time.

The teams that represented the 2 sides that day were, for Sheppey Rovers:- Elliott; Daer, Amor; Ellen, Handeyside, Rule; Shavell, Saffrey, Powell, Brightman, Wood and for Sheerness Victoria:- Howell; Stanley, Bulgin; Watson; Wilson, Kilpatrick; Noakes, Flinn, Furminger, Colegate, Stevenson. An important game in the history of Sheppey United as Sheerness Victoria were 1 of the 2 sides that merged to form the Sheppey in 1889. Sheppey Rovers were also reported to be due to play against Faversham Grammar School on the 16th October.

Sheppey Rovers appeared to play all of their home games at Halfway Houses with Sheerness Victoria playing at the St. Georges ground (possibly this was a previous name for Botany Road?). There is no record of where Invicta (the other Sheppey club of the era) played their games.

It is not clear as to whether Sheerness Victoria carried the Victoria name because it had ties with the Victoria Working Men's Club and Institute which was founded in Sheerness in the early 1880's or for another reason. It may simply be because the club were founded during the reign of Queen Victoria. What is clear is that several of the working men's club's officials shared names with some of Victoria's players though this may just be a coincidence.

The Sheerness Guardian did print Sheerness Victoria's proposed fixture list for the 1886/87 season with the club due to play games home and away against sides such as Gravesend, Maidstone North End, Sittingbourne United, Chatham Albion, Chatham Excelsior, Chatham United and Sheppey Rovers - though this was not a league campaign. The Football League itself was not going to start for another 2 years.

Sheppey Rovers' fixture list was less well publicised - though it is reported that they beat Sittingbourne Utd 1-0 (with the game appearing to be 12-a-side!!) on the 6th November at Halfway Houses and that the side played a side called Rochester Institute away with Rovers losing the game 7-3 as well as beating Teynham 3-2.

Invicta's first mention in the local newspapers was when they played Sheerness Victoria's 2nd team on the 27th November 1886 at the St. Georges ground with Victoria winning by 5-0.

In March 1887 The Sheerness Guardian gave a summary of Sheerness Victoria's season which reported that Victoria had had quite a successful season losing just 2 games - to Chatham Albion and Chatham Excelsior 3-1 and 1-0 respectively, winning the rest - though it did report that Sheerness Victoria had beaten a side called Sheppey United 3-1. This side probably has no links to the current Sheppey United side, though.

The 1887/88 season sees the apparent demise of Sheppey Rovers. What certainly is the case is that they are no longer reported in the local papers on the island. This season also sees the emergence of Sheerness Invicta as a rival to Victoria.

Not many games were reported on but the Sheerness Guardian reported that Sheerness Victoria did have games against Frindsbury (which was drawn 3-3) and Teynham who they beat 3-1. Finally, on April 27th, they reported that Victoria's season had seen them win 10, draw 3 and lose 2 of their 15 games that season.

What is of significance was that the 2 sides had a meeting at the Britannia Hotel in April - though this was just an end of season get together that had the 2 teams congratulating each other on the past season.

The 1887/88 season sees the 2 club's deciding to put a joint team to play in the Kent Challenge Cup - whereupon the side get drawn against one of the top sides in the south at the time, Chatham Town (they were known simply as Chatham then) . The game is played on November 10th at Chatham lines and sees the islanders lose 4-0.

In February Invicta beat Sittingbourne 3-1 and the paper reports their record to date that season as being 9 wins, 3 draws with just the 1 defeat. Their final record for the season turns out to be 11 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats (v Teynham, Sittingbourne and Victoria).

In the following season a combined Sheerness side was once again drawn against Chatham in the Kent Challenge Cup. The game was played in Sheerness this time at the home of Sheppey United Cricket Club - a certain Botany Road! The kick off time was announced as being 3pm on October 5th with the entrance fee 3d. The game finished as a 2-2 draw this time in front of 800 spectators.

The replay was played in Chatham 2 weeks later where the Sheerness side was beaten 2-0.

That, as it stands, is my summary of the origins of senior football on the Isle of Sheppey. Now comes the important bit - Sheppey United itself. Head to my next section - "Sheppey United are born" - to read about the formative years of the Sheppey.