Match Day Magazine Sittingbourne v Hythe Town and Faversham Town April 2016

FAVERSHAM TOWN A BRIEF HISTORY
The club's origins go back to 1884, and subsequently
entered the Kent League in 1894. The club name
however was not really consistent, and turned out
as Faversham Town, Faversham Invicta, Faversham
Services, Faversham Railway and Faversham
Rangers along with others, before being disbanded
a few years before the second world war.
Faversham Town reformed after the war, and entered
the Kent League in 1947, and moved to their
current home, Salters Lane in 1948. The club had a
decent amateur side, but found the going tough
against some of the professional Kent League
clubs. Nevertheless, they won the Kent Amateur
Cup in 1957 and 1959.
With the Kent League folding in 1959, the club had
spells in both the Aetolian and Greater London
leagues. However, the revived Kent league was
joined in 1968. Success soon followed, and they
were Kent League champions in 1970 and 1971.
The Kent Amateur Cup was won three years in a
row, 1972, 1973 and 1974.
After a brief flirtation in the Athenian League in the
mid seventies, the club came home to the
Kent League, winning the Kent Senior Trophy in
1977, repeating this success the following season
and being crowned Kent League champions for
good measure in a remarkable "double".
The Kent League was won yet again in 1990 season,
but league form dipped in the 92/93 season
and was to stay that way for several seasons. The
team did manage to reach the final of the Kent
League Challenge Cup in 2000, but things were in
rapid decline. Matters reached crisis point in 2003,
when the KCFA suspended the club for non payment
of fines, with the club's operators blaming just
about everyone for the mess except themselves.
In the following months, the once proud Salters
Lane was systematically wrecked by vandals.
Meanwhile, the club trustees led by businessman
Ray Leader, fought a desperate battle to heal a widening
rift with the previous regime over the ownership
of the club and ground.
In a separate development, the Faversham Town
Independent Supporters Club had been formed, and
quickly gained a membership of over 300 paid up
members in the town. This was despite the fact the
club had no team, no manager, and whose ground
had been totally wrecked by vandals and resembled
a bomb site! Perhaps the real turning point came
when trustees and Independent Supporters committee
members got together one evening and declared
an alliance to get the club back on its feet. An
interim club committee was formed, and the long
road to recovery was started.
The revival was slow, but things started to happen.
The ownership dispute was finally settled, and access
to the ground was obtained. Volunteer workers
however were confronted with completely smashed
and vandalised buildings, and grass that reached
shoulder height in places on what had been the
pitch. A massive clear up operation began, but it
was back breaking work. Meanwhile, paperwork
was put in order with a new club constitution written
and agreed.
The KCFA allowed the club to retain their coveted
senior status, subject to several conditions. Local
authority grants were applied for and secured, sponsorship
deals were obtained, and the club embarked
on a range of fund raising initiatives. Slowly but
surely, Salters Lane emerged in its former glory,
and then went even better with the erection of brand
new floodlights. The revival of club and ground from
the jaws of death was nothing short of a miracle,
with a story that would surely rival the efforts to revive
both "The Valley" at Charlton, and Accrington
Stanley F.C.
The first season back in 05/06 was in the Kent
County League, where the runners up spot was
achieved. Having passed various ground inspections,
promotion to the Kent League was obtained,
and Faversham Town had at last "come home".
The Club returned to winning ways in season
2009/10 doing the double winning the Kent Senior
Trophy and being crowned Kent League Premier
Division Champions.
Season 2010/11 saw the Club compete in the Ryman
League South for the first time finishing as top
Kent club in eighth spot. The following season the
Club consolidated its Ryman place and finished the
season in 17 th spot.
Season 2012/13 was the most successful in the
Club’s history with a third place finish in the Ryman
League South and a runners-up place in the play
offs. Coupled with this the Club’s Under 18s were
runners up in their division of the Ryman Youth
League and put their names in the Club’s record
books by reaching the second round proper of the
FA Youth Cup.
The 2014/15 Season saw Town make the play-offs
again, this time losing out in the Semi-Final on penalties
against eventually promoted Merstham. The
Under 21s had one of their most successful seasons,
winning the Kent Intermediate Cup.