Nickname(s) The Fleet | Founded 1890 | |
Grounds | ||
History
The club were founded in 1890. In 1905 Northfleet United moved-in to the newly constructed Stonebridge Road ground. They joined the Kent League in 1906–07 and were runners-up in their inaugural season. 'The Fleet' followed that with three successive championship titles in 1907–08, 1908–09 and 1909–10. The team repeated winning the championship in 1919–20 and were runners-up in 1921–22. In the intervening season, 1920–21, they were winners of the Kent Senior Cup.
Following financial difficulties in 1923 Northfleet entered into a formal arrangement whereby they played youngsters from Football League Tottenham Hotspur. United were Kent League Cup winners in 1923–24, League runners-up in the following season and a year later in 1925–26 were Kent League Division 1 champions scoring 172 goals over a 36 match season. The club were Kent League Cup finalists in 1926–27, losing to the Chatham based Royal Naval Depot. For five successive seasons between 1923–24 to 1927–28 Northfleet United won the Kent Senior Cup.
Northfleet United joined the Southern League in 1927–28, joining the Eastern Section, but left in 1930 and rejoined the Kent League.
In 1931 the arrangement with Tottenham Hotspur was upgraded to full nursery team status and this heralded a period of seven seasons of success during which period they scored a minimum of 110 goals in league competition each season. Northfleet were Kent League Division 1 Championship & Kent League Cup double winners in 1931–32, 1934–35 and 1936–37. Additionally they were Kent League Division 1 Championship winners twice more in 1935–36 (completing a straight hat-trick as league toppers) & 1938–39, were Kent League Cup victors again in 1937–38 and lifted the Kent Senior Cup in 1937–38 too. The club were Kent Senior Cup semi-finalists in both 1935–36 and 1936–37, losing to ultimate winners and Arsenal nursery team Margate on both occasions. The 1932–33 season was by comparison a relative anticlimax as Kent League runners-up, to Margate on goal average only!
With the outbreak of the Second World War league competition ceased as did the nursery team arrangement.
In 1946, the club merged with Gravesend United to form Gravesend & Northfleet, which is now known as Ebbsfleet United who continue to play at the Northfleet United home ground of Stonebridge Road.
In November 2015, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of its founding, a complete history of the club – called Set In Concrete – was published.
Season Playing Records
Key
Sources
Non-League Football matters
Football Club History Database
The Southern Counties East Football League
Jeff Trice's Margate FC history website
Former players
1. Players that have played/managed in the Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.