Enfield F.C.
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| Enfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Enfield Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The E's | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1883 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Wodson Park, Ware | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chairman | Steve Whittington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Kevin Lucas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Isthmian League First Division North |
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| 2005-06 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Enfield F.C. are a football team, traditionally based in Enfield Town, in the London Borough of Enfield, London, England; but currently playing their home matches at the ground of Ware in Ware, Hertfordshire.
Enfield are historically one of the most successful amateur clubs in England, but in recent seasons have been in freefall due to the club's decision to relocate to Borehamwood, which resulted in the formation of Enfield Town (a situation that closely parallels the more publicised creation of AFC Wimbledon and one that is recorded in the book The Capital Crimes). Their traditional rivals are Barnet.
John Bruce Skinner founded Enfield Football Club in August 1883 as Enfield Spartans, and the club spent their initial season playing friendlies.
They start of the 1894-95 season saw the club play league football for the first time when they joined the Tottenham & District Junior Alliance League
The club made the move to the larger Tucker’s Field and joined the North Middlesex League in 1896. In 1900 the club dropped the Spartans from the end of their name and also made the move to Cherry Orchard Lane. This picked things up at the club and in the 1901-02 and 1902-03 seasons they won back-to-back league titles and so attained ‘senior’ status
The 1903 saws the club join the London League Division 2, they won the title in 1911 and so gained promotion to the Premier Division
Most of the next 50 years in the Athenian League. It was not until 1962 that the club won the league title for the first time, and a second successive title in 1963 won them entry to the Isthmian League. They won seven further league titles, and were one of the first two Isthmian League clubs to join the Alliance Premier League (now the Football Conference) in 1981.
During the early 1980s, Enfield were among the strongest Conference sides, winning the title in 1983 and 1986, and the FA Trophy in 1982 and 1988. Their form slipped and they were relegated to the Isthmian League in 1990. Despite a run of seven consecutive top-3 finishes they remained in that league, being denied promotion afer winning the title in 1995 because the Football Conference were not satisfied with the club's financial credentials.
In 1999, the club sold its Southbury Road stadium, and began ground sharing with several nearby clubs. Eventually, the board decided on a long term ground share with Boreham Wood F.C., 10 miles away. Fearing that the club would never return to its home borough, a group of fans set up a supporters' trust. The trust hoped to become involved in the running of Enfield F.C. and to bring about the club's return to play in the Borough of Enfield. For months their attempts to help were rebuffed by chairman Tony Lazarou. In February 2001 a deal to transfer control of the club to the Trust was proposed, but Lazarou stalled on the deal for several months and by the beginning of June nothing had happened.
When the club had sold Southbury Road, £750,000 from the sale had been placed into an escrow account, for the use of the club in building a new ground. In 2001, chairman Lazarou asked Enfield Council to hand the money over to him even though he had not identified a site for a new ground; after Lazarou threatened legal action, the Council handed over the money.
After these events the Enfield Supporters' Trust felt that all hope of a return to Enfield and of their becoming involved in running the club was lost. On June 5, 2001 the Trust voted to secede from Enfield F.C. and set up a new club, Enfield Town F.C. A significant proportion of Enfield F.C.'s supporters switched allegiance to the new club.
Enfield F.C. struggled in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and were relegated in 2003 with 101 goals conceded. The 2003-04 season was even worse, finishing bottom of Division One North with 238 goals conceded. In 2004-05 Enfield F.C. came second in the Isthmian League Second Division, winning promotion to the Southern League Division One East.
To this day Mr Lazarou still owes Enfield Football Club a vast amount of money from the sale on the ground at Southbury Road. A Football Association hearing stated he should repay to the club a sum believed to be within the region of £200,000.
- 1912 - Founder member of Athenian League
- 1919 - Did not re-join Athenian League after the War
- 1921-22 - Rejoined Athenian League
- 1934-35 - Athenian League runner-up
- 1939-40 - Athenian League abandoned on outbreak of the War
- 1961-62 - Athenian League Champions
- 1962-63 - Athenian League Champions (2nd time)
- 1963-64 - Joined Isthmian League; F.A. Amateur Cup finalists
- 1964-65 - Isthmian League runner-up after losing Championship play-off against Hendon
- 1966-67 - F.A. Amateur Cup Winners
- 1967-68 - Isthmian League Champions
- 1968-69 - Isthmian League Champions (2nd time)
- 1969-70 - Isthmian League Champions (3rd time in a row). F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (2nd time)
- 1971-72 - Isthmian League runner-up; F.A. Amateur Cup finalists
- 1974-75 - Isthmian League runner-up (lost the title on goal average)
- 1975-76 - Isthmian League Champions (4th time). F.A. Trophy semi-finalists
- 1976-77 - Isthmian League Champions (5th time)
- 1977-78 - Division One re-named Premier Division. Isthmian League Champions (6th time)
- 1979-80 - Isthmian League Champions (7th time)
- 1980-81 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1981-82 - Joined Alliance Premier League. Alliance Premier League runner-up. F.A. Trophy Winners
- 1982-83 - Alliance Premier League Champions
- 1984-85 - F.A. Trophy semi-finalists
- 1985-86 - Alliance Premier League Champions (2nd time). F.A. Trophy semi-finalists
- 1986-87 - Alliance Premier League renamed Conference
- 1987-88 - F.A. Trophy Winners (2nd time)
- 1990-91 - Rejoined Isthmian League. Isthmian League runner-up
- 1991-92 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 1993-94 - Isthmian League runner-up. F.A. Trophy semi-finalists
- 1994-95 - Isthmian League Champions (8th time)
- 1995-96 - Isthmian League runner-up (lost title on goal difference)
- 1996-97 - Isthmian League runner-up
- 2002-03 - Relegated to Division One North
- 2003-04 - Relegated to Division Two
- 2004-05 - Isthmian League Division Two runners-up
- Best league position: 1st in Alliance Premier League (then level 5), 1985-86.
- Best FA Cup performance: 4th round, 1985-86
- Best FA Amateur Cup performance: winners 1966-67, 1969-70;
- Best FA Trophy performance: winners 1981-82, 1987-88
- Best FA Vase performance: 5th round, 2004-05
Source: Enfield at the Football Club History Database
- FA Trophy winners 1981-82, 1987-88
- FA Amateur Cup winners 1966-67, 1969-70; runners-up 1963-64, 1971-72
- Football Conference champions 1982-83, 1985-86; runners-up 1981-82
- Isthmian League champions 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1979-80, 1994-95; runners-up 1964-65, 1971-72, 1974-75, 1980-81, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97
- Athenian League champions 1961-62, 1962-63; runners-up 1934-35
| Isthmian League Division One North 2006/07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A.F.C. Hornchurch | A.F.C. Sudbury | Arlesey Town | Aveley | Bury Town | Canvey Island | Enfield | Enfield Town | Flackwell Heath | Great Wakering Rovers | Harlow Town | Ilford | Maldon Town | Potters Bar Town | Redbridge | Tilbury | Waltham Abbey | Waltham Forest | Ware | Wingate & Finchley | Witham Town | Wivenhoe Town | edit |
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