Essex County League

The Essex County League was a short-lived football league in England in the 1930s. The league was established in 1937 and seen as a threat to the viability of the Eastern Counties League, which had only been formed two years earlier. However, it failed to attract enough clubs to join and lasted only a single season before folding.

Essex County League
Founded1937
First season1937–38
Folded1938
Country England
DivisionsOne
Number of teamsSix
Last championsHarwich & Parkston
(1937–38)
Most championshipsHarwich & Parkston (1)

History

The league was formed following a meeting at the Liverpool Street Hotel in London in March 1937. The five Essex clubs who were members of the recently established Eastern Counties League (including Chelmsford, whose president was also the president of the ECL) agreed to join and find other clubs from the county which were interested in joining,[1] One reason behind the move was the time and cost of travelling to coastal towns in Norfolk and Suffolk, who comprised most of the members of the ECL at the time. Despite hoping to attract teams from mid-Essex and the north-east edge of London, Dagenham Town of the London League were the only other club to join, and as the season was about to start in September, the president of Crittall Athletic admitted that the clubs had made a mistake by leaving the ECL.

The league began with six clubs, but Colchester Town went bust in December, resulting in their record being expunged (at the time they had played six matches, drawing one and losing five).[2] The league continued with the clubs playing each other four times each. At the end of the season Harwich & Parkeston (the champions), Clacton Town and Crittall Athletic returned to the ECL and Dagenham Town to the London League, whilst Chelmsford were transformed into Chelmsford City, who joined the Southern League.[3]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Harwich & Parkeston 16 12 1 3 51 18 +33 25
2 Critall Athletic 16 9 3 4 38 20 +18 21
3 Chelmsford 16 6 2 8 37 38 −1 14
4 Dagenham Town 16 3 4 9 28 53 −25 10
5 Clacton Town 16 4 2 10 15 40 −25 10
Source: Football Club History Database[4][5][6][7][8]

References
  1. Blakeman, M (2010) The official history of the Eastern Counties Football League 1935-2010 Volume II ISBN 978-1-908037-02-2
  2. Colchester Town at the Football Club History Database
  3. Chelmsford at the Football Club History Database
  4. Harwich & Parkeston at the Football Club History Database
  5. Critall Athletic at the Football Club History Database
  6. Chelmsford at the Football Club History Database
  7. Dagenham Town at the Football Club History Database
  8. Clacton Town at the Football Club History Database
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