The 2005–6 season of the Southern League Eastern Division was one of the more intriguing in recent times.
The addition of the Conference North and South at the end of the 2003–4 season resulted in a pretty major shake-up with the Southern League Eastern Division baring the brunt of the changes. The Southern League were accustomed to less cosmopolitan teams in their fold, and were greeted with some unfamiliar estuary at the League’s AGM in Torquay.
In from the Isthmian League were the likes of Arlesey Town, Barton Rovers, Tilbury and Waltham Forest, while the division lost Ashford Town, Histon and Newport Isle of Wight, among others.
But it is the 2005–6 season that we look at today, one where the title was won on goal difference, and four teams were separated by four points fighting for the final play-off position.
The footprint of the division was huge. With Corby, Stamford and Rothwell in the midlands, Uxbridge in west London and Sittingbourne and Chatham down in Kent, the league’s longest round-trips were in excess of 250 miles.
The title went right down to the wire, with Boreham Wood and Corby Town both in with a chance on the final day of the season. But Wood, with their assembled squad of superstars and Leon Archer leading the line with 22 goals took home a deserved title. Corby, playing at Kettering’s Rockingham Triangle ground claimed the runner-up spot, accompanied by a Scottish marching band on the final day of the season.
Wivenhoe Town pipped Dartford and Waltham Forest to the final play-off spot, and made the final, but lost 2–1 to Stamford who had beaten Barking & East Ham United 3–2 in their semi-final.
Went on to bigger things: Champions Boreham Wood and Dartford are now in the Conference National, while Corby Town, Enfield Town, Stamford, Harlow and Wingate & Finchley are all established clubs in the higher echelons of the non-league pyramid.
Disappeared from view: Wivenhoe Town’s two seasons in the Southern League saw them push for promotion and were indeed beaten play-off candidates twice. However, after two seasons back in the Isthmian League, they were relegated in 2008 to the Eastern Counties League. Berkhamsted Town, who lost their penultimate game of the season 10–1 to Waltham Forest, resigned from the Spartan League in the middle of the 2008–9 season. They reformed in 2009, winning back-to-back Spartan League Division Two and One titles. They finished 8th in the Premier Division last season.
Waltham Forest, Enfield and Ilford are now all in the Essex Senior League.
Top scorers:
25: Paul Barnes (Barton Rovers)
25: Richard Howard (Potters Bar Town)
25: Brendan Cass (Dartford)
22: Rudi Hall (Enfield Town)
22: Garath Pritchard (Stamford)
22: Neil Richmond (Great Wakering Rovers)
22: Leon Archer (Boreham Wood)
21: Kevin Byrne (Corby Town)
20: Martin Wormall (Stamford)
20: Wesley Thomas (Waltham Forest)
17: Wayne Vaughan (Barking & East Ham United)
16: Simon Thomas (Wivenhoe Town)
This piece originally appeared in the Waltham Forest v Ilford programme, 6th December 2017.
