1990s (part 2)....


1992-1993.......

With the news of Hythe Town going into liquidation coming in mid-June, by the following week there was mention in the Folkestone Herald that Martin Giles was helping with an action group to ensure the continuation of football in Hythe. A month later, on the 22nd July, Hythe United was launched at a meeting at the Hythe RBL club with the hope of entering the Kent County League that season. Frank Ovard was to run the new team, assisted by Kevin Hughes, although it was complicated by the fact that Ovard was still signed to play for Ashford Town when needed during the season. The new club was hoping to lease Reachfields from the council but the council had to deal with the Official Receiver and the clock was ticking.

 

After some frantic tidying up, four home friendlies were played and the club, at the very last minute and well after the AGM, was placed in the KCL Division One East. This was the first year of a countywide Premier Division in the KCL and Hythe were placed one level lower, but it was better than Division Two East. The new kit was white shirts and red shorts, sponsored by Star Plant.

Remembering that the last game of the old Hythe Town was the Kent Senior Cup final at Priestfield, United’s debut in the KCL was at the rather more modest venue of the Polo Ground in Folkestone, against White Lion (Cheriton), managed by an ex-Hythe player, Terry Byrne. It was an exciting start, winning 5-4, with Ovard scoring two of the goals. The following week saw the first home game and another win, 2-1 over Knatchbull with the crowd given as 70. Then came defeat at Lydd by 4-0 although the result was put in perspective when Lydd would finish as league champions by some distance. Hythe even ran a coach to the next away game, at Rye, which saw another defeat.

A win at home to Snowdown, in front of over 100 spectators was Hythe’s last league win until just before Christmas and saw the club sit a lowly eighth in a division of only fourteen clubs. In the cups Hythe managed a revenge win at Lydd before nearly upsetting Sevenoaks Town, who were second in the Premier Division. Only a last-minute equaliser kept Oaks in the first tie where darkness prevented extra-time, although Hythe were easily beaten in the rematch, also played at Greatness Park.

 

January saw a revival with four wins, three in the league, that earned Ovard the Manager of the Month award. February was nearly as good, with four wins out of five and the club climbed to second in the table. But form petered out and only two wins from the last seven games saw the club slip to a final position of sixth, 23 points behind champions Lydd and ten points behind second-placed Tenterden. The club did reach the semi-final of the Les Leckie Cup, played between the eastern half of the KCL clubs, but lost by the single goal to Lydd who went on to do the double.

With Hythe being the only KCL club with floodlights, Reachfields hosted a number of neutral games under lights in the second half of the season, including all the games in the KCL Invitation Cup and some other semi-finals and finals. It seems the league were kind to Hythe and Hythe were kind to the league.

 

As soon as the season was over the club said that Frank Ovard was not being retained as manager. Three weeks later Tony Hunter, a former player and then boss at New Romney, was announced as Ovard’s replacement.

 

 

With Hythe ‘only’ in the KCL, reporting in the Herald was rather thin with hardly any match reports, and midweek matches were lucky even to get the result published. Twelve goalscorers, all from midweek games, are missing. Only two matches had the full team line-up listed, other names have been noted when possible. The players at the start of the season were Mark Mahon (keeper), Paul Hackett, Dominic Scott, Richard Tearle, Colin Nash, Alby Allan, Frank Ovard, Paul Stanton, Kevin Hughes, Troy Germaine, Wayne Poetschke, Graham Cocks, Ray Bull and Gary Buchanan. Joining during the season were Adrian Bray, Dave Ratcliffe, Steve Coulson, Mark Nightingale, Mark Mason, Scott McRobert, Tim Page, Paul Miller (as goalkeeper, with Mahon playing as a striker), Shay Bates and Paul O’Shea. Poetschke scored twelve goals, Ovard and Germaine ten each.

 

1992-1993 Kent County Division One East League Table....

  P W D L F A GD Pts
Lydd Town 24 19 4 1 88 25 63 61
Tenterden & St Michaels United 24 15 3 6 68 28 40 48
Rye United 24 14 3 7 58 38 20 45
Headcorn 24 13 5 6 54 46 10 44
Bromley Green 24 12 4 8 66 44 22 40
Hythe United 24 12 2 10 41 46 -5 38
University of Kent 24 10 2 12 48 56 -8 32
Cheriton 24 9 4 11 51 58 -7 31
Broomfield United  24 7 6 11 45 56 -11 27
Kennington 24 7 5 12 37 52 -15 26
Snowdown CW 24 7 4 13 43 66 -23 25
Knatchbull 24 6 2 16 34 66 -32 20
Houchin 24 2 2 20 41 93 -52 8
Sandwich Sports withdrew, results expunged              

1992-1993 Results.....

Date Opponents Comp Venue Sciore Att Scorers
13/08/1992 Dover Reserves Home 2-0 90 Kevin Hughes, Troy Germaine
18/08/1992 Ashford F Home 0-5 200+  
27/08/1992 Woodnesborough F Home 3-1   Frank Ovard, ? Wright, Steve Coulson
01/09/1992 New Romney F Home 1-0   Paul Stanton
05/09/1992 White Lion (Cheriton) KCLOE Away 5-4 70 Richard Tearle, Ovard 2, Stanton, Wayne Poetschke
08/09/1992 Kent Fire Brigade F Home 0-2    
12/09/1992 Knatchbull KCLOE Home 2-1 70 Hughes, Poetschke
19/09/1992 Lydd Town KCLOE Away 0-4 80  
23/09/1992 Herne Bay F Home 0-3    
26/09/1992 Rye United KCLOE Away 2-4   Hughes, Poetschke
03/10/1992 Snowdown Colliery Welfare KCLOE Home 2-1 100+ Ovard, Germaine
10/10/1992 Lydd Town KICS1 Away 2-1   Stanton, Ovard
13/10/1992 Danson Furness United F Home 1-4    
17/10/1992 Headcorn KCLOE Away 2-3   Ovard, Poetschke
24/10/1992 Houchin Rovers IRCC1 Away 2-3   Scott McRobert, Hughes
31/10/1992 Broomfield United KCLOE Home 1-2   Hughes
07/11/1992 Bromley Green KCLOE Home 3-7   Germaine 2, Poetschke
14/11/1992 Tenterden & St Michaels United KCLOE Away 1-1   Hughes
21/11/1992 Sevenoaks Town KICS2 Away 1-1   Poetschke   (Match Abnd Bad Light)
28/11/1992 Sevenoaks Town KICS2 Away 1-6   Germaine  
12/12/1992 University of Kent KCLOE Home 3-0   Mark Mahon 2, Germaine
05/01/1993 Knatchbull LLC Away 6-1    
16/01/1993 Snowdown Colliery Welfare KCLOE Away 2-1   Mahon, Hughes
19/01/1993 Sandwich Sports KCLOE Home 4-2*   Germaine 2, Mahon, Stanton
30/01/1993 University of Kent KCLOE Away 1-0   Ovard  (or Stanton?)
02/02/1993 Lydd Town KCLIC1 Home 0-4    
06/02/1993 Kennington KCLOE Home 1-0   Poetschke
09/02/1993 Houchin Rovers KCLOE Home 1-0    
13/02/1993 Headcorn KCLOE Home 0-1    
20/02/1993 Broomfield United KCLOE Away 2-0   Stanton, Ovard
27/02/1993 White Lion (Cheriton) KCLOE Home 1-0   Poetschke
09/03/1993 Danson Furness United F Home 4-0    
13/03/1993 Rye United KCLOE Home 0-3    
20/03/1993 Houchin Rovers KCLOE Away 9-3   Paul O'Shea 3, Ovard 2, Germaine  2,  Poetschke, Adrian Bray
27/03/1993 Lydd Town KCLOE Home 0-3    
03/04/1993 Kennington KCLOE Away 2-0   Germaine, Poetschke
10/04/1993 Tenterden & St Michaels United LLC Away 3-3 aet   Bray, Ovard pen, Poetschke
14/04/1993 Tenterden & St Michaels United LLC Home 5-1    
17/04/1993 Bromley Green KCLOE Away 0-5    
22/04/1993 Lydd Town LLCSF Home 0-1    
01/05/1993 Knatchbull KCLOE Away 1-1   Poetschke
10/05/1993 Tenterden & St Michaels United KCLOE Home 0-2    

1993-1994.....

The new season saw a new division and a new manager. During the summer Hythe were moved into the (now unsponsored) Kent County League Premier Division, which was slightly strange for a side that had finished in sixth place in Division One East. The new manager was former player Tony Hunter, who had spent the last four years at New Romney, the last of which was in the Premier Division. It was no great surprise that a few of his former players moved to Hythe to strengthen the side, including Ian Hayes, Andy Ovenden, goalkeeper Paul McLean and former Hythe player Ian Daffin. Wayne Shingler joined from Folkestone Invicta and two other old players, Andy Bates and David Bible, also signed. A reserve team was entered into KCL Division Two East, to be run by Tony Hassan and Alby Allan.

 

The season was to prove one of mid-table mediocrity, perhaps not surprising after the jump in level. Only one win in the first five league games saw Hythe in tenth, but three wins from the next five moved the club up to sixth. There was another win and a defeat before the Christmas derby with New Romney which saw honours even with David Bible scoring the Hythe goal in a 1-1 draw. New Romney were the league leaders, followed by Greenways and then Teynham & Lynsted. In the cups Hythe had beaten Bromley Green in the Floodlight Invitation Cup, where all games were played at Reachfields, but lost to local rivals Lydd after extra time. In the Inter Regional Cup Hythe lost their first game at Tenterden. In October Hythe signed Mark Palmer in defence, he had formerly played for Lydd and had been New Romney’s captain, and Frank Clarke returned to the club as trainer.

 

January saw bad weather wipe out most games, just a 5-1 defeat at would-be champions Teynham & Lynsted. February saw three wins and a draw and a rise to sixth but despite a run of three wins in a row the season ended with defeats to three of the top four sides and Hythe had to settle for tenth place. No joy in the other two cups either, with 1-0 home defeats in both the Weald of Kent Charity Cup and the Les Leckie Eastern Section Cup. Another former Hythe player, Kevin Smart, had signed again in January although he returned to Southern League football with Canterbury in April.

 

The reserve side had a season of two halves, they had been very bottom at Christmas, just the one win and only four points, before a remarkable revival under new managers Steve Ashton and Ian Daffin saw them climb to finish in fifth place. They used many of the players from the previous season’s first team. The reserves also reached the sixth round of the Kent Junior Cup, losing 5-2 away to ‘all conquering’ Maidstone Invicta in front of a crowd of around 200. This was the first season back in adult football for Maidstone after they (as Maidstone United) had resigned from the Football League early in the 1992-93 season.

 

Again, the Folkestone Herald normally managed only a couple of paragraphs about Hythe matches during the season and only one match had a full team line-up. Appearance statistics are impossible to produce but the names noted through the season are: Paul McLean (goalkeeper), Troy Germaine, Wayne Shingler, David Bible, Andy Ovenden, Andy Bates, Ian Daffin, Ian Hayes, Adrian Bray, Dave Geeler, Darren Walmsley, Richard Tearle, Paul McRobert, Mark Palmer, Paul Longman, Dominic Scott, Paul Stanton, Spencer Pinch and Kevin Smart. Our records are still missing one goalscorer but Bible top scored with eight, followed by Walmsley with seven, Geeler six and Hayes five.

 

 

1993-1994 Kent County Premier League Table....

  P W D L F A GD Pts
Teynham & Lynsted 28 17 6 5 55 31 24 57
Greenways 28 16 5 7 42 27 15 53
VCD Athletic 28 15 4 9 70 39 31 49
Lordswood 27 15 4 8 61 39 22 49
New Romney 28 13 7 8 43 39 4 46
Stansfeld O&B 27 14 4 9 49 48 1 46
Thames Polytechnic 28 13 4 11 46 36 10 43
Sevenoaks Town 28 12 5 11 45 36 9 41
Knockholt 28 11 6 11 43 45 -2 39
Hythe United 28 11 5 12 37 37 0 38
Aylesford Paper Mills 28 9 4 15 34 41 -7 31
Oakwood 28 8 6 14 30 45 -15 30
Scott Sports & Social 28 6 11 11 41 44 -3 29
Otford United 28 7 4 17 31 56 -25 25
Woodnesborough 28 4 1 23 26 90 -64 13
* one game not played                

1993-1994 Results.....

Date Opponents Comp Venue Score Att Scorers
24/07/1993 Deal Reserves F Away 4-1   Tony Hunter, Troy Germaine 2, Ian Hayes
04/08/1993 Herne Bay Reserves F Away 0-1    
07/08/1993 Folkestone Invicta F Away 1-3   Wayne Shingler
10/08/1993 Ramsgate F Away 1-1   Hayes
21/08/1993 Headcorn F Away 4-2   ?
28/08/1993 Colts '85 Home 4-0   Hayes, Richard Tearle, Germaine
04/09/1993 Aylesford Paper Mills KCP Home 0-1    
11/09/1993 VCD Athletic KCP Home 2-1   Ian Daffin (pen), Hayes
15/09/1993 Bromley Green KCLFC1 Home 5-2  

Dave Gealer, Shingler, Darren Walmsley,

Daffin (pen), David Bible

18/09/1993 Knockholt KCP Away 0-1    
25/09/1993 Stansfeld O&B KCP Home 1-2   Paul McRobert
02/10/1993 Scott Sports & Social KCP Home 2-2   Germaine, Adrian Bray
09/10/1993 VCD Athletic KCS Away 3-4   Andy Ovenden, Shingler, Bible
20/10/1993? Kennington WOKC2 Away 5-0   ?
23/10/1993 Oakwood KCP Home 3-0   Gealer 2, Bible
30/10/1993 Woodnesborough KCP Home 2-0   Ovenden, Paul Longman
06/11/1993 Sevenoaks Town KCP Away 1-2   Tony Hunter
13/11/1993 Otford United KCP Home 2-1   Gealer, Hayes
20/11/1993 New Romney KCP Home 0-1    
27/11/1993 Tenterden Town IRCC2 Away 1-3   Gealer
01/12/1993 Rye United KCLFC2 Home 1-2aet   ?
04/12/1993 Oakwood KCP Away 4-3   Walmsley 3, Spencer Pinch
11/12/1993 Stansfeld O&B KCP Away 0-1    
27/12/1993 New Romney KCP Away 1-1   Bible
22/01/1994 University of Kent LLC1 Home 2-1   Germaine, Hayes
29/01/1994 Teynham & Lynsted KCP Away 1-5   OG
05/02/1994 Scott Sports & Social KCP Away 1-1   Bray
08/02/1994 Bromley Green WOKCQF Home 0-1    
12/02/1994 Knockholt KCP Home 1-0   Andy Bates
16/02/1994 Sevenoaks Town KCP Home 1-1   Bray
19/02/1994 Aylesford Paper Mills KCP Away 1-0   Bible
26/02/1994 Woodnesborough KCP Away 3-0   Walmsley, Gealer, Hayes
05/03/1994 Thames Polytechnic KCP Away 1-3   Bible
08/03/1994 New Romney LLCQF Home 0-1    
12/03/1994 Greenways KCP Home 1-2   Bible (pen)
19/03/1994 Thames Polytechnic KCP Home 4-2   Paul Stanton 3, Pinch
02/04/1994 Greenways KCP Away 1-0   Bible (pen)
09/04/1994 Otford United KCP Away 2-1   Walmsley, Hayes
23/04/1994 Lordswood KCP Away 0-1    
30/04/1994 Lordswood KCP Home 1-1   Walmsley
10/05/1994 VCD Athletic KCP Away 1-3   ?
13/05/1994 Teynham & Lynsted KCP Home 0-1    

1994-1995.....

Tony Hunter continued as manager for the 1994-95 season, where Hythe were aiming to do well in the Nuclear Electric Kent County League Premier Division to help the club’s aim to make a return to the Kent League.  There were a few new signings, Joe Latty and Andy Bennett joined from the manager’s former club, New Romney, forward Eddie Davies joined from a Dover Sunday League club as well as Paul Hambrook and Paul Westall from Folkestone Invicta. Hythe’s reserve side continued in the KCL Division Two East under joint managers Steve Ashton and Ian Daffin.

 

In an earlier start than usual, Hythe played a challenge game against a Folkestone Invicta side during the Hythe Festival week, ending in a 2-2 draw in front of around one hundred spectators. The friendlies went well with only a single defeat to Ashford’s Southern League squad. This season’s kit was all red with white flashes, again sponsored by Star Plant.

 

After opening the season with a home defeat to Stansfeld, the next game saw a fine 1-0 win over last season’s champions, Sevenoaks Town. After another win and a defeat the club embarked on a long unbeaten run that lasted until February. In all it covered seventeen games with ten of those in the various cups. Hythe climbed to third in the table as a result and Hunter was awarded Manager of the Month for October. In the cup game at Woodnesborough Kent cricketer Trevor Ward played for the home side. Away to Scott Sports in the league Hythe were forced to start with ten men due to the late arrival of one car and scored the only goal of the game before its occupants arrived, with keeper Paul Miller later saving a penalty.

 

The good run ended with not one defeat but six in a row, three in the league and exits from the Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield in the semi-final, the KCL Invitation Floodlight Trophy in the semi-final and a quarter-final defeat at Teynham & Lynsted in the KCL Inter-Regional Cup, a game played at Sittingbourne’s huge Central Park.

 

There was one successful semi-final; after wins against Techpro and Lydd Town Hythe managed to beat Tenterden & St Michaels on penalties to reach the final of the Weald of Kent Charity Cup. The final was played on its traditional date and venue, Good Friday at Tenterden, against Bromley Green. Despite Hythe taking the lead through Joe Latty after only 20 seconds, a Green equaliser took the game to extra time where the Ashford side scored the winning goal.

 

The cup successes had left twelve league games to be played in April and May and only three wins saw Hythe slip to finish in ninth place. The club had confirmed that their application to join the Kent League would be heard in June, with Woolwich Town also applying.

 

The reserve side had a good season, finishing in fifth place in the league and, after big wins over Wittersham and Sandhurst, reaching the final of the Weald of Kent Charity Plate. But, like the senior side, there was disappointment with a 5-4 defeat at the hands of Tenterden & St Michaels Reserves. Hythe’s goals were scored by Paul Westall (2), a young Roy Godden and Tony Heron.

 

The season ended with good news as at the AGM of the Kent League Hythe were voted into Division One with the KCFA granting the club senior status again a month later.

 

 

In a very small squad, goalkeeping duties were shared between Paul McLean and Paul Miller, defenders were Paul Hackett, Spencer Pinch, Andy Ovenden and Paul Hambrook, midfield was Dave Geeler, Paul Stanton and Ian Hayes with the forwards being Andy Bennett, Eddie Davies, Joe Latty and Andy Bates. One odd stat from the season is that the side scored the same number of league goals, 44, as cup goals. With ten goals still unaccounted for, we know that Bennett scored 25, Davies 22 and Latty 11.

 

1994-1995 Kent County Premier League Table....

  P W D L F A GD PTS
Stansfeld O&B 28 20 5 3 74 35 39 65
Lordswood 28 20 4 4 71 39 32 64
VCD Athletic 28 17 6 5 66 35 31 57
Teynham & Lynsted 28 15 6 7 67 37 30 47
Lydd Town 28 14 5 9 72 61 11 47
Aylesford Paper Mills 28 13 6 9 55 39 16 45
Greenways  27 12 4 11 56 53 3 40
Sevenoaks Town  27 11 6 10 52 46 6 39
Hythe United 28 11 6 11 44 46 -2 39
Oakwood 28 8 7 13 42 59 -17 31
Knockholt 28 7 7 14 54 68 -10 28
Thames Polytechnic 28 6 5 17 39 72 -33 23
Ten Em Bee 28 6 4 18 30 56 -26 22
New Romney 28 6 4 18 29 66 -37 22
Scott Sports & Social 28 3 5 20 35 74 -39 14
* one game not played                

1994-1995 Results.....

Date Opponents Competition Venue F-A Scorers
09/07/1994 Folkestone Invicta Home 2-2 Mark Mahon 2
02/08/1994 Ashford Town F Home 0-3  
06/08/1994 Deal Town F Home 4-0 Mahon 4
10/08/1994 Maidstone Invicta F Home 4-1 Andy Bennett 2, Mahon, Paul Stanton
13/08/1994 Ramsgate F Home 2-1 Joe Latty, Eddie Davies
20/08/1994 Hollington F Home 3-1 Bennett 3
27/08/1994 Herne Bay Res F Home 12-0 Bennett 5, Mahon 2, Stanton, Hambrook, Ovenden, Davies, OG
03/09/1994 Stansfeld O&B KCP Home 0-2  
10/09/1994 Sevenoaks Town KCP Home 1-0 Bennett
24/09/1994 VCD Athletic KCP Away 4-1 Davies 3, Bennett
01/10/1994 Ten Em Bee KCP Home 0-1  
08/10/1994 Bishopsbourne KICS1 Away 4-0 Bennett 2, Davies, Ian Hayes
15/10/1994 Lydd Town LLCP Away 4-3 Davies, Hayes, Bennett 2
22/10/1994 Oakwood KCP Home 2-0 Latty, Davies
29/10/1994 Aylesford Paper Mills KCP Away 3-2 Davies 2, Latty
05/11/1994 Scott Sports & Social KCP Home 2-1 Ovenden, Davies
12/11/1994 Greenways KCP Away 2-2 Davies, Bennett
19/11/1994 Otford United KICS2 Away 2-1 Bennett (pen), Hayes
26/11/1994 Bishopsbourne IRCC2 Away 4-2 Andy Bates, Davies 2, Latty
??/11/1994 Techpro WOKC1 Home 5-1 ?????
03/12/1994 Woodnesborough LLC1 Away 6-1 Davies 2, Bennett 2, Bates, Latty
10/12/1994 Lordswood KCP Away 1-1 Bennett
17/12/1994 Sutton Athletic KICS3 Home 3-2 Stanton, Latty, Davies
03/01/1995 Aylesford Paper Mills KCP Home 3-1 Paul Hambrook, Stanton, Latty
07/01/1995 Scott Sports & Social KCP Away 1-0 Bennett
14/01/1995 Tenterden & St Michaels United IRCC3 Away 2-0 Stanton, Davies
04/02/1995 Aylesford Paper Mills KICS4 Home 3-1 Bates, Bennett (pen), Latty
11/02/1995 Lydd Town WOKCQF Away 3-0 Bates, Bennett, Davies
18/02/1995 Greenways KCP Home 0-3  
25/02/1995 VCD Athletic KICSSF Home 1-2 aet Davies
28/02/1995 VCD Athletic KCP Home 0-2  
04/03/1995 Thames Polytechnic KCP Away 0-3  
11/03/1995 Teynham & Lynsted IRCCQF Away 2-4 Hambrook, Ovenden
14/03/1995 Lydd Town KCLICSF Away 3-5 aet Bates, Davies, Bennett
18/03/1995 Ten Em Bee KCP Away 3-0 Bennett, Stanton, Hayes
25/03/1995 Stansfeld O&B KCP Away 1-3 Bennett 
29/03/1995 Milton Athletic LLCQF Home 0-2  
01/04/1995 Tenterden & St Michaels United WOKCSF Away 1-1 aet Latty (Won 4-1 on Pens)
04/04/1995 Teynham & Lynsted KCP Home 1-1 Latty
08/04/1995 Sevenoaks Town KCP Away 2-3 Bennett, Davies
11/04/1995 Lydd Town KCP Home 1-1  
14/04/1995 Bromley Green WOK CF Neutral 1-2 aet Latty (at Tenterden & St Michaels United FC)
17/04/1995 New Romney KCP Away 1-1 Bennett 
22/04/1995 Lordswood KCP Home 1-2 Bennett
24/04/1995 Teynham & Lynsted KCP Away 1-3 Davies
29/04/1995 Thames Polytechnic KCP Home 2-4 Mahon, Hambrook
02/05/1995 Oakwood KCP Away 3-2  
06/05/1995 Knockholt KCP Away 4-2 Latty, Davies, Bennett 2
08/05/1995 New Romney KCP Home 3-0 Bennett 2, Ovenden
11/05/1995 Knockholt KCP Home 1-1  
15/05/1995 Lydd Town KCP Away 1-4 Bennett