Ashford United F.C. are an English football club based in Ashford, Kent. The 'new' United was formed in 2011, resurrecting the name used by the town's football club between 1891 and 1907. Following the demise of the original Ashford United club in 1907 and through to 1928 Ashford was represented by Ashford Railway Works FC and after that between 1930 and 2010 by Ashford Town F.C. The current club is effectively a 'phoenix club' having risen from the ashes of the financial ruin of its predecessor. Although not a supporter owned club, like most non-league clubs, it relies on contributions of volunteers and supporters.
Ashford United are currently members of the following their record-breaking promotion from the Southern Counties East Football League in the 2016–17 season. They are one of very few semi-professional teams in England to have a synthetic 3G pitch, which is located at their home stadium 'The Green Box Stadium' formerly known as Homelands.
History
For each season's League and Cup records of the Ashford clubs see: List of Ashford United F.C. seasons.
South Eastern Rangers (1881–1891)
The roots of senior football in Ashford originate in 1881 with the South Eastern Rangers who played at Newtown Green (with dressing rooms in the adjacent Alfred Arms). Over a six-year period between 1886 and 1891 the club on four occasions reached the final of the Kent county knock-out competition (the fore-runner of the Kent Senior Cup): in 1886 and 1888 playing for the Kent Badge they lost on both occasions to Chatham, (the second loss being a 6–1 defeat in a replay at the Victoria Ground in Ashford following a goalless first match); and in 1889 and 1891 lost in the final of the Kent Cup to Chatham and the Lincoln Regiment respectively (in the intervening season of 1890 the Rangers were Kent Cup semi-finalists).
In May 1889 to commemorate the club being runners-up in three Kent Badge/Cup finals in four seasons the Kent FA presented the club with a small shield. However the loss in the 1891 Kent Cup final sparked bad feeling between the club and the Kent FA – the club felt insulted by the ‘quality and character’ of the losers medals and returned them and subsequently resigned from the Kent FA. Against this backdrop was news of formation of a new club.
Ashford United (1891–1907)
In July 1891 the first Ashford United F.C. was formed by the amalgamation of the South Eastern Rangers and Kentish Express FC – albeit a hold-out faction of the former club continued to exist. The new club's home ground was behind the Victoria Hotel and the team played in a white shirt (with blue Maltese Cross) and blue shorts. About 700 people yielding gate receipts of £5 were present for 'United's' first match at the Victoria Ground on 19 September 1891, a defeat by the Highland Light Infantry 1–5. Two weeks later the club played their first FA Cup match, an away first round qualifying tie in which they were defeated 6–2 at Crouch End. Later, on 24 October 1891 Ashford played host to a touring Canadian team; the result was a 1–3 loss (Ashford's scorer J Hamblin) in a match notable for the sending-off (for verbally abusing the referee) of one of the Dominion's players. In their first tilt at the Kent Cup ‘United’ reached the semi-final in February 1892 before losing out to Gravesend.
In April 1893 the team exceeded the exploits of their forerunners and defeated Chatham 2–0 to win the Kent Cup (United scorers: Archie Munro and Frank Young). Despite Ashford's protestations that the match should have been played at a neutral venue, it was played at Chatham. Ashford had been the beneficiaries of a bye prior to the final – in the semi-final they were due to meet the West Kent Regiment but they were posted to Ireland before the match took place.
The following season, in October 1893, in an 1893–94 FA Cup first round qualifying match Ashford United suffered their – and for every Ashford club thereafter – worst defeat: a 12–0 loss to Woolwich Arsenal (for whom it was an all-time biggest goal difference equalling win). The tie was not without controversy as before the match it was reported in the Kentish Independent Newspaper that Arsenal, a team playing at a higher level (they had that season joined the Football League Second Division), expected a one-sided victory and had openly offered Ashford £20 and the promise of a friendly match against their second team in Ashford if they would scratch from the tie: the offer was not accepted.
The club were founder members of the Kent League in 1894–95 finishing seventh of nine teams. For the following season an externally financed 200 seat stand was constructed at the Victoria Ground. With many competing teams now turning to professionalism the amateur 'United' team finished in twelfth and bottom place in the 1895–96 Kent League. Consequently, to preserve its division one status, the team faced a 'test' match against second division Faversham: the result was a 5–0 victory for 'United'. As it transpired it was irrelevant as the larger North Kent clubs departed the Kent League to join the higher ranked Southern League and Ashford and Faversham were both included in the revised 1896–97 Kent League Division 1. Additionally Ashford joined the top division of the newly instituted East Kent League with a reserve team in the second division for one season. 'United' joined the ranks of professional clubs in the 1897–98 season and began engaging paid players.
In 1898 the club moved to a new home stadium at Godinton Road and the stand from the Victoria ground was relocated. The new ground was beyond the Godinton Road railway bridge and thus a fair distance from the clubs core area of support. The 1899 Kent Senior Cup Final (in which Maidstone beat Folkestone) was staged at the new stadium. 'United' were essentially a mid-table team during their seasons in the Kent League. A notable result was a 0–10 defeat at Sittingbourne in a Kent League match in January 1899.
In early 1900 two Ashford players, Gilbert Godsmark and George Foley were transferred to Second Division club Newton Heath. The former of these players is notable as the first signed for a transfer fee by the club that was shortly to become Manchester United. The fee of £40 was payable in two instalments with half paid immediately and the remainder after satisfactory completion of a trial period. After scoring four goals in nine matches, early the following year, Godsmark died of disease on army service at the Second Boer War – with Ashford reportedly serving a writ for the remaining £20.
The team, now in a blue and white striped kit, played in two successive Kent Senior Cup Finals, but were unsuccessful on both occasions. Season 1901–02 saw them lose a replay 1–4 to Sittingbourne (played at Ramsgate), following a 2–2 draw (played at Faversham) in which Sittingbourne had scored a penalty two minutes from time to force the replay. Then during the following 1902–03 season they lost 1–2 to Maidstone with the tie played again at Faversham. During the early 1900s in addition to playing in The Kent League the club competed in the Thames & Medway Combination – they finished each season at near or at the bottom of this league.
In the summer of 1903 the club left the Godinton Road ground and returned to their spiritual home of Newtown to a railway owned site off Newtown Road (under the railway arches on the Willesborough side of the river). During the 1903–04 season the team achieved a then club best in reaching the FA Cup 4th qualifying round, where they were defeated at home 0–2 by old rivals Chatham. For the 1905–06 season, whilst continuing to play in the Kent League, the club decided to join the newly formed Division 2 of the South Eastern League in preference to the Thames & Medway Combination – this increased the number of matches and travelling costs but the committee were hopeful that as it would bring fresh teams to the town it would prove financially beneficial. The team finished eleventh of the twelve teams in the new league with home and away fixtures with West Hampstead unplayed: the decision was reversed for the following season.
The club began the 1907–08 campaign with financial matters precipitating a cut in expenditure, however the money problems could not be overcome. In November 1906 the team was struggling on the pitch: fielding weakened teams led to several heavy defeats (two Thames and Medway defeats 1–11 and (a record equalling worst) 0–12 both to Sittingbourne and 0–8 in the Kent League to Dover). Into January 1907 the club were failing to fulfil some fixtures: their final match on 26 January 1907 was a 3–0 Kent League home defeat by Cray Wanderers. Early the next month the club collapsed with debts of £80. At the time of their demise Ashford United were bottom of both the Kent League (having won two of ten matches in which they had conceded 35 goals) and the Thames & Medway Combination (28 goals conceded from five matches with a single win): their records were expunged from the league tables.
Ashford Railway Works: (1907–1928)
Shortly after the demise of Ashford United "through the instrumentality of Mr Walter Hole and others" at a meeting at the Victoria Hotel it was decided to form a new club connected with the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (who had a large works in Ashford). Initially the club took the name of its forerunner but promptly changed this to S.E and C.R. Ashford Works F.C. – becoming more commonly known as Ashford Railway Works. The club's home ground was the same as its predecessor, off Newtown Road, and is believed to have been provided rent-free by the South Eastern & Chatham Railway.
Playing in red and green quartered colours the Ashford Railway Works club joined the East Kent League and the Folkestone and District Senior League. In 1908–09 they were East Kent League champions; the following season, 1909–10, they won the Folkestone and District Senior League and were also runners-up in Kent League Division 2 Eastern section (formerly known as the East Kent League). The railwaymen went on to win the latter league in four successive seasons: 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14 and 1919–20 (the latter after the break caused by the Great War). The Railway Works team had finished tied on points in both the 1912–13 and 1913–14 seasons with Folkestone Gas and Folkestone respectively but took the Championship by winning a deciding play-off match on each occasion.
The club became known simply as 'Ashford' upon the post-war resumption of the Kent League competition. Around this time the club acquired its nickname of the 'Nuts and Bolts' as many of the members were drawn from the ranks of skilled engineers from the railway. Having won Division 2 Eastern the previous season the club were promoted to Division One of the Kent League for the 1920–21 season where they finished tenth from seventeen teams: the team maintained mid table finishes in this league until their final Division One season of 1926–1927. The team reached the semi-finals of the Kent Senior Cup in 1922–1923 but were beaten in a replay to the eventual trophy winners Maidstone (the 'Nuts and Bolts' equalised through a penalty in the last minute of the original tie). The following season the team reached the final of the inaugural Kent League Cup in May 1924, losing out 2–0 to Northfleet United.