Sittingbourne

Although an earlier Sittingbourne United club had been playing since 1881, Sittingbourne F.C. traces its lineage to 1886 when the club was reorganised under its current name. After playing at the Recreation Ground and then the original Gore Court the club moved to a field behind the Bull pub in 1892, where they were to remain for ninety-eight years. The club acquired Senior status in 1893, and entered the FA Cup for the first occasion in 1893–1994, losing at home 6–0 to the 1st Highland Light Infantry.

1894 to 1959: Kent, South Eastern and Southern Leagues

In 1894 Sittingbourne were a founder club of Division One of the original Kent League (with a reserve side playing in Division Two), finishing sixth from nine teams. The club was nicknamed 'The Brickies', owing to the town having a major brick-making industry. They achieved their first FA Cup victory in the 1894–1895 competition, defeating Ashford United 4–0 away in the first qualifying round before losing in the next round 8–0 at Chatham. In 1896 the club were disqualified from the competition after prioritising a Kent League match over a second replay against Romford. An enduring club record was established over the 1895–1896 Kent League season when they conceded in excess of 3.3 goals per league match played (73 goals over twenty-two matches). Initially run on an amateur basis, Sittingbourne FC adopted professionalism for the 1898–99 season.

The club were Kent League Division One runners-up for two successive seasons, 1900–01 and 1901–02 – in the latter season they tied on points for top spot but lost a Championship play-off match 1–0 against Cray Wanderers; in the season the club conceded only thirteen goals over twenty Kent League fixtures – a rate of 0.65 per match, a then record low that would stand for eighty-nine seasons – with goalkeeper J Macey keeping ten clean sheets. There was a success that season for 'The Brickies' when they won the Kent Senior Cup defeating Ashford United in the final 4–1 after a replay, having equalised through a penalty two minutes from time in the first match. From the 1901–02 season the club began additionally playing in the Thames and Medway Combination as a subsidiary competition. The following 1902–03 season Sittingbourne won both leagues in which they competed: they were champions of Kent League Division One, in which they lost only one match from sixteen played and conceded only eleven goals with goalkeeper Macey keeping eight clean sheets; and champions of the Thames and Medway Combination, in which they lost only one match from twelve played and conceded only eight goals with Macey keeping seven clean sheets. Following successive third-place finishes in the Kent League over the next two seasons the club resigned from the league in 1905 and became members of the South Eastern League, joining Division Two.

Sittingbourne were runners-up in their initial season in the South Eastern League and earned promotion to Division One – scoring eighty two goals over twenty-two matches, a club enduring record rate of 3.7 goals per game. Playing mostly against reserves teams from higher leagues based over a larger geographic area than the Kent League – the majority of clubs were London based however there were also journeys to Norwich, Luton and Brighton – in the following season 'the Brickies' finished sixth in their first season in Division One. Following two losing seasons where the club finished towards the bottom of the table they left the South Eastern League and returned, in 1909, to the reconstituted and enlarged Kent League. During this period, Sittingbourne were champions of the 1907–08 season Thames and Medway Combination (the league comprising five clubs) and runners-up of that league the following season (losing-out to Sheppey United in a first place play-off match). In a disappointing sequence the club were losing finalists in four of the five Kent Senior Cup finals between 1904 and 1908. The club was involved in a significant transfer in 1905 when it received a £25 fee for right winger Alex Birnie from Football League First Division club Everton.