2017–18 Eastern Counties Football League
The 2017–18 Eastern Counties Football League season (known as the 2017–18 Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 75th in the history of Eastern Counties Football League, a football competition in England. It was also the last season to have a single division at Step 6.
The constitution for Step 5 and Step 6 divisions for 2017–18 was announced on 26 May 2017,[1] and the Eastern Counties divisions constitutions were ratified at the league's AGM on 17 June 2017.[2]
Premier Division[]
| Season | 2017–18 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Coggeshall Town |
| Promoted | Coggeshall Town Felixstowe & Walton United |
| Relegated | Fakenham Town Ipswich Wanderers Wivenhoe Town |
| Matches played | 550 |
| Goals scored | 1,896 (3.45 per match) |
← 2016–17 2018–19 → | |
The Premier Division featured 19 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with five new clubs:
- Coggeshall Town, promoted from Division One
- Haverhill Borough, promoted from Division One
- Histon, relegated from the Southern Football League
- Stowmarket Town, promoted from Division One
- Wroxham, relegated from the Isthmian League
League table[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coggeshall Town | 46 | 37 | 4 | 5 | 145 | 26 | +119 | 115 | Promoted to the Isthmian League North Division[a] |
| 2 | Felixstowe & Walton United | 46 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 129 | 41 | +88 | 109 | |
| 3 | Stowmarket Town | 46 | 33 | 4 | 9 | 126 | 51 | +75 | 103 | |
| 4 | Godmanchester Rovers | 45 | 31 | 2 | 12 | 103 | 50 | +53 | 95 | |
| 5 | Brantham Athletic | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 93 | 62 | +31 | 87 | |
| 6 | Histon | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 100 | 62 | +38 | 83 | |
| 7 | Gorleston | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 99 | 77 | +22 | 74 | |
| 8 | Stanway Rovers | 46 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 80 | 58 | +22 | 74 | Transferred to the Essex Senior League |
| 9 | Newmarket Town | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 107 | 74 | +33 | 73 | |
| 10 | Kirkley & Pakefield | 45 | 19 | 11 | 15 | 80 | 69 | +11 | 68 | |
| 11 | Saffron Walden Town | 46 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 82 | 80 | +2 | 67 | Transferred to the Essex Senior League |
| 12 | Thetford Town | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 84 | 78 | +6 | 66 | |
| 13 | Wroxham | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 74 | 70 | +4 | 66 | |
| 14 | Ely City | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 71 | 79 | −8 | 63[b] | |
| 15 | Great Yarmouth Town | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 64 | 69 | −5 | 59 | |
| 16 | Long Melford | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 54 | 79 | −25 | 59 | |
| 17 | Walsham-le-Willows | 46 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 82 | 100 | −18 | 55 | |
| 18 | FC Clacton | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 52 | 96 | −44 | 51 | |
| 19 | Haverhill Rovers | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 59 | 79 | −20 | 49 | |
| 20 | Haverhill Borough | 46 | 12 | 4 | 30 | 66 | 120 | −54 | 40[c] | Demoted to Division One North |
| 21 | Hadleigh United | 46 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 50 | 106 | −56 | 34 | |
| 22 | Fakenham Town | 44 | 7 | 4 | 33 | 28 | 124 | −96 | 25 | Relegated to Division One North |
| 23 | Ipswich Wanderers | 45 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 33 | 108 | −75 | 21 | |
| 24 | Wivenhoe Town | 45 | 4 | 6 | 35 | 35 | 138 | −103 | 17[d] | Relegated to Division One South |
Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
Notes:
- ^ 12 of the 14 runners-up at Step 5 were to have been promoted to Step 4.
However, with resignations and mergers in leagues above, all fourteen runners-up were promoted. - ^ Ely City were deducted one point on 11 October for a contravention of league rules.
- ^ Haverhill Borough were demoted due to ground grading issues.[3]
- ^ Wivenhoe Town were deducted one point on 7 October for a contravention of league rules.
Stadia and locations[]
Wivenhoe Town
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2017–18 Eastern Counties Football League Premier Division teams| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Brantham Athletic | Brantham Leisure Centre | 1,200 |
| Coggeshall Town | West Street | |
| Ely City | Unwin Sports Ground | 1,500 |
| Fakenham Town | Clipbush Park | 2,000 |
| Clacton | The Rush Green Bowl | 3,000 |
| Felixstowe & Walton United | Dellwood Avenue | 2,000 |
| Godmanchester Rovers | Bearscroft Lane | 1,050 |
| Gorleston | Emerald Park | 3,000 |
| Great Yarmouth Town | Wellesley Recreation Ground | 3,600 |
| Hadleigh United | Millfield | 3,000 |
| Haverhill Borough | New Croft (groundshare with Haverhill Rovers) | 3,000 |
| Haverhill Rovers | New Croft | 3,000 |
| Histon | Bridge Road | 4,300 |
| Ipswich Wanderers | Humber Doucy Lane | 1,000 |
| Kirkley & Pakefield | Walmer Road | 2,000 |
| Long Melford | Stoneylands | |
| Newmarket Town | Cricket Field Road | 2,750 |
| Saffron Walden Town | Catons Lane | 2,000 |
| Stanway Rovers | Hawthorns | 1,500 |
| Stowmarket Town | Greens Meadow | 1,000 |
| Thetford Town | Mundford Road | 1,500 |
| Walsham-le-Willows | Summer Road | 1,000 |
| Wivenhoe Town | Broad Lane | 2,876 |
| Wroxham | Trafford Park | 2,000 |
Division One[]
| Season | 2017–18 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Woodbridge Town |
| Promoted | Woodbridge Town Framlingham Town Whitton United |
| Matches played | 416 |
| Goals scored | 1,673 (4.02 per match) |
← 2016–17 | |
Division One featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with four new clubs:
- Little Oakley, promoted from the Essex and Suffolk Border League
- Norwich United reserves
- Spixworth, promoted from the Anglian Combination, with a name change to Norwich CBS
- Swaffham Town, relegated from Premier Division
League table[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodbridge Town | 40 | 32 | 5 | 3 | 136 | 41 | +95 | 101 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Framlingham Town | 40 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 115 | 36 | +79 | 94 | |
| 3 | Whitton United | 40 | 29 | 2 | 9 | 132 | 46 | +86 | 89 | |
| 4 | Swaffham Town | 40 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 138 | 53 | +85 | 85 | Placed in Division One North |
| 5 | Braintree Town reserves | 40 | 24 | 6 | 10 | 99 | 61 | +38 | 78 | Placed in Division One South |
| 6 | King's Lynn Town reserves | 40 | 22 | 6 | 12 | 99 | 64 | +35 | 72 | Placed in Division One North |
| 7 | Debenham LC | 39 | 20 | 7 | 12 | 69 | 53 | +16 | 67 | |
| 8 | Norwich CBS | 39 | 20 | 5 | 14 | 93 | 60 | +33 | 65 | |
| 9 | Downham Town | 40 | 15 | 10 | 15 | 67 | 63 | +4 | 55 | |
| 10 | Halstead Town | 40 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 77 | 75 | +2 | 55 | Placed in Division One South |
| 11 | AFC Sudbury reserves | 40 | 14 | 7 | 19 | 69 | 78 | −9 | 49 | Placed in Division One North |
| 12 | Leiston reserves | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 70 | 96 | −26 | 46 | |
| 13 | Diss Town | 40 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 62 | 96 | −34 | 45 | |
| 14 | Holland | 40 | 13 | 4 | 23 | 68 | 82 | −14 | 43 | Placed in Division One South |
| 15 | Little Oakley | 39 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 69 | 97 | −28 | 43 | |
| 16 | Cornard United | 40 | 12 | 5 | 23 | 58 | 96 | −38 | 41 | Placed in Division One North |
| 17 | March Town United | 40 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 54 | 77 | −23 | 39 | |
| 18 | Wisbech St Mary | 38 | 11 | 5 | 22 | 61 | 105 | −44 | 38 | |
| 19 | Norwich United reserves | 39 | 10 | 7 | 22 | 46 | 106 | −60 | 37 | Resigned to the Anglian Combination |
| 20 | Needham Market reserves | 40 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 52 | 149 | −97 | 21 | Placed in Division One North |
| 21 | Team Bury | 40 | 5 | 2 | 33 | 39 | 139 | −100 | 17 | Club folded |
Source: FA Full-Time
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
Stadia and locations[]
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| A.F.C. Sudbury reserves | King's Marsh | 2,500 |
| Braintree Town reserves | Cressing Road | 4,202 |
| Cornard United | Blackhouse Lane | 2,000 |
| Debenham LC | Maitlands | 1,000 |
| Diss Town | Brewers Green Lane | 2,500 |
| Downham Town | Memorial Field | 1,000 |
| Framlingham Town | Badingham Road | |
| Halstead Town | Rosemary Lane | 1,000 |
| Holland | Rush Green Bowl (groundshare with F.C. Clacton) | 3,000 |
| King's Lynn Town reserves | The Walks | 5,733 |
| Leiston reserves | Victory Road | 2,500 |
| Little Oakley | Memorial Ground | |
| March Town United | The GER Sports Ground | |
| Needham Market reserves | Bloomfields | 4,000 |
| Norwich CBS | the FDC | |
| Norwich United reserves | Plantation Park | 3,000 |
| Swaffham Town | Shoemakers Lane | |
| Team Bury | Ram Meadow | 3,500 |
| Whitton United | King George V Playing Fields | 1,000 |
| Wisbech St Mary | Beechings Close | |
| Woodbridge Town | Notcutts Park | 3,000 |
References[]
- ^ "Club Allocations for Step 5–6" (PDF). FA. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Constitution ratified". Eastern Counties League. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cambridge News (4 May 2018). "Haverhill Borough down but not out following harsh demotion". Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ a b "The FA Handbook Standardised Rules 2017-2018 (page 539, section 12.2)". The FA. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
External links[]
Categories:
- Eastern Counties Football League seasons
- 2017–18 in English football leagues