Tilbury F.C.

Tilbury Football Club is a football club based in Tilbury, Thurrock, England. The club play in black and white stripes, are currently members of the and play home matches at Chadfields. History The club was established in 1889 by workers from Tilbury Docks. They joined the Gravesend League, later becoming members of the Grays & District League and then the Romford & District League. After returning to the Grays & District League, the club were league champions in 1901–02, 1902–03, 1906–07 and 1907–08. In 1903 they had also started playing in the South Essex League; the club were Division Two champions in the South Essex League in 1921–22, and went on to win the league championship in 1922–23 and 1924–25. After finishing as runners-up in the league in 1926–27, they moved up to Division One of the Kent League. In 1931 Tilbury transferred to the Premier Division of the London League. At the start of World War II, the club joined the South Essex Combination, but temporarily disbanded at the end of the 1939–40 season after their ground was commandeered by the army. Upon resuming play at the end of the war, they were Premier Division runners-up in 1946–47 and 1947–48, and again in 1949–50, a season that saw the club reach the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time after playing nine qualifying matches. Drawn away to Third Division South club Notts County in the first round, they lost 4–0. The club then switched to the Corinthian League, in which they played for seven seasons before returning to the London League in 1957. They were London League champions and League Cup winners in 1958–59 and went on to retain the title for the next three seasons, as well as winning the League Cup again in 1960–61 and 1961–62. After their fourth title win, the club joined the Delphian League but the 1962–63 league season had to be abandoned due to extensive adverse weather conditions and the league then folded, leading to the club (and most of the rest of the Delphian League) becoming members of the new Division Two of the Athenian League. Tilbury won the Division Two title at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One. They went on to win the Division One title in 1968–69 and were promoted to the Premier Division. Following a third-place finish in the Premier Division in 1972–73, the club joined the newly formed Division Two of the Isthmian League.