Concord Rangers

Concord Rangers who are based in Canvey Island, Essex originated from a team of boys headed by Steve Lant. They played friendly matches during 1966 on a pitch along Canvey Island seafront close to the Concord Beach, hence the name Concord Rangers.

The club was officially formed and entered into competitive football in 1967. Rangers played in local football, gradually progressing and acquiring land in Thames Road for their home ground in 1985. They gained entry into the Essex Senior League in 1991 after competing in local competition and then the Essex Intermediate League after turning to Saturday football. 

Rangers went on to lift the Essex Senior League title in 1997-98 under Les Paterson, in 2003-04 with Ben Embery in charge and then once more in their fortieth anniversary season of 2007-08 with joint bosses Danny Cowley and Danny Scopes at the helm. Concord also lifted the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy and reached the last eight of the FA Vase. Promotion followed to the Isthmian League.













Rangers soon adapted to their new status and were soon promoted from the Isthmian League Division One North following a play off victory against Enfield Town at the end of the 2009-10 season. Once promoted the club gained a period of consolidation with Cowley being appointed as sole manager for  the 2012-13 season.

Cowley's men had a tremendous season as the reached the play off final after defeating Wealdstone, to see off Lowestoft Town away in the showpiece match to win promotion to Conference South. Rangers fist sdeason in their new surroundings ended in a creditable mid table finish.

Concord Rangers FC will play in Conference South in season 2014-15.


My visits

Tuesday 14th July 2009

I set out to take in some fresh air along the Thames Estuary and coastline on a delightful day while visiting some football grounds. I got off the train at Benfleet station and jumped aboard the bus heading towards Canvey Island. I asked the driver if he stopped at Thames Road but he'd never heard of it. My lack of planning meant I didn't have a map with me and I didn't realise until later that Thames Road was just a small street leading off a main road. In the end I got off in the centre of Canvey in search of a town plan. I couldn't find one so I headed for the sea front as I knew the ground was not far from the harbour.














After quite a walk I saw the floodlights in the distance across a camp site. I managed to cut through what I thought was a short cut without saving much time and eventually arrived at the ground. A groundsman was mowing the immediate area and a club official was inside. He was most welcoming and obviously very proud of his domain, and so he should have been.

Thames Road was a very neat and modern venue. I entered by the corner flag with the clubhouse and changing rooms just behind the turnstiles. The pitch was surrounded by hard flat standing and neatly maintained grass with similar small covered terraces behind both goals. The far side backed onto the camp site and had no structures, save for the dugouts. The Thames Road side was dominated by a neat seated stand with red tip up seats, despite the club colours being yellow and blue.












I imagined that the club may struggle for attendances on a small island where the senior club already had proved it is difficult to attract fans, especially with Southend being so near and so many adult fans being lured to support the big London clubs. That is a shame because Concord Rangers had a very nice welcoming set up. The nearby campers could have done a lot worse than popping round to watch a game.

Concord Rangers 4 Wingate & Finchley 1 (Thursday 7th March 2013) Isthmian League Premier Division (att: 164)

It was time to visit Concord to experience the match day experience for myself with them and neighbours Canvey Island in the Premier Division play off places.

The earlier bad weather had caused disruption to the fixture lists, and while that caused headaches for all involved with playing and the running of non-league clubs, it worked out pretty well for shift workers such as myself. Having had the day off and knowing how difficult it was to sleep before early shifts I decided that an evening on the coast would help me sleep.

Concord's Twitter feed had been most helpful in advising travel arrangements, so after a quick siesta I headed to Fenchurch Street to take the fast 6.21 service to Benfleet. A bus soon arrived which dropped me at Hawkesworth Road as I checked the times of the returning service before taking the walk of around fifteen minutes to the ground.

I was a bit early for kick off but too late for a beer, so I paid my £10 admission, plus just £1 for a good programme and went inside the sponsored named Aspect Arena to have a lovely cup of tea. A thick fog was rolling up the Thames as the players warmed up and then came out for kick off. I went around the far side by the caravan park and stood between the benches.

The ground had been enhanced since my previous visit with the addition of two small seated stands down that side as well as a similar addition onto the Main Stand on the opposite side.

The visitors went one up with a Spencer Bellotti near post header after a couple of minutes, much to the disgust of the home keeper, whose language was diabolical. Wingate & Finchley had a stone wall penalty turned down by a ref who had a yellow streak up his back most of the evening concerning the hosts a few minutes later. Within fifteen seconds the ball was in their own net Concord's new signing from AFC Hornchurch Leon McKenzie levelled. The whining from Concord boss Danny Cowley had already started before this and quite naturally the visiiting bench were apoplectic with rage at the injustice served on them. Crowley even moaned  to the ref about Wingate & Finchley wearing white shirts while his side were in yellow, saying it confused his players.

I went for a walk and carried on a lap of the ground. I really couldn't be done with putting up with listening to such rubbish, and to be honest I didn't want to be a witness to the flare up I could see coming between the benches. McKenzie headed against the bar as relations continued to simmer when Cowley chucked the ball away to stop a quick throw in so The Blues boss Gary Meakin walloped it back at him while referee Lee Marshallsey made a token gesture to try to get them to behave.

Concord went 2-1 up when Wingate & Finchley keeper Jack Middleton made a decent save, but Sergio Makafo, also making his first appearance, rifled in the rebound as the fog began to lift to allow clear viewing from all around the pitch.

Watching Concord would have made a Stoke fan wince. Their tackling was fierce to say the least. It took me back to watching Altrincham in the 70's and 80's. It was always on the cards that someone would get hurt, and so it proved as Middleton was carried off unconscious. Ironically it transpired it was through one of his team mates colliding with him while under pressure from the menacing McKenzie on the stroke of half time.

It was good to see Middleton get a good round of applause from all the supporters as he was stretchered away to lie in the function room as he tried to come round. I found this strangely comforting as I'd have wanted to be as close to a stiff drink as possible after such an ordeal.

Midfielder Daniel McGonigle took over between the sticks and did reasonably well along with his team mates. Wingate & Finchley played some nice stuff, but they were bullied out of it by a Concord side more than capable of some quality football themselves, added to the fact that they were just too big and powerful. I stood with two knowledgeable football fellas whose sons were on loan at Wingate & Finchley from Stevenage. I had mentioned the physical approach in the bar at half time when one saw my Scarborough jacket. He said, "well you're on the island mate!" 

It was good to chat with men who knew the game. We initially thought that McKenzie was the player of the same name who'd had a big career in the Football League, such was his prowess.  It turned out that one of them had worked on a building project in Scarborough and had recently employed Dave Cusack, who had dubious connections at Boro, as a labourer  His pal was a Watford fan who'd travelled to Scarborough in the 90's for the FA Cup third round tie.

Just when it looked like Wingate & Finchley may hold out and maybe even press for an equaliser despite surviving plenty of pressure, McGonigle came out and misjudged a through ball that McKenzie collected and slotted into the empty net, before completing his hat trick with a fine curling finish with a couple of minutes to go.

I got a wriggle on to make the 10.02 bus, back up the road. I was cursing First Essex for not bothering to send a bus, along with another supporter who was left stood in the cold. I eventually got back to Benfleet station just in time to see the tail end of the 10.33 leave the platform. I eventually got home to Kingsbury at 12.30. 

I fully expected Concord to make the play offs at minimum. It would need a strong team and even stronger ref to leave Thames Road with anything but a dirty skip of kit and plenty of bumps and bruises. Yet for all that they had been good hosts with a very tidy set up, and they could certainly play.