Tilbury

Tilbury FC 

Ground: Chadfields

Capacity: 4,000

Club Founded: 1889

League: Isthmian League North Division - Step 4/8th Tier (current level)

Tilbury FC continues to serve the community of the town on the banks of the Thames, famous for its docking industry, while looking to the future by building a new ground.

Club History

Early Years

The club was formed in 1899 by workers of Tilbury Docks, playing at the sports ground of Green & Silley Weir Ltd, a local company, initially becoming a member of the Gravesend League. The team spent some time playing at Tilbury Fort, before having spells in the Grays & District League and then the Romford & District League. 

The team was crowned Grays League champions after returning to a ground at Green & Silley Weir on four occasions. Tilbury moved to King George V Playing Field and joined Division One of the Kent League, lasting four seasons in the competition before transport costs forced them to join the London League.

Post War Boomtime

For a spell between the Wars, the club had played at a ground called Orient Field, as it was owned by a director of Leyton Orient. They moved next door into Chadfields, a former greyhound arena, after refusing to become Orient's feeder club. This was boomtime in the town with industry at its fullest on the docks. It had a huge effect on the football club.

In 1949-50, the 'Dockers' had a fine FA Cup run which saw a record gate of 5,500 flock to Chadfields for the tie with Gorleston, before they travelled to Meadow Lane to play in front of a large crowd, where they went down to a Notts County side including former England star Tommy Lawton in the first round in front of 28,584 fans.

My drawing of Chadfields, along with former Tilbury team kits.
Click on the image to enlarge it.

After three league runners-up finishes, Tilbury switched to the Metropolitan League, before returning to the London League in 1957, finishing as champions four times. The final triumph in 1961-62 led to a move to the Delphian League, then to the Athenian League. In 1973 the club joined the extended Isthmian League.

The second division title was won a couple of seasons later under manager Terry Matthews. The team progressed to the third round of the FA Cup in 1977-78 after battling through the qualifying rounds. The run under manager Tommy Harris ended with a 4-0 defeat to Stoke City at the Victoria Ground as Tilbury were roared on by 2,500 travelling fans. 

Ups and Downs

A couple of relegations ensued over the following decade before Tilbury were placed in Division Three in 1991-92, going on to win the title at the first attempt. In 1997-98. Another relegation and promotion followed. Further reconstruction of the Isthmian League saw Tilbury placed in Division One North for the 2002-03 season.

The 2004-05 campaign saw the club become members of the Eastern Division of the Southern League. However, a bottom place in their debut season saw Tilbury relegated to the Essex Senior League, where a third-place finish in 2005-06 was enough to win back a place in Division One North of the Isthmian League.

 

Recent Years

Tilbury reached the play-offs in 2011-12 under manager Paul Vaughan. Club skipper Gary Henty took over team affairs in October 2014 before he was replaced by another former player, Joe Keith, in October 2017. Marc Harrison was appointed as manager in October 2018, taking the side to tenth position. 

Plans were announced to move to a newly constructed stadium next door to Chadfields. Tilbury were relegated in 2022-23 to the Essex Senior League. However, Harrison rallied his troops and took the side to the title at the first attempt to return to the Isthmian League. George Christou was appointed as manager in October 2025.

My visits

Tilbury 1 Enfield Town 0

Friendly - Tuesday 31st July 2001

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 c150 

I travelled to this match after work, on a warm summer's evening, to visit a new ground and get a chance to see what was happening with Enfield Town. They were the newly formed breakaway club, who'd had enough of the way that Enfield FC was being run.

I caught the train to Tilbury from Fenchurch Street. I walked through the extremely desolate town to the ground. It really was as bleak as anywhere I'd ever visited, with not a single pub on my way. However, Chadfields offered a lovely surprise.

The clubhouse was busy, mainly with visiting 'Towners', and I bumped into more than one Lord's regular. They seemed full of energy, enthusiasm, but still some anger. Optimism was high that their new club would be going places pretty soon.

I went inside the ground and was again pleased with what I saw. The Main Stand down the right was an unusual structure. The seats appeared to peer through large open windows on a raised block above the changing rooms. 

Opposite was a long, low cover, which was a mixture of seating and terracing. Both ends had a few rows of open terrace, which continued around the corners, as well as high nets that prevented stray shots from going out of the ground. The Clubhouse End also had a decent snack bar.

Reece reacted the quickest to a corner, nodding past Andy Hall from close range after twenty-six minutes to score what would be the only goal. Tilbury posed more of a threat in the second half, with Hall making a fine reaction save. Hall Morgan struck the post for Enfield when the Towners were on top.

I walked back through the deserted town to Tilbury Town station and the train home.

Friday 2nd September 2011

I was off work, and it was a stunning day. I had intended to return to Tilbury for some photos for some time, along with East Thurrock United. I had reserved the following Monday for the task, but the weather was just too good not to get out and about.

I enjoyed a fine 'Spoons breakfast and then Middlesex seeing off Leicestershire in less time than I expected at Lord's, before heading to Fenchurch Street station for the ride along to Essex. The journey took around forty-five minutes to Tilbury Town.

The area was just as I remembered. In a word, it was awful. I guess the streets were once thriving, as the docks were the gateway to London for passengers and industry before airlines took over. Plenty of retired people were about, and they seemed cheerful enough, but the town really did need investment. 

It was a poor man's Goole. I still did not see an open pub on either of my visits. I walked along St Chad's Road to the ground where a couple of gents were working on the ground. They let me through inside, and I told them what I was doing. I mentioned it was better than doing nothing for the day in London. 

The younger of the two said, "Well there's f**k all to do around here!" His older mate didn't hear that I lived in London, and remarked that it was a long way to come from Scarborough to take some photos. Come on. Not even I'm that mad!

The ground had changed little from what I remembered. It was certainly one of the better venues at that level, and it had the air of a club that'd played at a better level with decent support in the past.

A couple of days later, I attended the AFC Dunstable v Grays Athletic FA Cup tie, where I got talking to a visiting fan who was brought up in Tilbury and used to go to their matches. He fondly recalled the matches against Gorleston and Notts County, which he went to as a youngster.

I walked back to the station to await my train to Stanford-le-Hope and a visit to East Thurrock United.