Tilbury

Tilbury FC is a non-league football club from the port of the same name, located around twenty miles east of London on the north bank of the Thames Estuary. 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 the club became members of the Gravesend League, playing a spell at Tilbury Fort, prior to spells in the Grays & District League and then the Romford & District League. After returning to the Grays competition, the team were crowned as champions after returning to Green & Silley Weir in 1901-02, 1902-03, 1906-07 and 1907-08.

After concurrently entering the South Essex League and enjoying success playing at King George V Playing Field, Tilbury progressed to Division One of the Kent League in 1927. This was on the back of a title win in 1922-23 and 1924-25 along with a runners-up berth in 1926-27.

The club lasted just four seasons in the Kent League before transport costs forced them to join the London League. 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.

In 1947 the owner told Tilbury they could only continue there if they would become a feeder club to the Londoners. They refused and moved next door into Chadfields, which was a former greyhound arena. 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 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.

The team had previously ended as league runners-up on three occasions, before Tilbury switched to become members of the Metropolitan League before a return back to the London League in 1957 after member clubs including local rivals Grays Athletic had previously tried to expel the Dockers at the AGM.

The Dockers were crowned as London League champions in 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61 and 1961-62. After their fourth successive triumph, the club joined the Delphian League. When that competition was disbanded, Tilbury joined the Athenian League.

In 1973-74, Tilbury became founder members of the new second division of the Isthmian League, winning its title in 1975-76 under manager Terry Matthews. The team progressed to the third round of the FA Cup in 1977-78 after battling through the qualifying rounds to see off Kettering Town and Nuneaton Borough.

The run ended for the team managed in his second spell by Tommy Harris, in a 4-0 defeat to Stoke City at the Victoria Ground as Tilbury were roared on by 2,500 travelling fans. Relegation back to the retitled second tier Division One came in 1979-80.

A further demotion followed in 1986-87 as the Dockers were relegated to Division Two North. Following league reorganisation, Tilbury were placed in Division Three in 1991-92, going on to win the title at the first attempt.

In 1997-98 the team dropped back down to Division Three, prior to winning promotion in 1999-00. A 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.

 

Tilbury reached the play-offs in 2011-12 where they lost to Needham Market in the semi-finals under manager Paul Vaughan, who oversaw progress and the penalty of an eighteen points administrative deduction in 2012-13.

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.

Tilbury were in fifth and then top of the table when the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons were both ended early owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. Plans were announced to move to a newly constructed stadium next door to Chadfields. 

After a midtable finish once things resumed fully, 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 as well as reaching the last sixteen of the FA Vase.

Tilbury FC will compete in the Isthmian North Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Tilbury 1 Enfield Town 0 (Tuesday 31st July 2001) Pre Season Friendly (att: c150)

I travelled to this match after work one warm summers evening to visit a new ground as well as catching a first sight of Enfield Town who were a 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 and then walked through the extremely desolate town to the ground. It really was as bleak as anywhere I'd ever visited without seeing 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 preventing stray shots 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 on 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 mans Goole. I was still to see an open pub in either of my visits. I walked along St Chads 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 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 who'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 ties with Gorleston and Notts County, which he went to as a youngster.

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