Page 14 - Chessington & Hook Utd vs Lingfield U23's

LINGFIeLD

Lingfield FC was formed in 1893, return, with
initially competing in the now de- r e lega t io n
funct Edenbridge & District League following the
for thefirst 20 years of its history. next season.
Throughout virtually all their In 1997/98 how-
history the club has retained its distinc- ever, the club was
tive red and yellow colours, albeit in a promoted once more, this
variety of guises. time as champions of Division Three, but
After much success in junior and local again struggled to maintain senior status.
intermediate football the club applied to In 2000 they finished bottom but avoid-
join the Sussex County League (and sen- ed the drop, but were not as lucky with
ior football) in 1980, but were turned an identical finish the following year.
down after the ground was deemed inad- 2001/02 saw Lingfield close to dropping
equate. out of the League altogether after they
However, Lingfield had more success finished bottom of Division Three, only
with the Combined Counties League, to be saved by the merger of Ansty
which they joined the following season Rangers and St. Francis Hospital to form
(1980/81). In 1981/82 Lingfield finished St. Francis Rangers. The following two
as runners-up in Division Two of the seasons however, saw a steady improve-
Eastern Division. ment, finishing 3rd in the table (albeit 8
Lingfield installed floodlights for the first points behind second-placed Bex-
time in 1983 and they were christened hill United) in 2004/05. The club also
with a match on 2nd March against reached the final of the
Brighton, a game that drew a crowd of Division 3 Challenge Cup, but lost 1-3 to
1,200. Rustington. In 2005/06 the Club fulfilled
With floodlights in place, the club was its promise of the previous season by go-
finally accepted into Division Two of the ing one better and returning to senior
County League, with the promise of less football after an absence of five years as
traveling and more local derbies to look runners -up to champions Peacehaven &
forward to. After three seasons howev- Telscombe. Lingfield finished five points
er, they wererelegated to Division Three, clear of third-placed Rustington, but the
and intermediate football once more. West Sussex club was once again to prove
In 1993/94 Lingfield returned to senior their nemesis in the Challenge Cup, beat-
football as runners-up to Bosham, but it ing Lingfield 12-11 on penalties after the
proved to be a brief two sides had drawn 1-1 in normal time.