THE METROGAS INVITATIONAL CUP SEASON 2020-21 Official Tournament Programme April/May 2021 METROGAS FOOTBALL CLUB Founded 1888 Affiliation London FA Metrogas Sports Ground Marathon Playing Fields Forty Foot Way Avery Hill Road New Eltham London SE9 2EX Tel: 0208 859 1579 CHAIRMAN: David Crouch SECRETARY: Tim Morgan FIX SECRETARY: Matt Drysdale TREASURER: Sam Chaney REGISTRATION SECRETARY: Stuart McIvor CLUB PHOTOGRAPHER/SOCIAL MEDIA: Michael Brown PROGRAMME EDITOR: Grant Wilbur WEBSITE www.metrogasfc.co.uk MAIN SPONSOR: MPE GROUP MANAGER: Mike Jones ASST MANAGER: Dominic Elmes FIRST TEAM COACH: Blaine Horne FIRST TEAM COACH: Michael Brown RESERVE TEAM MANAGER: Gary Hopper RESERVE TEAM ASST. MANAGER: Stuart McIvor SUNDAY VETS MANAGER: Joe Barry U-18 MANAGER: Andrea Ceccolini SUNDAY TEAM MANAGER: Mike Scully Metrogas TV MAIN SPONSOR FOR SEASON 2020-21 The METROGAS INVITATIONAL CUP 2021 Welcome to all competeing clubs and This Tournament Programme is match officials in the Metrogas designed so that it can be downloaded Invitational Cup. and filled in as the tournament pro- gresses, right through to the Divisional The tournament is an opportunity for Finals. the clubs involved to get in some com- petitive football following the Covid-19 Teams in each division will play each Pandemic which saw football at our other once over the course of seven level suspended due to a National weeks with a planned final for the top Lockdown which has lasted several two after that. The first of the fixtures months and led to Kent County League will be played on Saturday 10th April. Football eventually being declared Null & Void due to the lack of games played Although designed as a competitive and the little amount of time left in the tournament it is hoped that games will current season to play outstanding fix- be played in the right spirit throughout. tures. Please adhere to all the Covid-19 You will have received relevant infor- Guidlines through out the tournament. mation via the tournament organiser. RESULT GRID BEXLEY FARNBOROUGH SOUTH EAST ATH RED VELVET WELLING PARK STANSFELD HALLS AFC METROGAS METROGAS X STANSFELD O&B X RED VELVET X WELLING PARK X BEXLEY X FARNBOROUGH OBG X HALLS AFC X SOUTH EAST ATH X MICKY CODLING DIVISION WHO ARE THEY? A brief look at the clubs who are competing in the Metrogas Invitational Cup. All of the clubs in the Micky Codling Division play 1785, with products including papermaking their league football in the NRG GYMS Kent County machines, steam engines and gun carriages, before it League. Farnborough Old Boys Guild and Stansfeld started producing refrigeration machinery in the O&B play in the Premier Division with the other 1880’s. The club are known as Halls Athletic F.C. clubs competeing in Division One West. Red Velvet, formed in 2009 play their football at the There is a good mix of well established clubs and Metrogas Sports Ground along with Stansfeld O&B. clubs that are by comparison much younger. Welling Park joined Kent County League from Metrogas were formed as far back as 1888 and over Bromley & District League in 2015 and play their the decades have competed in various leagues home games at Footscray Rugby Club. South East including the Southern Suburban League, the Kent Athletic are another club who joined the Kent League the Spartan League and the Athenian County League from the Bromley & District League League. and to date their highest achievement has been win- ning the Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield in Farnborough OBG are also a well established club. In 2018/19. 1929 the Headmaster of Farnborough Boys School, Mr Alfred Boots, formed a youth club for the old In the Peter Hopper Division we have the newly boys of the school. To avoid confusion with reformed Dartford Celtic who play at Westminster Farnborough Ex-Service and Old Boys Club, the new Playing Fields in Horton Kirby. Parkwood Rangers venture was named Old Boys Guild. The Football who in 2011 joined the Kent County League from the Section was formed in 1932. South London Alliance. The club were promoted to Division Two West after finishing Runner-up in The exact date that Bexley F.C. was formed is uncer- Division Three. tain. The current Chairman had letterheads dating back to the sixties stating 1885, but the Football Sporting Club Thamesmead are a relatively new Association had Bexley FC first registered in 1886. So name but their history goes back to 1900 and the the club had adopted this date as their formation. founding of The Royal Arsenal Sports Club. With sev- The club were finally given confirmation of their for- eral name changes over the years (and many hon- mation from the FA Historian as 1884. ours won) the team eventually settled in Abbey Wood taking on part of the name of the Seven Acre Stansfeld Oxford & Bermondsey Football Club is Sports & Social Club it played out of to become based in Chislehurst. They are currently members of Seven Acre Sports FC. After moving to Sidcup the the Southern Counties East League Division One, club added Sidcup to their name to become Seven playing as Stansfeld at Foxbury Avenue. The club Acre & Sidcup F.C. For the start of the 2016-17 sea- operates further teams, Stansfeld O&B and Stansfeld son the committee decided to take the big step in O&B Reserves, both playing in the Kent County securing the long term future of the club by chang- League. The club was established by John Stansfeld ing our name to that of their new home and they in 1897. became Sporting Club Thamesmead FC. Sutton Athletic Football Club was formed in 1898 and have Army Officers, Halls Workers and local Dartfordians come from the village of Sutton-at-Hone. The club made up the original 1919 Halls team based at the now play at their new London Hire Stadium at new J & E Hall Sports & Social venue. J & E Hall is an Hextable. The first team compete in the Southern English manufacturer of refrigeration equipment Counties East Football League with their reserves (today part of the Daikin group). It was originally playing in the Kent County League Division One established as an iron works in Dartford, Kent in West. RESULT GRID BEXLEY RES FARNBOROUGH RES FARNBOROUGH THAMESMEAD RES DARTFORD DARTFORD CELTIC PARKWOOD STANSFELD RES STANSFELD SUTTONRES ATH METROGAS RES METROGAS RES X STANSFELD O&B RES X DARTFORD CELTIC X PARKWOOD RANGERS X BEXLEY RES X FARNBOROUGH OBG RES X SUTTON ATH RES X SC THAMESMEAD RES X PETER HOPPER DIVISION FINAL TABLES MICKY CODLING DIVISION TEAM P W D L F A GD PTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 PETER HOPPER DIVISION TEAM P W D L F A GD PTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MICKY CODLING DIVISION FINAL _______________________ v _______________________ (1st placed team) (2nd placed team _________________ _________________ Date Venue Match officials ___________________________________ Kick off time __________ Result __________ Winners _____________________________ PETER HOPPER DIVISION FINAL _______________________ v _______________________ (1st placed team) (2nd placed team _________________ _________________ Date Venue Match officials ___________________________________ Kick off time __________ Result __________ Winners _____________________________ METROGAS F.C. A brief history... Metrogas Football Club was founded in 1888 Metrogas have enjoyed playing in the world’s after the East Greenwich Gas Works was built most famous competition the FA Cup and in by the South Metropolitan Gas Company Season 1920-21 (team pictured) reached the located on the Greenwich Peninsula in south- 5th Qualifying Round where they lost 1-2 at east London. home to Norwich City. The club’s highest achievement in the FA Amateur Cup came the The Metrogas Sports and Social club was sit- following season (1921-22) when they uated in Horn Road in Greenwich. The club reached the Quarter Final stage but were was built for the workers of the South knocked out following a 2-0 defeat at South Metropolitan Gas Company where as well as Bank. football other recreational sports including cricket and bowls were played. During the 1930’s Metrogas played league football in the Southern Suburban and were Records show that in S o u t h e r n the early 1900’s a Suburban Shield Metrogas team winners in Season Metrogas Distri- 1930-3. It was the bution FC was play- Spartan League ing in the Southern where the club Suburban League enjoyed some whilst in the Kent success. In their League The name first season Metrogas Athletic (1987-88) the featured from 1909- club finished 10 until Season Runner up in the 1912-13. Intermediate Division. The following season after being promoted the club finished Season 1913-14 saw the club accepted into Division One Runner up. During this season the Athenian League. Upon the recommence- the Metrogas Sports Club was relocated to its ment of the Athenian League after World War current home in Avery Hill Road. Four years One Metrogas retained their membership and later winning the Division One title with 24 were runners up in the first post-war season victories out of their 28 league matches and (1919-20) behind Luton Clarence. Shortly losing only twice. before the start of the 1922-23 Season, Metrogas ran into trouble with the FA who The Millennium was the start of another peri- suspended a number of their players for poor od of success. Metrogas won numerous South discipline. The club were then asked to resign London Alliance Premier Division titles. from the league. They also reached the final of the London continued....... METROGAS HISTORY continued... HONOURS Athenian League 1919-20 Runner Up Intermediate Cup six years out of eight, win- 1921-22 Runner up ning the cup on three occasions in 2005, 2006 and 2008.