2023–24 Essex Senior Football League
The 2023–24 season is the 53rd in the history of the Essex Senior Football League, a football competition in England.
The allocations for Steps 5 and 6 this season were announced by The Football Association on 15 May 2023.[1] Beginning from this season, a four team play-off system was introduced at Step 5 (this league) to guarantee a second promotion place to Step 4, replacing the inter-step play-off.[2] Solely for this season, there was only one club relegated from this league.[3]
The league featured 14 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with six new clubs.
- Promoted from the Eastern Counties League:
- Relegated from the Isthmian League:
League table[edit]
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Tilbury |
| Promoted | Tilbury Sporting Bengal United |
| Relegated | Coggeshall Town |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tilbury (C, P) | 37 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 79 | 25 | +54 | 86 | Promotion to Step 4 |
| 2 | Woodford Town | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 85 | 50 | +35 | 77 | Qualification for the play-offs[a] |
| 3 | Romford | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 87 | 53 | +34 | 77 | |
| 4 | Barking | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 78 | 47 | +31 | 70 | |
| 5 | Sporting Bengal United (O, P) | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 80 | 57 | +23 | 70 | |
| 6 | Great Wakering Rovers | 37 | 19 | 7 | 11 | 80 | 47 | +33 | 64 | |
| 7 | Stanway Rovers | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 73 | 50 | +23 | 60 | |
| 8 | Saffron Walden Town | 37 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 60 | 57 | +3 | 58 | |
| 9 | Little Oakley | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 66 | 57 | +9 | 55 | |
| 10 | Halstead Town | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 73 | 68 | +5 | 54 | |
| 11 | Athletic Newham | 38 | 16 | 4 | 18 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 52 | |
| 12 | Hullbridge Sports | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 49 | |
| 13 | West Essex | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 67 | 76 | −9 | 42 | |
| 14 | Buckhurst Hill | 38 | 13 | 3 | 22 | 50 | 71 | −21 | 42 | |
| 15 | Takeley | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 59 | 76 | −17 | 40 | |
| 16 | White Ensign | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 52 | 70 | −18 | 40 | |
| 17 | FC Clacton | 37 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 56 | 82 | −26 | 40 | |
| 18 | Frenford | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 83 | −31 | 35 | |
| 19 | Ilford | 38 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 57 | 112 | −55 | 32 | |
| 20 | Coggeshall Town (R) | 38 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 40 | 106 | −66 | 17 | Relegation to Step 6 |
Updated to match(es) played on 29 April 2024. Source: Essex Senior League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Play-offs[edit]
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Woodford Town | 1 (4) | |||||||
| 5 | Sporting Bengal United | 1 (5) | |||||||
| 3 | Romford | ||||||||
| 5 | Sporting Bengal United | ||||||||
| 3 | Romford | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | Barking | 0 | |||||||
Semifinals[edit]
| 3 May 2024 | Romford | 1–0 | Barking | Corringham |
| 19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Rookery Hill Attendance: 195 Referee: Brian Taylor |
| 3 May 2024 | Woodford Town | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | Sporting Bengal United | Woodford |
| 19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Ashton Playing Fields |
Final[edit]
| 6 May 2024 | Romford | 1–3 | Sporting Bengal United | Corringham |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Rookery Hill Attendance: 424 Referee: George Barker |
Stadia and locations[edit]
Athletic Newham
Barking
Buckhurst Hill
Frenford
Ilford
Sporting Bengal United
West Essex
Woodford Town
Locations of the Essex Senior League clubs
Greater London Essex Senior League football clubs
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Newham | Plaistow | Terence McMillan Stadium | 2,000 |
| Barking | Barking | Mayesbrook Park | 2,500 |
| Buckhurst Hill | Buckhurst Hill | Roding Lane | |
| Coggeshall Town | Coggeshall | West Street | 2,000 |
| FC Clacton | Clacton-on-Sea | Austin Arena | 3,000 (200 seated) |
| Frenford | Ilford | The Jack Carter Centre | 2,000 |
| Great Wakering Rovers | Great Wakering | Burroughs Park | 2,500 |
| White Ensign | |||
| Halstead Town | Halstead | Rosemary Lane | |
| Hullbridge Sports | Hullbridge | Lower Road | 1,500 |
| Ilford | Ilford | Cricklefield Stadium | 3,500 (216 seated) |
| Little Oakley | Little Oakley | Memorial Ground | |
| Romford | Corringham | Rookery Hill | 3,500 |
| Saffron Walden Town | Saffron Walden | Catons Lane | 2,000 |
| Sporting Bengal United | Mile End | Mile End Stadium (groundshare with Tower Hamlets) | 2,000 (439 seated) |
| Stanway Rovers | Stanway | Hawthorns | 1,500 (100 seated) |
| Takeley | Takeley | Station Road | 2,000 |
| Tilbury | Tilbury | Chadfields | 4,000 |
| West Essex | Walthamstow | Wadham Lodge | 3,500 |
| Woodford Town | Woodford | Ashton Playing Fields |
References[edit]
- ^ The Football Association (15 May 2023). "NLS Step 1-6 allocations". The FA. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ The Football Association (17 March 2023). "Step 5 to 4 promotion/relegation update". The FA. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "STEP 5 TO 4 PROMOTION/RELEGATION UPDATE". The FA. 16 March 2023.
- ^ "The FA Handbook 2022/2023 Part 29 Standardised Rules Section 12.2". The FA.