Hythe Town F.C.
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| Full name | Hythe Town Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Cannons |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Ground | Reachfields Stadium, Fort Road, Hythe |
| Capacity | 3,000 (400 seated) |
| Chairman | Paul Markland |
| Manager | Clive Cook |
| League | Isthmian League Division One South |
| 2015–16 | Isthmian League Division One South, 4th |
Hythe Town Football Club is an English football club based in Hythe in Kent, and playing in the Isthmian League Division One South in the English football league system. They were FA Vase semi-finalists in 1990.
The club is nicknamed The Cannons. The team plays its home matches at the Reachfields Stadium, Fort Road.
Hythe Town FC was originally formed in August 1910 from the ashes of the defunct Hythe Wednesday FC. Right up until the 1970s Hythe Town was a junior club and won the Kent Amateur League (three times) as well as the Kent Junior and League Cups. In 1976 the club finally acquired its own ground at Reachfields, and was granted senior status and elected into the Kent League. In the 1980s property developer Tony Walton took over the club, boasting grand plans to reach the Football League and whilst this seemed unrealistic to most fans, he rapidly developed the ground up to Southern Football League standard and spent heavily bringing in many of the top players of Kent football. His big spending was rewarded as Town won the Kent League in 1988/89, and having been promoted into the Southern League, challenged strongly but unsuccessfully for further progress.
Success also came in cup competitions, with an appearance in the FA Vase semi-final in 1990 and finalists in the 1991 Southern League Cup, however a year later Tony Walton resigned Hythe from the League. A new club was formed at a public meeting under the name Hythe United, and this club was granted temporary use of Reachfields. Shepway District Council became the new landlords of the stadium and United continued as tenants, initially playing in the Kent Amateur League Division One, and later in the Premier Division.
After three seasons, the club regained senior status and re-joined the Kent League. Soon after this, the club reverted to their old name of Hythe Town.
In season 2007–08 Hythe forced themselves to the top of the table in March and were considered to be favourites for the title. Disappointment was acute therefore when form was lost in the final weeks and the side not only slipped to fourth place, but also lost in the final of the League Cup. Despite this it had been a fine season, with four victories in the FA Cup including a win over Andy Hessenthaler’s Dover Athletic before a crowd of 1,109 at Reachfields, and achieving the important Isthmian League ground grading. There was also the Golden Boot award to striker Mike Smissen who scored 48 goals during the season despite missing 7 games through injury.
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