The 2020–21 season was the 50th in the history of the Essex Senior Football League, a football competition in England.
The allocations for Steps 5 and 6 for season 2020–21 were announced by the FA on 21 July,[1] and were subject to appeal. The league comprised 18 teams, a drop of one from the previous aborted season, with Tower Hamlets having been relocated to the Southern Counties East League. The 2020–21 season started in September and was suspended in December a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league season was subsequently abandoned.[2]
Promotions, relegation and restructure
The scheduled restructure of non-League took place at the end of the season, with new divisions added to the Combined Counties and the United Counties leagues at step 5 for 2021-22, along with a new division in the Northern Premier League at step 4.[3] Promotions from step 5 to 4 were based on points per game across all matches over the two cancelled seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21), while teams were promoted into step 6 on the basis of a subjective application process.[3]
League table
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Promoted | Hashtag United |
| Matches played | 109 |
| Goals scored | 417 (3.83 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Craig Calver (11 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Cockfosters 8–1 Clapton (15 September 2020) Walthamstow 7–0 Sawbridgeworth Town (17 October 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Southend Manor 0–7 Takeley (27 October 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Cockfosters 8–1 Clapton (15 September 2020) Takeley 7–2 Sawbridgeworth Town (29 September 2020) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hashtag United | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 10 | +19 | 31 | Promoted to the Isthmian League[lower-alpha 1] |
| 2 | Stansted | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 29 | |
| 3 | Walthamstow | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 16 | +19 | 27 | |
| 4 | Cockfosters | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 9 | +20 | 26 | |
| 5 | Saffron Walden Town | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 34 | 16 | +18 | 23 | |
| 6 | Hadley | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 9 | +14 | 21 | Transferred to the Spartan South Midlands League |
| 7 | Hoddesdon Town | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 19 | |
| 8 | West Essex | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 17 | |
| 9 | Takeley | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 34 | 19 | +15 | 16 | |
| 10 | Enfield | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 14 | |
| 11 | Redbridge | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 13 | |
| 12 | Sporting Bengal United | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 27 | −11 | 13 | |
| 13 | St Margaretsbury | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 25 | −14 | 12 | |
| 14 | Sawbridgeworth Town | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 23 | 47 | −24 | 12 | |
| 15 | Ilford | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 27 | −7 | 10 | |
| 16 | Southend Manor | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 33 | −14 | 10[lower-alpha 2] | |
| 17 | Woodford Town | 13 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 29 | −18 | 4 | |
| 18 | Clapton | 11 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 38 | −25 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results[4]
Notes:
Stadia and locations
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clapton | Plaistow | Terence McMillan Stadium (groundshare with Athletic Newham) | 2,000 |
| Cockfosters | Cockfosters | Chalk Lane | 1,000 |
| Enfield | Bishop's Stortford | Woodside Park (groundshare with Bishop's Stortford) | 4,525 (525 seated) |
| Hadley | Arkley | Brickfield Lane | 2,000 (150 seated) |
| Hashtag United | Pitsea | Len Salmon Stadium (groundshare with Bowers & Pitsea) | 2,661 (300 seated) |
| Hoddesdon Town | Hoddesdon | Lowfield | 3,000 (100 seated) |
| Ilford | Ilford | Cricklefield Stadium | 3,500 (216 seated) |
| Redbridge | Barkingside | Oakside Stadium | 3,000 (316 seated) |
| Saffron Walden Town | Saffron Walden | Catons Lane | 2,000 |
| Sawbridgeworth Town | Sawbridgeworth | Crofters End | 2,500 (175 seated) |
| Sporting Bengal United | Mile End | Mile End Stadium | 2,000 (439 seated) |
| Southend Manor | Southend-on-Sea | Southchurch Park | 2,000 (500 seated) |
| St. Margaretsbury | Stanstead Abbotts | Recreation Ground | 1,000 (60 seated) |
| Stansted | Stansted Mountfitchet | Hargrave Park | 2,000 (200 seated) |
| Takeley | Takeley | Station Road | 2,000 |
| Walthamstow | Walthamstow | Wadham Lodge | 3,500 |
| West Essex | Dagenham | Mayesbrook Park (groundshare with Barking) | 2,500 (200 seated) |
| Woodford Town | Harlow | The Harlow Arena (groundshare with Harlow Town) | 3,500 |
References
- ↑ "National League System club allocations – Steps 5–6, Season 2020–21" (PDF). Non League Paper. 21 July 2020.
- ↑ "FA Update On Steps 3-6". 24 February 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- 1 2 "EXPLAINED: The 2021-22 Non-League restructure". The Non-League Paper. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ↑ "The FA Handbook 2020/2021 Part 29 Standardised Rules Section 12.2". The FA. Retrieved 23 August 2020.