1979–80 Kent Football League

The 1979–80 Kent Football League season was the fourteenth in the history of the Kent Football League, a football competition featuring teams based in and around the county of Kent in England.

The League structure comprised two divisions: Division One and Division Two with the latter known as the Reserves Section (reserves teams were not permitted in Division One). Additionally there were two league cup competitions: the Challenge Cup for the Division One clubs and another for the teams in Division Two.

Division One
The division featured seventeen clubs which had all competed in the previous season.

After five seasons of being named Medway the club reverted it's name to Chatham Town.

The division was won by Chatham Town, (their reserves team were also successful and won the Division Two league and cup double).

At the end of the season both bottom clubs, Ramsgate and Kent Police were re-elected to continue their membership of Division One.

Challenge Cup
The 1979–80 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Whitstable Town. The competition, contested by all seventeen clubs in the league, comprised five single match tie rounds (with the first round featuring one tie) culminating in the final which was played on a neutral ground (at Sittingbourne this season).

Second Round

 * Darenth Heathside 1 – 2 Chatham Town
 * Ramsgate 1 – 1 Crockenhill
 * REPLAY: Crockenhill 0 – 1 Ramsgate
 * Herne Bay 4 – 3 Slade Green Athletic
 * Sittingbourne 4 – 2 Tunbridge Wells
 * Deal Town 3 – 0 Erith & Belvedere
 * Hythe Town 2 – 2 Whitstable Town
 * REPLAY: Whitstable Town 1 – 0 Hythe Town
 * Dartford Glentworth 3 – 3 Sheppey United
 * REPLAY: Sheppey United 8 – 1 Dartford Glentworth
 * Cray Wanderers 1 – 1 Faversham Town
 * REPLAY: Faversham Town 0 – 2 Cray Wanderers

First Round
Sources:
 * Kent Police 0 – 2 Cray Wanderers
 * Byes for the other fifteen clubs
 * Final:
 * Semi-finals:
 * Quarter-finals: ;
 * Second Round: ; ; ;
 * First Round:

Reserves Section
The letter "R" following team names indicates a club's reserves team.

Division Two featured mostly reserves teams (which were not permitted in Division One) from clubs from Kent and the adjacent area whose first team played in Division One and other higher ranked leagues. There was a League Cup competition for the teams in the section.

Division Two
The league featured sixteen clubs including one non-reserve team (Snowdown Colliery Welfare). Ten of the teams had competed in the previous season and they were joined by six additional clubs:
 * Snowdown Colliery Welfare joined from Division One
 * Ashford Town R
 * Erith & Belvedere R joined from the Kent County Amateur League
 * Hastings United R
 * Sheppey United R
 * Whitstable Town R

Chatham Town R were the division winners for the second successive season and completed a Division Two league and cup double (additionally the club's first team were winners of Division One).

At the end of the season Cray Wanderers R and Ramsgate R resigned from the league and both bottom clubs, Faversham Town R and Snowdown Colliery Welfare, were re-elected to continue their membership of Division Two.

Division Two Cup
The 1979–7980 Kent Football League Division Two Cup was contested by all sixteen clubs in the division and comprised four single match tie rounds culminating in the final. Chatham Town R were the winners (part of a Division Two league and cup double) with Deal Town R runners-up.

First Round
Sources:
 * Sheppey United R 2 – 2 Ramsgate R
 * REPLAY: Ramsgate R 0 – 3 Sheppey United R
 * Whitstable Town R 0 – 3 Hastings United R
 * Erith & Belvedere R 1 – 1 Darenth Heathside R
 * REPLAY: Darenth Heathside R 1 – 2 Erith & Belvedere R
 * Faversham Town R 1 – 1 Chatham Town R
 * REPLAY: Chatham Town R v Faversham Town R
 * Deal Town R 3 – 0 Snowdown Colliery Welfare
 * Herne Bay R 6 – 1 Ashford Town R
 * Dover R 4 – 0 Hythe Town R
 * Sittingbourne R 1 – 2 Cray Wanderers R
 * Final:
 * Semi-finals:
 * Quarter-finals: ; ; ;
 * First Round: ; ; ;