Wednesday 15th January 2025
Erith & Belvedere vs Lewisham Borough (Community)
Presence & Co Southern Counties East Football League Challenge Cup
Kick-off 7.45
The Acclaim Handling Community Stadium, Park View Road, Welling, Kent, DA16 1SY

Ahead of our trip to White Ensign at the weekend we welcome Forest Hill Park a.k.a SE Dons to the Acclaim Handling Community Stadium for our third round tie

Here are all the details for tomorrow's game.

Admission Prices
£8 - Adults
£5 - Concessions
Free- Under 16's

Can pay by cash or card on the turnstiles.

Tickets can still be brought online by clicking here

Match Officials
Referee: Jordan Whitworth
Assistant Referees: Thomas Marshall & Aaron Saunders

The Opposition
Club Name: Forest Hill Park aka SE Dons
Ground: Ladywell Arena, Silvermere Road, London, SE6 4QX
Distance from Park View Road (Round Trip): 16.4 miles
Colours: Green & Black
Manager: Antonio Gonnella
Last Season: 15th (SCEFL Division One)

History
Forest Hill Park FC was officially formed in 1992. A group of keen young footballers (Dean Dennis, Peter Stephens & Clayton Walters), residing in the Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park areas in South East London, decided to form a team, registered with the Football Association, that could compete in a structured football league, a progression from the weekly matches in Honor Oak Park.

The club name derives from the area links between Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park, SE23 in the London borough of Lewisham. The club badge was designed around each: the elevated arrowed tree stands for each founder member and the Oak tree of Honor, in One Tree Hill SE23, which is a woodland nature reserve offering superb views over south London and beyond.

We joined forces with local side Lewisham Steelers and entry into the Crystal Palace and District Sunday league in 1992 proved to be a positive step. Many of the players were playing a higher level of football on Saturdays, and due to the success of FHP, it was decided that Saturday football was the next step. Entry into the Bromley & District League was achieved. Our home ground was at Burbage Road in Dulwich for a few seasons but it was agreed to move back into Lewisham borough.

Another move developed as we applied to and competed in the South London Federation League for two seasons. In that spell with we were runners up in the league cup. We then transferred over to the South London Alliance league in 2001 playing at Catford Wanderers Sports ground. The committee members of the sports club saw our potential and requested that we play under the name of Catford Wanderers FC ‘first team’. We obliged for two seasons but the committee members felt that Forest Hill Park FC must retain their identity and consequently reinstated their name with the league.

A new dawn ensued as FHPFC, with the club name back and also securing a new home ground in the heart of the borough at Ladywell Arena. Progression through the South London Alliance League followed, after being crowned as Division 1 champions in 2005/06 and runners up in the premier division for the two following consecutive seasons.

Entry into the Vandanel Kent County Football League was gained in 2008. In the second season FHP were crowned Division 2 West Champions and gained promotion to Division 1 West. The formation of a new Step 6 league in Kent was on the horizon, open to clubs of suitable standing. FHP fitted the membership criteria and applied to join the new league, but bizarrely a ruling from the FA deemed the application unsuccessful. In spite of the disappointing news of Step 6, that 2011 season saw FHP win the West Kent Challenge Shield. A slow building process, by joining links with other clubs in Lewisham, allowed younger players a pathway into adult county level football.

FHPFC have always strived for progression and enjoyment of grass roots football by forming partnerships with other groups, gaining the prestigious charter Standard accreditation in 2010, The FA intermediate status, Lewisham Football Partnership and newly formed reserve side for season 2011/12. Slow building followed, Season 2014/15, FHP were Hospitals Charity Cup finalists and successful in their renewed application to become members of the National League System Step 6 Kent Invicta League for 2015/16.

The league was rebranded the next season, to become part of the existing Southern Counties East Football League, and Forest Hill were placed in Division One for the 2016/17 season. The club finished in 12th place and then 16th the following campaign. 2018-19 was a good year for the club as they finished in a record 7th place, but the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons were abandoned due to Coronovirus. In the next three years the Club ended 19th, 14th then 15th under the excellent leadership of Darrell Queeley.

A few weeks ahead of the 2024/25 Season Forest Hill Park merged with Sunday League giants SE Dons, with a plan for the club to transfer fully into the SE Dons name and brand in time for 2025/26.

SE DONS, the self-proclaimed 'biggest Sunday league team in the world' were co-founded in 2014 by UK Grime artist Don Strapzy, a/k/a Andrew McHugh, and his brother-in-law (and well known at Deres) Ryan Palmer, as a way to play football with their friends. But due to their weekly YouTube episodes showing the trials and tribulations of Sunday league football - which have been watched by the likes of Declan Rice, Jesse Lingard and Stormzy – they’ve developed a worldwide fan base.
They claim a greater YouTube following than half the Premier League, and their merger with Forest Hill Park should enable them to climb the Pyramid, where they’re currently 2nd in the SCEFL second tier.

The Dons have attracted a host of talent, including former Arsenal youth team star Zak Ansah, who has also played in the League for Plymouth Argyle and Newport County. Chairman Andy Ansah played almost 200 games for Southend United and was part of Wayne Rooney’s Soccer School in 2008. The club formed a partnership with Cray Wanderers enabling them to play home games at Flamingo Park in Sidcup, and signed a kit deal with Puma. In 2022-23 they reached the FA Sunday Cup semi-final at Northampton Town FC, losing 2-1 to Aigburth Arms of Liverpool, and thereby hangs a tale…

Head to Head
Played - 6
Deres - 4
Draw - 2
FHP - 0
Deres Goals - 15
FHP Goals - 6

Last Meeting
14/12/2021 - SCEFL Challenge Cup
Erith and Belvedere 5 Cray 15, Lear 20, 66, Jimoh 61, Dyer 83
Forest Hill Park 2 Glean 10, Atkins og 55

Elsewhere in the League
All Kick Offs are 7.45pm unless stated

Wednesday
SCEFL Challenge Cup 3rd Round
Croydon v Punjab United

SCEFL Division One Cup
Halls AFC v Welling Town
Soul Tower Hamlets v Meridian VP