Brief History:

Athletic Newham are quite a new club, formed only in 2015 as a youth team under the name of Lopes Tavares. The following year they joined the Premier Division of the Essex Alliance Football League, playing their home games at the Memorial Recreation Ground in West Ham.

In 2018 Lopes Tavares successfully applied for membership of the new Division One South of the Eastern Counties Football League, and in their first season they finished 16th of 19 clubs. They then changed their name to Athletic Newham. When the 2019-20 season was abandoned, they sat second in the table, five points behind White Ensign, and in the limited amount of football that was possible in 2020-21, they were second again, just behind Newbury Forest.

Past Meetings:

Unsurprisingly, there have been no previous meetings between Romford and Athletic Newham.

Last Season:

Athletic Newham finished 8th in the Essex Senior League last season with 66 points from their 40 matches; they won 18 times in the league and drew 12. They had a good run in the FA Vase, beating Bexhill United on penalties in the 2nd Qualifying Round, Holmesdale in the 1st Round Proper (again on penalties), Pagham in the 2nd Round by 5-3, and Abbey Rangers in the 3rd Round (on penalties, yet again!) In the 4th Round they thumped Littlehampton Town 5-0 but were subsequently removed from the competition for fielding an ineligible player. Littlehampton made the most of their reprieve and went on to reach the Final.

In the FA Cup, a replay win over Virginia Water in the Extra-Preliminary Round led to a trip to Hanwell Town, where the Isthmian League side won 5-0.

The club had the Essex Senior League’s leading goalscorer last season. Richard Kone bagged a total of 42 goals, including 33 in the league, while Joel Appiah weighed in with 20.

Home Ground and How to Get There:

The club play at the Terence McMillan Stadium. The stadium has one stand with seats for 192 spectators and is named after the first Mayor of Newham. Boro fans will remember visiting the Terry Mac during the club’s last period of membership of the ESL, when London APSA were in residence. The full address of the ground is 281 Prince Regent Lane, E13 8SD, and it is easily accessible by road, being just off the A13 at the Stratford/Plaistow exit for the A112, and by public transport, with Plaistow (District Line) and Prince Regent (DLR) stations within easy reach. Buses 473 and 376 stop close to the ground.

Website:
http://athleticnewhamfc.co.uk/

Twitter:
@Athleticnewham