Clapton Community are one of two clubs joining the Essex Senior League from the Eastern Counties League Division One South for 2026-27; Hutton FC are the others.

Brief History:

Clapton Community FC were formed in January 2018 by disillusioned supporters of Clapton FC and initially played in the Middlesex County League, winning Division One in 2019 and the Premier Division in 2023, reward for which was a place in the Eastern Counties League Division One South in which they finished sixth in their debut season to reach the Play-Offs in which they were beaten by Wormley Rovers.

For the 2024-25 season, Clapton were transferred to the Southern Counties East League Division One, finishing seventh, but they were transferred back to the Eastern Counties League Division One South last season, ending the campaign in second place just three points behind champions Hutton. In their Play-Off Semi-Final, Clapton beat Lymore Gardens 4-1 in front of 1,377 fans at The Old Spotted Dog and in the Final at the same venue a crowd of 2,375 saw them beat Rayleigh Town 4-2 after extra-time to clinch promotion.

Previous Meetings:

There has been only one previous meeting between Romford and Clapton Community (although Boro played Clapton FC fourteen times before The Tons folded in 2024) and that was last season’s Essex Senior Cup First Round tie played at The Old Spotted Dog in August 2025. Boro won that game 3-1 – the only cup tie victory of the season – thanks to goals from Ellis Devereux (from the penalty spot), Fabio Co pictured scoring below, by Bob Knightley , and Reece McGovern.

Home Ground:

Clapton Community FC’s home ground is the famous Old Spotted Dog, which can be found at Walter Tull Way, 212 Upton Lane, Forest Gate, London E7 9NP.

For drivers, parking is limited with restrictions on streets to the east and south of the ground (e.g. St George’s Rd and Upton Lane) on Saturdays, although parking is free on the streets to the north and west of the ground (e.g. Disraeli Rd). In light of this, getting to the ground by public transport is probably a better option with a number of stations close by with Forest Gate on the Elizabeth Line the nearest, a 14-minute walk away, while it is a 20 minute walk from either Plaistow or Upton Park District Line stations. Upton Lane is served by two bus routes - 325 (from East Beckton or Prince Regent) and 678 (From Beckton or Stratford) – with the closest stops being St Georges Road stop or Stratford School stop, which are 4 minutes’ walk away.

The Essex Senior League constitution for 2026-27 is as follows. All distances quoted are from central Romford (Market Place).