The 1977–78 Kent Football League season was the twelfth 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 comprised one division and there was also a league cup competition, the Challenge Cup.
League Champions
Faversham Town won the league title, their second championship (their first being seven seasons previously in 1970–71).
League Table
The league featured 18 clubs, including three reserve teams. Seventeen clubs returned from the previous season, joined by Hythe Town from the Kent County Amateur League.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faversham Town | 34 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 83 | 24 | +59 | 54 |
| 2 | Sheppey United | 34 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 87 | 32 | +55 | 53 |
| 3 | Tunbridge Wells | 34 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 84 | 36 | +48 | 52 |
| 4 | Hythe Town | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 73 | 57 | +16 | 44 |
| 5 | Maidstone United Reserves | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 42 |
| 6 | Crockenhill | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 62 | 46 | +16 | 38 |
| 7 | Dartford Glentworth | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 38 |
| 8 | Medway | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 38 |
| 9 | Ramsgate | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 54 | 51 | +3 | 37 |
| 10 | Deal Town | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 33 |
| 11 | Whitstable Town | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 32 |
| 12 | Herne Bay | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 43 | 72 | −29 | 29 |
| 13 | Sittingbourne | 34 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 37 | 60 | −23 | 25 |
| 14 | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 44 | 76 | −32 | 22 |
| 15 | Slade Green Athletic | 34 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 20 |
| 16 | Folkestone & Shepway Reserves | 34 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 37 | 61 | −24 | 19 |
| 17 | Kent Police | 34 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 34 | 81 | −47 | 18 |
| 18 | Dover Reserves | 34 | 9 | 0 | 25 | 35 | 87 | −52 | 18 |
- Total matches played: 306
- Total goals scored: 972 (average 3.18 per match)
Season Notes
- Following a decision taken in August 1977 to form a Second Division for reserve sides (with Division One reserved for "first teams" only), Dover Reserves, Folkestone & Shepway Reserves, and Maidstone United Reserves moved to the newly formed Division Two at the end of the season.
- The two lowest-ranked non-reserve clubs, Slade Green Athletic and Kent Police, were re-elected to continue their membership of the league, which was renamed Division One.
Challenge Cup
The 1977–78 Kent Football League Challenge Cup was won by Tunbridge Wells, their second win in four seasons. The competition was contested by all 18 clubs, comprising five single-match tie rounds culminating in a final played on neutral ground at Sittingbourne.
Final Result: Sittingbourne 1 – 1 Tunbridge Wells (Tunbridge Wells won)
Semi-finals:
- Sheppey United 1 – 1 Hythe Town (Sheppey United won)
- Dartford Glentworth 3 – 3 Tunbridge Wells (Tunbridge Wells won)
Quarter-finals:
- Whitstable Town 0 – 0 Sheppey United (Sheppey United won)
- Snowdown Colliery Welfare 0 – 0 Dartford Glentworth (Dartford Glentworth won)
- Medway 2 – 2 Tunbridge Wells (Tunbridge Wells won)
- (Bye for one quarter-final pairing)
Second Round:
- Dover Reserves 1 – 4 Whitstable Town
- Sittingbourne 2 – 1 Slade Green Athletic
- Faversham Town 1 – 4 Sheppey United
- Crockenhill 1 – 2 Hythe Town
- Snowdown Colliery Welfare 4 – 0 Herne Bay
- Dartford Glentworth 3 – 1 Maidstone United Reserves
- Kent Police 1 – 2 Medway
- Tunbridge Wells 2 – 1 Deal Town
First Round:
- Folkestone & Shepway Reserves 0 – 1 Faversham Town
- Kent Police 1 – 1 Ramsgate (Replay: Ramsgate 1 – 2 Kent Police)
- Byes for the other 14 clubs
