Thurrock F.C.

Thurrock

Full name	Thurrock Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Fleet
Founded	April 1985 (as Purfleet)
Ground	Ship Lane, Aveley
Ground Capacity	3,500 (524 seated)
Chairman	Tommy South
Manager	Mark Stimson
League	Isthmian League Division One North
2015–16	Isthmian League Division One North, 2nd

Thurrock Football Club is an English football club based in Aveley, Thurrock, Essex. Known as Purfleet until 2003, the club are currently members of the Isthmian League Division One North and play at Ship Lane.

Purfleet F.C. were established in April 1985 and entered the Reserve Division of the Essex Senior League in 1985 and spent one season in that division before joining the first-team league. After finishing third and winning the league cup in their first season, they won the league and cup double in 1987–88, earning promotion to Division Two North of the Isthmian League. They finished as runners-up in their first season and were promoted to Division One. However, the following season they were relegated back to Division Two North after finishing second from bottom.

In 1991–92 the club won the division, and were promoted to Division One. Two seasons later they finished second, and were promoted to the Premier Division. In 2003 the club changed its name to Thurrock, and after finishing third in the league at the end of the 2003–04 season, in which they also won the league cup and the Essex Senior Cup, became founder members of the Conference South.

In the club's first season in the new league, they qualified for the promotion play-offs but were knocked out by Eastbourne Borough. However, they did win the Essex Senior Cup for a second successive season. In 2008–09 the club finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved after Team Bath resigned from the league. In 2010–11 the club again finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved after Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the Conference National league hence Southport were not relegated from the Conference National.

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