Redbridge Forest F.C.


Redbridge Forest Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1979. The club came into being by a merger between Leytonstone/Ilford and Walthamstow Avenue, though the merged clubs played one season under the original name.
In 1992 the club merged with Dagenham to form the present Dagenham & Redbridge. It is not to be confused with the current Isthmian League club Redbridge, which was known as Ford United until July 2004.

History

The club are the direct descendants of Leytonstone/Ilford F.C. which was founded in 1979 by a merger of old clubs Leytonstone and Ilford.
They were somewhat successful in non-league football, while under the name Leytonstone & Ilford, they were crowned Isthmian League champions during 1981–82. The following season the club finished as runners-up in the same league. At the end of the season, they changed their name to Leytonstone/Ilford Football Club.
Another merger was incorporated in 1988 when Walthamstow Avenue were incorporated. Initially there was no name change, and the club won the Isthmian League that season; they were due to be promoted to what is today known as the Conference National, but were denied due to ground problems, as the Green Pond Road ground at Walthamstow had already been sold to developers so was not worth upgrading. The club moved to Victoria Road, home of Dagenham F.C., but found the same problem as their ground too was now not up to Conference standard. Leytonstone & Ilford remained in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Under the Redbridge Forest name

For the 1989 season, the name of the club was changed to Redbridge Forest, in preparation for a move to a new site bordering both Redbridge and Waltham Forest borders. However, the move to a new site collapsed and the club remained at Victoria Road. Incidentally, Dagenham and Redbridge Forest were both in the Isthmian League Premier Division for that season and the two matches between landlord and tenant saw 2–2 and 1–1 draws between the clubs, clubs that now play as one. Redbridge Forest won the Isthmian League in 1990–91 and with the ground now passing Conference regulations, the club were now allowed to move up to the Conference for the 1991–92 season.
Redbridge Forest were in the Conference for one year and achieved a seventh-place finish during the 1991–92 season. For the 1992–93 season, they merged with Dagenham and became Dagenham & Redbridge. The new club reached the Football League at the end of the 2006–07 as Conference National champions, and won promotion to League One in 2010 via play-offs.

Honours

As Leytonstone/Ilford F.C
As Redbridge Forest F.C