About InvictaInvicta were formed by Paul Feires and were admitted to the Rugby League on 6 April 1983. They played their first game at London Road, Maidstone, a ground they shared with Maidstone United and a greyhound company. Their first game was against Cardiff City. They lost 31-12 before a crowd of 1,815.
The record attendance was 2,107 against St. Helens on 6 November, 1983, by which time the club was bankrupt and the reins were taken over by Jim Thompson, the chairman of the soccer club. The last game at Maidstone was on 12 May, 1984 against Rochdale Hornets which they won 32-12 before 412 spectators. Problems with ground-sharing and wear of the soccer pitch resulted in the club having to move. Today the ground is an MFI superstore. Invicta were then approached by Southend United Football Club and became Southend Invicta, sharing the Roots Hall ground. The site had formerly been used as a gas works and a car park for holiday traffic. The South Bank terrace with its 72 steps held half the ground’s record capacity of 31,000 but the most Southend Invicta got was 504 against Fulham on New Year’s Day 1985. For the final home game against Huddersfield there were a mere 85 fans (certainly the smallest Rugby League crowd for a professional game I’ve ever been a part of!). In the programme for the match against York on 21st April 1985 the secretary of the Supporters Club, Peter Jones, wrote: "I only wish at this final stage of the season, I could assure you that Rugby League would definitely be here at Roots Hall at the beginning of next season. Unfortunately I do not possess the necessary psychic abilities to forecast such an event. Silence on the part of the Southend management, who control the Rugby Club’s destiny, about the future of Invicta, is probably the most honest comment they can make about next season. We’ll just have to wait and see." After the Huddersfield game club director, Matt Wheatcroft admitted the club was in an extremely precarious position. He said: "there is no commercial reason for us to carry on. The support we receive is abysmal, and the picture at the moment is extremely gloomy. The club needed a big sell when we came here, which it hasn’t received, and our hopes haven’t been fulfilled. We came to the wrong place at the wrong time." The local "freebie", the Yellow Advertiser, commented wryly: " the hackneyed saying that Rugby league is a northern man’s game seems to be true." Invicta were struck from the 1985-86 fixtures by the Rugby League only days before the commencement of the new season because they were considered not to have formed a team. They went into liquidation soon afterwards. |
Ground: Roots Hall
Address: Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6NQ Colours: White jerseys with blue V, white shorts First Season: 1983-1984 as Kent Invicta. Second Season: Southend Invicta 1984-1985 Nickname: Invicta President: J.C. Thompson Chairman: Len Pearce (resigned January 1985); Vic Jobson (from January 1985) Secretary: K Holmes, Ray Middlemiss Coach: Bill Goodwin Assistant Coaches: Tony Cooper, Chris Wellman Medical Officers: D.M. Lubel; Dr A. H. Sinha Timekeeper: Peter C. Jones Physiotherapist: B. Footman Kit Manager: P. Babbs Programme Editor: S. Jackson; Peter C. Jones (from 23.12.84) Secretary of Supporters Club: Peter C. Jones |