Redbridge Forest F.C.

Redbridge Forest Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1979 as Leytonstone & Ilford F.C., which in 1989 merged with Walthamstow Avenue and the following season adopted the name Redbridge Forest. In 1992 the club merged with Dagenham to form the present Dagenham & Redbridge. History Leytonstone/Ilford F.C. was founded in 1979 by a merger of Leytonstone F.C. (founded in 1886) and Ilford F.C. (founded in 1881). 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 F.C.. 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.