1926–27 Southern Football League
Encyclopedia
The 1926–27 Southern Football League
season saw the league split into Eastern and Western Divisions. Brighton & Hove Albion II
won the Eastern Division and Torquay United
won the Western Division. Brighton reserves were declared Southern League champions after defeating Torquay 4-0 in a championship play-off.
Four clubs from the Southern League applied to join the Football League
, with Torquay being successful in a second round of voting. Five clubs (all reserve teams) left the league at the end of the season.
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
were re-elected, Aberdare Athletic
received the same number of votes as Southern League Torquay United
, leading to a second round, in which Torquay won more votes. Aberdare took Torquay's place in the Southern League the following season.
Aberdare's loss was controversial, as one ballot paper in the first round had been spoilt and Aberdare's secretary claimed that one of the scrutineers was 'an interested party'.
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
season saw the league split into Eastern and Western Divisions. Brighton & Hove Albion II
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
won the Eastern Division and Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
won the Western Division. Brighton reserves were declared Southern League champions after defeating Torquay 4-0 in a championship play-off.
Four clubs from the Southern League applied to join the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, with Torquay being successful in a second round of voting. Five clubs (all reserve teams) left the league at the end of the season.
Eastern Division
The Eastern Division featured two new clubs:- Dartford
- Poole
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion II Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... |
32 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 86 | 47 | 1.82 | 48 | |
| 2 | Peterborough & Fletton United Peterborough & Fletton United F.C. Peterborough & Fletton United F.C. was an English football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. The club existed from 1923 until 1932 and played at London Road.-History:... |
32 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 80 | 39 | 2.05 | 45 | |
| 3 | Portsmouth II Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 95 | 65 | 1.46 | 44 | Left league at end of season |
| 4 | Kettering Town Kettering Town F.C. Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08... |
32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 66 | 41 | 1.60 | 40 | |
| 5 | Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
32 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 67 | 56 | 1.19 | 37 | |
| 6 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic II A.F.C. Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.... |
32 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 69 | 64 | 1.07 | 34 | |
| 7 | Norwich City II Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
32 | 14 | 5 | 13 | 79 | 74 | 1.06 | 33 | |
| 8 | Dartford Dartford F.C. Dartford F.C. are an English football club based in Dartford, Kent. After finishing as champions of the Isthmian League Division One North in the 2007–08 season, they compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division. They finished in 8th position in their first season... |
32 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 60 | 71 | 0.84 | 33 | |
| 9 | Reading II Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
32 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 75 | 79 | 0.94 | 32 | Left league at end of season |
| 10 | Luton Town II Luton Town F.C. Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was... |
32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 75 | 70 | 1.07 | 31 | Left league at end of season |
| 11 | Leicester City II Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
32 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 94 | 72 | 1.30 | 29 | Left league at end of season |
| 12 | Watford II Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 74 | 84 | 0.88 | 28 | Left league at end of season |
| 13 | Southampton II Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
32 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 57 | 77 | 0.74 | 26 | |
| 14 | Poole | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 55 | 86 | 0.63 | 24 | |
| 15 | Grays Thurrock United | 32 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 49 | 66 | 0.74 | 23 | |
| 16 | Guildford United | 32 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 57 | 106 | 0.53 | 19 | Changed name to Guildford City at end of season |
| 17 | Folkestone Folkestone F.C. Folkestone Football Club was the name of two English football clubs based in the town of Folkestone, Kent. It is unclear if the two clubs were in fact connected, but neither has any formal connection to Folkestone Invicta, who took over the Cheriton Road stadium after the demise of Folkestone F.C.... |
32 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 57 | 98 | 0.58 | 18 |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Western Division
The Western Division featured one new club, Newport County II.| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... |
26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 63 | 30 | 2.1 | 38 | Elected to the Football League |
| 2 | Bristol City II Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 77 | 37 | 2.08 | 38 | |
| 3 | Plymouth Argyle II Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 38 | 1.47 | 34 | |
| 4 | Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale F.C. Ebbw Vale Football Club were a football team from Ebbw Vale, South Wales.Ebbw Vale played in the first season of the League of Wales in 1992-93. The club then finished 11th before finishing 3rd in two successive seasons to 1997-98. During the years when they finished 3rd the Giles brothers, Paul... |
26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 67 | 45 | 1.48 | 30 | |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers II Bristol Rovers F.C. Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city.... |
26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 51 | 43 | 1.18 | 28 | |
| 6 | Swindon Town II Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 60 | 57 | 1.05 | 27 | |
| 7 | Barry Barry Town F.C. Barry Town FC are a football team based in Barry. They dominated the League of Wales during the 1990s, but finished bottom in 2003-04 and were relegated... |
26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 65 | 50 | 1.3 | 26 | |
| 8 | Exeter City II Exeter City F.C. Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003... |
26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 62 | 49 | 1.26 | 26 | |
| 9 | Weymouth Weymouth F.C. Weymouth F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Weymouth, who currently play in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:Weymouth Football Club were founded in 1890 and played their first game on 24 September of that year... |
26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 48 | 65 | 0.73 | 26 | |
| 10 | Newport County II Newport County A.F.C. Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system... |
26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 57 | 53 | 1.07 | 24 | |
| 11 | Bath City Bath City F.C. Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010... |
26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 44 | 52 | 0.84 | 23 | |
| 12 | Yeovil & Petters United Yeovil Town F.C. Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05... |
26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 49 | 66 | 0.74 | 23 | |
| 13 | Taunton United Taunton Town F.C. Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season... |
26 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 36 | 83 | 0.43 | 12 | Changed name to Taunton Town at end of season |
| 14 | Mid Rhondda United Mid Rhondda F.C. Mid Rhondda Football Club was an association football team, based in Tonypandy, Wales that was formed in 1912. Mid Rhondda were one of the earlier South Wales teams to form, as competition from rugby union within the Rhondda Valleys was very strong... |
26 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 22 | 89 | 0.24 | 9 |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Football League election
Four Southern League clubs applied to join the Football League this season, entering the ballot alongside the bottom two from the Third Division South. Although WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
were re-elected, Aberdare Athletic
Aberdare Athletic F.C.
Aberdare Athletic Football Club were a Welsh football club founded in 1893 and based in Aberdare. They joined the Football League in 1921 but were replaced by Torquay United after failing to be re-elected in 1927.-History:...
received the same number of votes as Southern League Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, leading to a second round, in which Torquay won more votes. Aberdare took Torquay's place in the Southern League the following season.
Aberdare's loss was controversial, as one ballot paper in the first round had been spoilt and Aberdare's secretary claimed that one of the scrutineers was 'an interested party'.
| Club | League | First round votes | Second round votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
Football League Third Division South | 44 | |
| Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... |
Southern League | 21 | 26 |
| Aberdare Athletic Aberdare Athletic F.C. Aberdare Athletic Football Club were a Welsh football club founded in 1893 and based in Aberdare. They joined the Football League in 1921 but were replaced by Torquay United after failing to be re-elected in 1927.-History:... |
Football League Third Division South | 21 | 19 |
| Kettering Town Kettering Town F.C. Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08... |
Southern League | 1 | |
| Yeovil & Petters United Yeovil Town F.C. Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05... |
Southern League | 1 | |
| Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale F.C. Ebbw Vale Football Club were a football team from Ebbw Vale, South Wales.Ebbw Vale played in the first season of the League of Wales in 1992-93. The club then finished 11th before finishing 3rd in two successive seasons to 1997-98. During the years when they finished 3rd the Giles brothers, Paul... |
Southern League | 0 |