1958–59 Southern Football League
Encyclopedia
The 1958–59 Southern Football League
season saw the league split into two divisions for the first time since 1936 following the election of thirteen new clubs at the end of the previous season
. Hereford United
won the North-west Division, whilst Bedford Town
won the South-east Division. Herefore were declared Southern League champions after defeating Bedford 3-0 in a championship play-off. Nine clubs applied to join the Football League
, although none were successful.
The plan for the following season
was to have a Premier Division of 22 clubs and a Division One below it. As a result, the top eleven clubs in each division this season would remain in the new Premier Division, whilst clubs finishing twelfth or lower would be in the new Division One.
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.
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 two divisions for the first time since 1936 following the election of thirteen new clubs at the end of the previous season
1957–58 Southern Football League
The 1957–58 Southern Football League season saw Gravesend & Northfleet win the championship. Six Southern League clubs applied to join the Football League at the end of the season, but none were successful....
. Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
won the North-west Division, whilst Bedford Town
Bedford Town F.C.
Bedford Town F.C. is an English football club based in the Borough of Bedford. The club are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play at The New Eyrie in Cardington, a parish on the outskirts of Bedford....
won the South-east Division. Herefore were declared Southern League champions after defeating Bedford 3-0 in a championship play-off. Nine clubs 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...
, although none were successful.
The plan for the following season
1959–60 Southern Football League
The 1959–60 Southern Football League season saw the league split into a Premier Division and Division One, the first time the league had had two hierarchical divisions since 1919–20. Bath City won the championship, whilst Clacton Town, Romford, Folkestone Town and Guildford City were all promoted...
was to have a Premier Division of 22 clubs and a Division One below it. As a result, the top eleven clubs in each division this season would remain in the new Premier Division, whilst clubs finishing twelfth or lower would be in the new Division One.
North-west Division
The North-west Division featured seven new clubs:- Boston United (from the Midland LeagueMidland Football LeagueThere have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
) - Burton Albion (from the Birmingham & District League)
- Corby Town (from the Midland LeagueMidland Football LeagueThere have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
) - Nuneaton Borough (from the Birmingham & District League)
- Rugby Town (from the Birmingham & District League)
- Wellington Town (from the Cheshire LeagueCheshire County LeagueThe Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales....
) - Wisbech Town (from the Midland LeagueMidland Football LeagueThere have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
)
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hereford United Hereford United F.C. Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',... |
34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 80 | 37 | 2.16 | 49 | |
| 2 | 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... |
34 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 83 | 63 | 1.32 | 47 | |
| 3 | Boston United Boston United F.C. Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's... |
34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 73 | 47 | 1.55 | 44 | |
| 4 | Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town F.C. Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more... |
34 | 20 | 4 | 10 | 65 | 47 | 1.38 | 44 | |
| 5 | Worcester City Worcester City F.C. Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:... |
34 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 74 | 47 | 1.57 | 42 | |
| 6 | 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... |
34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 89 | 62 | 1.44 | 39 | |
| 7 | Wellington Town Telford United F.C. Telford United F.C. was an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire.The club existed under various names for a total of 132 years from its formation in 1872. The club was founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979 and played at this level for 25 years before being wound up in... |
34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 74 | 58 | 1.28 | 39 | |
| 8 | Nuneaton Borough | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 76 | 66 | 1.15 | 39 | |
| 9 | Wisbech Town Wisbech Town F.C. Wisbech Town F.C. is an English football club currently based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The club are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at the Fenland Stadium.-History:... |
34 | 16 | 5 | 13 | 77 | 54 | 1.43 | 37 | |
| 10 | Headington United Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The... |
34 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 76 | 61 | 1.25 | 35 | |
| 11 | Barry Town 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... |
34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 64 | 67 | 0.96 | 35 | |
| 12 | Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil F.C. Merthyr Tydfil Football Club was a Welsh football club based at the Penydarren Park ground in Merthyr Tydfil. In 2010 the club was liquidated and reformed under the name Merthyr Town, which was accepted into Division One of the Western League.-History:... |
34 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 54 | 59 | 0.92 | 35 | Relegated to Division One |
| 13 | Gloucester City | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 50 | 65 | 0.77 | 30 | |
| 14 | Corby Town Corby Town F.C. Corby Town F.C. is an English football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire. They will be members of the Conference North for the 2011–12 season. The Steelmen play their home games at the newly built Steel Park, adjacent to their previous ground, Rockingham Triangle Sports Stadium, which is... |
34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 59 | 79 | 0.75 | 28 | |
| 15 | Lovells Athletic Lovells Athletic F.C. Lovell's Athletic F.C. was the works team for Lovell's sweet factory in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, which played professional football from 1918 until 1969.-History:... |
34 | 10 | 3 | 21 | 51 | 70 | 0.73 | 23 | Left league at end of season |
| 16 | Rugby Town Rugby Town F.C. Rugby Town F.C. is a football club based in Rugby, Warwickshire, which plays in the Southern Football League Division One Central. It is nicknamed The Valley, and plays its home matches at Butlin Road... |
34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 45 | 93 | 0.48 | 20 | Relegated to Division One |
| 17 | Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers F.C. Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed... |
34 | 7 | 3 | 24 | 42 | 94 | 0.44 | 17 | |
| 18 | Burton Albion Burton Albion F.C. Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005... |
34 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 41 | 104 | 0.39 | 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.
South-east Division
The North-west Division featured six new clubs:- Cambridge City (from the Athenian LeagueAthenian LeagueThe Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was formed in 1912 with ten clubs, but had to close down in 1914 due to the onset of World War I. When it reformed in 1920, only three of the previous teams rejoined...
) - Cambridge United (from the Eastern Counties LeagueEastern Counties Football LeagueThe Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of the Isthmian League and Southern...
) - Clacton Town (from the Eastern Counties LeagueEastern Counties Football LeagueThe Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of the Isthmian League and Southern...
) - King's Lynn (from the Midland LeagueMidland Football LeagueThere have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
) - Trowbridge Town (from the Western LeagueWestern Football LeagueThe Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and parts of South Wales...
) - Yiewsley (from the Corinthian League)
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bedford Town Bedford Town F.C. Bedford Town F.C. is an English football club based in the Borough of Bedford. The club are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play at The New Eyrie in Cardington, a parish on the outskirts of Bedford.... |
32 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 90 | 41 | 2.2 | 48 | |
| 2 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 32 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 79 | 54 | 1.46 | 44 | |
| 3 | 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 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 77 | 41 | 1.88 | 43 | |
| 4 | Yeovil Town 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... |
32 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 60 | 41 | 1.46 | 42 | |
| 5 | 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... |
32 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 61 | 43 | 1.42 | 37 | |
| 6 | Chelmsford City Chelmsford City F.C. Chelmsford City F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Chelmsford, Essex. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Melbourne Stadium.-Chelmsford:... |
32 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 74 | 53 | 1.4 | 36 | |
| 7 | King's Lynn King's Lynn F.C. King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal... |
32 | 14 | 5 | 13 | 70 | 63 | 1.11 | 33 | |
| 8 | Poole Town Poole Town F.C. Poole Town F.C. is a football club based in Poole, England. They were established in 1890 and joined the Western League Division Two in 1930. They won the Western League title in 1957 and reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup four times in their history. They are currently members of the... |
32 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 60 | 65 | 0.92 | 32 | |
| 9 | Cambridge City Cambridge City F.C. Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport... |
32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 61 | 54 | 1.13 | 31 | |
| 10 | Hastings United Hastings United F.C. Hastings United is a semi-professional English football club who currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division and are affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association and the Hastings Football Association.... |
32 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 60 | 59 | 1.02 | 31 | |
| 11 | Tonbridge Tonbridge Angels F.C. Tonbridge Angels Football Club is an English football club who play at Longmead Stadium in Tonbridge, Kent, since moving from the Angel Ground in 1980.... |
32 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 51 | 59 | 0.86 | 31 | |
| 12 | Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 55 | 77 | 0.71 | 30 | Relegated to Division One |
| 13 | Trowbridge Town Trowbridge Town F.C. Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:... |
32 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 53 | 75 | 0.71 | 28 | |
| 14 | 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... |
32 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 47 | 71 | 0.66 | 26 | |
| 15 | Guildford City Guildford City F.C. Guildford City Football Club is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was originally established in 1921, folded in 1974 and were reformed in 1996... |
32 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 45 | 67 | 0.67 | 20 | |
| 16 | Clacton Town | 32 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 44 | 81 | 0.54 | 19 | |
| 17 | Yiewsley Hillingdon Borough F.C. Hillingdon Borough Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was also the name of a now-extinct club that existed between 1965 and 1987.-Historic club:... |
32 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 36 | 78 | 0.46 | 13 |
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
Nine Southern League clubs applied to join the Football League. However, all four League clubs were re-elected.| Club | League | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Oldham Athletic | 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... |
46 |
| Southport Southport F.C. Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008... |
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... |
34 |
| Barrow Barrow A.F.C. Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have... |
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... |
32 |
| Aldershot Aldershot F.C. Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable... |
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... |
31 |
| Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
Midland League Midland Football League There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League.... |
26 |
| Headington United Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The... |
Southern League 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... |
7 |
| Worcester City Worcester City F.C. Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:... |
Southern League 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... |
7 |
| Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
Lancashire Combination Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League... |
3 |
| Cambridge City Cambridge City F.C. Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport... |
Southern League 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... |
2 |
| Gloucester City | Southern League 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... |
2 |
| 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 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... |
1 |
| South Shields South Shields F.C. South Shields F.C. are a football club based in South Shields, England. They have a long and complicated history, with three distinct incarnations taking the name... |
Midland League Midland Football League There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League.... |
1 |
| Scarborough Scarborough F.C. Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season... |
Midland League Midland Football League There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League.... |
1 |
| Yeovil Town 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 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... |
0 |
| Bedford Town Bedford Town F.C. Bedford Town F.C. is an English football club based in the Borough of Bedford. The club are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play at The New Eyrie in Cardington, a parish on the outskirts of Bedford.... |
Southern League 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... |
0 |
| Hereford United Hereford United F.C. Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',... |
Southern League 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... |
0 |
| King's Lynn King's Lynn F.C. King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal... |
Southern League 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... |
0 |
| Morecambe Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park... |
Lancashire Combination Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League... |
0 |