1987–88 Football Conference

The Football Conference season of 1987–88 (known as the GM Vauxhall Conference for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the Football Conference.

Overview

Lincoln City, who had been relegated to the Conference a year earlier in the first season of automatic promotion and relegation between the Conference and the Fourth Division of the Football League, won the Conference title to reclaim their place in the Football League, where they replaced the bottom placed Fourth Division club Newport County.

New teams in the league this season

Final League Table[1]

Football Conference
Season 1987–88[1]
Champions Lincoln City (1st Football Conference title)
Promoted to the Football League Lincoln City
Conference League Cup winners Horwich RMI (Northern Premier League)
FA Trophy winners Enfield
Relegated to
Level 6
Bath City,
Dagenham,
Wealdstone
Matches played 462
Goals scored 1386 (3 per match)
Top goalscorer Steve Norris (Telford United), 24;
Phil Derbyshire, (Stafford Rangers), 24;
Paul Davies, (Kidderminster Harriers), 24
Biggest home win AltrinchamDagenham 6–0 (2 May 1988);
Northwich VictoriaBoston United 6–0 (5 May 1988)
Biggest away win Wycombe WanderersBarnet 0–7 (15 September 1987)
Highest scoring BarnetSutton United 6–2 (28 December 1987);
Lincoln City – Kidderminster Harriers 5–3 (28 December 1987);
Wycombe WanderersCheltenham Town 5–3 (16 January 1988)
Longest winning run Kettering Town, Lincoln City, 6 matches
Longest unbeaten run Kidderminster Harriers, Lincoln City, 16 matches
Longest losing run Dagenham, 12 matches
Highest attendance Lincoln City v Wycombe Wanderers, 9,432 (2 May 1988)
Lowest attendance ?
Average attendance 1,249 (+ 36% from the previous season)
Locations of the Football Conference teams 1987–1988
Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GD Pts Notes
1 Lincoln City 421641531386733358648+ 3882
2 Barnet 421542572387636229345+ 4880
3 Kettering Town 421353372094831286848+ 2075
4 Runcorn 421443422077726276847+ 2174
5 Telford United 421155332395732276550+ 1570
6 Stafford Rangers 421245432585836337958+ 2169
7 Kidderminster Harriers 421182422877733387566+ 969
8 Sutton United 429844125710436297754+ 2366
9 Maidstone United 428583833104741317964+ 1563
10 Weymouth 4213713313521420305343+ 1063
11 Macclesfield Town 421056362784928356462+ 263
12 Enfield 42858353475933446878– 1055
13 Cheltenham Town 426114363259728356467– 353
14 Altrincham 4211554121351318385959± 052
15 Fisher Athletic 428762823561030385861– 352
16 Boston United 429573325521427506075– 1549
17 Northwich Victoria 428673025211816324657– 1147
18 Wycombe Wanderers 428583243381018335076– 2646
19 Welling United 428493332351317405072– 2242
20 Bath City 427592732251421444876– 2837Relegated to the Southern League
21 Wealdstone 4231172033261319433976– 3732Relegated to the Southern League
22 Dagenham 42431420461317175837104– 6721Relegated to the Isthmian League
Key
Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Fourth Division
FA Trophy winners
Conference League Cup winners, Horwich RMI F.C. (Northern Premier League)
Relegated from The Football League, see Lincoln City
New club in the Conference
Relegated to Level 6

Results[1]

Home ╲ Away[1] ALT BAR BATBOSCHLDAGENFFISKETKIDLINMACMAINORRUNSTASUTTELWEAWELWEYWYC
Altrincham 11 20 41 11 60 51 23 22 23 00 13 00 20 20 20 01 03 10 10 30 42
Barnet 31 40 10 11 32 30 20 40 11 42 21 20 41 12 22 62 02 51 52 32 11
Bath City 20 01 21 11 42 01 13 20 33 21 34 13 00 01 03 04 12 00 00 31 21
Boston United 22 21 20 41 10 23 21 02 10 12 02 33 01 22 41 00 11 01 12 10 40
Cheltenham Town 10 02 33 15 51 11 20 12 22 33 10 22 11 00 23 11 30 11 22 21 22
Dagenham 32 00 11 42 13 12 15 05 12 03 00 03 10 14 24 01 01 12 12 03 21
Enfield 11 20 13 32 01 22 00 20 52 00 12 24 01 13 00 23 14 52 10 32 32
Fisher Athletic 32 22 20 00 10 51 23 11 31 11 12 03 00 02 12 11 01 31 10 10 00
Kettering Town 12 11 11 30 11 30 21 21 11 20 32 02 31 03 10 22 10 32 10 30 30
Kidderminster Harriers 41 11 32 10 32 11 40 11 21 33 32 21 11 11 00 22 24 21 52 10 02
Lincoln City 50 21 30 51 51 30 40 30 01 53 30 11 32 10 21 11 00 30 21 00 20
Macclesfield Town 10 22 02 21 10 31 03 24 00 12 20 10 50 40 23 11 11 32 32 12 11
Maidstone United 22 21 30 12 22 20 32 22 23 12 12 20 11 30 42 24 24 11 01 21 01
Northwich Victoria 12 21 21 60 00 10 11 12 01 11 23 21 23 20 11 14 12 00 00 21 21
Runcorn 11 01 21 30 22 21 22 51 10 20 41 12 32 21 11 10 21 10 40 21 12
Stafford Rangers 30 11 10 34 22 40 31 32 21 02 14 01 23 30 21 20 11 52 20 00 30
Sutton United 21 01 31 12 30 11 33 20 22 20 41 23 51 11 22 20 21 11 11 01 22
Telford United 10 24 31 21 01 10 40 21 23 43 01 00 10 11 21 12 33 11 20 10 00
Wealdstone 00 06 11 11 14 23 10 21 02 11 00 11 13 22 01 42 00 22 11 02 00
Welling United 01 02 21 31 01 61 11 11 31 12 14 31 01 11 11 05 14 41 40 02 10
Weymouth 10 20 31 31 11 10 13 11 21 11 30 11 21 00 00 20 21 10 21 40 00
Wycombe Wanderers 10 07 22 12 53 21 15 11 03 01 12 50 15 11 22 04 11 21 10 31 21

Source: Rothmans Football Yearbook 1988–89. Queen Anne Press, Macdonald Futura Publishers, London & Sydney, 1988.
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers in order of league goals[1]

Rank Player Club League FA Cup FA Trophy League Cup Total
1 Steve Norris Telford United 2406535
= Phil Derbyshire Stafford Rangers 2433232
= Paul Davies Kidderminster Harriers 2421027
4 Steve Butler Maidstone United 2234029
= Mark Carter Runcorn 2212025
= Nicky Evans Barnet 2270130
7 Nicky Francis Enfield 2114329
8 Steve Burr Macclesfield Town 1994032
= Lenny Dennis Sutton United 1940225
= Dave Sansom Barnet 1932327
11 Kim Casey Kidderminster Harriers 1722021
12 Phil Brown Lincoln City 1612120
= Mark Smith Kettering Town 1602119
= Paul Wilson Boston United 1623021
= Brett Angell Cheltenham Town 1651022
16 Steve Biggins Telford United 1513120
= John McGinley Lincoln City 1530220
= Paul McKinnon Sutton United 1520219

Promotion and relegation

Promoted

Relegated

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jack Rollin (ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1988–89. Queen Anne Press, MacDonald & Co., London and Sydney, 1988.

External links