1997–98 Football Conference

The Football Conference season of 1997–98 was the nineteenth season of the Football Conference, also known as the Vauxhall Conference for sponsorship reasons.

Changes since the previous season

Final league table[1]

Conference National
Season 1997–98
Champions Halifax Town (1st Football Conference title)
Direct promotion Halifax Town
Conference League Cup winners Morecambe
FA Trophy winners Cheltenham Town (1st FA Trophy title)
Relegated to Level 6 Gateshead,
Slough Town,
Stalybridge Celtic
Matches played 462
Goals scored 1344 (2.91 per match)
Top goalscorer Geoff Horsfield (Halifax Town), 30
Biggest home win Farnborough Town – Stalybridge Celtic 6–0 (20 December 1997)
Biggest away win MorecambeHereford 1–5 (1 November 1997);
Stevenage – Hayes 1–5 (1 September 1997) ;
Dover – Kidderminster 0–4 (20 September 1997);
KetteringRushden & Diamonds 0–4 (21 February 1998);
LeekKettering 0–4 (31 March 1998)
Highest scoring HayesYeovil Town 6–4 (14 February 1998);
Rushden & Diamonds – Farnborough Town 5–5 (13 September 1997)
Longest winning run Halifax Town, 8 matches
Longest unbeaten run Cheltenham Town, 17 matches
Longest losing run Farnborough Town, Stalybridge Celtic, 7 matches
Highest attendance Halifax Town v Cheltenham Town, 6,357 (25 April 1998)
Lowest attendance ?
Average attendance ?
Locations of the Football Conference London teams 1997–1998
Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GD Pts Notes
1 Halifax Town 421740511588523287443+ 3187
2 Cheltenham Town 421542391585824286343+ 2078
3 Woking 421434472285825247246+ 2674
4 Rushden & Diamonds 4212454426111935317957+ 2274
5 Morecambe 4211463530106542347764+ 1373
6 Hereford United 421173301976826305649+ 767
7 Hednesford Town 421443281248931385950+ 966
8 Slough Town 421065342184924285849+ 964[notes 1]
9 Northwich Victoria 42894342476829356359+ 460
10 Welling United 4211553927641125356462+ 260
11 Yeovil Town 4214344524351328397363+ 1059
12 Hayes 421047362566926276252+ 1058
13 Dover Athletic 4210473429561026416070– 1055
14 Kettering Town 42867292957924315360– 752
15 Stevenage Borough 428853527541224365963– 451
16 Southport 429573226461124325658– 250
17 Kidderminster Harriers 426873231561024325663– 747
18 Farnborough Town 4210383727251419435670– 1444
19 Leek Town 428853426261318415267– 1544
20 Telford United 426782531451228455376– 2342
21 Gateshead 427683235151519525187– 3635Relegated to the Northern Premier League
22 Stalybridge Celtic 4265103338131715554893– 4529Relegated to the Northern Premier League
  1. Slough Town were demoted because their ground did not meet Conference National requirements. They were demoted to the Isthmian Premier League.
Key
Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Division Three
FA Trophy winners
Conference League Cup winners
Relegated from the The Football League
New club in the Conference, see also Cheltenham Town
Relegated to Level 6

Results[1]

Home ╲ Away[1] CHL DOV FARGATHALHAYHEDHERKETKIDLEEMORNORR&DSLOSOUSTLSTBTELWELWOKYEO
Cheltenham Town 31 10 20 40 21 10 12 20 01 11 21 32 20 11 20 20 11 31 11 32 20
Dover Athletic 30 22 01 01 10 13 11 00 04 21 23 40 03 21 31 31 11 63 21 02 10
Farnborough Town 12 10 40 12 02 13 02 32 33 20 02 23 20 10 32 60 12 10 00 30 22
Gateshead 00 12 30 22 11 25 11 20 20 02 14 22 21 51 02 33 21 02 21 12 03
Halifax Town 11 11 10 20 11 11 30 30 21 21 51 42 20 10 43 31 40 61 10 10 31
Hayes 11 00 31 10 12 40 20 01 11 31 03 11 12 01 20 12 13 21 31 30 64
Hednesford Town 01 10 10 30 00 21 11 11 30 10 01 20 01 21 21 10 21 10 32 11 10
Hereford United 32 01 21 10 00 30 21 32 10 10 10 22 11 11 11 30 02 11 12 21 11
Kettering Town 01 21 21 30 11 11 21 12 22 10 11 13 04 33 21 31 20 13 01 01 11
Kidderminster Harriers 12 33 20 11 02 10 11 14 41 11 14 11 12 01 11 50 13 11 21 11 31
Leek Town 00 51 31 22 20 12 33 22 04 00 11 11 20 02 01 22 21 31 12 20 20
Morecambe 10 33 11 20 11 02 13 15 13 31 11 31 31 21 20 31 02 10 42 12 10
Northwich Victoria 21 21 33 11 20 11 11 02 00 11 31 50 24 01 00 10 10 22 51 02 21
Rushden & Diamonds 41 41 55 32 40 13 11 10 10 41 01 33 01 01 10 30 20 32 01 21 22
Slough Town 12 24 10 10 11 00 20 30 11 20 11 33 30 12 10 40 31 10 12 13 11
Southport 12 01 31 31 00 02 41 00 21 12 22 11 02 32 12 42 10 12 31 00 21
Stalybridge Celtic 14 10 11 22 01 11 11 23 34 21 61 31 01 24 01 13 11 12 21 03 32
Stevenage Borough 12 22 50 61 12 15 11 20 00 31 11 03 13 21 42 10 11 11 00 00 21
Telford United 00 01 01 44 03 10 11 00 11 11 30 13 21 42 01 22 10 30 03 03 14
Welling United 21 22 10 20 62 20 32 30 22 03 20 22 01 01 11 35 10 10 41 11 13
Woking 20 40 30 31 22 30 42 31 01 01 52 02 10 02 21 11 31 53 11 31 20
Yeovil Town 31 41 01 63 01 43 10 20 20 10 31 23 22 12 21 00 20 21 53 11 20

Source: Glenda Rollin (ed.), Jack Rollin (exec. ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1998–99. Headline, 1998.
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 Geoff Horsfield Halifax Town 3040034
2 Darren Collins Rushden & Diamonds 2903032
3 Darran Hay Woking 2000121
4 Mark Cooper Welling United 1810019
= John Norman Morecambe 1800321
6 Neil Grayson Hereford United & Cheltenham Town 1740122
7 Owen Pickard Yeovil Town 1760124
= Dale Watkins Cheltenham Town 1747129
= Mike Bignall Kidderminster Harriers 1610017
= Brendan Burke Stalybridge Celtic 1621120
= Jason Eaton Cheltenham Town 1624022
= David Mehew Rushden & Diamonds 1610017
= Warren Patmore Yeovil Town 1600117
14 Ritchie Hanlon Welling United 1500015
= Martin Randall Hayes 1502219
16 Jamie Paterson Halifax Town 1431018
= Grant Payne Woking 1400115
= Chris Pearson Kettering Town 1400014
19 Andy Milner Morecambe 1300215
20 Steve Bowey Gateshead 1211014
= Jimmy Strouts Dover Athletic 1200113

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Glenda Rollin (ed.), Jack Rollin (exec. ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1998–99. Headline, 1998.

External links