1995–96 Southern Football League
The 1995–96 Southern Football League season saw the Max Griggs-funded Rushden & Diamonds win the Premier Division to earn promotion to the Football Conference.[1] Ilkeston Town, Stafford Rangers and VS Rugby were relegated to the Midland and Southern Divisions, whilst Nuneaton Borough, Sittingbourne, King's Lynn and Ashford Town were promoted to the Premier Division, the former two as champions.
In the Midland Division, the bottom two clubs, Bury Town and Bridgnorth Town, were relegated to level eight leagues. Poole Town, who finished bottom of the Southern Division with just one point (from a 0–0 draw with Bashley) dropped two levels into the Hampshire League.
Tables
Premier Division
The Premier Division featured six new clubs:
- Baldock Town (promoted from the Southern Division)
- Merthyr Tydfil (relegated from the Football Conference)
- Ilkeston Town (promoted from the Midland Division)
- Newport (promoted from the Midland Division)
- Salisbury City (promoted from the Southern Division)
- Stafford Rangers (relegated from the Football Conference)
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rushden & Diamonds | 42 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 99 | 41 | 58 | 94 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
2 | Halesowen Town | 42 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 70 | 36 | 34 | 92 | |
3 | Cheltenham Town | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 76 | 57 | 19 | 74 | |
4 | Gloucester City | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 65 | 47 | 18 | 71 | |
5 | Gresley Rovers | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 70 | 58 | 12 | 70 | |
6 | Worcester City | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 61 | 43 | 18 | 69 | |
7 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 67 | 59 | 8 | 63 | |
8 | Hastings Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 68 | 56 | 12 | 61 | |
9 | Crawley Town | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 57 | 56 | 1 | 58 | |
10 | Sudbury Town | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 69 | 71 | −2 | 55 | |
11 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 60 | 62 | −2 | 55 | |
12 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 46 | 53 | −7 | 55 | |
13 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 62 | 57 | 5 | 53 | |
14 | Newport | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 53 | 59 | −6 | 52 | |
15 | Salisbury City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 57 | 69 | −12 | 52 | |
16 | Burton Albion | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 51 | |
17 | Atherstone United | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 58 | 75 | −17 | 48 | |
18 | Baldock Town | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 51 | 56 | −5 | 47 | |
19 | Cambridge City | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 68 | −12 | 46 | |
20 | Ilkeston Town | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 53 | 87 | −34 | 43 | Relegated to Midland and Southern Divisions |
21 | Stafford Rangers | 42 | 11 | 4 | 27 | 58 | 90 | −32 | 37 | |
22 | VS Rugby | 42 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 92 | −55 | 25 |
Midland Division
The Midland Division featured four new clubs:
- Bury Town (transferred from the Southern Division)
- Corby Town (relegated from the Premier Division)
- Paget Rangers (promoted from the Midland Alliance)
- Solihull Borough (relegated from the Premier Division)
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nuneaton Borough | 42 | 30 | 5 | 7 | 82 | 35 | 47 | 95 | Promoted to Premier Division |
2 | King's Lynn | 42 | 27 | 5 | 10 | 85 | 43 | 42 | 84 | Two points deducted, promoted |
3 | Bedworth United | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 76 | 42 | 34 | 81 | One point deducted |
4 | Moor Green | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 81 | 47 | 34 | 74 | |
5 | Paget Rangers | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 70 | 45 | 25 | 72 | |
6 | Tamworth | 42 | 22 | 3 | 17 | 97 | 64 | 33 | 69 | |
7 | Solihull Borough | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 77 | 64 | 13 | 66 | |
8 | Rothwell Town | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 79 | 62 | 17 | 65 | |
9 | Buckingham Town | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 74 | 62 | 12 | 63 | |
10 | Dudley Town | 42 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 83 | 66 | 17 | 61 | |
11 | Stourbridge | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 60 | 63 | −3 | 59 | |
12 | Bilston Town | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 61 | 62 | −1 | 57 | |
13 | Sutton Coldfield Town | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 62 | 67 | −5 | 57 | |
14 | Grantham Town | 42 | 17 | 5 | 20 | 71 | 83 | −12 | 56 | |
15 | Redditch United | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 57 | 77 | −20 | 53 | |
16 | Leicester United | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 72 | −14 | 52 | |
17 | Hinckley Town | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 62 | 83 | −21 | 49 | |
18 | Racing Club Warwick | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 67 | 90 | −23 | 43 | |
19 | Evesham United | 42 | 11 | 6 | 25 | 59 | 94 | −35 | 39 | |
20 | Corby Town | 42 | 9 | 7 | 26 | 52 | 95 | −43 | 34 | |
21 | Bury Town | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 57 | 95 | −38 | 32 | Relegated to Eastern Counties League |
22 | Bridgnorth Town | 42 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 53 | 112 | −59 | 27 | Relegated to Midland Alliance |
Southern Division
The Southern Division featured five new clubs
- Cinderford Town (promoted from the Hellenic League
- Fleet Town (promoted from the Wessex League
- Forest Green Rovers (transferred from the Midland Division)
- Sittingbourne (relegated from the Premier Division)
- Trowbridge Town (relegated from the Premier Division)
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sittingbourne | 42 | 28 | 4 | 10 | 102 | 44 | 58 | 88 | Promoted to Premier Division |
2 | Ashford Town | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 75 | 44 | 31 | 84 | |
3 | Waterlooville | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 87 | 44 | 43 | 80 | |
4 | Newport Isle of Wight | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 75 | 58 | 17 | 78 | |
5 | Braintree Town | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 93 | 70 | 23 | 77 | Three points deducted, transferred to Isthmian League at the end of the season |
6 | Weymouth | 42 | 24 | 4 | 14 | 75 | 55 | 20 | 76 | |
7 | Havant Town | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 73 | 42 | 31 | 74 | Six points deducted |
8 | Forest Green Rovers | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 85 | 55 | 30 | 74 | |
9 | Trowbridge Town | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 86 | 51 | 35 | 62 | |
10 | Yate Town | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 85 | 71 | 14 | 59 | |
11 | Margate | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 68 | 62 | 6 | 59 | |
12 | Witney Town | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 60 | 54 | 6 | 59 | |
13 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 78 | 68 | 10 | 57 | |
14 | Cinderford Town | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 74 | 77 | −3 | 56 | |
15 | Fisher 93 | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 55 | |
16 | Bashley | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 63 | 61 | 2 | 53 | |
17 | Clevedon Town | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 70 | 80 | −10 | 51 | |
18 | Tonbridge Angels | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 58 | 79 | −21 | 49 | |
19 | Fleet Town | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 58 | 79 | −21 | 47 | |
20 | Fareham Town | 42 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 71 | 97 | −26 | 41 | |
21 | Erith & Belvedere | 42 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 38 | 111 | −73 | 16 | |
22 | Poole Town | 42 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 17 | 188 | −171 | 1 | Dropped into Hampshire League |