2017–18 Southern Football League
The 2017–18 season was the 115th in the history of the Southern League since its establishment in 1894. It was also the last to have a single Premier Division. From the 2014–15 season onwards, the Southern League is known as Evo-Stik League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The league constitution was announced in May 2017.[1]
Premier Division
Season | 2017–18 |
---|---|
Champions | Merthyr Town, 18 November |
Highest attendance | 4,556 – Hereford 4 – 1 Kettering Town, 21 April |
Lowest attendance | 67 – St Ives Town 2 – 6 Stratford Town, 17 April |
Total attendance | 256,331 |
Average attendance | 464 (+35.6% to previous season) |
← 2016–17 → |
At the end of the season a new division was to be created at step 3. Also, the number of clubs in step 3 divisions was reduced from 24 to 22. To make up the number of clubs at step 3 only one Premier Division club was to be relegated this season.
The Premier Division consisted of 24 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season, and six new clubs:
- Two clubs promoted from Division One Central:
- Two clubs promoted from Division One South & West:
- Two clubs relegated from the National League South:
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hereford | 46 | 36 | 5 | 5 | 111 | 33 | +78 | 113 | Promoted to the National League North |
2 | King's Lynn Town | 46 | 30 | 10 | 6 | 99 | 39 | +60 | 100 | Qualified for the play-offs, then placed to Premier Division Central[a] |
3 | Slough Town | 46 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 111 | 49 | +62 | 99 | Qualified for the play-offs, then promoted to the National League South |
4 | Kettering Town | 46 | 30 | 7 | 9 | 122 | 56 | +66 | 97 | Qualified for the play-offs, then placed to Premier Division Central |
5 | Weymouth | 46 | 30 | 7 | 9 | 103 | 48 | +55 | 97 | Qualified for the play-offs, then placed to Premier Division South |
6 | Tiverton Town | 46 | 24 | 6 | 16 | 78 | 69 | +9 | 78 | Placed to Premier Division South |
7 | Royston Town | 46 | 24 | 5 | 17 | 84 | 65 | +19 | 77 | Placed to Premier Division Central |
8 | Chesham United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 85 | 61 | +24 | 74 | Placed to Premier Division South |
9 | Banbury United | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 90 | 59 | +31 | 72 | Placed to Premier Division Central |
10 | Basingstoke Town | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 92 | 72 | +20 | 71 | Placed to Premier Division South |
11 | Hitchin Town | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 67 | 66 | +1 | 66 | Placed to Premier Division Central |
12 | St Neots Town | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 79 | 79 | 0 | 64 | |
13 | Frome Town | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 78 | 96 | −18 | 61 | Placed to Premier Division South |
14 | Redditch United | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 73 | 73 | 0 | 55 | Placed to Premier Division Central |
15 | Stratford Town | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 68 | 81 | −13 | 55 | |
16 | Biggleswade Town | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 52 | 63 | −11 | 53 | |
17 | Merthyr Town
|
46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 76 | 98 | −22 | 53 | Placed to Premier Division South |
18 | Bishop's Stortford | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 74 | 79 | −5 | 52 | Transferred to Isthmian League Premier Division |
19 | Dorchester Town | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 62 | 83 | −21 | 51 | Placed to Premier Division South |
20 | Farnborough | 46 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 82 | 120 | −38 | 51 | |
21 | Kings Langley | 46 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 63 | 98 | −35 | 38 | |
22 | St Ives Town | 46 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 54 | 105 | −51 | 33 | Placed to Premier Division Central |
23 | Gosport Borough | 46 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 41 | 142 | −101 | 19[b] | Placed to Premier Division South |
24 | Dunstable Town | 46 | 4 | 5 | 37 | 27 | 137 | −110 | 17 | Relegated to Division One Central |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [3]
Notes:
- ^ Four teams played for one spot and promotion to the National League North / South.
- ^ Gosport Borough were deducted one point for fielding an ineligible player in their draw against Biggleswade Town on 31 March.[2]
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
2 | King's Lynn Town | 3 | |||||||
5 | Weymouth | 0 | |||||||
2 | King's Lynn Town | 1 | |||||||
3 | Slough Town | 2 | |||||||
3 | Slough Town | 3 | |||||||
4 | Kettering Town | 1 |
Semi-finals
2 May 2018 | King's Lynn Town | 3–0 | Weymouth | The Walks, King's Lynn |
19:45 (UTC+01:00) | Norman ![]() Parker ![]() King ![]() |
2 May 2018 | Slough Town | 3–1 | Kettering Town | Arbour Park, Slough |
19:45 (UTC+01:00) | Coles ![]() Dobson ![]() Dobson ![]() |
O'Connor ![]() |
Final
7 May 2018 | King's Lynn Town | 1–2 | Slough Town | The Walks, King's Lynn |
15:00 (UTC+01:00) | Hilliard ![]() |
Flood ![]() Williams ![]() |
Attendance: 2,842 |
Stadia and locations
Club | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Banbury United | Spencer Stadium | 2,000 |
Basingstoke Town | The Camrose | 6,000 |
Biggleswade Town | Langford Road | 3,000 |
Bishop's Stortford | Woodside Park | 4,525 |
Chesham United | The Meadow | 5,000 |
Dorchester Town | The Avenue Stadium | 5,009 |
Dunstable Town | Creasey Park | 3,200 |
Farnborough | Cherrywood Road | 7,000 |
Frome Town | Badgers Hill | 2,000 |
Gosport Borough | Privett Park | 4,500 |
Hereford | Edgar Street | 4,913 |
Hitchin Town | Top Field | 4,000 |
Kettering Town | Latimer Park (groundshare with Burton Park Wanderers) | 2,400 |
King's Lynn Town | The Walks | 5,733 |
Kings Langley | Gaywood Park | 1,000 |
Merthyr Town |
Penydarren Park | 10,000 |
Redditch United | The Valley | 5,000 |
Royston Town | Garden Walk | 5,000 |
Slough Town | Arbour Park | 1,950 |
St Ives Town | Westwood Road | 2,000 |
St Neots Town | New Rowley Park | 3,500 |
Stratford Town | Knights Lane | 1,400 |
Tiverton Town | Ladysmead | 3,500 |
Weymouth | Bob Lucas Stadium | 6,600 |
Division One East
Season | 2017–18 |
---|---|
Champions | Ashford Town 10 – 0 Fleet Town, 24 October |
Biggest away win | Arlesey Town 1 – 9 Hayes & Yeading United, 20 January |
Highest scoring | 10 goals (3 matches) |
→ |
For this season, Division One Central was renamed Division One East.
At the end of the season a new division was to be created at step 3. To make up the number of clubs at step 3 two clubs from each step 4 division, one club with best points-per-game among the step 4 division clubs and six play-off winners were to be promoted this season. Also, a new division were to be added at step 4 within the Isthmian League, while the number of clubs in every step 4 division was decreased to 20. To make up the number of clubs only one club was to be relegated.
Division One East consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season Division One Central, and six new clubs:
- AFC Rushden & Diamonds, transferred from the Northern Premier League Division One South
- Cambridge City, relegated from the Premier Division
- Hartley Wintney, promoted from the Combined Counties League
- Hayes & Yeading United, relegated from the Premier Division
- Moneyfields, promoted from the Wessex League
- Thame United, promoted from the Hellenic League
For 2018–19, Division One East was renamed Division One Central.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Beaconsfield Town | 42 | 29 | 5 | 8 | 99 | 46 | +53 | 92 | Promoted to Premier Division South |
2 | AFC Rushden & Diamonds | 42 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 92 | 25 | +67 | 91 | Promoted to Premier Division Central |
3 | Hayes & Yeading United | 42 | 26 | 5 | 11 | 103 | 49 | +54 | 83 | Qualified for the play-offs, then transferred to the Isthmian League South Central Division[a] |
4 | Hartley Wintney | 42 | 26 | 4 | 12 | 96 | 53 | +43 | 82 | Qualified for the play-offs, then promoted to Premier Division South |
5 | AFC Dunstable | 42 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 80 | 37 | +43 | 79 | Qualified for the play-offs |
6 | Cambridge City | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 99 | 53 | +46 | 77 | |
7 | Kempston Rovers | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 80 | 68 | +12 | 73 | |
8 | Bedford Town | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 70 | 48 | +22 | 72 | |
9 | Chalfont St Peter | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 56 | 39 | +17 | 72 | Transferred to the Isthmian League South Central Division |
10 | Moneyfields | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 79 | 63 | +16 | 69 | Transferred to Division One South |
11 | Thame United | 42 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 84 | 78 | +6 | 64 | |
12 | Ashford Town
|
42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 81 | 68 | +13 | 56 | Transferred to the Isthmian League South Central Division |
13 | Aylesbury United | 42 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 52 | 73 | −21 | 52[b] | |
14 | Marlow | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 54 | 75 | −21 | 49 | Transferred to the Isthmian League South Central Division |
15 | Uxbridge | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 58 | 87 | −29 | 49 | |
16 | Egham Town | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 54 | 88 | −34 | 48 | |
17 | Northwood | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 54 | 71 | −17 | 41 | |
18 | Hanwell Town | 42 | 9 | 7 | 26 | 48 | 88 | −40 | 34 | |
19 | Fleet Town | 42 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 38 | 86 | −48 | 34 | Transferred to Division One South |
20 | Barton Rovers | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 39 | 86 | −47 | 33 | |
21 | Aylesbury
|
42 | 9 | 6 | 27 | 40 | 88 | −48 | 33 | |
22 | Arlesey Town | 42 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 36 | 123 | −87 | 14 | Relegated to the Spartan South Midlands League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [3]
Notes:
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
3 | Hayes & Yeading United | 0 | |||||||
6 | Cambridge City | 1 | |||||||
4 | Hartley Wintney | 1 | |||||||
6 | Cambridge City | 0 | |||||||
4 | Hartley Wintney | 2 | |||||||
5 | AFC Dunstable | 0 |
Semi-finals
2 May 2018 | Hayes & Yeading United | 0–1 | Cambridge City | Beaconsfield Road, Hayes |
19:45 (UTC+01:00) |
2 May 2018 | Hartley Wintney | 2–0 | AFC Dunstable | The Memorial Playing Fields, Hartley Wintney |
19:45 (UTC+01:00) |
Final
7 May 2018 | Hartley Wintney | 1–0 | Cambridge City | The Memorial Playing Fields, Hartley Wintney |
15:00 (UTC+01:00) |
Stadia and locations
![Ashford Town](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)
![Chalfont St Peter](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)
![Egham Town](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)
![Hanwell Town](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)
![Hayes & Yeading](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)
![Northwood](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)
![Uxbridge](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_000080_pog.svg/8px-Blue_000080_pog.svg.png)