1898–99 Southern Football League
The 1898-99 season was the fifth in the history of the Southern League. This season saw the expansion of Division One up to 14 teams and creation of Division Two South-West, though it was disbanded at the end of the season after all its clubs left. No Southern League clubs applied for promotion to the Football League. Southampton were Division One champions for the third season in a row. Overall Division Two champions being decided in a playoff in which Thames Ironworks defeated Cowes 3-1 at The Den.[1]
Division One
| Season | 1898–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Southampton (3rd title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Warmley (resigned) |
| Matches played | 156 |
| Goals scored | 506 (3.24 per match) |
← 1897–98 | |
A total of 14 teams contest the division, including ten sides from previous season and four new teams.
Teams promoted from Division Two:
- Royal Artillery - test matches winners
- Warmley - test matches winners
Newly elected teams:
- Bedminster (elected from the Western League)
- Brighton United
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 54 | 24 | 2.25 | 35 | |
| 2 | Bristol City | 24 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 55 | 33 | 1.67 | 33 | |
| 3 | Millwall Athletic | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 59 | 35 | 1.69 | 30 | |
| 4 | Chatham Town | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 32 | 23 | 1.39 | 28 | |
| 5 | Reading | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 24 | 1.29 | 26 | |
| 6 | New Brompton | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 38 | 30 | 1.27 | 25 | |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 36 | 1.11 | 24 | |
| 8 | Bedminster | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 35 | 39 | 0.9 | 24 | |
| 9 | Swindon Town | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 43 | 49 | 0.88 | 23 | |
| 10 | Brighton United | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 37 | 48 | 0.77 | 20 | |
| 11 | Gravesend United | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 42 | 52 | 0.81 | 19 | |
| 12 | Sheppey United | 24 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 23 | 53 | 0.43 | 13 | Relegation test matches |
| 13 | Royal Artillery | 24 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 17 | 60 | 0.28 | 12 | Relegation test matches, changed name to Portsmouth at end of season |
| 14 | Warmley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Resigned from League after 17 matches, record expunged |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Division Two London
| Season | 1898–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Thames Ironworks |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | St Albans (folded) Uxbridge (resigned) |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 597 (4.52 per match) |
← 1897–98 | |
Division Two London was formed on basis of previous season Division Two. A total of 12 teams contest the division, including eight sides from previous season and four new teams.
Team relegated from Division One:
- Wolverton L&NWR - test matches losers
Newly elected teams:
- Thames Ironworks - London League winners
- Brentford
- Fulham
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thames Ironworks | 22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 64 | 16 | 4 | 39 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Wolverton L&NWR | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 88 | 43 | 2.05 | 30 | |
| 3 | Watford | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 62 | 35 | 1.77 | 30 | |
| 4 | Brentford | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 39 | 1.51 | 25 | |
| 5 | Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 55 | 57 | 0.96 | 22 | |
| 6 | Southall | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 44 | 55 | 0.8 | 22 | |
| 7 | Chesham | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 45 | 62 | 0.73 | 20 | Changed name to Chesham Town at end of season |
| 8 | St Albans | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 45 | 59 | 0.76 | 19 | Folded at end of season |
| 9 | Shepherds Bush | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 37 | 53 | 0.7 | 17 | |
| 10 | Fulham | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 44 | 0.82 | 16 | |
| 11 | Uxbridge | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 48 | 0.6 | 16 | Left league at end of season |
| 12 | Maidenhead | 22 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 86 | 0.38 | 8 |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Division Two South-West
| Season | 1898–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cowes |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | league disbanded |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 160 (5.33 per match) |
← 1897–98 | |
Division Two South-West was newly formed and short-lived formation. At the end of the season division was liquidated and the League returned to 2-division structure.
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cowes | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 10 | 5.2 | 20 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Ryde | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 11 | 2.73 | 14 | Left league at end of season |
| 3 | Freemantle | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 32 | 0.66 | 10 | Left league at end of season |
| 4 | Sandown Bay | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 34 | 0.65 | 8 | Left league at end of season |
| 5 | Eastleigh | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 19 | 32 | 0.59 | 4 | Left league at end of season |
| 6 | Andover | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 41 | 0.39 | 4 | Left league at end of season |
| 7 | East Lancs Regiment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Resigned from league after three matches, record expunged |
| 8 | Trowbridge Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Resigned from league after three matches, record expunged |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Promotion-relegation test matches
At the end of the season, test matches were held between the bottom two clubs in Division One and the top club in both Division Twos. Royal Artillery lost 4-1 to Cowes, but remained in Division One after reforming as Portsmouth, whilst Cowes were promoted. Sheppey United and Thames Ironworks drew 1-1, leading to Sheppey remaining in Division One and Thames Ironworks joining them.[1]
| Division One clubs | v | Division Two clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Artillery | 1 – 4 | Cowes |
|---|---|---|
References
- ^ a b Thames Ironworks at the Football Club History Database