1894–95 Southern Football League
The 1894–95 season was the first in the history of the Southern League. Sixteen clubs joined the new league, which was split into two divisions. Millwall Athletic won Division One without losing a match, and were invited to join the Football League but declined because of travelling.[1]
Division One
| Season | 1894–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Millwall Athletic |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | none |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 285 (3.96 per match) |
1895–96 → | |
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millwall Athletic | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 68 | 19 | 3.58 | 28 | |
| 2 | Luton Town | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 22 | 1.64 | 22 | |
| 3 | Southampton St. Mary's | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 34 | 25 | 1.36 | 20 | |
| 4 | Ilford | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 26 | 40 | 0.65 | 15 | |
| 5 | Reading | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 33 | 38 | 0.87 | 14 | |
| 6 | Chatham Town | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 25 | 0.88 | 13 | |
| 7 | Royal Ordnance Factories | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 30 | 0.67 | 12 | Relegation test matches |
| 8 | Clapton | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 38 | 0.58 | 11 | |
| 9 | Swindon Town | 16 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 48 | 0.5 | 9 |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up 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
| Season | 1894–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | New Brompton |
| Promoted | New Brompton |
| Relegated | none |
| Matches played | 42 |
| Goals scored | 184 (4.38 per match) |
1895–96 → | |
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Brompton | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 10 | 5.7 | 22 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Sheppey United | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 23 | 1.09 | 13 | |
| 3 | Old St.Stephen's | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 26 | 26 | 1 | 12 | |
| 4 | Uxbridge | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 20 | 0.7 | 11 | |
| 5 | Bromley | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 0.77 | 9 | |
| 6 | Chesham | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 42 | 0.48 | 9 | |
| 7 | Maidenhead | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 33 | 0.58 | 8 |
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up 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, the bottom three clubs in Division One played the top three clubs in Division Two in test matches to decide on promotion and relegation. Division Two champions New Brompton were the only lower division club to win, although their opponents, Swindon Town, were not relegated, with the First Division expanding to 10 clubs.
| Division One clubs | v | Division Two clubs |
|---|---|---|
References
- ^ Leigh Edwards (1993). The Official Centenary History of the Southern League. p. 26. ISBN 1-871872-08-1.