1897–98 Southern Football League
The 1897–98 season was the fourth in the history of the Southern League. Southampton won the Division One championship for the second successive season. Bristol City applied for election to Division Two of the Football League. However, they were not elected.
Division One
| Season | 1897–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Southampton (2nd title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Northfleet Wolverton L&NWR |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 507 (3.84 per match) |
← 1896–97 1898–99 → | |
A total of 12 teams contest the division, including eleven sides from previous season and one new team.
Newly elected team:
- Bristol City
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton | 22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 53 | 18 | 2.94 | 37 | |
| 2 | Bristol City | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 67 | 33 | 2.03 | 33 | |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 52 | 31 | 1.68 | 28 | |
| 4 | Chatham Town | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 50 | 34 | 1.47 | 28 | |
| 5 | Reading | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 39 | 31 | 1.26 | 23 | |
| 6 | New Brompton | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 37 | 1 | 22 | |
| 7 | Sheppey United | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 40 | 49 | 0.82 | 21 | |
| 8 | Gravesend United | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 39 | 0.72 | 20 | |
| 9 | Millwall Athletic | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 48 | 45 | 1.07 | 18 | |
| 10 | Swindon Town | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 36 | 48 | 0.75 | 16 | |
| 11 | Northfleet | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 29 | 60 | 0.48 | 11 | Relegation test matches |
| 12 | Wolverton L&NWR | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 28 | 82 | 0.34 | 7 |
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
| Season | 1897–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Royal Artillery |
| Promoted | Royal Artillery Warmley |
| Relegated | Dartford (resigned) RETB Chatham (resigned) |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 652 (4.94 per match) |
← 1896–97 1898–99 → | |
A total of 12 teams contest the division, including ten sides from previous season and two new teams.
Newly elected teams:
- Royal Artillery Portsmouth
- St Albans
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Artillery Portsmouth | 22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 75 | 22 | 3.41 | 39 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Warmley | 22 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 108 | 15 | 7.2 | 38 | |
| 3 | West Herts | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 50 | 48 | 1.04 | 28 | Merged with Watford St Mary's to form Watford |
| 4 | Uxbridge | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 39 | 57 | 0.68 | 24 | |
| 5 | St Albans | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 47 | 41 | 1.15 | 23 | |
| 6 | Dartford | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 68 | 55 | 1.24 | 22 | Left to join Kent League at end of season |
| 7 | Southall | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 49 | 61 | 0.8 | 18 | |
| 8 | Chesham | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 38 | 48 | 0.79 | 18 | |
| 9 | Old St.Stephen's | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 47 | 66 | 0.71 | 16 | Changed name to Shepherd's Bush at end of season |
| 10 | Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 37 | 55 | 0.67 | 16 | |
| 11 | Maidenhead | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 27 | 81 | 0.33 | 12 | |
| 12 | RETB Chatham | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 26 | 62 | 0.42 | 10 | Left to join Kent League at end of season |
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
Unlike previous seasons in which individual test matches had been played between clubs, this season saw the bottom two clubs in Division One and the top two clubs in Division two play in a four-club round robin, with the top two retaining or earning a place in Division One. Both Division Two clubs were promoted after the matches, with Northfleet leaving the league after the season ended.[1]
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv1 | Pts2 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Artillery Portsmouth | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 7 | Promoted |
| 2 | Warmley | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Northfleet | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 0.55 | 2 | Relegated |
| 4 | Wolverton L&NWR | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 0.45 | 2 |
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.
Football League elections
Only one Southern League club, Bristol City, applied for election to Division Two of the Football League. However, they were not elected.[2] Although Darwen were initially voted out of the league, a decision was made to expand the League by four clubs, and they were readmitted, along with New Brighton Tower, Glossop North End and Barnsley.
References
- ^ Northfleet at the Football Club History Database
- ^ A history of admission to the Football League