2008–09 Football Conference
Season | 2008–09 |
---|---|
← 2007–08 2009–10 → |
The 2008–09 Football Conference season was the fifth season with the Conference consisting of three divisions, and the thirtieth season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference Premier is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, whilst the Conference North and Conference South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the playoff of the National division were promoted to Football League Two, while the bottom four were relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions were promoted to the National division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions were relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League. For sponsorship reasons, the Conference Premier is frequently referred to as the Blue Square Premier.
Conference Premier
A total of 24 teams contested the division, including 18 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two, two promoted from the Conference North and two promoted from the Conference South.
Promotion and relegation
Teams promoted from 2007–08 Conference North
Teams promoted from 2007–08 Conference South
Teams relegated from 2007–08 Football League Two
Eastbourne, Mansfield, Lewes and Wrexham appear in the Conference Premier for the first time, whilst Barrow return to the league after ten years. Kettering have three times been runners-up at this level and return to the league after an absence of five years. Altrincham remain in the Conference after a third consecutive reprieve from relegation, following Halifax Town's demotion for financial reasons.
Woking's relegation ended the tenure of the Football Conference's longest serving club, completing seventeen seasons in the top-flight.
League table
Season | 2008–09 |
---|---|
Champions | Burton Albion (1st Football Conference title) |
Promoted to League Two | Burton Albion, Torquay United |
Relegated to Conference North/Conference South | Woking Northwich Victoria Weymouth Lewes |
Promoted for the next season | Tamworth, Gateshead, AFC Wimbledon, Hayes & Yeading United |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,410 (2.55 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Andrew Mangan (Forest Green Rovers), 26 |
Biggest home win | Wrexham – Eastbourne Borough 5–0, Wrexham – Stevenage Borough 5–0 |
Biggest away win | Weymouth – Rushden & Diamonds 0–9 |
Highest scoring | Weymouth – Rushden & Diamonds 0–9, Oxford United – Eastbourne Borough 6–3 |
Longest winning run | Burton Albion (12 games) |
Longest unbeaten run | Burton Albion (18 games) |
Longest losing run | ? |
Average attendance | 1,783 (−1% compared with the previous season) |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Burton Albion (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 7 | 12 | 81 | 52 | +29 | 88 | Promotion to League Two |
2 | Cambridge United | 46 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 65 | 39 | +26 | 86 | Qualification for Conference Premier Playoffs |
3 | Histon | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 83 | |
4 | Torquay United (P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 72 | 47 | +25 | 83 | |
5 | Stevenage Borough | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 73 | 54 | +19 | 81 | |
6 | Kidderminster Harriers | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 69 | 48 | +21 | 79 | |
7 | Oxford United | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 72 | 51 | +21 | 77[a] | |
8 | Kettering Town | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 50 | 37 | +13 | 76 | |
9 | Crawley Town | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 77 | 55 | +22 | 70[b] | |
10 | Wrexham | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 64 | 48 | +16 | 66 | |
11 | Rushden & Diamonds | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 61 | 50 | +11 | 63 | |
12 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 62[c] | |
13 | Eastbourne Borough | 46 | 18 | 6 | 22 | 58 | 70 | −12 | 60 | |
14 | Ebbsfleet United | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 52 | 60 | −8 | 58 | |
15 | Altrincham | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 49 | 66 | −17 | 56 | |
16 | Salisbury City | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 54 | 64 | −10 | 55 | |
17 | York City | 46 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 52 | |
18 | Forest Green Rovers | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 70 | 76 | −6 | 52 | |
19 | Grays Athletic | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 44 | 64 | −20 | 52 | |
20 | Barrow | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 51 | 65 | −14 | 51 | |
21 | Woking (R) | 46 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 37 | 60 | −23 | 44 | Relegation to Conference North/Conference South |
22 | Northwich Victoria (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 56 | 75 | −19 | 43 | |
23 | Weymouth (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 45 | 86 | −41 | 43 | |
24 | Lewes (R) | 46 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 28 | 89 | −61 | 24 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
Play-offs
Semi-finals | Final at Wembley Stadium | ||||||||
5 | Stevenage Borough | 3 | |||||||
2 | Cambridge United | 1 | |||||||
2 | Cambridge United | 0 | |||||||
4 | Torquay United | 2 | |||||||
4 | Torquay United | 2 | |||||||
3 | Histon | 0 |
Top goalscorers
Conference North
Season | 2008–09 |
---|---|
Champions | Tamworth |
Promoted | Tamworth Gateshead |
Relegated | Burscough Hucknall Town |
Top goalscorer | Lee Novak (26) |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → |
A total of 22 teams contested the division, including 16 sides from last season, three relegated from the Conference Premier, two promoted from the Northern Premier League and one promoted from the Southern Football League.
Promotion and relegation
Teams promoted from 2007–08 Northern Premier League
Teams promoted from 2007–08 Southern Football League
Teams relegated from 2007–08 Conference Premier
Droylsden and Farsley are returned having spent just one season in the higher league. Fleetwood reached a new high eleven seasons after being re-formed following the bankruptcy of the original Fleetwood Town. Both Boston United and Nuneaton Borough were expelled from the league for financial reasons before the season, resulting in Vauxhall Motors relegation and Redditch United's transfer to the Conference South being cancelled.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tamworth (C, P) | 42 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 70 | 41 | +29 | 85 | Promotion to Conference Premier |
2 | Gateshead (P) | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 81 | 48 | +33 | 80 | Qualification for Conference North Playoffs |
3 | Alfreton Town | 42 | 20 | 17 | 5 | 81 | 48 | +33 | 77 | |
4 | A.F.C. Telford United | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 34 | +31 | 76 | |
5 | Southport | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 63 | 36 | +27 | 76 | |
6 | Stalybridge Celtic | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 71 | 50 | +21 | 70 | |
7 | Droylsden | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 44 | +20 | 68 | |
8 | Fleetwood Town | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 70 | 66 | +4 | 62 | |
9 | Harrogate Town | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 66 | 57 | +9 | 61 | |
10 | Hinckley United | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 56 | 59 | −3 | 57 | |
11 | Vauxhall Motors | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 51 | 67 | −16 | 53 | |
12 | Workington | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 51 | |
13 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 57 | 63 | −6 | 50 | |
14 | Redditch United | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 49 | 61 | −12 | 50 | |
15 | Blyth Spartans | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 50 | 58 | −8 | 49 | |
16 | Solihull Moors | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 49 | 73 | −24 | 49 | |
17 | King's Lynn (R) | 42 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 48 | Demoted to Northern Premier League Premier Division[a] |
18 | Stafford Rangers | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 48 | |
19 | Farsley Celtic | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 58 | 65 | −7 | 47 | |
20 | Hyde United | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 57 | 80 | −23 | 42 | |
21 | Burscough (R) | 42 | 10 | 6 | 26 | 43 | 80 | −37 | 36 | Relegated to Northern Premier League Premier Division |
22 | Hucknall Town (R) | 42 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 39 | 84 | −45 | 28 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ King's Lynn demoted as their stadium does not meet the league standards,[4] thus Hyde United were reprieved from relegation.
Results
Play-offs
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
5 | Southport | 0 | |||||||
2 | Gateshead | 1 | |||||||
2 | Gateshead | 1 | |||||||
4 | A.F.C. Telford United | 0 | |||||||
4 | A.F.C. Telford United | 2 | |||||||
3 | Alfreton Town | 0 |
Top goalscorers
Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Lee Novak | Gateshead | 26 |
2 | Gareth Sheldon | Tamworth | 23 |
3 | Adam Warlow | Fleetwood Town | 19 |
Liam Hearn | Alfreton Town | ||
5 | Chris Simm | Hyde United | 18 |
6 | Paul Clayton | Alfreton Town | 17 |
7 | Ciaran Kilheeney | Southport | 16 |
Luke Beckett | Gainsborough Trinity | ||
9 | Gareth Arnison | Workington | 15 |
Andy Brown | A.F.C. Telford United |
Conference South
Season | 2008–09 |
---|---|
Champions | AFC Wimbledon |
Promoted | AFC Wimbledon Hayes & Yeading United |
Relegated | Bognor Regis Town Fisher Athletic |
Matches played | 462 |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → |
A total of 22 teams contested the division, including 18 sides from last season, one transferred from the Conference North, two promoted from the Isthmian League and one promoted from the Southern Football League.
Promotion and relegation
Teams promoted from 2007–08 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2007–08 Isthmian League
Teams transferred from Conference North
No teams were relegated to the Conference South from the Conference Premier, so Worcester City were transferred in from the Conference North. The expulsion of two teams from the Conference North for financial reasons cancelled Redditch United's transfer between the two, and allowed Dorchester Town to remain in the Conference South. All the four new teams never played in Conference South before.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | AFC Wimbledon (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 86 | 36 | +50 | 88 | Promotion to Conference Premier |
2 | Hampton & Richmond | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 74 | 37 | +37 | 85 | Qualification for Conference South Playoffs |
3 | Eastleigh | 42 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 69 | 49 | +20 | 83 | |
4 | Hayes & Yeading United (P) | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 74 | 43 | +31 | 81 | |
5 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 77 | |
6 | Maidenhead United | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 71 | |
7 | Welling United | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 68 | |
8 | Bath City | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 68 | |
9 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
10 | Newport County | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 59 | |
11 | Team Bath | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 62 | 64 | −2 | 55[a] | Club folded at the end of the season |
12 | St Albans City | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 56 | 50 | +6 | 54 | |
13 | Bromley | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 60 | 64 | −4 | 54 | |
14 | Braintree Town | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 57 | 54 | +3 | 52 | |
15 | Havant & Waterlooville | 42 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 59 | 58 | +1 | 48 | |
16 | Worcester City | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 38 | 53 | −15 | 47 | |
17 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 43 | 68 | −25 | 47 | |
18 | Basingstoke Town | 42 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 36 | 55 | −19 | 46 | |
19 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 61 | −22 | 42 | |
20 | Thurrock | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 54 | 60 | −6 | 40 | |
21 | Bognor Regis Town (R) | 42 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 33 | 68 | −35 | 26[b] | Relegation to Isthmian League Premier Division |
22 | Fisher Athletic | 42 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 22 | 100 | −78 | 18 | Club folded at the end of the season |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
Play-offs
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
5 | Chelmsford City | 1 | |||||||
2 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 3 | |||||||
2 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 2 | |||||||
4 | Hayes & Yeading United | 3 | |||||||
4 | Hayes & Yeading United | 2 | |||||||
3 | Eastleigh | 4 |
Top goalscorers
Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Jon Main | AFC Wimbledon | 33 |
2 | Josh Scott | Hayes & Yeading United | 22 |
3 | Warren McBean | Bromley | 21 |
4 | Richard Pacquette | Maidenhead United | 20 |
5 | Charlie Sheringham | Welling United | 19 |
6 | Paul Hakim | St. Albans City | 18 |
7 | Craig Reid | Newport County | 15 |
Dave Rainford | Chelmsford City | ||
Lawrence Yaku | Hampton & Richmond Borough | ||
10 | Marco Adaggio | Worcester City | 14 |
Danny Hockton | Braintree Town |
References
- ^ "Five-point deduction for Oxford". BBC Sport. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
- ^ "Crawley win FA appeal over points". BBC Sport. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
- ^ "Mansfield hit by points deduction". BBC Sport. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
- ^ "Conference to demote King's Lynn". BBC Sport. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
- ^ "Team Bath resign from Conference". BBC Sport. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
- ^ "Bognor hit with seven-point deduction". The Argus. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.