1922–23 Southern Football League
The 1922–23 season was the 25th in the history of the Southern League. The league was split into two sections for a third season in a row, one for English clubs and one for Welsh clubs.[1] Bristol City reserves won the English section, whilst Ebbw Vale won the Welsh section. Ebbw Vale were declared Southern League champions after beating Bristol City reserves 2–1 in a championship play-off.[2] Boscombe, Pontypridd and Torquay United were the only Southern League clubs to apply for election to the Football League, with Boscombe being successful.[3] The club was renamed Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic the following year.
Following to the mid-season resignation of four clubs in the Welsh section due to financial problems and Porth Athletic leaving the league at the end of the season, the following season saw the English section renamed the Eastern Division and the Welsh section renamed the Western Division, with eight clubs transferring from the English section to the Western section.
English section
| Season | 1922–23 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bristol City II |
| Promoted | Boscombe |
| Relegated | Southend United II (resigned) |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 1,228 (3.23 per match) |
← 1921–22 1923–24 → | |
A total of 20 teams contest the division, including 17 sides from previous season and three new teams.
Newly elected teams:
- Torquay United (from the Western League)
- Yeovil & Petters United (from the Western League, although they continued to play in the Western League as well until World War II)
- Coventry City II (from the Birmingham & District League)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol City II | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 84 | 39 | 2.154 | 53 | Transferred to 1923–24 Western Division at end of season |
| 2 | Boscombe | 38 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 67 | 34 | 1.971 | 51 | Elected to the 1923–24 Football League |
| 3 | Portsmouth II | 38 | 23 | 3 | 12 | 93 | 51 | 1.824 | 49 | |
| 4 | Bristol Rovers II | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 59 | 41 | 1.439 | 48 | Transferred to 1923–24 Western Division at end of season |
| 5 | Plymouth Argyle II | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 74 | 41 | 1.805 | 47 | |
| 6 | Torquay United | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 63 | 38 | 1.658 | 44 | |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion II | 38 | 20 | 3 | 15 | 95 | 60 | 1.583 | 43 | |
| 8 | Luton Town II | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 67 | 56 | 1.196 | 43 | |
| 9 | Southend United II | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 69 | 68 | 1.015 | 42 | Left league at end of season |
| 10 | Southampton II | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 65 | 54 | 1.204 | 41 | |
| 11 | Millwall II | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 61 | 55 | 1.109 | 40 | |
| 12 | Coventry City II | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 56 | 61 | 0.918 | 38 | |
| 13 | Guildford United | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 65 | 59 | 1.102 | 37 | |
| 14 | Swindon Town II | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 54 | 73 | 0.740 | 32 | Transferred to 1923–24 Western Division at end of season |
| 15 | Bath City | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 44 | 71 | 0.620 | 28 | |
| 16 | Watford II | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 34 | 79 | 0.430 | 28 | |
| 17 | Yeovil & Petters United | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 56 | 104 | 0.538 | 26 | Transferred to 1923–24 Western Division at end of season |
| 18 | Norwich City II | 38 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 42 | 68 | 0.618 | 25 | |
| 19 | Exeter City II | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 43 | 81 | 0.531 | 25 | Transferred to 1923–24 Western Division at end of season |
| 20 | Reading II | 38 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 37 | 95 | 0.389 | 20 |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Welsh section
| Season | 1922–23 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ebbw Vale (1st title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Porth Athletic (resigned) Ton Pentre (resigned) Mardy (resigned) Caerphilly (resigned) Abertillery (resigned) |
| Matches played | 42 |
| Goals scored | 133 (3.17 per match) |
← 1921–22 1923–24 → | |
A total of 11 teams contest the division, including 10 sides from previous season and one new team.
Newly elected team:
- Swansea Town II
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ebbw Vale | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 15 | 1.467 | 17 | |
| 2 | Aberaman Athletic | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 19 | 1.579 | 16 | |
| 3 | Swansea Town II | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 14 | 1.786 | 14 | |
| 4 | Pontypridd | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 18 | 1.000 | 14 | |
| 5 | Barry | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 11 | 1.364 | 11 | |
| 6 | Bridgend Town | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 0.714 | 10 | |
| 7 | Porth Athletic | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 35 | 0.229 | 2 | Left league at end of season |
| 8 | Abertillery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | Resigned from league in January, records expunged |
| 9 | Caerphilly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | |
| 10 | Mardy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | |
| 11 | Ton Pentre | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Football League election
In addition to the two clubs finishing bottom of Football League Third Division South, four non-League clubs joined the election process, of which three were from the Southern League. Boscombe from the English section were successful and joined the League the following season.
| Club | League | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdare Athletic | Football League Third Division South | 45 |
| Newport County | Football League Third Division South | 45 |
| Boscombe | Southern League | 28 |
| Llanelly | Welsh National League (South) | 9 |
| Pontypridd | Southern League | 8 |
| Torquay United | Southern League | 0 |
References
- ^ England – Southern League Final Tables RSSSF
- ^ Ebbw Vale at the Football Club History Database
- ^ A history of admission to the Football League