Blimey, never knew this about the Albion...

[BensGrandad]

I mistakenly pushed the post button before completing the post sorry.

 

[The Large One]

According to the posts on here there is nothing and nobody that TLO does not know connected with BHA.

Quite, that fact about the winning of the 1921 and 1927 Southern League championships completes the set.

 

[BensGrandad]

TLO gives the impression in his posts that there is nothing and nobody within the Albion that he doesnt know or know about. This may impress the younger readers but I am sure that it doesnt those older supporters, who due to their age, have been supporting for a much longer period of time

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

It's gunna go off.

 

[The Spanish]

Early history brilliantly covered in my view in 'Albion' by John Vinocombe, a predecessor to Naylor the Stoke fan on the Ar Argus. Originally published late 70s, the detail of early Albion is staggering - real labour of love. Anyone new or nearly new who hasn't seen it - visit library immediately.

blimey if you feel the need to spell out who john vinicombe was then no wonder this thread is like it is.

 

[The Large One]

It's gunna go off.

Nah, Brian's just been on his daily afternoon jaunt of having drunk his afternoon's profits.

 

[Storer68]

The Shield - A brief history

The FA Charity Shield, as it was formerly known, was first played for in 1908. It evolved from the “Sheriff of London Shield” fixture that had been played annually between a leading professional club and a leading amateur club.


In 1904, for example, famous amateurs Corinthians (as in “the Corinthian spirit”) took on FA Cup holders Bury…and beat them 10-3!

Manchester United, who had just become Football League champions for the first time, beat Southern League champions Queens Park Rangers to win the first-ever Shield fixture. United won 4-0 after a 1-1 draw, with both matches being played at Stamford Bridge, and no Shield match has ever been replayed since then

By year
Year Winner Scorers Score Scorers Runner-up
1908 Manchester United Meredith 1 – 1 Cannon Queens Park Rangers
Replay Turnbull (3)
Wall 4 – 0
1909 Newcastle United Allan
Rutherford 2 – 0 Northampton Town
1910 Brighton and Hove Albion Webb 1 – 0 Aston Villa
1911 Manchester United Halse (6) Turnbull Wall 8 – 4 Swindon Town (Fleming
Wheatcroft Tout Jefferson)
1912 Blackburn Rovers Aitkenhead (2) 2 – 1 Revill Queens Park Rangers
1913 English Professionals XI Hampton (4)
Holley (2)
Fleming 7 – 2 Barlos
Farnfield English Amateurs XI
1914 – 1919 Shield was not contested due to suspension of football during World War I

 

[Storer68]

Oh my giddy bloody Auntie's hell.

Of course I knew about the 1910 Charity Shield win - it's the type of fact you need to learn which part of a kind of rites of passage everyone has to go through in order to call yourself a Brighton fan. In mentioning that, I was merely setting the scene for the fact that the competition we won in order to participate in the said match, we won again in 1921 and 1927.

The latter fact was the one I didn't know.

Awlright?

Eht is even more bizarre s that there was a second place playoff match in 1910 to establish runners up to the mighty BHA and it was between Stoke and HASTINGS AND ST LEONARDS

Professional football (and professional sport in general) developed more slowly in Southern England than in Northern England. Professionalism was sanctioned by the The Football Association as early as 1885, but when The Football League was founded in 1888 it was based entirely in the North and Midlands with the establishment of County Football Association's in the South being firmly opposed to professionalism.

Woolwich Arsenal (nowadays simply Arsenal) were the first club in London to turn professional in 1891 and were one of the prime motivators behind an attempt to set up a Southern League to mirror the existing Northern and Midlands based Football League. However, this venture failed in the face of opposition from the London Football Association and Woolwich Arsenal instead joined the Football League as its only representative south of Birmingham in 1893. Additionally, an amateur league, the Southern Alliance was founded in 1892, with seven teams from the region, but that folded after one incomplete season.

Nonetheless, another attempt was made to form the Southern League, and this time it was successful. A competition for both professional and amateur clubs was founded in 1894 under the initiative of Millwall Athletic (now simply Millwall). Initially only one division was envisaged, but such was the enthusiasm, that eventually two divisions were formed. The sixteen founder members were:[1]
Division One
Chatham
Clapton
Ilford
Luton Town
Millwall Athletic
Reading
Royal Ordnance Factories
2nd Scots Guards
Swindon Town
Division Two
Bromley
Chesham
Maidenhead
New Brompton
Old St Stephen's
Sheppey United
Uxbridge


2nd Scots Guards withdrew before the first season started and were replaced by Southampton St Mary's. Woolwich Arsenal attempted to add their reserve side to the second division but this application was refused.

The Southern League soon became the dominant competition outside The Football League in Southern and Central England. In 1907, it accepted Bradford Park Avenue, a northern club, as a member, reflecting its senior position at the time. Of all the original founder members, six – Gillingham (as New Brompton were renamed), Luton Town, Millwall, Reading, Southampton and Swindon Town – are now Football League clubs.

Whilst still a Southern League club, Tottenham Hotspur became the first and so far only team to win the FA Cup after the establishment of the league as a non-League club. This happened in 1901, although Southampton reached the final in 1900 and 1902 showing the strength of the Southern League. The relative strengths of the two leagues was during this period elucidated through the annual Charity Shield. Out of the six meetings the respective league champions had in the Shield, however, only one was won by the Southern League champions - Brighton & Hove Albion, in 1910, and this remains their only national honour to date.

In 1920, virtually the entire top division of the Southern League was absorbed by the Football League to become that league's new Third Division. A year later the Third Division was expanded and regionalised. The Third Division clubs from the previous season became the Third Division South, with the addition of the Third Division North.

For the next six decades, the Football League and Southern League would exchange a limited number of clubs as a result of the older league's re-election process. From 1920 onward, the Southern League's status as a semi-professional league was firmly established.

With its clubs seeking a more regular means of advancing to the Football League, in 1979 the Southern League became a feeder to the new Football Conference along with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League, and the top Southern clubs of the day joined the new league. In turn, the Conference would eventually succeed in becoming a feeder to the Football League. The league lost more of its top clubs in 2004 when the Conference added two regional divisions below the existing Conference National, the Conference South and Conference North.


[edit] Southern League clubs
Listed below are the clubs currently competing in the three divisions of the Southern League, for the 2008–09 season.

Premier Division
Banbury United
Bashley
Bedford Town
Brackley Town
Cambridge City
Chippenham Town
Clevedon Town
Corby Town
Evesham United
Farnborough
Gloucester City
Halesowen Town
Hemel Hempstead Town
Hitchin Town
Mangotsfield United
Merthyr Tydfil
Oxford City
Rugby Town
Stourbridge
Swindon Supermarine
Tiverton Town
Yate Town
Division One Midlands
A.F.C. Sudbury
Arlesey Town
Atherstone Town
Aylesbury United
Barton Rovers
Bedworth United
Bromsgrove Rovers
Bury Town
Chasetown
Chesham United
Dunstable Town
Leamington
Leighton Town
Malvern Town
Marlow
Nuneaton Town
Romulus
Rothwell Town
Soham Town Rangers
Stourport Swifts
Sutton Coldfield Town
Woodford United
Division One South & West
Abingdon United
A.F.C. Hayes
A.F.C. Totton
Andover
Beaconsfield SYCOB
Bishop's Cleeve
Bracknell Town
Bridgwater Town
Burnham
Cinderford Town
Cirencester Town
Didcot Town
Gosport Borough
North Leigh
Paulton Rovers
Slough Town
Taunton Town
Thatcham Town
Truro City
Uxbridge
Winchester City
Windsor & Eton



[edit] Past Southern League winners
Season Division One Division Two
1894-95 Millwall Athletic New Brompton
1895-96 Millwall Athletic Wolverton L & NWR
1896-97 Southampton St Mary's Dartford
1897-98 Southampton Royal Artillery Portsmouth

For the 1898-99 season, Division Two was divided into London and South-West sections, with a playoff contested between the winners of each section.

Season Division One Division Two (London) Division Two (SW) Division Two Playoff
1898-99 Southampton Thames Ironworks Cowes Thames won 3-1

For the 1899-00 season, the league reverted to the old format.


Bristol Rovers Southern League championship-winning side from the 1904–05 seasonSeason Division One Division Two
1899-00 Tottenham Hotspur Watford
1900-01 Southampton Brentford
1901-02 Portsmouth Fulham
1902-03 Southampton Fulham
1903-04 Southampton Watford
1904-05 Bristol Rovers Fulham Reserves
1905-06 Fulham Crystal Palace
1906-07 Fulham Southend United
1907-08 Queens Park Rangers Southend United
1908-09 Northampton Town Croydon Common

For the 1909-10 season, Division Two was split into an 'A' section and a 'B' section, with the winners of each section contesting a play-off for the Division Two championship.
Season Division One Division Two (A) Division Two (B) Division Two Playoff
1909-10 Brighton & Hove Albion Stoke Hastings & St Leonards Stoke won 6-0

For the 1910-11 season, the league again reverted back to the previous format.

Season Division One Division Two
1910-11 Swindon Town Reading
1911-12 Queens Park Rangers Merthyr Town
1912-13 Plymouth Argyle Cardiff City
1913-14 Swindon Town Croydon Common
1914-15 Watford Stoke
1919-20 Portsmouth Mid Rhondda

At the end of the 1919-20 season, the majority of the teams in the First Division moved into the new Third Division of the Football League. The Southern League was therefore split into two national sections for England and Wales, with the winners of each section contesting a playoff for the Southern League championship.

Season English Section Welsh Section Championship Playoff
1920-21 Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves Barry Brighton won 2-1
1921-22 Plymouth Argyle Reserves Ebbw Vale Plymouth won 3-0
1922-23 Bristol City Reserves Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale won 2-1

For the 1923-24 season, the league was split into two regional sections, with the winners of each section contesting a playoff for the Southern League championship.

Season Eastern Section Western Section Championship Playoff
1923-24 Peterborough & Fletton United Yeovil & Petters United Yeovil won 3-1
1924-25 Southampton Reserves Swansea Town Reserves Southampton won 2-1
1925-26 Millwall Reserves Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth won 1-0
1926-27 Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves Torquay United Brighton won 4-0 1927-28 Kettering Town Bristol City Reserves Kettering won 5-0
1928-29 Kettering Town Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth won 4-2
1929-30 Aldershot Town Bath City Aldershot won 3-2
1930-31 Dartford Exeter City Reserves Dartford won 7-2
1931-32 Dartford Yeovil & Petters United Dartford won 2-1
1932-33 Norwich City Reserves Bath City Norwich won 2-1

For the 1933-34 season an extra section, the Central Section was introduced to provide additional fixtures. The Central included teams from the other two sections and did not contribute to the overall championship.

Season Eastern Section Western Section Central Section Championship Playoff
1933-34 Norwich City Reserves Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth won 3-0
1934-35 Norwich City Reserves Yeovil & Petters United Folkestone Norwich won 7-2
1935-36 Margate Plymouth Argyle Reserves Margate Margate won 3-1

For the 1936-37 season, the Eastern and Western sections were merged into a single division. Additional fixtures were obtained through the Midweek Section which did not contribute to the overall championship.

Season Southern League Midweek Section
1936-37 Ipswich Town Margate
1937-38 Guildford City Millwall Reserves
1938-39 Colchester United Tunbridge Wells Rangers

For the 1945-46 season, the Midweek Section was not played due to power restrictions after the Second World War.

Season Southern League
1945-46 Chelmsford City
1946-47 Gillingham
1947-48 Merthyr Tydfil
1948-49 Gillingham
1949-50 Merthyr Tydfil
1950-51 Merthyr Tydfil
1951-52 Merthyr Tydfil
1952-53 Headington United
1953-54 Merthyr Tydfil
1954-55 Yeovil Town
1955-56 Guildford City
1956-57 Kettering Town
1957-58 Gravesend & Northfleet

For the 1958-59 season the Southern League was again divided into two sections: North-Western and South-Eastern. The winners of each section contested a playoff for the Southern League championship

Season North-Western Section South-Eastern Section Championship Playoff
1958-59 Hereford United Bedford Town Bedford won 3-0

The following season saw the two sections merged to form a Premier Division, and a new Division One introduced.

Season Premier Division Division One
1959-60 Bath City Clacton Town
1960-61 Oxford United Kettering Town
1961-62 Oxford United Wisbech Town
1962-63 Cambridge City Margate
1963-64 Yeovil Town Folkestone Town
1964-65 Weymouth Hereford United
1965-66 Weymouth Barnet
1966-67 Romford Dover
1967-68 Chelmsford City Worcester City
1968-69 Cambridge United Brentwood Town
1969-70 Cambridge United Bedford Town
1970-71 Yeovil Town Guildford City

For the 1971-72 season Division One was regionalised.

Season Premier Division Division One North Division One South
1971-72 Chelmsford City Kettering Town Waterlooville
1972-73 Kettering Town Grantham Maidstone United
1973-74 Dartford Stourbridge Wealdstone
1974-75 Wimbledon Bedford Town Gravesend & Northfleet
1975-76 Wimbledon Redditch United Minehead
1976-77 Wimbledon Worcester City Barnet
1977-78 Bath City Witney Town Margate
1978-79 Worcester City Grantham Dover

For the 1979-80 season, thirteen Premier Division clubs joined the newly-formed Alliance Premier League. The Premier Division and Division One were subsequently merged, and two regional divisions formed.

Season Midland Division Southern Division
1979-80 Bridgend Town Dorchester Town
1980-81 Alvechurch Dartford
1981-82 Nuneaton Borough Wealdstone

For the 1982-83 season, the Premier Division was re-introduced, above the regional divisions.

Season Premier Division Midland Division Southern Division
1982-83 Leamington Cheltenham Town Fisher Athletic
1983-84 Dartford Willenhall Town Road-Sea Southampton
1984-85 Cheltenham Town Dudley Town Basingstoke Town
1985-86 Welling United Bromsgrove Rovers Cambridge City
1986-87 Fisher Athletic VS Rugby Dorchester Town
1987-88 Aylesbury United Merthyr Tydfil Dover Athletic
1988-89 Merthyr Tydfil Gloucester City Chelmsford City
1989-90 Dover Athletic Halesowen Town Bashley
1990-91 Farnborough Town Stourbridge Buckingham Town
1991-92 Bromsgrove Rovers Solihull Borough Hastings Town
1992-93 Dover Athletic Nuneaton Borough Sittingbourne
1993-94 Farnborough Town Rushden & Diamonds Gravesend & Northfleet
1994-95 Hednesford Town Newport County Salisbury City
1995-96 Rushden & Diamonds Nuneaton Borough Sittingbourne
1996-97 Gresley Rovers Tamworth Forest Green Rovers
1997-98 Forest Green Rovers Grantham Town Weymouth
1998-99 Nuneaton Borough Clevedon Town Havant & Waterlooville
1999-00 Boston United Stafford Rangers Fisher Athletic

For the 2000-01 season, the regional divisions were renamed the Western and Eastern divisions.

Season Premier Division Western Division Eastern Division
2000-01 Margate Hinckley United Newport IOW
2001-02 Kettering Town Halesowen Town Hastings Town
2002-03 Tamworth Merthyr Tydfil Dorchester Town
2003-04 Crawley Town Redditch United King's Lynn
2004-05 Histon Mangotsfield United Fisher Athletic
2005-06 Salisbury City Clevedon Town Boreham Wood

For the 2006-07 season, the two regional divisions were renamed Division One Midlands and Division One South & West.

Season Premier Division Division One Midlands Division One South & West
2006-07 Bath City Brackley Town Bashley
2007-08 King's Lynn Evesham United Farnborough

 

[Nottseagull]

Eht is even more bizarre s that there was a second place playoff match in 1910 to establish runners up to the mighty BHA and it was between Stoke and HASTINGS AND ST LEONARDS

Professional football (and professional sport in general) developed more slowly in Southern England than in Northern England. Professionalism was sanctioned by the The Football Association as early as 1885, but when The Football League was founded in 1888 it was based entirely in the North and Midlands with the establishment of County Football Association's in the South being firmly opposed to professionalism.

Woolwich Arsenal (nowadays simply Arsenal) were the first club in London to turn professional in 1891 and were one of the prime motivators behind an attempt to set up a Southern League to mirror the existing Northern and Midlands based Football League. However, this venture failed in the face of opposition from the London Football Association and Woolwich Arsenal instead joined the Football League as its only representative south of Birmingham in 1893. Additionally, an amateur league, the Southern Alliance was founded in 1892, with seven teams from the region, but that folded after one incomplete season.

Nonetheless, another attempt was made to form the Southern League, and this time it was successful. A competition for both professional and amateur clubs was founded in 1894 under the initiative of Millwall Athletic (now simply Millwall). Initially only one division was envisaged, but such was the enthusiasm, that eventually two divisions were formed. The sixteen founder members were:[1]
Division One
Chatham
Clapton
Ilford
Luton Town
Millwall Athletic
Reading
Royal Ordnance Factories
2nd Scots Guards
Swindon Town
Division Two
Bromley
Chesham
Maidenhead
New Brompton
Old St Stephen's
Sheppey United
Uxbridge


2nd Scots Guards withdrew before the first season started and were replaced by Southampton St Mary's. Woolwich Arsenal attempted to add their reserve side to the second division but this application was refused.

The Southern League soon became the dominant competition outside The Football League in Southern and Central England. In 1907, it accepted Bradford Park Avenue, a northern club, as a member, reflecting its senior position at the time. Of all the original founder members, six – Gillingham (as New Brompton were renamed), Luton Town, Millwall, Reading, Southampton and Swindon Town – are now Football League clubs.

Whilst still a Southern League club, Tottenham Hotspur became the first and so far only team to win the FA Cup after the establishment of the league as a non-League club. This happened in 1901, although Southampton reached the final in 1900 and 1902 showing the strength of the Southern League. The relative strengths of the two leagues was during this period elucidated through the annual Charity Shield. Out of the six meetings the respective league champions had in the Shield, however, only one was won by the Southern League champions - Brighton & Hove Albion, in 1910, and this remains their only national honour to date.

In 1920, virtually the entire top division of the Southern League was absorbed by the Football League to become that league's new Third Division. A year later the Third Division was expanded and regionalised. The Third Division clubs from the previous season became the Third Division South, with the addition of the Third Division North.

For the next six decades, the Football League and Southern League would exchange a limited number of clubs as a result of the older league's re-election process. From 1920 onward, the Southern League's status as a semi-professional league was firmly established.

With its clubs seeking a more regular means of advancing to the Football League, in 1979 the Southern League became a feeder to the new Football Conference along with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League, and the top Southern clubs of the day joined the new league. In turn, the Conference would eventually succeed in becoming a feeder to the Football League. The league lost more of its top clubs in 2004 when the Conference added two regional divisions below the existing Conference National, the Conference South and Conference North.


[edit] Southern League clubs
Listed below are the clubs currently competing in the three divisions of the Southern League, for the 2008–09 season.

Premier Division
Banbury United
Bashley
Bedford Town
Brackley Town
Cambridge City
Chippenham Town
Clevedon Town
Corby Town
Evesham United
Farnborough
Gloucester City
Halesowen Town
Hemel Hempstead Town
Hitchin Town
Mangotsfield United
Merthyr Tydfil
Oxford City
Rugby Town
Stourbridge
Swindon Supermarine
Tiverton Town
Yate Town
Division One Midlands
A.F.C. Sudbury
Arlesey Town
Atherstone Town
Aylesbury United
Barton Rovers
Bedworth United
Bromsgrove Rovers
Bury Town
Chasetown
Chesham United
Dunstable Town
Leamington
Leighton Town
Malvern Town
Marlow
Nuneaton Town
Romulus
Rothwell Town
Soham Town Rangers
Stourport Swifts
Sutton Coldfield Town
Woodford United
Division One South & West
Abingdon United
A.F.C. Hayes
A.F.C. Totton
Andover
Beaconsfield SYCOB
Bishop's Cleeve
Bracknell Town
Bridgwater Town
Burnham
Cinderford Town
Cirencester Town
Didcot Town
Gosport Borough
North Leigh
Paulton Rovers
Slough Town
Taunton Town
Thatcham Town
Truro City
Uxbridge
Winchester City
Windsor & Eton



[edit] Past Southern League winners
Season Division One Division Two
1894-95 Millwall Athletic New Brompton
1895-96 Millwall Athletic Wolverton L & NWR
1896-97 Southampton St Mary's Dartford
1897-98 Southampton Royal Artillery Portsmouth

For the 1898-99 season, Division Two was divided into London and South-West sections, with a playoff contested between the winners of each section.

Season Division One Division Two (London) Division Two (SW) Division Two Playoff
1898-99 Southampton Thames Ironworks Cowes Thames won 3-1

For the 1899-00 season, the league reverted to the old format.


Bristol Rovers Southern League championship-winning side from the 1904–05 seasonSeason Division One Division Two
1899-00 Tottenham Hotspur Watford
1900-01 Southampton Brentford
1901-02 Portsmouth Fulham
1902-03 Southampton Fulham
1903-04 Southampton Watford
1904-05 Bristol Rovers Fulham Reserves
1905-06 Fulham Crystal Palace
1906-07 Fulham Southend United
1907-08 Queens Park Rangers Southend United
1908-09 Northampton Town Croydon Common

For the 1909-10 season, Division Two was split into an 'A' section and a 'B' section, with the winners of each section contesting a play-off for the Division Two championship.
Season Division One Division Two (A) Division Two (B) Division Two Playoff
1909-10 Brighton & Hove Albion Stoke Hastings & St Leonards Stoke won 6-0

For the 1910-11 season, the league again reverted back to the previous format.

Season Division One Division Two
1910-11 Swindon Town Reading
1911-12 Queens Park Rangers Merthyr Town
1912-13 Plymouth Argyle Cardiff City
1913-14 Swindon Town Croydon Common
1914-15 Watford Stoke
1919-20 Portsmouth Mid Rhondda

At the end of the 1919-20 season, the majority of the teams in the First Division moved into the new Third Division of the Football League. The Southern League was therefore split into two national sections for England and Wales, with the winners of each section contesting a playoff for the Southern League championship.

Season English Section Welsh Section Championship Playoff
1920-21 Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves Barry Brighton won 2-1
1921-22 Plymouth Argyle Reserves Ebbw Vale Plymouth won 3-0
1922-23 Bristol City Reserves Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale won 2-1

For the 1923-24 season, the league was split into two regional sections, with the winners of each section contesting a playoff for the Southern League championship.

Season Eastern Section Western Section Championship Playoff
1923-24 Peterborough & Fletton United Yeovil & Petters United Yeovil won 3-1
1924-25 Southampton Reserves Swansea Town Reserves Southampton won 2-1
1925-26 Millwall Reserves Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth won 1-0
1926-27 Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves Torquay United Brighton won 4-0 1927-28 Kettering Town Bristol City Reserves Kettering won 5-0
1928-29 Kettering Town Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth won 4-2
1929-30 Aldershot Town Bath City Aldershot won 3-2
1930-31 Dartford Exeter City Reserves Dartford won 7-2
1931-32 Dartford Yeovil & Petters United Dartford won 2-1
1932-33 Norwich City Reserves Bath City Norwich won 2-1

For the 1933-34 season an extra section, the Central Section was introduced to provide additional fixtures. The Central included teams from the other two sections and did not contribute to the overall championship.

Season Eastern Section Western Section Central Section Championship Playoff
1933-34 Norwich City Reserves Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth Argyle Reserves Plymouth won 3-0
1934-35 Norwich City Reserves Yeovil & Petters United Folkestone Norwich won 7-2
1935-36 Margate Plymouth Argyle Reserves Margate Margate won 3-1

For the 1936-37 season, the Eastern and Western sections were merged into a single division. Additional fixtures were obtained through the Midweek Section which did not contribute to the overall championship.

Season Southern League Midweek Section
1936-37 Ipswich Town Margate
1937-38 Guildford City Millwall Reserves
1938-39 Colchester United Tunbridge Wells Rangers

For the 1945-46 season, the Midweek Section was not played due to power restrictions after the Second World War.

Season Southern League
1945-46 Chelmsford City
1946-47 Gillingham
1947-48 Merthyr Tydfil
1948-49 Gillingham
1949-50 Merthyr Tydfil
1950-51 Merthyr Tydfil
1951-52 Merthyr Tydfil
1952-53 Headington United
1953-54 Merthyr Tydfil
1954-55 Yeovil Town
1955-56 Guildford City
1956-57 Kettering Town
1957-58 Gravesend & Northfleet

For the 1958-59 season the Southern League was again divided into two sections: North-Western and South-Eastern. The winners of each section contested a playoff for the Southern League championship

Season North-Western Section South-Eastern Section Championship Playoff
1958-59 Hereford United Bedford Town Bedford won 3-0

The following season saw the two sections merged to form a Premier Division, and a new Division One introduced.

Season Premier Division Division One
1959-60 Bath City Clacton Town
1960-61 Oxford United Kettering Town
1961-62 Oxford United Wisbech Town
1962-63 Cambridge City Margate
1963-64 Yeovil Town Folkestone Town
1964-65 Weymouth Hereford United
1965-66 Weymouth Barnet
1966-67 Romford Dover
1967-68 Chelmsford City Worcester City
1968-69 Cambridge United Brentwood Town
1969-70 Cambridge United Bedford Town
1970-71 Yeovil Town Guildford City

For the 1971-72 season Division One was regionalised.

Season Premier Division Division One North Division One South
1971-72 Chelmsford City Kettering Town Waterlooville
1972-73 Kettering Town Grantham Maidstone United
1973-74 Dartford Stourbridge Wealdstone
1974-75 Wimbledon Bedford Town Gravesend & Northfleet
1975-76 Wimbledon Redditch United Minehead
1976-77 Wimbledon Worcester City Barnet
1977-78 Bath City Witney Town Margate
1978-79 Worcester City Grantham Dover

For the 1979-80 season, thirteen Premier Division clubs joined the newly-formed Alliance Premier League. The Premier Division and Division One were subsequently merged, and two regional divisions formed.

Season Midland Division Southern Division
1979-80 Bridgend Town Dorchester Town
1980-81 Alvechurch Dartford
1981-82 Nuneaton Borough Wealdstone

For the 1982-83 season, the Premier Division was re-introduced, above the regional divisions.

Season Premier Division Midland Division Southern Division
1982-83 Leamington Cheltenham Town Fisher Athletic
1983-84 Dartford Willenhall Town Road-Sea Southampton
1984-85 Cheltenham Town Dudley Town Basingstoke Town
1985-86 Welling United Bromsgrove Rovers Cambridge City
1986-87 Fisher Athletic VS Rugby Dorchester Town
1987-88 Aylesbury United Merthyr Tydfil Dover Athletic
1988-89 Merthyr Tydfil Gloucester City Chelmsford City
1989-90 Dover Athletic Halesowen Town Bashley
1990-91 Farnborough Town Stourbridge Buckingham Town
1991-92 Bromsgrove Rovers Solihull Borough Hastings Town
1992-93 Dover Athletic Nuneaton Borough Sittingbourne
1993-94 Farnborough Town Rushden & Diamonds Gravesend & Northfleet
1994-95 Hednesford Town Newport County Salisbury City
1995-96 Rushden & Diamonds Nuneaton Borough Sittingbourne
1996-97 Gresley Rovers Tamworth Forest Green Rovers
1997-98 Forest Green Rovers Grantham Town Weymouth
1998-99 Nuneaton Borough Clevedon Town Havant & Waterlooville
1999-00 Boston United Stafford Rangers Fisher Athletic

For the 2000-01 season, the regional divisions were renamed the Western and Eastern divisions.

Season Premier Division Western Division Eastern Division
2000-01 Margate Hinckley United Newport IOW
2001-02 Kettering Town Halesowen Town Hastings Town
2002-03 Tamworth Merthyr Tydfil Dorchester Town
2003-04 Crawley Town Redditch United King's Lynn
2004-05 Histon Mangotsfield United Fisher Athletic
2005-06 Salisbury City Clevedon Town Boreham Wood

For the 2006-07 season, the two regional divisions were renamed Division One Midlands and Division One South & West.

Season Premier Division Division One Midlands Division One South & West
2006-07 Bath City Brackley Town Bashley
2007-08 King's Lynn Evesham United Farnborough

TLO already posted a link to this information.

 

[Nottseagull]

TLO gives the impression in his posts that there is nothing and nobody within the Albion that he doesnt know or know about. This may impress the younger readers but I am sure that it doesnt those older supporters, who due to their age, have been supporting for a much longer period of time

Had you bothered to read his opening post properly, you would not have made yourself look a fool again. I am 50, but I would not make such a condescending post aimed at younger fans. None of us were around in that era, so what does it matter? Your criticism of TLO is totally unwarranted, and your claim that your comments were facetious, pitiful

 

[Nottseagull]

Nope.

Southern Football League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OK, but I think the article is suspect, especially as it starts
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England
I thought only Team Bath were remotely near to being amateur, although I would have thought it unlikely that students good enough to compete at that level would do so for free when they could be earning a small (student) fortune at nearby clubs.