A limited competition ran for the first post-war
season, with a number of matches not completed.
The second season saw more clubs return to
action and there was a growth in the size of the Southern League for three campaigns
running after that. It was not until the
1951-1952 season that the league stabilised,
running as a single section, 22-club competition
for the next few years. The outstanding club
in the period covered was Merthyr Tydfil,
who recorded 5 title successes in the 8 seasons
they played in the post-war Southern League.
It was, however, Colchester United and Gillingham
who moved up into the Football League in
1950.
1945-1946
1. Chelmsford City (+3)
18 15 1
2 66 23 34
2. Hereford United
20
13 3 4
59 31 29
3. Bath City
20
12 2 6
62 32 26
4. Cheltenham Town (+3)
18
9 1 8
35 54 22
5. Barry Town
20
8 4 8
42 42 20
6. Yeovil & Petters United
(+3) 18 7
1 10 57
52 18
7. Worcester City
20 8
2 10 60
58 18
8. Colchester United
20 7
3 10 29
47 17
9. Bedford Town (+6)
16 4
1 11 30
49 15
10. Swindon Town Reserves (+3)
18 4
3 11 36
65 14
11. Cardiff City Reserves
20 4
5 11 39
60 13
(208 91 26 91 515 513 226)
A number of games were not played. Sides
which did not complete their fixtures were
awarded
points, possibly on a 2 for a home game,
1 for an away game basis, though other sources
say that the points were given on a ‘3
points per 2 unplayed games’ basis,
which seems more likely. Cardiff City and
Swindon Town left the Southern League, which
was joined by Dartford, Exeter City Reserves,
Gillingham, Gloucester City, Gravesend &
Northfleet, Guildford City, Merthyr Tydfil
and Millwall, who fielded their first team
in the competition and intended to play all
their Southern League fixtures in midweek.
Yeovil & Petters United became ‘Yeovil
Town’.
1946-1947
1. Gillingham (+1)
31 20 6 5
103 45 47
2. Guildford City
32 21 4
7 86 39 46
3. Merthyr Tydfil (+1)
31 21 2 8
104 37 45
4. Yeovil Town
32 19 6
7 100 49 45
5. Chelmsford City (+1)
31 17 3 11
90 60 38
6. Gravesend and Northfleet
32 17 4
11 82 58 38
7. Barry Town (+2)
30 14 6 10
89 61 36
8. Colchester United (+1)
31 15 4 12
65 60 35
9. Cheltenham Town (+1)
31 14 3 14
68 75 32
10. Millwall (+8)
24 8 5 11
59 57 29
11. Dartford
32
10 5 17
71 100 25
12. Bedford Town
32
8 8 16
63 98 24
13. Hereford United
32 8
7 17 37 85
23
14. Worcester City (+1)
31 8
5 18 58 90
22
15. Exeter City 32
10 2 20
69 126 22
16. Bath City
32
7 7 18
52 93 21
17. Gloucester City
32
8 1 23
57 120 17
(528 225 78 225 1253 1253 544)
Millwall did not complete their fixtures.
All teams affected by this, including Millwall,
were awarded one point for each unplayed
match. Millwall withdrew at the end of the
campaign. Lovells Athletic and Torquay United
Reserves joined the Southern League.
1947-1948
1. Merthyr Tydfil
34
23 7 4 84
39 53
2. Gillingham
34 21 5
8 81 43
47
3. Worcester City
34 21 3
10 74 44 45
4. Colchester United
34 17 10 7
88 40 43
5. Hereford United
34
16 10 8 76
52 42
6. Lovells Athletic
34
17 6 11 74
50 40
7. Exeter City Reserves 34
15 7 12 65
57 37
8. Yeovil Town
34
12 11 11 56
51 35
9. Chelmsford City
34
14 7 13 62
58 35
10. Cheltenham Town
34
13 9 12 71
71 35
11. Bath City
34
12 8 14 55
62 32
12. Barry Town
34
10 9 15 60
71 29
13. Gravesend & Northfleet
34
11 6 17 52
90 28
14. Guildford City
34
11 4 19 69
73 26
15. Dartford
34
10 6 18 36
62 26
16. Gloucester City
34
8 6 20 47
78 22
17. Torquay United Reserves 34
6 9 19 43
94 21
18. Bedford Town
34
6 3 25 41
104 15
(612 243 126 243 1132 1132 612)
Chingford Town, Hastings United, Kidderminster
Harriers and Tonbridge all joined the competition.
1948-1949
1. Gillingham
42
26 10 10 104
48 62
2. Chelmsford City 42
27 7 7 115
64 61
3. Merthyr Tydfil
42
26 8 8 133
54 60
4. Colchester United
42
21 10 11 94
61 52
5. Worcester City
42
22 7 13 87
56 51
6. Dartford
42
21 9 12 73
53 51
7. Gravesend & Northfleet
42 20
9 13 60 46
49
8. Yeovil Town 42
19 9 14 90
53 47
9. Cheltenham Town 42
19 9 14 71
64 47
10. Kidderminster Harriers
42 19 6 17
77 94 44
11. Exeter City Reserves 42
18 7 17 83
73 43
12. Hereford United
42
17 6 19 83
84 40
13. Bath City
42
15 8 19 72
87 38
14. Hastings United
42
14 10 18 69
93 38
15. Torquay United Reserves
42
15 7 20 73
93 37
16. Lovell's Athletic
42
14 8 20 73
74 36
17. Guildford City
42
12 12 18 58
85 36
18. Gloucester City
42
12 10 20 78
100 34
19. Barry Town
42
12 10 20 55
95 34
20. Tonbridge
42
9 7 26 54
105 25
21. Chingford Town
42
6 9 27 43
94 21
22. Bedford Town
42 5
8 29 32 101 18
(924 369 186 369 1677 1677 924)
Headington United and Weymouth joined the
Southern League.
1949-1950
1. Merthyr Tydfil 46
34 3 9 143
62 71
2. Colchester United 46
31 9 6 109
51 71
3. Yeovil Town 46
29 7 10 104
45 65
4. Chelmsford City 46
26 9 11 121
64 61
5. Gillingham
46 23 9 14
93 61 55
6. Dartford 46
20 9 17 70
65 49
7. Worcester City 46
21 7 18 85
80 49
8. Guildford City
46 18 11 17 79
73 47
9. Weymouth 46
19 9 18 80
82 47
10. Barry Town 46
18 10 18 78
72 46
11. Exeter City Reserves 46
16 14 16 73
83 46
12. Lovells Athletic 46
17 10 19 86
78 44
13. Tonbridge 46
16 12 18 65
76 44
14. Hastings United
46 17 8 21
92 140 42
15. Gravesend & Northfleet 46
16 9 21 88
82 41
16. Torquay United Reserves
46 14 12 20 80
89 40
17. Bath City 46
16 7 23 61
78 39
18. Gloucester City 46
14 11 21 72
101 39
19. Hereford United 46
15 8 23 74
76 38
20. Cheltenham Town 46
13 11 22 75
96 37
21. Headington United 46
15 7 24 72
97 37
22. Bedford Town 46
12 11 23 63
79 35
23. Kidderminster Harriers 46
12 11 23 65
108 35
24. Chingford Town 46
10 6 30 61
151 26
(1104 442 220 442 1989 1989 1104)
Colchester United and Gillingham were elected
to the Football League Division 3 (South).
Kettering Town and Llanelly were admitted
to the competition.
1950-1951
1. Merthyr Tydfil 44
29 8 7 156
66 66
2. Hereford United 44
27 7 10 110
69 61
3. Guildford City 44
23 8 13 88
60 54
4. Chelmsford City 44
21 12 11 84
58 54
5. Llanelly
44 19 13 12 89
73 51
6. Cheltenham Town 44
21 8 15 91
61 50
7. Headington United 44
18 11 15 84
83 47
8. Torquay United Reserves 44
20 6 18 93
79 46
9. Exeter City Reserves 44
16 12 16 90
94 44
10. Weymouth 44
16 12 16 82
88 44
11. Tonbridge 44
16 12 16 79
87 44
12. Gloucester City 44
16 11 17 81
76 43
13. Yeovil Town 44
13 15 16 72
72 41
14. Worcester City 44
15 11 18 69
78 41
15. Bath City 44
15 10 19 65
73 40
16. Dartford 44
14 11 19 61
70 39
17. Bedford Town 44
15 9 20 64
94 39
18. Gravesend & Northfleet 44
12 14 18 65
83 38
19. Kettering Town 44
13 11 20 87
87 37
20. Lovells Athletic 44
12 13 19 81
93 37
21. Kidderminster Harriers 44
13 9 22 58
103 35
22. Barry Town 44
13 7 24 54
104 33
23. Hastings United 44
11 6 27 91
143 28
(1012 388 236 388 1894 1894 1012)
Chingford Town withdrew from the Southern
League in December 1950. At the time the club had
played 18 games, winning only one and collecting
just 4 points, with a goals aggregate of
12-55. Chingford’s record was deleted.
Torquay United left at the end of the season.
1951-1952
1. Merthyr Tydfil 42
27 6 9 128
60 60
2. Weymouth 42
22 13 7 81
42 57
3. Kidderminster Harriers 42
22 10 10 70
40 54
4. Guildford City 42
18 16 8 66
47 52
5. Hereford United 42
21 9 12 80
59 51
6. Worcester City 42
23 4 15 86
73 50
7. Kettering Town 42
18 10 14 83
56 46
8. Lovells Athletic 42
18 10 14 87
68 46
9. Gloucester City 42
19 8 15 68
55 46
10. Bath City 42
19 6 17 75
67 44
11. Headington United 42
16 11 15 55
53 43
12. Bedford Town 42
16 10 16 75
64 42
13. Barry Town 42
18 6 18 84
89 42
14. Chelmsford City 42
15 10 17 67
80 40
15. Dartford 42
15 9 18 63
65 39
16. Tonbridge 42
15 6 21 63
84 36
17. Yeovil Town 42
12 11 19 56
76 35
18. Cheltenham Town
42 15 4 23
59 85 34
19. Exeter City Reserves 42
13 7 22 76
106 33
20. Llanelly
42 13 6 23
70 111 32
21. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
12 7 23 66
88 31
22. Hastings United
42 3 5 34 41
131 11
(924 370 184 370 1599 1599 924)
1952-1953
1. Headington United 42
23 12 7 93
50 58
2. Merthyr Tydfil 42
25 8 9 117
66 58
3. Bedford Town 42
24 8 10 91
61 56
4. Kettering Town
42 23 8 11
88 50 54
5. Bath City 42
22 10 10 71
46 54
6. Worcester City
42 20 11 11 100
66 51
7. Llanelly 42
21 9 12 95
72 51
8. Barry Town
42 22 3 17
89 69 47
9. Gravesend & Northfleet
42 19 7 16 83
76 45
10. Gloucester City
42
17 9 16 50
78 43
11. Guildford City 42
17 8 17 64
60 42
12. Hastings United
42 18 5 19
75 66 41
13. Cheltenham Town
42 15 11 16 70
89 41
14. Weymouth 42
15 10 17 70
75 40
15. Hereford United 42
17 5 20 76
73 39
16. Tonbridge 42
12 9 21 62
88 33
17. Lovells Athletic 42
12 8 22 68
81 32
18. Yeovil Town 42
11 10 21 75
99 32
19. Chelmsford City 42
12 7 23 58
92 31
20. Exeter City Reserves 42
13 4 25 71
94 30
21. Kidderminster Harriers 42
12 5 25 54
88 29
22. Dartford 42
6 5 31 40
121 17
(924 376 172 376 1660 1660 924)
1953-1954
1. Merthyr Tydfil 42
27 8 7 97
55 62
2. Headington United 42
22 9 11 68
43 53
3. Yeovil Town 42
20 8 14 87
76 48
4. Bath City 42
17 12 13 73
67 46
5. Kidderminster Harriers 42
18 9 15 62
59 45
6. Weymouth 42
18 8 16 83
72 44
7. Barry Town 42
17 9 16 108
91 43
8. Bedford Town 42
19 5 18 80
84 43
9. Gloucester City 42
16 11 15 69
77 43
10. Hastings United 42
16 10 16 73
67 42
11. Kettering Town 42
15 12 15 65
63 42
12. Hereford United 42
16 9 17 66
62 41
13. Llanelly 42
16 9 17 80
85 41
14. Guildford City 42
15 11 16 56
60 41
15. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
16 8 18 76
77 40
16. Worcester City 42
17 6 19 66
71 40
17. Lovells Athletic 42
14 11 17 62
60 39
18. Tonbridge 42
15 9 18 85
91 39
19. Chelmsford City 42
14 10 18 67
71 38
20. Exeter City Reserves 42
11 13 18 61
72 35
21. Cheltenham Town 42
11 12 19 56
83 34
22. Dartford 42
6 13 23 42
96 25
(924 356 212 356 1582 1582 924)
1954-1955
1. Yeovil Town 42
23 9 10 105
66 55
2. Weymouth 42
24 7 11 105
84 55
3. Hastings United 42
21 9 12 94
60 51
4. Cheltenham Town 42
21 8 13 85
72 50
5. Guildford City 42
20 8 14 72
59 48
6. Worcester City 42
19 10 13 80
73 48
7. Barry Town 42
16 15 11 82
87 47
8. Gloucester City 42
16 13 13 66
54 45
9. Bath City 42
18 9 15 73
80 45
10. Headington United 42
18 7 17 82
62 43
11. Kidderminster Harriers 42
18 7 17 84
86 43
12. Merthyr Tydfil 42
17 8 17 97
94 42
13. Exeter City Reserves 42
19 4 19 67
78 42
14. Lovells Athletic 42
15 11 16 71
68 41
15. Kettering Town 42
15 11 16 70
69 41
16. Hereford United
42 17 5 20
79 72 39
17. Llanelly 42
16 7 19 78
81 39
18. Bedford Town 42
16 3 23 75
103 35
19. Tonbridge
42 11 8 23
68 91 30
20. Dartford
42 9 12 21
55 76 30
21. Chelmsford City
42 11 6 25
73 111 28
22. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
9 9 24 62
97 27
(924 369 186 369 1723 1723 924)
1955-1956
1. Guildford City 42
26 8 8 74
34 60
2. Cheltenham Town 42
25 6 11 82
53 56
3. Yeovil Town 42
23 9 10 98
55 55
4. Bedford Town 42
21 9 12 99
69 51
5. Dartford 42
20 9 13 78
62 49
6. Weymouth 42
19 10 13 83
63 48
7. Gloucester City 42
19 9 14 72
60 47
8. Lovells Athletic 42
19 9 14 91
78 47
9. Chelmsford City 42
18 10 14 67
55 46
10. Kettering Town 42
16 11 15 105 86
43
11. Exeter City Reserves 42
17 9 16 75
76 43
12. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
17 8 17 79
75 42
13. Hereford United 42
17 7 18 90
90 41
14. Hastings United 42
15 10 17 90
76 40
15. Headington United 42
17 6 19 82
86 40
16. Kidderminster Harriers 42
14 7 21 86
105 35
17. Llanelly 42
14 6 22 64
98 34
18. Barry Town 42
11 11 20 91
108 33
19. Worcester City 42
12 9 21 66
83 33
20. Tonbridge 42
11 11 20 53
74 33
21. Merthyr Tydfil 42
7 10 25 52
127 24
22. Bath City 42
7 10 25 43
107 24
(924 365 194 365 1720 1720 924)
After a period without further change in
membership, the Southern League entered a
period
of transformation. In 1957, Llanelly left
the competition. The period proved to be
a difficult one for Welsh sides, with Lovells
Athletic later departing and both Barry Town
and the competition’s previous stars,
Merthyr Tydfil, both struggling. In 1958,
with things changing elsewhere, the Southern
League accepted 13 new clubs and ran two
regional sections. A year later a two-tier
system was introduced, with 10 more new entries
to the League’s ranks. One of the problems
with the League in this period concerns its
record-keeping apparently, as there are various
versions of the final tables. While every
effort has been made to achieve accuracy
in the details given below, this cannot be
100% guaranteed and it will be some time
before all the checks and re-checks have
been completed.
1956-1957
1. Kettering Town 42
28 10 4 106
47 66
2. Bedford Town 42
25 8 9 89
52 58
3. Weymouth 42
22 10 10 92
71 54
4. Cheltenham Town 42
19 15 8 73
46 53
5. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
21 11 10 74
58 53
6. Lovells Athletic 42
21 7 14 99
84 49
7. Guildford City 42
18 11 13 68
49 47
8. Hereford United 42
19 8 15 96
60 46
9. Headington United
42 19 7 16
64 61 45
10. Gloucester City 42
18 8 16 74
72 44
11. Hastings United 42
17 9 16 70
58 43
12. Worcester City 42
16 10 16 81
80 42
13. Dartford 42
16 10 16 79
88 42
14. Chelmsford City 42
16 9 17 73
85 41
15. Tonbridge 42
14 12 16 74
65 40
16. Yeovil Town 42
14 11 17 83
85 39
17. Bath City 42
15 8 19 56
78 38
18. Exeter City Reserves 42
10 10 22 52
89 30
19. Merthry Tydfil 42
9 11 22 72
95 29
20. Barry Town 42
6 11 25 39
84 23
21. Kidderminster Harriers (-4) 42
7 10 25 60
83 20
22. Llanelly 42
5 8 29 39
123 18
(924 355 214 355 1613 1613 920)
Llanelly left the Southern League and were
replaced by Poole Town.
1957-1958
1. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
27 5 10 109
71 59
2. Bedford Town 42
25 7 10 112
64 57
3. Chelmsford City
42 24 9 9
93 57 57
4. Weymouth
42 25 5 12
90 61 55
5. Worcester City
42 23 7 12
95 59 53
6. Cheltenham Town
42 21 10 11 115
66 52
7. Hereford United
42 21 6 15
79 56 48
8. Kettering Town 42
18 9 15 99
76 45
9. Headington United
42 18 7 17
90 83 43
10. Poole Town
42 17 9 16
82 81 43
11. Hastings United
42 13 15 14 78
77 41
12. Gloucester City
42 17 7 18
70 70 41
13. Yeovil Town 42
16 9 17 70
84 41
14. Dartford
42 14 9 19
66 92 37
15. Lovells Athletic 42
15 6 21 60
83 36
16. Bath City 42
13 9 20 65
64 35
17. Guildford City 42
12 10 20 58
92 34
18. Tonbridge 42
13 7 22 77
100 33
19. Exeter City Reserves 42
12 8 22 60
94 32
20. Barry Town 42
11 9 22 72
101 31
21. Kidderminster Harriers 42
10 10 22 60
101 30
22. Merthyr Tydfil 42
9 3 30
69 137 21
(924 374 176 374 1769 1769 924)
1958 saw a number of changes take place in
football. The Football League ended its use
of regional 3rd Divisions, introducing national 3rd and 4th Divisions instead. Many Football League
clubs decided to set up their own competitions
for their reserve sides and this left competitions
such as the Midland League with a problem.
Partly as a result of these developments,
13 clubs made successful applications to
join the Southern League. This raised membership
to 35 clubs. It was therefore to decided
to run two regional competitions for the
1958-1959 campaign, with the top eleven teams
going forward to a new Premier Division 1959-1960,
while the others would join a second-tier
1st Division. The new clubs joining the Southern
League in 1958 were Boston United, Burton
Albion, Cambridge City, Cambridge
United, Clacton Town, Corby Town, King’s
Lynn, Nuneaton Borough, Rugby Town, Trowbridge
Town,
Wellington Town, Wisbech Town and Yiewsley
1958-1959
North Western zone
1. Hereford United 34
22 5 7 80
37 49
2. Kettering Town
34 20 7 7
83 63 47
3. Boston United 34
18 8 8 73
47 44
4. Cheltenham Town 34
20 4 10 65
47 44
5. Worcester City 34
19 4 11 74
47 42
6. Bath City 34
17 5 12 89
62 39
7. Wellington Town 34
15 9 10 74
58 39
8. Nuneaton Borough 34
17 5 12 76
66 39
9. Wisbech Town 34
16 5 13 77
54 37
10. Headington United 34
16 3 15 76
61 35
11. Barry Town 34
15 5 14 64
67 35
12. Merthyr Tydfil 34
16 3 15 54
59 35
13. Gloucester City 34
12 6 16 50
65 30
14. Corby Town 34
10 8 16 59
79 28
15. Lovells Athletic
34 10 3 21
51 70 23
16. Rugby Town 34
7 6 21 45
93 20
17. Kidderminster Harriers 34
7 3 24 42
94 17
18. Burton Albion 34
3 3 28 41
104 9
(612 260 92 260 1173 1173 612)
South Eastern zone
1. Bedford Town 32
21 6 5 90
41 48
2. Gravesend & Northfleet 32
21 2 9 79
54 44
3. Dartford
32 20 3 9
77 41 43
4. Yeovil Town 32
17 8 7 60
41 42
5. Weymouth 32
13 11 8 61
43 37
6. Chelmsford City 32
12 12 8 74
53 36
7. King’s Lynn 32
14 5 13 70
63 33
8. Poole Town
32 12 8 12
60 66 32
9. Cambridge City
32 12 7 13
61 54 31
10. Hastings United
32 13 5 14
60 59 31
11. Tonbridge 32
14 3 15 51
59 31
12. Cambridge United 32
11 8 13 55
77 30
13. Trowbridge Town
32 12
4 16 53 75
28
14. Exeter City Reserves
32 7 12 13
47 71 26
15. Guildford City 32
7 6 19 45
67 20
16. Clacton Town 32
6 7 19 44
81 19
17. Yiewsley 32
3 7 22 36
78 13
(544 215 114 215 1023 1023 544)
The top 11 sides in each zone qualified for
the Southern League Premier Division for
the 1959-1960 season. The remaining sides
were allocated to the new, 22-club First
Division. Lovells Athletic, however, left
the Southern League, which left 10 vacancies.
Ashford Town, Bexleyheath & Welling,
Dover, Folkestone Town, Hinckley Athletic,
Margate, Ramsgate Athletic, Romford, Sittingbourne
and Tunbridge Wells United joined the new
1st Division.
1959-1960
Premier Division
1. Bath City 42
32 3 7 116
50 67
2. Headington United 42
23 8 11 78
61 54
3. Weymouth 42
22 9 11 93
69 53
4. Cheltenham Town 42
21 6 15 82
68 48
5. Cambridge City 42
18 11 13 81
72 47
6. Chelmsford City
42 19 7 16
90 70 45
7. Bedford Town 42
21 3 18 97
85 45
8. King’s Lynn 42
17 11 14 89
78 45
9. Boston United 42
17 10 15 83
80 44
10. Wisbech Town
42 17 10 15 81
84 44
11. Yeovil Town
42
17 8 17 81
73 42
12. Hereford United
42 15 12 15 70
74 42
13. Tonbridge 42
16 8 18 79
73 40
14. Hastings United
42 16 8 18 63
77 40
15. Wellington Town
42 13 11 18 63
78 37
16. Dartford
42 15 7 20
64 82 37
17. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
14 8 20 69
84 36
18. Worcester City 42
13 10 19 72
89 36
19. Nuneaton Borough
42 11 11 20 64
78 33
20. Barry Town
42 14 5 23
78 103 33
21. Poole Town
42 10 8 24
69 96 28
22. Kettering Town
42 9 10
23 60 98 28
(924 370 184 370 1722 1722 924)
Nuneaton Borough, Barry Town, Poole Town
and Kettering Town were relegated to the
First Division. Headington United became
‘Oxford United’.
First Division
1. Clacton Town 42
27 5 10 106
69 59
2. Romford 42
21 10 11 65
40 52
3. Folkestone Town 42
23 5 14 93
71 51
4. Exeter City Reserves 42
23 3 16 85
62 49
5. Guildford City 42
19 9 14 79
56 47
6. Sittingbourne
42 20 7 15
66 55 47
7. Margate 42
20 6 16 88
77 46
8. Trowbridge Town 42
18 9 15 90
78 45
9. Cambridge United
42 18 9 15
71 72 45
10. Yiewsley 42
17 10 15 83
69 44
11. Bexleyheath & Welling
42 16 11 15 85
77 43
12. Merthyr Tydfil 42
16 10 16 63
65 42
13. Ramsgate Athletic
42 16 8 18
83 84 40
14. Ashford Town 42
14 12 16 61
70 40
15. Tunbridge Wells United 42
17 5 20 77
78 39
16. Hinckley Athletic
42 14 8 20 62
75 36
17. Gloucester City
42 13 9 20
56 84 35
18. Dover 42
14 6 22 59
85 34
19. Kidderminster Harriers 42
14 6 22 59
97 34
20. Corby Town 42
15 3 24 75
91 33
21. Burton Albion 42
11 10 21 52
79 32
22. Rugby Town
42 10 11 21 67
91 31
(924 376 173 375 1625 1625 924)
Clacton Town, Romford and Folkestone Town
were promoted to the Premier Division. Exeter
City
Reserves and Kidderminster Harriers left
the Southern League. The departure of the
Grecians’
second string meant that the fourth promotion
place was given to Guildford City. Canterbury
City joined.
The Southern League operated as a 2-division
competition throughout the next few years,
with
the Premier Division claiming, with some
justification, to be the top football section
outside the Football League. It was no surprise,
in 1962, when the champions, Oxford United,
were chosen to fill the vacancy in Division
4 created by the resignation of Accrington
Stanley. A number of leading Southern League
sides might well have prospered in the higher
grade of soccer, but had to be content with
the battle for the regional crown instead.
There was rarely much to choose between the
top sides in either section, with the championship
only being decided in the closing weeks of
each campaign. The biggest change to occur
in the period came in the final two seasons
covered below. Two giants of the amateur
game, Wimbledon and Barnet, joined the Southern
League First Division, both winning promotion
to the top flight at the first attempt.
1960-1961
Premier Division
1. Oxford United 42
27 10 5 104
43 64
2. Chelmsford City 42
23 11 8 91
55 57
3. Yeovil Town 42
23 9 10 109
54 55
4. Hereford United 42
21 10 11 83
67 52
5. Weymouth 42
21 9 12 78
63 51
6. Bath City 42
18 14 10 74
52 50
7. Cambridge City 42
16 12 14 101 71
44
8. Wellington Town 42
17 9 16 66
68 43
9. Bedford Town 42
18 7 17 94
97 43
10. Folkestone Town 42
18 7 17 75
86 43
11. King’s Lynn 42
13 16 13 68
66 42
12. Worcester City 42
15 11 16 69
69 41
13. Clacton Town 42
15 11 16 82
83 41
14. Romford 42
13 15 14 66
69 41
15. Guildford City
42 14 11 17 65
62 39
16. Tonbridge 42
16 6 20 79
85 38
17. Cheltenham Town 42
15 7 20 81
81 37
18. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
15 7 20 75
101 37
19. Dartford 42
13 11 18 57
90 37
20. Hastings United 42
8 9 25 60
100 25
21. Wisbech Town 42
9 6 27 58
112 24
22. Boston United 42
6 8 28 62
123 20
(924 354 216 354 1697 1697 924)
Dartford, Hastings United and Wisbech Town
relegated. Boston United left the Southern
League.
First Division
1. Kettering Town 40
26 7 7 100
55 59
2. Cambridge United 40
25 5 10 100
53 55
3. Bexleyheath & Welling 40
22 8 10 93
46 52
4. Merthyr Tydfil 40
23 6 11 88
65 52
5. Sittingbourne 40
21 10 9 77
63 52
6. Hinckley Athletic 40
17 13 10 74
59 47
7. Ramsgate Athletic 40
19 7 14 77
56 45
8. Rugby Town 40
18 9 13 89
71 45
9. Corby Town 40
16 10 14 82
73 42
10. Poole Town 40
18 5 17 71
65 41
11. Barry Town
40 16 9 15
65 74 41
12. Yiewsley 40
17 7 16 65
76 41
13. Trowbridge Town 40
14 10 16 71
73 38
14. Ashford Town 40
14 8 18 61
67 36
15. Margate 40
11 12 17 62
75 34
16. Dover 40
12 7 21 67
74 31
17. Canterbury City
40 10 10 20 52
75 30
18. Nuneaton Borough 40
11 7 22 60
91 29
19. Burton Albion 40
12 4 24 63
85 28
20. Tunbridge Wells United
40 8 5 27
56 115 21
21. Gloucester City
40 7 7 26 40
102 21
(840 337 166 337 1513 1513 840)
Kettering Town, Cambridge United, Bexleyheath
& Welling and Merthyr Tydfil promoted.
1961-1962
Premier Division
1. Oxford United 42
28 5 9 118
46 61
2. Bath City 42
25 7 10 102
70 57
3. Guildford City 42
24 8 10 79
49 56
4. Yeovil Town 42
23 8 11 97
59 54
5. Chelmsford City 42
19 2 11 74
60 50
6. Weymouth 42
20 7 15 80
64 47
7. Kettering Town 42
21 5 16 90
84 47
8. Hereford United 42
21 2 19 81
68 44
9. Cambridge City 42
18 6 16 70
71 44
10. Bexleyheath & Welling 42
19 5 18 69
75 43
11. Romford 42
15 9 18 63
70 39
12. Cambridge United 42
13 12 17 76
78 38
13. Wellington Town 42
14 10 18 75
78 38
14. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
17 4 21 59
92 38
15. Bedford Town 42
16 5 21 73
79 37
16. Worcester City 42
15 7 20 51
64 37
17. Merthyr Tydfil 42
13 11 18 62
80 37
18. Clacton Town 42
13 10 19 74
91 36
19. Tonbridge 42
10 14 18 71
92 34
20. King’s Lynn
42 12 8 22
59 74 32
21. Folkestone Town 42
12 6 24 64
103 30
22. Cheltenham Town 42
9 7 26 48
88 25
(924 377 158 377 1635 1635 924)
Oxford United were elected to the Football
League Division 4. Tonbridge, King’s
Lynn, Folkestone Town and Cheltenham Town
relegated.
First Division
1. Wisbech Town 38
21 11 6 76
42 53
2. Poole Town 38
23 6 9 81
47 52
3. Dartford
38 21 8 9
89 50 50
4. Rugby Town 38
20 9 9 82
49 49
5. Margate 38
20 6 12 73
55 46
6. Corby Town
38 19 6 13 82
60 44
7. Sittingbourne
38
16 12 10 69
51 44
8. Dover 38
19 6 13 66
55 44
9. Yiewsley 38
18 6 14 64
51 42
10. Barry Town 38
14 11 13 55
51 39
11. Ashford Town 38
14 11 13 66
70 39
12. Hinckley Athletic 38
15 8 15 75
65 38
13. Burton Albion 38
16 5 17 70
79 37
14. Nuneaton Borough
38 12 12 14 63
69 36
15. Tunbridge Wells United 38
12 7 19 64
85 31
16. Canterbury City 38
11 8 19 60
82 30
17. Ramsgate Athletic 38
10 9 19 48
70 29
18. Trowbridge Town
38 9
9 20 45 69
27
19. Gloucester City 38
6 4 28 46
104 16
20. Hastings United 38
5 4 29 45
115 14
(760 301 158 301 1319 1319 760)
Wisbech Town, Poole Town, Dartford and Rugby
Town promoted.
1962-1963
Premier Division
1. Cambridge City 40
25 6 9 99
64 56
2. Cambridge United 40
23 7 10 74
50 53
3. Weymouth 40
20 11 9 82
43 51
4. Guildford City 40
20 11 9 70
50 51
5. Kettering Town 40
22 7 11 66
49 51
6. Wellington Town 40
19 9 12 71
49 47
7. Dartford 40
19 9 12 61
54 47
8. Chelmsford City 40
18 10 12 63
50 46
9. Bedford Town 40
18 8 14 61
45 44
10. Bath City 40
18 6 16 58
56 42
11. Yeovil Town 40
15 10 15 64
54 40
12. Romford 40
14 11 15 73
68 39
13. Bexleyheath & Welling 40
13 11 16 55
63 37
14. Hereford United 40
14 7 19 56
66 35
15. Merthyr Tydfil 40
15 4 21 54
71 34
16. Rugby Town 40
14 5 21 65
76 33
17. Wisbech Town 40
15 3 22 64
84 33
18. Worcester City 40
12 9 19 47
65 33
19. Poole Town 40
10 12 18 54
66 32
20. Gravesend & Northfleet 40
10 3 27 62
91 23
21. Clacton Town 40
3 7 30 50
135 13
(840 337 166 337 1349 1349 840)
Poole Town, Gravesend & Northfleet and
Clacton Town relegated. Bexleyheath &
Welling became
‘Bexley United’.
First Division
1. Margate
38 21 13 4
86 47
55
2. Hinckley Athletic
38 22 9 7
66 38 53
3. Hastings United 38
22 8 8 86
36 52
4. Nuneaton Borough
38 21 10 7
82 41 52
5. Tonbridge 38
22 8 8 81
51 52
6. Dover 38
22 7 9 78
56 51
7. Corby Town 38
19 8 11 79
50 46
8. King’s Lynn 38
19 7 12 76
66 45
9. Cheltenham Town 38
18 7 13 83
52 43
10. Folkestone Town 38
15 10 13 79
57 40
11. Canterbury City 38
14 8 16 42
56 36
12. Yiewsley 38
11 10 17 63
71 32
13. Ramsgate Athletic 38
12 7 19 58
82 31
14. Trowbridge Town 38
11 9 18 50
81 31
15. Burton Albion 38
10 10 18 48
76 30
16. Gloucester City 38
9 11 18 42
78 29
17. Sittingbourne 38
12 3 23 56
75 27
18. Ashford Town
38 9 6 23
58 76 24
19. Barry Town 38
6 5 27 35
75 17
20. Tunbridge Wells United 38
6 2 30 34
118 14
(760 301 158 301 1282 1282 760)
Margate, Hinckley Athletic, Hastings United
and Nuneaton Borough promoted. Crawley Town,
Deal
Town and Stevenage Town joined the Southern
League. Tunbridge Wells United became ‘Tunbridge
Wells Rangers’.
1963-1964
Premier Division
1. Yeovil Town 42
29 5 8 93
36 63
2. Chelmsford City 42
26 7 9 99
55 59
3. Bath City 42
24 9 9 88
51 57
4. Guildford City 42
21 9 12 90
55 51
5. Romford 42
20 9 13 71
58 49
6. Hastings United 42
20 8 14 75
61 48
7. Weymouth
42 20 7 15
65 53 47
8. Bedford Town 42
19 9 14 71
68 47
9. Cambridge United 42
17 9 16 92
77 43
10. Cambridge City 42
17 9 16 76
70 43
11. Wisbech Town 42
17 8 17 64
68 42
12. Bexley United 42
16 10 16 70
77 42
13. Dartford 42
16 8 18 56
71 40
14. Worcester City 42
12 15 15 70
74 39
15. Nuneaton Borough 42
15 8 19 58
61 38
16. Rugby Town 42
15 8 19 68
86 38
17. Margate 42
12 13 17 68
81 37
18. Wellington Town 42
12 9 21 73
85 33
19. Merthyr Tydfil 42
12 8 22 69
108 32
20. Hereford United 42
12 7 23 58
86 31
21. Kettering Town 42
10 5 27 49
89 25
22. Hinckley Athletic 42
7 6 29 51
104 20
(924 369 186 369 1574 1574 924)
Merthyr Tydfil, Hereford United, Kettering
Town and Hinckley Athletic relegated.
First Division
1. Folkestone Town 42
28 7 7 82
38 63
2. King’s Lynn 42
28 5 9 94
44 61
3. Cheltenham Town 42
25 10 7 92
49 60
4. Tonbridge 42
24 11 7 98
54 59
5. Corby Town
42 24 7 11
114 56 55
6. Stevenage Town 42
21 6 15 70
59 48
7. Ashford Town
42 19 9 14 73
57 47
8. Burton Albion 42
19 8 15 76
70 46
9. Poole Town 42
17 11 14 75
61 45
10. Dover 42
18 9 15 86
75 45
11. Canterbury City 42
16 12 14 66
66 44
12. Crawley Town
42 20 2 20
81 71 42
13. Trowbridge Town 42
16 9 17 71
78 41
14. Clacton Town
42 19 1 22
76 88 39
15. Gloucester City 42
17 4 21 88
89 38
16. Yiewsley 42
15 8 19 63
77 38
17. Sittingbourne 42
15 8 19 52
70 38
18. Ramsgate Athletic 42
13 9 20 57
55 35
19. Tunbridge Wells Rangers
42 10 8 24
47 89 28
20. Gravesend & Northfleet
42 7 9 26
43 96 23
21. Deal Town 42
5 7 30 48
106 17
22. Barry Town 42
3 6 33 33
137 12
(924 379 166 379 1585 1585 924)
Folkestone Town, King’s Lynn, Cheltenham
Town and Tonbridge promoted. Clacton Town
left the
Southern League and Wimbledon joined the
competition from the Isthmian League. Yiewsley
became
‘Hillingdon Borough’.
1964-1965
Premier Division
1. Weymouth 42
24 8 10 99
50 56
2. Guildford City 42
21 12 9 73
49 54
3. Worcester City 42
22 6 14 100
62 50
4. Yeovil Town 42
18 14 10 76
55 50
5. Chelmsford City
42 21 8 13 86
77 50
6. Margate 42
20 9 13 88
79 49
7. Dartford 42
17 11 14 74
64 45
8. Nuneaton Borough 42
19 7 16 57
55 45
9. Cambridge United
42 16 11 15 78
66 43
10. Bedford Town 42
17 9 16 66
70 43
11. Cambridge City 42
16 9 17 72
69 41
12. Cheltenham Town 42
15 11 16 72
78 41
13. Folkestone Town 42
17 7 18 72
79 41
14. Romford 42
17 7 18 61
70 41
15. King’s Lynn 42
13 13 16 56
79 39
16. Tonbridge 42
10 16 16 66
75 36
17. Wellington Town
42 13 10 19 63
78 36
18. Rugby Town 42
15 6 21 71
98 36
19. Wisbech Town
42 14 6 22
75 91 34
20. Bexley United 42
14 5 23 67
74 33
21. Hastings United
42 9 14 19
58 86 32
22. Bath City 42
13 3 26 60
86 29
(924 361 202 361 1590 1590 924)
Wisbech Town, Bexley United, Hastings United
and Bath City relegated.
First Division
1. Hereford United
42 34 4 4 124
39 72
2. Wimbledon 42
24 13 5 108
52 61
3. Poole Town
42 26 6 10
92 56 58
4. Corby Town 42
24 7 11 88
55 55
5. Stevenage Town
42 19 13 10 83
43 51
6. Hillingdon Borough
42 21 7 14
105 63 49
7. Crawley Town 42
22 5 15 83
52 49
8. Merthyr Tydfil
42 20 9 13
75 59 49
9. Gloucester City 42
19 10 13 68
65 48
10. Burton Albion 42
20 7 15 83
75 47
11. Canterbury City
42 13 16 13 73
53 42
12. Kettering Town
42 14 13 15 74
64 41
13. Ramsgate Athletic
42 16 8 18
52 59 40
14. Dover 42
14 10 18 54
59 38
15. Hinckley Athletic
42 13 9 20
56 81 35
16. Trowbridge Town 42
13 5 24 68
106 31
17. Ashford Town 42
11 8 23 60
98 30
18. Barry Town
42 11 7 24
47 103 29
19. Deal Town 42
7 13 22 61
127 27
20. Tunbridge Wells Rangers
42
10 6 26 51
107 26
21. Gravesend & Northfleet 42
9 7 26 57
101 25
22. Sittingbourne 42
8 5 29 58
103 21
(924 368 188 368 1620 1620 924)
Hereford United, Wimbledon, Poole Town and
Corby Town promoted. Barnet and Dunstable
Town
joined the Southern League.
1965-1966
Premier Division
1. Weymouth 42
22 13 7 70
35 57
2. Chelmsford City 42
21 12 9 74
50 54
3. Hereford United 42
21 10 11 81
49 52
4. Bedford Town 42
23 6 13 80
57 52
5. Wimbledon 42
20 10 12 80
47 50
6. Cambridge City 42
19 11 12 67
52 49
7. Romford 42
21 7 14 87
72 49
8. Worcester City 42
20 8 14 69
54 48
9. Yeovil Town 42
17 11 14 91
70 45
10. Cambridge United 42
18 9 15 72
64 45
11. King’s Lynn 42
18 7 17 75
72 43
12. Corby Town 42
16 9 17 66
73 41
13. Wellington Town 42
13 13 16 65
70 39
14. Nuneaton Borough 42
15 8 19 60
74 38
15. Folkestone Town
42 14 9 19 53
75 37
16. Guildford City 42
14 8 20 70
84 36
17. Poole Town 42
14 7 21 61
75 35
18. Cheltenham Town 42
13 9 20 69
99 35
19. Dartford
42 13 7 22
62 69 33
20. Rugby Town 42
11 10 21 67
95 32
21. Tonbridge 42
11 6 25 63
101 28
22. Margate 42
8 10 24 66
111 26
(924 362 200 362 1548 1548 924)
Dartford, Rugby Town, Tonbridge and Margate
relegated.
First Division
1. Barnet 46
30 9 7 114
49 69
2. Hillingdon Borough 46
27 10 9 101
46 64
3. Burton Albion 46
28 8 10 121
60 64
4. Bath City 46
25 13 8 88
50 63
5. Hastings United 46
25 10 11 104 59
60
6. Wisbech Town 46
25 9 12 98
54 59
7. Canterbury City 46
25 8 13 89
66 58
8. Stevenage Town 46
23 9 14 86
49 55
9. Kettering Town 46
22 9 15 77
74 53
10. Merthyr Tydfil 46
22 6 18 95
68 50
11. Dunstable Town 46
15 14 17 76
72 44
12. Crawley Town 46
17 10 19 72
71 44
13. Bexley United 46
20 4 22 65
71 44
14. Trowbridge Town 46
16 11 19 79
81 43
15. Dover 46
17 8 21 59
62 42
16. Barry Town 46
16 10 20 72
94 42
17. Gravesend & Northfleet 46
16 9 21 84
86 41
18. Gloucester City 46
14 12 20 75
98 40
19. Sittingbourne 46
11 12 23 77
121 34
20. Ramsgate Athletic 46
9 15 22 35
76 33
21. Hinckley Athletic 46
10 12 24 59
93 32
22. Tunbridge Wells Rangers 46
12 8 26 47
88 32
23. Ashford Town 46
9 10 27 44
92 28
24. Deal Town 46
3 4 39 29
166 10
(1104 437 230 437 1846 1846 1104)
Barnet, Hillingdon Borough, Burton Albion
and Bath City promoted. Deal Town left the
Southern
League, to which Banbury United were elected.
