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

Southern Football League 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	Relegation test matches

^{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

Southern Football League 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
St Albans

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv¹	Pts²	Notes
1	Royal Artillery	22	19	1	2	75	22	3.41	39	Promotion test matches
2	Warmley	22	19	0	3	108	15	7.2	38	Promotion test matches
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	4	3	1	0	8	4	2	7	Promoted
2	Warmley	4	2	1	1	14	7	2	5	Promoted
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	Relegated

^{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.

Club	League	Votes
Lincoln City	Football League	21
Burslem Port Vale	Midland League	18
Loughborough Town	Football League	16
Darwen	Football League	16
New Brighton Tower	Lancashire League
Nelson	Lancashire League
Bristol City	Southern League

References

↑ Northfleet at the Football Club History Database
↑ A history of admission to the Football League

External links

Southern League

Premier Division	Banbury United Basingstoke Town Biggleswade Town Cambridge City Chesham United Chippenham Town Cinderford Town Cirencester Town Dorchester Town Dunstable Town Frome Town Hayes and Yeading United Hitchin Town Kettering Town King's Langley King's Lynn Town Leamington Merthyr Town Redditch United Slough Town St Ives Town St Neots Town Stratford Town Weymouth

Division One Central	AFC Dunstable Arlesey Town Ashford Town Aylesbury Aylesbury United Barton Rovers Beaconsfield SYCOB Bedford Town Chalfont St Peter Egham Town Farnborough Fleet Town Hanwell Town Histon Kempston Rovers Kidlington Marlow Northwood Petersfield Town Potters Bar Town Royston Town Uxbridge

Division One South & West	AFC Totton Barnstaple Town Bideford Bishop's Cleeve Bridgwater Town Didcot Town Evesham United Hereford Larkhall Athletic Mangotsfield United North Leigh Paulton Rovers Salisbury Shortwood United Slimbridge Swindon Supermarine Taunton Town Tiverton Town Wantage Town Wimborne Town Winchester City Yate Town

Seasons	1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

1896–97 in English football

« 1895–96

1897–98 »

FA competitions

FA Cup (Qualifying rounds
Final)

Football and Southern Leagues

Lower leagues

Related to national team

Home Championship

Club seasons

First Division	Aston Villa Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers Burnley Bury Derby County Everton Liverpool Nottingham Forest Preston North End Sheffield United Stoke Sunderland The Wednesday West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers

Second Division	Blackpool Burton Swifts Burton Wanderers Darwen Gainsborough Trinity Grimsby Town Leicester Fosse Lincoln City Loughborough Manchester City Newcastle United Newton Heath Notts County Small Heath Walsall Woolwich Arsenal

Southern League	Chatham Town Gravesend United Millwall Athletic New Brompton Northfleet Reading Royal Ordnance Sheppey United Southampton St Mary's Swindon Town Tottenham Hotspur Wolverton L & NWR

Others	Thames Ironworks

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