1927–28 Southern Football League
The 1927–28 season was the 30th in the history of the Southern League. The league consisted of Eastern and Western Divisions.[1] Kettering Town won the Eastern Division and Bristol City reserves won the Western Division. Kettering were declared Southern League champions after defeating Bristol City reserves 5–0 in a championship play-off.[2]
Two clubs from the Southern League applied to join the Football League, although neither was successful. Three clubs (all from the Western Division) left the league at the end of the season.
Eastern Division
| Season | 1927–28 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Kettering Town (1st title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | none |
| Matches played | 306 |
| Goals scored | 1,237 (4.04 per match) |
← 1926–27 1928–29 → | |
A total of 18 teams contest the division, including 12 sides from previous season and six new teams.
Newly elected teams:
- Chatham Town - returned to the league after the resignation in 1921
- Northfleet United - returned to the league after the resignation in 1898
- Sheppey United - returned to the league after the resignation in 1901
- Aldershot Town
- Sittingbourne
- Gillingham II - returned to the league after the resignation in 1922
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettering Town | 34 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 90 | 39 | 2.308 | 52 |
| 2 | Peterborough & Fletton United | 34 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 73 | 43 | 1.698 | 45 |
| 3 | Northfleet United | 34 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 83 | 54 | 1.537 | 41 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion II | 34 | 20 | 0 | 14 | 90 | 63 | 1.429 | 40 |
| 5 | Norwich City II | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 69 | 69 | 1.000 | 40 |
| 6 | Southampton II | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 92 | 70 | 1.314 | 39 |
| 7 | Aldershot Town | 34 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 85 | 66 | 1.288 | 39 |
| 8 | Sittingbourne | 34 | 16 | 5 | 13 | 64 | 70 | 0.914 | 37 |
| 9 | Millwall II | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 66 | 59 | 1.119 | 36 |
| 10 | Poole | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 69 | 84 | 0.821 | 35 |
| 11 | Folkestone | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 71 | 91 | 0.780 | 30 |
| 12 | Guildford City | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 65 | 89 | 0.730 | 29 |
| 13 | Dartford | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 46 | 49 | 0.939 | 28 |
| 14 | Gillingham II | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 72 | 84 | 0.857 | 27 |
| 15 | Sheppey United | 34 | 11 | 3 | 20 | 57 | 87 | 0.655 | 25 |
| 16 | Chatham Town | 34 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 49 | 70 | 0.700 | 24 |
| 17 | Grays Thurrock United | 34 | 10 | 3 | 21 | 48 | 88 | 0.545 | 23 |
| 18 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic II | 34 | 9 | 4 | 21 | 48 | 62 | 0.774 | 22 |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976–77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Western Division
| Season | 1927–28 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bristol City II |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic (resigned) Weymouth (resigned) Mid Rhondda United (resigned) |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 1,095 (4.56 per match) |
← 1926–27 1928–29 → | |
A total of 16 teams contest the division, including 13 sides from previous season and three new teams.
Team relegated from 1926–27 Football League
- Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic - relegated from the Football League and renamed
Newly elected teams:
- Merthyr Town II
- Torquay United II - replacing their first team, who had been promoted to the Football League the previous season
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol City II | 30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 95 | 51 | 1.863 | 43 | |
| 2 | Exeter City II | 30 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 104 | 56 | 1.857 | 40 | |
| 3 | Bristol Rovers II | 30 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 80 | 64 | 1.250 | 35 | |
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle II | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 88 | 53 | 1.660 | 34 | |
| 5 | Newport County II | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 99 | 70 | 1.414 | 34 | |
| 6 | Ebbw Vale | 30 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 67 | 74 | 0.905 | 33 | |
| 7 | Swindon Town II | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 80 | 74 | 1.081 | 30 | |
| 8 | Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 62 | 68 | 0.912 | 30 | Left league at end of season |
| 9 | Yeovil & Petters United | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 64 | 57 | 1.123 | 29 | |
| 10 | Torquay United II | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 67 | 0.761 | 28 | |
| 11 | Bath City | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 64 | 68 | 0.941 | 27 | |
| 12 | Taunton Town | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 60 | 65 | 0.923 | 27 | |
| 13 | Weymouth | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 50 | 83 | 0.602 | 26 | Left league at end of season |
| 14 | Merthyr Town II | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 50 | 77 | 0.649 | 22 | |
| 15 | Barry | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 45 | 87 | 0.517 | 22 | |
| 16 | Mid Rhondda United | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 36 | 81 | 0.444 | 20 | Left league at end of season |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used 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
Two Southern League clubs, Kettering Town and Peterborough & Fletton United, applied to join the Football League. However, both League clubs were re-elected, with Argonauts, a new amateur club who had never played a match winning more votes than either Southern League club.[3]
| Club | League | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Merthyr Town | Football League Third Division South | 47 |
| Torquay United | Football League Third Division South | 42 |
| Argonauts | None | 16 |
| Kettering Town | Southern League | 3 |
| Peterborough & Fletton United | Southern League | 2 |
References
- England – Southern League Final Tables RSSSF
- Kettering Town at the Football Club History Database
- A history of admission to the Football League