2002–03 Northern Premier League
The 2002–03 Northern Premier League season was the 35th in the history of the Northern Premier League, a football competition in England. Teams were divided into two divisions; the Premier and the First.
Premier Division
Season | 2002–03 |
---|---|
Champions | Accrington Stanley |
Promoted | Accrington Stanley |
Relegated | Colwyn Bay Gateshead Hyde United |
Matches played | 506 |
Goals scored | 1,536 (3.04 per match) |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → |
The Premier League featured three new teams:
- Stalybridge Celtic relegated from the Conference
- Harrogate Town promoted as champions of Division One
- Ashton United promoted via play-offs from Division One
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Accrington Stanley (C, P) | 44 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 97 | 44 | +53 | 100 | Promotion to Conference |
2 | Barrow | 44 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 84 | 52 | +32 | 84 | |
3 | Vauxhall Motors | 44 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 81 | 46 | +35 | 76 | |
4 | Stalybridge Celtic | 44 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 77 | 51 | +26 | 76 | |
5 | Worksop Town | 44 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 82 | 67 | +15 | 72 | |
6 | Harrogate Town | 44 | 21 | 8 | 15 | 75 | 63 | +12 | 71 | |
7 | Bradford Park Avenue | 44 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 73 | 70 | +3 | 70 | |
8 | Hucknall Town | 44 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 72 | 62 | +10 | 66 | |
9 | Droylsden | 44 | 18 | 10 | 16 | 62 | 52 | +10 | 64 | |
10 | Whitby Town | 44 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 80 | 69 | +11 | 63 | |
11 | Marine | 44 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 63 | 60 | +3 | 61 | |
12 | Wakefield & Emley | 44 | 14 | 18 | 12 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 60[lower-alpha 1] | |
13 | Runcorn F.C. Halton | 44 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 69 | 74 | −5 | 60 | |
14 | Altrincham | 44 | 17 | 9 | 18 | 58 | 63 | −5 | 60 | |
15 | Gainsborough Trinity | 44 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 67 | 66 | +1 | 59 | |
16 | Ashton United | 44 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 71 | 79 | −8 | 58 | |
17 | Lancaster City | 44 | 16 | 9 | 19 | 71 | 75 | −4 | 57 | |
18 | Burscough | 44 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 51 | |
19 | Blyth Spartans | 44 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 67 | 87 | −20 | 51 | |
20 | Frickley Athletic | 44 | 13 | 8 | 23 | 45 | 78 | −33 | 47 | |
21 | Gateshead (R) | 44 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 60 | 81 | −21 | 41 | Qualification for Division One Play-offs |
22 | Colwyn Bay (R) | 44 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 52 | 99 | −47 | 24 | Relegation to NPL Division One |
23 | Hyde United (R) | 44 | 5 | 8 | 31 | 40 | 98 | −58 | 23 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
- From this season onwards Emley were known as Wakefield & Emley.
Results
Division One
Season | 2002–03 |
---|---|
Champions | Alfreton Town |
Promoted | Alfreton Town Radcliffe Borough Spennymoor United |
Relegated | Eastwood Town Trafford |
Matches played | 465 |
Goals scored | 1,407 (3.03 per match) |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → |
Division One featured four new teams:
- Bamber Bridge relegated from Premier Division
- Bishop Auckland relegated from Premier Division
- Alfreton Town promoted as champions of the Northern Counties East Premier Division
- Kidsgrove Athletic promoted as champions of the North West Counties Division One
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alfreton Town (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 106 | 59 | +47 | 87 | Promotion to Premier Division |
2 | Spennymoor United (P) | 42 | 27 | 6 | 9 | 81 | 42 | +39 | 87 | |
3 | Radcliffe Borough (P) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 90 | 46 | +44 | 85 | Qualification for Play-offs |
4 | North Ferriby United | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 78 | 45 | +33 | 78 | |
5 | Chorley | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 80 | 51 | +29 | 73 | |
6 | Belper Town | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 53 | 42 | +11 | 73 | |
7 | Witton Albion | 42 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 67 | 50 | +17 | 72 | |
8 | Matlock Town | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 70 | |
9 | Leek Town | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 63 | 46 | +17 | 69 | |
10 | Workington | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 73 | 60 | +13 | 67 | |
11 | Farsley Celtic | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 66 | 67 | −1 | 62 | |
12 | Kendal Town | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 68 | 58 | +10 | 61 | |
13 | Bamber Bridge | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 54 | |
14 | Guiseley | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 53 | |
15 | Bishop Auckland | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 58 | 83 | −25 | 49 | |
16 | Lincoln United | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 67 | 77 | −10 | 45 | |
17 | Stocksbridge Park Steels | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 54 | 81 | −27 | 42 | |
18 | Rossendale United | 42 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 58 | 88 | −30 | 41 | |
19 | Kidsgrove Athletic | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 38 | |
20 | Ossett Town | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 39 | 80 | −41 | 33 | |
21 | Eastwood Town (R) | 42 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 33 | 92 | −59 | 23 | Relegation to NCEFL Premier Division |
22 | Trafford (R) | 42 | 5 | 6 | 31 | 34 | 99 | −65 | 21 | Relegation to NWCFL Division One |
Results
Play-offs
The Division One play-offs saw the third to fifth placed sides in the Division and the team that finished 21st in the Premier Division compete for one place in the Premier Division.[1]
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
3 | Radcliffe Borough | 1 | |||||||
4 | North Ferriby United | 0 | |||||||
3 | Radcliffe Borough | 2(4) | |||||||
5 | Chorley | 2(2) | |||||||
5 | Chorley | 5 | |||||||
21 | Gateshead | 2 | |||||||
Promotion and relegation
In the thirty-fifth season of the Northern Premier League Accrington Stanley (as champions) were automatically promoted to the Football Conference. Gateshead, Colwyn Bay and Hyde United were relegated to the First Division; these three clubs were replaced by relegated Conference side Southport, First Division winners Alfreton Town, second placed Spennymoor United and third placed Radcliffe Borough (via a Playoff). In the First Division Eastwood Town and Trafford left the League at the end of the season and were replaced by newly admitted Bridlington Town and Prescot Cables.
Cup Results
Challenge Cup: Teams from both leagues.
- Marine bt. Gateshead 3–0 on aggregate[2]
President's Cup: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup.
- Stalybridge Celtic bt. Ashton United
Chairman's Cup: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup.
- Hucknall Town bt. Droylsden
Peter Swales Shield: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.
- Accrington Stanley bt. Marine
References
- "UniBond League Premier Division: Fixtures 2002–03". nonleaguefooty.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- "The Official Gateshead FC Website – Fixtures/Results". Gateshead FC. Archived from the original on 22 June 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2011.