1979–80 Alliance Premier League

The Alliance Premier League season of 1979–80 was the inaugural season of the Alliance Premier League – the first league outside the Football League to cover the whole of England.

Overview

Between 1979–2004 the single-division Alliance Premier League formed Level 5 of the English football league system. Since 2004 two regional divisions were added at Level 6.

The founder members of the Alliance Premier League were drawn from the Southern League and Northern Premier League, covering the country from Yeovil Town in the South West to Barrow in the far North. One club from WalesBangor City – also participated.

Teams

Final table[1]

Alliance Premier League
Season 1979–80[1]
Champions Altrincham
Promoted to the Football League None
Runners-up Weymouth
Relegated to
Level 6
Redditch United
Promoted for next season Frickley Athletic
Matches played 380
Goals scored 972 (2.56 per match)
Top goalscorer G. J. Smith (Northwich Victoria), 29 [notes 1]
Biggest home win Maidstone UnitedBath City 6–0
Biggest away win Redditch UnitedBangor City 1–5
Stafford RangersWeymouth 1–5
Highest scoring

Northwich VictoriaBarrow 6–3

Kettering TownStafford Rangers 3–6
Longest winning run ?
Longest unbeaten run ?
Longest losing run ?
Highest attendance ?
Lowest attendance ?
Average attendance ?
Locations of the Alliance Premier League 1979–1980 London teams
Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GD Pts Notes
1Altrincham 38163045985634267935+ 4456
2 Weymouth 381333401497333237337+ 3654
3 Worcester City 381261291565824215336+ 1749
4 Boston United 381171402056812235243+ 945
5 Gravesend & Northfleet 381243361856813264944+ 544
6 Maidstone United 381144381557716225437+ 1743
7 Kettering Town 38955292668526245550+ 543
8 Northwich Victoria 381153311455919245038+ 1242
9 Bangor City 38964211858620284146– 542
10 Nuneaton 3812424116181017285844+ 1439
11 Scarborough 38883321447815244738+ 939
12 Yeovil Town 388652617541020324649– 336
13 Telford United 389373127451021335260– 834
14 Barrow 3810362718431220374755– 834
15 Wealdstone 38595262546916294254– 1233
16 Bath City 387932621331317484369– 2632
17 Barnet 387661818341214303248– 1630
18 AP Leamington 385591627261116363263– 3125
19 Stafford Rangers 384782021231421364157– 1622
20 Redditch United 384510182913158402669– 4318Relegated to the Southern League Midland Division
  1. G. J. Smith's goals include also goals scored in the League Cup.
Key
Alliance Premier League Champions, no promotion
FA Trophy winners (Dagenham, Isthmian League Premier Division)
Alliance Premier League Cup winners
Relegated to Level 6

Results[1]

Home ╲ Away ALT APL BANBARBRWBATBOSGRNKETMAINORNUNREDSCASTATELWEAWEYWRCYEO
Altrincham 30 50 10 31 40 30 41 00 10 00 31 20 20 31 20 21 32 31 11
AP Leamington 14 11 21 01 12 20 01 13 02 22 00 02 11 20 21 00 02 10 04
Bangor City 11 32 11 11 21 20 12 11 10 03 10 10 10 11 11 10 12 02 10
Barnet 20 10 11 11 10 00 30 02 01 02 21 00 00 21 41 13 02 00 03
Barrow 13 62 11 31 21 01 11 12 02 10 10 20 00 21 20 10 01 12 20
Bath City 11 00 21 12 10 01 20 30 11 00 11 11 10 21 11 44 42 04 11
Boston United 25 20 31 11 30 32 40 10 11 20 22 20 22 32 31 00 22 11 30
Gravesend & Northfleet 02 32 11 10 51 20 00 22 10 21 22 10 30 20 12 30 23 32 20
Kettering Town 12 11 01 10 04 12 31 00 11 10 11 21 10 36 32 20 31 00 53
Maidstone United 22 00 01 20 20 60 10 30 13 34 11 41 20 20 30 30 11 21 01
Northwich Victoria 10 21 40 20 63 61 01 00 22 02 21 10 11 10 21 00 00 10 01
Nuneaton Borough 20 11 22 21 30 11 20 31 22 40 21 51 31 31 11 01 12 10 30
Redditch United 01 31 15 10 13 11 02 02 01 00 01 10 12 02 22 41 02 11 22
Scarborough 11 50 00 00 20 61 24 11 20 12 21 21 30 00 12 00 00 41 00
Stafford Rangers 12 11 01 12 11 40 00 01 00 11 41 01 11 31 01 01 15 00 21
Telford United 32 01 20 12 32 31 41 12 10 31 00 21 21 01 22 13 33 01 03
Wealdstone 14 12 00 21 21 11 11 00 22 00 01 22 20 24 21 00 11 24 50
Weymouth 00 21 42 11 10 12 30 10 31 11 20 20 60 01 21 32 40 12 30
Worcester City 32 11 00 21 20 21 00 10 14 31 21 11 30 00 10 21 21 11 20
Yeovil Town 32 10 12 50 01 10 00 11 11 30 11 21 20 11 31 02 11 01 02

Source: Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. Queen Anne Press, Macdonald Futura Publishers, London & Sydney, 1981.
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Promotion and relegation

Promoted

Relegated

Top scorers[1][notes2 1]

Rank Player Club League FA Cup FA Trophy League Cup Total
1 G. J. Smith Northwich Victoria 29
2 Tommy Paterson Weymouth 28
3 John Rogers Altrincham 24
4 Aniello Iannone Weymouth 22
5 J. P. Daubney Maidstone United 21
6 Barry Whitbread Altrincham 20
7 Bobby Brown Boston United 19
8 R. O. Gauden Scarborough 16
= David Mather Telford United 16
10 Roy Clayton Kettering Town 14
11 M. J. Neale Nuneaton Borough 13
= M. C. Wheeler Bath City 13
13 Colin Cowperthwaite Barrow 12
= J. N. Evans Kettering Town 12
= D. Gardner AP Leamington 12
= Gerry O'Hara Worcester City 12
17 Neil Cordice Wealdstone 11
= Barry Howard Altrincham 11
= N. B. Johnson Wealdstone 11
= M. D. Phelps Worcester City 11
= P. Phipps Kettering Town 11
= P. T. Wilkey Telford United 11
  1. The number of goals is the sum of league and league cup goals.

Election to the Football League

As winners of the Alliance Premier League, Altrincham won the right to apply for election to the Football League to replace one of the four bottom teams in the 1979–80 Football League Division Four. The vote went as follows:

Club Final Position Votes
Darlington 22nd (Division Four) 49
Crewe Alexandra 23rd (Division Four) 48
Hereford United 21st (Division Four) 48
Rochdale 24th (Division Four) 26
Altrincham 1st (Alliance Premier League) 25

As a result of this, Altrincham failed to be elected to membership of the Football League, falling just one point behind Fourth Division's bottom club Rochdale.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rollin, Jack (ed.): Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81, p. 939–947. Queen Anne Press, Queen Anne Press, London & Sydney, 1980.

External links

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