Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2008 10:25:36 GMT
The thread about how football has changed – for better or worse – made me search out the league tables for fifty years ago, season 1958/59. This comes in three parts: the Football League (and Scottish League) followed by Non-League north and south.
Non League (North) and Welsh League
The Lancashire Combination, Cheshire County League and the Midland (Counties) League were the three main leagues north of Birmingham. Others included the Yorkshire League (which included Farsley Celtic) and the Northern League (in the north east).
The three main leagues lost their top clubs to the new Northern Premier League (now the Unibond) in 1968 and eventually disappeared with restructuring in the early 1980s.
In the Lancashire Combination, you’ll see Morecambe and Wigan Athletic. There’s also New Brighton (who had recently beaten us in the FA Cup) and Droylsden.
The Cheshire County included Macclesfield (now in the Football League), Northwich Victoria, Altrincham, Stafford Rangers, reserve teams and clubs from North Wales.
In the Midland League, this was the fourth of five successive championship wins for Peterborough before they joined the Football League in 1960. There’s a few North East clubs, stretching the definition of “Midland”, and you’ll also see Scarborough.
What of Prescot Cables, Ellesmere Port Town and Horwich RMI? By present standards they would probably have been good enough for the BSP.
In Wales, the Welsh League was for the southern half of the country only. It’s the third teams of Cardiff and Swansea; the reserves of Newport, Barry, Merthyr and Lovell’s. Good old Abergavenny Thursdays eh, Dave?
Non League (North) and Welsh League
The Lancashire Combination, Cheshire County League and the Midland (Counties) League were the three main leagues north of Birmingham. Others included the Yorkshire League (which included Farsley Celtic) and the Northern League (in the north east).
The three main leagues lost their top clubs to the new Northern Premier League (now the Unibond) in 1968 and eventually disappeared with restructuring in the early 1980s.
In the Lancashire Combination, you’ll see Morecambe and Wigan Athletic. There’s also New Brighton (who had recently beaten us in the FA Cup) and Droylsden.
The Cheshire County included Macclesfield (now in the Football League), Northwich Victoria, Altrincham, Stafford Rangers, reserve teams and clubs from North Wales.
In the Midland League, this was the fourth of five successive championship wins for Peterborough before they joined the Football League in 1960. There’s a few North East clubs, stretching the definition of “Midland”, and you’ll also see Scarborough.
What of Prescot Cables, Ellesmere Port Town and Horwich RMI? By present standards they would probably have been good enough for the BSP.
In Wales, the Welsh League was for the southern half of the country only. It’s the third teams of Cardiff and Swansea; the reserves of Newport, Barry, Merthyr and Lovell’s. Good old Abergavenny Thursdays eh, Dave?