Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2008 11:03:36 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 (South)
The Southern League was usually regarded as the strongest set-up outside of the Football League and was semi-professional. In 58/59 it had taken new clubs and operated parallel sections before setting up Premier and First divisions the following season.
You’ll see current Football League clubs such as Yeovil, Hereford and Cheltenham. There’s also Gravesend & Northfleet (Ebbsfleet), Weymouth, Cambridge United, Kettering, Boston, Headington United (Oxford United), Kidderminster and Burton.
Yiewsley soon became Hillingdon Borough; Wellington Town are now Telford United. Exeter City was the last of the Football League reserve teams in this league.
You’ll also see the Western League table featuring Torquay United reserves, alongside a number of other reserve and colts teams, together with the first team of Salisbury City.
These London area amateur (or, in some cases, “shamateur”) leagues sound like something out of Ancient Greece. The Isthmian League (now the Ryman) was the strongest and the only one still in existence (save for the Spartan League’s merger with the South Midland League). The Athenian League was probablv the second strongest.
Dotted around these leagues you’ll find Barnet, Wycombe Wanderers, Wimbledon, Maidstone United and Dagenham (before the Redbridge addition) who all progressed to the Football League. There’s also Stevenage (an earlier version), Grays, Woking, Histon and a number of clubs we’ve played in cup competitions.
Non League (South)
The Southern League was usually regarded as the strongest set-up outside of the Football League and was semi-professional. In 58/59 it had taken new clubs and operated parallel sections before setting up Premier and First divisions the following season.
You’ll see current Football League clubs such as Yeovil, Hereford and Cheltenham. There’s also Gravesend & Northfleet (Ebbsfleet), Weymouth, Cambridge United, Kettering, Boston, Headington United (Oxford United), Kidderminster and Burton.
Yiewsley soon became Hillingdon Borough; Wellington Town are now Telford United. Exeter City was the last of the Football League reserve teams in this league.
You’ll also see the Western League table featuring Torquay United reserves, alongside a number of other reserve and colts teams, together with the first team of Salisbury City.
These London area amateur (or, in some cases, “shamateur”) leagues sound like something out of Ancient Greece. The Isthmian League (now the Ryman) was the strongest and the only one still in existence (save for the Spartan League’s merger with the South Midland League). The Athenian League was probablv the second strongest.
Dotted around these leagues you’ll find Barnet, Wycombe Wanderers, Wimbledon, Maidstone United and Dagenham (before the Redbridge addition) who all progressed to the Football League. There’s also Stevenage (an earlier version), Grays, Woking, Histon and a number of clubs we’ve played in cup competitions.
Seeing as you've featured a lot of very small South Eastern clubs on this thread tonight, I thought I'd post this here................