The 1898–99 season was the fifth in the history of the Southern League. This season saw the expansion of Division One up to 14 teams and creation of Division Two South-West, though it was disbanded at the end of the season after all its clubs left. No Southern League clubs applied for promotion to the Football League. Southampton were Division One champions for the third season in a row. Overall Division Two champions being decided in a playoff in which Thames Ironworks defeated Cowes 3-1 at The Den.[1]
Division One
edit| Season | 1898–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Southampton (3rd title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Warmley (resigned) Royal Artillery Portsmouth (test match losers) |
| Matches played | 156 |
| Goals scored | 506 (3.24 per match) |
← 1897–98 | |
A total of 14 teams contest the division, including ten sides from previous season and four new teams.
Teams promoted from 1897-98 Division Two:
- Royal Artillery Portsmouth - test matches winners
- Warmley - test matches winners
Newly elected teams:
- Bedminster (elected from the Western League)
- Brighton United
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 54 | 24 | 2.250 | 35 | |
| 2 | Bristol City | 24 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 55 | 33 | 1.667 | 33 | |
| 3 | Millwall Athletic | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 59 | 35 | 1.686 | 30 | |
| 4 | Chatham Town | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 32 | 23 | 1.391 | 28 | |
| 5 | Reading | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 24 | 1.292 | 26 | |
| 6 | New Brompton | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 38 | 30 | 1.267 | 25 | |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 36 | 1.111 | 24 | |
| 8 | Bedminster | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 35 | 39 | 0.897 | 24 | |
| 9 | Swindon Town | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 43 | 49 | 0.878 | 23 | |
| 10 | Brighton United | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 37 | 48 | 0.771 | 20 | |
| 11 | Gravesend United | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 42 | 52 | 0.808 | 19 | |
| 12 | Sheppey United | 24 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 23 | 53 | 0.434 | 13 | Relegation test matches |
| 13 | Royal Artillery Portsmouth | 24 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 17 | 60 | 0.283 | 12 | Relegation test matches. Disbanded at end of season after relegation[2] |
| 14 | Warmley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | Resigned from League after 17 matches, record expunged |
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.
Division Two London
edit| Season | 1898–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Thames Ironworks |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | St Albans (folded) Uxbridge (resigned) |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 597 (4.52 per match) |
← 1897–98 | |
Division Two London was formed on basis of previous season Division Two. A total of 12 teams contest the division, including eight sides from previous season and four new teams.
Team relegated from Division One:
- Wolverton L&NWR - test matches losers
Newly elected teams:
- Thames Ironworks - London League winners
- Brentford
- Fulham
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thames Ironworks | 22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 64 | 16 | 4.000 | 39 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Wolverton L&NWR | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 88 | 43 | 2.047 | 30 | |
| 3 | Watford | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 62 | 35 | 1.771 | 30 | |
| 4 | Brentford | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 39 | 1.513 | 25 | |
| 5 | Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 55 | 57 | 0.965 | 22 | |
| 6 | Southall | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 44 | 55 | 0.800 | 22 | |
| 7 | Chesham[a] | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 45 | 62 | 0.726 | 20 | |
| 8 | St Albans | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 45 | 59 | 0.763 | 19 | Folded at end of season |
| 9 | Shepherds Bush | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 37 | 53 | 0.698 | 17 | |
| 10 | Fulham | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 44 | 0.818 | 16 | |
| 11 | Uxbridge | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 48 | 0.604 | 16 | Left league at end of season |
| 12 | Maidenhead | 22 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 86 | 0.384 | 8 |
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.
Notes:
- ^ Changed name to Chesham Town at end of season
Division Two South-West
edit| Season | 1898–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cowes |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | league disbanded |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 160 (5.33 per match) |
← 1897–98 | |
Division Two South-West was newly formed and short-lived formation. At the end of the season the division was liquidated and the League returned to 2-division structure.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cowes | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 10 | 5.200 | 20 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Ryde | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 11 | 2.727 | 14 | Left league at end of season |
| 3 | Freemantle | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 32 | 0.656 | 10 | |
| 4 | Sandown Bay | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 34 | 0.647 | 8 | |
| 5 | Eastleigh Athletic | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 19 | 32 | 0.594 | 4 | |
| 6 | Andover | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 41 | 0.390 | 4 | |
| 7 | East Lancs Regiment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | Resigned from league after three matches, record expunged |
| 8 | Trowbridge Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
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.
Promotion-relegation test matches
editAt the end of the season, test matches were held between the bottom two clubs in Division One and the top club in both Division Twos. Royal Artillery Portsmouth lost 4-1 to Cowes and were relegated to Division Two, whilst Cowes were promoted. Royal Artillery Portsmouth then disbanded.[3] Sheppey United and Thames Ironworks drew 1-1, leading to Sheppey remaining in Division One and Thames Ironworks joining them.[1]
| Division One clubs | v | Division Two clubs |
|---|---|---|
References
edit- ^ a b Thames Ironworks at the Football Club History Database
- ^ "Football Club History Database - Royal Artillery Portsmouth".
- ^ "Glory Gunners – The History of Royal Artillery (Portsmouth) FC". Dian D Saul Books.co.uk.