The 2008–09 season was the 106th in the history of the Southern League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales.
At the end of the season Division One Midlands was renamed Division One Central.
Premier Division The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs: Two clubs promoted from Division One Midlands: Evesham United Stourbridge
Two clubs promoted from Division One South & West: Farnborough Oxford City
Plus: Cambridge City, relegated from the Conference South
Corby Town won the Premier Division and along with play-off winners Gloucester City got a place in the Conference North next year.
Mangotsfield United, Yate Town and Hitchin Town relegated to the divisions One, while Banbury United were reprieved from relegation after two Conference South clubs folded.
League table
Play-offs
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Capacity Banbury United Spencer Stadium 2,000 Bashley Bashley Road 2,000 Bedford Town The Eyrie 3,000 Brackley Town St. James Park 3,500 Cambridge City City Ground 2,300 Chippenham Town Hardenhuish Park 2,815 Clevedon Town Hand Stadium 3,500 Corby Town Steel Park 3,893 Evesham United St George's Lane (groundshare with Worcester City) 3,000 Farnborough Cherrywood Road 7,000 Gloucester City The Corinium Stadium (groundshare with Cirencester Town) 4,500 Halesowen Town The Grove 5,000 Hemel Hempstead Town Vauxhall Road 3,152 Hitchin Town Top Field 4,000 Mangotsfield United Cossham Street 2,500 Merthyr Tydfil Penydarren Park 4,500 Oxford City Court Place Farm 2,000 Rugby Town Butlin Road 6,000 Stourbridge War Memorial Athletic Ground 2,626 Swindon Supermarine Hunts Copse Ground 3,000 Tiverton Town Ladysmead 3,500 Yate Town Lodge Road 2,000
Division One Midlands Division One Midlands consisted of 22 clubs, including 14 clubs from previous season and eight new clubs: Three clubs transferred from Isthmian League Division North: AFC Sudbury Arlesey Town Bury Town
Plus: Atherstone Town, promoted from the Midland Alliance Bromsgrove Rovers, relegated from the Premier Division Marlow, transferred from Division South & West Nuneaton Town, demoted from the Conference South Soham Town Rangers, promoted from the Eastern Counties League
Nuneaton Borough, finished 7th in the Conference North went into liquidation due to financial difficulties, were immediately reformed under the name Nuneaton Town and placed two divisions below in Midlands division.
Leamington won the division in the second attempt and got a place in Premier Division along with play-off winners Nuneaton Town. Dunstable and Malvern finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the lower leagues. At the end of the season Division One Midlands was renamed Division One Central.
League table
Play-offs
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Capacity AFC Sudbury King's Marsh 3,800 Arlesey Town Hitchin Road 2,920 Atherstone Town Sheepy Road 3,500 Aylesbury United The Meadow (groundshare with Chesham United) 5,000 Barton Rovers Sharpenhoe Road 4,000 Bedworth United The Oval 3,000 Bromsgrove Rovers Victoria Ground 4,893 Bury Town Ram Meadow 3,500 Chasetown The Scholars Ground 2,000 Chesham United The Meadow 5,000 Dunstable Town Creasey Park 3,200 Leamington New Windmill Ground 3,000 Leighton Town Bell Close 2,800 Malvern Town Langland Stadium 2,500 Marlow Alfred Davis Memorial Ground 3,000 Nuneaton Borough Liberty Way 4,614 Romulus The Central Ground (groundshare with Sutton Coldfield Town) 2,000 Rothwell Town Cecil Street 3,500 Soham Town Rangers Julius Martin Lane 2,000 Stourport Swifts Walshes Meadow 2,000 Sutton Coldfield Town The Central Ground 2,000 Woodford United Byfield Road 3,000
Division One South & West Division One South & West consisted of 22 clubs, including 15 clubs from previous season and seven new clubs: AFC Totton, promoted from the Wessex League Beaconsfield SYCOB, promoted from the Spartan South Midlands League Bishops Cleeve, transferred from Midlands Division Cinderford Town, transferred from Midlands Division Cirencester Town, relegated from Premier Division North Leigh, promoted from the Hellenic League Truro City, promoted from the Western League
Truro City won the division in an inaugural season and got a place in Premier Division along with play-off winners Didcot Town. Bracknell Town finished second bottom but were reprieved from relegation due to higher league clubs' problems. Winchester City finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the lower league.
League table
Play-offs
Results
Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Capacity A.F.C. Hayes Farm Park 1,500 AFC Totton Testwood Stadium 3,000 Abingdon United Northcourt Road 2,000 Andover Portway Stadium 3,000 Beaconsfield SYCOB Holloways Park 3,500 Bishops Cleeve Kayte Lane 1,500 Bracknell Town Larges Lane 2,500 Bridgwater Town Fairfax Park 2,500 Burnham The Gore 2,500 Cinderford Town Causeway Ground 3,500 Cirencester Town Corinium Stadium 4,500 Didcot Town Draycott Engineering Loop Meadow Stadium 3,000 Gosport Borough Privett Park 4,500 North Leigh Eynsham Hall Park Sports Ground 2,000 Paulton Rovers Athletic Field 2,500 Slough Town Holloways Park (groundshare with Beaconsfield SYCOB) 3,500 Taunton Town Wordsworth Drive 2,500 Thatcham Town Waterside Park 1,500 Truro City Treyew Road 3,200 Uxbridge Honeycroft 3,770 Winchester City The City Ground 4,500 Windsor & Eton Stag Meadow 4,500
League Cup
Preliminary round TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)1Chippenham Town (P) 2–2Oxford City (P)Chippenham Town won 5–4 on penalties2Sutton Coldfield Town (M) 1–1Halesowen Town (P)Halesowen Town won 6–5 on penalties
First round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)3Abingdon United (SW) 1–1Banbury United (P)Abingdon United won 5–3 on penalties4Andover (SW) 2–2Farnborough (P)Andover won 3–0 on penalties5Atherstone Town (M) 2–2Nuneaton Town (M)Atherstone Town won 4–3 on penalties6Aylesbury United (M) 3–0Burnham (SW)7Barton Rovers (M) 0–3Dunstable Town (M)8Beaconsfield SYCOB (SW) 4–1Marlow (M)9Bracknell Town (SW) 0-1Windsor & Eton (SW)10Bridgwater Town (SW) 4–3Taunton Town (SW)11Bromsgrove Rovers (M) 0-1Romulus (M)12Bury Town (M) 2–0A.F.C. Sudbury (M)13Chasetown (M) 1–3Leamington (M)14Chippenham Town (P) 1–3Brackley Town (P)15Corby Town (P) 0–1Rothwell Town (M)16Didcot Town (SW) 1–2Swindon Supermarine (P)17Evesham United (P) 0–3Gloucester City (P)
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)18Gosport Borough (SW) 1–0A.F.C. Totton (SW)19Halesowen Town (P) 1–0Stourbridge (P)20Hemel Hempstead Town (P) 3–0Bedford Town (P)21Hitchin Town (P) 4–0Arlesey Town (M)22Leighton Town (M) 3–0Slough Town (SW)23Malvern Town (M) 1–2Cirencester Town (SW)24Mangotsfield United (P) 3–1Clevedon Town (P)25Merthyr Tydfil (P) 4–2Bishops Cleeve (SW)26Paulton Rovers (SW) 0–1Yate Town (P)27Rugby Town (P) 1–2Bedworth United (M)28Soham Town Rangers (M) 3–4Cambridge City (P)29Stourport Swifts (M) 3–4Cinderford Town (SW)30Thatcham Town (SW) 2-4Chesham United (M)31Tiverton Town (P) 3–4Truro City (SW)32Uxbridge (SW) 3–4A.F.C. Hayes (SW)33Winchester City (SW) 3–4Bashley (P)34Woodford United (M) 0–1North Leigh (SW)
Second round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)35A.F.C. Hayes (SW) 2–4Chesham United (M)36Andover (SW) 2–1Bashley (P)37Atherstone Town (M) 2–1Leamington (M)38Brackley Town (P) 3–2Romulus (M)39Cinderford Town (SW) 4–3Merthyr Tydfil (P)40Gloucester City (P) 3–0Abingdon United (SW)41Hitchin Town (P) 1–0Cambridge City (P)42Gosport Borough (SW) 1–2Beaconsfield SYCOB (SW)
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)43Hemel Hempstead Town (P) 4–4Dunstable Town (M)Dunstable Town won 5–4 on penalties44Leighton Town (M) 1–3Bury Town (M)45Mangotsfield United (P) 1–2Yate Town (P)46North Leigh (SW) 4–0Rothwell Town (M)47Bedworth United (M) 0–2Halesowen Town (P)48Aylesbury United (M) 1–2Windsor & Eton (SW)49Swindon Supermarine (P) 1–0Cirencester Town (SW)50Truro City (SW) 0–3Bridgwater Town (SW)
Third round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)51Brackley Town (P) 3–0North Leigh (SW)52Bury Town (M) 2–0Hitchin Town (P)53Chesham United (M) 4–1Beaconsfield SYCOB (SW)54Cinderford Town (SW) 2–2Bridgwater Town (SW)Bridgwater Town won 5–3 on penalties
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)55Dunstable Town (M) 1–2Windsor & Eton (SW)56Gloucester City (P) 3–0Yate Town (P)57Halesowen Town (P) 0–2Atherstone Town (SW)58Andover (SW) 2–6Swindon Supermarine (P)
Quarterfinals
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)59Atherstone Town (M) 2–0Brackley Town (P)60Bridgwater Town (SW) 2–1Gloucester City (P)
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)61Bury Town (M) 3–1Chesham United (M)62Swindon Supermarine (P) 3–0Windsor & Eton (SW)
Semifinals
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)63Atherstone Town (M) 2–2Bury Town (M)Atherstone Town won 3–1 on penalties64Bridgwater Town (SW) 3–0Swindon Supermarine (P)
Final
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)First Leg65Atherstone Town (M) 2–1Bridgwater Town (SW)Second Leg66Bridgwater Town (SW) 1–3Atherstone Town (M)Atherstone Town won 5–2 on aggregate
See also Southern Football League 2008–09 Isthmian League 2008–09 Northern Premier League
References