The 2017–18 season was the 115th in the history of the Southern League since its establishment in 1894. It was also the last to have a single Premier Division. From the 2014–15 season onwards, the Southern League is known as Evo-Stik League Southern, following a sponsorship deal with Evo-Stik.
The league constitution was announced in May 2017.
Premier Division
At the end of the season a new division was to be created at step 3. Also, the number of clubs in step 3 divisions was reduced from 24 to 22. To make up the number of clubs at step 3 only one Premier Division club was to be relegated this season.
The Premier Division consisted of 24 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season, and six new clubs: Two clubs promoted from Division One Central: Farnborough Royston Town
Two clubs promoted from Division One South & West: Hereford Tiverton Town
Two clubs relegated from the National League South: Bishop's Stortford Gosport Borough
League table
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Capacity Banbury United Spencer Stadium 2,000 Basingstoke Town The Camrose 6,000 Biggleswade Town Langford Road 3,000 Bishop's Stortford Woodside Park 4,525 Chesham United The Meadow 5,000 Dorchester Town The Avenue Stadium 5,009 Dunstable Town Creasey Park 3,200 Farnborough Cherrywood Road 7,000 Frome Town Badgers Hill 2,000 Gosport Borough Privett Park 4,500 Hereford Edgar Street 4,913 Hitchin Town Top Field 4,000 Kettering Town Latimer Park (groundshare with Burton Park Wanderers) 2,400 King's Lynn Town The Walks 5,733 Kings Langley Gaywood Park 1,000 Merthyr Town Penydarren Park 10,000 Redditch United The Valley 5,000 Royston Town Garden Walk 5,000 Slough Town Arbour Park 1,950 St Ives Town Westwood Road 2,000 St Neots Town New Rowley Park 3,500 Stratford Town Knights Lane 1,400 Tiverton Town Ladysmead 3,500 Weymouth Bob Lucas Stadium 6,600
Division One East
For this season, Division One Central was renamed Division One East.
At the end of the season a new division was to be created at step 3. To make up the number of clubs at step 3 two clubs from each step 4 division, one club with best points-per-game among the step 4 division clubs and six play-off winners were to be promoted this season. Also, a new division were to be added at step 4 within the Isthmian League, while the number of clubs in every step 4 division was decreased to 20. To make up the number of clubs only one club was to be relegated.
Division One East consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season Division One Central, and six new clubs: AFC Rushden & Diamonds, transferred from the Northern Premier League Division One South Cambridge City, relegated from the Premier Division Hartley Wintney, promoted from the Combined Counties League Hayes & Yeading United, relegated from the Premier Division Moneyfields, promoted from the Wessex League Thame United, promoted from the Hellenic League
For 2018–19, Division One East was renamed Division One Central.
League table
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Capacity AFC Dunstable Creasey Park (groundshare with Dunstable Town) 3,500 AFC Kempston Rovers Hillgrounds Leisure 2,000 AFC Rushden & Diamonds Hayden Road 1,500 Arlesey Town Hitchin Road 2,920 Ashford Town Robert Parker Stadium 2,550 Aylesbury Haywood Way 1,300 Aylesbury United The Meadow 5,000 Barton Rovers Sharpenhoe Road 4,000 Beaconsfield Town Holloways Park 3,500 Bedford Town The Eyrie 3,000 Cambridge City Westwood Road (groundshare with St Ives Town) 2,000 Chalfont St Peter Mill Meadow 1,500 Egham Town The Runnymede Stadium 5,565 Fleet Town Calthorpe Park 2,000 Hanwell Town Reynolds Field 3,000 Hartley Wintney The Memorial Playing Fields 2,000 Hayes & Yeading United Beaconsfield Road 3,000 Marlow Alfred Davis Memorial Ground 3,000 Moneyfields Moneyfields Sports Ground 2,000 Northwood Northwood Park 3,075 Thame United Meadow View Park 2,000 Uxbridge Honeycroft 3,770
Division One West
For this season, Division One South & West was renamed Division One West.
At the end of the season a new division was to be created at step 3. To make up the number of clubs at step 3 two clubs from each step 4 division, one club with best points-per-game among the step 4 division clubs and six play-off winners were to be promoted this season. Also, a new division were to be added at step 4 within the Isthmian League, while the number of clubs in every step 4 division was decreased to 20. To make up the number of clubs only one club was to be relegated.
Division One West featured four new clubs: Bristol Manor Farm, promoted from the Western League Cinderford Town, relegated from the Premier Division Cirencester Town, relegated from the Premier Division Kidlington, transferred from Division One Central
For 2018–19, Division One West was renamed Division One South.
League table
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Stadia and locations
Club Stadium Capacity AFC Totton Testwood Stadium 3,000 Barnstaple Town Mill Road 5,000 Bideford The Sports Ground 2,000 Bishops Cleeve Kayte Lane 1,500 Bristol Manor Farm The Creek 2,000 Cinderford Town Causeway Ground 3,500 Cirencester Town Corinium Stadium 4,500 Didcot Town Loop Meadow 3,000 Evesham United Jubilee Stadium 3,000 Kidlington Yarnton Road 1,500 Larkhall Athletic The Plain Ham Ground 1,000 Mangotsfield United Cossham Street 2,500 North Leigh Eynsham Hall Park Sports Ground 2,000 Paulton Rovers Athletic Field 2,500 Salisbury Raymond McEnhill Stadium 5,000 Shortwood United Meadowbank Ground 2,000 Slimbridge Thornhill Park 1,500 Swindon Supermarine Hunts Copse Ground 3,000 Taunton Town Wordsworth Drive 2,500 Wimborne Town The Cuthbury 3,250 Winchester City The City Ground 4,500 Yate Town Lodge Road 2,000
League Cup
The 2017–18 Southern League Cup (billed as The BigFreeBet.com Challenge Cup) was the 80th edition of the Southern League Cup, the cup competition of the Southern Football League.
Hereford, Mangotsfield United, and North Leigh declined to participate. The defending champions, Hayes & Yeading United, were defeated in the semi-finals by Hitchin Town.
Preliminary round TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)1Northwood (E)1–3Egham Town (E)
First round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)2Kempston Rovers (E)3–1King's Lynn Town (P)3Beaconsfield Town (E)2–2Slough Town (P)Slough Town advance 5–3 on penalties4Cambridge City (E)6–2St Ives Town (P)5Dorchester Town (P)1–2Salisbury (W)6Hitchin Town (P)4–2Bishop's Stortford (P)7Paulton Rovers (W)1–2Frome Town (P)8AFC Dunstable (E)1–1Dunstable Town (P)AFC Dunstable advance 3–1 on penalties9AFC Rushden & Diamonds (E)1–0St Neots Town (P)10Arlesey Town (E)0–1Biggleswade Town (P)11Barnstaple Town (W)0–0Tiverton Town (P)Barnstaple Town advance 3–2 on penalties12Barton Rovers (E)0–3Royston Town (P)13Bedford Town (E)2–4Kettering Town (P)14Bideford (W)2–2Taunton Town (W)Taunton Town advance 5–4 on penalties15Chalfont St Peter (E)1–1Egham Town (E)Egham Town advance 7–6 on penalties16Chesham United (P)3–0Aylesbury (E)
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)17Cinderford Town (W)3–2Slimbridge (W)18Cirencester Town (W)1–2Larkhall Athletic (W)19Didcot Town (W)2–2Banbury United (P)Didcot Town advance 5–4 on penalties20Fleet Town (E)2–6Basingstoke Town (P)21Gosport Borough (P)2–2Moneyfields (E)Moneyfields advance 4–3 on penalties22Hanwell Town (E)2–1Uxbridge (E)23Hayes & Yeading United (E)3–0Ashford Town (E)24Marlow (E)4–2Aylesbury United (E)25Redditch United (P)9–1Bishop's Cleeve (W)26Shortwood United (W)7–2Merthyr Town (P)27Thame United (E)0–4Kings Langley (P)28Weymouth (P)3–0Wimborne Town (W)29Winchester City (W)1–4AFC Totton (W)30Yate Town (W)1–3Bristol Manor Farm (W)31Farnborough (P)1–6Hartley Wintney (E)32Kidlington (W)3–0Swindon Supermarine (W)33Evesham United (W)4–7Stratford Town (P)
Second round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)34Barnstaple Town (W)2–4Taunton Town (W)35Biggleswade Town (P)2–1Cambridge City (E)36Chesham United (P)4–2AFC Dunstable (E)37Kings Langley (P)2–4Hitchin Town (P)38Moneyfields (E)1–4Basingstoke Town (P)39Redditch United (P)3–0Stratford Town (P)40Royston Town (P)6–1Kempston Rovers (E)Royston Town expelled, Kempston Rovers reinstalled41Frome Town (P)2–1Bristol Manor Farm (W)
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)42Kidlington (W)1–1Didcot Town (W)Didcot Town advance 3–2 on penalties43Hartley Wintney (E)1–2Marlow (E)44AFC Rushden & Diamonds (E)3–2Kettering Town (P)45Hanwell Town (E)3–5Egham Town (E)46Hayes & Yeading United (E)3–1Slough Town (P)47Shortwood United (W)1–3Cinderford Town (W)48AFC Totton (W)0–1Weymouth (P)49Larkhall Athletic (W)4–3Salisbury (W)
Third round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)50AFC Rushden & Diamonds (E)0–0Hitchin Town (P)Hitchin Town advance 4–3 on penalties51Basingstoke Town (P)1–3Marlow (E)52Biggleswade Town (P)0–2Kempston Rovers (E)53Cinderford Town (W)1–4Redditch United (P)54Egham Town (E)1–1Hayes & Yeading United (E)Hayes & Yeading United advance 4–2 on penalties
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)55Weymouth (P)0–1Larkhall Athletic (W)56Frome Town (P)W.O.Taunton Town (W)Taunton Town forfeited due to a lack of available team members57Didcot Town (W)0–0Chesham United (P)Didcot Town advance 5–4 on penalties
Quarter-finals
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)58Didcot Town (W)3–0Redditch United (P)59Hitchin Town (P)2–0Kempston Rovers (E)
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)60Hayes & Yeading United (E)6–5Marlow (E)61Frome Town (P)0–1Larkhall Athletic (W)
Semi-finals TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)62Hitchin Town (P)1–1Hayes & Yeading United (E)Hitchin Town advance 4–2 on penalties63Didcot Town (W)0–0Larkhall Athletic (W)Didcot Town advance 4–2 on penalties
Final
See also Southern Football League 2017–18 Isthmian League 2017–18 Northern Premier League
References
External links Official website