1968–69_Northern_Premier_League
1968–69 Northern Premier League
Football league season
The 1968–69 Northern Premier League was the inaugural season of the Northern Premier League, a regional football league in Northern England, the northern areas of the Midlands and North Wales. The season began on 10 August 1968 and concluded on 10 May 1969.[1]
| Season | 1968–69 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Macclesfield Town |
| Promoted | None |
| Relegated | Ashington Chorley Worksop Town |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 1,230 (3.24 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Altrincham 8–1 Northwich Victoria[1] (25 January 1969) |
| Biggest away win | South Liverpool 1–7 Bangor City[1] (28 August 1968) Goole Town 1–7 Bangor City[1] (19 April 1969) |
| Highest scoring | Bangor City 7–3 Ashington[1] (8 February 1969) South Shields 8–2 Runcorn[1] (15 February 1969) |
| Longest winning run | 10 matches South Shields (8 February 1969 – 12 April 1969) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Wigan Athletic (10 August 1968 – 12 October 1968) Macclesfield Town (28 September 1968 – 4 January 1969) |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches Netherfield (17 August 1968 – 26 October 1968) |
| Longest losing run | 8 matches Ashington (25 January 1969 – 5 April 1969) |
1969–70 → | |
The League featured twenty teams transferred from the Cheshire County League, the Lancashire Combination, the Midland League, the North Regional League and the West Midlands (Regional) League.
Founding teams
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macclesfield Town (C) | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 82 | 38 | 2.158 | 60 | |
| 2 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 59 | 41 | 1.439 | 48 | |
| 3 | Morecambe | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 64 | 37 | 1.730 | 46 | |
| 4 | Gainsborough Trinity | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 64 | 43 | 1.488 | 46 | |
| 5 | South Shields | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 78 | 56 | 1.393 | 46 | |
| 6 | Bangor City | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 102 | 64 | 1.594 | 45 | |
| 7 | Hyde United | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 71 | 65 | 1.092 | 42 | |
| 8 | Goole Town | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 80 | 78 | 1.026 | 40 | |
| 9 | Altrincham | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 69 | 52 | 1.327 | 38 | |
| 10 | Fleetwood | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 58 | 58 | 1.000 | 38 | |
| 11 | Gateshead | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 48 | 0.875 | 37 | |
| 12 | South Liverpool | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 56 | 66 | 0.848 | 37 | |
| 13 | Northwich Victoria | 38 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 59 | 82 | 0.720 | 37 | |
| 14 | Boston United | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 59 | 65 | 0.908 | 36 | |
| 15 | Runcorn | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 59 | 63 | 0.937 | 35 | |
| 16 | Netherfield | 38 | 12 | 4 | 22 | 51 | 69 | 0.739 | 28 | |
| 17 | Scarborough | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 49 | 68 | 0.721 | 28 | |
| 18 | Ashington (R) | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 48 | 74 | 0.649 | 28 | Relegation to Northern Alliance |
| 19 | Chorley (R) | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 46 | 75 | 0.613 | 25 | Relegation to Lancashire Combination |
| 20 | Worksop Town (R) | 38 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 34 | 88 | 0.386 | 20 | Relegation to Midland League (1889) |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average; 3) number of goals scored.
The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season.
The points system up until the 1982–83 season: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a losing.(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results
| Home \ Away | ALT | ASH | BAN | BOS | CHO | FLE | GAI | GAT | GOO | HYD | MAC | MOR | NET | NOR | RUN | SCA | SLI | SSH | WIG | WOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altrincham | 6–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 8–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–2 | |
| Ashington | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 0–6 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | |
| Bangor City | 4–3 | 7–3 | 5–2 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 6–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 6–1 | |
| Boston United | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–6 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 5–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | |
| Chorley | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | |
| Fleetwood | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 6–2 | |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |
| Gateshead | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 6–2 | 3–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| Goole Town | 3–3 | 5–2 | 1–7 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 5–2 | 0–5 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–2 | |
| Hyde United | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2–7 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | |
| Macclesfield Town | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |
| Morecambe | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | |
| Netherfield | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | |
| Northwich Victoria | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Runcorn | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–5 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | |
| Scarborough | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | |
| South Liverpool | 0–0 | 6–0 | 1–7 | 3–0 | 5–3 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | |
| South Shields | 4–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 6–2 | 8–2 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 | |
| Wigan Athletic | 3–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | |
| Worksop Town | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 2–6 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Stadia and locations
Challenge Cup
| Stage | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Leg | Bangor City | 3–1 | Runcorn | |
| 2nd Leg | Runcorn | 1–2 | Bangor City | 2260 |
| Aggregate | Bangor City | 5–2 | Runcorn |
FA Cup
Out of the twenty clubs from the Northern Premier League only Morecambe reached for the second round:
Second Round
| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|
| York City | 2–0 | Morecambe |
At the end of the first season of the Northern Premier League none of the clubs decided to put their teams forward to be promoted to the Football League. Chorley and Worksop Town were both relegated. Ashington resigned the League, due to financial difficulties.
Football League elections
Alongside the four Football League teams facing re-election, a total of ten non-League teams applied for election, none of which were from the Northern Premier League. All four Football League teams were re-elected.[2]
Promotion and relegation
The following three clubs left the League at the end of the season:
- Ashington resigned, demoted to Northern Alliance
- Chorley relegated to Lancashire Combination
- Worksop Town relegated to Midland League (1889)
The following three clubs joined the League the following season:
- Stafford Rangers promoted from Cheshire County League
- Great Harwood promoted from Lancashire Combination
- Matlock Town promoted from Midland League (1889)
- "The Football Archives 68–69". The Football Archives.