Season | 2009–10 |
---|---|
← 2008–09 2010–11 → |
The 2009–10 Football Conference season was the sixth season with the Football Conference consisting of three divisions, and the thirty-first season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference Premier was the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, while the Conference North and Conference South existed at the sixth level. The top team (Stevenage Borough) and the winner of the play-off (Oxford United) of the National division were promoted to Football League Two. The bottom four were scheduled to be relegated to the North or South divisions, but in the event two teams (Salisbury City and Chester City) were expelled and only the bottom two clubs (Ebbsfleet United and Grays Athletic) were relegated with them. The champions of the North and South divisions (Southport and Newport County respectively) were promoted to the National division, alongside the play-off winners from each division (Fleetwood Town and Bath City). The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions were relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League. For sponsorship reasons, the Conference Premier was frequently referred to as the Blue Square Premier.
A total of 24 teams contested the division, including 18 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two, two promoted from the Conference North and two promoted from the Conference South.
Teams promoted from 2008–09 Conference North
Teams promoted from 2008–09 Conference South
Teams relegated from 2008–09 League Two
Luton Town became the first team to drop from the Football League Championship to the Conference in successive seasons and in the process ended an 89-year stay in the Football League. Their matches against eventual playoff winners Oxford United made them the first clubs to face each other in all the top five tiers of English football.[1]
On 26 February 2010, Chester City were expelled from the Conference for numerous rule breaches.[2] Since no appeal was forthcoming, their results were expunged on 8 March 2010.[3]
Season | 2009–10 |
---|---|
Champions | Stevenage Borough (2nd Football Conference title) |
Promoted to League Two | Stevenage Borough, Oxford United |
Relegated to Conference South | Ebbsfleet United |
Relegated to Southern Football League Premier Division | Salisbury City |
Relegated to Isthmian League Division One North | Grays Athletic |
Matches played | 506 |
Goals scored | 1,293 (2.56 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Richard Brodie (York City), 26 |
Biggest home win | Rushden & Diamonds – Gateshead 8–0 (13 March 2010), Luton Town – Hayes & Yeading United 8–0 (27 March 2010) |
Biggest away win | Eastbourne Borough – Stevenage Borough 0–6 (2 March 2010) |
Highest scoring | Luton Town – Histon 6–3, Rushden & Diamonds – Grays Athletic 5–4 |
Longest winning run | ? |
Longest unbeaten run | ? |
Longest losing run | ? |
Average attendance | 2,045 (+15% compared with the previous season) |
← 2008–09 2010–11 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stevenage Borough (C, P) | 44 | 30 | 9 | 5 | 79 | 24 | +55 | 99 | Promotion to 2010–11 League Two |
2 | Luton Town | 44 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 84 | 40 | +44 | 88 | Qualification for Conference Premier play-offs |
3 | Oxford United (P) | 44 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 64 | 31 | +33 | 86 | |
4 | Rushden & Diamonds | 44 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 77 | 39 | +38 | 79 | |
5 | York City | 44 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 62 | 35 | +27 | 78 | |
6 | Kettering Town | 44 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 51 | 41 | +10 | 66 | |
7 | Crawley Town | 44 | 19 | 9 | 16 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 66 | |
8 | AFC Wimbledon | 44 | 18 | 10 | 16 | 61 | 47 | +14 | 64 | |
9 | Mansfield Town | 44 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 69 | 60 | +9 | 62 | |
10 | Cambridge United | 44 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 59 | |
11 | Wrexham | 44 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 45 | 39 | +6 | 58 | |
12 | Salisbury City[a] (R) | 44 | 21 | 5 | 18 | 58 | 63 | −5 | 58 | Relegation to Southern League Premier Division |
13 | Kidderminster Harriers | 44 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 57 | |
14 | Altrincham | 44 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 54 | |
15 | Barrow | 44 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 50 | 67 | −17 | 52 | |
16 | Tamworth | 44 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 42 | 52 | −10 | 49 | |
17 | Hayes & Yeading United | 44 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 59 | 85 | −26 | 48 | |
18 | Histon | 44 | 11 | 13 | 20 | 44 | 67 | −23 | 46 | |
19 | Eastbourne Borough | 44 | 11 | 13 | 20 | 42 | 72 | −30 | 46 | |
20 | Gateshead[b] | 44 | 13 | 7 | 24 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 45 | |
21 | Forest Green Rovers[c] | 44 | 12 | 9 | 23 | 50 | 76 | −26 | 45 | |
22 | Ebbsfleet United (R) | 44 | 12 | 8 | 24 | 50 | 82 | −32 | 44 | Relegation to Conference South |
23 | Grays Athletic[d] (R) | 44 | 5 | 13 | 26 | 35 | 91 | −56 | 26 | Relegation to Isthmian League Division One North |
24 | Chester City[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Club expelled, record expunged |
Semifinals | Final at Wembley | ||||||||||
5 | York City | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
2 | Luton Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
5 | York City | 1 | |||||||||
3 | Oxford United | 3 | |||||||||
4 | Rushden & Diamonds | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
3 | Oxford United | 1 | 2 | 3 |
York City | 1–0 | Luton Town |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
Luton Town | 0–1 | York City |
---|---|---|
Report |
|
York City won 2–0 on Aggregate.
Rushden & Diamonds | 1–1 | Oxford United |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Oxford United | 2–0 | Rushden & Diamonds |
---|---|---|
Report |
Oxford United won 3–1 on Aggregate.
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 15,550 |
Oxford United | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 |
Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 11,800 |
Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | 10,226 |
Mansfield Town | Field Mill | 10,000 |
Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium | 9,617 |
York City | Bootham Crescent | 9,196 |
Stevenage Borough | The Lamex Stadium | 7,100 |
Hayes & Yeading United | Church Road | 6,500 |
Rushden & Diamonds | Nene Park | 6,441 |
Kidderminster Harriers | Aggborough | 6,238 |
Kettering Town | Rockingham Road | 6,170 |
Altrincham | Moss Lane | 6,085 |
Chester | Deva Stadium | 5,328 |
Forest Green Rovers | The New Lawn | 5,147 |
Ebbsfleet United | Stonebridge Road | 5,011 |
Crawley Town | Broadfield Stadium | 4,996 |
AFC Wimbledon | Kingsmeadow | 4,720 |
Barrow | Holker Street | 4,256 |
Eastbourne Borough | Priory Lane | 4,134 |
Grays Athletic | New Recreation Ground | 4,100 |
Tamworth | The Lamb Ground | 4,000 |
Histon | Bridge Road | 3,800 |
Salisbury City | Raymond McEnhill Stadium | 3,500 |
Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Richard Brodie | York City | 26 |
Matt Tubbs | Salisbury City | ||
3 | Tom Craddock | Luton Town | 23 |
4 | James Constable | Oxford United | 22 |
5 | Danny Kedwell | AFC Wimbledon | 21 |
6 | Danny Crow | Cambridge United | 19 |
7 | Jake Speight | Mansfield Town | 17 |
8 | Moses Ashikodi* | Ebbsfleet United | 16 |
Kevin Gallen | Luton Town | ||
Magno Vieira | Ebbsfleet United | ||
11 | Daryl Clare** | Gateshead | 15 |
Chris Senior | Altrincham | ||
13 | Rob Duffy | Mansfield Town | 14 |
Yemi Odubade | Stevenage Borough | ||
Lee Tomlin | Rushden & Diamonds |
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
August[36][37] | Chris Wilder | Oxford United | George Pilkington | Luton Town |
September[38] | Chris Wilder | Oxford United | Ryan Clarke | Oxford United |
October[39][40] | David Holdsworth | Mansfield Town | Paul Farman | Gateshead |
November[41][42] | Martin Foyle | York City | Richard Brodie | York City |
December[43] | Terry Brown | AFC Wimbledon | Seb Brown | AFC Wimbledon |
January[44][45] | Graham Westley | Stevenage Borough | Magno Vieira | Ebbsfleet United |
February[46][47] | Steve Burr | Kidderminster Harriers | Chris Senior | Altrincham |
March[48][49] | Richard Money | Luton Town | Claude Gnakpa | Luton Town |
April[50][51] | Tommy Widdrington | Salisbury City | Mark Roberts | Stevenage Borough |
Season | 2009–10 |
---|---|
Champions | Southport |
Promoted | Southport Fleetwood Town |
Relegated | None |
← 2008–09 2010–11 → |
A total of 22 teams contested the division, including 17 sides from last season, one relegated from the Conference Premier and four promoted from the lower leagues.
In April 2009, the Conference decided to demote King's Lynn at the end of the 2008–09 season, because their ground did not meet Conference standards.[52] Farsley Celtic resigned from the league on 8 March 2010 and their playing record was expunged on 12 March. Both Harrogate Town and Vauxhall Motors were reprieved from relegation following Farsley Celtic's withdrawal from the league, Chester's expulsion from the Conference Premier and Northwich Victoria's demotion to the Northern Premier League under financial rules.
Teams promoted from 2008–09 Northern Premier League Premier Division
Teams promoted from 2008–09 Southern League Premier Division
Teams relegated from 2008–09 Conference Premier
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Southport (C, P) | 40 | 25 | 11 | 4 | 91 | 45 | +46 | 86 | Promotion to Conference Premier |
2 | Fleetwood Town (P) | 40 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 86 | 44 | +42 | 85 | Qualification for Conference North play-offs |
3 | Alfreton Town | 40 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 77 | 45 | +32 | 74 | |
4 | Workington | 40 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 70 | |
5 | Droylsden | 40 | 18 | 10 | 12 | 82 | 62 | +20 | 64 | |
6 | Corby Town | 40 | 18 | 9 | 13 | 73 | 62 | +11 | 63 | |
7 | Hinckley United | 40 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 60 | 52 | +8 | 62 | |
8 | Ilkeston Town | 40 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 53 | 45 | +8 | 61 | |
9 | Stalybridge Celtic | 40 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 71 | 64 | +7 | 55 | |
10 | Eastwood Town | 40 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 54 | |
11 | AFC Telford United | 40 | 14 | 9 | 17 | 52 | 55 | −3 | 51 | |
12 | Northwich Victoria[a] | 40 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 48 | Demoted to Northern Premier League[b] |
13 | Blyth Spartans | 40 | 13 | 9 | 18 | 67 | 72 | −5 | 48 | |
14 | Gainsborough Trinity | 40 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 47 | |
15 | Hyde United | 40 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 45 | 72 | −27 | 45 | |
16 | Stafford Rangers | 40 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 59 | 70 | −11 | 44 | |
17 | Solihull Moors | 40 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 42 | |
18 | Gloucester City | 40 | 12 | 6 | 22 | 47 | 59 | −12 | 42 | |
19 | Redditch United | 40 | 10 | 8 | 22 | 49 | 83 | −34 | 38 | |
20 | Vauxhall Motors[c] | 40 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 45 | 81 | −36 | 35 | |
21 | Harrogate Town[c] | 40 | 8 | 6 | 26 | 41 | 80 | −39 | 30 | |
22 | Farsley Celtic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Club expelled, record expunged[d] |
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||
5 | Droylsden | 2 | 1(3) | 3 | |||||||
2 | Fleetwood Town | 0 | 3(4) | 3 | |||||||
2 | Fleetwood Town | 2 | |||||||||
3 | Alfreton Town | 1 | |||||||||
4 | Workington | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
3 | Alfreton Town | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Fleetwood Town | 3–1 | Droylsden |
---|---|---|
Report |
|
|
Penalties | ||
4–3 |
Fleetwood Town won 4–3 on penalties after tying 3–3 on Aggregate.
Alfreton Town won 4–1 on Aggregate.
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Stalybridge Celtic | Bower Fold | 6,500 |
AFC Telford United | New Bucks Head | 6,300 |
Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 |
Redditch United | The Valley | 5,000 |
Gloucester City | The Corinium Stadium | 4,500 |
Northwich Victoria | Victoria Stadium | 4,500 |
Blyth Spartans | Croft Park | 4,450 |
Hinckley United | De Montfort Park | 4,329 |
Gainsborough Trinity | The Northolme | 4,304 |
Stafford Rangers | Marston Road | 4,150 |
Hyde United | Ewen Fields | 4,100 |
Farsley Celtic | Throstle Nest | 3,900 |
Fleetwood Town | Highbury Stadium | 3,663 |
Alfreton Town | North Street | 3,600 |
Ilkeston Town | New Manor Ground | 3,500 |
Harrogate Town | Wetherby Road | 3,300 |
Workington | Borough Park | 3,101 |
Solihull Moors | Damson Park | 3,050 |
Corby Town | Rockingham Triangle | 3,000 |
Droylsden | Butcher's Arms Ground | 3,000 |
Eastwood Town | Coronation Park | 2,500 |
Vauxhall Motors | Rivacre Park | 2,500 |
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
August[36][37] | Paul Cox | Eastwood Town | Ciaran Kilheeney | Southport |
September[56][57] | Steve Burr | Stalybridge Celtic | Dan Lowson | Ilkeston Town |
October[39][40] | Liam Watson | Southport | Mark Danks | Northwich Victoria |
November[41][42] | Dean Thomas | Hinckley United | Adam Webster | Hinckley United |
December[58][59] | Steve Burr | Stalybridge Celtic | Andy Ducros | Redditch United |
January[44][45] | Darren Edmondson | Workington | Nick Rogan | Fleetwood Town |
February[46][47] | Nicky Law | Alfreton Town | Andy Brown | AFC Telford United |
March[48][49] | Brian Little | Gainsborough Trinity | Adam Warlow | Fleetwood Town |
Season | 2009–10 |
---|---|
Champions | Newport County |
Promoted | Newport County Bath City |
Relegated | Weymouth |
Matches played | 462 |
← 2008–09 2010–11 → |
A total of 22 teams contested the division, including 17 sides from last season, three relegated from the Conference Premier and two promoted from the Isthmian League.
Team Bath announced that they were to leave the Football Conference from the end of the 2008–09 season. The club decided to fold, after being informed they could not be promoted to the professional leagues, which also led to them no longer being able to play FA Cup games. Thus Thurrock were reprieved from relegation.
Teams promoted from 2008–09 Isthmian League Premier Division
Teams relegated from 2008–09 Conference Premier
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Newport County (C, P) | 42 | 32 | 7 | 3 | 93 | 26 | +67 | 103 | Promotion to Conference Premier |
2 | Dover Athletic | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 66 | 47 | +19 | 75 | Qualification for Conference South Playoffs |
3 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 62 | 48 | +14 | 75 | |
4 | Bath City (P) | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 66 | 46 | +20 | 72 | |
5 | Woking | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 72 | |
6 | Havant & Waterlooville | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 71 | |
7 | Braintree Town | 42 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 56 | 41 | +15 | 71 | |
8 | Staines Town | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 67 | |
9 | Welling United | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 66 | 51 | +15 | 63 | |
10 | Thurrock | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 66 | 60 | +6 | 61 | |
11 | Eastleigh | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 71 | 66 | +5 | 60 | |
12 | Bromley | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 68 | 64 | +4 | 55 | |
13 | St Albans City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 55 | −10 | 55 | |
14 | Hampton & Richmond | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 51 | |
15 | Basingstoke Town | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 49 | 68 | −19 | 49 | |
16 | Maidenhead United | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 52 | 59 | −7 | 48 | |
17 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 56 | 74 | −18 | 48 | |
18 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 48 | 59 | −11 | 47 | |
19 | Lewes | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 49 | 63 | −14 | 42 | |
20 | Worcester City[a] | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 48 | 60 | −12 | 40 | Transferred to Conference North |
21 | Weston-super-Mare[a] | 42 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 48 | 93 | −45 | 23 | |
22 | Weymouth (R) | 42 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 31 | 103 | −72 | 22 | Relegation to Southern League Premier Division |
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||
5 | Woking | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
2 | Dover Athletic | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
4 | Bath City | 1 | |||||||||
5 | Woking | 0 | |||||||||
4 | Bath City | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
3 | Chelmsford City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Woking won 2–1 on Aggregate.
Bath City won 3–0 on Aggregate.
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Bath City | Twerton Park | 8,800 |
Dover Athletic | Crabble Stadium | 6,500 |
Weymouth | The Wessex Stadium | 6,500 |
Woking | Kingfield Stadium | 6,036 |
Basingstoke Town | The Camrose | 6,000 |
Havant & Waterlooville | West Leigh Park | 5,250 |
Dorchester Town | Avenue Stadium | 5,009 |
Bromley | Hayes Lane | 5,000 |
Worcester City | St George's Lane | 4,749 |
Newport County | Newport Stadium | 4,700 |
St Albans City | Clarence Park | 4,500 |
Welling United | Park View Road | 4,500 |
Braintree Town | Cressing Road | 4,145 |
Bishop's Stortford | Woodside Park | 4,000 |
Thurrock | Ship Lane | 3,500 |
Weston-super-Mare | Woodspring Stadium | 3,500 |
Chelmsford City | Melbourne Stadium | 3,000 |
Eastleigh | Silverlake Stadium | 3,000 |
Hampton & Richmond | Beveree Stadium | 3,000 |
Lewes | The Dripping Pan | 3,000 |
Maidenhead United | York Road | 3,000 |
Staines Town | Wheatsheaf Park | 3,000 |
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
August[36][37] | Frank Gray | Basingstoke Town | Manny Williams | Havant & Waterlooville |
September[56][57] | Dean Holdsworth | Newport County | Craig Reid | Newport County |
October[39][40] | Alan Devonshire | Hampton & Richmond Borough | Will Hendry | Maidenhead United |
November[41][42] | Dean Holdsworth | Newport County | Tom Whitnell | Welling United |
December[58][59] | Glenn Pennyfather | Chelmsford City | Charlie Henry | Newport County |
January[44][45] | Steve Cordery | Staines Town | Sam Foley | Newport County |
February[46][47] | Dean Holdsworth | Newport County | Mitchell Bryant | Basingstoke Town |
March[48][49] | Glenn Pennyfather | Chelmsford City | Lee Clarke | Welling United |