The 1979–80 Alliance Premier League was the inaugural season of the Alliance Premier League – the first league outside the Football League to cover the whole of England.
Overview Between 1979 and 2004 the single-division Alliance Premier League formed Level 5 of the English football league system. Since 2004 two regional divisions were added at Level 6.
The founder members of the Alliance Premier League were drawn from the Southern League and Northern Premier League, covering the country from Yeovil Town in the South West to Barrow in the far North. One club from Wales – Bangor City – also participated.
Teams From the Northern Premier League
Altrincham Bangor City Barrow Boston United Northwich Victoria Scarborough Stafford Rangers
From the Southern League
AP Leamington Barnet Bath City Gravesend & Northfleet Kettering Town Maidstone United Nuneaton Borough Redditch United Telford United Wealdstone Weymouth Worcester City Yeovil Town
League table
Results
Promotion and relegation
Promoted Frickley Athletic (from the Northern Premier League)
Relegated Redditch United (to the Southern League Midland Division)
Top scorers Rank Player Club League FA Cup FA Trophy League Cup TotalThe number of goals is the sum of league and league cup goals.1 G. J. Smith Northwich Victoria 292 Tommy Paterson Weymouth 283 John Rogers Altrincham 244 Aniello Iannone Weymouth 225 J. P. Daubney Maidstone United 216 Barry Whitbread Altrincham 207 Bobby Brown Boston United 198 R. O. Gauden Scarborough 16= David Mather Telford United 1610 Roy Clayton Kettering Town 1411 M. J. Neale Nuneaton Borough 13= M. C. Wheeler Bath City 1313 Colin Cowperthwaite Barrow 12= J. N. Evans Kettering Town 12= D. Gardner AP Leamington 12= Gerry O'Hara Worcester City 1217 Neil Cordice Wealdstone 11= Barry Howard Altrincham 11= N. B. Johnson Wealdstone 11= M. D. Phelps Worcester City 11= P. Phipps Kettering Town 11= P. T. Wilkey Telford United 11
Election to the Football League As winners of the Alliance Premier League, Altrincham won the right to apply for election to the Football League to replace one of the four bottom teams in the 1979–80 Football League Fourth Division. The vote went as follows:
Club Final Position Votes Darlington 22nd (Fourth Division) 49 Crewe Alexandra 23rd (Fourth Division) 48 Hereford United 21st (Fourth Division) 48 Rochdale 24th (Fourth Division) 26 Altrincham 1st (Alliance Premier League) 25
As a result of this, Altrincham failed to be elected to membership of the Football League, falling just one point behind Fourth Division's bottom club Rochdale.
References
External links 1979–80 Football Conference Results Re-election Results