2003–04 Isthmian League

The 2003–04 season was the 89th season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England.

At the end of the season, the Premier Division was replaced as a level 6 league (along with the Northern Premier League Premier Division and Southern Football League Premier Division) by the newly formed Conference North and Conference South. The Premier Division lost more than half its clubs to these two new leagues, and the two Division Ones had a number of their teams promoted to the Premier Division to replace them. The Isthmian League Premier Division became a level 7 league.

Premier Division

Isthmian League
Premier Division
Season 2003–04
Champions Canvey Island
Promoted Canvey Island
Matches played 552
Goals scored 1533 (2.78 per match)

The Premier Division consisted of 24 clubs, including 19 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:

Canvey Island won the division and were promoted to the Conference National. Clubs finished higher than 14th position were to transfer to the newly created Conference North and South divisions and clubs finished higher 21st position plus winners of Division Ones were to participate in the play-offs for a two final spots in Conference North/South. After Hendon decided not to take up their option to join Conference their place was taken by Basingstoke Town.

There were no relegation from the Premier Division this season, though, due to league reform, teams remained in the division downgraded from sixth tier to seventh.

League table

Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Canvey Island (C) (P) 46 32 8 6 106 42+64 104 Promotion to the Conference National
2 Sutton United 46 25 10 11 94 56+38 85 Transferred to the Conference South
3 Thurrock 46 24 11 11 87 45+42 83
4 Hendon 46 25 8 13 68 47+21 083
5 Hornchurch 46 24 11 11 63 35+28 082† Transferred to the Conference South
6 Grays Athletic 46 22 15 9 82 39+43 81
7 Carshalton Athletic 46 24 9 13 66 55+11 81
8 Hayes 46 21 11 14 56 46+10 74
9 Kettering Town 46 20 11 15 63 630 71 Transferred to the Conference North
10 Bognor Regis Town 46 20 10 16 69 67+2 70 Transferred to the Conference South
11 Bishop's Stortford 46 20 9 17 78 61+17 69
12 Maidenhead United 46 18 9 19 60 68−8 63
13 Ford United F.C. 46 16 14 16 69 63+6 062*
14 Basingstoke Town 46 17 9 20 58 64−6 060 Qualification for the playoffs, then
transferred to the Conference South
15 Bedford Town 46 14 13 19 62 63−1 55 Qualification for the playoffs, then
transferred to the SFL Premier Division
16 Heybridge Swifts 46 14 11 21 57 78−21 53 Qualification for the playoffs
17 Harrow Borough 46 12 14 20 47 63−16 50
18 Kingstonian 46 12 13 21 40 56−16 49
19 St Albans City (O) 46 12 12 22 55 83−28 48 Qualification for the playoffs, then
transferred to the Conference South
20 Hitchin Town 46 13 8 25 55 89−34 47 Qualification for the playoffs, then
transferred to the SFL Premier Division
21 Northwood 46 12 9 25 65 95−30 45
22 Billericay Town 46 11 11 24 51 66−15 44
23 Braintree Town 46 11 6 29 41 88−47 39
24 Aylesbury United 46 5 14 27 41 101−60 29 Transferred to the SFL Premier Division

Source: [1] [2] [3]
† Hornchurch deducted 1 point.
Hendon decided not to take up their option to join the newly created Conference divisions. Basingstoke Town replaced them as a highest finished team missed out on automatic transfer.
* At the end of the season, Ford United F.C. was renamed to Redbridge F.C.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Playoffs

Source:[4]

Semi-finals Final
      
15 Bedford Town 3
20 Hitchin Town 1
15 Bedford Town 4
19 St Albans City 5
16 Heybridge Swifts 3
19 St Albans City 4
  Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
   
  17  Harrow Borough 0(2)  
    18  Kingstonian 0(4)  
 
     
    Div1S  Lewes 1
  18  Kingstonian 0
     
   
14  Basingstoke Town 1
    Div1S  Lewes 4  
Div1N  Yeading 0
  Div1S  Lewes 1  
Final
   
Div1S Dulwich Hamlet 2(4)
Div1N Wealdstone 2(5)

Division One North

Isthmian League
Division One North
Season 2003–04
Champions Yeading
Relegated Enfield
Matches played 552
Goals scored 1745 (3.16 per match)

Division One North consisted of 24 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season, and six new clubs:

Before the start of the season Leyton Pennant was renamed to Waltham Forest.

Yeading won the division, but lost in playoff for a place in newly created Conference North and South and were placed in Premier Division along with Leyton and Cheshunt and Chesham United, Dunstable Town and Hemel Hempstead Town transferred to the Southern Football League Premier Division. They were followed by Wealdstone, who defeated Dulwich Hamlet from Division One South. Enfield finished bottom of the table and relegated to Division Two, going down from sixth to ninth tier in two years due to league system reform.

At the end of the season Division Ones were merged, all the remaining Division One North teams were transferred to the Southern Football League Division Ones.

League table

Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Yeading (C) 46 32 7 7 112 54+58 103 Qualification for the playoffs
When eliminated, transferred to the Premier Division
2 Leyton 46 29 9 8 90 53+37 96 Transferred to the Premier Division
3 Cheshunt 46 27 10 9 119 54+65 91
4 Chesham United 46 24 9 13 104 60+44 81 Transferred to the SFL Premier Division
5 Dunstable Town 46 23 9 14 86 61+25 78
6 Hemel Hempstead Town 46 22 12 12 75 72+3 78
7 Wealdstone (O) 46 23 7 16 81 51+30 76 Qualification for the playoffs
When victorious, transferred to the Premier Division
8 Arlesey Town 46 23 7 16 95 70+25 76 Transferred to the SFL Division One East
9 Boreham Wood 46 20 13 13 82 59+23 73
10 Harlow Town 46 20 10 16 75 51+24 70
11 Wingate & Finchley 46 19 13 14 68 63+5 70
12 East Thurrock United 46 19 11 16 62 54+8 68
13 Uxbridge 46 15 14 17 59 57+2 59
14 Aveley 46 15 14 17 67 71−4 59
15 Thame United 46 16 9 21 72 83−11 57 Transferred to the SFL Division One West
16 Waltham Forest 46 15 13 18 62 60+2 055† Transferred to the SFL Division One East
17 Wivenhoe Town 46 15 10 21 79 104−25 55
18 Barton Rovers 46 16 6 24 52 80−28 54
19 Oxford City 46 14 11 21 55 65−10 53 Transferred to the SFL Division One West
20 Berkhamsted Town 46 12 10 24 66 88−22 46 Transferred to the SFL Division One East
21 Great Wakering Rovers 46 10 13 23 47 97−50 43
22 Tilbury 46 10 9 27 56 100−44 39
23 Barking & East Ham United 46 8 7 31 37 100−63 31
24 Enfield (R) 46 5 7 34 44 138−94 22 Relegated to Division Two

Source: [1] [3] [5]
† Waltham Forest deducted 3 points.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Division One South

Isthmian League
Division One South
Season 2003–04
Champions Lewes
Promoted Lewes
Relegated Epsom & Ewell
Matches played 552
Goals scored 1709 (3.1 per match)

Division One South consisted of 24 clubs, including 21 clubs from the previous season, and three new clubs:

Lewes won the division and subsequent play-offs and were promoted to the Conference South. Teams finished second to sixth were transferred to the Premier Division. Epsom & Ewell finished bottom of the table and were relegated, remaining teams were to start next season in the merged Isthmian League Division One, going down with it from seventh to ninth level due to creation of Conference North/South.

League table

Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Lewes (C) (O) (P) 46 29 7 10 113 61+52 94 Qualified for play-offs
When victorious, promoted to the Conference South
2 Worthing 46 26 14 6 87 46+41 92 Transferred to the Premier Division
3 Windsor & Eton 46 26 13 7 75 39+36 91
4 Slough Town 46 28 6 12 103 63+40 90
5 Hampton & Richmond 46 26 11 9 82 45+37 89
6 Staines Town 46 26 9 11 85 52+33 87
7 Dulwich Hamlet 46 23 15 8 77 57+20 84 Qualification for the playoffs
8 Bromley 46 22 10 14 80 58+22 76
9 Walton & Hersham 46 20 14 12 76 55+21 74
10 Croydon Athletic 46 20 10 16 70 54+16 70
11 Tooting & Mitcham United 46 20 9 17 82 68+14 69
12 Ashford Town 46 18 13 15 69 62+7 67 Transferred to the SFL Division One West
13 Leatherhead 46 19 9 18 83 88−5 66
14 Bracknell Town 46 19 6 21 81 87−6 63 Transferred to the SFL Division One West
15 Horsham 46 16 11 19 71 69+2 59
16 Marlow 46 16 11 19 50 64−14 59 Transferred to the SFL Division One West
17 Whyteleafe 46 17 4 25 66 93−27 55
18 Banstead Athletic 46 15 8 23 56 73−17 53
19 Molesey 46 12 6 28 45 84−39 42
20 Metropolitan Police 46 9 14 23 58 84−26 41
21 Croydon 46 10 10 26 57 88−31 40
22 Egham Town 46 8 8 30 55 92−37 32 Transferred to the SFL Division One West
23 Corinthian Casuals 46 6 6 34 48 110−62 24
24 Epsom & Ewell (R) 46 5 8 33 40 117−77 23 Relegated to Division Two

Source: [1] [3] [5]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Division Two

Isthmian League
Division Two
Season 2003–04
Champions Leighton Town
Relegated none
Matches played 210
Goals scored 1021 (4.86 per match)

After Hungerford Town resigned from the league, Division Two consisted of 15 clubs, including 12 clubs from the previous season, and three new clubs:

Leighton Town won the division and were transferred to Southern Football League Division One, while runners-up Dorking were transferred to the merged Isthmian League Division One.

League table

Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Leighton Town (C) 42 28 7 7 111 36+75 91 Transferred to the SFL Division One East
2 Dorking 42 27 8 7 87 47+40 89 Transferred to Division One
3 Hertford Town 42 24 9 9 74 35+39 81
4 Chertsey Town 42 22 9 11 75 53+22 75
5 Flackwell Heath 42 22 5 15 71 53+18 71
6 Witham Town 42 20 10 12 75 54+21 70
7 Kingsbury Town F.C. 42 14 11 17 60 64−4 53
8 Ware 42 14 10 18 67 60+7 52
9 Abingdon Town 42 15 6 21 83 81+2 51
10 Camberley Town 42 15 6 21 51 71−20 51
11 Wembley 42 13 9 20 46 67−21 48
12 Wokingham Town 42 12 7 23 55 94−39 43
13 Edgware Town 42 12 6 24 62 88−26 42
14 Chalfont St Peter 42 12 6 24 57 89−32 42
15 Clapton 42 8 5 29 47 129−82 29

Source: [1] [3] [5]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Robinson, M. (2010). Non-League Football Tables 1889-2010. Soccer Books Ltd. ISBN 9781862232044.
  2. ↑ nonleaguefooty website
  3. 1 2 3 4 Football Club History Database website
  4. ↑ LFC website
  5. 1 2 3 rsssf website

External links

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