Looking Back at Season….1982/83

Dipping back into the archives again at another memorable Southern Football League season.

AP Leamington were founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979/80.

However, they spent only three seasons at the top of the new non-League Pyramid.

The Brakes struggled, finishing in the bottom five in both of their first two seasons, before finishing bottom of the league in 1981/82, which resulted in relegation back to the Southern League Premier Division.

Although they won the Premier Division the following season, the club were denied promotion due to the Windmill Ground failing to meet the ground grading criteria.

It was rather ironic that taking the place of Graham Allner`s AP Leamington side in the Alliance Premier League were Kidderminster Harriers who, of course, would be where Allner would soon go on to enjoy huge success over a long period of time.

The title race was a close call anyway, with the Brakes in the end, pipping Harriers by just three points.

Allner`s side possessed the league`s leading scorer in Kim Casey – another who would go on to enjoy a successful spell with Kidderminster – with 27 league goals.

Harriers actually did the league `double` over Leamington, winning 3-1 at Aggborough in October 1982, thanks to goals from John Powell, Phil Mullen and Martin Gavin, with Roger Smith replying, and then 2-1 at The Windmill, courtesy of a Powell penalty and one from Joe Maffei after Casey had netted for Leamington.

The outcome of the title went right down to the final game of the season, with Leamington hosting Poole Town and Kidderminster at home to Witney Town.

The scenario was that Kiddy needed the Brakes to lose and then they had to beat the Blanketmen.

John Chambers` Harriers side went into the game on the back of six straight league wins, while Leamington had lost at Gravesend & Northfleet on April 30th before beating Witney with a Casey brace three days later.

But goals from Mark Buckland, Cliff Campbell, Casey and Griffin ensured a 4-1 win for Graham Allner`s side, rendering Kidderminster`s result at Aggborough irrelevant. As it happened, Harriers were held to a 2-2 draw anyway.

Season 1982/83 was the first time the Southern League had three divisions again following the re-structuring to set up the Alliance Premier League.

Ten clubs joined the Southern League, although the Midland and South Divisions did not have a full complement of clubs, and the withdrawal of Bedford Town before the start of the season made the situation in the Midlands more acute.

However, despite the fact that the Midland Division only had 17 clubs and the South possessed 18, neither title was decided before the last day of the season.

If the bottom four in the Premier Division, Enderby Town, Waterlooville, Poole Town or Addlestone & Weybridge Town though that the shortage of clubs in the regional divisions would save them from the drop, they were mistaken.

Several teams were brought into the league for the 1983/84 season and Addlestone only managed two more seasons before they sadly folded.

Alan Wood started back on the road to the top of non-League football when his team won the Midland Division title in 1982/83.

But the Robins were chased hard by one of the new entrants, Sutton Coldfield Town, who had come up from the West Midlands (Regional) League.

Cheltenham edged it by a single point in the end, but Ian Cooper`s Sutton Coldfield did go up to the Premier Division for the first time as runners-up to make it successive promotions.

It was a similar story in the South section where ex-Queens Park Rangers player Ron Abbott`s Fisher Athletic, who had joined at the start of the season as London Spartan League champions, edged out Folkestone by two points.

Milton Keynes City finished bottom of the table with a paltry 4 points from 4 draws in 32 matches.

But they survived due to the lack of clubs, but Dave Howitt`s side lasted only one more campaign when at least they managed three wins, before this particular version of Milton Keynes folded.

It was a similar story in the South section where Erith & Belvedere ended in 18th place but were not relegated.

The Midland Division lost three of the clubs who competed in the 1982/83 season.

Both Taunton Town and Somerset neighbours Minehead requested a return to the Western League due to the Midland Division proving to be too much of a financial stretch.

Bridgend Town also withdrew for similar reasons and joined the new national Welsh League.

To be fair to all three, the re-structuring placing them in the Midland section gave them an awful lot of travelling to do.

Minehead`s case, withdrawal came just four seasons after finishing runners-up to – Bridgend!

Season 1982/83 did see several Southern League sides gain success in county cup competitions which, back then were probably taken a lot more seriously than they are today.

There was an all-Southern League final in the Kent Senior Cup where Dover, in its last season before folding and then becoming the Dover Athletic we know today, lost to Folkestone.

There were notable performances by Midland Division sides Willenhall Town and Oldbury United, who knocked out Second Division runners-up Wolverhampton Wanderers and First Division Birmingham City out of the Birmingham Senior Cup.

However, the Southern League was not too well represented in the latter stages of the national cup competitions.

Forest Green Rovers, holders of the FA Vase, did reach the quarter finals in 82/83 but were disappointingly beaten 4-0 away at Athenian League side Burnham.

After the Second Round of the FA Trophy, only Dartford flew the Southern League flag.

Their commendable performance under John Still took them to the Fourth Round before bowing out to Alliance Premier League side Telford United, the eventual winners, 4-1.

Only two Southern League clubs survived the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup to reach the First Round.

Once again it was Dartford, who were drawn away to Isthmian Leaguers Worthing but were beaten 2-1, despite taking a first half lead.

The other was Folkestone, who had battled through four earlier rounds and then drew Division Three side Oxford United, who had been recently revitalised by Robert Maxwell`s involvement.

The U`s won 5-2 before going out at the Third Round stage.