# 1972–73 Southern Football League

The 1972–73 Southern Football League season was the 70th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Kettering Town won the championship, winning their third Southern League title, whilst Atherstone Town, Grantham, Maidstone United and Tonbridge were all promoted to the Premier Division. Eight Southern League clubs applied to join the Football League at the end of the season, but none were successful.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:
* Two clubs promoted from Division One North:
** Burton Albion
** Kettering Town
* Two clubs promoted from Division One South:
** Ramsgate Athletic, who were renamed Ramsgate at the end of the previous season
** Waterlooville

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Kettering Town | 42 | 20 | 17 | 5 | 74 | 44 | 1.682 | 57 | |
| 2 | Yeovil Town | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 67 | 31 | 2.161 | 56 | |
| 3 | Dover | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 61 | 38 | 1.605 | 55 | |
| 4 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 75 | 43 | 1.744 | 53 | |
| 5 | Worcester City | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 68 | 47 | 1.447 | 53 | |
| 6 | Weymouth | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 72 | 51 | 1.412 | 52 | |
| 7 | Margate | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 80 | 60 | 1.333 | 49 | |
| 8 | Bedford Town | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 43 | 36 | 1.194 | 47 | |
| 9 | Nuneaton Borough | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 51 | 41 | 1.244 | 46 | |
| 10 | Telford United | 42 | 12 | 20 | 10 | 57 | 47 | 1.213 | 44 | |
| 11 | Cambridge City | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 64 | 53 | 1.208 | 43 | |
| 12 | Wimbledon | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 50 | 50 | 1.000 | 42 | |
| 13 | Barnet | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 60 | 59 | 1.017 | 41 | |
| 14 | Romford | 42 | 17 | 5 | 20 | 51 | 65 | 0.785 | 39 | |
| 15 | Hillingdon Borough | 42 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 53 | 59 | 0.898 | 38 | |
| 16 | Dartford | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 49 | 63 | 0.778 | 35 | |
| 17 | Folkestone | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 41 | 72 | 0.569 | 33 | |
| 18 | Guildford City | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 59 | 84 | 0.702 | 31 | |
| 19 | Ramsgate | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 35 | 61 | 0.574 | 31 | Relegated to Division One South |
| 20 | Poole Town | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 50 | 88 | 0.568 | 30 | Relegated to Division One South |
| 21 | Burton Albion | 42 | 9 | 7 | 26 | 43 | 81 | 0.531 | 25 | Relegated to Division One North |
| 22 | Waterlooville | 42 | 4 | 16 | 22 | 33 | 63 | 0.524 | 24 | Relegated to Division One South |

## Division One North

Division One North consisted of 22 clubs, including 13 clubs from the previous season and nine new clubs:
* Six clubs joined from the West Midlands (Regional) League:
** Atherstone Town
** Bedworth United
** Bromsgrove Rovers
** Kidderminster Harriers
** Redditch United
** Tamworth
* Plus:
** Enderby Town, joined from the Leicestershire Senior League
** Grantham, joined from the Midland League
** Merthyr Tydfil, relegated from the Premier Division
At the end of the season Lockheed Leamington was renamed AP Leamington.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Grantham | 42 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 113 | 41 | 2.756 | 66 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Atherstone Town | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 82 | 48 | 1.708 | 57 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Cheltenham Town | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 87 | 47 | 1.851 | 56 | |
| 4 | Rugby Town | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 60 | 47 | 1.277 | 50 | Resigned from the league |
| 5 | Kidderminster Harriers | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 67 | 56 | 1.196 | 50 | |
| 6 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 51 | 40 | 1.275 | 46 | |
| 7 | Corby Town | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 62 | 56 | 1.107 | 44 | |
| 8 | Stourbridge | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 70 | 64 | 1.094 | 43 | |
| 9 | Gloucester City | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 55 | 64 | 0.859 | 43 | |
| 10 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 63 | 54 | 1.167 | 42 | |
| 11 | Redditch United | 42 | 18 | 6 | 18 | 58 | 59 | 0.983 | 42 | |
| 12 | Banbury United | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 60 | 53 | 1.132 | 41 | |
| 13 | Wellingborough Town | 42 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 58 | 71 | 0.817 | 41 | |
| 14 | King's Lynn | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 48 | 49 | 0.980 | 40 | |
| 15 | Lockheed Leamington | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 51 | 58 | 0.879 | 38 | |
| 16 | Enderby Town | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 50 | 61 | 0.820 | 38 | |
| 17 | Stevenage Athletic | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 63 | 0.794 | 37 | |
| 18 | Tamworth | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 45 | 65 | 0.692 | 36 | |
| 19 | Bury Town | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 52 | 69 | 0.754 | 35 | |
| 20 | Barry Town | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 39 | 71 | 0.549 | 32 | |
| 21 | Ilkeston Town | 42 | 9 | 6 | 27 | 35 | 68 | 0.515 | 24 | Resigned to the Midland League |
| 22 | Bedworth United | 42 | 10 | 3 | 29 | 42 | 94 | 0.447 | 23 | |

## Division One South

Division One South consisted of 22 clubs, including 13 clubs from the previous season and nine new clubs:
* Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
** Bath City
** Gravesend & Northfleet
* Three clubs transferred from Division One North:
** Bletchley Town
** Dunstable Town
** Wealdstone
* Three clubs joined from the Western League
** Bideford
** Dorchester Town
** Minehead
* Plus:
** Bognor Regis Town, joined from the Sussex County League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Maidstone United | 42 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 90 | 38 | 2.368 | 62 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Tonbridge | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 70 | 44 | 1.591 | 59 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 90 | 40 | 2.250 | 55 | |
| 4 | Bideford | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 70 | 43 | 1.628 | 52 | |
| 5 | Minehead | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 65 | 47 | 1.383 | 52 | |
| 6 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 81 | 55 | 1.473 | 51 | |
| 7 | Bath City | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 56 | 54 | 1.037 | 47 | |
| 8 | Wealdstone | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 81 | 61 | 1.328 | 44 | |
| 9 | Bletchley Town | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 54 | 51 | 1.059 | 41 | Transferred to Division One North |
| 10 | Hastings United | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 53 | 53 | 1.000 | 41 | |
| 11 | Andover | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 62 | 70 | 0.886 | 41 | |
| 12 | Canterbury City | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 40 | |
| 13 | Basingstoke Town | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 48 | 57 | 0.842 | 40 | |
| 14 | Crawley Town | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 59 | 76 | 0.776 | 39 | |
| 15 | Metropolitan Police | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 82 | 75 | 1.093 | 38 | |
| 16 | Bexley United | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 54 | 64 | 0.844 | 38 | |
| 17 | Trowbridge Town | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 65 | 77 | 0.844 | 38 | |
| 18 | Salisbury | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 49 | 60 | 0.817 | 38 | |
| 19 | Bognor Regis Town | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 41 | 66 | 0.621 | 33 | |
| 20 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 47 | 73 | 0.644 | 32 | |
| 21 | Winchester City | 42 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 41 | 79 | 0.519 | 25 | Resigned to the Hampshire League |
| 22 | Dunstable Town | 42 | 4 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 105 | 0.362 | 18 | Transferred to Division One North |

## Football League elections

Alongside the four League clubs facing re-election, a total of 10 non-League clubs applied for election, eight of which were Southern League clubs. All the League clubs were re-elected.
| Club | League | Votes |
| Colchester United | Football League | 48 |
| Northampton Town | Football League | 43 |
| Crewe Alexandra | Football League | 36 |
| Darlington | Football League | 26 |
| Yeovil Town | Southern League | 14 |
| Kettering Town | Southern League | 12 |
| Wigan Athletic | Northern Premier League | 10 |
| Chelmsford City | Southern League | 4 |
| Cambridge City | Southern League | 1 |
| Nuneaton Borough | Southern League | 1 |
| Telford United | Southern League | 1 |
| Bedford Town | Southern League | 0 |
| Boston United | Northern Premier League | 0 |
| Wimbledon | Southern League | 0 |