# 1986–87 Northern Premier League

The 1986–87 Northern Premier League season was the 19th in the history of the Northern Premier League, a football competition in England. It was the last Northern Premier League season, consisting of a single division, as before the next season 19 clubs joined the league and formed a new Division One.

## Overview

The League featured twenty-two clubs.

### Team changes

The following club left the League at the end of the previous season:
* Gateshead promoted to Football Conference
The following club joined the League at the start of the season:
* Barrow relegated from Alliance Premier League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Macclesfield Town (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 80 | 47 | +33 | 88 | Promoted to Football Conference |
| 2 | Bangor City | 42 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 74 | 35 | +39 | 87 | |
| 3 | Caernarfon Town | 42 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 76 | |
| 4 | Marine | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 70 | 43 | +27 | 73 | |
| 5 | South Liverpool | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 73 | |
| 6 | Morecambe | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 66 | 49 | +17 | 72 | |
| 7 | Matlock Town | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 81 | 67 | +14 | 70 | |
| 8 | Southport | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 67 | 49 | +18 | 68 | |
| 9 | Chorley | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 60 | |
| 10 | Mossley | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 57 | |
| 11 | Hyde United | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 81 | 70 | +11 | 55 | |
| 12 | Burton Albion | 42 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 56 | 68 | −12 | 54 | Transferred to Southern League Premier Division |
| 13 | Buxton | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 71 | 68 | +3 | 53 | |
| 14 | Witton Albion | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 68 | 79 | −11 | 53 | |
| 15 | Barrow | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 52 | |
| 16 | Goole Town | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 58 | 62 | −4 | 51 | |
| 17 | Oswestry Town | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 55 | 83 | −28 | 50 | |
| 18 | Rhyl | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 56 | 74 | −18 | 45 | |
| 19 | Worksop Town | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 56 | 74 | −18 | 40 | |
| 20 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 53 | 77 | −24 | 37 | |
| 21 | Workington | 42 | 5 | 14 | 23 | 38 | 70 | −32 | 28 | |
| 22 | Horwich RMI | 42 | 3 | 12 | 27 | 36 | 85 | −49 | 20 | |
* 1 2 Workington and Horwich RMI had 1 point deducted.

## Results

| Home \ Away | BAN | BRW | BRT | BUX | CNR | CHO | GAI | GOO | HOR | HYD | MAC | MAR | MAT | MOR | MOS | OSW | RHL | SLI | SOU | WTN | WRK | WKS |
| Bangor City | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Barrow | 0–0 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Burton Albion | 3–0 | 1–3 | | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Buxton | 4–4 | 0–0 | 5–3 | | 0–0 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 |
| Caernarfon Town | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | | 4–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Chorley | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 0–5 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Goole Town | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–3 |
| Horwich RMI | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | | 3–4 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| Hyde United | 3–0 | 6–1 | 2–1 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 3–5 | 5–0 | | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 7–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 5–2 |
| Macclesfield Town | 4–3 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 2–0 |
| Marine | 1–2 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Matlock Town | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 |
| Morecambe | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Mossley | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 |
| Oswestry Town | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 2–1 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 1–0 |
| Rhyl | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 6–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–2 | | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| South Liverpool | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Southport | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Witton Albion | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | | 3–1 | 4–2 |
| Workington | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–5 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | | 2–1 |
| Worksop Town | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |

## Cup Results

Challenge Cup:
* Macclesfield Town bt. Burton Albion
President's Cup:
* Macclesfield Town 2–1 Marine
Northern Premier League Shield: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.
* Bangor City$^1$ bt. Macclesfield Town
$^{1AsMacclesfieldTownwonboththeNorthernPremierLeagueandthePresidentscup,BangorCityqualifiedas2ndplacedteamoftheNPL.}$

## End of the season

At the end of the nineteenth season of the Northern Premier League, Macclesfield Town applied to join the Football Conference and were successful.

### Promotion and relegation

The following two clubs left the League at the end of the season:
* Macclesfield Town promoted to Football Conference
* Burton Albion transferred to Southern League Premier Division
The following two clubs joined the League the following season:
* Frickley Athletic relegated from Football Conference
* Gateshead relegated from Football Conference
From the next season, the Northern Premier League was expanded to include a Division One, with 19 clubs.