# 1986–87 Southern Football League

The 1986–87 Southern Football League season was the 84th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Fisher Athletic won the Premier Division and earned promotion to the Football Conference, whilst Basingstoke Town, Leamington and Woodford Town left the league at the end of the season. The Southern League Cup was lifted by Waterlooville, who won both legs of the final against Hednesford Town.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division expanded up to 22 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Two clubs promoted from the Midland Division:
** Bromsgrove Rovers
** Redditch United
* Two clubs promoted from the Southern Division:
** Cambridge City
** Salisbury
* Plus:
** Dartford, relegated from the Alliance Premier League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Fisher Athletic | 42 | 25 | 11 | 6 | 72 | 29 | +43 | 86 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
| 2 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 82 | 41 | +41 | 83 | |
| 3 | Aylesbury United | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 83 | |
| 4 | Dartford | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 76 | 43 | +33 | 69 | |
| 5 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 48 | 45 | +3 | 64 | |
| 6 | Cambridge City | 42 | 14 | 20 | 8 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 62 | |
| 7 | Redditch United | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 59 | 54 | +5 | 62 | |
| 8 | Alvechurch | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 66 | 62 | +4 | 62 | |
| 9 | Corby Town | 42 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 65 | 51 | +14 | 59 | |
| 10 | Worcester City | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 59 | |
| 11 | Shepshed Charterhouse | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 59 | 59 | 0 | 58 | |
| 12 | Bedworth United | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 57 | |
| 13 | Crawley Town | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 59 | 60 | −1 | 53 | |
| 14 | Fareham Town | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 58 | 49 | +9 | 50 | |
| 15 | Willenhall Town | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 48 | 57 | −9 | 50 | |
| 16 | Basingstoke Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 53 | 78 | −25 | 48 | Transferred to the Isthmian League Premier Division |
| 17 | Witney Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 29 | 56 | −27 | 48 | |
| 18 | Gosport Borough | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 46 | |
| 19 | Salisbury | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 52 | 82 | −30 | 43 | Relegated to the Southern Division |
| 20 | King's Lynn | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 48 | 72 | −24 | 40 | Relegated to the Midland Division |
| 21 | Dudley Town | 42 | 9 | 9 | 24 | 39 | 76 | −37 | 36 | Relegated to the Midland Division |
| 22 | Folkestone | 42 | 8 | 11 | 23 | 36 | 79 | −43 | 35 | Relegated to the Southern Division |

## Midland Division

The Midland Division consisted of 20 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and two new clubs:
* Buckingham Town, joined from the United Counties League
* Halesowen Town, joined from the West Midlands (Regional) League
At the end of the season Grantham was renamed Grantham Town.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | VS Rugby | 38 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 81 | 43 | +38 | 80 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Leicester United | 38 | 26 | 1 | 11 | 89 | 49 | +40 | 79 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Merthyr Tydfil | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 95 | 54 | +41 | 75 | Qualification for the 1987–88 Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 4 | Moor Green | 38 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 73 | 55 | +18 | 72 | |
| 5 | Halesowen Town | 38 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 72 | 50 | +22 | 69 | |
| 6 | Hednesford Town | 38 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 84 | 56 | +28 | 68 | |
| 7 | Gloucester City | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 77 | 59 | +18 | 62 | |
| 8 | Coventry Sporting | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 59 | |
| 9 | Forest Green Rovers | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 57 | |
| 10 | Stourbridge | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 55 | |
| 11 | Grantham | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 74 | 54 | +20 | 54 | |
| 12 | Banbury United | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 55 | 65 | −10 | 49 | |
| 13 | Buckingham Town | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 48 | |
| 14 | Bridgnorth Town | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 59 | 63 | −4 | 45 | |
| 15 | Wellingborough Town | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 55 | 76 | −21 | 45 | |
| 16 | Mile Oak Rovers | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 50 | 63 | −13 | 43 | |
| 17 | Sutton Coldfield Town | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 78 | −22 | 34 | |
| 18 | Bilston Town | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 37 | 76 | −39 | 31 | |
| 19 | Leamington | 38 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 37 | 80 | −43 | 25 | Resigned to the Midland Combination |
| 20 | Rushden Town | 38 | 1 | 10 | 27 | 42 | 124 | −82 | 13 | |

## Southern Division

The Southern Division consisted of 20 clubs, including 19 clubs from the previous season and one new club:
* Gravesend & Northfleet, relegated from the Premier Division
At the end of the season Burnham & Hillingdon changed name to Burnham.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Dorchester Town | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 83 | 42 | +41 | 77 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 38 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 63 | 32 | +31 | 76 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Woodford Town | 38 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 72 | 44 | +28 | 72 | Resigned to the Essex Senior League |
| 4 | Hastings Town | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 74 | 54 | +20 | 70 | |
| 5 | Dover Athletic | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 66 | 43 | +23 | 66 | |
| 6 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 67 | 46 | +21 | 61 | |
| 7 | Tonbridge | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 73 | 67 | +6 | 58 | |
| 8 | Erith & Belvedere | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 57 | |
| 9 | Chatham Town | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 57 | |
| 10 | Thanet United | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 56 | 50 | +6 | 56 | |
| 11 | Waterlooville | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 66 | 65 | +1 | 56 | |
| 12 | Trowbridge Town | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 77 | 65 | +12 | 54 | Transferred to the Midland Division |
| 13 | Dunstable | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 60 | 57 | +3 | 48 | |
| 14 | Corinthian | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 45 | |
| 15 | Sheppey United | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 43 | 64 | −21 | 39 | |
| 16 | Andover | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 51 | 80 | −29 | 36 | |
| 17 | Burnham & Hillingdon | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 32 | 62 | −30 | 32 | |
| 18 | Poole Town | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 50 | 90 | −40 | 30 | |
| 19 | Ruislip | 38 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 75 | −40 | 30 | |
| 20 | Canterbury City | 38 | 8 | 5 | 25 | 46 | 82 | −36 | 29 | |