# 1988–89 Southern Football League

The 1988–89 Southern Football League season was the 86th in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Merthyr Tydfil won the Premier Division and earned promotion to the Football Conference, whilst Coventry Sporting, Wellingborough Town, Mile Oak Rovers, Tonbridge and Ruislip left the league at the end of the season.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and six new clubs:
* Two clubs promoted from the Midland Division:
** Merthyr Tydfil
** Moor Green
* Two clubs promoted from the Southern Division:
** Dover Athletic
** Waterlooville
* Two clubs relegated from the Football Conference:
** Bath City
** Wealdstone

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 104 | 58 | +46 | 85 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
| 2 | Dartford | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 79 | 33 | +46 | 82 | |
| 3 | VS Rugby | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 79 | |
| 4 | Worcester City | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 72 | 49 | +23 | 73 | |
| 5 | Cambridge City | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 72 | 51 | +21 | 70 | |
| 6 | Dover Athletic | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 69 | |
| 7 | Gosport Borough | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 73 | 57 | +16 | 66 | |
| 8 | Burton Albion | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 79 | 68 | +11 | 64 | |
| 9 | Bath City | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 66 | 51 | +15 | 58 | |
| 10 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 68 | 56 | +12 | 58 | |
| 11 | Wealdstone | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 60 | 53 | +7 | 58 | |
| 12 | Crawley Town | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 58 | |
| 13 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 56 | 61 | −5 | 58 | |
| 14 | Alvechurch | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 56 | 59 | −3 | 56 | |
| 15 | Moor Green | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 58 | 70 | −12 | 55 | |
| 16 | Corby Town | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 53 | |
| 17 | Waterlooville | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 61 | 63 | −2 | 52 | |
| 18 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 59 | 76 | −17 | 52 | |
| 19 | Fareham Town | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 43 | 68 | −25 | 51 | Relegated to the Southern Division |
| 20 | Leicester United | 42 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 46 | 87 | −41 | 29 | Relegated to the Midland Division |
| 21 | Redditch United | 42 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 36 | 105 | −69 | 22 | Relegated to the Midland Division |
| 22 | Bedworth United | 42 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 36 | 102 | −66 | 19 | Relegated to the Midland Division |

## Midland Division

The Midland Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
** Nuneaton Borough
** Willenhall Town
* Plus:
** Ashtree Highfield, promoted from the Midland Combination
** Spalding United, promoted from the United Counties League
** Tamworth, promoted from the West Midlands League
Also, at the end of the season Forest Green Rovers was renamed Stroud and Ashfield Hightree was renamed Sandwell Borough.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Gloucester City | 42 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 95 | 37 | +58 | 92 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Atherstone United | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 85 | 38 | +47 | 87 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Tamworth | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 85 | 45 | +40 | 87 | |
| 4 | Halesowen Town | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 85 | 42 | +43 | 85 | |
| 5 | Grantham Town | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 66 | 37 | +29 | 80 | |
| 6 | Nuneaton Borough | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 71 | 58 | +13 | 66 | |
| 7 | Rushden Town | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 71 | 50 | +21 | 65 | |
| 8 | Spalding United | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 64 | +8 | 64 | |
| 9 | Dudley Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 73 | 62 | +11 | 61 | |
| 10 | Sutton Coldfield Town | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 61 | |
| 11 | Willenhall Town | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 65 | 71 | −6 | 60 | |
| 12 | Forest Green Rovers | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 64 | 67 | −3 | 52 | |
| 13 | Bilston Town | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 63 | 71 | −8 | 52 | |
| 14 | Ashtree Highfield | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 57 | 62 | −5 | 51 | |
| 15 | Hednesford Town | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 49 | 57 | −8 | 51 | |
| 16 | Banbury United | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 74 | −21 | 44 | |
| 17 | Bridgnorth Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 59 | 77 | −18 | 43 | |
| 18 | Stourbridge | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 43 | |
| 19 | King's Lynn | 42 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 31 | 67 | −36 | 34 | |
| 20 | Coventry Sporting | 42 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 39 | 91 | −52 | 31 | Club folded |
| 21 | Wellingborough Town | 42 | 5 | 15 | 22 | 39 | 72 | −33 | 30 | Relegated to the United Counties League |
| 22 | Mile Oak Rovers | 42 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 46 | 98 | −52 | 25 | Relegated to the Midland Combination |

## Southern Division

The Southern Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:
* Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
** Chelmsford City
** Witney Town
* Two clubs transferred from the Midland Division:
** Buckingham Town
** Trowbridge Town
At the end of the season Thanet United reverted name to Margate.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 30 | 5 | 7 | 106 | 38 | +68 | 95 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 42 | 27 | 6 | 9 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 87 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Poole Town | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 98 | 48 | +50 | 83 | |
| 4 | Bury Town | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 75 | 34 | +41 | 82 | |
| 5 | Burnham | 42 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 78 | 47 | +31 | 79 | |
| 6 | Baldock Town | 42 | 23 | 5 | 14 | 69 | 40 | +29 | 74 | |
| 7 | Hastings Town | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 74 | |
| 8 | Hounslow | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 75 | 60 | +15 | 69 | |
| 9 | Salisbury | 42 | 20 | 5 | 17 | 79 | 58 | +21 | 65 | |
| 10 | Trowbridge Town | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 59 | 52 | +7 | 64 | |
| 11 | Folkestone | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 62 | 65 | −3 | 59 | |
| 12 | Corinthian | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 59 | 69 | −10 | 52 | |
| 13 | Canterbury City | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 52 | 60 | −8 | 50 | |
| 14 | Witney Town | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 61 | 71 | −10 | 50 | |
| 15 | Dunstable | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 47 | |
| 16 | Buckingham Town | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 79 | −23 | 46 | |
| 17 | Erith & Belvedere | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 48 | 63 | −15 | 43 | |
| 18 | Andover | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 56 | 90 | −34 | 42 | |
| 19 | Sheppey United | 42 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 50 | 90 | −40 | 38 | |
| 20 | Thanet United | 42 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 47 | 95 | −48 | 36 | |
| 21 | Tonbridge | 42 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 50 | 98 | −48 | 27 | Relegated to the Kent Football League |
| 22 | Ruislip | 42 | 6 | 8 | 28 | 47 | 112 | −65 | 26 | Club folded |