# 1985–86 Southern Football League

The 1985–86 Southern Football League season was the 83rd in the history of the league, an English football competition.
Welling United won the Premier Division and earned promotion to the Football Conference, whilst RS Southampton and Oldbury United left the league at the end of the season.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 20 clubs, including 15 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Two clubs promoted from the Midland Division:
** Aylesbury United
** Dudley Town
* Two clubs promoted from the Southern Division:
** Basingstoke Town
** Gosport Borough
* Plus:
** Worcester City, relegated from the Alliance Premier League
The Premier Division was to be expanded in the next season so only two clubs were to be relegated this season, though after RS Southampton resigned from the league, only Gravesend & Northfleet was relegated.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Welling United | 38 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 95 | 31 | +64 | 93 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
| 2 | Chelmsford City | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 68 | 41 | +27 | 70 | |
| 3 | Fisher Athletic | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 67 | 45 | +22 | 67 | |
| 4 | Alvechurch | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 71 | 56 | +15 | 66 | |
| 5 | Worcester City | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 64 | 50 | +14 | 66 | |
| 6 | Crawley Town | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 76 | 59 | +17 | 59 | |
| 7 | Shepshed Charterhouse | 38 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 51 | 52 | −1 | 58 | |
| 8 | Aylesbury United | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 52 | |
| 9 | Folkestone | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 52 | |
| 10 | Bedworth United | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 50 | |
| 11 | Willenhall Town | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 49 | |
| 12 | Dudley Town | 38 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 58 | 62 | −4 | 49 | |
| 13 | Corby Town | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 61 | 67 | −6 | 49 | |
| 14 | King's Lynn | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 39 | 42 | −3 | 46 | |
| 15 | Basingstoke Town | 38 | 13 | 4 | 21 | 36 | 67 | −31 | 43 | |
| 16 | RS Southampton | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 42 | Resigned to the Wessex League |
| 17 | Witney Town | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 44 | 74 | −30 | 39 | |
| 18 | Gosport Borough | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 42 | 66 | −24 | 38 | |
| 19 | Fareham Town | 38 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 40 | 62 | −22 | 37 | Reprieved from relegation |
| 20 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 55 | −26 | 36 | Relegated to the Southern Division |

## Midland Division

The Midland Division consisted of 21 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
** Gloucester City
** Leamington
* Plus:
** Bilston Town, promoted from the West Midlands (Regional) League
** Grantham, transferred from the Northern Premier League
** Mile Oak Rovers, joined from the Midland Combination

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 40 | 29 | 5 | 6 | 95 | 44 | +51 | 92 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Redditch United | 40 | 23 | 6 | 11 | 70 | 42 | +28 | 75 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Merthyr Tydfil | 40 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 60 | 40 | +20 | 73 | |
| 4 | VS Rugby | 40 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 65 | |
| 5 | Stourbridge | 40 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 62 | 39 | +23 | 59 | |
| 6 | Rushden Town | 40 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 69 | 74 | −5 | 58 | |
| 7 | Bilston Town | 40 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 60 | 48 | +12 | 57 | |
| 8 | Bridgnorth Town | 40 | 13 | 18 | 9 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 57 | |
| 9 | Gloucester City | 40 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 57 | |
| 10 | Grantham | 40 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 46 | 59 | −13 | 55 | |
| 11 | Wellingborough Town | 40 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 54 | |
| 12 | Sutton Coldfield Town | 40 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 53 | |
| 13 | Hednesford Town | 40 | 14 | 9 | 17 | 67 | 70 | −3 | 51 | |
| 14 | Forest Green Rovers | 40 | 14 | 9 | 17 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 51 | |
| 15 | Mile Oak Rovers | 40 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 50 | |
| 16 | Leicester United | 40 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 49 | |
| 17 | Banbury United | 40 | 13 | 8 | 19 | 38 | 55 | −17 | 47 | |
| 18 | Coventry Sporting | 40 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 45 | |
| 19 | Moor Green | 40 | 12 | 6 | 22 | 63 | 91 | −28 | 42 | |
| 20 | Leamington | 40 | 10 | 6 | 24 | 40 | 77 | −37 | 36 | |
| 21 | Oldbury United | 40 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 50 | 87 | −37 | 31 | Relegated to the West Midlands (Regional) League |

## Southern Division

The Southern Division expanded up to 21 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Corinthian
* Hastings Town, new club replaced the folded Hastings United
* Ruislip, promoted from the Middlesex County League
* Trowbridge Town, relegated from the Premier Division
Also, at the end of the previous season Hillingdon merged with London Spartan League club Burnham to form a new club Burnham & Hillingdon, who took over a place in the Southern Football League.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Cambridge City | 40 | 23 | 11 | 6 | 87 | 41 | +46 | 80 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Salisbury | 40 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 84 | 51 | +33 | 80 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Hastings Town | 40 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 83 | 51 | +32 | 78 | |
| 4 | Dover Athletic | 40 | 23 | 6 | 11 | 89 | 53 | +36 | 75 | |
| 5 | Corinthian | 40 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 78 | 45 | +33 | 69 | |
| 6 | Tonbridge | 40 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 65 | 51 | +14 | 64 | |
| 7 | Dunstable | 40 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 70 | 61 | +9 | 62 | |
| 8 | Ruislip | 40 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 67 | 66 | +1 | 57 | |
| 9 | Erith & Belvedere | 40 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 54 | |
| 10 | Waterlooville | 40 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 54 | |
| 11 | Burnham & Hillingdon | 40 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 44 | 59 | −15 | 54 | |
| 12 | Canterbury City | 40 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 52 | |
| 13 | Trowbridge Town | 40 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 57 | 63 | −6 | 52 | |
| 14 | Sheppey United | 40 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 52 | |
| 15 | Thanet United | 40 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 58 | 63 | −5 | 46 | |
| 16 | Woodford Town | 40 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 49 | 62 | −13 | 46 | |
| 17 | Poole Town | 40 | 12 | 7 | 21 | 55 | 63 | −8 | 43 | |
| 18 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 40 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 45 | 65 | −20 | 42 | |
| 19 | Chatham Town | 40 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 53 | 70 | −17 | 39 | |
| 20 | Andover | 40 | 10 | 8 | 22 | 52 | 92 | −40 | 38 | |
| 21 | Dorchester Town | 40 | 5 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 94 | −59 | 23 | |