# 1988–89 Isthmian League

The 1988–89 season was the 74th season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England.
The league consisted of three divisions. Division Two was divided into two sections.
Leytonstone/Ilford were 1989 champions, winning their first Isthmian League title after renaming in 1983. In the summer of 1988, Oxford City had left the league after losing its ground. Also in the summer of 1988, Walthamstow Avenue merged into Leytonstone/Ilford: the new club regained Leytonstone/Ilford's name and place in the Premier Division.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 19 clubs from the previous season and three new clubs:
* Dagenham, relegated from the Football Conference
* Grays Athletic, promoted as champions of Division One
* Marlow, promoted as runners-up in Division One
At the end of the previous season First Division club Walthamstow Avenue merged into Leytonstone/Ilford. The new club started next season in the Premier Division under the name of the Premier Division club.
At the end of the season Leytonstone/Ilford were refused in promotion due to ground problems. The club changed its name into Redbridge Forest before the next season started.
Farnborough Town finished second and were promoted back to the Conference after four years in the Isthmian League.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Leytonstone/Ilford | 42 | 26 | 11 | 5 | 76 | 36 | +40 | 89 | |
| 2 | Farnborough Town | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 85 | 61 | +24 | 81 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
| 3 | Slough Town | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 42 | +30 | 78 | |
| 4 | Carshalton Athletic | 42 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 72 | |
| 5 | Grays Athletic | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 62 | 47 | +15 | 70 | |
| 6 | Kingstonian | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 68 | |
| 7 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 70 | 56 | +14 | 66 | |
| 8 | Hayes | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 61 | 47 | +14 | 66 | |
| 9 | Bognor Regis Town | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 38 | 49 | −11 | 62 | |
| 10 | Barking | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 61 | |
| 11 | Wokingham Town | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 60 | 54 | +6 | 56 | |
| 12 | Hendon | 42 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 51 | 68 | −17 | 56 | |
| 13 | Windsor & Eton | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 55 | |
| 14 | Bromley | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 54 | |
| 15 | Leyton-Wingate | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 54 | |
| 16 | Dulwich Hamlet | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 48 | |
| 17 | St Albans City | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 45 | |
| 18 | Dagenham | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 53 | 68 | −15 | 45 | |
| 19 | Harrow Borough | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 53 | 75 | −22 | 40 | |
| 20 | Marlow | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 48 | 83 | −35 | 38 | |
| 21 | Tooting & Mitcham United | 42 | 10 | 6 | 26 | 41 | 81 | −40 | 36 | Relegated to Division One |
| 22 | Croydon | 42 | 4 | 9 | 29 | 27 | 81 | −54 | 21 | Relegated to Division One |

## Division One

Division One consisted of 21 clubs, including 15 clubs from the previous season and six new clubs:
Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
* Basingstoke Town
* Hitchin Town
Two clubs promoted from Division Two North:
* Collier Row
* Wivenhoe Town
Two clubs promoted from Division Two South:
* Chalfont St Peter
* Metropolitan Police
Division One started the season one club short after Oxford City left the league after losing its ground, and Walthamstow Avenue merged into Leytonstone/Ilford at the end of the previous season.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Staines Town | 40 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 79 | 29 | +50 | 87 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Basingstoke Town | 40 | 25 | 8 | 7 | 85 | 36 | +49 | 83 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Woking | 40 | 24 | 10 | 6 | 72 | 30 | +42 | 82 | |
| 4 | Hitchin Town | 40 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 60 | 32 | +28 | 74 | |
| 5 | Wivenhoe Town | 40 | 22 | 6 | 12 | 62 | 44 | +18 | 72 | |
| 6 | Lewes | 40 | 21 | 8 | 11 | 72 | 54 | +18 | 71 | |
| 7 | Walton & Hersham | 40 | 21 | 7 | 12 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 70 | |
| 8 | Kingsbury Town | 40 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 65 | 41 | +24 | 67 | |
| 9 | Uxbridge | 40 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 60 | 54 | +6 | 64 | |
| 10 | Wembley | 40 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 60 | |
| 11 | Boreham Wood | 40 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 57 | |
| 12 | Leatherhead | 40 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 56 | 58 | −2 | 50 | |
| 13 | Metropolitan Police | 40 | 13 | 9 | 18 | 52 | 68 | −16 | 48 | |
| 14 | Chesham United | 40 | 12 | 9 | 19 | 54 | 67 | −13 | 45 | |
| 15 | Southwick | 40 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 44 | 58 | −14 | 42 | |
| 16 | Chalfont St Peter | 40 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 56 | 82 | −26 | 42 | |
| 17 | Hampton | 40 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 37 | 62 | −25 | 35 | |
| 18 | Worthing | 40 | 8 | 10 | 22 | 49 | 80 | −31 | 32 | |
| 19 | Collier Row | 40 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 37 | 82 | −45 | 31 | Relegated to Division Two North |
| 20 | Bracknell Town | 40 | 8 | 6 | 26 | 38 | 70 | −32 | 30 | Relegated to Division Two South |
| 21 | Basildon United | 40 | 6 | 7 | 27 | 34 | 77 | −43 | 25 | Relegated to Division Two North |
* ↑ Worthing were deducted two points.

## Division Two North

Division Two North consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:
* Billericay Town, relegated from Division One
* Purfleet, joined from the Essex Senior League
* Stevenage Borough, relegated from Division One
* Wolverton Town, relegated from Division One

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Harlow Town | 42 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 83 | 38 | +45 | 90 | Promoted to Division One |
| 2 | Purfleet | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 78 | Promoted to Division One |
| 3 | Tring Town | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 76 | |
| 4 | Stevenage Borough | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 84 | 55 | +29 | 73 | |
| 5 | Heybridge Swifts | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 72 | |
| 6 | Billericay Town | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 65 | 52 | +13 | 68 | |
| 7 | Clapton | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 65 | |
| 8 | Barton Rovers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 65 | |
| 9 | Aveley | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 52 | +2 | 64 | |
| 10 | Hertford Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 59 | |
| 11 | Ware | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 60 | 65 | −5 | 59 | |
| 12 | Hemel Hempstead | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 58 | |
| 13 | Witham Town | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 55 | |
| 14 | Vauxhall Motors | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 53 | 57 | −4 | 54 | |
| 15 | Berkhamsted Town | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 57 | 70 | −13 | 52 | |
| 16 | Hornchurch | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 59 | 61 | −2 | 49 | |
| 17 | Tilbury | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 53 | 60 | −7 | 49 | |
| 18 | Royston Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 46 | 72 | −26 | 43 | |
| 19 | Rainham Town | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 49 | 62 | −13 | 42 | |
| 20 | Saffron Walden Town | 42 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 54 | 72 | −18 | 40 | |
| 21 | Letchworth Garden City | 42 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 34 | 71 | −37 | 30 | |
| 22 | Wolverton Town | 42 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 42 | 95 | −53 | 13 | Relegated to the South Midlands League |
* ↑ Hertford Town were deducted two points.
* ↑ Wolverton Town were deducted nine points.

## Division Two South

Division Two South consisted of 21 clubs, including 20 clubs from the previous season and one new club:
* Finchley, transferred from Division Two North

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Dorking | 40 | 32 | 4 | 4 | 109 | 35 | +74 | 100 | Promoted to Division One |
| 2 | Whyteleafe | 40 | 25 | 9 | 6 | 86 | 41 | +45 | 84 | Promoted to Division One |
| 3 | Finchley | 40 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 45 | +25 | 72 | Transferred to Division Two North |
| 4 | Molesey | 40 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 70 | |
| 5 | Harefield United | 40 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 64 | |
| 6 | Hungerford Town | 40 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 55 | 45 | +10 | 64 | |
| 7 | Ruislip Manor | 40 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 57 | |
| 8 | Feltham | 40 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 57 | |
| 9 | Epsom & Ewell | 40 | 16 | 8 | 16 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 56 | |
| 10 | Egham Town | 40 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 54 | 58 | −4 | 55 | |
| 11 | Eastbourne United | 40 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 68 | 61 | +7 | 54 | |
| 12 | Chertsey Town | 40 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 53 | |
| 13 | Flackwell Heath | 40 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 50 | |
| 14 | Camberley Town | 40 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 51 | 71 | −20 | 50 | |
| 15 | Yeading | 40 | 13 | 9 | 18 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 46 | |
| 16 | Banstead Athletic | 40 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 44 | |
| 17 | Maidenhead United | 40 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 43 | |
| 18 | Southall | 40 | 11 | 10 | 19 | 41 | 73 | −32 | 43 | |
| 19 | Newbury Town | 40 | 11 | 8 | 21 | 47 | 65 | −18 | 41 | |
| 20 | Horsham | 40 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 36 | 68 | −32 | 35 | |
| 21 | Petersfield United | 40 | 5 | 7 | 28 | 36 | 87 | −51 | 22 | |
* ↑ Yeading were deducted two points.