# 1979–80 Northern Premier League

The 1979–80 Northern Premier League was the twelfth season of the Northern Premier League, a regional football league in Northern England, the northern areas of the Midlands and North Wales. The season began on 18 August 1979 and concluded on 7 May 1980.

## Overview

The League featured twenty-two clubs.

### Team changes

The Alliance Premier League was established as a new, national top division of non-League football. Seven Northern Premier League clubs and thirteen clubs from the Premier Division of the Southern League joined the newly created Alliance Premier League. The remaining clubs in the Northern Premier League had effectively been relegated down one tier in the English football league system.
The following seven clubs left the League at the end of the previous season:
* Altrincham promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Bangor City promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Barrow promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Boston United promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Northwich Victoria promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Scarborough promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Stafford Rangers promoted to Alliance Premier League
The following six clubs joined the League at the start of the season:
* Burton Albion promoted from Southern League Division One North
* Grantham promoted from Southern League Division One North
* Marine promoted from Cheshire County League Division One
* Oswestry Town promoted from Southern League Division One North
* Tamworth promoted from Southern League Division One North
* Witton Albion promoted from Cheshire County League Division One

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Mossley (C) | 42 | 28 | 9 | 5 | 96 | 41 | +55 | 65 | |
| 2 | Witton Albion | 42 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 89 | 30 | +59 | 64 | |
| 3 | Frickley Athletic (P) | 42 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 93 | 48 | +45 | 61 | Promoted to Alliance Premier League |
| 4 | Burton Albion | 42 | 25 | 6 | 11 | 83 | 42 | +41 | 56 | |
| 5 | Matlock Town | 42 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 87 | 53 | +34 | 53 | |
| 6 | Buxton | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 51 | |
| 7 | Worksop Town | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 65 | 52 | +13 | 50 | |
| 8 | Macclesfield Town | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 67 | 53 | +14 | 47 | |
| 9 | Grantham | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 71 | 65 | +6 | 44 | |
| 10 | Marine | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 57 | +8 | 42 | |
| 11 | Goole Town | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 61 | 63 | −2 | 41 | |
| 12 | Lancaster City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 74 | 77 | −3 | 39 | |
| 13 | Oswestry Town | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 44 | 60 | −16 | 38 | |
| 14 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 64 | 75 | −11 | 36 | |
| 15 | Runcorn | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 46 | 63 | −17 | 33 | |
| 16 | Gateshead | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 50 | 77 | −27 | 33 | |
| 17 | Morecambe | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 40 | 59 | −19 | 32 | |
| 18 | Netherfield | 42 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 37 | 66 | −29 | 29 | |
| 19 | Southport | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 30 | 75 | −45 | 29 | |
| 20 | South Liverpool | 42 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 51 | 84 | −33 | 28 | |
| 21 | Workington | 42 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 50 | 85 | −35 | 28 | |
| 22 | Tamworth | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 26 | 77 | −51 | 25 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BRT | BUX | FRK | GAI | GAT | GOO | GRN | LNC | MAC | MAR | MAT | MOR | MOS | NET | OSW | RUN | SLI | SOU | TAM | WTN | WRK | WKS |
| Burton Albion | | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 8–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 4–1 |
| Buxton | 2–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Frickley Athletic | 1–0 | 2–2 | | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 6–2 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 4–5 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Gateshead United | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 |
| Goole Town | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 2–1 | | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–4 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Grantham | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 6–2 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 |
| Lancaster City | 1–3 | 4–4 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 3–4 | 3–3 |
| Macclesfield Town | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | | 0–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Marine | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 3–4 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Matlock Town | 0–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 7–0 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 8–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Morecambe | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Mossley | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 6–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 6–0 | 0–3 | 5–1 | 3–1 |
| Netherfield | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Oswestry Town | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Runcorn | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 2–2 | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 |
| South Liverpool | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–5 | 2–2 | 1–3 |
| Southport | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–7 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Tamworth | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Witton Albion | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Workington | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | | 3–0 |
| Worksop Town | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |

### Stadia and locations

| Club | Stadium |
| Burton Albion | Eton Park |
| Buxton | The Silverlands |
| Frickley Athletic | Westfield Lane |
| Gainsborough Trinity | The Northolme |
| Gateshead United | Gateshead Youth Stadium |
| Goole Town | Victoria Pleasure Ground |
| Grantham | London Road |
| Lancaster City | Great Axe |
| Macclesfield Town | Moss Rose |
| Marine | Rossett Park |
| Matlock Town | Causeway Lane |
| Morecambe | Christie Park |
| Mossley | Seel Park |
| Netherfield | Parkside |
| Oswestry Town | Victoria Road |
| Runcorn | Canal Street |
| South Liverpool | Holly Park |
| Southport | Haig Avenue |
| Tamworth | The Lamb Ground |
| Witton Albion | Central Ground |
| Workington | Borough Park |
| Worksop Town | Central Avenue |

## Cup results
### Challenge Cup

| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| Runcorn | 2–0 | Lancaster City |

### Northern Premier League Shield

Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.
| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| Runcorn | beat | Mossley |

### FA Cup

None of the twenty-two Northern Premier League clubs reached the second round:
First Round
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | |
| Burton Albion | 0–2 | Bury | |
| Chester | 5–1 | Workington | |
| Morecambe | 1–1 | Rotherham United | Replay |
| Rotherham United | 2–0 | Morecambe | |
| York City | 5–2 | Mossley | |

### FA Trophy

Two of the twenty-two Northern Premier League clubs reached the fourth round:
Fourth Round
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | |
| Mossley | 1–1 | Blyth Spartans | |
| Blyth Spartans | 0–2 | Mossley | Replay |
Semi-finals
| Stage | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| 1st Leg | Mossley | 1–1 | Boston United |
| 2nd Leg | Boston United | 1–2 | Mossley |
| Aggregate | Mossley | 3–2 | Boston United |
Final
| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| Dagenham | 2–1 | Mossley |

## End of the season

At the end of the twelfth season of the Northern Premier League, Frickley Athletic applied to join the Alliance Premier League and were successful

### Promotion and relegation

The following club left the League at the end of the season:
* Frickley Athletic promoted to Alliance Premier League
The following club joined the League the following season:
* King's Lynn transferred from Southern League Midland Division