# 1981–82 Northern Premier League

The 1981–82 Northern Premier League was the fourteenth 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 15 August 1981 and concluded on 1 May 1982.

## Overview

The League featured twenty-two clubs.

### Team changes

The following club left the League at the end of the previous season:
* Runcorn promoted to Alliance Premier League
The following club joined the League at the start of the season:
* Bangor City relegated from Alliance Premier League (returning after a two years absence)

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Bangor City (C, P) | 42 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 108 | 60 | +48 | 62 | Promoted to Alliance Premier League |
| 2 | Mossley | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 76 | 43 | +33 | 59 | |
| 3 | Witton Albion | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 54 | |
| 4 | Gateshead | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 65 | 49 | +16 | 52 | |
| 5 | King's Lynn | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 61 | 36 | +25 | 50 | |
| 6 | Grantham | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 49 | |
| 7 | Burton Albion | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 47 | |
| 8 | Southport | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 63 | 55 | +8 | 46 | |
| 9 | Marine | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 64 | 57 | +7 | 46 | |
| 10 | Macclesfield Town | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 43 | |
| 11 | Workington | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 62 | 60 | +2 | 43 | |
| 12 | Worksop Town | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 52 | 60 | −8 | 43 | |
| 13 | South Liverpool | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 55 | 57 | −2 | 39 | |
| 14 | Goole Town | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 56 | 60 | −4 | 39 | |
| 15 | Oswestry Town | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 39 | |
| 16 | Buxton | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 48 | 56 | −8 | 39 | |
| 17 | Lancaster City (R) | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 38 | Relegated to NWCL Division One |
| 18 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 60 | 69 | −9 | 33 | |
| 19 | Tamworth | 42 | 10 | 9 | 23 | 31 | 56 | −25 | 29 | |
| 20 | Morecambe | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 43 | 86 | −43 | 29 | |
| 21 | Matlock Town | 42 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 38 | 72 | −34 | 26 | |
| 22 | Netherfield | 42 | 5 | 9 | 28 | 31 | 91 | −60 | 19 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BAN | BRT | BUX | GAI | GAT | GOO | GRN | KLY | LNC | MAC | MAR | MAT | MOR | MOS | NET | OSW | SLI | SOU | TAM | WTN | WRK | WKS |
| Bangor City | | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 |
| Burton Albion | 2–2 | | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Buxton | 1–0 | 5–1 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 6–1 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 4–5 | 4–3 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 |
| Gateshead United | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 3–2 | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Goole Town | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | | 0–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Grantham | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| King's Lynn | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Lancaster City | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Macclesfield Town | 4–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 4–2 |
| Marine | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Matlock Town | 2–7 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Morecambe | 0–9 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–3 | | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Mossley | 6–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | | 4–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 |
| Netherfield | 1–5 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–5 | 2–2 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Oswestry Town | 1–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 |
| South Liverpool | 3–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 |
| Southport | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 |
| Tamworth | 1–4 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–3 | | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Witton Albion | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 5–1 | | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Workington | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 7–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | | 2–0 |
| Worksop Town | 1–6 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | |

### Stadia and locations

| Club | Stadium |
| Bangor City | Farrar Road |
| Burton Albion | Eton Park |
| Buxton | The Silverlands |
| Gainsborough Trinity | The Northolme |
| Gateshead United | Gateshead Youth Stadium |
| Goole Town | Victoria Pleasure Ground |
| Grantham | London Road |
| King's Lynn | The Walks |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 1–0 | Mossley |

### President's Cup

| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| Buxton | 4–3 | Goole Town |

### Northern Premier League Shield

Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.
| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| Bangor City | ?-? | Gainsborough Trinity |

### FA Cup

None of the twenty-two Northern Premier League clubs reached the second round:
First Round
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | |
| Stockport County | 3–1 | Mossley | |
| Workington | 1–1 | Huddersfield Town | |
| Huddersfield Town | 5–0 | Workington | Replay |

### FA Trophy

None of the twenty-two Northern Premier League clubs reached the fourth round:
Third Round
| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| Altrincham | 2–0 | Mossley |
| Bishop's Stortford | 6–1 | Witton Albion |

## End of the season

At the end of the fourteenth season of the Northern Premier League, Bangor City applied to join the Alliance Premier League and were successful.

### Promotion and relegation

The following two clubs left the League at the end of the season:
* Bangor City promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Lancaster City relegated to North West Counties League Division One
The following two clubs joined the League the following season:
* Chorley promoted from Cheshire County League Division One (returning after a ten years absence)
* Hyde United promoted from Cheshire County League Division One (returning after a twelve years absence)