# 1985–86 Northern Premier League

The 1985–86 Northern Premier League season was the 18th in the history of the Northern Premier League, a football competition in England. It was known as the Mulipart Premier League for sponsorship reasons.

## Overview

The League featured twenty-two clubs.

### Team changes

The following two clubs left the League at the end of the previous season:
* Stafford Rangers promoted to Alliance Premier League
* Grantham relegated to Southern League Midland Division
The following two clubs joined the League at the start of the season:
* Gateshead relegated from Alliance Premier League
* Caernarfon Town promoted from North West Counties League Division One

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Gateshead (C, P) | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 85 | 51 | +34 | 82 | Promoted to Football Conference |
| 2 | Marine | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 63 | 35 | +28 | 80 | |
| 3 | Morecambe | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 59 | 39 | +20 | 68 | |
| 4 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 66 | 52 | +14 | 68 | |
| 5 | Burton Albion | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 64 | 47 | +17 | 66 | |
| 6 | Southport | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 70 | 66 | +4 | 62 | |
| 7 | Worksop Town | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 61 | |
| 8 | Workington | 42 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 59 | |
| 9 | Macclesfield Town | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 67 | 65 | +2 | 59 | |
| 10 | Hyde United | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 63 | 62 | +1 | 57 | |
| 11 | Witton Albion | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 56 | 59 | −3 | 57 | |
| 12 | Mossley | 42 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 56 | 60 | −4 | 55 | |
| 13 | Bangor City | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 54 | |
| 14 | Rhyl | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 65 | 71 | −6 | 52 | |
| 15 | South Liverpool | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 50 | |
| 16 | Horwich RMI | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 53 | 63 | −10 | 50 | |
| 17 | Caernarfon Town | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 50 | |
| 18 | Oswestry Town | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 49 | |
| 19 | Buxton | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 55 | 76 | −21 | 45 | |
| 20 | Chorley | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 42 | |
| 21 | Matlock Town | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 59 | 75 | −16 | 42 | |
| 22 | Goole Town | 42 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 37 | 78 | −41 | 31 | |
* 1 2 3 4 Workington, Witton Albion, Horwich RMI and Goole Town all had 1 point deducted.

## Results

| Home \ Away | BAN | BRT | BUX | CNR | CHO | GAI | GAT | GOO | HOR | HYD | MAC | MAR | MAT | MOR | MOS | OSW | RHL | SLI | SOU | WTN | WRK | WKS |
| Bangor City | | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Burton Albion | 0–0 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Buxton | 2–0 | 1–0 | | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–5 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 6–2 | 2–4 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Caernarfon Town | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 1–9 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Chorley | 0–4 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 2–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 6–2 | 2–3 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| Gateshead | 3–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 | | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 5–4 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| Goole Town | 1–1 | 1–5 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 0–2 | | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| Horwich RMI | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–3 |
| Hyde United | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 |
| Macclesfield Town | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 7–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 7–2 | 2–3 | | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Marine | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Matlock Town | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | | 1–0 | 4–4 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 |
| Morecambe | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Mossley | 0–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 |
| Oswestry Town | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Rhyl | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 0–1 |
| South Liverpool | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Southport | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Witton Albion | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Workington | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | | 0–1 |
| Worksop Town | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | |

## Cup Results

Challenge Cup:
* Hyde United bt. Marine
President's Cup:
* Worksop Town 3–2 Burton Albion
Northern Premier League Shield: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.
* Hyde United 2–4 Gateshead

## End of the season

At the end of the eighteenth season of the Northern Premier League, Gateshead applied to join the Football Conference and were successful.

### Promotion and relegation

The following club left the League at the end of the season:
* Gateshead promoted to Football Conference
The following club joined the League the following season:
* Barrow relegated from Alliance Premier League