# 1985–86 Isthmian League

The 1985–86 season was the 71st season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England. League consisted of three divisions. Division Two was divided into two sections.
Sutton United won the league for the second season in a row and finally were promoted to the Conference.

## Premier Division

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 19 clubs from the previous season and three new clubs:
* Farnborough Town, promoted as champions of Division One
* Kingstonian, promoted as runners-up in Division One
* Yeovil Town, relegated from the Alliance Premier League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Sutton United | 42 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 109 | 39 | +70 | 95 | Promoted to the Football Conference |
| 2 | Yeovil Town | 42 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 92 | 48 | +44 | 91 | |
| 3 | Farnborough Town | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 90 | 50 | +40 | 77 | |
| 4 | Croydon | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 70 | 50 | +20 | 76 | |
| 5 | Harrow Borough | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 76 | 66 | +10 | 71 | |
| 6 | Slough Town | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 66 | 68 | −2 | 62 | |
| 7 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 55 | 61 | −6 | 61 | |
| 8 | Kingstonian | 42 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 60 | |
| 9 | Dulwich Hamlet | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 64 | 79 | −15 | 60 | |
| 10 | Wokingham Town | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 67 | 64 | +3 | 58 | |
| 11 | Windsor & Eton | 42 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 58 | 75 | −17 | 58 | |
| 12 | Tooting & Mitcham United | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 65 | 76 | −11 | 53 | |
| 13 | Walthamstow Avenue | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 69 | 70 | −1 | 50 | |
| 14 | Worthing | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 72 | 82 | −10 | 49 | |
| 15 | Bognor Regis Town | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 63 | 70 | −7 | 48 | |
| 16 | Hayes | 42 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 47 | |
| 17 | Hitchin Town | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 53 | 69 | −16 | 47 | |
| 18 | Barking | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 45 | 55 | −10 | 46 | |
| 19 | Hendon | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 59 | 77 | −18 | 43 | |
| 20 | Carshalton Athletic | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 56 | 79 | −23 | 40 | |
| 21 | Billericay Town | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 59 | 78 | −19 | 39 | Relegated to Division One |
| 22 | Epsom & Ewell | 42 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 63 | 90 | −27 | 36 | Relegated to Division One |
* ↑ Bognor Regis Town were deducted three points.

## Division One

Division One consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and six new clubs:
Two clubs relegated from the Premier Division:
* Harlow Town
* Leytonstone/Ilford
Two clubs promoted from Division Two North:
* Finchley
* Leyton-Wingate
Two clubs promoted from Division Two South:
* Grays Athletic
* Uxbridge

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | St Albans City | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 92 | 61 | +31 | 80 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Bromley | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 68 | 41 | +27 | 80 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Wembley | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 59 | 30 | +29 | 78 | |
| 4 | Oxford City | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 75 | 51 | +24 | 77 | |
| 5 | Hampton | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 74 | |
| 6 | Leyton-Wingate | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 77 | 56 | +21 | 73 | |
| 7 | Uxbridge | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 64 | 49 | +15 | 68 | |
| 8 | Staines Town | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 69 | 66 | +3 | 64 | |
| 9 | Boreham Wood | 42 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 61 | |
| 10 | Walton & Hersham | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 68 | 71 | −3 | 58 | |
| 11 | Lewes | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 61 | 75 | −14 | 56 | |
| 12 | Leytonstone/Ilford | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 57 | 67 | −10 | 54 | |
| 13 | Finchley | 42 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 61 | 59 | +2 | 53 | |
| 14 | Grays Athletic | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 69 | 75 | −6 | 50 | |
| 15 | Leatherhead | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 62 | 68 | −6 | 50 | |
| 16 | Tilbury | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 60 | 66 | −6 | 50 | |
| 17 | Maidenhead United | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 61 | 67 | −6 | 46 | |
| 18 | Basildon United | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 52 | 72 | −20 | 45 | |
| 19 | Hornchurch | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 44 | 59 | −15 | 44 | Relegated to Division Two North |
| 20 | Chesham United | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 51 | 87 | −36 | 42 | Relegated to Division Two North |
| 21 | Harlow Town | 42 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 53 | 70 | −17 | 38 | Relegated to Division Two North |
| 22 | Aveley | 42 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 59 | 98 | −39 | 30 | Relegated to Division Two North |

## Division Two North

Division Two North consisted of 20 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:
* Clapton, relegated from Division One
* Hertford Town, relegated Division One
* Rainham Town, transferred from Division Two South
* Vauxhall Motors (Luton), joined from the South Midlands League

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Stevenage Borough | 38 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 71 | 24 | +47 | 84 | Promoted to Division One |
| 2 | Kingsbury Town | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 84 | 35 | +49 | 83 | Promoted to Division One |
| 3 | Heybridge Swifts | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 65 | 46 | +19 | 68 | |
| 4 | Cheshunt | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 60 | 40 | +20 | 64 | |
| 5 | Hertford Town | 38 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 58 | |
| 6 | Chalfont St Peter | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 53 | 50 | +3 | 56 | Transferred to Division Two South |
| 7 | Tring Town | 38 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 55 | |
| 8 | Royston Town | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 59 | 57 | +2 | 52 | |
| 9 | Saffron Walden Town | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 51 | |
| 10 | Berkhamsted Town | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 50 | |
| 11 | Haringey Borough | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 49 | 51 | −2 | 49 | |
| 12 | Letchworth Garden City | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 46 | 52 | −6 | 47 | |
| 13 | Rainham Town | 38 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 54 | 91 | −37 | 46 | |
| 14 | Hemel Hempstead | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 50 | 66 | −16 | 45 | |
| 15 | Ware | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 56 | 61 | −5 | 44 | |
| 16 | Vauxhall Motors | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 58 | 62 | −4 | 43 | |
| 17 | Barton Rovers | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 43 | |
| 18 | Harefield United | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 56 | 72 | −16 | 39 | Transferred to Division Two South |
| 19 | Clapton | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 51 | 90 | −39 | 37 | |
| 20 | Wolverton Town | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 42 | 58 | −16 | 35 | |

## Division Two South

Division Two South consisted of 20 clubs, including 15 clubs from the previous season and five new clubs:
* Flackwell Heath, transferred from Division Two North
* Marlow, transferred from Division Two North
* Metropolitan Police, relegated from Division One
* Southwick, joined from the Combined Counties League
* Woking, relegated from Division One

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Southwick | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 86 | 34 | +52 | 83 | Promoted to Division One |
| 2 | Bracknell Town | 38 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 80 | 23 | +57 | 81 | Promoted to Division One |
| 3 | Woking | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 94 | 45 | +49 | 78 | |
| 4 | Newbury Town | 38 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 86 | 53 | +33 | 73 | |
| 5 | Whyteleafe | 38 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 73 | |
| 6 | Molesey | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 59 | 39 | +20 | 71 | |
| 7 | Metropolitan Police | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 48 | +24 | 66 | |
| 8 | Southall | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 77 | 59 | +18 | 64 | |
| 9 | Dorking | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 70 | 57 | +13 | 64 | |
| 10 | Feltham | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 65 | 60 | +5 | 55 | |
| 11 | Banstead Athletic | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 60 | 66 | −6 | 53 | |
| 12 | Petersfield United | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 61 | 71 | −10 | 45 | |
| 13 | Hungerford Town | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 57 | 78 | −21 | 39 | |
| 14 | Flackwell Heath | 38 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 46 | 72 | −26 | 39 | |
| 15 | Eastbourne United | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 51 | 81 | −30 | 35 | |
| 16 | Camberley Town | 38 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 34 | |
| 17 | Egham Town | 38 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 83 | −42 | 29 | |
| 18 | Horsham | 38 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 33 | 74 | −41 | 28 | |
| 19 | Ruislip Manor | 38 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 87 | −43 | 27 | |
| 20 | Marlow | 38 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 47 | 108 | −61 | 23 | |