2013–14 Football Conference
The 2013–14 Football Conference season is the tenth season with the Conference consisting of three divisions and the thirty-fourth season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference Premier is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, whilst the Conference North and Conference South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the playoff of the Premier division will be promoted to Football League Two, while the bottom four are relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions will be promoted to the Premier division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions are relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League.
Season | 2013–14 |
---|---|
← 2012–13 2014–15 → |
Skrill will sponsor the Conference for this season and the divisions will now be known as the Skrill Premier, the Skrill North and the Skrill South.[1] Skrill terminated the sponsorship deal early, meaning a new title sponsor must be found for next season.
Conference Premier
Season | 2013–14 |
---|---|
Champions | Luton Town |
Promoted | Luton Town Cambridge United |
Relegated | Tamworth Hyde Salisbury City Hereford United |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,491 (2.7 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Andre Gray (30 goals) |
Biggest home win | Forest Green Rovers 8–0 Hyde |
Biggest away win | Alfreton Town 0–5 Luton Town Nuneaton Town 0–5 Luton Town |
Highest scoring | Cambridge United 7–2 Hyde Forest Green Rovers 8–0 Hyde Kidderminster Harriers 5–3 Tamworth Hyde 2–6 Forest Green Rovers |
Longest winning run | 7 games Luton Town |
Longest unbeaten run | 27 games Luton Town |
Longest winless run | 26 games Hyde |
Longest losing run | 12 games Hyde |
Average attendance | 1863[2] |
← 2012–13 2014–15 → |
A total of 24 teams contest the division, including 18 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two, two promoted from the Conference North and two promoted from the Conference South. Of the 24 clubs, 14 employed their players as full-time professionals, namely Aldershot, Barnet, Cambridge, Forest Green, Gateshead, Grimsby, Hereford, Kidderminster, Lincoln, Luton, Macclesfield, Salisbury, Tamworth and Wrexham.[3] The remainder were semi-professional, training two or three times a week.
Promotion and relegation
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Conference North
- Chester (League Champions)
- FC Halifax Town (Playoff Winners)
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Conference South
- Welling United (League Champions)
- Salisbury City (Playoff Winners)
Teams relegated from 2012–13 Football League Two
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Luton Town (C, P) | 46 | 30 | 11 | 5 | 102 | 35 | +67 | 101 | Promotion to 2014–15 Football League Two |
2 | Cambridge United (P) | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 72 | 35 | +37 | 82 | Qualification for Conference Premier play-offs |
3 | Gateshead | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 72 | 50 | +22 | 79 | |
4 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 65 | 46 | +19 | 78 | |
5 | FC Halifax Town | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 85 | 58 | +27 | 77 | |
6 | Braintree Town | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 74 | |
7 | Kidderminster Harriers | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 66 | 59 | +7 | 72 | |
8 | Barnet | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 70 | |
9 | Woking | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 66 | 69 | −3 | 68 | |
10 | Forest Green Rovers | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 80 | 66 | +14 | 67 | |
11 | Alfreton Town[lower-alpha 1] | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 69 | 74 | −5 | 67 | |
12 | Salisbury City | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 58 | 63 | −5 | 67[lower-alpha 2] | Club folded |
13 | Nuneaton Town | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 54 | 60 | −6 | 66 | |
14 | Lincoln City | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 65 | |
15 | Macclesfield Town | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 62 | 63 | −1 | 61 | |
16 | Welling United | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 61 | −2 | 60 | |
17 | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 61 | 61 | 0 | 59 | |
18 | Southport | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 53 | 71 | −18 | 53 | |
19 | Aldershot Town[lower-alpha 3] | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 69 | 62 | +7 | 51 | |
20 | Hereford United (R) | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 63 | −19 | 51[lower-alpha 4] | Demoted to the 2014–15 Southern League Premier Division |
21 | Chester | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 49 | 70 | −21 | 51[lower-alpha 4] | |
22 | Dartford | 46 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 49 | 74 | −25 | 44[lower-alpha 2] | |
23 | Tamworth (R) | 46 | 10 | 9 | 27 | 43 | 81 | −38 | 39 | Relegation to 2014–15 Conference North |
24 | Hyde (R) | 46 | 1 | 7 | 38 | 38 | 119 | −81 | 10 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Alfreton Town deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player
- On 13 June 2014, Salisbury City were demoted to the Conference South due to financial irregularities. Because of this, Dartford were reprieved from relegation.[4] Salisbury were subsequently expelled from the Football Conference altogether on 4 July 2014, after which they went into liquidation.
- Aldershot Town deducted ten points for entering administration
- On 10 June 2014, Hereford United were expelled from the Conference due to financial irregularities. They were later accepted into the Southern League.[5] Because of this, Chester were reprieved from relegation.[6]
Play-offs
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||
2 | Cambridge United | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
5 | FC Halifax Town | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Cambridge United | 2 | |||||||||
3 | Gateshead | 1 | |||||||||
3 | Gateshead | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
4 | Grimsby Town | 1 | 1 | 2 |
First leg
30 April 2014 | FC Halifax Town | 1–0 | Cambridge United | The Shay, Halifax |
19:45 | Gregory 83' (pen.) | Report | Attendance: 3,668 Referee: Simon Bennett |
1 May 2014 | Grimsby Town | 1–1 | Gateshead | Blundell Park, Cleethorpes |
19:45 | Disley 24' | Report | Larkin 7' | Attendance: 5,234 Referee: Chris Kavanagh |
Second leg
4 May 2014 | Cambridge United | 2–0 (2–1 agg.) | FC Halifax Town | Abbey Stadium, Cambridge |
13:30 | Sam-Yorke 11', 38' | Report | Attendance: 6,262 Referee: Darren Handley |
4 May 2014 | Gateshead | 3–1 (4–2 agg.) | Grimsby Town | Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead |
16:30 | Marwood 22', 84' O'Donnell 90+4' |
Report | Disley 60' | Attendance: 8,144 Referee: Kevin Johnson |
Final
18 May 2014 | Cambridge United | 2–1 | Gateshead | Wembley Stadium, London |
16:00 | Hughes 51' Donaldson 71' |
BBC Report | Lester 80' | Attendance: 19,613 Referee: Peter Banks |
Stadia and locations
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 15,500 |
FC Halifax Town | The Shay | 14,061 |
Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 11,800 |
Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | 10,226 |
Lincoln City | Sincil Bank | 10,120 |
Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium | 9,617 |
Grimsby Town | Blundell Park | 9,546 |
Aldershot Town | EBB Stadium | 7,100 |
Macclesfield Town | Moss Rose | 6,355 |
Kidderminster Harriers | Aggborough | 6,238 |
Woking | Kingfield Stadium | 6,036 |
Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 |
Chester | Deva Stadium | 6,000 |
Hereford United | Edgar Street | 5,966 |
Forest Green Rovers | The New Lawn | 5,147 |
Barnet | The Hive Stadium | 5,100 |
Salisbury City | The Raymond McEnhill Stadium | 5,000 |
Nuneaton Town | Liberty Way | 4,314 |
Hyde | Ewen Fields | 4,250 |
Braintree Town | Cressing Road | 4,145 |
Dartford | Princes Park | 4,100 |
Tamworth | The Lamb Ground | 4,000 |
Welling United | Park View Road | 4,000 |
Alfreton Town | North Street | 3,600 |
Results
Top scorers
- As of 26 April 2014.[7]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Andre Gray | Luton Town | 30 |
2 | Lee Gregory | FC Halifax Town | 29 |
3 | Brett Williams | Aldershot Town | 24 |
4 | James Norwood | Forest Green Rovers | 18 |
John Akinde | Alfreton Town | ||
Scott Boden | Macclesfield Town | ||
Ben Tomlinson | Lincoln City | ||
8 | Paul Benson | Luton Town | 17 |
Louis Moult | Nuneaton Town | ||
Scott Rendell | Woking |
Conference North
Promotion and relegation
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Northern Premier League Premier Division
- North Ferriby United (League Champions)
- Hednesford Town (Playoff Winners)
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Southern League Premier Division
Teams relegated from 2012–13 Conference Premier
On 4 April 2014, the Football Conference confirmed that they had accepted the resignation of Vauxhall Motors from the league and that, as a result, only the bottom two clubs would be relegated.[8]
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | AFC Telford United (C, P) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 82 | 53 | +29 | 85 | Promotion to Conference Premier |
2 | North Ferriby United | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 80 | 51 | +29 | 82 | Qualification for Conference North play-offs |
3 | Altrincham (P) | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 95 | 51 | +44 | 81 | |
4 | Hednesford Town | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 87 | 65 | +22 | 78 | |
5 | Guiseley | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 78 | 56 | +22 | 78 | |
6 | Boston United | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 85 | 60 | +25 | 72 | |
7 | Brackley Town | 42 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 69 | |
8 | Solihull Moors | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 63 | 52 | +11 | 65 | |
9 | Harrogate Town[lower-alpha 1] | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 75 | 59 | +16 | 63 | |
10 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 66 | 70 | −4 | 57 | |
11 | Barrow | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 56 | |
12 | Colwyn Bay | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 63 | 67 | −4 | 54 | |
13 | Leamington | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 52 | |
14 | Stockport County | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 50 | |
15 | Worcester City | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 50 | |
16 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 13 | 6 | 23 | 67 | 86 | −19 | 45 | |
17 | Gloucester City | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 64 | 77 | −13 | 44 | |
18 | Vauxhall Motors | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 43 | 74 | −31 | 44 | Resigned at end of season |
19 | Stalybridge Celtic | 42 | 10 | 9 | 23 | 57 | 88 | −31 | 39 | |
20 | Oxford City[lower-alpha 2] | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 50 | 70 | −20 | 37 | |
21 | Histon (R) | 42 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 42 | 76 | −34 | 32 | Relegation to Southern League Premier Division |
22 | Workington (R) | 42 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 39 | 85 | −46 | 28 | Relegation to Northern Premier League Premier Division |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Harrogate Town deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player
- Oxford City deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player
Play-offs
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||
2 | North Ferriby United | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
5 | Guiseley | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
5 | Guiseley | 1 | |||||||||
3 | Altrincham | 2 | |||||||||
3 | Altrincham | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||
4 | Hednesford Town | 2 | 1 | 3 |
First leg
30 April 2014 | Guiseley | 2–0 | North Ferriby United | Nethermoor Park, Guiseley |
19:45 | Boyes 37' Johnson 49' |
Report | Attendance: 1,164 |
30 April 2014 | Hednesford Town | 2–2 | Altrincham | Keys Park, Hednesford |
19:45 | Melbourne 33' Glover 58' |
Report | Reeves 14' Walshaw 61' |
Attendance: 1,209 |
Second leg
3 May 2014 | North Ferriby United | 0–1 (0–3 agg.) | Guiseley | Grange Lane, North Ferriby |
15:00 | Report | Brooksby 60' | Attendance: 924 |
3 May 2014 | Altrincham | 2–1 (4–3 agg.) | Hednesford Town | Moss Lane, Altrincham |
15:00 | Reeves 85' Lawrie 87' |
Report | Thorley 80' | Attendance: 1,974 |
Final
10 May 2014 | Altrincham | 2–1 | Guiseley | Moss Lane, Altrincham |
15:00 | Lawrie 51' Wilkinson 119' |
Report | Forrest 70' | Attendance: 4,632 |
Stadia and locations
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
AFC Telford United | New Bucks Head | 6,300 |
Altrincham | Moss Lane | 6,085 |
Barrow | Holker Street | 5,000 |
Boston United | York Street | 6,643 |
Brackley Town | St. James Park | 3,500 |
Bradford Park Avenue | Horsfall Stadium | 3,500 |
Colwyn Bay | Llanelian Road | 2,500 |
Gainsborough Trinity | The Northolme | 4,304 |
Gloucester City | Whaddon Road | 7,066 |
Guiseley | Nethermoor Park | 3,000 |
Harrogate Town | Wetherby Road | 3,800 |
Hednesford Town | Keys Park | 6,500 |
Histon | Bridge Road | 4,300 |
Leamington | New Windmill Ground | 2,300 |
North Ferriby United | Grange Lane | 2,700 |
Oxford City | Court Place Farm | 2,000 |
Solihull Moors | Damson Park | 3,050 |
Stalybridge Celtic | Bower Fold | 6,500 |
Stockport County | Edgeley Park | 10,841 |
Vauxhall Motors | Rivacre Park | 3,300 |
Worcester City | Aggborough | 6,302 |
Workington | Borough Park | 3,101 |
Results
Conference South
Promotion and relegation
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Isthmian League Premier Division
Teams promoted from 2012–13 Southern League Premier Division
Teams relegated from 2012–13 Conference Premier
Teams transferred from 2012–13 Conference North
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eastleigh (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 71 | 40 | +31 | 86 | Promotion to 2014–15 Conference Premier |
2 | Sutton United | 42 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 77 | 39 | +38 | 81 | Qualification for Conference South play-offs |
3 | Bromley | 42 | 25 | 5 | 12 | 82 | 50 | +32 | 80 | |
4 | Ebbsfleet United | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 74 | |
5 | Dover Athletic (P) | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 69 | |
6 | Havant & Waterlooville | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 69 | |
7 | Bath City | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 64 | 52 | +12 | 66 | |
8 | Staines Town | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 63 | |
9 | Concord Rangers | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 61 | |
10 | Eastbourne Borough | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 58 | |
11 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 57 | |
12 | Gosport Borough | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 46 | 51 | −5 | 55 | |
13 | Boreham Wood | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 65 | 55 | +10 | 53 | |
14 | Basingstoke Town | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 53 | |
15 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 63 | 68 | −5 | 52 | |
16 | Farnborough | 42 | 15 | 5 | 22 | 62 | 78 | −16 | 50 | |
17 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 57 | 77 | −20 | 49 | |
18 | Maidenhead United | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 55 | 69 | −14 | 46 | |
19 | Whitehawk | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 71 | −15 | 46 | |
20 | Hayes & Yeading United[lower-alpha 1] | 42 | 13 | 6 | 23 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 45 | |
21 | Tonbridge Angels (R) | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 43 | 77 | −34 | 40 | Relegation to 2014–15 Isthmian League Premier Division |
22 | Dorchester Town (R) | 42 | 8 | 7 | 27 | 33 | 94 | −61 | 31 | Relegation to 2014–15 Southern League Premier Division |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- On 10 June 2014, Hereford United were expelled due to financial irregularities. Because of this Hayes & Yeading were reprieved from relegation.[9]
Play-offs
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||
2 | Sutton United | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
5 | Dover Athletic | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
5 | Dover Athletic | 1 | |||||||||
4 | Ebbsfleet United | 0 | |||||||||
3 | Bromley | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
4 | Ebbsfleet United | 4 | 0 | 4 |
First leg
30 April 2014 | Dover Athletic | 1–1 | Sutton United | Crabble Athletic Ground, River |
19:45 | Ademola 43' | Dundas 1' | Attendance: 1,273[10] |
30 April 2014 | Ebbsfleet United | 4–0 | Bromley | Stonebridge Road, Northfleet |
19:45 | May 1' Bricknell 9' (pen.) Howe 64' McMahon 83' |
Attendance: 1,693[11] |
Second leg
3 May 2014 | Sutton United | 0–3 (1–4 agg.) | Dover Athletic | Gander Green Lane, London (Sutton) |
15:00 | Modeste 57' 77' Ademola 79' |
Attendance: 1,671[12] |
Final
10 May 2014 | Ebbsfleet United | 0–1 | Dover Athletic | Stonebridge Road, Northfleet |
15:00 | Report | Elder 55' | Attendance: 4,294 |
Stadia and locations
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Basingstoke Town | The Camrose | 6,000 |
Bath City | Twerton Park | 8,840 |
Bishop's Stortford | ProKit UK Stadium | 4,525 |
Boreham Wood | Meadow Park | 4,502 |
Bromley | Courage Stadium | 6,000 |
Chelmsford City | Melbourne Stadium | 3,019 |
Concord Rangers | Thames Road | 1,500 |
Dorchester Town | The Avenue Stadium | 5,009 |
Dover Athletic | Crabble Athletic Ground | 6,500 |
Eastbourne Borough | Langney Sports Club | 4,134 |
Eastleigh | Silverlake Stadium | 3,500 |
Ebbsfleet United | Stonebridge Road | 4,100 |
Farnborough | Cherrywood Stadium | 4,000 |
Gosport Borough | Privett Park | 4,500 |
Havant & Waterlooville | West Leigh Park | 5,250 |
Hayes & Yeading United | Kingfield Stadium | 6,036 |
Maidenhead United | York Road | 3,000 |
Staines Town | Wheatsheaf Park | 3,009 |
Sutton United | Gander Green Lane | 7,032 |
Tonbridge Angels | Longmead Stadium | 3,000 |
Weston-super-Mare | Woodspring Stadium | 3,500 |
Whitehawk | The Enclosed Ground | 2,000 |
Results
References
- "Football Conference secures new sponsor". BBC Sport. 17 August 2013.
- http://www.emfootball.co.uk/attend2014.html East Midlands football – Average League Attendance Figures
- Hammonds, Stuart (16 July 2013). "Full Time Issue Is A Major Dilemma". The Non-League Paper. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- "Football Conference Statement on Salisbury City FC". Football Conference. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "Hereford United accepted into Southern League Premier Division- subject to conditions". Hereford Times. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- "Hereford thrown out of the Conference". Pitchero. 10 June 2014.
- "Football Conference Top Scorers". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- "Football Conference Statement on Vauxhall Motors". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- "Hereford thrown out of the Conference". Pitchero. 10 June 2014.
- "Dover Athletic vs Sutton United". Be Soccer.
- "Ebbsfleet United 4–0 Bromley". Be Soccer.
- "Sutton United vs Dover Athletic". Be Soccer.
- "Bromley vs Ebbsfleet United". Be Soccer.