Midland Football Combination

The Midland Football Combination was an English football league covering parts of the West Midlands. It comprised five divisions, a Premier Division, Divisions One and Two and two Reserves Divisions. The league was one of three official feeder leagues to the Midland Football Alliance.

Midland Football Combination
Founded1927
Folded2014
Country England
Divisions3 (not including Reserve Divisions)
Level on pyramidLevels 10–12
Feeder toMidland Football Alliance
League cup(s)President's Cup
Challenge Vase
Challenge Urn
Challenge Trophy
Jack Mould Trophy
Challenge Bowl
Last championsBrocton
(2013–14)
Most championshipsEvesham United (6)

Prior to 2006, the Premier Division was defined as step 7 in the National League System, even though it fed into the step 5 Midland Alliance.[1] In 2006, it was re-graded as step 6,[2] making teams in the top two divisions eligible to take part in the FA Vase and teams in the top division eligible to enter the FA Cup. The league merged with the Midland Football Alliance in 2014 to form the new Midland Football League.

History

The league was founded in 1927 as the Worcestershire Combination. The ten founder members were Oldbury Town, Stourbridge Reserves, Kidderminster Harriers Reserves, Bewdley, Blackheath Town, Halesowen Labour, Highley Colliers, Old Carolians, Stewart & Lloyds (Bilston) and Cookley St Peters. By the 1929–30 season four of the founding clubs had dropped out and the league had been reduced to just six teams, with the result that it held two separate competitions within the one season to bulk out the fixture list, but it then gained eight new teams and continued to expand.[3]

The league changed its name to the Midland Combination in 1968 to reflect the drawing of clubs from a wider area.

In the 2007–08 season, the league's representative team, drawn from clubs in Division One, reached the final of the FA National League System Cup.[4]

League champions

Worcestershire Combination

Initially the league consisted of a single division

Season Champions[5]
1927–28Blackheath Town
1928–29Blackheath Town

Due to the number of teams having dropped dramatically, the 1929–30 season consisted of two separate "half-season" leagues.

Season First seriesSecond series[5]
1929–30Halesowen LabourDudley Town

For the 1930–31 the league reverted to its standard format.

Season Champions[6]
1930–31Halesowen Labour
1931–32Dudley Town
1932–33Tarmac
1933–34Woodside Wanderers
1934–35Catshill Village Hall
1935–36Lye Town
1936–37Catshill Village Hall
1937–38Catshill Village Hall
1938–39Catshill Village Hall

The league closed down in 1939 due to the outbreak of the Second World War and did not begin again until 1948.

Season Champions[6]
1948–49Jack Mould's Athletic
1949–50Bourneville Athletic
1950–51Jack Mould's Athletic
1951–52Walsall Wood
1952–53Evesham United
1953–54Brierley Hill Alliance Reserves
1954–55Evesham United
1955–56Malvern Town
1956–57Stratford Town
1957–58Wolverhampton Wanderers 'B'
1958–59Shelfield Athletic
1959–60Paget Rangers
1960–61Paget Rangers

For the 1960–61 season the league added a second division, with the existing division renamed Division One.

Season Division One Division Two[7]
1961–62Allens CrossAllens Cross Reserves
1962–63AlvechurchHall Green Amateurs
1963–64Hall Green AmateursCastle Rovers
1964–65AlvechurchHall Green Amateurs Reserves
1965–66Evesham UnitedAlvechurch Reserves
1966–67AlvechurchHighgate United Reserves
1967–68Evesham UnitedWhitmore Old Boys

Midland Combination
Season Division One Division Two[7]
1968–69Evesham UnitedHighgate United Reserves
1969–70Paget RangersColeshill Town
1970–71Paget RangersSolihull Town
1971–72AlvechurchHighgate United Reserves
1972–73Highgate UnitedAlbion Haden United
1973–74Highgate UnitedAstwood Bank Rovers
1974–75Highgate UnitedWhitmore Old Boys
1975–76Northfield TownWhitmore Old Boys
1976–77BlakenallAstwood Bank Rovers
1977–78Sutton Coldfield TownHurley Daw Mill Welfare
1978–79Sutton Coldfield TownStafford

For the 1979–80 season a third division was added.

Season Division One Division Two Division Three[8]
1979–80Bridgnorth TownHurley Daw Mill WelfareSheldon Promovere
1980–81Moor GreenSheldon PromovereSoutham United
1981–82Chipping Norton TownBedworth United ReservesPaget Rangers Reserves
1982–83Bridgnorth TownStudley SportingBridgnorth Town Reserves

For the 1983–84 season the divisions were renamed to Premier, One and Two.

Season Premier Division Division One[9] Division Two[9]
1983–84Studley Sporting[10]New WorldKingswinford Town
1984–85Mile Oak Rovers[11]Cheltenham Town ReservesBolehall Swifts
1985–86Boldmere St Michaels[12]Moor Green ReservesStratford Town Reserves
1986–87Stratford Town[13]WilmcoteBromsgrove Athletic
1987–88Racing Club Warwick[14]Chelmsley TownWest Midlands Fire Service
1988–89Boldmere St Michaels[12]BloxwichUpton Town
1989–90Boldmere St Michaels[12]Stapenhill ReservesPershore Town
1990–91West Midlands Police[15]Alcester TownBadsey Rangers
1991–92Evesham United[16]Studley BKLMarston Green
1992–93Armitage 90[17]WellesbourneAnsells

For the 1993–94 season Division Three was added.

Season Premier Division Division One[9] Division Two[9] Division Three[9]
1993–94Pershore Town[18]West Midlands Fire ServiceMassey FergusonAlbright & Wilson
1994–95Northfield Town[19]Massey FergusonRichmond SwiftsWest Midland Police Reserves
1995–96Bloxwich Town[20]Richmond SwiftsContinental StarFeckenham
1996–97Kings Norton Town[21]GPT CoventryFeckenhamSwan Sports
1997–98Worcester Athletico[22]AlvestonBlackheath ElectrodrivesOld Hill Town
1998–99Alveston[23]Northfield TownFairfield VillaMCL Claines
1999–2000Nuneaton Griff[24]Brookvale AthleticWyle ForestWilmcote S & S
2000–01Nuneaton Griff[24]Shirley TownLeamingtonWest Hagley
2001–02Grosvenor Park[25]Rugby UnitedBurman Hi-TonLittleton
2002–03Alvechurch[26]KnowleBarnt Green SpartakWellesbourne
2003–04Romulus[27]Barnt Green SpartakWellesbourneUniversity of Birmingham
2004–05Leamington[28]Atherstone TownArchdaleCoton Green
2005–06Atherstone Town[29]KnowleBartley GreenHalesowen Town Reserves
2006–07Coventry Sphinx[30]Bartley GreenWernley AthleticCastle Vale JKS
2007–08Coleshill Town[31]KnowleCastle Vale JKSGSA & Smethwick Town
2008–09Loughborough UniversityCastle Vale JKSShirley TownHampton
2009–10Heath HayesStockingford Allotments AssociationHamptonBlackwood
2010–11Heather St. John'sEarlswood TownBlackwoodPolesworth

For the 2011–12 season Division Three was disbanded.

Season Premier Division Division One Division Two
2011–12Continental StarBlackwoodAston
2012–13Walsall WoodAlvis Sporting ClubBarnt Green Spartak
2013–14BroctonCadbury AthleticKenilworth Town

Final members

The teams that competed in the Combination's first team divisions in the 2013–14 season were as follows:

Premier Division
Walsall Wood (red shirts) in action against Racing Club Warwick

Division One

Division Two
  • Alcester Town
  • Austrey Rangers
  • Badsey Rangers
  • Barton United
  • Burntwood Town
  • Coventry United
  • Enville Athletic
  • FC Stratford
  • Inkberrow
  • Kenilworth Town
  • Leamington Hibernian
  • Northfield Town
  • Paget Rangers
  • Perrywood
  • Polesworth
  • Rostance Edwards
  • Rugeley Rangers – record expunged

Cup competitions

Each division other than the Premier had its own knockout competition, Division One competing for the President's Cup, Division Two for the Challenge Vase, Division Three for the Challenge Urn, and the Reserve Division for the Challenge Trophy. There were also other cup competitions run by the Midland Football Combination for its members including the Jack Mould Trophy and the Challenge Bowl.

References
  1. The FA
  2. The FA
  3. Dudley Town at the Football Club History Database
  4. The FA
  5. Robinson, Michael (2007). Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. Soccerdata. p. 81. ISBN 1-86223-162-1.
  6. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 81–85.
  7. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 85–91.
  8. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 91–93.
  9. Midland Football Combination at the Football Club History Database
  10. Studley Sporting at the Football Club History Database
  11. Mile Oak Rovers at the Football Club History Database
  12. Boldmere St Michaels at the Football Club History Database
  13. Stratford Town at the Football Club History Database
  14. Racing Club Warwick at the Football Club History Database
  15. West Midlands Police at the Football Club History Database
  16. Evesham United at the Football Club History Database
  17. Armitage 90 at the Football Club History Database
  18. Pershore Town at the Football Club History Database
  19. Northfield Town at the Football Club History Database
  20. Bloxwich Town at the Football Club History Database
  21. Kings Norton Town at the Football Club History Database
  22. Worcester Athletico at the Football Club History Database
  23. Alveston at the Football Club History Database
  24. Nuneaton Griff at the Football Club History Database
  25. Grosvenor Park at the Football Club History Database
  26. Alvechurch at the Football Club History Database
  27. Romulus at the Football Club History Database
  28. Leamington at the Football Club History Database
  29. Atherstone Town at the Football Club History Database
  30. Coventry Sphinx at the Football Club History Database
  31. Official website
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