The 1928–29 season was the thirty-first in the history of the Southern League. The league consisted of Eastern and Western Divisions. Kettering Town won the Eastern Division and Plymouth Argyle reserves won the Western Division. Plymouth reserves were declared Southern League champions after winning a championship play-off at Kettering 4-2.
Three clubs from the Southern League applied to join the Football League, although none were successful. Two clubs (both from the Eastern Division) left the league at the end of the season.
Eastern Division
Football league season| Season | 1928–29 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Kettering Town |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Gillingham II (resigned) Chatham Town (resigned) |
| Matches played | 342 |
| Goals scored | 1,365 (3.99 per match) |
| ← 1927–28 1929–30 → | |
A total of 19 teams contest the division, including 18 sides from previous season and one new team.
Newly elected team:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettering Town | 36 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 96 | 46 | 2.087 | 52 | |
| 2 | Peterborough & Fletton United | 36 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 86 | 44 | 1.955 | 47 | |
| 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion II | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 91 | 56 | 1.625 | 47 | |
| 4 | Millwall II | 36 | 21 | 4 | 11 | 90 | 67 | 1.343 | 46 | |
| 5 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic II | 36 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 82 | 58 | 1.414 | 45 | |
| 6 | Aldershot Town | 36 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 68 | 52 | 1.308 | 41 | |
| 7 | Sheppey United | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 58 | 58 | 1.000 | 41 | |
| 8 | Folkestone | 36 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 83 | 80 | 1.038 | 40 | |
| 9 | Northfleet United | 36 | 17 | 4 | 15 | 87 | 65 | 1.338 | 38 | |
| 10 | Gillingham II | 36 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 68 | 70 | 0.971 | 38 | Left league at end of season |
| 11 | Guildford City | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 85 | 78 | 1.090 | 37 | |
| 12 | Southampton II | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 86 | 79 | 1.089 | 34 | |
| 13 | Poole | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 62 | 66 | 0.939 | 34 | |
| 14 | Thames Association | 36 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 67 | 74 | 0.905 | 31 | |
| 15 | Dartford | 36 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 55 | 106 | 0.519 | 26 | |
| 16 | Chatham Town | 36 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 47 | 81 | 0.580 | 24 | Left league at end of season |
| 17 | Sittingbourne | 36 | 11 | 1 | 24 | 59 | 98 | 0.602 | 23 | |
| 18 | Norwich City II | 36 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 48 | 96 | 0.500 | 22 | |
| 19 | Grays Thurrock United | 36 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 47 | 91 | 0.516 | 18 |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Western Division
Football league season| Season | 1928–29 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Plymouth Argyle II (3rd title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | none |
| Matches played | 182 |
| Goals scored | 799 (4.39 per match) |
| ← 1927–28 1929–30 → | |
A total of 14 teams contest the division, including 13 sides from previous season and one new team.
Newly elected team:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth Argyle II | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 69 | 27 | 2.556 | 36 |
| 2 | Newport County II | 26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 64 | 58 | 1.103 | 32 |
| 3 | Bristol Rovers II | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 54 | 45 | 1.200 | 31 |
| 4 | Bristol City II | 26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 70 | 46 | 1.522 | 30 |
| 5 | Torquay United II | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 52 | 42 | 1.238 | 30 |
| 6 | Bath City | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 61 | 59 | 1.034 | 30 |
| 7 | Exeter City II | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 69 | 53 | 1.302 | 28 |
| 8 | Lovells Athletic | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 48 | 1.125 | 28 |
| 9 | Swindon Town II | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 74 | 0.919 | 27 |
| 10 | Yeovil & Petters United | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 49 | 57 | 0.860 | 24 |
| 11 | Taunton Town | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 58 | 66 | 0.879 | 23 |
| 12 | Ebbw Vale | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 56 | 66 | 0.848 | 23 |
| 13 | Barry | 26 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 38 | 66 | 0.576 | 15 |
| 14 | Merthyr Town II | 26 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 37 | 92 | 0.402 | 7 |
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
Football League election
Three Southern League clubs, Aldershot Town, Thames Association and Kettering Town, applied to join the Football League. However, both League clubs were re-elected.
| Club | League | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Exeter City | Football League | 42 |
| Gillingham | Football League | 35 |
| Argonauts | None | 6 |
| Aldershot Town | Southern League | 5 |
| Thames Association | Southern League | 1 |
| Kettering Town | Southern League | 1 |
| Llanelly | Welsh National League (South) | 0 |
References
- England - Southern League Final Tables RSSSF
- Kettering Town at the Football Club History Database
- A history of admission to the Football League
| 1928–29 in English football | |||||||||||||
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