1979–80 Alliance Premier League
# 1979–80 Alliance Premier League

The 1979–80 Alliance Premier League was the inaugural season of the Alliance Premier League – the first league outside the Football League to cover the whole of England.

## Overview

Between 1979 and 2004 the single-division Alliance Premier League formed Level 5 of the English football league system. Since 2004 two regional divisions were added at Level 6.

The founder members of the Alliance Premier League were drawn from the Southern League and Northern Premier League, covering the country from Yeovil Town in the South West to Barrow in the far North. One club from Wales – Bangor City – also participated.

## Teams

### From the Northern Premier League

* Altrincham
* Bangor City
* Barrow
* Boston United
* Northwich Victoria
* Scarborough
* Stafford Rangers

### From the Southern League

* AP Leamington
* Barnet
* Bath City
* Gravesend & Northfleet
* Kettering Town
* Maidstone United
* Nuneaton Borough
* Redditch United
* Telford United
* Wealdstone
* Weymouth
* Yeovil Town
* Worcester City

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Altrincham | 38 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 26 | +44 | 56 | Alliance Premier League champions, no promotion |
| 2 | Weymouth | 38 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 40 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 33 | 23 | +36 | 54 | |
| 3 | Worcester City | 38 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 21 | +17 | 49 | |
| 4 | Boston United | 38 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 23 | +9 | 45 | |
| 5 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 38 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 26 | +5 | 44 | |
| 6 | Maidstone United | 38 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 38 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 22 | +17 | 43 | |
| 7 | Kettering Town | 38 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 26 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 24 | +5 | 43 | |
| 8 | Northwich Victoria | 38 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 19 | 24 | +12 | 42 | Alliance Premier League Cup winners |
| 9 | Bangor City | 38 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 28 | −5 | 42 | |
| 10 | Nuneaton Borough | 38 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 41 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 28 | +14 | 39 | |
| 11 | Scarborough | 38 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 32 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 24 | +9 | 39 | |
| 12 | Yeovil Town | 38 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 32 | −3 | 36 | |
| 13 | Telford United | 38 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 21 | 33 | −8 | 34 | |
| 14 | Barrow | 38 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 37 | −8 | 34 | |
| 15 | Wealdstone | 38 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 26 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 29 | −12 | 33 | |
| 16 | Bath City | 38 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 17 | 48 | −26 | 32 | |
| 17 | Barnet | 38 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 30 | −16 | 30 | |
| 18 | AP Leamington | 38 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 36 | −31 | 25 | |
| 19 | Stafford Rangers | 38 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 21 | 36 | −16 | 22 | |
| 20 | Redditch United | 38 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 40 | −43 | 18 | Relegated to the Southern League Midland Division |

Note: FA Trophy winners (Dagenham, Isthmian League Premier Division)

## Results

| Home \ Away | ALT | APL | BAN | BAR | BRW | BAT | BOS | GRN | KET | MDS | NOR | NUN | RED | SCA | STA | TEL | WEA | WEY | WRC | YEO |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Altrincham | | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| AP Leamington | 1–4 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| Bangor City | 1–1 | 3–2 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Barnet | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Barrow | 1–3 | 6–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| Bath City | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–4 | 4–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 |
| Boston United | 2–5 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Kettering Town | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–6 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 5–3 |
| Maidstone United | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–3 | | 3–4 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Northwich Victoria | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 6–3 | 6–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Nuneaton Borough | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | | 5–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Redditch United | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Scarborough | 1–1 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Stafford Rangers | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–5 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Telford United | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
| Wealdstone | 1–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 2–4 | 5–0 |
| Weymouth | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | | 1–2 | 3–0 |
| Worcester City | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 2–0 |
| Yeovil Town | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | |

## Promotion and relegation

### Promoted

* Frickley Athletic (from the Northern Premier League)

### Relegated

* Redditch United (to the Southern League Midland Division)

## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | G. J. Smith | Northwich Victoria | 29 |
| 2 | Tommy Paterson | Weymouth | 28 |
| 3 | John Rogers | Altrincham | 24 |
| 4 | Aniello Iannone | Weymouth | 22 |
| 5 | J. P. Daubney | Maidstone United | 21 |
| 6 | Barry Whitbread | Altrincham | 20 |
| 7 | Bobby Brown | Boston United | 19 |
| 8 | R. O. Gauden | Scarborough | 16 |
| = | David Mather | Telford United | 16 |
| 10 | Roy Clayton | Kettering Town | 14 |
| 11 | M. J. Neale | Nuneaton Borough | 13 |
| = | M. C. Wheeler | Bath City | 13 |
| 13 | Colin Cowperthwaite | Barrow | 12 |
| = | J. N. Evans | Kettering Town | 12 |
| = | D. Gardner | AP Leamington | 12 |
| = | Gerry O'Hara | Worcester City | 12 |
| 17 | Neil Cordice | Wealdstone | 11 |
| = | Barry Howard | Altrincham | 11 |
| = | N. B. Johnson | Wealdstone | 11 |
| = | M. D. Phelps | Worcester City | 11 |
| = | P. Phipps | Kettering Town | 11 |
| = | P. T. Wilkey | Telford United | 11 |

* ↑ G. J. Smith's goals include also goals scored in the League Cup.
* ↑ The number of goals is the sum of league and league cup goals.

## Election to the Football League

As winners of the Alliance Premier League, Altrincham won the right to apply for election to the Football League to replace one of the four bottom teams in the 1979–80 Football League Fourth Division. The vote went as follows:

| Club | Final Position | Votes |
| - | - | - |
| Darlington | 22nd (Fourth Division) | 49 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 23rd (Fourth Division) | 48 |
| Hereford United | 21st (Fourth Division) | 48 |
| Rochdale | 24th (Fourth Division) | 26 |
| Altrincham | 1st (Alliance Premier League) | 25 |

As a result of this, Altrincham failed to be elected to membership of the Football League, falling just one point behind Fourth Division's bottom club Rochdale.

