The 1901–02 season was the eighth in the history of the Southern League. Portsmouth were Division One champions for the first time. No clubs applied for election to the Football League.
Division One
| Season | 1901–02 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Portsmouth (1st title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | none |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 712 (2.97 per match) |
← 1900–01 1902–03 → | |
A total of 16 teams contest the division, including 13 sides from previous season and three new teams.
Team promoted from Division Two:
- Brentford
Teams elected from Midland League:
- Northampton Town
- Wellingborough
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portsmouth | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 67 | 24 | 2.792 | 47 | |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 61 | 22 | 2.773 | 42 | |
| 3 | Southampton | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 71 | 28 | 2.536 | 42 | |
| 4 | West Ham United | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 45 | 28 | 1.607 | 40 | |
| 5 | Reading | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 57 | 24 | 2.375 | 39 | |
| 6 | Millwall Athletic | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 46 | 31 | 1.484 | 32 | |
| 7 | Luton Town | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 31 | 36 | 0.861 | 32 | |
| 8 | Kettering | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 44 | 39 | 1.128 | 29 | |
| 9 | Bristol Rovers | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 43 | 39 | 1.103 | 29 | |
| 10 | New Brompton | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 39 | 38 | 1.026 | 27 | |
| 11 | Northampton Town | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 53 | 65 | 0.815 | 27 | |
| 12 | Queens Park Rangers | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 34 | 55 | 0.618 | 24 | |
| 13 | Watford | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 36 | 58 | 0.621 | 22 | |
| 14 | Wellingborough | 30 | 9 | 3 | 18 | 34 | 72 | 0.472 | 21 | |
| 15 | Brentford | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 34 | 61 | 0.557 | 20 | Relegation test matches |
| 16 | Swindon Town | 30 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 17 | 92 | 0.185 | 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.
Division Two
| Season | 1901–02 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Fulham |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | West Hampstead (resigned) Shepherds Bush (resigned) Maidenhead (resigned) |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 315 (4.38 per match) |
← 1900–01 1902–03 → | |
A total of nine teams contest the division, including 7 sides from previous season and two new teams.
Newly elected teams:
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- West Hampstead.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulham | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 19 | 2.684 | 26 | Promotion test matches |
| 2 | Grays United | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 49 | 14 | 3.500 | 25 | |
| 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 17 | 2.000 | 22 | |
| 4 | Wycombe Wanderers | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 36 | 30 | 1.200 | 17 | |
| 5 | West Hampstead | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 29 | 1.345 | 16 | Left league at end of season |
| 6 | Shepherds Bush | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 31 | 31 | 1.000 | 13 | |
| 7 | Southall | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 28 | 52 | 0.538 | 12 | |
| 8 | Maidenhead | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 23 | 59 | 0.390 | 7 | Left league at end of season |
| 9 | Chesham Town | 16 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 24 | 64 | 0.375 | 6 |
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.
Promotion-relegation test matches
At the end of the season, test matches were held between the bottom two clubs in Division One and the top two clubs in Division Two. Swindon Town beat Fulham 3–0 to maintain their place in Division One. The other match between Brentford and Grays United ended in a 1–1 draw, but for a second successive season Grays were refused promotion after refusing to play extra time.[1]
| Division One clubs | v | Division Two clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Swindon Town | 3 – 0 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Brentford | 1 – 1 | Grays United |
|---|---|---|
References
- ↑ Grays United at the Football Club History Database