ALLIANCE PREMIER LEAGUE 1979/80 - THE FIRST CONFERENCE

ALLIANCE PREMIER LEAGUE 1979/80 - FINAL LEAGUE TABLE

TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
ALTRINCHAM	38	28	4	6	79	35	+44	56
WEYMOUTH	38	22	10	6	73	37	+36	54
WORCESTER CITY	38	19	11	8	53	36	+17	49
BOSTON UNITED	38	16	13	9	52	43	+9	45
GRAVESEND & NORTHFLEET	38	17	10	11	49	44	+5	44
MAIDSTONE UNITED	38	16	11	11	54	37	+17	43
KETTERING TOWN	38	15	13	10	55	50	+5	43
NORTHWICH VICTORIA	38	16	10	12	50	38	+12	42
BANGOR CITY	38	14	14	10	41	46	-5	42
NUNEATON BOROUGH	38	13	13	12	58	44	+14	39
SCARBOROUGH	38	12	15	11	47	38	+9	39
YEOVIL TOWN	38	13	10	15	46	49	-3	36
TELFORD UNITED	38	13	8	17	52	60	-8	34
BARROW	38	14	6	18	47	55	-7	34
WEALDSTONE	38	9	15	14	42	54	-12	33
BATH CITY	38	10	12	16	43	69	-26	32
BARNET	38	10	10	18	32	48	-16	30
AP LEAMINGTON	38	7	11	20	32	63	-31	25
STAFFORD RANGERS	38	6	10	22	41	57	-16	22
REDDITCH UNITED	38	5	8	25	26	69	-43	18

The first Conference (formed as the Alliance Premier League) was played in the 1979/80 season and was the ground breaking first season of a non-league national division. Twenty teams were drawn from the Northern Premier and Southern Premier Leagues. The Isthmian League saw Dagenham and Enfield leave at the end of the 1980/81 season to join the newly expanded twenty-two team division for the 1981/82 season.

The first title winners were Altrincham and with no automatic promotion to Division Four brought in until 1987 they were entitled to apply for election to the Football League subsequently missing out by one vote as they received 25 and Rochdale (24th in Division Four) received 26.

When Enfield won the league title in 1983 the club couldn't apply as it didn't meet football league requirements but in 1986 (the season prior to automatic promotion) The E's did and the vote went as follows. Three out of the four teams involved have subsequently been relegated from the football league.  -

Exeter City (21st) - 64
Preston North End (23rd) - 62.5
Cambridge United (22nd) - 61
Torquay United (24th) - 61
Enfield (1st APL) - 7.5

An indication as to how the league has changed especially with the advent of automatic promotion in 1986/1987 and then two up/two down in 2002/03 is to look at where the original competing teams have been and where are they now. The fact that every team competing in the first season has either been relegated or promoted at least once to the various levels of the football pyramid is another good example. This includes the four clubs that have officially folded and reformed. The table is worked on the fact the FA Premier League is Level One on the pyramid and downwards as follows.

TEAM	HIGHEST POSITION SINCE	2013/14
ALTRINCHAM	1st - Level 5 79/80 & 80/81	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH
WEYMOUTH	2nd - Level 5 79/80	LEVEL 7 - SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE
WORCESTER CITY	3rd - Level 5 79/80	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH
BOSTON UNITED	11th - Level 5 - 03/04 & 05/06	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH
GRAVESEND & NORTHFLEET	5th - Level 5 79/80	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH
MAIDSTONE UNITED*	5th - Level 4 89/90	LEVEL 7 - RYMAN PREMIER*
KETTERING TOWN	2nd -Level 5 80/81, 88/89, 93/94 & 98/99	LEVEL 8 - SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (CENTRAL)
NORTHWICH VICTORIA	4th - Level 5 80/81	LEVEL 8 - NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (NORTH)
BANGOR CITY	9th - Level 5 79/80	WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE
NUNEATON BOROUGH*	2nd - Level 5 83/84 & 84/85	LEVEL 5 - CONFERENCE*
SCARBOROUGH*	5th - Level 4 88/89	LEVEL 8 - NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (NORTH)*
YEOVIL TOWN	4th - Level 3 12/13	LEVEL 2 - CHAMPIONSHIP
TELFORD UNITED*	3rd - Level 5 81/82	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH*
BARROW	8th - Level 5 81/82	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH
WEALDSTONE	1st - Level 5 84/85	LEVEL 7 - RYMAN PREMIER
BATH CITY	4th - Level 5 84/85	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE SOUTH
BARNET	24th - Level 3 93/94	LEVEL 5 - CONFERENCE
AP LEAMINGTON#	16th - Level 5 80/81	LEVEL 6 - CONFERENCE NORTH#
STAFFORD RANGERS	6th - Level 5 87/88 & 92/93	LEVEL 7 - NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE
REDDITCH UNITED	20th - Level 5 79/80	LEVEL 7 - SOUTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE

* denotes teams folded and subsequently re-formed as follows -
1) Maidstone United folded in 1992 and re-formed as 'Maidstone Invicta'
2) Nuneaton Borough went into liquidation in 2008 and a re-formed as 'Nuneaton Town'
3) Scarborough were wound-up in 2007. A new club 'Scarborough Athletic' were formed in 2007 and 'Scarborough Town' in 2008. Athletic were promoted to Level 8 at the end of last season with Town unfortunately folding after last season's campaign.
4) Telford United were wound-up in 2004. Re-Formed as 'AFC Telford United'
# denotes 'Autmotive Products Leamington' became 'Leamington FC' in 1985 and withdrew from the Midland Combination at the end of season 87/88. The club were re-launched after over a decade of inactivity in 2000.

The 2013/14 season's Conference is a 24 team division and contains eleven former football league teams or if you prefer to include the reformed teams it's fourteen. Back in 1979 it was only two clubs out of twenty in Northwich Victoria (1892-94) and Barrow (1921-72).

The most unluckiest team has to be Kettering Town whom finished in the runner's up position a total of four times in 80/81, 88/89, 93/94 and 98/99. They missed out on automatic promotion to the football league on three of those occasions. In 1989 they finished eight points behind Maidstone United, In 1994 three points behind Kidderminster Harriers and 1999 four points behind Cheltenham Town. How things have changed for The Poppies as they now no longer have a ground moving from their historic Rockingham Road in 2011 onto Rushden & Diamonds' former ground Nene Park and now ground share at Corby Town after series of well reported financial problems.  

Officially only one club from the original APL will be in Enfield Town's Ryman Premier Division this season in Wealdstone although Maidstone United (re-formed in 1992) could be unofficially counted too. Canvey Island, Grays Athletic, Kingstonian, Lewes and Margate have also been members of non-league's top division and will be playing Ryman Premier football for 2013/14.

There are currently only seven teams who have won the title twice with Altrincham's the only side to retain the title. Those seven teams are Altrincham, Enfield FC, Barnet, Kidderminster Harriers, Macclesfield Town, Maidstone United and Stevenage Borough.

2013/14 FOOTBALL CONFERENCE NATIONAL
ex football league teams in red

TEAM	LEAUGE PLAYED IN SEASON 79/80
ALDERSHOT TOWN	#Aldershot FC - Football League Division Four
ALFRETON TOWN	Midland League Premier Division
BARNET	Alliance Premier League
BRAINTREE TOWN	Eastern Counties League Premier
CAMBRIDGE UNITED	Football League Division Two
CHESTER	#Chester City - Football League Division Three
DARTFORD	Southern League South Division
FC HALIFAX TOWN	#Halifax Town - Level 4 - Division Four
FOREST GREEN ROVERS	Hellenic Premier Division
GATESHEAD	Northern Premier League  (#Gateshead AFC were Football League members between 1930 to 1960. The present Gateshead club were re-formed in 1977)
GRIMSBY TOWN	Football League Division Three
HEREFORD UNITED	Football League Division Four
HYDE	Cheshire League Division One
KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS	Southern League Midland Division
LINCOLN CITY	Football League Division Four
LUTON TOWN	Football League Division Two
MACCLESFIELD TOWN	Northern Premier League
NUNEATON TOWN	#Nuneaton Borough - Alliance Premier League
SALISBURY CITY	Southern League South Division
SOUTHPORT	Northern Premier League
TAMWORTH	Northern Premier League
WELLING UNITED	Athenian League
WOKING	Isthmian League Premier Division
WREXHAM	Football League Division Two

With Luton Town, now managed by John Still, facing their fifth season outside the football league along with a host of other clubs looking for promotion it really looks like a very exciting 2013/13 season in prospect. BetVictor.com currently make Luton 7/2 favourites with FGR at 4/1. Nuneaton Town and Tamworth are highest rated at 250/1.