Out of the Football League... and ever back in?

[David Votoupal]

Currently at the bottom of League Two, Luton have only 19 points having had 30 deducted before the start of the season. Bournemouth, with a 17-point penalty, have hit sufficiently good form to climb out of the bottom two leaving Chester and Grimsby in real trouble. Both long-established clubs, with Grimsby having been in the second tier (then Division One) as late as 2003.

Before 1987, clubs had to apply for re-election. From 1958 (when the current four-tier national league structure was adopted) and 1987, the following clubs were voted out of the league:
1960: Gateshead. Peterborough United elected in their place.
1962: Accrington Stanley resigned rather than voted out. Oxford United voted in from a very large field of clubs. Ironically, the reformed Stanley took Oxford United's place in 2006.
1970: Bradford Park Avenue. Cambridge United elected in their place.
1972: Barrow. Hereford United elected in their place.
1977: Workington. Wimbledon elected in their place.
1978: Southport. Wigan Athletic elected in their place.

Since 1987 the following clubs have been relegated to the Conference:
1987: Lincoln City, who bounced back after a year. Scarborough were promoted and lasted until 1999 and have since gone bust.
1988: Newport County, having dropped from the Third Division the previous year and in Europe just 7 years earlier. Club went bust and reformed.
1989: Darlington, who also bounced back after a year. Maidstone United were promoted, made the play-offs, but disappeared after a couple of years.
1990: Colchester United, who took two years to get back up.
1992: Aldershot resigned from the league, Aldershot Town formed in their place and promoted in 2008.
1993: Halifax Town, who took five years to get back up. Wycombe Wanderers promoted and remained in the League ever since (having had 10 years in the third tier).
1997: Hereford United, who took nine years to get back up and are now in League One. Macclesfield Town promoted and remained in the League ever since.
1998: Doncaster Rovers, who took five years to get back up and are now in the Championship. Halifax Town promoted and nearly made the play-offs the following year.
1999: Scarborough United: went bust in 2007. Scarborough Athletic formed in their place. Cheltenham Town promoted, and remained in the League ever since.
2000: Chester City, who took four years to get back up. Kiddermisnter Harriers promoted, and last just 5 years.
2001: Barnet, who took four years to get back up. Rushden & Diamonds promoted.
2002: Halifax Town, the first club to be relegated twice from the League. Went bust in 2008. Boston United controversially promoted.
2003: Exeter City and Shrewsbury Town, first year of two relegated clubs- Exeter took five years to get back up, Shrewsbury just one. Yeovil Town and Doncaster Rovers promoted in their place.
2004: Carlisle United and York City- Carlisle bounced back after a year and are now in League One, York City still in the Conference. Shrewsbury and Chester come up in their place.
2005: Cambridge United and Kidderminster Harriers, neither of whom have returned. Barnet and Carlisle in their place.
2006: Oxford United and Rushden & Diamonds relegated, neither of whom have returned. Hereford United and Accrington Stanley promoted.
2007: Boston United and Torquay United relegated, Boston dropping further down due to financial woes. Torquay still in Conference. Dagenham & Redbridge and Morecambe promoted.
2008: Mansfield Town and Wrexham relegated, Aldershot Town and Exeter City promoted.

So since 1987, the following clubs have yet to return to League football following relegation from the Conference: Newport County, York City, Cambridge United, Kidderminster, Rushden & Diamonds, Oxford United, Boston United, Torquay United, Mansfield Town, Wrexham.

Oxford United have had the hardest fall from grace. This is a club that once graced the old First Division and won the League Cup, and were a second-tier club as recently as 1999. Cambridge United also enjoyed spells in the second tier, as did Mansfield and York. York City's fall was quite shocking too- they had a bit of success every decade including a six-year stay in the third tier in the 90s, plummeting to relegation in 1999 from apparent safety and the same fate five years later.

 

[kanewillow]

who cares tbf

 

[Sym]

smack him david
lol

 

[Bear]

random threads ftw

very interesting tho, thank you dv

 

[Redline]

So what happens below League 2? Do the bottom 2 or 3 teams of League two get relegated back to whatever is next down? (Conference?) and the winner of conference promoted? Or is there different conferences as in the NBA? East/West and they play off or something?

And are there financial/crowd requirements to play in the League 2 as well before you can come up from conference?

 

[Arabmariner]

So what happens below League 2? Do the bottom 2 or 3 teams of League two get relegated back to whatever is next down? (Conference?) and the winner of conference promoted? Or is there different conferences as in the NBA? East/West and they play off or something?

And are there financial/crowd requirements to play in the League 2 as well before you can come up from conference?

Pyramid system.

You could start a pub team and end up eventually in the epl........in theory anyway!

 

[Arabmariner]

http://www.thepyramid.info/asp/pyramid3.asp

 

[Paolo]

Have people lost the ability to research info for themselves?

 

[loyalist]

Let Me Google That For You

 

[Redline]

It's all about stimulating discussion. And using the resources available....the brains of those on here who follow the EPL.

 

[Omni]

My Dad is a mad keen Luton supporter, they've had a very tough few years, I certainly hope they stay up. When they were in the Championship recently they were one promtion away from being the first club to go up and down the whole football league twice.

 

[marinermick]

shame to see our mariner breathren in trouble

hope they get out of the relegation zone

 

[clarence]

Let Me Google That For You

Thank yoiu for that link it was very helpful. You get down to level 9 and still it goes down!

Would be hilarious if someone as rich as Abramovich put a squillion into some sort of amateur pub club, and poured the money into them over the years to see them go from, say, Conference (north) to EPL! Imagine a club with a name like the Bitch and Litter Friday Night Bingo, Wastenhock FC lining up against Man U and the United are the scared ones, lol.

 

[David Votoupal]

Of all the clubs voted out of the league before 1987, Barrow are at the highest level, currently in the Conference National. Their fans seem like a very passionate lot and took a good following to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

 

[Arabmariner]

I was going to start a new thread for this but it kind of fits in here.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/Southampton-on-the-brink-of-collapse-20090401-9jp4.html

 

[Ben]

I was going to start a new thread for this but it kind of fits in here.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/Southampton-on-the-brink-of-collapse-20090401-9jp4.html

sad to see another club in england lose points due to financial troubles, there are a few clubs in league one that lost points for similar reasons

 

[David Votoupal]

As with Derby in 2003 in that the parent company, and not the football club, that's gone bust. There is a legal distinction. When the football club itself goes into administration, then points may be deducted.