Season | 2015–16 |
---|---|
← 2014–15 2016–17 → |
The 2015–16 National League season (known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) was the first season under the new title of National League, the twelfth season consisting of three divisions and the thirty-seventh season overall.
The National League covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The National League is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, while the National League North and National League South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the play-off of the Premier division will be promoted to League Two, while the bottom four are relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions will be promoted to the Premier division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions are relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League.
On 6 April 2015, it was announced that as of the 2015–16 season the League was to undergo a name change from the Football Conference to the National League. As well as the name change, the league's logo has been re-designed and the league's broadcaster BT Sport has signed a new three-year contract. The structure of the league and the title sponsor Vanarama however remain the same.[1]
National League
[edit]Season | 2015–16 |
---|---|
Champions | Cheltenham Town (2nd divisional title) |
Promoted | Cheltenham Town Grimsby Town |
Relegated | Altrincham FC Halifax Town Kidderminster Harriers Welling United |
Top goalscorer | Pádraig Amond, Grimsby Town and Dan Holman, Cheltenham Town (30 goals) |
Biggest home win | Grimsby Town 7–0 FC Halifax Town |
Biggest away win | FC Halifax Town 1–7 Cheltenham Town |
Highest scoring | Torquay United 3–7 Bromley Chester 8–2 Aldershot Town |
Longest winning run | Forest Green Rovers and Cheltenham Town (9 matches) |
Longest unbeaten run | Cheltenham Town (21 matches) |
Longest winless run | Kidderminster Harriers (18 matches) |
Highest attendance | 7,650 Grimsby Town v Lincoln City |
Lowest attendance | 484 Braintree Town v Wrexham |
Average attendance | 5,214 Tranmere Rovers |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → |
Promotion and relegation
[edit]Teams promoted from 2014–15 Conference North
Teams promoted from 2014–15 Conference South
- Bromley (League champions)
- Boreham Wood (Play-off winners)
Teams relegated from 2014–15 League Two
Stadia and locations
[edit]Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Aldershot Town | Recreation Ground | 7,100 |
Altrincham | Moss Lane | 6,085 |
Barrow | Holker Street | 5,000 |
Boreham Wood | Meadow Park | 4,502 |
Braintree Town | Cressing Road | 4,145 |
Bromley | Hayes Lane | 5,000 |
Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road | 7,066 |
Chester | Deva Stadium | 6,000 |
Dover Athletic | Crabble Athletic Ground | 6,500 |
Eastleigh | Ten Acres | 5,200 |
FC Halifax Town | The Shay | 14,061 |
Forest Green Rovers | The New Lawn | 5,147 |
Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium | 10,000 |
Grimsby Town | Blundell Park | 9,062 |
Guiseley | Nethermoor Park | 3,000 |
Kidderminster Harriers | Aggborough Stadium | 6,238 |
Lincoln City | Sincil Bank | 10,120 |
Macclesfield Town | Moss Rose | 6,355 |
Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 |
Torquay United | Plainmoor | 6,500 |
Tranmere Rovers | Prenton Park | 16,789 |
Welling United | Park View Road | 4,000 |
Woking | Kingfield Stadium | 6,036 |
Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 10,771 |
League table
[edit]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cheltenham Town (C, P) | 46 | 30 | 11 | 5 | 87 | 30 | +57 | 101 | Promotion to EFL League Two |
2 | Forest Green Rovers | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 69 | 42 | +27 | 89 | Qualification for the National League play-offs[a] |
3 | Braintree Town | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 81 | |
4 | Grimsby Town (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 82 | 45 | +37 | 80 | |
5 | Dover Athletic | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 80 | |
6 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 78 | |
7 | Eastleigh | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 64 | 53 | +11 | 75 | |
8 | Wrexham | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 71 | 56 | +15 | 69 | |
9 | Gateshead | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 59 | 70 | −11 | 67 | |
10 | Macclesfield Town | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 60 | 48 | +12 | 66 | |
11 | Barrow | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 64 | 71 | −7 | 65 | |
12 | Woking | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 71 | 68 | +3 | 61 | |
13 | Lincoln City | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 69 | 68 | +1 | 61 | |
14 | Bromley | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 67 | 72 | −5 | 60 | |
15 | Aldershot Town | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 54 | 72 | −18 | 56 | |
16 | Southport | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 52 | 65 | −13 | 55 | |
17 | Chester | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 67 | 71 | −4 | 54 | |
18 | Torquay United | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 54 | 76 | −22 | 51 | |
19 | Boreham Wood | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 50 | |
20 | Guiseley | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 47 | 70 | −23 | 49 | |
21 | FC Halifax Town (R) | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 55 | 82 | −27 | 48 | Relegation to the National League North |
22 | Altrincham (R) | 46 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 48 | 73 | −25 | 44 | |
23 | Kidderminster Harriers (R) | 46 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 40 | |
24 | Welling United (R) | 46 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 35 | 73 | −38 | 35 | Relegation to the National League South |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League Two.
Play-offs
[edit]Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
2 | Forest Green Rovers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
5 | Dover Athletic | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Forest Green Rovers | 1 | |||||||||
4 | Grimsby Town | 3 | |||||||||
3 | Braintree Town | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
4 | Grimsby Town (a.e.t.) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
First leg
[edit]4 May 2016[2] | Dover Athletic | 0–1 | Forest Green Rovers | Crabble Athletic Ground, River |
19:00 | BBC Report | Williams ![]() |
Attendance: 2,071 Referee: Adrian Holmes |
5 May 2016[2] | Grimsby Town | 0–1 | Braintree Town | Blundell Park, Cleethorpes |
19:00 | BBC Report | Davis ![]() |
Attendance: 5,271 Referee: John Brooks |
Second leg
[edit]7 May 2016[2] | Forest Green Rovers | 1–1 (2–1 agg.) | Dover Athletic | The New Lawn, Nailsworth |
19:30 | Marsh-Brown ![]() |
BBC Report | Miller ![]() |
Attendance: 2,755 Referee: Michael Salisbury |
8 May 2016[2] | Braintree Town | 0–2 (a.e.t.) (1–2 agg.) | Grimsby Town | Cressing Road, Braintree |
15:00 | BBC Report | Amond ![]() Bogle ![]() |
Attendance: 3,102 Referee: Simon Bennett |
Final
[edit]15 May 2016[2] | Forest Green Rovers | 1–3 | Grimsby Town | Wembley Stadium, London |
16:00 (BST) | Marsh-Brown ![]() |
BBC Report | Bogle ![]() Arnold ![]() |
Attendance: 17,198 Referee: Robert Jones |
Results
[edit]Top scorers
[edit]- As of matches played 30 April 2016[3]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Pádraig Amond | Grimsby Town | 30 |
Dan Holman | Cheltenham Town | ||
3 | Andy Cook | Barrow | 24 |
4 | Ross Hannah | Chester | 23 |
5 | Kristian Dennis | Macclesfield Town | 22 |
Daniel Wright | Cheltenham Town | ||
7 | Moses Emmanuel | Bromley | 20 |
Matt Rhead | Lincoln City | ||
Ricky Miller | Dover Athletic | ||
10 | James Norwood | Tranmere Rovers | 19 |
National League North
[edit]Season | 2015–16 |
---|---|
Champions | Solihull Moors |
Promoted | Solihull Moors North Ferriby United |
Relegated | Corby Town Hednesford Town Lowestoft Town |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → |
Promotion and relegation
[edit]Teams relegated from 2014–15 Conference Premier
Teams promoted from 2014–15 Northern Premier League Premier Division
- F.C. United of Manchester (League Champions)
- Curzon Ashton (Play-off Winners)
Teams promoted from 2014–15 Southern League Premier Division
- Corby Town (League Champions)
League table
[edit]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Solihull Moors (C, P) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 84 | 48 | +36 | 85 | Promotion to the National League |
2 | North Ferriby United (O, P) | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 82 | 49 | +33 | 76 | Qualification for the National League North play-offs[a] |
3 | AFC Fylde | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 76 | 53 | +23 | 75 | |
4 | Harrogate Town | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 73 | 46 | +27 | 72 | |
5 | Boston United | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 73 | 60 | +13 | 71 | |
6 | Nuneaton Town[b] | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 71 | 46 | +25 | 70 | |
7 | Tamworth | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 55 | 45 | +10 | 63 | |
8 | Chorley | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 64 | 55 | +9 | 63 | |
9 | Stockport County | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 50 | 49 | +1 | 59 | |
10 | Alfreton Town | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 58 | 54 | +4 | 58 | |
11 | Curzon Ashton | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 57 | |
12 | Stalybridge Celtic | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 62 | 75 | −13 | 53 | |
13 | F.C. United of Manchester | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 60 | 75 | −15 | 53 | |
14 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 50 | |
15 | Gloucester City | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 39 | 49 | −10 | 50 | |
16 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 50 | |
17 | Worcester City | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 55 | 61 | −6 | 48 | |
18 | AFC Telford United | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 47 | |
19 | Brackley Town | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 45 | 54 | −9 | 46 | |
20 | Lowestoft Town (R) | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 48 | 69 | −21 | 46 | Relegation to the Isthmian League Premier Division |
21 | Hednesford Town (R) | 42 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 50 | 77 | −27 | 38 | Relegation to the Northern Premier League Premier Division |
22 | Corby Town (R) | 42 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 47 | 93 | −46 | 32 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the National League.
- ^ Nuneaton were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Corby Town on 27 February 2016.[4]
Play-offs
[edit]Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
2 | North Ferriby United | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||
5 | Boston United | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
2 | North Ferriby United (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||
3 | AFC Fylde | 1 | |||||||||
3 | AFC Fylde | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
4 | Harrogate Town | 0 | 1 | 1 |
First leg
[edit]4 May 2016[2] | Boston United | 2–0 | North Ferriby United | York Street, Boston |
19:45 | Roberts ![]() Mills ![]() |
Report | Attendance: 2,592 |
4 May 2016[2] | Harrogate Town | 0–1 | AFC Fylde | Wetherby Road, Harrogate |
19:45 | Report | Rowe ![]() |
Attendance: 1,694 |
Second leg
[edit]8 May 2016[2] | North Ferriby United | 3–0 (3–2 agg.) | Boston United | Grange Lane, North Ferriby |
15:00 | King ![]() Denton ![]() Clarke ![]() |
Report | Attendance: 2,027 |
8 May 2016[2] | AFC Fylde | 1–1 (2–1 agg.) | Harrogate Town | Kellamergh Park, Fylde |
15:00 | Finley ![]() |
Report | Knowles ![]() |
Attendance: 1,384 |
Final
[edit]14 May 2016[2] | North Ferriby United | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | AFC Fylde | Grange Lane, North Ferriby |
15:00 | Brooksby ![]() Hone ![]() |
Report | Finley ![]() |
Attendance: 1,829 |
Results
[edit]Stadia and locations
[edit]Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
AFC Fylde | Kellamergh Park | 3,180 |
AFC Telford United | New Bucks Head | 6,300 |
Alfreton Town | North Street | 3,600 |
Boston United | York Street | 6,643 |
Brackley Town | St. James Park | 3,500 |
Bradford Park Avenue | Horsfall Stadium | 3,500 |
Chorley | The Chorley Group Victory Park Stadium | 4,100 |
Corby Town | Steel Park | 3,893 |
Curzon Ashton | Tameside Stadium | 4,000 |
F.C. United of Manchester | Broadhurst Park | 4,400 |
Gainsborough Trinity | The Northolme | 4,304 |
Gloucester City | Whaddon Road | 7,066 |
Harrogate Town | Wetherby Road | 3,800 |
Hednesford Town | Keys Park | 6,500 |
Lowestoft Town | Crown Meadow | 3,000 |
North Ferriby United | Grange Lane | 2,700 |
Nuneaton Town | Liberty Way | 4,314 |
Solihull Moors | Damson Park | 3,050 |
Stalybridge Celtic | Bower Fold | 6,500 |
Stockport County | Edgeley Park | 10,841 |
Tamworth | The Lamb Ground | 4,000 |
Worcester City | Aggborough Stadium | 6,302 |
Top scorers
[edit]- As of matches played 30 April 2016[5]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Dayle Southwell | Boston United | 24 |
1 | Danny Rowe | AFC Fylde | 24 |
2 | Brendon Daniels | Harrogate Town | 22 |
4 | Tom Denton | North Ferriby United | 20 |
5 | Darren Stephenson | Chorley | 18 |
6 | Akwasi Asante | Solihull Moors | 17 |
Liam King | North Ferriby United | ||
8 | Chibuzor Chilaka | Bradford Park Avenue | 16 |
Greg Mills | Corby Town | ||
10 | Lee Hughes | Worcester City | 15 |
Jake Reed | Lowestoft Town |
National League South
[edit]Season | 2015–16 |
---|---|
Champions | Sutton United |
Promoted | Sutton United Maidstone United |
Relegated | Basingstoke Town Havant & Waterlooville Hayes & Yeading United |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → |
Promotion and relegation
[edit]Teams relegated from 2014–15 Conference Premier
Teams transferred from 2014–15 Conference North
Teams promoted from 2014–15 Isthmian League Premier Division
- Maidstone United (League Champions)
- Margate (Play-off Winners)
Teams promoted from 2014–15 Southern League Premier Division
- Truro City (Play-off Winners)
League table
[edit]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sutton United (C, P) | 42 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 83 | 32 | +51 | 90 | Promotion to the National League |
2 | Ebbsfleet United | 42 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 73 | 36 | +37 | 84 | Qualification for the National League South play-offs[a] |
3 | Maidstone United (O, P) | 42 | 24 | 5 | 13 | 55 | 40 | +15 | 77 | |
4 | Truro City | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 65 | |
5 | Whitehawk | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 62 | +13 | 64 | |
6 | Hemel Hempstead Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 72 | 66 | +6 | 61 | |
7 | Maidenhead United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 66 | 62 | +4 | 59 | |
8 | Dartford | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 59 | |
9 | Gosport Borough | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 53 | 63 | −10 | 56 | |
10 | Concord Rangers | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 66 | 68 | −2 | 55 | |
11 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 56 | 63 | −7 | 55 | |
12 | Oxford City | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 70 | 60 | +10 | 54 | |
13 | Wealdstone | 42 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 63 | 64 | −1 | 53 | |
14 | Bath City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 61 | −11 | 53 | |
15 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 66 | 64 | +2 | 52 | |
16 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 63 | 76 | −13 | 51 | |
17 | Eastbourne Borough | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 60 | 63 | −3 | 50 | |
18 | St Albans City | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 58 | 65 | −7 | 49 | |
19 | Margate | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 51 | 73 | −22 | 47 | |
20 | Havant & Waterlooville (R) | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 52 | 75 | −23 | 47 | Relegation to the Isthmian League Premier Division |
21 | Hayes & Yeading United (R) | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 51 | 76 | −25 | 46 | Relegation to the Southern League Premier Division |
22 | Basingstoke Town (R) | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 38 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the National League.
Play-offs
[edit]Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
2 | Ebbsfleet United (a.e.t.) | 2 | 1 | 3 (3) | |||||||
5 | Whitehawk | 1 | 2 | 3 (2) | |||||||
2 | Ebbsfleet United | 2 (3) | |||||||||
3 | Maidstone United (a.e.t.) | 2 (4) | |||||||||
3 | Maidstone United | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
4 | Truro City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First leg
[edit]4 May 2016[2] | Whitehawk | 1–2 | Ebbsfleet United | The Enclosed Ground, Whitehawk |
19:45 | Mills ![]() |
Report | Lewis ![]() Kedwell ![]() |
Attendance: 1,055 |
4 May 2016[2] | Truro City | 0–2 | Maidstone United | Treyew Road, Truro |
19:45 | Healy ![]() Flisher ![]() |
Attendance: 1,705 |
Second leg
[edit]8 May 2016[2] | Ebbsfleet United | 1–2 (a.e.t.) (3–3 agg.) (3–2 p) | Whitehawk | Stonebridge Road, Northfleet |
15:00 | Clark ![]() |
Report | Arnold ![]() Mills ![]() |
Attendance: 1,942 |
Penalties | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
8 May 2016[2] | Maidstone United | 1–0 (3–0 agg.) | Truro City | Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone |
15:00 | Flisher ![]() |
Report | Attendance: 2,508 |
Final
[edit]14 May 2016[2] | Ebbsfleet United | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Maidstone United | Stonebridge Road, Northfleet |
15:00 | Kedwell ![]() |
Report | Taylor ![]() Dumaka ![]() |
Attendance: 3,800 |
Penalties | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Results
[edit]Stadium and locations
[edit]Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Basingstoke Town | The Camrose | 6,000 |
Bath City | Twerton Park | 8,840 |
Bishop's Stortford | Woodside Park | 4,525 |
Chelmsford City | Melbourne Stadium | 3,019 |
Concord Rangers | Thames Road | 3,300 |
Dartford | Princes Park | 4,100 |
Eastbourne Borough | Priory Lane | 4,134 |
Ebbsfleet United | Stonebridge Road | 5,011 |
Gosport Borough | Privett Park | 4,500 |
Havant & Waterlooville | West Leigh Park | 5,250 |
Hayes & Yeading United | York Road (groundshare with Maidenhead United) | 3,000 |
Hemel Hempstead Town | Vauxhall Road | 3,152 |
Maidenhead United | York Road | 3,000 |
Maidstone United | Gallagher Stadium | 3,063 |
Margate | Hartsdown Park | 3,000 |
Oxford City | Court Place Farm | 2,000 |
St Albans City | Clarence Park | 4,500 |
Sutton United | Gander Green Lane | 5,013 |
Truro City | Treyew Road | 3,857 |
Wealdstone | The Vale | 2,640 |
Weston-super-Mare | Woodspring Stadium | 3,500 |
Whitehawk | The Enclosed Ground | 2,000 |
Top scorers
[edit]- As of matches played 30 April 2016[6]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Elliott Buchanan | Bishop's Stortford | 28 |
2 | Matt Godden | Ebbsfleet United | 26 |
3 | Danny Mills | Whitehawk | 23 |
Justin Bennett | Gosport Borough | ||
5 | Dan Fitchett | Sutton United | 20 |
6 | Scott Wilson | Weston-super-Mare | 19 |
Steve Cawley | Concord Rangers | ||
8 | Bradley Bubb | Oxford City | 18 |
Nathaniel Pinney | Eastbourne Borough | ||
Elliot Bradbrook | Dartford | ||
Louie Theophanous | St Albans City |
References
[edit]- ^ "The Official Football Conference League Website". Football Conference. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "The National League Play Off Dates". National League. Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
- ^ "Top Scorers - National League - Football - BBC Sport". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Nuneaton Found Guilty of Fielding Ineligible Player". Football Conference. 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ "Top Scorers - National League North - Football - BBC Sport". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Top Scorers - National League South - Football - BBC Sport". BBC Sport.