| Season | 1986–87[1] |
|---|---|
| Champions | Scarborough (1st Football Conference title) |
| Promoted to the Football League | Scarborough |
| Conference League Cup winners | Kettering Town |
| FA Trophy winners | Kidderminster Harriers |
| Relegated to Level 6 | Frickley Athletic, Gateshead, Nuneaton Borough |
| Matches | 462 |
| Goals | 1,403 (3.04 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Kim Casey (Kidderminster Harriers), 38 |
| Biggest home win | Sutton United – Kettering Town 8–0 |
| Biggest away win | Gateshead – Barnet 1–5; Nuneaton Borough – Boston United 1–5; Kidderminster Harriers – Telford United 0–4; Nuneaton Borough – Weymouth 0–4; Wealdstone – Boston United 0–4 |
| Highest scoring | Runcorn – Northwich Victoria 7–3 |
| Longest winning run | ? |
| Longest unbeaten run | ? |
| Longest losing run | ? |
| Highest attendance | ? |
| Lowest attendance | ? |
| Average attendance | 917 |
1987–88 → | |
The Football Conference season of 1986–87 (known as the GM Vauxhall Conference for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth season of the Football Conference, the first season under this name, this league having earlier been known as the Alliance Premier League.
Overview
This was the first season of automatic promotion for champions of the Conference, following the abolition of the re-election system, and automatic relegation to the Conference for the bottom placed team in the Football League Fourth Division. Scarborough finished the season as Conference champions, and so won automatic promotion to the Football League at the expense of Lincoln City.
New teams in the league this season
- Gateshead (promoted 1985–86)
- Sutton United (promoted 1985–86)
- Welling United (promoted 1985–86)
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scarborough (C, P) | 42 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 64 | 33 | +31 | 91 | Promotion to the Football League Fourth Division |
| 2 | Barnet | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 86 | 39 | +47 | 85 | |
| 3 | Maidstone United | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 71 | 48 | +23 | 73 | |
| 4 | Enfield | 42 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 66 | 47 | +19 | 70 | |
| 5 | Altrincham | 42 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 66 | 53 | +13 | 69 | |
| 6 | Boston United | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 82 | 74 | +8 | 69 | |
| 7 | Sutton United | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 81 | 51 | +30 | 68 | |
| 8 | Runcorn | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 71 | 58 | +13 | 67 | |
| 9 | Telford United | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 69 | 59 | +10 | 64 | |
| 10 | Bath City | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 63 | 62 | +1 | 63 | |
| 11 | Cheltenham Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 64 | 50 | +14 | 61 | |
| 12 | Kidderminster Harriers | 42 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 77 | 81 | −4 | 55 | |
| 13 | Stafford Rangers | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 58 | 60 | −2 | 53 | |
| 14 | Weymouth | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 68 | 77 | −9 | 51 | |
| 15 | Dagenham | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 56 | 72 | −16 | 49 | |
| 16 | Kettering Town | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 54 | 66 | −12 | 47 | |
| 17 | Northwich Victoria | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 69 | −16 | 44 | |
| 18 | Nuneaton Borough (R) | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 48 | 73 | −25 | 44 | Demoted to the Southern League Premier Division[a] |
| 19 | Wealdstone | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 50 | 70 | −20 | 43 | |
| 20 | Welling United | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 61 | 84 | −23 | 40 | |
| 21 | Frickley Athletic (R) | 42 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 47 | 82 | −35 | 32 | Relegation to the Northern Premier League Premier Division |
| 22 | Gateshead (R) | 42 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 48 | 95 | −47 | 31 |
- Nuneaton Borough were relegated due to financial irregularities.
Results
| Home \ Away | ALT | BAR | BAT | BOS | CHL | DAG | ENF | FRK | GAT | KET | KID | MDS | NOR | NUN | RUN | SCA | STA | SUT | TEL | WEA | WEL | WEY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altrincham | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| Barnet | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 5–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | |
| Bath City | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| Boston United | 4–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 6–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 1–1 | |
| Cheltenham Town | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| Dagenham | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Enfield | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | |
| Frickley Athletic | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | |
| Gateshead | 1–3 | 1–5 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | |
| Kettering Town | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 3–0 | |
| Kidderminster Harriers | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Maidstone United | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | |
| Northwich Victoria | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Nuneaton Borough | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–5 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | |
| Runcorn | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 7–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | |
| Scarborough | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | |
| Stafford Rangers | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | |
| Sutton United | 2–3 | 3–1 | 7–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 8–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | |
| Telford United | 4–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 5–1 | |
| Wealdstone | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
| Welling United | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 5–0 | |
| Weymouth | 2–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Peter Dunk (ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. Queen Anne Press, Macdonald Futura Publishers, London & Sydney, 1987.[1]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Topscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | League | FA Cup | FA Trophy | League Cup | Total[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Casey | Kidderminster Harriers | 38 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 44 |
| 2 | Mick Carter | Runcorn | 30 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 41 |
| 3 | Steve Butler | Maidstone United | 24 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| 4 | Gary Abbott | Welling United | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 28 |
| = | Chris Cook | Boston United | 23 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27 |
| = | Ken McKenna | Telford United | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 7 | Nicky Evans | Barnet | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| = | Chris Townsend | Cheltenham Town | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| 9 | Mike Doherty | Weymouth | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| = | Paul Bodin | Bath City | 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
| = | Stewart Mell | Scarborough | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| = | John Timmons | Altrincham | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
Promotion and relegation
Promoted
- Scarborough (to the Football League Fourth Division)
- Fisher Athletic (from the Isthmian League)
- Macclesfield Town (from the Northern Premier League)
- Wycombe Wanderers (from the Southern Premier League)
Relegated
- Lincoln City (from the Football League Fourth Division)
- Frickley Athletic (to the Northern Premier League)
- Gateshead (to the Northern Premier League)
- Nuneaton Borough (to the Southern Premier League)
References
- Peter Dunk (ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. Queen Anne Press, Macdonald & Co., London & Sydney, 1987.