1946–47 Southern Football League

The 1946–47 Southern Football League season was the 44th in the history of the league, an English football competition.

The league featured eight new clubs, including Football League members Millwall, who also entered their first team in the Southern League. However, due to fixture congestion, they only played 24 matches, with the remaining fixtures all being awarded as 0–0 draws. Yeovil & Petters United were renamed Yeovil Town at the end of the previous season.

A total of 17 clubs contest the division, including nine clubs from previous season, three clubs missed previous season and five new clubs.

Clubs missed previous season:

• Dartford
• Gloucester City
• Guildford City

Newly elected clubs:

• Gravesend & Northfleet - new club, formed as a merger of Gravesend United and Northfleet United
• Gillingham - returned after resigning in 1939
• Merthyr Tydfil - runners-up of Welsh Football League
• Millwall
• Exeter City II

Gillingham were champions, winning their first Southern League title. At the end of the season Millwall resigned from the league.

League table

Southern Football League

Season	1946–47
Champions	Gillingham
Matches played	272
Goals scored	1,250 (4.6 per match)
← 1945–46 1947–48 →

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Results
1	Gillingham	32	20	7	5	103	45	2.289	47
2	Guildford City	32	21	4	7	86	39	2.205	46
3	Merthyr Tydfil	32	21	3	8	104	37	2.811	45
4	Yeovil Town	32	19	6	7	100	49	2.041	44
5	Chelmsford City	32	17	4	11	90	60	1.500	38
6	Gravesend & Northfleet	32	17	4	11	82	58	1.414	38
7	Barry Town	32	14	8	10	89	61	1.459	36
8	Colchester United	32	15	5	12	65	60	1.083	35
9	Cheltenham Town	32	14	4	14	68	75	0.907	32
10	Millwall	32	8	13	11	59	57	1.035	29	Resigned from the league
11	Dartford	32	10	5	17	71	100	0.710	25
12	Bedford Town	32	8	8	16	63	98	0.643	24
13	Hereford United	32	8	7	17	37	85	0.435	23
14	Worcester City	32	8	6	18	55	90	0.611	22
15	Exeter City II	32	10	2	20	69	126	0.548	22
16	Bath City	32	7	7	18	52	93	0.559	21
17	Gloucester City	32	8	1	23	57	120	0.475	17

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.

Football League elections

Barry Town, Bath City, Chelmsford City, Colchester United, Gillingham, Gravesend & Northfleet, Guildford City, Merthyr Tydfil, Worcester City and Yeovil Town were amongst 27 non-League clubs to apply for election to the Football League. However, as the two clubs relegated from Division Two to the regional divisions Three were both from the south, the Football League secretary had suggested that electing new members could create an imbalance in the divisions' geographical boundaries, and that instead all four clubs (Halifax, Mansfield, Norwich and Southport) should be re-elected en bloc. This was accepted and no elections took place.^[1]

References

1. A history of admission to the Football League