1946–47 Southern Football League
The 1946–47 season was the 44th in the history of the Southern League. Gillingham won the championship. 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.[1]
Final table
| Season | 1946-47 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Gillingham (1st title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Millwall (resigned) |
| Matches played | 272 |
| Goals scored | 1250 (4.6 per match) |
|
← 1945–46
1947–48 →
|
|
A total of 17 teams contest the division, including nine sides from previous season, three teams missed previous season and five new teams.
Teams returned to the league after resigning in 1940:
Newly elected teams:
- Gravesend & Northfleet
- Gillingham - returned after resigning in 1939
- Merthyr Tydfil - runners-up of Welsh Football League
- Millwall - also participated in the Football League this season
- Exeter City II
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF1 | GA1 | GAv2 | Pts3 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gillingham | 32 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 103 | 45 | 2.29 | 47 | |
| 2 | Guildford City | 32 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 86 | 39 | 2.21 | 46 | |
| 3 | Merthyr Tydfil | 32 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 104 | 37 | 2.81 | 45 | |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 100 | 49 | 2.04 | 44 | |
| 5 | Chelmsford City | 32 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 90 | 60 | 1.5 | 38 | |
| 6 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 32 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 82 | 58 | 1.41 | 38 | |
| 7 | Barry Town | 32 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 89 | 61 | 1.46 | 36 | |
| 8 | Colchester United | 32 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 65 | 60 | 1.08 | 35 | |
| 9 | Cheltenham Town | 32 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 68 | 75 | 0.91 | 32 | |
| 10 | Millwall | 32 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 59 | 57 | 1.04 | 29 | Left league at end of season |
| 11 | Dartford | 32 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 71 | 100 | 0.71 | 25 | |
| 12 | Bedford Town | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 63 | 98 | 0.64 | 24 | |
| 13 | Hereford United | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 37 | 85 | 0.44 | 23 | |
| 14 | Worcester City | 32 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 55 | 90 | 0.61 | 22 | |
| 15 | Exeter City II | 32 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 69 | 126 | 0.55 | 22 | |
| 16 | Bath City | 32 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 52 | 93 | 0.56 | 21 | |
| 17 | Gloucester City | 32 | 8 | 1 | 23 | 57 | 120 | 0.47 | 17 |
1 Number of goals for and/or against is inaccurate.
2 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season.
3 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
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 Division Threes 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.[2]
