1997–98 Isthmian League

The 1997–98 season was the 83th season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England. League consisted of four divisions.

Premier Division

Isthmian League
Premier Division

Season	1997–98
Champions	Kingstonian
Promoted	Kingstonian
Relegated	Yeading Hitchin Town Oxford City
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1343 (2.91 per match)
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 18 clubs from the previous season and four new clubs:

• Basingstoke Town, promoted as runners-up in the First Division
• Chesham United, promoted as champions of the First Division
• Gravesend & Northfleet, transferred from the Southern League
• Walton & Hersham, promoted as third in the First Division

Kingstonian won the division and were promoted to the Football Conference to reach the highest level in the club history. Yeading, Hitchin Town and Oxford City finished bottom of the table and relegated to the First Division.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Kingstonian (C) (P)	42	25	12	5	84	35	+49	87	Promoted to the Football Conference
2	Boreham Wood	42	23	11	8	81	42	+39	80
3	Sutton United	42	22	12	8	83	56	+27	78
4	Dagenham & Redbridge	42	21	10	11	73	50	+23	73
5	Hendon	42	21	10	11	69	50	+19	73
6	Heybridge Swifts	42	18	11	13	74	62	+12	65
7	Enfield	42	18	8	16	66	58	+8	62
8	Basingstoke Town	42	17	11	14	56	60	−4	62
9	Walton & Hersham	42	18	6	18	50	70	−20	60
10	Purfleet	42	15	13	14	57	58	−1	58
11	St Albans City	42	17	7	18	54	59	−5	58
12	Harrow Borough	42	15	10	17	60	67	−7	55
13	Gravesend & Northfleet	42	15	8	19	65	67	−2	53
14	Chesham United	42	14	10	18	71	70	+1	52
15	Bromley	42	13	13	16	53	53	0	52
16	Dulwich Hamlet	42	13	11	18	56	67	−11	50
17	Carshalton Athletic	42	13	9	20	54	77	−23	48
18	Aylesbury United	42	13	8	21	55	70	−15	47
19	Bishop's Stortford	42	14	5	23	53	69	−16	47
20	Yeading (R)	42	12	11	19	49	65	−16	47	Relegated to the First Division
21	Hitchin Town (R)	42	8	15	19	45	62	−17	39
22	Oxford City (R)	42	7	9	26	35	76	−41	30

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

First Division

Isthmian League
First Division

Season	1997–98
Champions	Aldershot Town
Promoted	Aldershot Town Billericay Town Hampton
Relegated	Wokingham Town Abingdon Town Thame United
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1382 (2.99 per match)
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

First Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and six new teams: Three clubs relegated from the Premier Division:

• Chertsey Town
• Grays Athletic
• Staines Town

Three clubs promoted from the Second Division:

• Collier Row & Romford
• Leatherhead
• Wembley

Before the start of the season Collier Row & Romford were renamed Romford.

Aldershot Town won the division and were promoted to the Premier Division along with Billericay Town and Hampton. Wokingham Town, Abingdon Town and Thame United relegated to the Second Division.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Aldershot Town (C) (P)	42	28	8	6	89	36	+53	92	Promoted to the Premier Division
2	Billericay Town (P)	42	25	6	11	78	44	+34	81
3	Hampton (P)	42	22	15	5	75	47	+28	81
4	Maidenhead United	42	25	5	12	76	37	+39	80
5	Uxbridge	42	23	6	13	66	59	+7	75
6	Grays Athletic	42	21	10	11	79	49	+30	73
7	Romford	42	21	8	13	92	59	+33	71
8	Bognor Regis Town	42	20	9	13	77	45	+32	69
9	Leatherhead	42	18	11	13	70	51	+19	65
10	Leyton Pennant	42	17	11	14	66	58	+8	62
11	Chertsey Town	42	16	13	13	83	70	+13	61
12	Worthing	42	17	6	19	64	71	−7	57
13	Berkhamsted Town	42	15	8	19	59	69	−10	53
14	Staines Town	42	13	10	19	54	71	−17	49
15	Croydon	42	13	10	19	47	64	−17	49
16	Barton Rovers	42	11	13	18	53	72	−19	46
17	Wembley	42	10	15	17	38	61	−23	45
18	Molesey	42	10	11	21	47	65	−18	41
19	Whyteleafe	42	10	10	22	48	83	−35	40
20	Wokingham Town (R)	42	7	10	25	41	74	−33	31	Relegated to the Second Division
21	Abingdon Town (R)	42	9	4	29	47	101	−54	31
22	Thame United (R)	42	7	9	26	33	96	−63	30

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Second Division

Isthmian League
Second Division

Season	1997–98
Champions	Canvey Island
Promoted	Canvey Island Braintree Town Wealdstone
Relegated	Tilbury Egham Town Cheshunt
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1496 (3.24 per match)
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

Second Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 16 clubs from the previous season and six new teams:

Three clubs relegated from the First Division:

• Canvey Island
• Marlow
• Tooting & Mitcham United

Three clubs promoted from the Third Division:

• Braintree Town
• Northwood
• Wealdstone

Canvey Island won the division and returned to the First Division straight after relegation from it along with Braintree Town and Wealdstone, both achieved the second promotions in two seasons. Tilbury relegated to the Third Division along with Egham Town and Abingdon Town.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Canvey Island (C) (P)	42	30	8	4	116	41	+75	98	Promoted to the First Division
2	Braintree Town (P)	42	29	11	2	117	45	+72	98
3	Wealdstone (P)	42	24	11	7	81	46	+35	83
4	Bedford Town	42	22	12	8	55	25	+30	78
5	Metropolitan Police	42	21	8	13	80	65	+15	71
6	Wivenhoe Town	42	18	12	12	84	66	+18	66
7	Edgware Town	42	18	10	14	81	65	+16	64
8	Chalfont St Peter	42	17	13	12	63	60	+3	64
9	Northwood	42	17	11	14	65	69	−4	62
10	Windsor & Eton	42	17	7	18	74	72	+2	58
11	Tooting & Mitcham United	42	16	9	17	58	56	+2	57
12	Barking	42	15	12	15	62	75	−13	57
13	Banstead Athletic	42	15	9	18	60	63	−3	54
14	Marlow	42	16	5	21	64	78	−14	53
15	Horsham	42	13	9	20	67	75	−8	48
16	Bracknell Town	42	13	8	21	68	93	−25	47
17	Leighton Town	42	13	6	23	45	78	−33	45
18	Hungerford Town	42	11	11	20	66	77	−11	44
19	Witham Town	42	9	13	20	55	68	−13	40
20	Tilbury (R)	42	9	12	21	57	88	−31	39	Relegated to the Third Division
21	Egham Town (R)	42	9	5	28	47	101	−54	32
22	Cheshunt (R)	42	4	10	28	31	90	−59	22

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Third Division

Isthmian League
Third Division

Season	1997–98
Champions	Hemel Hempstead
Promoted	Hemel Hempstead Hertford Town Harlow Town
Matches played	380
Goals scored	1221 (3.21 per match)
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

Third Division consisted of 20 clubs, including 17 clubs from the previous season and three new teams:

Three clubs relegated from the Second Division:

• Dorking
• Hemel Hempstead
• Ware

Hemel Hempstead won the division and returned to the Second Division straight after relegation along with Hertford Town and Harlow Town. There were no relegated teams this season.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Hemel Hempstead (C) (P)	38	27	6	5	84	28	+56	87	Promoted to the Second Division
2	Hertford Town (P)	38	26	5	7	77	31	+46	83
3	Harlow Town (P)	38	24	11	3	81	42	+39	83
4	Camberley Town	38	24	7	7	93	43	+50	79
5	Ford United	38	23	9	6	90	34	+56	78
6	East Thurrock United	38	23	7	8	70	40	+30	76
7	Ware	38	17	6	15	69	57	+12	57
8	Epsom & Ewell	38	17	6	15	68	57	+11	57
9	Aveley	38	16	7	15	65	57	+8	55
10	Corinthian Casuals	38	16	6	16	59	57	+2	54
11	Hornchurch	38	12	9	17	55	68	−13	45
12	Clapton	38	13	6	19	46	61	−15	45
13	Flackwell Heath	38	12	9	17	50	76	−26	45
14	Croydon Athletic	38	12	7	19	58	63	−5	43
15	Tring Town	38	12	7	19	51	69	−18	43
16	Southall	38	10	6	22	41	85	−44	36
17	Dorking	38	9	6	23	49	94	−45	33
18	Wingate & Finchley	38	7	8	23	46	80	−34	29
19	Lewes	38	7	5	26	34	88	−54	26
20	Kingsbury Town	38	5	3	30	35	91	−56	18

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

See also

• Isthmian League
• 1997–98 Northern Premier League
• 1997–98 Southern Football League

References

1. REDIRECT Template:Men's football in England