The 2004β05 season was the 26th season of the Football Conference, and the 1st season following its expansion from one division to three divisions.
This season saw the Conference expanded to three divisions with the addition of the Conference North and Conference South added to the existing (and renamed) Conference National. The North and South Divisions were filled by teams finishing 1stβ13th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division and 2ndβ13th in the Isthmian League Premier Division and Southern League Premier Division the previous season (the champions were all promoted to the Conference National), together with winners of play-offs between the 14β18th placed clubs in the Southern League Premier, 14thβ20th in the Isthmian and Northern Premier League Premier, as well as the top clubs from the divisions immediately below.
The Conference National was joined by Carlisle United and York City, who had been relegated from the Football League. Carlisle became the first club to compete in all top five tiers of English football, having reached the old First Division in 1974β75.
In addition to the winners and the teams that qualified for the play-offs, Exeter City fought gallantly in the FA Cup against Manchester United, holding them to a goalless draw in the third round on Old Trafford and finally going down 0β2 on home turf.
Season | 2004β05 [1] |
---|---|
Champions | Barnet (2nd Football Conference title) |
Direct promotion | Barnet |
Promoted through play-offs | Carlisle United |
Relegated to Conference North/ Conference South |
Farnborough Town, Leigh RMI, Northwich Victoria |
Promoted for the next season |
Altrincham, Grays Athletic, Southport |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,305 (2.82 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Giuliano Grazioli ( Barnet), 29 |
Biggest home win | Carlisle United β Farnborough 7β0 (28 August 2004) |
Biggest away win |
Farnborough β
Hereford United 0β6 (25 March 2005); Leigh RMI β Accrington Stanley 0β6 (11 December 2004) |
Highest scoring | Barnet β Farnborough 7β1 (19 March 2005) |
Longest winning run | ? |
Longest unbeaten run | ? |
Longest losing run | ? |
Highest attendance | Carlisle v Barnet, 9,215 (16 Oct) |
Lowest attendance | Canvey Island v Leigh RMI, 201 (5 April 2005) |
Average attendance | 1,922 (Conference record, + 0.9% compared with the previous season) |
β
2003β04
2005β06 β |
A total of 22 teams contest the division, including 18 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two, one promoted from the Southern Football League and one promoted from the Isthmian League. Winners and runners-up of Northern Premier League were unable to qualify in Conference National.
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Isthmian League
Teams relegated from 2003β04 Football League Third Division
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Barnet | 42 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 56 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 24 | +46 | 86 | Football Conference Champions, promoted to League Two |
2 | Hereford United | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 28 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 27 | +27 | 74 | Participated in play-offs |
3 | Carlisle United | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 39 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 19 | +37 | 73 | Promoted to League Two through play-offs |
4 | Aldershot Town | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 38 | 22 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 30 | 30 | +16 | 73 | Participated in play-offs |
5 | Stevenage Borough | 42 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 31 | +13 | 72 | |
6 | Exeter City | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 39 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 28 | +21 | 71 | |
7 | Morecambe | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 23 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 31 | 27 | +19 | 71 | |
8 | Woking | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 29 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 26 | +13 | 68 | Conference League Cup winners |
9 | Halifax Town | 42 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 29 | 32 | +18 | 66 | |
10 | Accrington Stanley | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 43 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 29 | 32 | +14 | 65 | |
11 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 29 | 33 | +8 | 65 | |
12 | Crawley Town [a] | 42 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 32 | 0 | 57 | |
13 | Scarborough | 42 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 42 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 29 | +14 | 56 | |
14 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 42 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 34 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 24 | 33 | −6 | 50 | |
15 | Tamworth | 42 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 50 [b] | |
16 | Burton Albion | 42 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 37 | −16 | 50 | |
17 | York City | 42 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 43 | −27 | 43 | |
18 | Canvey Island [a] | 42 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 34 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 34 | −12 | 42 | |
19 | Northwich Victoria | 42 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 37 | 29 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 43 | −14 | 42 [c] | Relegated due to ground concerns |
20 | Forest Green Rovers | 42 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 40 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 41 | −40 | 33 | Reprieved from relegation [d] |
21 | Farnborough Town | 42 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 40 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 49 | −54 | 29 | Relegated to Conference North/ Conference South |
22 | Leigh RMI | 42 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 18 | 52 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 46 | −67 | 18 |
Semifinals 1st leg 2 May, 2nd leg 6 May | Final at
Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent 14 May 2005 | ||||||||||
2nd | Hereford United | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
5th | Stevenage Borough | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
3rd | Carlisle United | 1 | |||||||||
5th | Stevenage Borough | 0 | |||||||||
3rd | Carlisle United ( pen.) | 0 | 2 | 2 (5) | |||||||
4th | Aldershot Town | 1 | 1 | 2 (4) |
Stevenage Borough | 1β1 | Hereford United |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Stevenage Borough won 2β1 on Aggregate.
Carlisle United | 2β1 ( a.e.t.) | Aldershot Town |
---|---|---|
Report |
|
|
Penalties | ||
5β4 |
Carlisle United won 5β4 on penalties after tying 2β2 on Aggregate.
Stevenage Borough | 0β1 | Carlisle United |
---|---|---|
|
Pos | Player | Club | League | Play-offs | FA Cup | LDV | FA Trophy | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Giuliano Grazioli | Barnet | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 |
2 | Michael Twiss | Morecambe | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
3 | Paul Mullin | Accrington Stanley | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
4 | Anthony Elding | Stevenage Borough | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
= | Chris Moore | Dagenham & Redbridge | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
= | Adam Stansfield | Hereford United | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
= | Bob Taylor | Tamworth | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
9 | Charlie Griffin | Forest Green Rovers | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
10 | Lee McEvilly | Accrington Stanley | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
= | Jonny Allan | Northwich Victoria | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
12 | Lee Boylan | Canvey Island | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
= | Tim Sills | Aldershot Town | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
= | Justin Richards | Woking | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
= | Neil Redfearn | Scarborough | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
16 | Karl Hawley | Carlisle United | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
= | Paul Brayson | Northwich Victoria | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Source: [1]
Season | 2004β05 [1] [3] |
---|---|
Champions | Southport (1st Football Conference North title) |
Direct promotion | Southport |
Promoted through play-offs | Altrincham |
Relegated to Level 7 |
Ashton United, Bradford Park Avenue, Runcorn F.C. Halton |
Promoted for the next season |
Hednesford, Hyde United, Workington |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,257 (2.72 per match) |
Biggest home win |
Harrogate β
Ashton 5β1 (12 February 2005); Harrogate β Gainsborough Trinity 5β1 (24 August 2004); 4β0: six matches |
Biggest away win |
Barrow β
Redditch 1β6 (11 September 2004); Kettering β Southport 0β5 (22 January 2005) |
Highest scoring | Ashton β Runcorn 5β4 (28 August 2004) |
Longest winning run | ? |
Longest unbeaten run | ? |
Longest losing run | ? |
Highest attendance | ? |
Lowest attendance | ? |
Average attendance | ? |
β
2003β04
2005β06 β |
First Conference North/South season saw competition of best 44 teams by the results of previous season from Northern Premier League, Southern Football League and Isthmian League, except Crawley Town and Canvey Island, promoted directly to Conference National. Teams were divided by geographical criteria.
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Northern Premier League
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Isthmian League
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Southport | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 35 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 25 | +38 | 84 | Conference North Champions, promoted to Conference National |
2 | Nuneaton Borough | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 39 | 28 | +23 | 81 | Participated in play-offs |
3 | Droylsden | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 46 | 26 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 26 | +30 | 79 | |
4 | Kettering Town | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 34 | 29 | +6 | 70 | |
5 | Altrincham | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 45 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 25 | +20 | 69 | Promoted to Conference National through play-offs |
6 | Harrogate Town | 42 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 27 | +13 | 68 | |
7 | Worcester City | 42 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 28 | +6 | 60 | |
8 | Stafford Rangers | 42 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 33 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 24 | +8 | 59 | |
9 | Redditch United | 42 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 36 | 32 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 29 | 27 | +6 | 59 [a] | |
10 | Hucknall Town | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 31 | 32 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 25 | +2 | 59 | |
11 | Gainsborough Trinity | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 28 | 33 | 0 | 57 | |
12 | Hinckley United | 42 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 31 | −7 | 56 | |
13 | Lancaster City | 42 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 37 | −8 | 54 | |
14 | Alfreton Town | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 32 | −2 | 53 | |
15 | Vauxhall Motors | 42 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 28 | 35 | −9 | 53 | |
16 | Barrow | 42 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 32 | 39 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 25 | −14 | 52 | |
17 | Worksop Town | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 29 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 30 | 0 | 50 [b] | |
18 | Moor Green | 42 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 29 | 36 | −9 | 49 | |
19 | Stalybridge Celtic | 42 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 30 | 36 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 34 | −18 | 48 | |
20 | Runcorn FC Halton | 42 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 37 | −19 | 42 | Relegated to Northern Premier League Premier Division |
21 | Ashton United | 42 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 39 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 40 | −33 | 33 | |
22 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 37 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 33 | −33 | 24 |
Pos | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Terry Fearns | Southport | 28 |
2 | Colin Little | Altrincham | 24 |
3 | Norman Sylla | Redditch United | 22 |
= | Adam Webster | Worcester City | 22 |
5 | Peter Duffield | Alfreton Town | 20 |
Source: [1]
Season | 2004β05 [1] [3] |
---|---|
Champions | Grays Athletic (1st Football Conference South title) |
Direct promotion | Grays Athletic |
Promoted through play-offs | None |
Relegated to Level 7 or folded |
Margate, Redbridge; Hornchurch (folded) |
Promoted for the next season |
Eastleigh, Histon, Yeading |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,404 (3.04 per match) |
Biggest home win |
Grays Athletic β
Bognor Regis 6β0 (16 November 2004); Hornchurch β Basingstoke 6β0 (4 September 2004); Hornchurch β Maidenhead 6β0 (21 September 2004) |
Biggest away win | Dorchester β Grays Athletic 0β7 (23 October 2004) |
Highest scoring | Bognor Regis β Welling United 6β5 (11 September 2004) |
Longest winning run | ? |
Longest unbeaten run | ? |
Longest losing run | ? |
Highest attendance | ? |
Lowest attendance | ? |
Average attendance | ? |
β
2003β04
2005β06 β |
First Conference North/South season saw competition of best 44 teams by the results of previous season from Northern Premier League, Southern Football League and Isthmian League, except Crawley Town and Canvey Island, promoted directly to Conference National. Teams were divided by geographical criteria.
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2003β04 Isthmian League
Teams relegated from 2003β04 Football Conference
At the start of the season Ford United was given new name Redbridge F.C.
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Grays Athletic [a] | 42 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 60 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 58 | 18 | +87 | 98 | Conference South Champions, promoted to Conference National |
2 | Cambridge City | 42 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 29 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 19 | +16 | 75 | Participated in play-offs |
3 | Thurrock | 42 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 29 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 32 | 24 | +5 | 69 | |
4 | Lewes | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 42 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 31 | 35 | +9 | 65 | [b] |
5 | Eastbourne Borough | 42 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 26 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 27 | 21 | +18 | 64 | Participated in play-offs |
6 | Basingstoke Town | 42 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 32 | +5 | 63 | |
7 | Weymouth | 42 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 32 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 31 | +3 | 62 | |
8 | Dorchester Town | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 40 | 33 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 48 | −4 | 62 | |
9 | Bognor Regis Town | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 46 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 34 | +5 | 60 | |
10 | Bishop's Stortford | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 39 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 31 | 41 | +4 | 59 | |
11 | Weston-super-Mare | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 22 | 37 | −5 | 58 | |
12 | Hayes | 42 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 30 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 27 | −2 | 56 | |
13 | Havant & Waterlooville | 42 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 38 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 43 | −5 | 55 | |
14 | St Albans City | 42 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 34 | 37 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 39 | −12 | 54 | |
15 | Sutton United | 42 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 25 | 38 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 35 | 33 | −11 | 53 | |
16 | Welling United | 42 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 41 | 38 | −4 | 52 | |
17 | Hornchurch | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 44 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 39 | +8 | 51 [c] | Folded |
18 | Newport County | 42 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 27 | −5 | 50 | |
19 | Carshalton Athletic | 42 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 31 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 41 | −28 | 48 | |
20 | Maidenhead United | 42 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 31 | 41 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 40 | −27 | 46 | Reprieved from relegation [d] |
21 | Margate | 42 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 46 | −21 | 34 [e] | Relegated to the Isthmian League Premier Division |
22 | Redbridge | 42 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 25 | 46 | −36 | 33 [f] |
Pos | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Luke Nightingale | Bognor Regis | 32 |
2 | Lee Clarke | St Albans City | 25 |
3 | Matt Groves | Dorchester | 24 |
4 | Dean Holdsworth | Havant & Waterlooville | 23 |
5 | Paul Booth | Welling United | 20 |
Source: [1]
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
2nd | Nuneaton Borough | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||
5th | Altrincham ( pen.) | 1 (4) | ||||||||||||
4th | Kettering Town | 2 | ||||||||||||
5th | Altrincham | 3 | ||||||||||||
3rd | Droylsden | 1 | ||||||||||||
4th | Kettering Town | 2 | ||||||||||||
5th | Altrincham | 2 | ||||||||||||
5th | Eastbourne Borough | 1 | ||||||||||||
2nd | Cambridge City | WO | ||||||||||||
[a] | β | |||||||||||||
2nd | Cambridge City | 0 | ||||||||||||
5th | Eastbourne Borough | 3 | ||||||||||||
3rd | Thurrock | 2 | ||||||||||||
5th | Eastbourne Borough | 4 |