The1904–05 season was the 11th in the history ofSouthern League.Bristol Rovers won Division One for the first time andFulham reserves finished top of Division Two. Division Two clubClapton Orient were the only Southern League club to apply for election tothe Football League, and were successful after a decision was made to expand the League to 40 clubs.
| Season | 1904–05 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bristol Rovers (1st title) |
| Promoted | none |
| Relegated | Wellingborough (resigned) |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 854 (2.79 per match) |
1905–06 → | |
A total of 18 teams contest the division, including 17 sides from previous season and one new team. Watford returned to Division after one season of absence.
Teams promoted from Division Two:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol Rovers | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 74 | 36 | 2.056 | 48 | |
| 2 | Reading | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 57 | 38 | 1.500 | 43 | |
| 3 | Southampton | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 54 | 40 | 1.350 | 43 | |
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 57 | 39 | 1.462 | 41 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 53 | 34 | 1.559 | 38 | |
| 6 | Fulham | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 34 | 1.353 | 38 | |
| 7 | Queens Park Rangers | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 51 | 46 | 1.109 | 36 | |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 34 | 16 | 4 | 14 | 61 | 56 | 1.089 | 36 | |
| 9 | New Brompton | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 40 | 40 | 1.000 | 33 | |
| 10 | Watford | 34 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 44 | 45 | 0.978 | 33 | |
| 11 | West Ham United | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 48 | 42 | 1.143 | 32 | |
| 12 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 44 | 45 | 0.978 | 32 | |
| 13 | Northampton Town | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 43 | 54 | 0.796 | 32 | |
| 14 | Brentford | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 33 | 38 | 0.868 | 29 | |
| 15 | Millwall | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 38 | 47 | 0.809 | 29 | |
| 16 | Swindon Town | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 41 | 59 | 0.695 | 29 | |
| 17 | Luton Town | 34 | 12 | 3 | 19 | 45 | 54 | 0.833 | 27 | |
| 18 | Wellingborough | 34 | 5 | 3 | 26 | 25 | 107 | 0.234 | 13 | Left league at end of season |
| Season | 1904–05 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Fulham II |
| Promoted | Clapton Orient (toFootball League) |
| Relegated | Brighton & Hove Albion II (resigned) Southall (resigned) |
| Matches | 132 |
| Goals | 582 (4.41 per match) |
1905–06 → | |
A total of 12 teams contest the division, including 8 sides from previous season and four new teams, three of which were reserve teams.
Newly elected teams:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulham II | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 78 | 25 | 3.120 | 36 | |
| 2 | Portsmouth II | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 75 | 28 | 2.679 | 30 | |
| 3 | Swindon Town II | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 54 | 47 | 1.149 | 27 | |
| 4 | Grays United | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 61 | 40 | 1.525 | 25 | |
| 5 | Southampton II | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 52 | 35 | 1.486 | 25 | |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion II | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 48 | 49 | 0.980 | 21 | Left league at end of season |
| 7 | West Ham United II | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 45 | 47 | 0.957 | 21 | |
| 8 | Clapton Orient | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 47 | 56 | 0.839 | 21 | Elected to theFootball League Second Division |
| 9 | Watford II | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 30 | 62 | 0.484 | 16 | |
| 10 | Southall | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 31 | 66 | 0.470 | 16 | Left league at end of season |
| 11 | Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 37 | 70 | 0.529 | 14 | |
| 12 | Reading II | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 24 | 57 | 0.421 | 12 |
Only one Southern League club, Clapton Orient of Division Two, applied for election to Division Two of the Football League. Although they were not elected in the first round, it was later agreed to expand theFootball League from 36 to 40 clubs and all the unsuccessful candidates except Doncaster Rovers were elected.
* Chelsea had played no games, nor had any players when they were elected. Hull City had been formed in 1904, but had only played friendly matches during the 1904–05 season.[3]