| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | AFC Lymington |
| Relegated | Petersfield Town |
1997–98 → | |
The1996–97 Wessex Football League was the 11th season of theWessex Football League. The league champions for the second time in their history wereAFC Lymington, after remaining unbeaten for the whole season. There was no promotion to theSouthern League, butPetersfield Town finished bottom and were relegated.[1]
For sponsorship reasons, the league was known as theJewson Wessex League.[2]
The league consisted of one division of 21 clubs, the same as the previous season, afterSwanage Town & Herston were relegated and one new club joined:[2]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AFC Lymington(C) | 40 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 112 | 22 | +90 | 110 | |
| 2 | Wimborne Town | 40 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 97 | 42 | +55 | 85 | |
| 3 | Thatcham Town | 40 | 26 | 5 | 9 | 91 | 45 | +46 | 79[a] | |
| 4 | Ryde Sports | 40 | 25 | 4 | 11 | 77 | 50 | +27 | 79 | |
| 5 | Bemerton Heath Harlequins | 40 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 69 | 45 | +24 | 78 | |
| 6 | Andover | 40 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 80 | 42 | +38 | 69 | |
| 7 | Eastleigh | 40 | 19 | 8 | 13 | 71 | 56 | +15 | 65 | |
| 8 | Downton | 40 | 18 | 7 | 15 | 72 | 70 | +2 | 61 | |
| 9 | Cowes Sports | 40 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 65 | 55 | +10 | 59 | |
| 10 | Portsmouth Royal Navy | 40 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 65 | 79 | −14 | 51[b] | |
| 11 | Gosport Borough | 40 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 50 | |
| 12 | Aerostructures Sports & Social | 40 | 13 | 9 | 18 | 45 | 66 | −21 | 48 | |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 40 | 14 | 5 | 21 | 50 | 72 | −22 | 47 | |
| 14 | Brockenhurst | 40 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 54 | 73 | −19 | 46 | |
| 15 | Whitchurch United | 40 | 12 | 7 | 21 | 58 | 81 | −23 | 43 | |
| 16 | Christchurch | 40 | 13 | 4 | 23 | 49 | 72 | −23 | 43 | |
| 17 | East Cowes Victoria Athletic | 40 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 53 | 72 | −19 | 37 | |
| 18 | Romsey Town | 40 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 52 | 94 | −42 | 37 | |
| 19 | B.A.T. Sports | 40 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 43 | 74 | −31 | 33 | |
| 20 | A.F.C. Totton | 40 | 8 | 8 | 24 | 54 | 87 | −33 | 32 | |
| 21 | Petersfield Town(R) | 40 | 8 | 5 | 27 | 42 | 92 | −50 | 29 | Relegated to theHampshire League |