The2005–06 season was the 91st in the history of theIsthmian League, which is an Englishfootball competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London,East andSouth East England.
It was the last season in which the Isthmian League consisted of three tiers. At the end of the season Division Two was disbanded, and most of the Division Two clubs were distributed between lower-level leagues, while Division One was divided into Division One North and Division One South.
| Season | 2005–06 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Braintree Town |
| Promoted | Braintree Town Fisher Athletic |
| Relegated | Maldon Town Redbridge Windsor & Eton |
| Matches | 462 |
| Goals | 1,302 (2.82 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 26 goals – Richard Jolly (Heybridge Swifts) and Jermaine Beckford (Wealdstone) |
| Highest attendance | 3,315 –AFC Wimbledon –Hampton & Richmond Borough,(18 February) |
| Total attendance | 215,064 |
| Average attendance | 466 (+44.3% to previous season) |
2006–07 → | |
The Premier Division consisted of 22 clubs, including 14 clubs from theprevious season and eight new clubs.
Braintree Town won the division and were promoted to the Conference South along with play-off winners Fisher Athletic, who earned a second consecutive promotion. Maldon Town, Windsor & Eton and Redbridge were relegated, while Hendon were initially relegated too as the worst 19th-placed club among the seventh level leagues, but were reprieved afterCanvey Island resigned from the Conference.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braintree Town | 42 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 74 | 32 | +42 | 94 | Promoted to theConference South |
| 2 | Heybridge Swifts | 42 | 28 | 3 | 11 | 70 | 46 | +24 | 87 | Qualified for theplay-offs |
| 3 | Fisher Athletic | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 84 | 46 | +38 | 85 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to theConference South |
| 4 | AFC Wimbledon | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 67 | 36 | +31 | 77 | Qualified for theplay-offs |
| 5 | Hampton & Richmond | 42 | 24 | 3 | 15 | 73 | 54 | +19 | 75 | |
| 6 | Staines Town | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 74 | 56 | +18 | 70 | |
| 7 | Billericay Town | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 69 | 45 | +24 | 69 | |
| 8 | Worthing | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 71 | 60 | +11 | 67 | |
| 9 | Walton & Hersham | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 55 | 50 | +5 | 64 | |
| 10 | Chelmsford City | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 57 | 62 | −5 | 64 | |
| 11 | Bromley | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 57 | 49 | +8 | 62 | |
| 12 | East Thurrock United | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 59 | |
| 13 | Folkestone Invicta | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 58 | |
| 14 | Margate | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 50 | |
| 15 | Leyton | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 58 | 61 | −3 | 48 | |
| 16 | Harrow Borough | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 48 | |
| 17 | Slough Town | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 63 | 75 | −12 | 47 | |
| 18 | Wealdstone | 42 | 13 | 5 | 24 | 68 | 82 | −14 | 44 | Transferred to theSFL Premier Division |
| 19 | Hendon | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 64 | −20 | 39 | Reprieved from relegation |
| 20 | Maldon Town | 42 | 8 | 11 | 23 | 41 | 73 | −32 | 35 | Relegated toDivision One North |
| 21 | Windsor & Eton | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 75 | −38 | 32 | Relegated to theSFL Division One South & West |
| 22 | Redbridge | 42 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 28 | 97 | −69 | 14 | Relegated toDivision One North |
| Player | Club | Goals[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Jolly | Heybridge Swifts / Wealdstone | 26 |
| Jermaine Beckford | Wealdstone | |
| Danny Hockton | Billericay Town / Margate | 24 |
| Ian Hodges | Slough Town | 21 |
| Steve Watts | Fisher Athletic | |
| Alex Revell | Braintree Town | |
| Stafford Browne | Worthing | 17 |
| Lawrence Yaku | Hampton & Richmond Borough | |
| Nic McDonnell | Bromley |
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Heybridge Swifts | 1(2) | |||||||
| 5 | Hampton & Richmond | 1(4) | |||||||
| 3 | Fisher Athletic | 3 | |||||||
| 5 | Hampton & Richmond | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | Fisher Athletic | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | AFC Wimbledon | 1 | |||||||
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| AFC Wimbledon | Kingsmeadow (groundshare with Kingstonian) |
| Billericay Town | New Lodge |
| Braintree Town | Cressing Road |
| Bromley | Hayes Lane |
| Chelmsford City | Melbourne Stadium[1] |
| East Thurrock United | Rookery Hill |
| Fisher Athletic | Champion Hill (groundshare with Dulwich Hamlet) |
| Folkestone Invicta | Cheriton Road |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | Beveree Stadium |
| Harrow Borough | Earlsmead Stadium |
| Hendon | Claremont Road |
| Heybridge Swifts | Scraley Road |
| Leyton | Leyton Stadium |
| Maldon Town | Wallace Binder Ground |
| Margate | Hartsdown Park |
| Redbridge | Oakside |
| Slough Town | Stag Meadow (groundshare with Windsor & Eton) |
| Staines Town | Wheatsheaf Park |
| Walton & Hersham | The Sports Ground |
| Wealdstone | Chestnut Avenue (groundshare with Northwood) |
| Windsor & Eton | Stag Meadow |
| Worthing | Woodside Road |
| Season | 2005–06 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ramsgate |
| Promoted | Horsham Ramsgate Tonbridge Angels |
| Matches | 506 |
| Goals | 1,451 (2.87 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 28 goals – Phil Ruggles (Molesey) |
| Highest attendance | 1,734 –Dover Athletic –Ramsgate,(26 December) |
| Total attendance | 117,472 |
| Average attendance | 232 (-36.3% to previous season) |
The 2005–06 season was the last of two seasons in which the Isthmian League consisted of a single Division One.
Division One consisted of 23 clubs, including 17 clubs from theprevious season and six new clubs:
Ramsgate won the division and were promoted to the Premier Division along with runners-up Horsham, and play-off winners Tonbridge Angels who returned to the Premier Division at the first attempt. There was no relegation from the division this season, though Banstead Athletic resigned from the league at the end of the season.
At the end of the season Division One North and Division One South were created to replace Division One. Most of the clubs remaining in the division were transferred to the new Division One South.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramsgate | 44 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 84 | 38 | +46 | 86 | Promoted to thePremier Division |
| 2 | Horsham | 44 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 94 | 55 | +39 | 86 | |
| 3 | Tonbridge Angels | 44 | 24 | 8 | 12 | 71 | 48 | +23 | 80 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to thePremier Division |
| 4 | Metropolitan Police | 44 | 24 | 7 | 13 | 72 | 46 | +26 | 79 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then transferred toDivision One South |
| 5 | Dover Athletic | 44 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 69 | 46 | +23 | 77 | |
| 6 | Tooting & Mitcham United | 44 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 93 | 62 | +31 | 75 | |
| 7 | Kingstonian | 44 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 82 | 56 | +26 | 74 | Transferred toDivision One South |
| 8 | Croydon Athletic | 44 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 56 | 41 | +15 | 73 | |
| 9 | Bashley | 44 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 63 | 61 | +2 | 70 | Transferred toSFL Division One South & West |
| 10 | Leatherhead | 44 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 64 | 50 | +14 | 68 | Transferred toDivision One South |
| 11 | Cray Wanderers | 44 | 20 | 8 | 16 | 80 | 74 | +6 | 68 | |
| 12 | Hastings United | 44 | 19 | 10 | 15 | 65 | 58 | +7 | 67 | |
| 13 | Dulwich Hamlet | 44 | 19 | 8 | 17 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 65 | |
| 14 | Fleet Town | 44 | 13 | 19 | 12 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 58 | |
| 15 | Walton Casuals | 44 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 68 | 75 | −7 | 58 | |
| 16 | Lymington & New Milton | 44 | 12 | 11 | 21 | 61 | 80 | −19 | 47 | Transferred toSFL Division One South & West |
| 17 | Molesey | 44 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 56 | 79 | −23 | 46 | Transferred toDivision One South |
| 18 | Whyteleafe | 44 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 50 | 66 | −16 | 44 | |
| 19 | Burgess Hill Town | 44 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 57 | 83 | −26 | 40 | |
| 20 | Banstead Athletic | 44 | 8 | 13 | 23 | 43 | 71 | −28 | 37 | Resigned to theCombined Counties League |
| 21 | Ashford Town (Kent) | 44 | 8 | 11 | 25 | 41 | 81 | −40 | 35 | Transferred toDivision One South |
| 22 | Newport (Isle of Wight) | 44 | 6 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 97 | −59 | 29 | Transferred toSFL Division One South & West |
| 23 | Corinthian-Casuals | 44 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 39 | 85 | −46 | 27 | Transferred toDivision One South |
| Player | Club | Goals[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Ruggles | Molesey | 28 |
| Richard Gillespie | Bashley | 22 |
| James Rose | Fleet Town / Kingstonian | |
| Shaun Welford | Ramsgate | 21 |
| Kevin Cooper | Metropolitan Police / Fleet Town | |
| Jamie Taylor | Horsham |
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 4 | Metropolitan Police | 0 | |||||||
| 5 | Dover Athletic | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Tonbridge Angels | 3 | |||||||
| 5 | Dover Athletic | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Tonbridge Angels | 2 | |||||||
| 6 | Tooting & Mitcham United | 0 | |||||||
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Ashford Town (Kent) | The Homelands |
| Banstead Athletic | Merland Rise |
| Bashley | Bashley Road |
| Burgess Hill Town | Leylands Park |
| Corinthian-Casuals | King George's Field |
| Cray Wanderers | Hayes Lane (groundshare with Bromley) |
| Croydon Athletic | Keith Tuckey Stadium |
| Dover Athletic | Crabble Athletic Ground |
| Dulwich Hamlet | Champion Hill |
| Fleet Town | Calthorpe Park |
| Hastings United | The Pilot Field |
| Horsham | Queen Street |
| Kingstonian | Kingsmeadow (groundshare with AFC Wimbledon) |
| Leatherhead | Fetcham Grove |
| Lymington & New Milton | Fawcetts Fields |
| Metropolitan Police | Imber Court |
| Molesey | Walton Road Stadium |
| Newport (IOW) | St Georges Park |
| Ramsgate | Southwood Stadium |
| Tonbridge Angels | Longmead Stadium |
| Tooting & Mitcham United | Imperial Fields |
| Walton Casuals | Waterside Stadium |
| Whyteleafe | Church Road |
| Season | 2005–06 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ware |
| Promoted | Brook House Flackwell Heath Ware Witham Town |
| Matches | 240 |
| Goals | 735 (3.06 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 29 goals – John Frendo (Ware) |
| Highest attendance | 416 –Ware –Hertford Town,(26 December) |
| Total attendance | 16,276 |
| Average attendance | 68 (-5.6% to previous season) |
The 2005–06 season was the last Isthmian League Division Two season. Division Two consisted of 16 clubs, including 13 clubs from theprevious season and three new clubs:
The four top clubs were promoted: Ware, Witham Town and Flackwell Heath moved to Division One North, while Brook House were transferred to the Southern League. Following this season, clubs remaining in the division were distributed between local ninth tier leagues. Clapton, who were one of the league founder members, were transferred to theEssex Senior League losing their place in the Isthmian League after 101 years.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ware | 30 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 77 | 36 | +41 | 61 | Promoted toDivision One North |
| 2 | Witham Town | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 61 | 30 | +31 | 58 | |
| 3 | Brook House | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 63 | 33 | +30 | 58 | Promoted toSFL Division One South & West |
| 4 | Flackwell Heath | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 54 | 49 | +5 | 52 | Promoted toDivision One North |
| 5 | Egham Town | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 39 | 36 | +3 | 50 | Transferred to theCombined Counties League |
| 6 | Chertsey Town | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 49 | |
| 7 | Edgware Town | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 44 | Transferred to theSpartan South Midlands League |
| 8 | Chalfont St Peter | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 50 | 53 | −3 | 41 | |
| 9 | Dorking | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 41 | Transferred to theCombined Counties League |
| 10 | Croydon | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 40 | Transferred to theKent League |
| 11 | Wembley | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 39 | Transferred to theCombined Counties League |
| 12 | Kingsbury Town | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 32 | 37 | −5 | 37 | Transferred to theSpartan South Midlands League |
| 13 | Hertford Town | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 31 | |
| 14 | Camberley Town | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 31 | 57 | −26 | 23 | Transferred to theCombined Counties League |
| 15 | Epsom & Ewell | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 32 | 64 | −32 | 21 | |
| 16 | Clapton | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 33 | 71 | −38 | 18[a] | Transferred to theEssex Senior League |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Brook House | Farm Park |
| Camberley Town | Kroomer Park |
| Chalfont St Peter | Mill Meadow |
| Chertsey Town | Alwyns Lane |
| Clapton | The Old Spotted Dog Ground |
| Croydon | Croydon Sports Arena |
| Dorking | Meadowbank Stadium |
| Edgware Town | White Lion |
| Egham Town | The Runnymede Stadium |
| Epsom & Ewell | Merland Rise (groundshare with Banstead Athletic) |
| Flackwell Heath | Wilks Park |
| Hertford Town | Hertingfordbury Park |
| Kingsbury Town | Avenue Park |
| Ware | Wodson Park |
| Wembley | Vale Farm |
| Witham Town | Spa Road |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Teams | 61 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Fisher Athletic |
| Runners-up | Billericay Town |
TheIsthmian League Cup 2005–06 was the 32nd season of theIsthmian League Cup, the league cup competition of theIsthmian League. Sixty-one clubs took part. The competition commenced on 6 September 2005 and finished on 12 April 2006.[5]
| Round | Dates | Matches | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 6 September | 19 | 61 → 42 |
| Second round | 11 October | 10 | 42 → 32 |
| Third round | 8 November | 16 | 32 → 16 |
| Fourth round | 20 December | 8 | 16 → 8 |
| Quarterfinals | February | 4 | 8 → 4 |
| Semifinals | March | 4 | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 12 April | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Fixtures are listed in alphabetical order, not that which they were drawn in.
In the First round, the thirty-eight lowest ranked clubs in the Isthmian League played each other for a place in the Second round.
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The nineteen clubs to have made it through the First round were entered into the Second round draw withCray Wanderers, making twenty teams.
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The ten clubs to have made it through the Second round were entered into the Third round draw with the twenty-two Premier Division clubs, making thirty-two teams.
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The Semifinals fixtures were played over two legs.
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| 12 April 2006 | Billericay Town (P) | 0–4 | Fisher Athletic (P) | New Recreation Ground,Grays |
Barr 13',57'Davis 30'Deen 69' | Attendance: 611 |
