The2003–04 season was the 89th season 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 for the Isthmian League as a feeder for the Conference Premier. At the end of the season, the Premier Division was replaced as alevel 6 league (along with theNorthern Premier League Premier Division andSouthern Football League Premier Division) by the newly formedConference North andConference South. The Premier Division lost more than half its clubs to newly formed divisions, and the two regional divisions had a number of their clubs promoted to the Premier Division to replace them. Thus, the Isthmian League divisions downgraded to 7-9 levels.
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Canvey Island |
| Promoted | Canvey Island |
| Matches | 552 |
| Goals | 1,533 (2.78 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 42 goals –Lee Boylan (Canvey Island) |
| Highest attendance | 1,260 –Kettering Town –Bedford Town,(12 April) |
| Total attendance | 203,453 |
| Average attendance | 369 (-14.6% to previous season) |
2004–05 → | |
The Premier Division consisted of 24 clubs, including 19 clubs from theprevious season and five new clubs:
Canvey Island won the division and were promoted to the Conference National. Clubs finished higher than 14th position were to transfer to the newly created Conference North and South divisions and clubs finished higher than 21st position plus winners of Division One were to participate in the play-offs for a two final spots in Conference North/South. After play-offs was held Hendon decided not to take up their option to join the Conference, their place was taken by Basingstoke Town. At the end of the season Ford United were renamedRedbridge.
There were no relegation from the Premier Division this season, though, due to league reform, clubs remained in the division downgraded from sixth tier to seventh.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canvey Island | 46 | 32 | 8 | 6 | 106 | 42 | +64 | 104 | Promoted to theConference National |
| 2 | Sutton United | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 94 | 56 | +38 | 85 | Qualified for theConference South |
| 3 | Thurrock | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 87 | 45 | +42 | 83 | |
| 4 | Hendon | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 83 | Declined transfer to the Conference South |
| 5 | Hornchurch | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 63 | 35 | +28 | 82[a] | Qualified for theConference South |
| 6 | Grays Athletic | 46 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 82 | 39 | +43 | 81 | |
| 7 | Carshalton Athletic | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 66 | 55 | +11 | 81 | |
| 8 | Hayes | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 56 | 46 | +10 | 74 | |
| 9 | Kettering Town | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 71 | Qualified for theConference North |
| 10 | Bognor Regis Town | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 70 | Qualified for theConference South |
| 11 | Bishop's Stortford | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 78 | 61 | +17 | 69 | |
| 12 | Maidenhead United | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 60 | 68 | −8 | 63 | |
| 13 | Ford United | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 69 | 63 | +6 | 62 | |
| 14 | Basingstoke Town | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 58 | 64 | −6 | 60 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then qualified to theConference South |
| 15 | Bedford Town | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 62 | 63 | −1 | 55 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then transferred to theSouthern Football League |
| 16 | Heybridge Swifts | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 57 | 78 | −21 | 53 | Qualified for theplay-offs |
| 17 | Harrow Borough | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 50 | |
| 18 | Kingstonian | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 40 | 56 | −16 | 49 | |
| 19 | St Albans City | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 55 | 83 | −28 | 48 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then qualified to theConference South |
| 20 | Hitchin Town | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 55 | 89 | −34 | 47 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then transferred to theSouthern Football League |
| 21 | Northwood | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 65 | 95 | −30 | 45 | |
| 22 | Billericay Town | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 51 | 66 | −15 | 44 | |
| 23 | Braintree Town | 46 | 11 | 6 | 29 | 41 | 88 | −47 | 39 | |
| 24 | Aylesbury United | 46 | 5 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 101 | −60 | 29 | Transferred to theSouthern Football League |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Aylesbury United | Buckingham Road |
| Basingstoke Town | The Camrose |
| Bedford Town | The Eyrie |
| Billericay Town | New Lodge |
| Bishop's Stortford | Woodside Park |
| Bognor Regis Town | Nyewood Lane |
| Braintree Town | Cressing Road |
| Canvey Island | Brockwell Stadium |
| Carshalton Athletic | War Memorial Sports Ground |
| Ford United | Oakside |
| Grays Athletic | New Recreation Ground |
| Harrow Borough | Earlsmead Stadium |
| Hayes | Church Road |
| Hendon | Claremont Road |
| Heybridge Swifts | Scraley Road |
| Hitchin Town | Top Field |
| Hornchurch | Hornchurch Stadium |
| Kettering Town | Rockingham Road |
| Kingstonian | Kingsmeadow (groundshare with AFC Wimbledon) |
| Maidenhead United | York Road |
| Northwood | Chestnut Avenue |
| St Albans City | Clarence Park |
| Sutton United | Gander Green Lane |
| Thurrock | Ship Lane |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 15°PD | Bedford Town | 3 | |||||||
| 20°PD | Hitchin Town | 1 | |||||||
| 15°PD | Bedford Town | 4 | |||||||
| 19°PD | St Albans City | 5 | |||||||
| 16°PD | Heybridge Swifts | 3 | |||||||
| 19°PD | St Albans City | 4 | |||||||
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| 17°PD | Harrow Borough | 0(2) | ||||||||||||
| 18°PD | Kingstonian | 0(4) | ||||||||||||
| 1°Div1S | Lewes | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 18°PD | Kingstonian | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 14°PD | Basingstoke Town | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1°Div1S | Lewes | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1°Div1N | Yeading | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1°Div1S | Lewes | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Final | ||||
| 7°Div1S | Dulwich Hamlet | 2(4) | ||
| 7°Div1N | Wealdstone | 2(5) | ||
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Yeading |
| Relegated | Enfield |
| Matches | 552 |
| Goals | 1,745 (3.16 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 33 goals –DJ Campbell (Yeading) |
| Highest attendance | 408 –Wealdstone –Hemel Hempstead Town,(24 April) |
| Total attendance | 69,362 |
| Average attendance | 126 (-11.9% to previous season) |
2004–05 → | |
Division One North consisted of 24 clubs, including 18 clubs from theprevious season, and six new clubs:
Before the start of the seasonLeyton Pennant was renamed Waltham Forest.
Yeading won the division, but lost in the play-offs for a place in the newly created Conference North and South and were placed in the Premier Division along with Leyton and Cheshunt. Chesham United, Dunstable Town and Hemel Hempstead Town were transferred to the Southern Football League Premier Division. They were followed by Wealdstone, who defeated Dulwich Hamlet from Division One South. Enfield finished bottom of the table and relegated to Division Two, going down from sixth to ninth tier in two years due to league system reform.
At the end of the season divisions One were merged, all the remaining Division One North clubs were transferred to the Southern Football League Division Ones.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yeading | 46 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 112 | 54 | +58 | 103 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to thePremier Division |
| 2 | Leyton | 46 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 90 | 53 | +37 | 96 | Promoted to thePremier Division |
| 3 | Cheshunt | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 119 | 54 | +65 | 91 | |
| 4 | Chesham United | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 104 | 60 | +44 | 81 | Promoted to theSouthern League Premier Division |
| 5 | Dunstable Town | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 86 | 61 | +25 | 78 | |
| 6 | Hemel Hempstead Town | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 75 | 72 | +3 | 78 | |
| 7 | Wealdstone | 46 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 81 | 51 | +30 | 76 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to thePremier Division |
| 8 | Arlesey Town | 46 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 95 | 70 | +25 | 76 | Transferred to theSouthern League Eastern Division |
| 9 | Boreham Wood | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 82 | 59 | +23 | 73 | |
| 10 | Harlow Town | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 75 | 51 | +24 | 70 | |
| 11 | Wingate & Finchley | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 70 | |
| 12 | East Thurrock United | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 68 | |
| 13 | Uxbridge | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 59 | 57 | +2 | 59 | |
| 14 | Aveley | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 67 | 71 | −4 | 59 | |
| 15 | Thame United | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 72 | 83 | −11 | 57 | Transferred to theSouthern League Western Division |
| 16 | Waltham Forest | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 62 | 60 | +2 | 55[a] | Transferred to theSouthern League Eastern Division |
| 17 | Wivenhoe Town | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 79 | 104 | −25 | 55 | |
| 18 | Barton Rovers | 46 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 52 | 80 | −28 | 54 | |
| 19 | Oxford City | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 55 | 65 | −10 | 53 | Transferred to theSouthern League Western Division |
| 20 | Berkhamsted Town | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 66 | 88 | −22 | 46 | Transferred to theSouthern League Eastern Division |
| 21 | Great Wakering Rovers | 46 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 47 | 97 | −50 | 43 | |
| 22 | Tilbury | 46 | 10 | 9 | 27 | 56 | 100 | −44 | 39 | |
| 23 | Barking & East Ham United | 46 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 37 | 100 | −63 | 31 | |
| 24 | Enfield | 46 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 44 | 138 | −94 | 22 | Relegated toDivision Two |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Arlesey Town | Hitchin Road |
| Aveley | The Mill Field |
| Barking & East Ham United | Mayesbrook Park |
| Barton Rovers | Sharpenhoe Road |
| Berkhamsted Town | Broadwater |
| Boreham Wood | Meadow Park |
| Chesham United | The Meadow |
| Cheshunt | Cheshunt Stadium |
| Dunstable Town | Creasey Park |
| East Thurrock United | Rookery Hill |
| Enfield | Meadow Park (groundshare with Boreham Wood) |
| Great Wakering Rovers | Burroughs Park |
| Harlow Town | Harlow Sportcentre |
| Hemel Hempstead Town | Vauxhall Road |
| Leyton | Leyton Stadium |
| Oxford City | Marsh Lane |
| Thame United | Windmill Road |
| Tilbury | Chadfields |
| Uxbridge | Honeycroft |
| Waltham Forest | Wadham Lodge |
| Wealdstone | White Lion (groundshare with Edgware Town) |
| Wingate & Finchley | The Harry Abrahams Stadium |
| Wivenhoe Town | Broad Lane |
| Yeading | The Warren |
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Lewes |
| Promoted | Lewes |
| Relegated | Epsom & Ewell |
| Matches | 552 |
| Goals | 1,709 (3.1 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 34 goals – Ian Hodges (Slough Town) |
| Highest attendance | 932 –Lewes –Worthing,(12 April) |
| Total attendance | 102,861 |
| Average attendance | 186 (+0.0% to previous season) |
2004–05 → | |
Division One South consisted of 24 clubs, including 21 clubs from theprevious season, and three new clubs:
Lewes won the division and subsequent play-offs and were promoted to the Conference South. Clubs finished second to sixth were transferred to the Premier Division. Epsom & Ewell finished bottom of the table and were relegated, remaining clubs were to start next season in the merged Isthmian League Division One, going down with it from seventh to ninth level due to creation of Conference North/South.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewes | 46 | 29 | 7 | 10 | 113 | 61 | +52 | 94 | Qualified for theplay-offs, then promoted to theConference South |
| 2 | Worthing | 46 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 87 | 46 | +41 | 92 | Promoted to thePremier Division |
| 3 | Windsor & Eton | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 75 | 39 | +36 | 91 | |
| 4 | Slough Town | 46 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 103 | 63 | +40 | 90 | |
| 5 | Hampton & Richmond | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 82 | 45 | +37 | 89 | |
| 6 | Staines Town | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 85 | 52 | +33 | 87 | |
| 7 | Dulwich Hamlet | 46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 77 | 57 | +20 | 84 | Qualified for theplay-offs |
| 8 | Bromley | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 80 | 58 | +22 | 76 | |
| 9 | Walton & Hersham | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 76 | 55 | +21 | 74 | |
| 10 | Croydon Athletic | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 70 | 54 | +16 | 70 | |
| 11 | Tooting & Mitcham United | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 82 | 68 | +14 | 69 | |
| 12 | Ashford Town (Middlesex) | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 69 | 62 | +7 | 67 | Transferred to theSouthern League Western Division |
| 13 | Leatherhead | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 83 | 88 | −5 | 66 | |
| 14 | Bracknell Town | 46 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 81 | 87 | −6 | 63 | Transferred to theSouthern League Western Division |
| 15 | Horsham | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 71 | 69 | +2 | 59 | |
| 16 | Marlow | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 50 | 64 | −14 | 59 | Transferred to theSouthern League Western Division |
| 17 | Whyteleafe | 46 | 17 | 4 | 25 | 66 | 93 | −27 | 55 | |
| 18 | Banstead Athletic | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 53 | |
| 19 | Molesey | 46 | 12 | 6 | 28 | 45 | 84 | −39 | 42 | |
| 20 | Metropolitan Police | 46 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 58 | 84 | −26 | 41 | |
| 21 | Croydon | 46 | 10 | 10 | 26 | 57 | 88 | −31 | 40 | |
| 22 | Egham Town | 46 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 55 | 92 | −37 | 32 | Transferred to theSouthern League Western Division |
| 23 | Corinthian-Casuals | 46 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 48 | 110 | −62 | 24 | |
| 24 | Epsom & Ewell | 46 | 5 | 8 | 33 | 40 | 117 | −77 | 23 | Relegated toDivision Two |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Ashford Town (Middlesex) | Short Lane |
| Banstead Athletic | Merland Rise |
| Bracknell Town | Larges Lane |
| Bromley | Hayes Lane |
| Corinthian-Casuals | King George's Field |
| Croydon | Croydon Sports Arena |
| Croydon Athletic | Keith Tuckey Stadium |
| Dulwich Hamlet | Champion Hill |
| Egham Town | The Runnymede Stadium |
| Epsom & Ewell | Merland Rise (groundshare with Banstead Athletic) |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | Beveree Stadium |
| Horsham | Queen Street |
| Leatherhead | Fetcham Grove |
| Lewes | The Dripping Pan |
| Marlow | Alfred Davis Memorial Ground |
| Metropolitan Police | Imber Court |
| Molesey | Walton Road Stadium |
| Slough Town | Stag Meadow (groundshare with Windsor & Eton) |
| Staines Town | Wheatsheaf Park |
| Tooting & Mitcham United | Imperial Fields |
| Walton & Hersham | The Sports Ground |
| Whyteleafe | Church Road |
| Windsor & Eton | Stag Meadow |
| Worthing | Woodside Road |
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Leighton Town |
| Matches | 315 |
| Goals | 1,021 (3.24 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 29 goals – John Frendo (Ware) and Matt Rawdon (Leighton Town) |
| Highest attendance | 394 –Dorking –Hertford Town,(12 April) |
| Total attendance | 23,880 |
| Average attendance | 76 (+1.3% to previous season) |
2004–05 → | |
AfterHungerford Town resigned from the league, Division Two consisted of 15 clubs, including 12 clubs from theprevious season, and three new clubs:
Leighton Town won the division and were transferred to Southern Football League Division One, while runners-up Dorking were transferred to the merged Isthmian League Division One. At the end of the season Wokingham Town merged into Emmbrook Sports (9°Reading League Premier Division) to create new clubWokingham & Emmbrook F.C., who joinedHellenic League Division One East.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leighton Town | 42 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 111 | 36 | +75 | 91 | Promoted to theSouthern League Eastern Division |
| 2 | Dorking | 42 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 87 | 47 | +40 | 89 | Promoted toDivision One |
| 3 | Hertford Town | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 74 | 35 | +39 | 81 | |
| 4 | Chertsey Town | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 75 | |
| 5 | Flackwell Heath | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 71 | 53 | +18 | 71 | |
| 6 | Witham Town | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 75 | 54 | +21 | 70 | |
| 7 | Kingsbury Town | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 60 | 64 | −4 | 53 | |
| 8 | Ware | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 67 | 60 | +7 | 52 | |
| 9 | Abingdon Town | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 83 | 81 | +2 | 51 | |
| 10 | Camberley Town | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 51 | 71 | −20 | 51 | |
| 11 | Wembley | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 46 | 67 | −21 | 48 | |
| 12 | Wokingham Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 55 | 94 | −39 | 43 | Merged intoEmmbrook Sports to formWokingham & Emmbrook F.C. inHellenic League Division One East |
| 13 | Edgware Town | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 62 | 88 | −26 | 42 | |
| 14 | Chalfont St Peter | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 57 | 89 | −32 | 42 | |
| 15 | Clapton | 42 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 47 | 129 | −82 | 29 |
| Club | Stadium |
|---|---|
| Abingdon Town | Culham Road |
| Camberley Town | Krooner Park |
| Chalfont St Peter | Mill Meadow |
| Chertsey Town | Alwyns Lane |
| Clapton | The Old Spotted Dog Ground |
| Dorking | Meadowbank Stadium |
| Edgware Town | White Lion |
| Flackwell Heath | Wilks Park |
| Hertford Town | Hertingfordbury Park |
| Kingsbury Town | Avenue Park |
| Leighton Town | Bell Close |
| Ware | Wodson Park |
| Wembley | Vale Farm |
| Witham Town | Spa Road |
| Wokingham Town | Cantley Park |
