2005-06 in English football

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The 2005-2006 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.

1 Overview
2 Events
3 National team
4 Honours
5 European qualification
6 League tables
- 6.1 FA Premier League
- 6.2 The Football League
7 Non-League football
8 Transfer deals
9 Deaths

[edit] Overview

The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether Wembley would be ready. The doubts were confirmed on 21 February 2006, when The FA announced that the final would indeed be held at Millennium Stadium. On 31 March 2006 The FA confirmed that the new Wembley would not be opened until 2007.

Two clubs opened new stadiums this season:

F.C. United of Manchester, formed by disgruntled Manchester United fans played their first competitive season, competing in the North West Counties Football League Division Two (level 10 of the English football league system), from which they gained promotion at the first time of asking.BBC.

Wigan Athletic, who earned promotion to the Premiership by finishing second in the Football League Championship, played their first ever season in the top division of English football and stayed up, staying clear from the threat of relegation all season.

[edit] Events

August 7 2005 - Chelsea claim the first silverware of the season when they beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to win the FA Community Shield.
September 7 2005 Northern Ireland national football team take a historic 1-0 over England national football team at Windsor Park, Belfast. Calls grow for Sven-Göran Eriksson's resignation after the defeat.
October 8 2005 - The England national team defeat Austria 1-0 at Old Trafford. Combined with the Netherlands' defeat of the Czech Republic the same night, this assures England automatic qualification for the 2006 World Cup, either as the top team in their qualifying group or one of the top two second-placed European teams.
October 12 2005 - England defeat Poland 2-1 at Old Trafford to finish top of their World Cup qualifying group.
October 17, 2005 - Middlesbrough defender Abel Xavier is banned from all football for failing a drugs test.
October 28, 2005 - Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott gives final approval for Brighton & Hove Albion to build Falmer Stadium, now scheduled to open in 2008.
October 29, 2005 - Manchester United become the first team to score 1000 goals since the start of the Premiership in 1992-93.
November 6, 2005 - Manchester United are the first team to beat Chelsea in 41 Premiership matches, with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, after a Darren Fletcher header.
November 18, 2005 - Roy Keane leaves Manchester United by mutual consent, ending his 12-year association with the club.
November 24, 2005 - Alain Perrin is sacked as manager of Portsmouth.
December 3, 2005 - Harry Redknapp walks out of Southampton after being refused permission to discuss terms with Portsmouth over returning as manager.
December 7, 2005 - Harry Redknapp is appointed manager of Portsmouth for the second time with a contract until the end of the season.
December 22, 2005 - George Burley is appointed Harry Redknapp's replacement at Southampton.
January 4, 2006 - Alexandre Gaydamak takes a 50% stake in Portsmouth alongside Milan Mandaric.
January 8, 2006 - Burton Albion of the Conference National hold Manchester United to a historic 0-0 draw in the FA Cup Third Round, earning a lucrative replay at Old Trafford on January 18, 2006 which they lose 5-0.
January 20, 2006 - The Premiership formally charges Portsmouth with "tapping up" Harry Redknapp.
January 23, 2006 - The FA announces that Sven-Göran Eriksson will leave his post as England national coach after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
January 25, 2006 - Craig Levein is sacked as manager of Leicester City.
January 30, 2006 - Phil Brown is sacked as manager of Derby County. Academy boss Terry Westley is appointed interim manager the next day, with player Paul Peschisolido acting as his assistant.
February 2, 2006 - Graeme Souness is sacked as manager of Newcastle United, and Glenn Roeder was made caretaker manager with Alan Shearer his assistant manager.
February 4, 2006 - Alan Shearer becomes Newcastle United's top goalscorer of all time, scoring his 201st goal for the club, against Portsmouth at St. James' Park, beating Jackie Milburn's 200 goal tally which had stood for 49 years.
February 11, 2006 - Middlesbrough comfortably defeat reigning premiership champions Chelsea 3-0 at the Riverside Stadium - the first time ever José Mourinho's Chelsea have lost by more than a single goal.
February 21, 2006 - The FA announce that the 2006 FA Cup final, set for May 13, will be held at Millennium Stadium, as the builders of the new Wembley Stadium are unable to assure that it will be ready for the match. They also announce that the national team's pre-World Cup friendlies originally scheduled for Wembley will instead be held at Old Trafford.
February 21, 2006 - A Football League Under-21 team, composed of players from the Football League's three divisions, beats a Lega Nazionale Professionisti Under 21 team, composed of players from Serie B, 1-0 at the KC Stadium.
February 26, 2006 - Manchester United defeat Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the Millennium Stadium to win the Carling Cup.
March 6, 2006 - Mick McCarthy is sacked as manager of Sunderland after his team accumulated just 10 points in 28 matches, with Kevin Ball made caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.
March 25, 2006 - Reading became the first side to be promoted to the 2006-07 FA Premier League campaign after drawing 1-1 at Leicester. It will be The Royals' first ever season in England's top flight.
April 1, 2006 - Reading win The Football League after the combination of Reading defeating Derby County and Sheffield United being held to a draw means that Reading can not be overtaken.
April 14, 2006 - Sunderland were relegated from the Premiership after a 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. This is the first relegation in the league.
April 15, 2006 - Sheffield United became the second side to secure promotion to the Premiership after they beat Cardiff City while Watford and Leeds United only drew with Wolves and champions Reading respectively.
April 15, 2006 - Accrington Stanley regained their Football League status 44 years after the previous club of the same name lost it due to bankruptcy, after they beat Woking to win the Conference title.
April 17, 2006 - Sheffield Wednesday's 2-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion ensured that the trio of Brighton, Crewe Alexandra and Millwall are all relegated from the Championship.
April 17, 2006 - Alan Shearer plays his last competitive match against, rather fittingly, Sunderland, after a Julio Arca tackle tore his medial collateral ligament.
April 20, 2006 - Altrincham of the Conference had 18 points deducted for fielding an ineligible player thirteen times. This points deduction relegates the club to the Conference North.
April 22, 2006 - Carlisle United secured promotion to League One after a 1-1 draw at Mansfield while Leyton Orient were also held to a draw by the same scoreline at Lincoln City.
April 22, 2006 - Walsall were relegated to League Two after losing 1-3 at home to Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United drew with Scunthorpe United.
April 29, 2006 - Chelsea successfully retained their Premiership title after they beat Manchester United 3-0.
April 29, 2006 - West Bromwich Albion are relegated from the Premiership after Portsmouth won 2-1 away at Wigan Athletic. Birmingham City are also relegated after Portsmouth's victory combined with their 0-0 draw with Newcastle United.
April 29, 2006 - Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley announces that he will resign at the end of the season, ending a 15-year long tenure as manager at The Valley.
April 29, 2006 - Southend United secured promotion from League One after they drew 2-2 at Swansea City while Brentford also drew against Hartlepool United. Also in League One, Swindon Town are relegated to League Two after they could only draw 1-1 against Bristol City.
April 29, 2006 - Northampton Town secured promotion from League Two after beating Chester City 1-0. Rushden & Diamonds were relegated to the Conference when they lost 2-0 away to Boston United and other results went against them.
April 30, 2006 - Reading broke Sunderland's record for most points in any professional English league, beating Queens Park Rangers 2-1 to finish on 106 points.
May 4, 2006 - Current Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren signs a four-year contract agreeing to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson as England head coach after the World Cup. The contract begins on August 1.
May 6, 2006 - Southend United, after defeating Bristol City, become League One champions, while Colchester United secure the second automatic place to The Championship, they will play in the top two tiers in English football for the first time in their history after their promotion. Hartlepool United and Milton Keynes Dons are relegated to League Two.
May 6, 2006 - Oxford United lose their league status after 44 years following a 3-2 defeat by Leyton Orient, who are promoted to League One.
May 7, 2006 - Sunderland finish the season on 15 points, the lowest points total ever in top flight English football since 3 points for a win was introduced in the 1981-82 season.
May 9, 2006 - Roy Keane's testimonial is played at Old Trafford, with Manchester United beating Celtic 1-0 thanks to a second half Cristiano Ronaldo goal.
May 10, 2006 - Middlesbrough lose the UEFA Cup final 4-0 to Sevilla in Steve McClaren's last game in charge at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven.
May 11, 2006 - Alan Shearer's testimonial is played at St James' Park, with a Newcastle XI beating Celtic 3-2, with Shearer scoring the winning penalty.
- Joe Royle leaves Ipswich "by mutual consent"
May 13, 2006 - Liverpool won the 125th FA Cup final beating West Ham 3-1 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time.
May 16, 2006 - Lincoln City became the first team to lose four consecutive play-off competitions following a 3-1 aggregate defeat to neighbours Grimsby Town in the League Two semi-finals.
May 17, 2006 - Arsenal lost in the UEFA Champions League final to Barcelona 2-1 in the Stade de France. Jens Lehmann was sent off controversially after fouling Samuel Eto'o and Ludovic Giuly put the ball into the back off the net.
May 20, 2006 - Hereford United gain promotion to League Two via the playoffs, after beating Halifax Town 3-2 after extra time.
May 21, 2006 - Watford gain promotion to the FA Premier League after defeating Leeds 3-0 in the Championship play-off final.
May 27, 2006 - Barnsley win promotion to the Championship after overcoming Swansea City in the League One play-off final. They won 4-3 on penalties after both sides remained level at 2-2 after extra time.
May 28, 2006 - Cheltenham Town wins promotion to the League One by defeating Grimsby Town 1-0 in the League Two play-off final.
June 2, 2006 - Billy Davies leaves Preston North End to become manager of Derby County.
June 4, 2006 - Scarborough are relegated from the Nationwide Conference for a breach of league rules. They take Altrincham's relegation place.

[edit] National team

England qualified for the Football World Cup 2006, after finishing top of European Qualifying Group 6.

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score¹	Competition	England scorers	Match Report
August 17, 2005	Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (A)	Image:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark	1-4	F	Wayne Rooney	BBC
September 3, 2005	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (A)	Image:Flag of Wales (bordered).svg Wales	1-0	WCQ	Joe Cole	BBC
September 7, 2005	Windsor Park, Belfast (A)	Image:Flag of Northern Ireland (bordered).svg Northern Ireland	0-1	WCQ		BBC
October 8, 2005	Old Trafford, Manchester (H)	Image:Flag of Austria.svg Austria	1-0	WCQ	Frank Lampard (pen)	BBC
October 12, 2005	Old Trafford, Manchester (H)	Image:Flag of Poland (bordered).svg Poland	2-1	WCQ	Michael Owen, Frank Lampard	BBC
November 12, 2005	Stade de Genève, Geneva (N)	Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina	3-2	F	Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen (2)	BBC
March 1, 2006	Anfield, Liverpool (H)	Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay	2-1	F	Peter Crouch, Joe Cole	BBC
May 25, 2006	Madejski Stadium, Reading (H)	Image:Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus	1-2	F ('B' team)	Jermaine Jenas	BBC
May 30, 2006	Old Trafford, Manchester (H)	Image:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary	3-1	F	Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Peter Crouch	BBC
June 3, 2006	Old Trafford, Manchester (H)	Image:Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica	6-0	F	Frank Lampard, Jermaine Taylor (o.g.), Michael Owen, Peter Crouch (3)	BBC
June 10, 2006	FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt, Frankfurt (N)	Image:Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay	1-0	WCF	Carlos Gamarra (o.g.)	BBC
June 15, 2006	Frankenstadion, Nuremberg (N)	Image:Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad & Tobago	2-0	WCF	Peter Crouch, Steven Gerrard	BBC
June 20, 2006	FIFA WM Stadion Köln, Cologne (N)	Image:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden	2-2	WCF	Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard	BBC
June 25, 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart (N)	Image:Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador	1-0	WCF	David Beckham	BBC
July 1, 2006	Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen (N)	Image:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal	0-0 (FT), 0-0 (aet), 1-3 (P)	WCF		BBC

England score given first

Key

H = Home match
A = Away match
N = Neutral site match
F = Friendly
WCQ = FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualifying, European Zone Group 6
WCF = FIFA World Cup 2006 Finals

[edit] Honours

Competition	Winner	Details	Match Report
UEFA Super Cup	Liverpool	Beat CSKA Moscow 3-1	UEFA
FA Premier League	Chelsea	FA Premier League 2005-06	BBC
FA Cup	Liverpool	FA Cup 2005-06	BBC
Carling Cup	Manchester United	Beat Wigan 4-0	BBC
Football League Championship	Reading	Finished on record 106 points	BBC
Football League One	Southend United	Consecutive Promotions	BBC
Football League Two	Carlisle United	Consecutive Promotions	BBC
FA Community Shield	Chelsea	Beat Arsenal 2-1	BBC

[edit] European qualification

Competition	Qualifiers	Reason for Qualification
UEFA Champions League	Chelsea	1st in FA Premier League
UEFA Champions League	Manchester United	2nd in FA Premier League
UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round	Liverpool	3rd in FA Premier League
UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round	Arsenal	4th in FA Premier League
UEFA Cup	Tottenham Hotspur	5th in FA Premier League
	West Ham United	In lieu of FA Cup winners (qualification awarded as FA Cup runners-up because FA Cup winners Liverpool had already qualified for the Champions League)
	Blackburn Rovers	In lieu of League Cup winners (qualification awarded as next-highest (6th) Premier League finishers to have not qualified for Europe because League Cup winners Manchester United had already qualified for the Champions League)
UEFA Intertoto Cup Third Round	Newcastle United	Highest Premier League finishers (7th) to have entered and not qualified for any other European competition

[edit] League tables

[edit] FA Premier League

Main article: FA Premier League 2005-06

Chelsea won the Premiership title by an 8-point margin after fighting off a late challenge by runners-up Manchester United. The other four European places went to Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers.

Middlesbrough dipped seven places to 14th place in the final table, but did reach the UEFA Cup final - the first European final in their history. Also dipping seven places were Manchester City, who finished 15th, while Aston Villa slipped six places to 16th.

Sunderland were relegated with a Premiership record low of 3 wins and 15 points, while West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City both hit the 30-point mark but were unable to avoid relegation. Portsmouth were the other team who spent the season battling relegation but they stayed up.

			P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	1	Chelsea	38	29	4	5	72	22	+50	91
	2	Manchester United	38	25	8	5	72	34	+38	83
	3	Liverpool	38	25	7	6	57	25	+32	82
	4	Arsenal	38	20	7	11	68	31	+37	67
	5	Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	11	9	53	38	+15	65
	6	Blackburn Rovers	38	19	6	13	51	42	+9	63
	7	Newcastle United	38	17	7	14	47	42	+5	58
	8	Bolton Wanderers	38	15	11	12	49	41	+8	56
	9	West Ham United	38	16	7	15	52	55	-3	55
	10	Wigan Athletic	38	15	6	17	45	52	-7	51
	11	Everton	38	14	8	16	34	49	-15	50
	12	Fulham	38	14	6	17	48	58	-10	48
	13	Charlton Athletic	38	13	8	17	41	55	-14	47
	14	Middlesbrough	38	12	9	17	48	58	-10	45
	15	Manchester City	38	13	4	21	43	48	-5	43
	16	Aston Villa	38	10	12	16	42	55	-13	42
	17	Portsmouth	38	10	8	20	37	62	-25	38
R	18	Birmingham City	38	8	10	20	28	50	-22	34
R	19	West Bromwich Albion	38	7	9	22	31	58	-27	30
R	20	Sunderland	38	3	6	29	26	69	-43	15

[edit] The Football League

[edit] Football League Championship

Reading entered the top flight for the first time in their history, breaking Sunderland's points record in the process. (Co-incidentally, Sunderland were relegated from the Premiership while breaking the record for lowest number of points under the current scoring system). Sheffield United joined them, returning to the Premiership after twelve years. Surprise package Watford, initially tipped for relegation, entered the play-offs and beat Leeds United, who were unable to shake off an bad run of form (worse than any of the three relegated sides) that saw them loose out in the race for automatic promotion.

Crystal Palace fared the best out of the Premiership teams relegated the previous season, by getting to the play-offs but losing in the semi finals. Norwich never managed better than mid-table, while Southampton endured an awful season that saw Sir Clive Woodward take up a much-criticised role as director of football, manager Harry Redknapp return to local rivals Portsmouth and the side looking in danger of relegation for much of the season, only managing a mid-table finish with a late surge in form, thanks to the appointment of George Burley. Chairman Rupert Lowe ultimately paid the price by being forced to resign after the end of the season.

The relegation battle was principally fought by four sides, Crewe, Brighton, Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday ultimately won the battle, and the remaining three were relegated. While Crewe and Brighton hadn't spent long in the division and were considered to be punching above their weight, Millwall underwent a disastrous season, getting through five managers and four chairmen before relegation.

			P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	1	Reading	46	31	13	2	99	32	+67	106
P	2	Sheffield United	46	26	12	8	76	46	+30	90
P	3	Watford	46	22	15	9	77	53	+24	81
	4	Preston North End	46	20	20	6	59	30	+29	80
	5	Leeds United	46	21	15	10	57	38	+19	78
	6	Crystal Palace	46	21	12	13	67	48	+19	75
	7	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	16	19	11	50	42	+8	67
	8	Coventry City	46	16	15	15	62	65	-3	63
	9	Norwich City	46	18	8	20	56	65	-9	62
	10	Luton Town	46	17	10	19	66	67	-1	61
	11	Cardiff City	46	16	12	18	58	59	-1	60
	12	Southampton	46	13	19	14	49	50	-1	58
	13	Stoke City	46	17	7	22	54	63	-9	58
	14	Plymouth Argyle	46	13	17	16	39	46	-7	56
	15	Ipswich Town	46	14	14	18	53	66	-13	56
	16	Leicester City	46	13	15	18	51	59	-8	54
	17	Burnley	46	14	12	20	46	54	-8	54
	18	Sheffield Wednesday	46	13	13	20	39	52	-13	52
	19	Hull City	46	12	16	18	49	55	-6	51
	20	Derby County	46	10	20	16	53	67	-14	50
	21	Queens Park Rangers	46	12	14	20	50	65	-15	50
R	22	Crewe Alexandra	46	9	15	22	57	86	-29	42
R	23	Millwall	46	8	16	22	35	62	-27	40
R	24	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	7	17	22	39	71	-32	38

[edit] Football League One

Southend surprised many by winning a second successive promotion, returning to the Championship after nearly a decade (when it was called Division One). Colchester also made the Championship for the first time in their history, but their promotion was tempered by the loss of manager Phil Parkinson to Hull City. A highly competitive play-off race ultimately saw Barnsley emerge as winners, beating Swansea to return to the Championship after three seasons of struggle in Division Two/League One.

At the bottom, Walsall endured their second relegation in three seasons, Swindon became the first former Premiership side to slip to the bottom division (MK Dons were relegated a few weeks later, and it's debatable whether they can be considered a "former Premiership" team), Hartlepool crashed out of the division the season after they nearly earned promotion to the Championship, while MK Dons suffered the relegation they only avoided the previous season when Wrexham were docked points for entering administration.

			P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
P	1	Southend United	46	23	13	10	72	43	+29	82
P	2	Colchester United	46	22	13	11	58	40	+18	79
	3	Brentford	46	20	16	10	72	52	+20	76
	4	Huddersfield Town	46	19	16	11	72	59	+13	73
P	5	Barnsley	46	18	18	10	62	44	+18	72
	6	Swansea City	46	18	17	11	78	55	+23	71
	7	Nottingham Forest	46	19	12	15	67	52	+15	69
	8	Doncaster Rovers	46	20	9	17	55	51	+4	69
	9	Bristol City	46	18	11	17	66	62	+4	65
	10	Oldham Athletic	46	18	11	17	58	60	-2	65
	11	Bradford City	46	14	19	13	51	49	+2	60
	12	Scunthorpe United	46	15	15	16	68	73	-5	60
	13	Port Vale	46	16	12	18	49	54	-5	60
	14	Gillingham	46	16	12	18	50	64	-14	60
	15	Yeovil Town	46	15	11	20	54	62	-8	56
	16	Chesterfield	46	14	14	18	63	73	-10	56
	17	Bournemouth	46	12	19	15	49	53	-4	55
	18	Tranmere Rovers	46	13	15	18	50	52	-2	54
	19	Blackpool	46	12	17	17	56	64	-8	53
	20	Rotherham United	46	12	16	18	52	62	-10	52
R	21	Hartlepool United	46	11	17	18	44	59	-15	50
R	22	Milton Keynes Dons	46	12	14	20	45	66	-21	50
R	23	Swindon Town	46	11	15	20	46	65	-19	48
R	24	Walsall	46	11	14	21	47	70	-23	47

[edit] Football League Two

Carlisle were another side who earned a second successive promotion, only two years after a relegation from the League that some predicted would see the end of the club. Northampton joined them, making up for two seasons of play-off disappointment, and Leyton Orient ended a decade in the bottom division by earning promotion on nearly the last minute of the season. The side that they beat out, Grimsby, ultimately lost to Cheltenham in the play-off final.

Rushden and Diamonds failed to improve on the previous season, and paid the price with relegation to the Conference. Oxford United joined them, despite the return of manager Jim Smith, and became the first former winners of a major trophy to be relegated to the Conference.

			P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
P	1	Carlisle United	46	25	11	10	84	42	+42	86
P	2	Northampton Town	46	22	17	7	63	37	+26	83
P	3	Leyton Orient	46	22	15	9	67	51	+16	81
	4	Grimsby Town	46	22	12	12	64	44	+20	78
P	5	Cheltenham Town	46	19	15	12	65	53	+12	72
	6	Wycombe Wanderers	46	18	17	11	72	56	+16	71
	7	Lincoln City	46	15	21	10	65	53	+12	66
	8	Darlington	46	16	15	15	58	52	+6	63
	9	Peterborough United	46	17	11	18	57	49	+8	62
	10	Shrewsbury Town	46	16	13	17	55	55	+0	61
	11	Boston United	46	15	16	15	50	60	-10	61
	12	Bristol Rovers	46	17	9	20	59	67	-8	60
	13	Wrexham	46	15	14	17	61	54	+7	59
	14	Rochdale	46	14	14	18	66	69	-3	56
	15	Chester City	46	14	12	20	53	59	-6	54
	16	Mansfield Town	46	13	15	18	59	66	-7	54
	17	Macclesfield Town	46	12	18	16	60	71	-11	54
	18	Barnet	46	12	18	16	44	57	-13	54
	19	Bury*	46	12	17	17	45	57	-12	52
	20	Torquay United	46	13	13	20	53	66	-13	52
	21	Notts County	46	12	16	18	48	63	-15	52
	22	Stockport County	46	11	19	16	57	78	-21	52
R	23	Oxford United	46	11	16	19	43	56	-14	49
R	24	Rushden & Diamonds	46	11	12	23	44	76	-32	45

* Deducted 1 point for fielding an ineligible player

[edit] Non-League football

Competition	Winners
FA Trophy	Grays Athletic
FA Vase	Didcot Town
Football Conference - National Division	Accrington Stanley
Football Conference - Northern Division	Northwich Victoria
Football Conference - Southern Division	Weymouth