2020–21 Western Football League
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| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
The 2020–21 Western Football League season (known as the 2020–21 Toolstation Western Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 119th in the history of the Western Football League, a football competition in England. Teams were divided into two divisions; the Premier and the First.
The constitution was announced on 21 July 2020.[1]
After the abandonment of the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[2] the league's constitution remained unchanged, with the planned structural changes being put back to this season.
This season, the Premier Division champions were to be promoted to Step 4. The runners-up in this division and ten other Step 5 divisions in other leagues would be ranked according to PPG (points per game), and the top four in that ranking would also be promoted. The remaining seven runners-up were to compete in "winner takes all" play-offs with seven clubs finishing bottom in Step 4 leagues, the winners being placed at Step 4 and the losers at Step 5 for 2021–22.[3]
The bottom clubs in all 14 Step 5 divisions were to be ranked according to PPG, with the 12 lowest-ranked clubs relegated to Step 6.
In Division One, the top four clubs were to be promoted to Step 5, with the bottom two liable to relegation to Step 7.
Suspension and curtailment[edit]
Fixtures were temporarily suspended on 30 December 2020, again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but were suspended until further notice on 14 January 2021.[4] The FA curtailed the season on 24 February, with no further league fixtures to be played.[5]
Premier Division[edit]
The Premier Division remained unchanged, with 21 clubs.
League table at time of curtailment[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth Parkway | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 10 | +40 | 35 | Promotion to the Southern League[a] |
| 2 | Tavistock | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 18 | +16 | 25 | |
| 3 | Exmouth Town | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 24 | |
| 4 | Clevedon Town | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 18 | +8 | 24 | |
| 5 | Cribbs | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 16 | +8 | 23 | Transfer to the Hellenic League |
| 6 | Westbury United | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 23 | |
| 7 | Street | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 22 | |
| 8 | Roman Glass St George | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 21 | Transfer to the Hellenic League |
| 9 | Buckland Athletic | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 22 | +1 | 21 | |
| 10 | Bitton | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 18 | |
| 11 | Bradford Town | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 18 | Transfer to the Hellenic League |
| 12 | Shepton Mallet | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 19 | +1 | 16 | |
| 13 | Bridgwater Town | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 16 | |
| 14 | Keynsham Town | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 15 | |
| 15 | Brislington | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 14 | |
| 16 | Cadbury Heath | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 12 | |
| 17 | Wellington | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 29 | −14 | 12 | |
| 18 | Odd Down | 13 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 38 | −23 | 10 | Voluntary relegation to Division One |
| 19 | Hallen | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 9 | Transfer to the Hellenic League |
| 20 | Bridport | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 31 | −25 | 3 | |
| 21 | Chipping Sodbury Town | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 39 | −30 | 2 | Transfer to the Hellenic League |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- ^ Plymouth Parkway promoted based on points per game calculations from 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons combined.
Stadia and locations[edit]
| Club | Finishing position in 2018–19 | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Bitton | 3rd | Rapid Solicitors Stadium |
| Bradford Town | 7th | Bradford on Avon Sports Club |
| Bridgwater Town | 4th | Fairfax Park |
| Bridport | 13th | St Mary's Field |
| Brislington | 18th | Brislington Stadium |
| Buckland Athletic | 9th | Kingskerswell Road |
| Cadbury Heath | 14th | Springfield |
| Chipping Sodbury Town | 10th | The Ridings |
| Clevedon Town | 6th | The Hand Stadium |
| Cribbs | 8th | The Lawns |
| Exmouth Town | 2nd South West Peninsula League Premier Division (promotion) | King George V Ground |
| Hallen | 12th | The Hallen Centre |
| Keynsham Town | 1st Western League Division One (promotion) | Crown Fields |
| Odd Down | 15th | Lew Hill Memorial Ground |
| Plymouth Parkway | 2nd | Bolitho Park |
| Roman Glass St George | 17th | Oaklands Park |
| Shepton Mallet | 11th | Playing Fields (Shepton) |
| Street | 8th Southern League Division One South (voluntary relegation) | The Tannery Ground |
| Tavistock | 1st South West Peninsula League Premier Division (promotion) | Langsford Park |
| Wellington | 16th | The Playing Field (Wellington) |
| Westbury United | 5th | Meadow Lane |
First Division[edit]
The First Division also remained unchanged, with 20 clubs.
League table at time of curtailment[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corsham Town | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 13 | +22 | 28 | Promotion and transfer to Hellenic League[a] |
| 2 | Welton Rovers | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 12 | +17 | 26 | |
| 3 | Calne Town | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 6 | +17 | 24 | Promotion and transfer to Hellenic League[a] |
| 4 | Ashton & Backwell United | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 23 | Promotion to Premier Division[a] |
| 5 | Wincanton Town | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 20 | |
| 6 | Warminster Town | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 19 | |
| 7 | Radstock Town | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 18 | |
| 8 | Wells City | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 16 | |
| 9 | Bishop Sutton | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 16 | |
| 10 | Almondsbury | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 24 | −6 | 16 | |
| 11 | Lebeq United | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 14 | |
| 12 | Portishead Town | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 14 | |
| 13 | Sherborne Town | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 19 | −2 | 13 | |
| 14 | Bristol Telephones | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 21 | −1 | 12 | |
| 15 | Hengrove Athletic | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 12 | |
| 16 | Cheddar | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 12 | |
| 17 | Bishops Lydeard | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 28 | −16 | 4 | |
| 18 | Oldland Abbotonians | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 23 | −15 | 3 | |
| 19 | Longwell Green Sports | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 34 | −23 | 1 | |
| 20 | Devizes Town | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 38 | −27 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Stadia and locations[edit]
| Club | Finishing position in 2018–19 | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Almondsbury | 6th Hellenic Football League Division One West (transferred) | Almondsbury Sports & Social Club |
| Ashton & Backwell United | 4th | Lancer Scott Stadium |
| Bishop Sutton | 17th | Lakeview |
| Bishops Lydeard | 12th | Cothelstone Road |
| Bristol Telephones | 20th | BTRA Sports Ground |
| Calne Town | 8th | Bremhill Road |
| Cheddar | 2nd | Bowdens Park |
| Corsham Town | 3rd | Southbank Ground |
| Devizes Town | 11th | Nursteed Road Ground |
| Hengrove Athletic | 19th Western Football League Premier Division (relegated) | Paprika Park |
| Lebeq United | 1st Gloucestershire County League (promoted) | Oaklands Park |
| Longwell Green Sports | 5th | Longwell Green Community Centre |
| Oldland Abbotonians | 18th | Aitchinson Playing Fields |
| Portishead Town | 16th | Bristol Road |
| Radstock Town | 15th | Southfields Recreation Ground |
| Sherborne Town | 13th | Raleigh Grove |
| Warminster Town | 6th | Weymouth Street |
| Wells City | 10th | Athletic Ground (Wells) |
| Welton Rovers | 9th | West Clewes |
| Wincanton Town | 14th | Wincanton Sports Ground |
References[edit]
- ^ "National League System club allocations – Steps 5–6, Season 2020–21" (PDF). The FA. 21 July 2020 – via The Non-League Paper.
- ^ "Coronavirus: All football below National League to end". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: FA outline second phase of Non-League restructuring". The Non-League Paper. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "League suspend fixtures". Western League. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "An update on Steps 3-6 of the NLS". Western League. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.