Midland Football Combination

Midland Football Combination
Founded1927
Folded2014
Country England
Divisions3 (not including Reserve Divisions)
Level on pyramidLevels 10–12
Feeder toMidland Football Alliance
League cup(s)President's Cup
Challenge Vase
Challenge Urn
Challenge Trophy
Jack Mould Trophy
Challenge Bowl
Last championsBrocton
(2013–14)
Most championshipsEvesham United (6)

The Midland Football Combination was an English football league covering parts of the West Midlands. It comprised five divisions, a Premier Division, Divisions One and Two and two Reserves Divisions. The league was one of three official feeder leagues to the Midland Football Alliance.

Prior to 2006, the Premier Division was defined as step 7 in the National League System, even though it fed into the step 5 Midland Alliance.[1] In 2006, it was re-graded as step 6,[2] making teams in the top two divisions eligible to take part in the FA Vase and teams in the top division eligible to enter the FA Cup. The league merged with the Midland Football Alliance in 2014 to form the new Midland Football League.

History

The league was founded in 1927 as the Worcestershire Combination. The ten founder members were Oldbury Town, Stourbridge Reserves, Kidderminster Harriers Reserves, Bewdley, Blackheath Town, Halesowen Labour, Highley Colliers, Old Carolians, Stewart & Lloyds (Bilston) and Cookley St Peters. By the 1929–30 season four of the founding clubs had dropped out and the league had been reduced to just six teams, with the result that it held two separate competitions within the one season to bulk out the fixture list, but it then gained eight new teams and continued to expand.[3]

The league changed its name to the Midland Combination in 1968 to reflect the drawing of clubs from a wider area.

In the 2007–08 season, the league's representative team, drawn from clubs in Division One, reached the final of the FA National League System Cup.[4]

League champions

Worcestershire Combination

Initially the league consisted of a single division

Season Champions[5]
1927–28 Blackheath Town
1928–29 Blackheath Town

Due to the number of teams having dropped dramatically, the 1929–30 season consisted of two separate "half-season" leagues.

Season First series Second series[5]
1929–30 Halesowen Labour Dudley Town

For the 1930–31 the league reverted to its standard format.

Season Champions[6]
1930–31 Halesowen Labour
1931–32 Dudley Town
1932–33 Tarmac
1933–34 Woodside Wanderers
1934–35 Catshill Village Hall
1935–36 Lye Town
1936–37 Catshill Village Hall
1937–38 Catshill Village Hall
1938–39 Catshill Village Hall

The league closed down in 1939 due to the outbreak of the Second World War and did not begin again until 1948.

Season Champions[6]
1948–49 Jack Mould's Athletic
1949–50 Bourneville Athletic
1950–51 Jack Mould's Athletic
1951–52 Walsall Wood
1952–53 Evesham United
1953–54 Brierley Hill Alliance Reserves
1954–55 Evesham United
1955–56 Malvern Town
1956–57 Stratford Town
1957–58 Wolverhampton Wanderers 'B'
1958–59 Shelfield Athletic
1959–60 Paget Rangers
1960–61 Paget Rangers

For the 1960–61 season the league added a second division, with the existing division renamed Division One.

Season Division One Division Two[7]
1961–62 Allens Cross Allens Cross Reserves
1962–63 Alvechurch Hall Green Amateurs
1963–64 Hall Green Amateurs Castle Rovers
1964–65 Alvechurch Hall Green Amateurs Reserves
1965–66 Evesham United Alvechurch Reserves
1966–67 Alvechurch Highgate United Reserves
1967–68 Evesham United Whitmore Old Boys

Midland Combination

Season Division One Division Two[7]
1968–69 Evesham United Highgate United Reserves
1969–70 Paget Rangers Coleshill Town
1970–71 Paget Rangers Solihull Town
1971–72 Alvechurch Highgate United Reserves
1972–73 Highgate United Albion Haden United
1973–74 Highgate United Astwood Bank Rovers
1974–75 Highgate United Whitmore Old Boys
1975–76 Northfield Town Whitmore Old Boys
1976–77 Blakenall Astwood Bank Rovers
1977–78 Sutton Coldfield Town Hurley Daw Mill Welfare
1978–79 Sutton Coldfield Town Stafford

For the 1979–80 season a third division was added.

Season Division One Division Two Division Three[8]
1979–80 Bridgnorth Town Hurley Daw Mill Welfare Sheldon Promovere
1980–81 Moor Green Sheldon Promovere Southam United
1981–82 Chipping Norton Town Bedworth United Reserves Paget Rangers Reserves
1982–83 Bridgnorth Town Studley Sporting Bridgnorth Town Reserves

For the 1983–84 season the divisions were renamed to Premier, One and Two.

Season Premier Division Division One[9] Division Two[9]
1983–84 Studley Sporting[10] New World Kingswinford Town
1984–85 Mile Oak Rovers[11] Cheltenham Town Reserves Bolehall Swifts
1985–86 Boldmere St Michaels[12] Moor Green Reserves Stratford Town Reserves
1986–87 Stratford Town[13] Wilmcote Bromsgrove Athletic
1987–88 Racing Club Warwick[14] Chelmsley Town West Midlands Fire Service
1988–89 Boldmere St Michaels[12] Bloxwich Upton Town
1989–90 Boldmere St Michaels[12] Stapenhill Reserves Pershore Town
1990–91 West Midlands Police[15] Alcester Town Badsey Rangers
1991–92 Evesham United[16] Studley BKL Marston Green
1992–93 Armitage 90[17] Wellesbourne Ansells

For the 1993–94 season Division Three was added.

Season Premier Division Division One[9] Division Two[9] Division Three[9]
1993–94 Pershore Town[18] West Midlands Fire Service Massey Ferguson Albright & Wilson
1994–95 Northfield Town[19] Massey Ferguson Richmond Swifts West Midland Police Reserves
1995–96 Bloxwich Town[20] Richmond Swifts Continental Star Feckenham
1996–97 Kings Norton Town[21] GPT Coventry Feckenham Swan Sports
1997–98 Worcester Athletico[22] Alveston Blackheath Electrodrives Old Hill Town
1998–99 Alveston[23] Northfield Town Fairfield Villa MCL Claines
1999–2000 Nuneaton Griff[24] Brookvale Athletic Wyle Forest Wilmcote S & S
2000–01 Nuneaton Griff[24] Shirley Town Leamington West Hagley
2001–02 Grosvenor Park[25] Rugby United Burman Hi-Ton Littleton
2002–03 Alvechurch[26] Knowle Barnt Green Spartak Wellesbourne
2003–04 Romulus[27] Barnt Green Spartak Wellesbourne University of Birmingham
2004–05 Leamington[28] Atherstone Town Archdale Coton Green
2005–06 Atherstone Town[29] Knowle Bartley Green Halesowen Town Reserves
2006–07 Coventry Sphinx[30] Bartley Green Wernley Athletic Castle Vale JKS
2007–08 Coleshill Town[31] Knowle Castle Vale JKS GSA & Smethwick Town
2008–09 Loughborough University Castle Vale JKS Shirley Town Hampton
2009–10 Heath Hayes Stockingford Allotments Association Hampton Blackwood
2010–11 Heather St. John's Earlswood Town Blackwood Polesworth

For the 2011–12 season Division Three was disbanded.

Season Premier Division Division One Division Two
2011–12 Continental Star Blackwood Aston
2012–13 Walsall Wood Alvis Sporting Club Barnt Green Spartak
2013–14 Brocton Cadbury Athletic Kenilworth Town

Final members

The teams that competed in the Combination's first team divisions in the 2013–14 season were as follows:

Premier Division

Walsall Wood (red shirts) in action against Racing Club Warwick

Division One

Division Two

  • Alcester Town
  • Austrey Rangers
  • Badsey Rangers
  • Barton United
  • Burntwood Town
  • Coventry United
  • Enville Athletic
  • FC Stratford
  • Inkberrow
  • Kenilworth Town
  • Leamington Hibernian
  • Northfield Town
  • Paget Rangers
  • Perrywood
  • Polesworth
  • Rostance Edwards
  • Rugeley Rangers – record expunged

Cup competitions

Each division other than the Premier had its own knockout competition, Division One competing for the President's Cup, Division Two for the Challenge Vase, Division Three for the Challenge Urn, and the Reserve Division for the Challenge Trophy. There were also other cup competitions run by the Midland Football Combination for its members including the Jack Mould Trophy and the Challenge Bowl.

References

  1. ^ The FA
  2. ^ The FA
  3. ^ Dudley Town at the Football Club History Database
  4. ^ The FA
  5. ^ a b Robinson, Michael (2007). Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. Soccerdata. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-86223-162-7.
  6. ^ a b Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 81–85.
  7. ^ a b Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 85–91.
  8. ^ Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 91–93.
  9. ^ a b c d e Midland Football Combination at the Football Club History Database
  10. ^ Studley Sporting at the Football Club History Database
  11. ^ Mile Oak Rovers at the Football Club History Database
  12. ^ a b c Boldmere St Michaels at the Football Club History Database
  13. ^ Stratford Town at the Football Club History Database
  14. ^ Racing Club Warwick at the Football Club History Database
  15. ^ West Midlands Police at the Football Club History Database
  16. ^ Evesham United at the Football Club History Database
  17. ^ Armitage 90 at the Football Club History Database
  18. ^ Pershore Town at the Football Club History Database
  19. ^ Northfield Town at the Football Club History Database
  20. ^ Bloxwich Town at the Football Club History Database
  21. ^ Kings Norton Town at the Football Club History Database
  22. ^ Worcester Athletico at the Football Club History Database
  23. ^ Alveston at the Football Club History Database
  24. ^ a b Nuneaton Griff at the Football Club History Database
  25. ^ Grosvenor Park at the Football Club History Database
  26. ^ Alvechurch at the Football Club History Database
  27. ^ Romulus at the Football Club History Database
  28. ^ Leamington at the Football Club History Database
  29. ^ Atherstone Town at the Football Club History Database
  30. ^ Coventry Sphinx at the Football Club History Database
  31. ^ Official website[permanent dead link‍]