The 1971–72 Northern Premier League was the fourth season of the
Northern Premier League, a regional
football league in
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
, the northern areas of the
Midlands and
North Wales
North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
. The season began on 14 August 1971 and concluded on 5 May 1972.
Overview
The League was expanded, for the second consecutive season, from twenty-two teams to twenty-four teams.
Team changes
The following two clubs joined the League at the start of the season:
*
Skelmersdale United
Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Footb ...
promoted from
Cheshire County League
*
Ellesmere Port Town promoted from
Cheshire County League.
League table
Results
Stadia and locations
Cup results
Challenge Cup
Northern Premier League Shield
Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.
FA Cup
Out of the twenty-two clubs from the Northern Premier League, only three teams reached for the second round:
Second Round
Third Round
FA Trophy
Out of the twenty-two clubs from the Northern Premier League, only Stafford Rangers and Macclesfield Town reached for the fourth round:
Fourth Round
Semi-finals
Final
End of the season
At the end of the fourth season of the Northern Premier League none of the teams put forward for election received enough votes to be promoted to
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
. Chorley resigned the league and Kirkby Town was relegated.
Football League elections
Alongside the four
Football League teams facing re-election, a total of twelve non-League teams applied for election, four of which were from the Northern Premier League. Three out of the four Football League teams were re-elected. Hereford United from the Southern League replaced Barrow from the Football League as they didn't receive enough votes. Barrow was subsequently relegated to the Northern Premier League.
A history of admission to the Football League
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Promotion and relegation
The following two clubs left the League at the end of the season:
* Chorley resigned, demoted to Cheshire County League
* Kirkby Town relegated to Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
The following two clubs joined the League the following season:
*Mossley
Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester.
The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshir ...
promoted from Cheshire County League
* Barrow relegated from Football League Fourth Division.
References
External links
Northern Premier League official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:1971-72 Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League seasons
5