2023–24 Western Football League
The 2023–24 Western Football League season (known as the 2023–24 Toolstation Western Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 122nd in the history of the Western Football League, a football competition in England. Teams are divided into two divisions; the Premier and the First.
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Helston Athletic |
| Promoted | Helston Athletic Falmouth Town |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → | |
The constitution was announced on 15 May 2023.[1] Starting this season, the Premier Division (step 5) promotes two clubs; one as champions and one via a four-team play-off. This replaced the previous inter-step play-off system. For this season only, there was only one club relegated from the Premier Division.[2]
Premier Division
The Premier Division was reduced to 18 clubs from 20 after Mousehole were promoted to the Southern League South Division; Sherborne Town were transferred to the Wessex League; Cadbury Heath took voluntary demotion to Division One, Keynsham Town were relegated to Division One, and Ashton & Backwell United and Bitton resigned from the league.
Mangotsfield United were initially transferred from the Hellenic League Premier Division, but were moved back after the resignation of Shrivenham from that league.
Four new clubs joined the division.
- Promoted from Division One:
- Promoted from the South West Peninsula League Premier Division East:
- Promoted from the South West Peninsula League Premier Division West:
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helston Athletic (C, P) | 34 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 104 | 30 | +74 | 80 | Promoted to the Southern League |
| 2 | Falmouth Town (O, P) | 34 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 80 | 25 | +55 | 76 | |
| 3 | Bridgwater United | 34 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 99 | 48 | +51 | 72 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 4 | Clevedon Town | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 70 | 26 | +44 | 70 | |
| 5 | Barnstaple Town | 34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 84 | 44 | +40 | 67 | |
| 6 | Buckland Athletic | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 88 | 53 | +35 | 61 | |
| 7 | Shepton Mallet | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 63 | 46 | +17 | 60 | |
| 8 | Brixham | 33 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 69 | 36 | +33 | 55[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 9 | Nailsea & Tickenham | 34 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 46 | |
| 10 | Torpoint Athletic | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 51 | 59 | −8 | 45 | |
| 11 | Ilfracombe Town | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 40 | |
| 12 | St Blazey | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 55 | 68 | −13 | 39 | |
| 13 | Saltash United | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 55 | 64 | −9 | 36 | |
| 14 | Street | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 53 | 75 | −22 | 34 | |
| 15 | Wellington | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 43 | 81 | −38 | 32 | |
| 16 | Oldland Abbotonians | 34 | 7 | 2 | 25 | 44 | 92 | −48 | 23 | |
| 17 | Welton Rovers | 34 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 37 | 100 | −63 | 17[lower-alpha 2] | |
| 18 | Millbrook (R) | 33 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 17 | 161 | −144 | 7 | Relegated to South West Peninsula League Division One West |
Updated to match(es) played on 16:23, 6 May 2024 (UTC). Source: Toolstation Western League.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Brixham were awarded three points
- Welton Rovers had three points deducted
Promotion playoffs
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Falmouth Town | 3 | |||||||
| 5 | Barnstaple Town | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Falmouth Town | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Clevedon Town | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | Bridgwater United | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | Clevedon Town | 1 | |||||||
Semifinals
| 30 April | Falmouth Town | 3–1 | Barnstaple Town | Falmouth |
| 19:45 | Brabyn , Massey , Wilson | Report | Montague | Stadium: Bickland Park Attendance: 480 |
| 30 April | Bridgwater United | 0–1 | Clevedon Town | Bridgwater |
| 19:45 | Report | Teall 79' | Stadium: Fairfax Park |
Final
| 4 May | Falmouth Town | 2–0 | Clevedon Town | Falmouth |
| 15:00 | Massey 2', Barner 70' | Report | Stadium: Bickland Park Attendance: 973 |
First Division
The First Division remained at 22 clubs after Nailsea & Tickenham and Oldland Abbotonians were promoted to the Premier Division; Bishops Lydeard were transferred to the South West Peninsula League Premier Division East, FC Bristol and Tytherington Rocks were transferred to the Hellenic League Division One, and Almondsbury were relegated.
Six new clubs joined:
- From the Premier Division:
- Bitton (resigned mid-season and applied to join Division One this season)
- Cadbury Heath (voluntary demotion)
- Keynsham Town (relegation)
- Relegated from the Hellenic League Premier Division:
- Promoted from the Gloucestershire County League:
- Promoted from the Somerset County League:
- Reserve and development teams were not eligible for promotion to step 5, or the playoffs. Bitton were also ineligible, due to their resignation from the Premier Division last season.
- Wincanton Town were promoted on a PPG (points per game) basis despite losing the play-off final.[3]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portishead Town (C, P) | 42 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 122 | 29 | +93 | 99 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Radstock Town | 42 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 100 | 45 | +55 | 91 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 3 | Bitton | 42 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 100 | 49 | +51 | 89 | |
| 4 | Wincanton Town (P) | 42 | 27 | 4 | 11 | 103 | 75 | +28 | 85 | Promoted (PPG) and transferred to the Wessex League Premier Division |
| 5 | Wells City | 42 | 27 | 3 | 12 | 100 | 59 | +41 | 84 | Qualification for the play-offs |
| 6 | Cribbs Reserves | 42 | 27 | 5 | 10 | 105 | 60 | +45 | 83[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 7 | Brislington (O, P) | 42 | 25 | 5 | 12 | 125 | 54 | +71 | 80 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
| 8 | Bradford Town | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 87 | 62 | +25 | 68 | |
| 9 | Hallen | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 82 | 66 | +16 | 68 | |
| 10 | AEK Boco | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 71 | 54 | +17 | 65 | |
| 11 | Bristol Telephones | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 71 | 83 | −12 | 63 | |
| 12 | Longwell Green Sports | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 85 | 88 | −3 | 59 | |
| 13 | Middlezoy Rovers | 42 | 18 | 2 | 22 | 76 | 88 | −12 | 56 | Transferred to South West Peninsula League Premier Division East |
| 14 | Cadbury Heath | 42 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 84 | 70 | +14 | 55 | |
| 15 | Hengrove Athletic | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 63 | 84 | −21 | 46 | |
| 16 | Odd Down | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 67 | 108 | −41 | 46 | |
| 17 | Shirehampton | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 73 | 86 | −13 | 43 | |
| 18 | Keynsham Town | 42 | 13 | 4 | 25 | 89 | 116 | −27 | 43 | |
| 19 | Warminster Town | 42 | 10 | 7 | 25 | 64 | 106 | −42 | 37 | |
| 20 | Gillingham Town | 42 | 10 | 4 | 28 | 58 | 117 | −59 | 34 | Reprieved from relegation |
| 21 | Cheddar | 42 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 53 | 115 | −62 | 25 | |
| 22 | Bishop Sutton (R) | 42 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 18 | 182 | −164 | 3 | Relegated to a feeder league |
Updated to match(es) played on 16:57, 4 May 2024 (UTC). Source: Toolstation Western League.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Cribbs Reserves had three points deducted
Promotion playoffs
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Radstock Town | 0 | |||||||
| 7 | Brislington | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | Wincanton Town | 2 | |||||||
| 7 | Brislington | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Wincanton Town | 6 | |||||||
| 5 | Wells City | 4 | |||||||
Semifinals
| 30 April | Radstock Town | 0–1 | Brislington | Radstock |
| 19:30 | Report | Griffiths 78' | Stadium: The Southfields Recreation Ground Attendance: 365 |
| 30 April | Wincanton Town | 6–4 | Wells City | Wincanton |
| 19:45 | Hodges 7', Jarvis 62' 64', Williams 67', Thompson 76', Townsend 84' |
Report | Murray 6' 15' 80' (p), Diamond 9' | Stadium: Wincanton Sports Ground Attendance: 152 |
Final
| 4 May | Wincanton Town | 2–3 | Brislington | Wincanton |
| 15:00 | Thompson 4', Jarvis 25' | Report | Kington 61', McClennan 72', Dunn 90+2' |
Stadium: Wincanton Sports Ground Attendance: 326 |
Les Phillips Cup
The 2023–24 Les Phillips Cup was the cup competition of the whole Western Football League.
Helston Athletic were defending champions, having beaten Shepton Mallet in the 2022–23 season.
First round
16 clubs participated in the first round.
| Tie | (Tier) Home team |
Score | Away team (Tier) |
Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheddar (D1) | 2–4 | Barnstaple Town (PD) | 88 |
| 2 | Clevedon Town (PD) | 0–3 | Bridgwater United (PD) | |
| 3 | Hengrove Athletic (D1) | 5–2 | Bishop Sutton (D1) | |
| 4 | Hallen (D1) | 1–0 | Welton Rovers (PD) | |
| 5 | Warminster Town (D1) | 2–4 | Street (PD) | |
| 6 | Cadbury Heath (PD) | 1–2 | Longwell Green Sports (D1) | |
| 7 | Brislington (D1) | 0–4 | AEK Boco (D1) | |
| 8 | Cribbs Reserves (D1) | 3–0 | Bristol Telephones (D1) |
Second round
The 8 clubs who made it through the first round were joined in the draw by 24 clubs who received a bye to the second round, making 32 clubs.
| Tie | (Tier) Home team |
Score | Away team (Tier) |
Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falmouth Town (PD) | 0–2 | Helston Athletic (PD) | |
| 2 | Millbrook (PD) | 1–6 | Brixham (PD) | |
| 3 | Buckland Athletic (PD) | 0–0 (4–3 p) | Torpoint Athletic (PD) | |
| 4 | St Blazey (PD) | 1–5 | Saltash United (PD) | |
| 5 | Wellington (PD) | 2–3 | Ilfracombe Town (PD) | |
| 6 | Portishead Town (D1) | 1–3 | Bridgwater United (PD) | |
| 7 | Middlezoy Rovers (D1) | 1–1 (4–1 p) | Radstock Town (D1) | |
| 8 | Nailsea & Tickenham (PD) | 0–4 | Barnstaple Town (PD) | |
| 9 | Bitton (D1) | 3–2 | Gillingham Town (D1) | |
| 10 | Wincanton Town (D1) | 6–0 | Hallen (D1) | |
| 11 | Hengrove Athletic (D1) | 1–2 | Shepton Mallet (PD) | |
| 12 | Wells City (D1) | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Street (PD) | |
| 13 | Odd Down (D1) | 3–1 | Longwell Green Sports (D1) | |
| 14 | Bradford Town (D1) | 2–0 | Oldland Abbotonians (PD) | |
| 15 | Cribbs Reserves (D1) | 0–0 (4–3 p) | AEK Boco (D1) | |
| 16 | Keynsham Town (D1) | 4–9 | Shirehampton (D1) |
Third round
| Tie | (Tier) Home team |
Score | Away team (Tier) |
Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brixham (PD) | 1–1 (2–3 p) | Buckland Athletic (PD) | |
| 2 | Saltash United (PD) | 1–2 | Helston Athletic (PD) | |
| 3 | Bridgwater United (PD) | 1–1 (4–2 p) | Ilfracombe Town (PD) | |
| 4 | Middlezoy Rovers (D1) | 2–2 (7–8 p) | Barnstaple Town (PD) | |
| 5 | Wincanton Town (D1) | 0–6 | Shepton Mallet (PD) | |
| 6 | Bitton (D1) | 0–2 | Wells City (D1) | |
| 7 | Cribbs Reserves (D1) | 4–4 (4–2 p) | Odd Down (D1) | |
| 8 | Bradford Town (D1) | 1–4 | Shirehampton (D1) |
Quarter-finals
| Tie | (Tier) Home team |
Score | Away team (Tier) |
Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helston Athletic (PD) | 3–2 | Buckland Athletic (PD) | |
| 2 | Bridgwater United (PD) | 1–4 | Barnstaple Town (PD) | |
| 3 | Shepton Mallet (PD) | 2–0 | Wells City (D1) | |
| 4 | Cribbs Reserves (D1) | 3–4 | Shirehampton (D1) | 57 |
Semi-finals
| Tie | (Tier) Home team |
Score | Away team (Tier) |
Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnstaple Town (PD) | 3–2 | Helston Athletic (PD) | |
| 2 | Shepton Mallet (PD) | 6–1 | Shirehampton (D1) |
Final
| 12 May 2024 | Shepton Mallet (PD) | 3–1 | Barnstaple Town (PD) | Ladysmead, Tiverton |
| 15:00 |
References
- "REVEALED: Club allocations 2023-24 announced by The FA". The Non-League Football Paper. 15 May 2023.
- "STEP 5 TO 4 PROMOTION/RELEGATION UPDATE". The FA. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- "THE FA RELEASES NATIONAL LEAGUE SYSTEM CLUB ALLOCATIONS FOR STEPS 1-6 IN 2024-25 TERM". The FA. 17 May 2024.
External links
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