AFC Totton
The teams competing in the Southern League Div.1 South in Season 2022/23.
After some online speculation that AFC Totton and Sholing might both be shifted into a different division to balance out all the various promoted and relegated teams throughout Steps 3, 4 and 5, the FA’s National League System has confirmed that the Stags will remain in the Southern League Div.1 South for the 2022/23 season.
No longer will teams have to take turns sitting out a round of fixtures, because the division has been enlarged from 19 to 20 teams, which will mean a 38-game regular season campaign with the possibility of two additional play-off matches for those clubs finishing between 2nd and 5th place.
Plymouth Parkway were promoted as Champions in 2021/22 and Winchester City will join them in the Southern League Premier Division South after overcoming runners-up Cirencester Town 4-1 on their own 3G pitch, and then Bristol Manor Farm by the same scoreline at the Charters Community Stadium in the Play-Off Final.
Meanwhile, Barnstaple Town and Mangotsfield United were both relegated automatically. Cinderford Town were originally also due to drop down a division after losing 1-5 to Skelmersdale United from the North West Counties League Premier Division at Step 5, in an Inter-Step Play-Off Final. But the unfortunate demise of Walton Casuals resulted in Merthyr Town being given a reprieve from their relegation from the Southern League Premier Division South and, subsequently, Cinderford being reinstated in the Southern League Div.1 South.
Cirencester Town and Highworth Town have both been moved sideways into Division One Central but they remain at Step 4. All of which means that seven new teams come into the Southern League Div.1 South for the 2022/23 season.
Dorset-based Wimborne Town drop from the Southern League Premier Division South, having finished bottom of the table with just four wins from 42 matches. The Magpies will be joined by the Hellenic Premier League Champions Bishop’s Cleeve from the Cheltenham area, and the runners-up Westbury United from Wiltshire; Western Premier League Champions Tavistock AFC, and runners-up Exmouth Town; and Wessex Premier League Champions Hamworthy United, and the runners-up Bashley, who the Stags beat just before Christmas on their way to lifting the Southampton Senior Cup.
(Article updated: Wednesday 06 July 2022)
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH (SLD1S) 2022/23
AFC TOTTON
Formed: 1886
Nickname: The Stags
Ground: Snows Stadium, Totton SO40 2RW
Last Season: 6th in SLD1S; SDFA Saturday Senior Cup Winners
BASHLEY
Formed: 1947
Nickname: The Bash
Ground: Glen Mex Stadium, Bashley Road BH25 5RY
Last Season: 2nd in Wessex League Premier - Promoted
BIDEFORD AFC
Formed: Late 1890s
Nickname: The Robins
Ground: The Sports Ground, Kingsley Road EX39 2NG
Last Season: 12th in SLD1S
BISHOP'S CLEEVE
Formed: 1905
Nickname: The Mitres
Ground: Kayte Lane, Cheltenham GL52 3PD
Last Season: 1st in Hellenic League Premier - Promoted
BRISTOL MANOR FARM
Formed: 1960
Nickname: The Farmy Army
Ground: The Creek, Portway, Sea Mills BS9 2EJ
Last Season: 5th in SLD1S - beaten Promotion Play-Off finalists
CINDERFORD TOWN
Formed: 1922
Nickname: The Foresters
Ground: The Causeway Ground, Edge Hills Road, Cinderford GL14 2QH
Last Season: 17th in SLD1S - originally relegated in Inter-Step Play-Off Final; reinstated to SLD1S after Walton Casuals folded
EVESHAM UNITED
Formed: 1945
Nickname: The Robins
Ground: The Spiers & Hartwell Stadium, Evesham WR11 2LZ
Last Season: 13th in SLD1S
EXMOUTH TOWN
Formed: 1933
Nickname: The Town
Ground: Southern Road, Exmouth EX8 3EE
Last Season: 2nd in Western League Premier - Promoted
FROME TOWN
Formed: 1904
Nickname: The Robins
Ground: Badgers Hill, Berkley Road, Frome BA11 2EH
Last Season: 2nd in SLD1S - beaten Promotion Play-Off semi-finalists
HAMWORTHY UNITED
Formed: 1970
Nickname: The Hammers
Ground: The County Ground, Blandford Close, Hamworthy BH15 4BF
Last Season: 1st in Wessex League Premier - Promoted
LARKHALL ATHLETIC
Formed: 1914
Nickname: The Larks
Ground: Plain Ham, Charlcombe, Bath BA1 8DJ
Last Season: 11th in SLD1S
LYMINGTON TOWN
Formed: 1876
Nickname: Lymo or The Linnets
Ground: The Lymington Sports Ground, Southampton Road SO41 9ZG
Last Season: 16th in SLD1S
MELKSHAM TOWN
Formed: 1876
Nickname: Town
Ground: Oakfield Stadium, Eastern Way, Melksham SN12 7GU
Last Season: 8th in SLD1S
PAULTON ROVERS
Formed: 1881
Nickname: The Rovers
Ground: First4Pools Stadium, Winterfield Road BS39 7RF
Last Season: 9th in SLD1S
SHOLING
Formed: 1960 (as Vosper Thornycroft)
Nickname: The Boatmen
Ground: Mackoy Stadium, Portsmouth Road SO19 9PW
Last Season: 7th in SLD1S
SLIMBRIDGE AFC
Formed: 1902
Nickname: The Swans
Ground: Thornhill Park, Cambridge, Glocs GL2 7AF
Last Season: 14th in SLD1S
TAVISTOCK AFC
Formed: 1888
Nickname: The Lambs or The Tavy
Ground: Langsford Park, Crowndale Road, Tavistock PL19 8JR
Last Season: 1st in Western League Premier - Promoted
WESTBURY UNITED
Formed: 1920
Nickname: The White Horsemen or Green Army
Ground: Meadow Lane, Westbury BA13 3AF
Last Season: 2nd in Hellenic League Premier - Promoted
WILLAND ROVERS
Formed: 1946
Nickname: Devon All-Whites
Ground: Silver Street, Willand EX15 2RG
Last Season: 15th in SLD1S
WIMBORNE TOWN
Formed: 1878
Nickname: The Magpies
Ground: J&B's Stadium, New Cuthbury, Ainsley Road BH21 2FU
Last Season: 22nd in Southern League Premier Division South - Relegated
By Ben Rochey-Adams
