Midland Football Combination

Midland Football Combination

Founded	1927
Folded	2014
Country	England
Divisions	3 (not including Reserve Divisions)
Level on pyramid	Levels 10–12
Feeder to	Midland Football Alliance
League cup(s)	President's Cup Challenge Vase Challenge Urn Challenge Trophy Jack Mould Trophy Challenge Bowl
Last champions	Brocton (2013–14)
Most championships	Evesham 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

• Alvis Sporting Club
• Atherstone Town
• Blackwood
• Bolehall Swifts
• Brocton
• Bromsgrove Sporting
• Castle Vale JKS – record expunged
• Coventry Copsewood
• Earlswood Town
• Lichfield City
• Littleton
• Nuneaton Griff
• Pelsall Villa
• Pershore Town
• Pilkington XXX
• Racing Club Warwick
• Southam United
• Stafford Town
• Studley

Division One

• Aston
• Barnt Green Spartak
• Cadbury Athletic
• Chelmsley Town
• Coton Green
• Droitwich Spa
• Fairfield Villa
• Feckenham
• FC Glades Sporting
• Hampton
• Knowle
• Phoenix United
• Shirley Town
• Sutton United
• West Midlands Police

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. Robinson, Michael (2007). Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. Soccerdata. p. 81. ISBN   978-1-86223-162-7.
6. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 81–85.
7. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 85–91.
8. Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2007. pp. 91–93.
9. 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. 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. 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 ]}