The 2004–05 season was the 26th season of the Football Conference, and the 1st season following its expansion from one division to three divisions.
This season saw the Conference expanded to three divisions with the addition of the Conference North and Conference South added to the existing (and renamed) Conference National. The North and South Divisions were filled by teams finishing 1st–13th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division and 2nd–13th in the Isthmian League Premier Division and Southern League Premier Division the previous season (the champions were all promoted to the Conference National), together with winners of play-offs between the 14–18th placed clubs in the Southern League Premier, 14th–20th in the Isthmian and Northern Premier League Premier, as well as the top clubs from the divisions immediately below.
The Conference National was joined by Carlisle United and York City, who had been relegated from the Football League. Carlisle became the first club to compete in all top five tiers of English football, having reached the old First Division in 1974–75.
In addition to the winners and the teams that qualified for the play-offs, Exeter City fought gallantly in the FA Cup against Manchester United, holding them to a goalless draw in the third round on Old Trafford and finally going down 0–2 on home turf.
| Season: | 2004–05 |
| Winners: | Barnet (2nd Football Conference title) |
| Continentalcup1: | Direct promotion |
| Continentalcup2: | Promoted through play-offs |
| Continentalcup4: | Promoted for the next season |
| League Topscorer: | Giuliano Grazioli (Barnet), 29 |
| Biggest Home Win: | Carlisle United – Farnborough 7–0 (28 August 2004) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Farnborough – Hereford United 0–6 (25 March 2005); Leigh RMI – Accrington Stanley 0–6 (11 December 2004) |
| Highest Scoring: | Barnet – Farnborough 7–1 (19 March 2005) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1305 |
| Longest Wins: | ? |
| Longest Unbeaten: | ? |
| Longest Losses: | ? |
| Highest Attendance: | Carlisle v Barnet, 9,215 (16 Oct) |
| Lowest Attendance: | Canvey Island v Leigh RMI, 201 (5 April 2005) |
| Average Attendance: | 1,922 (Conference record, + 0.9% compared with the previous season) |
| Nextseason: | 2005–06 |
A total of 22 teams contest the division, including 18 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two, one promoted from the Southern Football League and one promoted from the Isthmian League. Winners and runners-up of Northern Premier League were unable to qualify in Conference National.
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Isthmian League
Teams relegated from 2003–04 Football League Third Division
See main article: 2005 Conference National play-off Final.
Stevenage Borough won 2–1 on Aggregate.----Carlisle United won 5–4 on penalties after tying 2–2 on Aggregate.
| width=20 | Pos | width=140 | Player | width=140 | Club | width=40 | League | width=40 | Play-offs | width=40 | FA Cup | width=50 | LDV | width=40 | FA Trophy | width=40 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuliano Grazioli | Barnet | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 | |||||||||||
| 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |||||||||||
| 4 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | |||||||||||
| = | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | |||||||||||
| = | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | |||||||||||
| = | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | |||||||||||
| 9 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |||||||||||
| 10 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | |||||||||||
| = | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||
| 12 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | |||||||||||
| = | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |||||||||||
| = | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||
| = | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 16 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |||||||||||
| = | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Season: | 2004–05 |
| Winners: | Southport (1st Football Conference North title) |
| Continentalcup1: | Direct promotion |
| Continentalcup2: | Promoted through play-offs |
| Continentalcup4: | Promoted for the next season |
| Biggest Home Win: | Harrogate – Ashton 5–1 (12 February 2005); Harrogate – Gainsborough Trinity 5–1 (24 August 2004); 4–0: six matches |
| Biggest Away Win: | Barrow – Redditch 1–6 (11 September 2004); Kettering – Southport 0–5 (22 January 2005) |
| Highest Scoring: | Ashton – Runcorn 5–4 (28 August 2004) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1257 |
| Longest Wins: | ? |
| Longest Unbeaten: | ? |
| Longest Losses: | ? |
| Highest Attendance: | ? |
| Lowest Attendance: | ? |
| Average Attendance: | ? |
| Nextseason: | 2005–06 |
First Conference North/South season saw competition of best 44 teams by the results of previous season from Northern Premier League, Southern Football League and Isthmian League, except Crawley Town and Canvey Island, promoted directly to Conference National. Teams were divided by geographical criteria.
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Northern Premier League
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Isthmian League
| width=20 | Pos | width=140 | Player | width=140 | Club | width=20 | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Fearns | Southport | 28 | ||||
| 2 | 24 | ||||||
| 3 | 22 | ||||||
| = | 22 | ||||||
| 5 | 20 |
| Season: | 2004–05 |
| Winners: | Grays Athletic (1st Football Conference South title) |
| Continentalcup1: | Direct promotion |
| Continentalcup2: | Promoted through play-offs |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | None |
| Continentalcup3: | Relegated to Level 7 or folded |
| Continentalcup3 Qualifiers: | Margate, Redbridge; Hornchurch (folded) |
| Continentalcup4: | Promoted for the next season |
| Biggest Home Win: | Grays Athletic – Bognor Regis 6–0 (16 November 2004); Hornchurch – Basingstoke 6–0 (4 September 2004); Hornchurch – Maidenhead 6–0 (21 September 2004) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Dorchester – Grays Athletic 0–7 (23 October 2004) |
| Highest Scoring: | Bognor Regis – Welling United 6–5 (11 September 2004) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1404 |
| Longest Wins: | ? |
| Longest Unbeaten: | ? |
| Longest Losses: | ? |
| Highest Attendance: | ? |
| Lowest Attendance: | ? |
| Average Attendance: | ? |
| Nextseason: | 2005–06 |
First Conference North/South season saw competition of best 44 teams by the results of previous season from Northern Premier League, Southern Football League and Isthmian League, except Crawley Town and Canvey Island, promoted directly to Conference National. Teams were divided by geographical criteria.
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Southern Football League
Teams promoted from 2003–04 Isthmian League
Teams relegated from 2003–04 Football Conference
At the start of the season Ford United was given new name Redbridge F.C.
| width=20 | Pos | width=140 | Player | width=140 | Club | width=20 | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Nightingale | Bognor Regis | 32 | ||||
| 2 | 25 | ||||||
| 3 | 24 | ||||||
| 4 | 23 | ||||||
| 5 | 20 |