The 2021–22 season was the 107th season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England. The league operates four divisions, the Premier Division at Step 3 and three divisions, North, South Central and South East at Step 4 of the National League System. This was the fourth season since the former South Division was subdivided into the South Central and South East divisions. The league was also known as the Pitching In League under a sponsorship deal with Entain, formerly GVC Holdings.
The allocations for Step 4 this season were announced by The Football Association (FA) on 17 May 2021.[1] Numerous changes were made to the constitutions of the level 8 divisions within the Isthmian League.[2]
The scheduled restructuring of the non-League system took place for the 2021–22 season and a new division was added to the Northern Premier League at Step 4 for 2021–22,[3] which resulted in some reallocations into or out of, and promotions to, the Isthmian League's Step 4 divisions.
The Premier Division comprised the same set of 22 teams which competed in the aborted competition the previous season.
| Competition: | Isthmian League Premier Division |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Worthing |
| Promoted: | Worthing Cheshunt |
| Relegated: | Leatherhead East Thurrock United Merstham |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1449 |
| League Topscorer: | 35 goals – Oliver Pearce (Worthing) |
| Attendance: | 212,646 |
| Average Attendance: | 460 (+18.5% to previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
| Player | Club | Goals[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Pearce | Worthing | 35 | |
| Muhammadu Faal | Enfield Town | 33 | |
| Joseph Taylor | Lewes | 32 | |
| David Smith | Folkestone Invicta | 29 | |
| Jake Cass | Bishop's Stortford Enfield Town | 19 | |
| Frankie Merrifield | Bishop's Stortford | 19 | |
| Liam Nash | Hornchurch | 19 | |
| Ben Greenhalgh | Margate | 18 | |
| Thomas Wraight | Hornchurch | 18 |
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside Park | 4,525 | |||
| Nyewood Lane | 4,500 | |||
| Len Salmon Stadium | 2,000 | |||
| North Road | 2,000 | |||
| War Memorial Sports Ground | 5,000 | |||
| Theobalds Lane | 3,000 | |||
| King George's Field | 2,700 | |||
| Hayes Lane (groundshare with Bromley) | 6,000 | |||
| Rookery Hill | 4,000 | |||
| 2,500 | ||||
| Cheriton Road | 4,000 | |||
| Coles Park | 2,500 | |||
| Hornchurch | Hornchurch Stadium | 3,500 | ||
| Horsham | The Camping World Community Stadium | 1,300 | ||
| King George's Field (groundshare with Corinthian-Casuals) | 2,700 | |||
| Fetcham Grove | 3,400 | |||
| 3,000 | ||||
| 3,000 | ||||
| Moatside | 2,000 | |||
| Parkfield | 2,000 | |||
| The Maurice Rebak Stadium | 1,500 | |||
| Woodside Road | 4,000 |
| Competition: | Isthmian League North Division |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Aveley |
| Relegated: | Romford Barking |
| Matches: | 380 |
| Total Goals: | 1227 |
| League Topscorer: | 29 goals – Thomas Richardson (Brentwood Town) |
| Attendance: | 102,600 |
| Average Attendance: | 270 (+37.1% from previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
North Division consisted of 20 clubs: 17 clubs from the previous season, and three new clubs:
| Player | Club | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Richardson | Brentwood Town | 29 | |
| Abouhadje Kouassi | Canvey Island | 26 | |
| Alexander Akrofi | Aveley | 24 | |
| Cemal Ramadan | Bury Town | 22 |
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Marsh | 2,500 | |||
| Parkside | 3,500 | |||
| Mayesbrook Park | 2,500 | |||
| Gardiners Close | 2,000 | |||
| The Brentwood Centre Arena | 1,800 | |||
| Ram Meadow | 3,500 | |||
| Park Lane | 4,500 | |||
| West Street | 2,000 | |||
| Aldiss Park | 3,000 | |||
| Dellwood Avenue | 2,000 | |||
| Parkside (groundshare with Aveley) | 3,500 | |||
| Burroughs Park | 2,500 | |||
| Len Salmon Stadium | 2,661 | |||
| Scraley Road | 3,000 | |||
| Lower Road | 1,500 | |||
| Wallace Binder Ground | 2,000 | |||
| Mayesbrook Park (groundshare with Barking) | 2,500 | |||
| Greens Meadow | 1,000 | |||
| Chadfields | 4,000 | |||
| Spa Road | 2,500 |
| Competition: | Isthmian League South Central Division |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Bracknell Town |
| Promoted: | Bracknell Town Hanwell Town |
| Relegated: | Chalfont St Peter Staines Town |
| Matches: | 342 |
| Total Goals: | 1095 |
| League Topscorer: | 27 goals – Sebastian Bowerman (Bracknell Town) |
| Attendance: | 75,726 |
| Average Attendance: | 221 (+79.7% from previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
After Whyteleafe resigned from the league after losing its ground and folded, South Central Division consisted of 19 clubs: 14 clubs from the previous season, and five new clubs:
| Player | Club | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Bowerman | Bracknell Town | 27 | |
| Jake Baxter | Chertsey Town | 23 | |
| Thomas Collins | Chipstead Hanwell Town | 23 | |
| Daniel Williams | Tooting & Mitcham United Bedfont Sports | 22 |
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Parker Stadium | 2,550 | |||
| Winklebury Football Complex | 2,000 | |||
| Bedfont Recreation Ground | 3,000 | |||
| Hill Farm Lane | 1,000 | |||
| Sandhurst | SB Stadium | 1,108 | ||
| Mill Meadow | 1,500 | |||
| Alwyns Lane | 2,500 | |||
| High Road | 2,000 | |||
| 5,000 | ||||
| Powerday Stadium | 3,000 | |||
| Alfred Davis Memorial Ground | 3,000 | |||
| Northwood Park | 3,075 | |||
| King George's Field | 2,000 | |||
| Wheatsheaf Park | 3,000 | |||
| Waterside Park | 1,500 | |||
| 3,500 | ||||
| Honeycroft | 3,770 | |||
| Woking Park | 1,000 |
| Competition: | Isthmian League South East Division |
| Season: | 2021–22 |
| Winners: | Hastings United |
| Promoted: | Hastings United Herne Bay |
| Relegated: | Phoenix Sports Whistable Town |
| Matches: | 380 |
| Total Goals: | 1073 |
| League Topscorer: | 22 goals – Zak Ansah (Herne Bay) |
| Attendance: | 121,714 |
| Average Attendance: | 320 (+54.6% from previous full season) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
South East Division consisted of 20 clubs: 18 clubs from the previous season, and two new clubs:
| Player | Club | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zak Ansah | Herne Bay | 22 | |
| Joshua Ajayi | Ramsgate | 21 | |
| Marcel Barrington | Cray Valley PM | 20 | |
| Daniel Perry | Three Bridges | 20 |
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Homelands | 3,200 | |||
| Leylands Park | 2,500 | |||
| Oaklands Park | 2,000 | |||
| Gay Dawn Farm | n/a | |||
| Badgers Sports Ground | 1,000 | |||
| East Court | 1,500 | |||
| Salters Lane | 2,000 | |||
| The Pilot Field | 4,050 | |||
| Hanbury Park | 2,000 | |||
| Winch's Field | 4,000 | |||
| Reachfields Stadium | 3,000 | |||
| Culver Road | 1,500 | |||
| The Mayplace Ground | 2,000 | |||
| Southwood Stadium | 2,500 | |||
| Greatness Park | 1,000 | |||
| Woodstock Park | 3,000 | |||
| Jubilee Field | 1,500 | |||
| Oakwood | 1,400 | |||
| The Enclosed Ground | 3,126 | |||
| The Belmont Ground | 3,000 |
Seven clubs at Step 3, all four fourth-from-bottom teams and those placed third-from-bottom that were the top three on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from relegation. The remaining team was relegated to Step 4.
The final points-per-game ranking of the third-from-bottom placed teams in Step 3 divisions was as follows:
| Pos | Team | League | Pld | Pts | PPG | Qualification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Basford United | Northern Premier League Premier Division | 42 | 45 | 1.071 | Retention at Step 3 | |
| 6 | Barwell | Southern League Premier Division Central | 40 | 41 | 1.025 | ||
| 7 | Kings Langley | Southern League Premier Division South | 42 | 37 | 0.881 | ||
| 8 | Leatherhead | Isthmian League Premier Division | 42 | 36 | 0.857 | Relegation to Step 4 |
Ten of the 16 clubs at Step 4, all eight fourth-from-bottom teams and two clubs placed third-from-bottom, one at the top and the other in third place on a points per game (PPG) basis, were reprieved from contesting relegation play-offs. The FA granted third-placed Sheffield a reprieve after demoting Yorkshire Amateur for non-compliance with Step 4 ground grading requirements.[5] The remaining six teams contested one-off matches with sixrunners-up from Step 5 that had the fewest PPG at the end of the 2021–22 season. Three clubs won winners of their matches and stayed at Step 4 for the 2022–23 season, while three others lost theirs and were relegated to Step 5.
The final points-per-game ranking of the 3rd-from-bottom-placed teams in Step 4 divisions was also as follows:
| Pos | Team | League | Pld | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Prescot Cables | Northern Premier League Division One West | 38 | 39 | 1.026 | Retention at Step 4 |
| 10 | Lancing | Isthmian League South East Division | 38 | 36 | 0.947 | Relegation match with a Step 5 team |
| 11 | Sheffield | Northern Premier League Division One East | 36 | 33 | 0.917 | Retention at Step 4 |
| 12 | Witham Town | Isthmian League North Division | 38 | 33 | 0.863 | Relegation match with a Step 5 team |
| 13 | Cinderford Town | Southern League Division One South | 36 | 31 | 0.861 | |
| 14 | Kempston Rovers | Southern League Division One Central | 38 | 29 | 0.763 | |
| 15 | Histon | Northern Premier League Division One Midlands | 38 | 24 | 0.632 | |
| 16 | Chalfont St Peter | Isthmian League South Central Division | 36 | 21 | 0.583 |
| Alan Turvey Trophy | |
| Year: | 2021–22 |
| Country: | England |
| Num Teams: | 60 |
| Winners: | Horsham |
| Second: | Margate |
| Prev Season: | 2020–21 |
| Next Season: | 2022–23 |
The 2021–22 Velocity Trophy (formerly the Isthmian League Cup) was the 48th season of the Alan Turvey Trophy, the cup competition of the whole Isthmian League. 60 of the 82 teams in the Isthmian League participated this season, with the other 22 opting not to participate.
Enfield Town were the defending champions, having beaten AFC Hornchurch in the 2018–19 season—the most recent season in which the competition was fully completed following the abandonment of the 2019–20 competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition was not held during the 2020–21 season.
This season's competition reverted to a straight knock out format. If a game finished level after 90 minutes, the match went straight to penalties—there was no extra time. Clubs were allowed to name and use 5 substitutes per match.
| Round | Dates | Matches | width=100 | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 2 November to 30 November | 12 | 60 → 48 | |
| Second round | 16 November to 11 January | 16 | 48 → 32 | |
| Third round | 18 January to 22 February | 16 | 32 → 16 | |
| Fourth round | 21 February to 10 March | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Quarter-finals | 8 March to 17 March | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | 22 March | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 13 April | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Twenty-four clubs participated in the first round, while thirty-six clubs received a bye to the second round
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 1 | Cray Valley Paper Mills (SE) | 2–1 | Hullbridge Sports (N) | 62 | |
| 2 | Maldon & Tiptree (N) | 2–0 | Aveley (N) | 168 | |
| 3 | Three Bridges (SE) | 0–0 | Sittingbourne (SE) | 51 | |
| Sittingbourne advanced 5–4 on penalties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Hashtag United (N) | 1–3 | Corinthian (SE) | 141 | |
| 5 | Faversham Town (SE) | 2–1 | Sutton Common Rovers (SC) | 135 | |
| 6 | Bracknell Town (SC) | 1–1 | Westfield (SC) | 102 | |
| Westfield advanced 7–6 on penalties | |||||
| 7 | Burgess Hill Town (SE) | 1–1 | Uxbridge (SC) | 120 | |
| Burgess Hill Town advanced 5–4 on penalties | |||||
| 8 | Chichester City (SE) | 0–0 | Hanwell Town | 105 | |
| Chichester City advanced 3–1 on penalties | |||||
| 9 | Coggeshall Town (N) | 2–2 | AFC Sudbury (N) | 109 | |
| AFC Sudbury advanced 3–1 on penalties | |||||
| 10 | Felixstowe & Walton United (N) | 1–1 | Witham Town (N) | 159 | |
| Felixstowe & Walton United advanced 5–4 on penalties | |||||
| 11 | Herne Bay (SE) | 6–1 | East Grinstead Town (SE) | 178 | |
| 12 | Chertsey Town (SC) | 5–2 | Chalfont St Peter (SC) | 175 | |
The twelve clubs who made it through the first round were joined in the draw by twenty clubs who got a bye through the previous round, making thirty-two clubs.
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 13 | Phoenix Sports (SE) | 1–3 | Great Wakering Rovers (N) | 56 | |
| 14 | Tilbury (N) | 0–2 | Brentwood Town (N) | 136 | |
| 15 | Ashford United (SE) | 2–1 | Burgess Hill Town (SE) | 99 | |
| 16 | Basildon United (N) | 2–3 | Romford (N) | 57 | |
| 17 | Haywards Heath Town (SE) | 1–1 | Ramsgate (SE) | 80 | |
| Haywards Heath Town advanced 7–6 on penalties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Tooting & Mitcham United (SC) | 2–1 | Sittingbourne (SE) | 60 | |
| 19 | Grays Athletic (N) | 0–0 | Barking (N) | 86 | |
| Barking advanced 5–4 on penalties | |||||
| 20 | Maldon & Tiptree (N) | 1–0 | Heybridge Swifts (N) | 223 | |
| 21 | Marlow (SC) | 1–2 | Chertsey Town (SC) | 119 | |
| 22 | AFC Sudbury (N) | 1–1 | Cray Valley Paper Mills (SE) | 98 | |
| Cray Valley Paper Mills advanced 5–3 on penalties | |||||
| 23 | Ashford Town (Middlesex) (SC) | 0–1 | Binfield (SC) | 73 | |
| 24 | Chichester City (SE) | 2–1 | Westfield (SC) | 120 | |
| 25 | Corinthian (SE) | 2–1 | Sevenoaks Town (SE) | 78 | |
| 26 | Herne Bay (SE) | 1–2 | Whitstable Town (SE) | 511 | |
| 27 | Hythe Town (SE) | 5–1 | South Park (SC) | 115 | |
| 28 | Thatcham Town (SC) | 1–2 | Faversham Town (SE) | 46 | |
All Premier Division sides participating in the competition received a bye to the third round. They joined the sixteen clubs that advanced past the Second round.
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 29 | Chichester City (SE) | 3–5 | Folkestone Invicta (P) | 125 | |
| 30 | Chertsey Town (SC) | 2–4 | Corinthian-Casuals (P) | 165 | |
| 31 | Cray Valley Paper Mills (SE) | 2–0 | Felixstowe & Walton United (N)) | 56 | |
| 32 | Faversham Town (SE) | 0–0 | Corinthian (SE) | ||
| Faversham Town F.C. won 3–1 on penalties—Corinthian ended up advancing to the fourth round in place of Faversham Town | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Haywards Heath Town (SE) | 3–3 | Ashford United (SE) | 117 | |
| Haywards Heath Town advanced 5–4 on penalties | |||||
| 34 | Romford (N) | 0–7 | East Thurrock United (P) | 66 | |
| 35 | Carshalton Athletic (P) | 1–0 | Merstham (P) | 232 | |
| 36 | Binfield (SC) | 1–3 | Tooting & Mitcham United (SC) | 64 | |
| 37 | Enfield Town (P) | 3–3 | Barking (N) | 206 | |
| Barking advanced 4–3 on penalties | |||||
| 38 | Horsham (P) | 3–1 | Hythe Town (SE) | 261 | |
| 39 | Maldon & Tiptree (N) | 0–2 | Brightlingsea Regent (P) | 172 | |
| 40 | Margate (P) | 2–1 | Herne Bay (SE) | 325 | |
| 41 | Kingstonian (P) | 0–1 | Worthing (P) | 173 | |
| 42 | Bowers & Pitsea (P) | 3–1 | Great Wakering Rovers (N) | 126 | |
| 43 | Cheshunt (P) | 4–2 | Brentwood Town (N) | 118 | |
| N/A | Whitstable Town (SE) | w/o | Haringey Borough (P) | N/A | |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 44 | Carshalton Athletic (P) | 4–2 | Corinthian (SE) | 126 | |
| 45 | Barking (N) | 1–1 | East Thurrock United (P) | 74 | |
| Barking advanced 5–3 on penalties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Brightlingsea Regent (P) | 0–1 | Haringey Borough (P) | 83 | |
| 47 | Folkestone Invicta (P) | 1–0 | Cray Valley Paper Mills (SE) | 276 | |
| 48 | Haywards Heath Town (SE) | 3–2 | Worthing (P) | 325 | |
| 49 | Horsham (P) | 5–0 | Corinthian-Casuals (P) | 351 | |
| 50 | Margate (P) | 2–1 | Tooting & Mitcham United (SC) | 160 | |
| 51 | Bowers & Pitsea (P) | 0–2 | Cheshunt (P) | 115 | |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 52 | Folkestone Invicta (P) | 2–1 | Barking (N) | 304 | |
| 53 | Horsham (P) | 2–0 | Haywards Heath Town (SE) | 378 | |
| 54 | Margate (P) | 4–1 | Carshalton Athletic (P) | 238 | |
| 55 | Haringey Borough (P) | 2–1 | Cheshunt (P) | 118 |
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | ||
| 56 | Haringey Borough (P) | 2–3 | Margate (P) | 211 | |
| 57 | Horsham (P) | 5–0 | Folkestone Invicta (P) | 424 |