yeovil in europe - the anglo-italian competition 1977
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the english clubs
 The six English clubs came from the top levels of the semi-pro game, which was regional in these pre-Conference games. The Isthmian League was oddly not represented, four clubs coming from the premier division of the Southern Football League (Bath, Yeovil, Chelmsford an Redditch), and two from the Northern Premier League (Scarborough and Northwich).
southern football league
The Southern League had been a breeding ground for football league clubs ever since its formation late in the 19th century.
In the early 1900s a whole block of clubs provided for the expansion of the Football League. Since the war, Hereford United, Oxford United, Colchester United, Gillingham, and Cambridge United were elected to the League.
They were followed by Wimbledon at the end of the 1976/77 campaign, who topped the non-league clubs ahead of fellow applicants Yeovil and Bath. Their second successive Southern League title, combined with a high-profile cup run, earned them more votes than Workington, setting the Dons on their incredible run to the Premiership.
The Southern League consisted of 60 clubs at the time of this Anglo-Italian tournament, over three divisions covering the Midlands and South of England. The season had been due to start with 62, but Stevenage Athletic pulled out in financial crisis before the start. THen, in a similar position, Guildford and Dorking United pulled out part way through the season.
northern premier league
This was a relatively new league, forming in 1968/69. Although no clubs had been elected into the Football League, the NPL can claim that its clubs were more than a match for those in the Southern League; NPL teams won six of the first seven FA Trophy finals.
The Northern League was set up to give a single focal point in the North for clubs aiming for League status. It had 23 members in the 1976/77 season.
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