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47-520: The league was formed in 2014 following the merger of the Midland Alliance and Midland Combination . Successful Premier Division clubs can win promotion to the 8th level of the English football league system , while the competition also has a number of feeder leagues at level 11, which provide new member clubs each year. Entry can also be gained by applying from non- pyramid leagues such as

94-416: A Premiership game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park for lashing out at Eagles defender Richard Shaw . Cantona then kicked Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, who taunted him from the stands. His club fined him two weeks wages and banned him from playing for the rest of the season. The FA fined Cantona £10,000 and extended his ban from football to 30 September 1995, for a total of eight months – one of

141-554: A feeder to the Southern League was cemented when Armitage 90 were relegated in the opposite direction. Armitage went on to dominate the league in the 1995–96 season but disbanded midway through the season, with the result that their record was expunged from the table. For the 1999–2000 season the league increased in size to 22 clubs when two clubs were promoted into the Alliance but none relegated out of it. One of

188-470: A former Tottenham Hotspur player – won the trophy for the Spaniards. Until 9 November 1994 when the newspaper published its first articles about him, the appellant ( Bruce Grobbelaar }'s public reputation was unblemished. But he had in fact acted in a way in which no decent or honest footballer would act and in a way which could, if not exposed and stamped on, undermine the integrity of a game which earns

235-639: A single division which sat at Step 5 of the National League System , or the ninth level of the overall English football league system . The league was formed in 1994, drawing its initial membership from the strongest clubs in the Midland Football Combination and the West Midlands (Regional) League , both of which became feeder leagues to the new competition. Each season, the champion club of each feeder league

282-414: A terrible start to the 1994–95 season. Failure to win any of their first twelve Premiership games cost manager Mike Walker his job, but the appointment of Oldham Athletic 's Joe Royle as his successor and the signing of controversial striker Duncan Ferguson helped to revive Everton's fortunes. Their Premiership survival was confirmed at the end of April and on 20 May they beat Manchester United 1–0 in

329-563: A total of more than 50 league goals. On the final day of the season, Manchester United failed to beat West Ham United , confirming Blackburn as champions, despite losing to Liverpool . Newly promoted Nottingham Forest finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup along with fourth placed Liverpool (also League Cup winners) and fifth placed Leeds United . After this season the Premier League would be reduced to 20 clubs, so there

376-587: The 2003–04 season, at the end of which, for the first time, Alliance clubs were promoted to the Northern Premier League , rather than the Southern League, when Rocester and Willenhall Town joined the more northerly of the two leagues. The following season Coalville Town became the first Alliance team to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup , a feat which was repeated in the 2005–06 season by both Chasetown and Leamington . With

423-446: The 2006–07 season the average attendance across the league was 124, but in the 2007–08 season this fell to 87. The best supported team in that season was Atherstone Town , whose average home attendance was 162. The worst supported team was Oldbury United whose matches drew an average of only 39 spectators. The highest attendance for a single match was 411, for the match between Stratford Town and Barwell . Barwell also took part in

470-610: The Birmingham & District Football League . Clubs are also liable to be transferred to other leagues if the FA deems it geographically suitable to do so. Source Midland Alliance The Midland Football Alliance was an English association football league for semi-professional teams. It covered Leicestershire , Shropshire , Staffordshire , Warwickshire , West Midlands , Worcestershire and also southern parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire . The league consisted of

517-481: The FA Cup final thanks to a Paul Rideout goal. Rideout's goal – and the brilliant goalkeeping of veteran Neville Southall – meant that Everton had won their first major honour in eight years, while United endured their first trophyless season in six years. To date, this remains Everton's last major trophy. On 25 January 1995, Eric Cantona , the Manchester United and France forward, was sent off in

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564-537: The Greater Manchester area. Cantona was not the only player facing jail. Chelsea captain Dennis Wise was convicted of assaulting a taxi driver and jailed for three months, although a successful appeal saw both his conviction and his prison sentence quashed. Arsenal were another Premiership club to be hit by controversy in the 1994–95 season. In November 1994, winger Paul Merson admitted that he

611-471: The Southern League or the Northern Premier League . Teams finishing at the bottom of the Alliance table could be relegated to an appropriate feeder league, depending on the number of teams remaining in the division after other promotion and relegation issues have been resolved. Attendances at Midland Alliance matches were generally small, with many matches attracting fewer than 100 spectators. In

658-525: The " lower-league Double ". 1995 saw five teams relegated – Cambridge United , Plymouth Argyle , Cardiff City , Chester City , and Leyton Orient This season saw three clubs go up from Division Three instead of four clubs. They were champions Carlisle United , runners-up Walsall , and playoff winners Chesterfield . Exeter City , who almost went out of business in mid-season, finished bottom of Division Three but kept their league status because Conference champions Macclesfield Town were unable to meet

705-630: The Division Two title with Birmingham City , who were also Auto Windscreen Shield winners. The 1994–95 season was the first season in which clubs in the top two tiers were required to have all-seater stadia . A total of 26,150,028 attended matches in competitions organised by The Football Association and the Football League and hosted by league clubs. Of that number, 21,856,223 attended Premiership and Football League matches. This ensured that attendance at league matches had increased for

752-549: The English league for the first time since 1914 after four years of heavy spending on and off the pitch. Strikers Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton scored more than 60 goals between them during the course of the season, while centre half Colin Hendry and full back Graham Le Saux ensured that there was solidity and consistency away from the attack. Manchester United narrowly missed out on a third successive league title, and were also on

799-593: The First Round to the Final was 2,015,261, an increase of 25,641 from the previous season. The attendance at the Final was 79,592. The five-year revival of Blackburn Rovers under the ownership of Jack Walker paid off as they were crowned Premiership champions and finished top of the English league for the first time in 81 years. A key force in the title glory was striker Alan Shearer , who scored 34 League goals and

846-629: The Leicestershire Senior League, which is officially a Step 7 league, would now move up to the new league and that the champions of the new league would in turn move up to the Alliance if they fell within its coverage area. In 2014 the Alliance merged with the Midland Combination to form the new Midland Football League . The clubs which had been members of the Alliance formed the Premier Division of

893-491: The West Midlands (Regional) League were Brierley Hill Town , Chasetown , Halesowen Harriers , Hinckley Athletic , Knypersley Victoria , Oldbury United , Paget Rangers , Rocester , Rushall Olympic and Willenhall Town . Paget Rangers won the first league championship by a margin of 12 points from Hinckley Athletic in the 1994–95 season, and gained promotion to the Southern League . The Alliance's status as

940-539: The club for the first time since the early 1980s. Bryan Robson made an excellent start to his management career by winning the Division One championship and gaining promotion to the Premiership with Middlesbrough . Bruce Rioch won the Division One playoffs and took Bolton Wanderers to their first cup final in nearly 40 years. Jimmy Quinn took Reading to a second-place finish in Division One and only

987-487: The club that were to fail to win promotion despite finishing second in the table. Instead, they competed in the playoffs , losing to Bolton Wanderers in the final, who achieved their second promotion in three years under Bruce Rioch – as well as being League Cup runners-up. 1995 saw four clubs relegated from Division One to Division Two – Swindon Town (relegated for the second straight season), Burnley , Bristol City , and Notts County . Sunderland narrowly avoided

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1034-492: The club's history, was sacked after nine years at the helm. Despite the controversy of George Graham's sacking and Paul Merson's personal problems, Arsenal reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final under caretaker manager Stewart Houston , where they faced Real Zaragoza of Spain . The scores were level at 1–1 after 90 minutes, but a freak goal from 40 yards out in the last minute of extra-time by Nayim –

1081-551: The creation of the National League System by the Football Association the league was officially defined as a Step 5 league. The champions of the Midland Combination, West Midlands (Regional) League and Leicestershire Senior League continued to gain promotion to the Alliance, although in 2008 the new East Midlands Counties Football League was formed at the Step 6 level and it was anticipated that successful teams from

1128-570: The drop following the arrival of enthusiastic new manager Peter Reid , who over the next few years would bring dramatic improvements to the Wearsiders. There were only two promotion places in Division Two for 1994–95. They were occupied by champions Birmingham City and playoff winners Huddersfield Town , both enjoying success after seasons of disappointment. Birmingham City also won the Football League Trophy and completed

1175-580: The league were as follows: The winners of the Alliance's two cup competitions were as follows: A total of 65 clubs played in the Midland Football Alliance: 1994-95 in English football The 1994–95 season was the 115th season of competitive football in England . Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored

1222-683: The league's stadium capacity requirements. Alan Shearer was the English league's top scorer with 34 Premiership goals for champions Blackburn Rovers. 20-year-old Robbie Fowler collected a League Cup winner's medal with Liverpool as well as the PFA Young Player of the Year award, following another season of strong goalscoring. Peter Schmeichel established himself as a world-class goalkeeper by conceding just 4 goals in 18 home Premiership fixtures with Manchester United . Stan Collymore scored 22 Premiership goals for Nottingham Forest and

1269-442: The longest suspensions ever handed out in English football. FIFA later confirmed that this ban was worldwide. A jury at Croydon Magistrates Court found him guilty of common assault and the judge sentenced him to fourteen days in prison, although he was immediately released on bail pending an appeal – which was successful in quashing his prison sentence. He received a 120-hour community service order instead, opting to coach children in

1316-480: The losing side in the FA Cup final, although their fortunes were not helped by the loss of several players including Eric Cantona , Andrei Kanchelskis , Roy Keane and Paul Parker for considerable periods due to suspension or injury. Newly promoted Nottingham Forest made a huge impact and finished third to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1984. Liverpool showed signs of a return to their former glory with

1363-644: The loyalty and support of millions. Bruce Grobbelaar faced match-fixing allegations resulting in the October 2002 judgement by Lord Bingham of Cornhill . He and his co-defendants had been cleared in November 1997. Grobbelaar later successfully sued The Sun for libel . The Sun appealed, and the case was eventually reached the House of Lords . The Lords slashed Grobbelaar's award to £1 and ordered him to pay The Sun' s legal costs , estimated at £500,000. Grobbelaar

1410-428: The match with the lowest attendance, when their game away to Oldbury United drew only 20 spectators. The largest crowd ever registered for an Alliance match was 1,280, for the match between Racing Club Warwick and local rivals Leamington on 26 December 2005. The smallest crowd recorded was 10, for a match between Wednesfield and Biddulph Victoria on 19 April 2003. The league champions and clubs promoted from

1457-561: The most exciting young talents in England and would soon be on his way to Liverpool . Wrexham striker Gary Bennett scored a staggering 39 goals in all competitions. Huddersfield Town striker Andy Booth who scored an impressive 30 goals during this season as well as make international honours with the England Under 21 squad . Walsall wingers Scott Houghton and Martin O'Connor almost single-handedly earned their club's promotion to Division Two. Kenny Dalglish become only

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1504-414: The new league. The Alliance was known under various sponsored names following deals with companies including Baker-Joiner, Polymac Services, Harvey World Travel, Travel Factory, and Aspire. In July 2008, it was announced that 23 teams would compete in the Alliance in the 2008–09 season, however the following week it was announced that Stapenhill had folded, leaving 22 teams in the league. The league

1551-407: The ninth consecutive season. In the Premiership, 11,213,371 attended the 420 matches held in 1994–95, the highest attendance in the top division since the 1980–81 season. Meanwhile, Football League clubs attracted 10,583,498, a decline of half a million from the previous season . The ten most supported teams in league matches this season were as follows: The attendance at FA Cup matches from

1598-485: The promoted clubs was Oadby Town of the Leicestershire Senior League , the first time a team from that league had been promoted into the Alliance. Two years later, the league increased in size to 23 clubs as more teams joined than left, but Stapenhill resigned midway through the 2001–02 season, reverting the number of clubs in the competition back to 22. The league expanded to 24 clubs for

1645-415: The required standard. Clubs promoted from Step 5 leagues were placed in the most geographically appropriate Step 4 leagues as determined by the FA's Leagues Committee. The number of clubs promoted from the Alliance each season could vary, as regulations stated that the "ten most suitable clubs from the leagues at Step 5" will gain promotion. All clubs gaining promotion from the Alliance were placed in either

1692-506: The required standards. The league also operated two cup competitions of its own, the knock-out League Cup, which was staged every season, and the Joe McGorian Cup, which was contested between the previous season's League Cup winners and league champions and which was first contested in 1996. According to official FA regulations, clubs from the Alliance were eligible for promotion to a Step 4 league, provided their grounds met

1739-563: The streamlining of the Premiership prevented them from reaching the top flight for the very first time. Neil Warnock achieved his fourth promotion in less than a decade as he guided Huddersfield Town to glory in the Division Two playoffs. John Duncan helped Chesterfield F.C. win the Division Three playoffs and brought some long-awaited success to Saltergate. Chris Nicholl had a strong first season as Walsall F.C. manager by gaining promotion to Division Two. Barry Fry won

1786-522: The third manager to win the English league title with different clubs after he guided Blackburn Rovers to their first league title since 1914. Joe Royle completed his first season as Everton manager by winning the FA Cup . Roy Evans won the League Cup in his first full season as Liverpool manager. Frank Clark took newly promoted Nottingham Forest to third place in the Premiership to achieve UEFA Cup qualification and bring European football to

1833-518: The two competitions were considered to be similar enough that a new competition was formed to cater for the best clubs previously split across the two leagues. The league drew ten member clubs from each of the two leagues for its inaugural season. The clubs selected to join from the Midland Combination were Barwell , Boldmere St Michaels , Bolehall Swifts , Pershore Town , Sandwell Borough , Shepshed Dynamo , Shifnal Town , Stapenhill , Stratford Town and West Midlands Police . Those selected from

1880-403: Was addicted to alcohol, cocaine and gambling. He went on a three-month rehabilitation course before resuming his career. Just before Merson's return, it was revealed that manager George Graham had accepted £425,000 worth of illegal payments from a Scandinavian agent who had overseen the signings of Pål Lydersen and John Jensen three years earlier. Graham, one of the most successful managers in

1927-421: Was contested on a double round-robin basis, with each team playing each of the other teams in the division once at home and once away. Three points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a defeat. Goal difference was used to separate teams on the same points. As the Alliance was a Step 5 league, its member clubs were eligible to take part in the FA Cup and FA Vase as long as their grounds met

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1974-411: Was eligible for promotion to the Alliance, and Alliance clubs could in turn be relegated to the feeder leagues. Successful teams in the Alliance were eligible for promotion to a Step 4 league, either the Southern League or Northern Premier League depending on geographical considerations. The league merged with the Midland Combination in 2014 to form the new Midland Football League . The Alliance

2021-635: Was formed in 1994, taking its initial member clubs from the West Midlands (Regional) League and the Midland Football Combination , which had existed since before the Second World War , having originally been formed as the Birmingham & District League and the Worcestershire Combination respectively. Their catchment areas had gradually converged, and by the early 1990s the standard of play and geographical coverage of

2068-402: Was four teams relegated this time around. They were occupied by Crystal Palace , Norwich City (who had finished third two seasons earlier), Leicester City , and Ipswich Town . The streamlining of the Premier League meant that just two clubs would be promoted from Division One in 1995. Middlesbrough won the Division One title in their first season under Bryan Robson , while Reading were

2115-465: Was named PFA Players' Player of the Year . His strike partner Chris Sutton also had a major influence on Blackburn's success, as did captain Tim Sherwood and defenders Colin Hendry and Graeme Le Saux . Manager Kenny Dalglish , who had won three titles as a manager with Liverpool , became only the third manager in English football to win the league title with different clubs. Everton had

2162-471: Was soon on his way to Liverpool for an English record fee of £8.4 million. Experienced Scottish striker John Hendrie was the driving force in Middlesbrough's return to the Premiership after a two-year absence. 36-year-old Tranmere Rovers striker John Aldridge was Division One's leading goalscorer with 24 league goals. Bolton Wanderers midfielder Jason McAteer established himself as one of

2209-525: Was unable to pay the costs and was declared bankrupt . Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour (First Division & Premier League). Number after slash is Premier League only. * indicates new record for competition ab = Abandoned after 27 minutes because of crowd violence with the Republic of Ireland leading 1–0 and no official result recorded, although caps were awarded. Blackburn Rovers were crowned champions of

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