As our first contextual offering, here's the roll call of league champions since the EWFA national league's inception in the 1980-81 season:
As can be seen, Mossley and Gainsborough Trinity lead the way with 5 championships each, with Marlow earning their fourth most recently, being, with twice-winners Wrexham, the team of the last few years. Hartlepool United, also with 4, achieved their score in an earlier 7-season period.
Championship retentions have been relatively rare, with Gainsborough's consecutive hat-trick being unique: the only thing that prevented them winning 4 in a row (which would then have become 5) was a last-day, winner-takes-all home defeat to Blackburn Rovers (who this season, having been absorbed in a merger, form the 'B' in Nelson CBR - the 'C' is Colne, the Dynamoes being an earlier merging with Nelson), the latter's only championship.
Currently bottom of the championship, Matlock Town were the first league winners, then waiting 31 years before achieving their second title.
Newcastle United have fallen furthest from their champions' perch, spending last season languishing in the fourth tier (a few have dropped to the third at one time or another), before being included amongst those clubs constituting the new Second Division upon the league's restructuring for this season.
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