# 1971–72 Football League

The 1971–72 season was the 73rd completed season of The Football League.
Brian Clough, 37, won the first major trophy of his managerial career by guiding Derby County to their first ever league championship. They overcame Leeds United, Liverpool and Manchester City to win a four-horse race, with only a single point separating all four teams. There were later bribery allegations from The Sunday People newspaper regarding Leeds manager Don Revie and Leeds' final opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers. The footballing authorities never investigated these allegations to decide whether they were true or not.
Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town lost their First Division status. By the end of the decade, Forest had made an explosive comeback to the top flight. 1971-1972 was Huddersfield's last season in the top flight until their promotion in 2016-17, and within a few seasons they would be in the Fourth Division — most of their existence since 1972 has been spent in the league's lower two divisions.
In the Second Division Norwich City and Birmingham City were promoted. This was the first time that Norwich City had reached the top flight. Charlton Athletic and Watford were relegated.
Aston Villa ended their two-year spell in the Third Division by gaining promotion as champions, and by the end of the decade would be firmly re-established as a First Division club. Brighton & Hove Albion followed Villa into the Second Division, but would not reach the heady heights that the midlanders would experience. Mansfield Town, Barnsley, Torquay United and Bradford City were relegated.
Grimsby Town, Southend United, Brentford and Scunthorpe United were promoted from the Fourth Division. Barrow were voted out of the Football League and replaced by Hereford United, who a short time earlier had achieved a shock FA Cup victory over Newcastle United.
Ernie Tagg sacked himself as manager of Crewe Alexandra because he felt that a younger manager should take charge of the club.

## Final league tables and results

The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888-89 to 1978-79, with home and away statistics separated.
Beginning with the season 1894–95, clubs finishing level on points were separated according to goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same goal difference, this system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals. The goal average system was eventually scrapped beginning with the 1976-77 season.
Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the bottom four teams of that division have been required to apply for re-election.

## First Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Derby County (C) | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 69 | 33 | 2.091 | 58 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Leeds United | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 73 | 31 | 2.355 | 57 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 30 | 2.133 | 57 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Manchester City | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 77 | 45 | 1.711 | 57 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 58 | 40 | 1.450 | 52 | |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 63 | 42 | 1.500 | 51 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 7 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 58 | 49 | 1.184 | 48 | |
| 8 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 69 | 61 | 1.131 | 48 | |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 57 | 1.140 | 47 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 10 | Sheffield United | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 61 | 60 | 1.017 | 46 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 49 | 52 | 0.942 | 41 | |
| 12 | Leicester City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 46 | 0.891 | 39 | |
| 13 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 39 | 53 | 0.736 | 38 | |
| 14 | West Ham United | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 47 | 51 | 0.922 | 36 | |
| 15 | Everton | 42 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 37 | 48 | 0.771 | 36 | |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 42 | 54 | 0.778 | 35 | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 0.696 | 35 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 18 | Coventry City | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 44 | 67 | 0.657 | 33 | |
| 19 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 52 | 80 | 0.650 | 31 | |
| 20 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 39 | 65 | 0.600 | 29 | |
| 21 | Nottingham Forest (R) | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 47 | 81 | 0.580 | 25 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Huddersfield Town (R) | 42 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 27 | 59 | 0.458 | 25 | Relegation to the Second Division |
* ↑ Leeds United qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1971-72 FA Cup winners.
* ↑ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as the 1971-72 UEFA Cup winners.
* ↑ Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United qualified for the Watney Cup as the two teams with the most goals that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.

### Results

| Home \ Away | ARS | CHE | COV | CRY | DER | EVE | HUD | IPS | LEE | LEI | LIV | MCI | MUN | NEW | NOT | SHU | SOU | STK | TOT | WBA | WHU | WOL |
| Arsenal | | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Chelsea | 1–2 | | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| Coventry City | 0–1 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Crystal Palace | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 |
| Derby County | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Everton | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 8–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Huddersfield Town | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Ipswich Town | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Leeds United | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 6–1 | 1–0 | 7–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Leicester City | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Liverpool | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | | 3–0 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| Manchester City | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 5–2 |
| Manchester United | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 1–3 |
| Newcastle United | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 2–3 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Sheffield United | 0–5 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 7–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 |
| Southampton | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–5 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 3–2 | | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–2 |
| Stoke City | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 3–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 0–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 2–3 |
| West Ham United | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 1–0 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | |

### Maps
## Second Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Norwich City (C, P) | 42 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 60 | 36 | 1.667 | 57 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Birmingham City (P) | 42 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 60 | 31 | 1.935 | 56 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Millwall | 42 | 19 | 17 | 6 | 64 | 46 | 1.391 | 55 | |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 57 | 28 | 2.036 | 54 | |
| 5 | Sunderland | 42 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 67 | 57 | 1.175 | 50 | |
| 6 | Blackpool | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 70 | 50 | 1.400 | 47 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 7 | Burnley | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 70 | 55 | 1.273 | 46 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 8 | Bristol City | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 61 | 49 | 1.245 | 46 | |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 50 | 48 | 1.042 | 46 | |
| 10 | Carlisle United | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 61 | 57 | 1.070 | 43 | |
| 11 | Swindon Town | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 47 | 47 | 1.000 | 42 | |
| 12 | Hull City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 49 | 53 | 0.925 | 38 | |
| 13 | Luton Town | 42 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 43 | 48 | 0.896 | 38 | |
| 14 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 51 | 58 | 0.879 | 38 | |
| 15 | Oxford United | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 43 | 55 | 0.782 | 38 | |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 59 | 68 | 0.868 | 37 | |
| 17 | Orient | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 50 | 61 | 0.820 | 37 | |
| 18 | Preston North End | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 52 | 58 | 0.897 | 36 | |
| 19 | Cardiff City | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 56 | 69 | 0.812 | 34 | |
| 20 | Fulham | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 45 | 68 | 0.662 | 34 | |
| 21 | Charlton Athletic (R) | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 55 | 77 | 0.714 | 33 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 22 | Watford (R) | 42 | 5 | 9 | 28 | 24 | 75 | 0.320 | 19 | Relegation to the Third Division |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BIR | BLP | BRI | BUR | CAR | CRL | CHA | FUL | HUL | LUT | MID | MIL | NWC | ORI | OXF | POR | PNE | QPR | SHW | SUN | SWI | WAT |
| Birmingham City | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 6–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 |
| Blackpool | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 5–0 |
| Bristol City | 1–0 | 4–0 | | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 5–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Burnley | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 5–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 |
| Cardiff City | 0–0 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 2–2 | | 3–1 | 6–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| Carlisle United | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | | 5–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Fulham | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 3–0 |
| Hull City | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 4–0 | | 0–0 | 4–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Luton Town | 0–0 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Middlesbrough | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Millwall | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 |
| Norwich City | 2–2 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Orient | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Oxford United | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Portsmouth | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 6–3 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Preston North End | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–5 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Sunderland | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | | 1–0 | 5–0 |
| Swindon Town | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 2–0 |
| Watford | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | |

### Maps
## Third Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Aston Villa (C, P) | 46 | 32 | 6 | 8 | 85 | 32 | 2.656 | 70 | Promotion to the Second Division |
| 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion (P) | 46 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 82 | 47 | 1.745 | 65 | Promotion to the Second Division |
| 3 | Bournemouth | 46 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 73 | 37 | 1.973 | 62 | |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 74 | 44 | 1.682 | 62 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 5 | Rotherham United | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 69 | 52 | 1.327 | 55 | |
| 6 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 75 | 56 | 1.339 | 54 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 51 | 41 | 1.244 | 50 | |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 74 | 64 | 1.156 | 50 | |
| 9 | Walsall | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 62 | 57 | 1.088 | 48 | |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 54 | 57 | 0.947 | 47 | |
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 59 | 63 | 0.937 | 45 | |
| 12 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 73 | 65 | 1.123 | 44 | |
| 13 | Chesterfield | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 57 | 57 | 1.000 | 44 | |
| 14 | Swansea City | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 46 | 59 | 0.780 | 44 | |
| 15 | Port Vale | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 43 | 59 | 0.729 | 41 | |
| 16 | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 59 | 63 | 0.937 | 40 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 17 | Halifax Town | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 48 | 61 | 0.787 | 38 | |
| 18 | Rochdale | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 57 | 83 | 0.687 | 37 | |
| 19 | York City | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 57 | 66 | 0.864 | 36 | |
| 20 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 50 | 71 | 0.704 | 36 | |
| 21 | Mansfield Town (R) | 46 | 8 | 20 | 18 | 41 | 63 | 0.651 | 36 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 22 | Barnsley (R) | 46 | 9 | 18 | 19 | 32 | 64 | 0.500 | 36 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 23 | Torquay United (R) | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 41 | 69 | 0.594 | 32 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 24 | Bradford City (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 45 | 77 | 0.584 | 32 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BOU | AST | BAR | BLB | BOL | BRA | B&HA | BRR | CHF | HAL | MAN | NTC | OLD | PLY | PTV | ROC | ROT | SHR | SWA | TOR | TRA | WAL | WRE | YOR |
| AFC Bournemouth | | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 |
| Aston Villa | 2–1 | | 2–0 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Barnsley | 0–0 | 0–4 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Bradford City | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 7–1 | 2–2 | | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 5–4 |
| Chesterfield | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Halifax Town | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–5 | 2–1 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 |
| Mansfield Town | 0–5 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Notts County | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Oldham Athletic | 3–1 | 0–6 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 |
| Port Vale | 1–1 | 4–4 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–3 |
| Rochdale | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Rotherham United | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 5–1 | | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 7–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–5 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Swansea City | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 |
| Torquay United | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–4 | | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–0 | | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Walsall | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Wrexham | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | | 2–0 |
| York City | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |

### Maps
## Fourth Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 61 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 30 | 1.571 | 63 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Southend United | 46 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 56 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 25 | 29 | 1.473 | 60 | Promoted |
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 52 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 24 | 23 | 1.727 | 59 | Promoted |
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 22 | 1.514 | 57 | Promoted |
| 5 | Lincoln City | 46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 46 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 44 | 1.305 | 56 | Qualified for 1972 Watney Cup |
| 6 | Workington | 46 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 27 | 1.471 | 51 | |
| 7 | Southport | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 48 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 25 | 1.435 | 50 | |
| 8 | Peterborough United | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 51 | 24 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 31 | 40 | 1.281 | 50 | Qualified for 1972 Watney Cup |
| 9 | Bury | 46 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 55 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 37 | 1.237 | 50 | |
| 10 | Cambridge United | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 24 | 38 | 1.033 | 48 | |
| 11 | Colchester United | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 32 | 46 | 1.014 | 48 | |
| 12 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 39 | 0.889 | 46 | |
| 13 | Gillingham | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 33 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 43 | 0.910 | 45 | |
| 14 | Newport County | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 26 | 52 | 0.833 | 44 | |
| 15 | Exeter City | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 40 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 38 | 0.897 | 43 | |
| 16 | Reading | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 50 | 0.737 | 42 | |
| 17 | Aldershot | 46 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 27 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 34 | 0.889 | 40 | |
| 18 | Hartlepool | 46 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 19 | 44 | 0.841 | 40 | |
| 19 | Darlington | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 37 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 27 | 58 | 0.780 | 39 | |
| 20 | Chester | 46 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 34 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 40 | 0.839 | 38 | |
| 21 | Northampton Town | 46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 43 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 23 | 52 | 0.835 | 37 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Barrow | 46 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 0.563 | 37 | Failed re-election |
| 23 | Stockport County | 46 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 33 | 32 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 22 | 55 | 0.632 | 32 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 27 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 44 | 0.623 | 29 | Re-elected |
* 1 2 The two teams who scored the most goals in each division, and did not qualify for Europe and were not promoted, qualified for the Watney Cup.

### Results

| Home \ Away | ALD | BRW | BRE | BRY | CAM | CHE | COL | CRE | DAR | DON | EXE | GIL | GRI | HAR | LIN | NPC | NOR | PET | REA | SCU | STD | SOU | STP | WRK |
| Aldershot | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 |
| Barrow | 1–1 | | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Brentford | 1–1 | 4–0 | | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 6–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 6–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Bury | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Cambridge United | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | | 2–0 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Chester | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Colchester United | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 4–2 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–4 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| Darlington | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 4–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Exeter City | 1–0 | 7–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | | 1–1 | 3–4 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| Gillingham | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Grimsby Town | 3–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 3–2 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 |
| Hartlepool | 0–1 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1–3 |
| Lincoln City | 2–2 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Newport County | 2–3 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Northampton Town | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 6–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 5–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Peterborough United | 0–0 | 7–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 4–4 | 3–1 | 1–0 | | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| Reading | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Scunthorpe United | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| Southend | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–4 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–3 | | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 |
| Southport | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 4–0 | 2–4 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Stockport County | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 4–4 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 1–1 |
| Workington | 5–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | |