1972–73 Football League

The Football League

Season	1972–73
Champions	Liverpool
New Club in League	Hereford United
← 1971–72 1973–74 →

The 1972–73 season was the 74th completed season of The Football League.

Liverpool's championship win meant they claimed their first trophy since 1966 in Bill Shankly's penultimate season as manager despite competition from Arsenal, Leeds United, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Manchester United sacked manager Frank O'Farrell after 18 months in charge. He had been unable to mount a title challenge. Tommy Docherty, the 44-year-old Scottish national coach and former Aston Villa manager, was appointed as his successor. Bobby Charlton and Denis Law both played their last games for the club while George Best's appearances were becoming increasingly rare.

Burnley and Queens Park Rangers won promotion to the First Division. Huddersfield Town's decline continued as they slid into the Third Division, where they were joined by Brighton & Hove Albion.

Bolton Wanderers and Notts County occupied the two promotion places in the Third Division. Rotherham United, Brentford, Swansea City and Scunthorpe United were relegated to the Fourth Division.

Hereford United were promoted from the Fourth Division in their first season as a Football League club. They had been elected to the Football League a year earlier after winning the Southern League and achieving a shock win over Newcastle United in the FA Cup. They were joined in the promotion zone by champions Southport, Cambridge United and Aldershot. Newport County missed promotion only on goal average. There were no arrivals or departures in the league for 1973.

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

First Division

Season	1972–73
Champions	Liverpool 8th title
Relegated	Crystal Palace West Bromwich Albion
European Cup	Liverpool
UEFA Cup	Leeds United Ipswich Town Wolverhampton Wanderers Tottenham Hotspur
Watney Cup	West Ham United Stoke City
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1,160 (2.51 per match)
Top goalscorer	Pop Robson (28 goals)
Biggest home win	Liverpool 5–0 Sheffield United (23 September 1972) Leeds United 5–0 Derby County (7 October 1972) Crystal Palace 5–0 Manchester United (16 October 1972) Derby County 5–0 Arsenal (25 November 1972) Leeds United 6–1 Arsenal (9 March 1973)
Biggest away win	West Bromwich Albion 0–4 Crystal Palace (3 March 1973)
Highest scoring	Wolverhampton Wanderers 5–3 Stoke City (30 September 1972)
← 1971–72 1973–74 →

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Liverpool (C)	42	25	10	7	72	42	1.714	60	Qualification for the European Cup first round
2	Arsenal	42	23	11	8	57	43	1.326	57
3	Leeds United	42	21	11	10	71	45	1.578	53	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4	Ipswich Town	42	17	14	11	55	45	1.222	48
5	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	18	11	13	66	54	1.222	47
6	West Ham United	42	17	12	13	67	53	1.264	46	Qualification for the Watney Cup
7	Derby County	42	19	8	15	56	54	1.037	46
8	Tottenham Hotspur	42	16	13	13	58	48	1.208	45	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
9	Newcastle United	42	16	13	13	60	51	1.176	45
10	Birmingham City	42	15	12	15	53	54	0.981	42
11	Manchester City	42	15	11	16	57	60	0.950	41
12	Chelsea	42	13	14	15	49	51	0.961	40
13	Southampton	42	11	18	13	47	52	0.904	40
14	Sheffield United	42	15	10	17	51	59	0.864	40
15	Stoke City	42	14	10	18	61	56	1.089	38	Qualification for the Watney Cup
16	Leicester City	42	10	17	15	40	46	0.870	37
17	Everton	42	13	11	18	41	49	0.837	37
18	Manchester United	42	12	13	17	44	60	0.733	37
19	Coventry City	42	13	9	20	40	55	0.727	35
20	Norwich City	42	11	10	21	36	63	0.571	32
21	Crystal Palace (R)	42	9	12	21	41	58	0.707	30	Relegation to the Second Division
22	West Bromwich Albion (R)	42	9	10	23	38	62	0.613	28

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Results

Home \ Away	ARS	BIR	CHE	COV	CRY	DER	EVE	IPS	LEE	LEI	LIV	MCI	MUN	NEW	NWC	SHU	SOU	STK	TOT	WBA	WHU	WOL
Arsenal		2–0	1–1	0–2	1–0	0–1	1–0	1–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	0–0	3–1	2–2	2–0	3–2	1–0	2–0	1–1	2–1	1–0	5–2
Birmingham City	1–1		2–2	3–0	1–1	2–0	2–1	1–2	2–1	1–1	2–1	4–1	3–1	3–2	4–1	1–2	1–1	3–1	0–0	3–2	0–0	0–1
Chelsea	0–1	0–0		2–0	0–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–2	2–1	1–0	1–1	3–1	4–2	2–1	1–3	0–1	3–1	1–3	0–2
Coventry City	1–1	0–0	1–3		2–0	0–2	1–0	2–1	0–1	3–2	1–2	3–2	1–1	0–3	3–1	3–0	1–1	2–1	0–1	0–0	3–1	0–1
Crystal Palace	2–3	0–0	2–0	0–1		0–0	1–0	1–1	2–2	0–1	1–1	1–0	5–0	2–1	0–2	0–1	3–0	3–2	0–0	0–2	1–3	1–1
Derby County	5–0	1–0	1–2	2–0	2–2		3–1	3–0	2–3	2–1	2–1	1–0	3–1	1–1	1–0	2–1	4–0	0–3	2–1	2–0	1–1	3–0
Everton	0–0	1–1	1–0	2–0	1–1	1–0		2–2	1–2	0–1	0–2	2–3	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–1	0–1	2–0	3–1	1–0	1–2	0–1
Ipswich Town	1–2	2–0	3–0	2–0	2–1	3–1	0–1		2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–1	1–0	1–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–1
Leeds United	6–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	4–0	5–0	2–1	3–3		3–1	1–2	3–0	0–1	1–0	2–0	2–1	1–0	1–0	2–1	2–0	1–0	0–0
Leicester City	0–1	0–1	1–1	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–2	1–1	2–0		3–2	1–1	2–2	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	2–0	0–1	3–1	2–1	1–1
Liverpool	0–2	4–3	3–1	2–0	1–0	1–1	1–0	2–1	2–0	0–0		2–0	2–0	3–2	3–1	5–0	3–2	2–1	1–1	1–0	3–2	4–2
Manchester City	1–2	1–0	0–1	1–2	2–3	4–0	0–1	1–1	1–0	1–0	1–1		3–0	2–0	3–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–1	2–1	4–3	1–1
Manchester United	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–1	2–0	3–0	0–0	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–0		2–1	1–0	1–2	2–1	0–2	1–4	2–1	2–2	2–1
Newcastle United	2–1	3–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–0	1–2	3–2	2–2	2–1	2–1	2–1		3–1	4–1	0–0	1–0	0–1	1–1	1–2	2–1
Norwich City	3–2	1–2	1–0	1–1	2–1	1–0	1–1	0–0	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–1		1–1	0–0	2–0	2–1	2–0	0–1	1–1
Sheffield United	1–0	0–1	2–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	0–1	0–0	0–2	2–0	0–3	1–1	1–0	1–2	2–0		3–1	0–0	3–2	3–0	0–0	1–2
Southampton	2–2	2–0	3–1	2–1	2–0	1–1	0–0	1–2	3–1	0–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–0	1–1		1–0	1–1	2–1	0–0	1–1
Stoke City	0–0	1–2	1–1	2–1	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–0	2–2	1–0	0–1	5–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–3		1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0
Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	2–0	0–1	2–1	2–1	1–0	3–0	0–1	0–0	1–1	1–2	2–3	1–1	3–2	3–0	2–0	1–2	4–3		1–1	1–0	2–2
West Bromwich Albion	1–0	2–2	1–1	1–0	0–4	2–1	4–1	2–0	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–2	2–2	2–3	0–1	0–2	1–1	2–1	0–1		0–0	1–0
West Ham United	1–2	2–0	3–1	1–0	4–0	1–2	2–0	0–1	1–1	5–2	0–1	2–1	2–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	4–3	3–2	2–2	2–1		2–2
Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–3	3–2	1–0	3–0	1–1	1–2	4–2	0–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	3–0	1–1	0–1	5–3	3–2	2–0	3–0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Arsenal

Chelsea

Crystal Palace

Tottenham

West Ham

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1972–1973

Arsenal

Birmingham

Chelsea

Coventry

Crystal Palace

Derby County

Everton

Ipswich Town

Leeds United

Leicester City

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Newcastle

Norwich City

Sheffield United

Southampton

Stoke

Tottenham

West Bromwich Albion

West Ham

Wolverhampton Wanderers

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League First Division 1972–1973 teams

Second Division

Second Division

Season	1972–73
Champions	Burnley
Promoted	Burnley Queens Park Rangers
Relegated	Huddersfield Town Brighton & Hove Albion
Cup Winners' Cup	Sunderland Cardiff City
Watney Cup	Bristol City Hull City
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1,156 (2.5 per match)
Top goalscorer	Don Givens (23 goals)
Biggest home win	Carlisle United 6–1 Preston North End (26 December 1972) Queens Park Rangers 5–0 Swindon Town (17 February 1973) Queens Park Rangers 5–0 Portsmouth (31 March 1973)
Biggest away win	Preston North End 0–5 Portsmouth (10 February 1973)
Highest scoring	Hull City 6–2 Preston North End (27 January 1973) Blackpool 6–2 Brighton & Hove Albion (19 April 1973)
← 1971–72 1973–74 →

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Burnley (C, P)	42	24	14	4	72	35	2.057	62	Promotion to the First Division
2	Queens Park Rangers (P)	42	24	13	5	81	37	2.189	61
3	Aston Villa	42	18	14	10	51	47	1.085	50
4	Middlesbrough	42	17	13	12	46	43	1.070	47
5	Bristol City	42	17	12	13	63	51	1.235	46	Qualification for the Watney Cup
6	Sunderland	42	17	12	13	59	49	1.204	46	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round
7	Blackpool	42	18	10	14	56	51	1.098	46
8	Oxford United	42	19	7	16	52	43	1.209	45
9	Fulham	42	16	12	14	58	49	1.184	44
10	Sheffield Wednesday	42	17	10	15	59	55	1.073	44
11	Millwall	42	16	10	16	55	47	1.170	42
12	Luton Town	42	15	11	16	44	53	0.830	41
13	Hull City	42	14	12	16	64	59	1.085	40	Qualification for the Watney Cup
14	Nottingham Forest	42	14	12	16	47	52	0.904	40
15	Orient	42	12	12	18	49	53	0.925	36
16	Swindon Town	42	10	16	16	46	60	0.767	36
17	Portsmouth	42	12	11	19	42	59	0.712	35
18	Carlisle United	42	11	12	19	50	52	0.962	34
19	Preston North End	42	11	12	19	37	64	0.578	34
20	Cardiff City	42	11	11	20	43	58	0.741	33	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round
21	Huddersfield Town (R)	42	8	17	17	36	56	0.643	33	Relegation to the Third Division
22	Brighton & Hove Albion (R)	42	8	13	21	46	83	0.554	29

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Results

Home \ Away	AST	BLP	B&HA	BRI	BUR	CAR	CRL	FUL	HUD	HUL	LUT	MID	MIL	NOT	ORI	OXF	POR	PNE	QPR	SHW	SUN	SWI
Aston Villa		0–0	1–1	1–0	0–3	2–0	1–0	2–3	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–0	2–2	1–0	2–1	2–0	1–1	0–1	2–1	2–0	2–1
Blackpool	1–1		6–2	3–0	1–2	1–0	0–0	2–0	1–1	4–3	1–1	0–1	2–1	2–0	1–1	2–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–2	0–0	2–0
Brighton & Hove Albion	1–3	1–2		1–1	0–1	2–2	1–0	2–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–2	3–3	2–2	3–1
Bristol City	3–0	3–0	3–1		0–1	1–0	4–1	1–1	0–0	2–1	0–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–0	3–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	1–0	3–0
Burnley	4–1	4–3	3–0	1–1		3–0	2–2	2–2	2–1	4–1	3–0	0–0	2–1	1–0	1–2	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	0–1	2–0	2–1
Cardiff City	0–2	1–2	1–1	1–3	0–1		1–0	3–1	4–1	0–2	2–1	2–0	1–0	2–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	3–0	0–0	4–1	1–1	1–1
Carlisle United	2–2	2–3	5–1	1–2	1–1	4–0		2–1	0–0	0–1	2–0	1–1	0–1	1–2	1–0	2–1	1–0	6–1	1–3	1–1	4–3	3–0
Fulham	2–0	2–0	5–1	5–1	1–1	1–1	1–0		1–1	2–0	0–1	2–1	1–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	0–0	1–3	0–2	1–0	1–2	0–0
Huddersfield Town	1–1	1–0	0–2	0–1	0–2	2–1	1–1	1–0		1–3	1–2	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–0	2–2	1–0	1–1	1–1
Hull City	1–2	1–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–0		4–0	3–1	0–2	0–0	2–0	0–1	5–1	6–2	4–1	1–1	0–2	3–2
Luton Town	0–0	2–2	2–1	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–1	1–0	4–1	1–2		0–1	2–2	1–0	1–1	0–1	2–2	1–0	2–2	0–0	1–0	0–1
Middlesbrough	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–1	3–3	2–0	1–0	1–2	2–1	1–0	0–1		1–0	0–0	3–2	1–0	3–0	0–0	0–0	3–0	2–1	0–2
Millwall	1–1	1–1	3–0	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–0	1–3	1–0	2–0	3–2	1–0		2–1	2–0	3–1	0–2	4–1	0–1	2–1	0–1	1–1
Nottingham Forest	1–1	4–0	1–0	1–0	3–0	2–1	2–1	2–1	1–1	1–2	0–1	1–3	3–2		2–1	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	3–0	1–0	2–2
Orient	4–0	2–0	1–0	0–2	1–1	0–0	2–1	3–2	3–1	0–0	0–1	2–0	3–1	3–0		1–1	0–1	1–2	2–2	3–2	1–1	1–0
Oxford United	2–0	0–1	3–0	0–2	0–2	2–1	1–1	0–0	2–0	5–2	2–1	4–0	2–1	1–0	2–1		1–3	0–2	2–0	1–0	5–1	1–0
Portsmouth	0–1	1–0	2–0	0–3	0–2	3–1	0–0	1–2	1–2	2–2	2–2	0–0	1–1	2–0	1–0	1–0		0–1	0–1	1–0	2–3	1–1
Preston North End	0–1	0–3	4–0	3–3	1–1	0–0	1–0	0–3	0–0	1–0	2–0	0–1	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–5		1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1
Queens Park Rangers	1–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	3–0	3–1	0–0	5–0	3–0		4–2	3–2	5–0
Sheffield Wednesday	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–2	0–1	1–0	0–0	3–0	3–2	4–2	4–0	2–1	2–2	1–2	2–0	0–1	2–1	2–1	3–1		1–0	2–1
Sunderland	2–2	1–0	4–0	2–2	0–1	2–1	2–1	0–0	3–0	1–1	0–2	4–0	2–0	4–1	1–0	1–0	2–0	0–0	0–3	1–1		3–2
Swindon Town	1–3	0–0	2–2	2–1	0–1	3–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	1–0	0–0	0–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	3–2	2–2	1–0	1–1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Fulham

Orient

Millwall

Queens Park Rangers

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1972–1973

Aston Villa

Blackpool

Brighton & Hove

Bristol City

Burnley

Carlisle United

Cardiff City

Fulham

Hull

Huddersfield

Orient

Luton Town

Middlesbrough

Millwall

Nottingham Forest

Oxford

Portsmouth

Preston North End

QPR

Sheffield Wednesday

Sunderland

Swindon

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League Second Division 1972–1973 teams

Third Division

Football League
Third Division

Season	1972–73
Champions	Bolton Wanderers (1st title)
Promoted	Notts County
Relegated	Brentford, Rotherham United, Scunthorpe United, Swansea City
Matches played	552
Goals scored	1,371 (2.48 per match)
Top goalscorer	Arthur Horsfield (Charlton Athletic), 26
← 1971–72 1973–74 →

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GAv	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Bolton Wanderers	46	18	4	1	44	9	7	7	9	29	30	1.872	61	Division Champions, promoted
2	Notts County	46	17	4	2	40	12	6	7	10	27	35	1.426	57	Promoted
3	Blackburn Rovers	46	12	8	3	34	16	8	7	8	23	31	1.213	55
4	Oldham Athletic	46	12	7	4	40	18	7	9	7	32	36	1.333	54
5	Bristol Rovers	46	17	4	2	55	20	3	9	11	22	36	1.375	53	Qualified for 1973 Watney Cup
6	Port Vale	46	15	6	2	41	21	6	5	12	15	48	0.812	53
7	AFC Bournemouth	46	14	6	3	44	16	3	10	10	22	28	1.500	50
8	Plymouth Argyle	46	14	3	6	43	26	6	7	10	31	40	1.121	50	Qualified for 1973 Watney Cup
9	Grimsby Town	46	16	2	5	45	18	4	6	13	22	43	1.098	48
10	Tranmere Rovers	46	12	8	3	38	17	3	8	12	18	35	1.077	46
11	Charlton Athletic	46	12	7	4	46	24	5	4	14	23	43	1.030	45
12	Wrexham	46	11	9	3	39	23	3	8	12	16	31	1.019	45
13	Rochdale	46	8	8	7	22	26	6	9	8	26	28	0.889	45
14	Southend United	46	13	6	4	40	14	4	4	15	21	40	1.130	44
15	Shrewsbury Town	46	10	10	3	31	21	5	4	14	15	33	0.852	44
16	Chesterfield	46	13	4	6	37	22	4	5	14	20	39	0.934	43
17	Walsall	46	14	3	6	37	26	4	4	15	19	40	0.848	43
18	York City	46	8	10	5	24	14	5	5	13	18	32	0.913	41
19	Watford	46	11	8	4	32	23	1	9	13	11	25	0.896	41
20	Halifax Town	46	9	8	6	29	23	4	7	12	14	30	0.811	41
21	Rotherham United	46	12	4	7	34	27	5	3	15	17	38	0.785	41	Relegated
22	Brentford	46	12	5	6	33	18	3	2	18	18	51	0.739	37
23	Swansea City	46	11	5	7	37	29	3	4	16	14	44	0.699	37
24	Scunthorpe United	46	8	7	8	18	25	2	3	18	15	47	0.458	30

Source: rsssf.com
Notes:

Results

Home \ Away	BOU	BLB	BOL	BRE	BRR	CHA	CHF	GRI	HAL	NTC	OLD	PLY	PTV	ROC	ROT	SCU	SHR	STD	SWA	TRA	WAL	WAT	WRE	YOR
AFC Bournemouth		3–0	2–0	3–2	0–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–0	1–1	2–0	0–1	4–0	4–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–1	3–0	1–0	2–3
Blackburn Rovers	2–1		0–3	2–1	0–0	3–1	0–1	0–0	3–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	0–1	1–1	2–1	3–0	0–0	2–1	3–0	2–2	2–0	0–0	1–1	2–0
Bolton Wanderers	3–0	0–1		2–0	2–0	3–0	1–0	2–0	3–0	2–2	2–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	2–1	0–0	2–0	1–1	3–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–0	3–0
Brentford	1–1	4–0	2–1		2–1	1–0	3–1	0–1	0–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	5–0	1–0	1–1	1–0	1–2	1–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–0	2–0
Bristol Rovers	2–0	3–0	1–1	3–1		2–1	2–2	2–1	4–1	1–0	3–3	2–0	4–1	0–0	3–0	5–1	5–1	1–2	3–1	2–0	2–1	2–1	2–0	1–2
Charlton Athletic	1–1	1–2	2–3	2–1	3–3		2–2	1–1	1–0	6–1	4–2	3–0	2–0	1–0	1–2	2–0	1–2	0–0	6–0	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–1	1–0
Chesterfield	1–1	3–1	0–1	3–0	0–1	1–0		2–1	2–0	0–2	4–1	2–2	1–2	2–1	3–2	2–1	2–0	2–4	1–0	2–0	3–0	0–0	1–2	0–0
Grimsby Town	0–1	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	0–2	2–1		0–0	3–1	6–2	1–1	0–1	1–0	2–1	1–0	3–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	6–2	2–0	0–1	1–2
Halifax Town	2–0	2–2	1–1	3–2	3–0	3–0	0–1	1–1		0–1	0–3	2–1	2–2	0–0	0–1	1–0	0–1	2–1	1–1	2–1	0–1	1–1	2–2	1–0
Notts County	0–2	0–0	1–0	1–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	4–0	3–0		2–4	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–0	2–0	2–0	4–1	1–1	1–0	1–0	1–0
Oldham Athletic	1–1	1–2	2–0	1–1	3–0	0–1	3–0	1–2	1–1	1–1		7–1	1–0	0–0	1–0	3–0	2–1	0–1	2–0	3–1	2–1	2–1	2–2	1–1
Plymouth Argyle	1–0	1–2	1–0	0–1	3–2	5–0	2–2	3–1	2–1	1–4	1–3		2–1	3–2	4–1	3–0	3–0	2–0	3–1	0–1	0–2	1–1	1–0	1–1
Port Vale	2–1	2–1	2–2	1–0	2–1	3–1	2–1	3–0	2–1	1–1	0–2	1–1		0–0	4–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	0–0	1–2	1–0	3–2	2–1
Rochdale	1–0	0–1	2–2	0–1	0–0	0–2	1–2	3–2	0–0	4–1	0–0	0–6	0–0		0–1	0–2	1–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–0	1–0	1–0
Rotherham United	2–7	1–1	1–0	2–1	1–1	2–1	1–0	2–0	0–1	1–4	2–3	1–0	7–0	0–0		2–1	2–0	1–0	0–2	1–2	2–0	1–0	1–1	1–2
Scunthorpe United	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–0	0–2	0–2	0–1	1–2	0–3	1–0	0–0	1–1	0–1	1–2	2–1		1–0	0–0	1–0	1–5	2–1	1–0	1–1	1–0
Shrewsbury Town	0–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–2	0–2	2–0	3–2	0–0	0–0	2–2	1–1	2–3	3–2	1–1	4–2		1–0	2–1	0–0	1–1	0–0	0–0	1–0
Southend	2–2	0–1	1–1	4–0	0–0	1–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–1	0–1	3–1	5–0	1–2	1–0	1–0	2–0		3–1	1–0	2–0	0–0	0–1	3–0
Swansea City	1–0	2–2	2–3	2–1	0–2	2–1	2–1	6–2	2–0	3–0	0–0	1–1	0–1	2–3	0–1	2–1	0–2	1–1		1–1	2–1	2–1	3–1	1–3
Tranmere Rovers	0–0	1–1	1–1	6–2	1–1	4–0	1–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–1	2–2	2–0	0–1	2–0	2–1	1–0	3–1	1–1		3–1	1–0	4–0	1–0
Walsall	1–0	0–2	3–2	3–0	4–3	3–2	3–2	1–0	0–1	1–3	3–0	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–0	1–1	1–0	3–1	1–1	2–0		1–3	2–0	0–0
Watford	3–2	1–3	2–1	2–2	2–1	1–1	0–0	1–2	2–1	1–0	2–1	3–2	1–1	0–0	1–1	5–1	0–1	1–0	0–1	1–0	1–0		0–0	2–2
Wrexham	1–1	0–0	1–3	4–1	2–2	2–2	1–0	3–2	0–0	2–0	1–1	1–2	5–0	3–3	1–0	1–2	0–0	4–2	1–0	0–0	2–1	1–0		3–1
York City	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–1	0–0	1–1	2–0	0–0	2–1	1–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–2	0–1	3–1	2–1	2–0	3–0	4–1	0–0	0–0	1–1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Brentford

Charlton Athletic

Watford

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 1972–1973

Blackburn Rovers

Bolton

Bournemouth

Brentford

Bristol Rovers

Charlton

Chesterfield

Grimsby Town

Halifax Town

Notts County

Oldham

Plymouth Argyle

Port Vale

Rochdale

Rotherham

Scunthorpe & Lindsey

Shrewsbury

Southend

Swansea City

Tranmere

Walsall

Watford

Wrexham

York City

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1972–1973

Fourth Division

Football League
Fourth Division

Season	1972–73
Champions	Southport (1st title)
Promoted	Aldershot, Cambridge United, Hereford United
Failed re-election	None
New club in the league	Hereford United
Matches played	552
Goals scored	1,347 (2.44 per match)
Top goalscorer	Fred Binney (Exeter City), 27
← 1971–72 1973–74 →

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GAv	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Southport (C, P)	46	17	4	2	40	19	9	6	8	31	29	1.479	62	Promoted to the Third Division
2	Hereford United (P)	46	18	4	1	39	12	5	8	10	17	26	1.474	58	Promoted to the Third Division
3	Cambridge United (P)	46	15	6	2	40	23	5	11	7	27	34	1.175	57
4	Aldershot (P)	46	14	6	3	33	14	8	6	9	27	24	1.579	56
5	Newport County	46	14	6	3	37	18	8	6	9	27	26	1.455	56
6	Mansfield Town	46	15	7	1	52	17	5	7	11	26	34	1.529	54	Qualified for 1973 Watney Cup
7	Reading	46	14	7	2	33	7	3	11	9	18	31	1.342	52
8	Exeter City	46	13	8	2	40	18	5	6	12	17	33	1.118	50
9	Gillingham	46	15	4	4	44	20	4	7	12	19	38	1.086	49
10	Lincoln City	46	12	7	4	38	27	4	9	10	26	30	1.123	48
11	Stockport County	46	14	7	2	38	18	4	5	14	15	35	1.000	48
12	Bury	46	11	7	5	37	19	3	11	9	21	32	1.137	46
13	Workington	46	15	7	1	44	20	2	5	16	15	41	0.967	46
14	Barnsley	46	9	8	6	32	24	5	8	10	26	36	0.967	44
15	Chester	46	11	6	6	40	19	3	9	11	21	33	1.173	43
16	Bradford City	46	12	6	5	42	25	4	5	14	19	40	0.938	43
17	Doncaster Rovers	46	10	8	5	28	19	5	4	14	21	39	0.845	42
18	Torquay United	46	8	10	5	23	17	4	7	12	21	30	0.936	41
19	Peterborough United	46	10	8	5	42	29	4	5	14	29	47	0.934	41	Qualified for 1973 Watney Cup
20	Hartlepool	46	8	10	5	17	15	4	7	12	17	34	0.694	41
21	Crewe Alexandra	46	7	8	8	18	23	2	10	11	20	38	0.623	36	Re-elected
22	Colchester United	46	8	8	7	36	28	2	3	18	12	48	0.632	31
23	Northampton Town	46	7	6	10	24	30	3	5	15	16	43	0.548	31
24	Darlington	46	5	9	9	28	41	2	6	15	14	44	0.494	29

Source: rsssf.com
(C) Division Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:

Results

Home \ Away	ALD	BAR	BRA	BRY	CAM	CHE	COL	CRE	DAR	DON	EXE	GIL	HAR	HER	LIN	MAN	NPC	NOR	PET	REA	SOU	STP	TOR	WRK
Aldershot		0–2	2–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–0	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	2–0	0–0	0–1	0–2	3–0	2–1	1–0	2–2	2–0	2–1	2–0
Barnsley	0–2		1–2	0–1	3–1	0–0	4–0	2–2	0–2	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	0–0	4–1	1–1	2–1	2–0	3–2	0–0	0–1	1–3	0–0	1–0
Bradford City	1–0	3–1		0–0	0–1	0–1	3–0	2–2	7–0	4–3	4–0	3–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–1	2–1	1–4	1–1	0–2	1–0	1–0	2–2
Bury	1–2	2–1	0–0		1–1	1–1	4–0	0–1	1–0	5–0	2–1	2–1	1–1	3–0	0–4	1–0	0–0	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–1	1–2	0–0	3–0
Cambridge United	2–2	1–1	2–1	2–2		1–0	3–0	1–0	0–3	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–0	2–1	3–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–0	2–2	1–0	0–0	1–0
Chester	0–0	0–0	1–1	2–0	1–1		4–0	2–1	5–0	1–2	0–1	1–0	2–0	0–1	2–1	2–2	0–2	3–0	8–2	2–0	0–0	2–0	1–2	1–3
Colchester United	2–3	1–2	0–0	2–1	0–1	2–3		5–1	1–0	1–1	1–2	4–0	1–1	1–0	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–0	2–2	3–1	3–0	1–1	1–1
Crewe Alexandra	0–2	1–0	1–2	2–1	1–1	1–1	1–2		0–0	0–1	1–0	1–1	2–0	2–1	1–1	0–4	0–0	1–0	0–2	0–0	0–2	0–1	1–1	2–0
Darlington	1–4	0–0	1–0	1–1	3–3	1–1	2–1	3–1		0–1	0–0	2–3	1–2	2–2	1–1	2–3	2–3	0–0	2–2	0–2	0–7	2–0	0–3	2–1
Doncaster Rovers	1–0	0–0	1–0	4–1	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–2	2–0		5–1	0–1	2–1	0–0	1–1	0–1	1–5	3–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–0	1–1
Exeter City	1–0	2–1	5–1	1–1	3–1	0–0	1–0	0–0	1–1	0–1		3–2	1–1	1–0	2–0	4–2	0–0	4–1	1–1	0–0	0–1	3–0	3–2	4–2
Gillingham	1–2	5–1	4–2	2–2	1–2	1–0	2–1	3–2	4–0	3–0	1–0		2–0	2–0	1–1	2–1	0–0	1–3	2–0	1–0	2–0	3–0	1–1	0–2
Hartlepool	1–1	1–4	1–0	1–1	0–0	0–0	2–1	1–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–0		0–1	1–0	1–1	1–0	2–0	0–1	1–2	0–2	0–0	1–0	1–0
Hereford United	1–0	1–2	1–0	1–0	2–1	3–1	4–1	1–0	1–0	3–2	1–0	0–0	0–0		2–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–0	3–0	2–2	1–0	2–1	0–0
Lincoln City	0–2	1–2	2–1	2–2	2–1	1–0	3–2	1–1	1–0	2–1	2–2	1–0	1–2	4–1		1–1	0–2	1–1	1–0	0–0	3–1	5–3	3–1	1–1
Mansfield Town	2–0	3–1	4–1	1–1	3–1	4–1	1–1	5–1	5–0	0–0	3–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2		0–0	1–0	4–2	1–1	3–3	1–0	2–1	4–0
Newport County	2–1	1–1	0–0	4–3	0–2	3–2	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	2–0	5–1	5–1	0–1	2–2	0–1		1–0	1–1	1–0	3–1	1–0	2–1	2–0
Northampton Town	0–2	2–2	1–2	0–1	2–2	1–0	4–0	1–0	2–2	0–2	1–2	2–1	3–1	0–4	0–0	1–0	0–1		1–3	1–1	0–1	1–1	0–2	1–0
Peterborough United	1–0	6–3	3–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	4–3	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–1	3–0	1–1	2–2	1–0	1–0	1–2		4–2	0–1	2–3	0–1	2–1
Reading	0–0	0–0	2–0	0–0	1–0	2–1	0–1	1–1	1–0	1–0	2–0	3–1	1–0	0–1	1–1	2–0	5–0	3–0	2–0		1–1	0–0	3–0	2–0
Southport	3–1	1–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	3–2	1–0	2–0	2–1	2–2	1–0	0–0	1–1	2–0	1–0	3–1	0–2	1–2	2–1	4–1		1–0	2–1	2–1
Stockport County	1–1	2–0	3–1	0–0	2–2	2–1	2–0	0–0	3–1	2–1	1–0	2–3	0–1	1–1	2–1	2–1	1–0	0–0	3–2	2–2	2–0		2–0	3–0
Torquay United	1–1	0–0	1–2	0–1	1–2	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–1	1–0	0–2	0–0	1–0	0–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–1	1–0	2–2	2–0	0–0		3–0
Workington	2–1	3–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	3–1	1–0	1–1	2–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	0–0	2–1	0–3	2–0	3–2	3–0	2–2	0–0	2–0	2–0	2–2

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Aldershot

Barnsley

Bradford City

Bury

Cambridge U.

Chester

Colchester

Crewe Alexandra

Darlington

Doncaster

Exeter City

Gillingham

Hartlepool

Hereford United

Lincoln City

Mansfield Town

Newport County

Northampton Town

Peterborough

Reading

Stockport

Southport

Torquay

Workington

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Football League Fourth Division teams 1972–1973

See also

• 1972-73 in English football

External links

• Season 1972-73 complete complete lineups, tables and squads at Historical Football Lineups

References

• Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.