1973–74 Football League

75th season of the Football League The Football League 1973–74 Leeds United 1972–73 1974–75 The 1973–74 season was the 75th completed season of The Football League. Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with England having failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup. Revie's conquering side had a two-horse race with Liverpool all season but won in the end, taking the title for the second time in their history by five points. Newly promoted Burnley adapted well to life back in the top flight, finishing in sixth place. Manchester United were relegated from the First Division just six years after winning the European Cup at the end of a traumatic season. Their 36-year stay at the top was finally ended by a 1–0 home defeat against Manchester City. Former United striker Denis Law scored City's winning goal. But Birmingham City's win on that same afternoon would have sent United down even if they had beaten City. Despite this the board kept faith in manager Tommy Docherty as the man to regain the club's top flight place. Joining United in the Second Division were Norwich City and Southampton. This was the first season in which the League introduced three relegation places from the top division. Former Leeds player Jack Charlton had a fine debut in management by guiding Middlesbrough to the Second Division title and a place in the First Division. Second in the table were Luton Town, who finished 15 points behind the runaway champions. Third-placed Carlisle United, managed by Alan Ashman (who won the FA Cup with West Bromwich Albion in 1968), gained a place in the First Division for the first, and so far only, time in their history, completing a rapid rise from the Fourth Division to the First Division. Crystal Palace, Preston North End and Swindon Town were all relegated. Promotion from the Third Division was secured by champions Oldham Athletic, Bristol Rovers and York City, which at the time represented York's highest ever League finish. Cambridge United, Shrewsbury Town, Southport and Rochdale were all relegated. Peterborough United won Division Four and were promoted along with Gillingham, Colchester United and Bury. The league's re-election system voted in favour of the bottom four league clubs and there were no departures or arrivals in the league in 1974. 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 websitehttps://www.rsssf.org/engpaul/FLA/1973-74.html England 1973–74 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 2010-02-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20100127134350/http://www.rsssf.com/engpaul/FLA/1973-74.html 27 January 2010 live and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. 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. This season marked the introduction of relegating the bottom three teams in the league, replacing the previous system in which only the bottom two were relegated, in place since automatic promotion/relegation was introduced in the 1898-99 season.https://efl.com/about-the-efl/history/innovation Innovation Efl.com June 26, 2026 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. Match results are drawn from Rothmans for all divisions. First Division First Division 1973–74 Leeds United2nd title SouthamptonManchester UnitedNorwich City European Cup Leeds United Cup Winners' Cup Liverpool UEFA Cup Derby CountyIpswich TownStoke CityWolverhampton Wanderers Mick Channon(21 goals)https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2010-10-31 Ipswich Town 7–0 Southampton(2 February 1974) Norwich City 0–4 Arsenal(15 September 1973) Derby County 6–2 Southampton(22 September 1973) 462 1107 1972–73 1974–75 1973 - 74 was the final season for the long-serving managers of two of the First Division's leading clubs. Both are regarded as having transformed their clubs on and off the field during lengthy reigns lasting more than a decade. Don Revie guided Leeds United to the title before calling time of 13 years as manager at Elland Road to take charge of the England team. Bill Shankly announced his retirement as Liverpool manager after 15 years after they finished second in the league and triumphed 3–0 over Newcastle United in the FA Cup Final. Despite the controversial resignation of manager Brian Clough in October, Derby County finished third after their former player Dave Mackay returned to the Baseball Ground as Clough's successor. Ipswich Town continued to thrive among the First Division's leading company by finishing fourth in their fifth campaign under Bobby Robson. Stoke City enjoyed another strong season, finishing fifth, with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton keeping opposition strikers at bay after his predecessor Gordon Banks retired due to an eye injury suffered in a car crash. Burnley enjoyed a strong return to the First Division after two seasons away by finishing sixth. Manchester United's 36-year spell in the First Division ended in relegation, while their cross-city rivals finished 14th and were beaten in the Football League Cup final by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Southampton's eight-year spell in the First Division ended in relegation despite 21 goals from the division's top scorer Mick Channon and a change of manager from Ted Bates to Lawrie McMenemy before Christmas. Norwich City's second season among the elite ended in relegation. main WDL World Football First Division LEE, LIV, DER, IPS, STK, BUR, EVE, QPR, LEI, ARS, TOT, WOL, SHU, MCI, NEW, COV, CHE, WHU, BIR, SOU, MUN, NOR EC1R CWC1R UC1R UC1R UC1R UC1R REL REL REL complete 14 14 14 49 51 12 13 17 52 64 16 14 12 56 53 12 13 17 56 60 14 10 18 43 54 17 14 11 52 42 16 12 14 50 48 18 11 13 67 58 24 14 4 66 31 13 16 13 51 41 22 13 7 52 31 14 12 16 39 46 10 12 20 38 48 13 12 17 49 48 7 15 20 37 62 13 17 12 56 52 14 12 16 44 49 11 14 17 47 68 15 16 11 54 42 14 14 14 45 50 11 15 16 55 60 13 15 14 49 49 C R R R Arsenal Birmingham City Burnley Chelsea Coventry City Derby County Everton Ipswich Town Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle United Norwich City Queens Park Rangers Sheffield United Southampton Stoke City Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 2 y 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored QR green1 Qualification for the European Cup first round yellow1 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round Liverpool qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1973-74 FA Cup winners. blue1 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round red1 Relegation to the Second Division Results main FBR grey ARS BIR BUR CHE COV DER EVE IPS LEE LEI LIV MCI MUN NEW NWC QPR SHU SOU STK TOT WHU WOL Arsenal 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–2 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 3–0 0–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 2–2 Birmingham 3–1 2–2 2–4 1–0 0–0 0–2 0–3 1–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 4–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 1–2 3–1 2–1 Burnley 2–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 2–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–2 3–0 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 Chelsea 1–3 3–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 3–1 2–3 1–2 3–2 0–1 1–0 1–3 1–0 3–0 3–3 1–2 4–0 0–1 0–0 2–4 2–2 Coventry City 3–3 0–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 1–2 0–1 0–0 1–2 1–0 2–1 1–0 2–2 1–0 0–1 3–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 Derby County 1–1 1–1 5–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–1 3–1 1–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–2 4–1 6–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 Everton 1–0 4–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 4–1 1–0 1–1 0–3 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 Ipswich Town 2–2 3–0 3–2 1–1 3–0 3–0 3–0 0–3 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–3 1–1 1–0 0–1 7–0 1–1 0–0 1–3 2–0 Leeds United 3–1 3–0 1–4 1–1 3–0 2–0 3–1 3–2 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 4–1 4–1 Leicester City 2–0 3–3 2–0 3–0 0–2 0–1 2–1 5–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 3–0 2–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 3–0 0–1 2–2 Liverpool 0–1 3–2 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 4–2 1–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 3–2 1–0 1–0 Manchester City 1–2 3–1 2–0 3–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–3 0–1 2–0 1–1 0–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 Manchester United 1–1 1–0 3–3 2–2 2–3 0–1 3–0 2–0 0–2 1–2 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–2 0–0 1–0 0–1 3–1 0–0 Newcastle United 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–0 5–1 0–2 2–1 3–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–2 0–0 2–3 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 Norwich City 0–4 2–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 2–4 1–3 1–2 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–0 2–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 Queens Park Rangers 2–0 2–2 2–1 1–1 3–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 2–2 3–0 3–0 3–2 1–2 0–0 1–1 3–3 3–1 0–0 0–0 Sheffield United 5–0 1–1 0–2 1–2 0–1 3–0 1–1 0–3 0–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 4–2 0–0 2–2 1–0 1–0 Southampton 1–1 0–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 0–2 1–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 3–0 3–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 Stoke City 0–0 5–2 4–0 1–0 3–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 3–2 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 4–1 1–2 4–1 1–0 2–0 2–3 Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 4–2 2–3 1–2 2–1 1–0 0–2 1–1 0–3 1–0 1–1 0–2 2–1 0–2 0–0 0–0 1–2 3–1 2–1 2–0 1–3 West Ham United 1–3 0–0 0–1 3–0 2–3 0–0 4–3 3–3 3–1 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–1 1–2 4–2 2–3 2–2 4–1 0–2 0–1 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 1–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 4–0 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–0 0–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 3–1 2–4 2–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. Maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1973–1974 Greater London 51.558 -0.103 right Greater London 51.482 -0.191 right Greater London 51.509 -0.232 right Greater London 51.603 -0.066 right Greater London 51.532 0.039 right Arsenal Chelsea Queens Park Rangers Tottenham West Ham England none 400 Locations of the Football League First Division 1973–1974 teams England 51.56 -0.10 left England 52.48 -1.89 left England 53.79 -2.25 left England 51.50 -0.19 left England 52.41 -1.51 left England 52.92 -1.476 left England 53.47 -2.97 left England 52.06 1.14 left England 53.78 -1.57 left England 52.62 -1.14 left England 53.53 -2.99 left England 53.47 -2.18 left England 53.47 -2.30 left England 54.98 -1.62 left England 52.63 1.30 left England 51.54 -0.26 left England 53.37 -1.47 left England 50.91 -1.39 left England 53.00 -2.18 left England 51.63 -0.063 left England 51.54 0.040 left England 52.59 -2.13 left Arsenal Birmingham Burnley Chelsea Coventry Derby County Everton Ipswich Town Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle Norwich City QPR Sheffield United Southampton Stoke Tottenham West Ham Wolverhampton Wanderers Second Division Second Division 1973–74 Middlesbrough MiddlesbroughLuton TownCarlisle United Crystal PalacePreston North EndSwindon Town Cup Winners' Cup Cardiff City Duncan McKenzie(26 goals) Middlesbrough 8–0 Sheffield Wednesday(20 April 1974) Fulham 0–4 Middlesbrough(9 Mar 1974)Notts County 1–5 Sheffield Wednesday(9 March 1974)West Bromwich Albion 0–4 Middlesbrough(16 March 1974) Middlesbrough 8–0 Sheffield Wednesday(20 April 1974) 462 1106 1972–73 1974–75 Jack Charlton started his managerial career by guiding Middlesbrough to the Second Division title and a place in the First Division. Middlesbrough finished 15 points above runners-up Luton Town, who ended their 14-year exile from the elite despite financial difficulties. The final promotion place was snatched by Carlisle United, who reached the First Division for the first time in their history. Orient missed out on promotion by a single point. Other teams who just missed out on promotion included Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion. Crystal Palace were relegated for a second successive season, while Preston North End went down in their first season under the management of the legendary Bobby Charlton, who then re-registered himself as a player in his efforts to reverse the decline of the once great Lancashire club. Swindon Town went down in bottom place after five seasons in the Second Division. main WDL Second Division MID, LUT, CRL, ORI, BLP, SUN, NFO, WBA, HUL, NTC, BOL, MIL, FUL, AVL, POR, BRC, CAR, OXF, SHW, CRY, PNE, SWI PRO PRO PRO CWC1R REL REL REL complete 13 15 14 48 45 17 13 12 57 40 15 12 15 44 40 14 10 18 47 54 10 16 16 49 62 20 9 13 61 48 11 12 19 43 56 16 10 16 39 43 13 17 12 46 47 19 12 11 64 51 27 11 4 77 30 14 14 14 51 51 15 15 12 57 43 15 13 14 55 60 15 18 9 55 42 10 16 16 35 46 14 12 16 45 62 9 14 19 40 62 12 11 19 51 63 19 9 14 58 44 7 11 24 36 72 14 16 12 48 45 C, P P P R R R -1 Aston Villa Blackpool Bolton Wanderers Bristol City Cardiff City Carlisle United Crystal Palace Fulham Hull City Luton Town Middlesbrough Millwall Nottingham Forest Notts County Orient Oxford United Portsmouth Preston North End Preston deducted 1 pt for fielding Dave Carrick v Oxford on 17/11/1973 when not registered. Sheffield Wednesday Sunderland Swindon Town West Bromwich Albion 5 2 y 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored QR green1 Promotion to the First Division yellow1 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round red1 Relegation to the Third Division Results main FBR grey AST BLP BOL BRI CAR CRL CRY FUL HUL LUT MID MIL NOT NTC ORI OXF POR PNE SHW SUN SWI WBA Aston Villa 0–1 1–1 2–2 5–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 3–1 1–1 2–2 2–0 4–1 2–0 1–0 1–2 1–1 1–3 Blackpool 2–1 0–2 2–2 2–1 4–0 1–0 2–0 1–2 3–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 2–0 5–0 3–0 0–0 0–2 2–0 2–3 Bolton Wanderers 1–2 1–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–3 1–1 2–1 4–0 0–2 4–2 1–0 2–0 1–1 Bristol City 0–1 0–1 1–0 3–2 2–0 0–1 0–1 3–1 1–3 1–1 5–2 1–0 2–2 0–2 0–0 0–2 0–0 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–1 Cardiff City 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 1–3 0–0 3–2 1–3 1–1 1–0 1–1 5–0 1–1 2–0 0–1 4–1 2–1 0–1 Carlisle United 2–0 2–3 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 4–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 3–0 3–0 2–1 0–2 2–2 2–2 1–0 5–1 0–1 Crystal Palace 0–0 1–2 0–0 3–1 3–3 0–1 0–2 0–2 1–2 2–3 1–1 0–1 1–4 0–0 2–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 3–0 4–2 1–0 Fulham 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–2 1–3 0–0 2–1 0–4 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–3 3–1 2–0 0–0 4–1 0–2 4–1 0–0 Hull City 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 1–3 1–3 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 4–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 0–1 0–0 Luton Town 1–0 3–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 6–1 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–1 3–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 0–1 3–3 4–2 2–1 3–4 2–1 0–2 Middlesbrough 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 0–2 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 4–0 3–2 1–0 3–0 3–0 8–0 2–1 2–1 0–0 Millwall 1–1 2–2 2–1 0–2 2–0 1–2 3–2 1–0 3–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 5–1 1–0 2–1 3–0 1–0 Nottingham Forest 1–2 2–0 3–2 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–2 3–0 0–0 4–0 5–1 3–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–2 2–0 1–4 Notts County 2–0 0–3 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–3 1–3 2–1 3–2 1–1 2–2 3–3 0–1 2–4 0–0 4–0 2–1 1–5 1–4 2–0 1–0 Orient 1–1 3–2 3–0 0–1 1–2 0–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–2 0–1 2–1 0–0 2–0 Oxford United 2–1 2–2 0–2 5–0 4–2 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–3 1–0 2–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 Portsmouth 2–0 0–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–2 3–0 3–1 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–2 1–2 0–0 2–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 Preston North End 0–0 1–3 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 2–0 2–2 2–4 2–0 2–1 0–2 0–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 3–1 Sheffield Wednesday 2–4 0–0 1–0 3–1 5–0 1–0 4–0 0–3 1–1 2–2 2–2 3–2 1–1 0–0 1–2 0–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 2–1 3–1 Sunderland 2–0 2–1 3–0 1–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–2 4–0 0–0 1–2 1–1 0–0 3–0 2–1 3–1 4–1 1–1 Swindon Town 1–0 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 1–3 0–0 1–4 2–2 1–0 1–2 3–1 3–1 0–2 1–0 West Bromwich Albion 2–0 1–1 0–0 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 2–3 1–1 0–4 1–1 3–3 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. Maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1973–1974 Greater London 51.398 -0.085 right Greater London 51.475 -0.222 right Greater London 51.570 -0.058 right Greater London 51.481 -0.048 right Crystal Palace Fulham Orient Millwall England none 400 Locations of the Football League Second Division 1973–1974 teams England 52.54 -1.87 left England 53.81 -3.05 left England 53.59 -2.56 left England 51.42 -2.59 left England 51.47 -3.20 left England 54.90 -2.91 left England 51.40 -0.085 left England 51.45 -0.24 left England 53.74 -0.33 left England 51.57 -0.01 left England 51.9 -0.433 left England 54.57 -1.23 left England 51.48 -0.048 left England 53.01 -1.137 left England 52.94 -1.137 left England 51.72 -1.21 left England 50.80 -1.06 left England 53.75 -2.7 left England 53.41 -1.50 left England 54.91 -1.39 left England 51.56 -1.77 left England 52.52 -1.97 left Aston Villa Blackpool Bolton Bristol City Carlisle United Cardiff City Crystal Palace Fulham Hull Orient Luton Town Middlesbrough Millwall Nottingham Forest Notts County Oxford Portsmouth Preston North End Sheffield Wednesday Sunderland Swindon West Bromwich Albion Third Division Football LeagueThird Division 1973–74 Oldham Athletic (1st title) Promoted Bristol RoversYork City Relegated Cambridge UnitedRochdaleShrewsbury TownSouthport Billy Jennings (Watford), 26 552 1362 1972–73 1974–75 main WDL Third Division y 2 PR 5 OLD Oldham Athletic BRR Bristol Rovers YOR York City WRE Wrexham CHF Chesterfield GRI Grimsby Town WAT Watford ALD Aldershot HAL Halifax Town HUD Huddersfield Town BOU Bournemouth STD Southend United BLB Blackburn Rovers CHA Charlton Athletic WAL Walsall TRA Tranmere Rovers PLY Plymouth Argyle HER Hereford United B&HA Brighton & Hove Albion PTV Port Vale CAM Cambridge United SHR Shrewsbury Town SOU Southport ROC Rochdale 25 12 9 83 47 22 17 7 65 33 21 19 6 67 38 22 12 12 63 43 21 14 11 55 42 18 15 13 67 50 19 12 15 64 56 19 11 16 65 52 14 21 11 48 51 17 13 16 56 55 16 15 15 54 58 16 14 16 62 62 18 10 18 62 64 19 8 19 66 73 16 13 17 57 48 15 15 16 50 44 17 10 19 59 54 14 15 17 53 57 16 11 19 52 58 14 14 18 52 58 13 9 24 48 81 10 11 25 41 62 6 16 24 35 82 2 17 27 38 94 CP P P R R R R green1 Promotion to the Second Division P P P red1 Relegation to the Fourth Division R R R R complete rsssf.com Results main FBR grey BOU ALD BLB B&HA BRR CAM CHA CHF GRI HAL HER HUD OLD PLY PTV ROC SHR STD SOU TRA WAL WAT WRE YOR AFC Bournemouth 3–0 1–2 0–0 0–3 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 1–0 0–3 0–0 2–2 2–0 1–0 1–3 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–3 Aldershot 4–0 1–3 0–1 2–3 6–0 2–1 2–2 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 3–2 0–0 4–0 2–2 3–3 4–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 5–1 2–2 Blackburn Rovers 1–2 4–3 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 0–2 5–0 1–2 4–0 Brighton & Hove Albion 0–1 3–0 0–2 2–8 4–1 1–2 0–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 1–0 2–1 2–1 2–0 0–2 4–0 1–3 2–1 0–1 2–1 0–0 Bristol Rovers 2–1 3–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–2 4–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 4–0 3–1 1–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 0–0 Cambridge United 1–2 0–2 2–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 1–2 0–1 0–1 2–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 4–2 3–3 2–1 3–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 3–2 2–1 0–0 Charlton Athletic 2–0 4–3 0–0 0–4 1–1 2–0 3–3 2–1 5–2 2–0 2–1 4–1 2–0 2–0 3–0 3–3 2–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–3 0–0 2–4 Chesterfield 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–0 0–0 3–0 3–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–1 1–0 0–2 0–0 4–2 1–0 1–0 3–1 2–2 0–2 Grimsby Town 1–0 4–2 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 5–0 1–1 4–1 1–3 2–1 2–1 3–0 2–0 5–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 5–0 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–2 Halifax Town 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 0–1 2–1 2–0 1–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 3–1 0–0 1–2 2–1 Hereford United 0–2 1–0 0–2 3–0 0–0 0–0 2–3 2–1 2–1 3–1 0–1 3–4 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–2 3–0 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 0–0 Huddersfield Town 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–0 4–0 0–0 2–1 2–1 3–0 5–0 1–0 0–1 3–1 0–0 2–2 1–2 2–1 0–1 Oldham Athletic 2–0 2–3 4–2 0–1 1–1 6–1 0–2 0–0 3–1 3–2 1–1 6–0 1–0 1–1 3–1 3–0 2–0 6–0 2–2 2–1 0–3 0–0 2–1 Plymouth Argyle 2–1 2–1 2–0 0–1 1–0 4–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–0 5–0 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–0 2–1 2–0 1–2 0–2 Port Vale 0–1 1–2 0–0 2–1 3–1 2–1 3–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 4–2 3–0 2–1 3–1 3–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 2–2 Rochdale 2–2 1–2 3–3 1–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 3–2 1–1 2–2 0–1 0–1 1–3 0–0 1–3 Shrewsbury Town 0–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 0–2 2–0 3–3 0–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–2 0–0 0–1 2–0 1–2 2–0 1–3 0–0 3–2 0–1 0–2 Southend 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 0–0 3–1 2–0 1–3 4–1 1–2 2–1 5–2 2–2 2–0 1–0 1–2 2–0 0–1 1–1 2–1 2–3 1–1 3–3 Southport 3–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–0 1–0 0–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 Tranmere 0–1 1–1 1–1 4–1 0–0 5–2 2–0 1–2 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 3–1 3–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 Walsall 3–2 2–0 1–2 0–1 0–0 3–0 4–0 2–0 3–1 2–2 3–1 3–0 1–1 0–4 0–0 0–0 2–0 1–2 2–0 0–1 2–2 3–0 0–0 Watford 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 3–0 1–3 2–1 1–2 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–3 2–1 4–0 1–0 1–0 4–0 4–2 1–3 2–0 1–1 Wrexham 0–0 2–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 4–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 5–0 0–0 1–2 5–2 0–0 3–0 3–1 5–1 3–2 0–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 York City 3–1 1–0 4–1 3–0 2–1 2–0 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 4–0 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–0 Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. Maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 1973–1974 Greater London 51.486 0.036 right Greater London 51.650 -0.401 right Charlton Athletic Watford England none 400 Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1973–1974 England 51.25 -0.75 right England 53.75 -2.48 right England 50.73 -1.84 right England 50.83 -0.15 right England 51.47 -2.53 right England 52.21 0.12 right England 51.47 0.07 right England 53.24 -1.43 right England 53.56 -0.068 right England 53.72 -1.86 right England 52.06 -2.72 right England 53.64 -1.78 right England 53.54 -2.12 right England 50.39 -4.15 right England 53.06 -2.21 right England 53.61 -2.16 right England 52.71 -2.75 right England 51.55 0.70 right England 53.65 -3.01 right England 53.37 -3.04 right England 52.58 -1.98 right England 51.65 -0.40 right England 53.03 -2.98 right England 53.96 -1.08 right Aldershot Blackburn Rovers Bournemouth Brighton & Hove Bristol Rovers Cambridge U. Charlton Chesterfield Grimsby Town Halifax Town Hereford United Huddersfield Oldham Plymouth Argyle Port Vale Rochdale Shrewsbury Southend Southport Tranmere Walsall Watford Wrexham York City Fourth Division Football LeagueFourth Division 1973–74 Peterborough United (2nd title) Promoted BuryColchester UnitedGillingham Failed re-election None New club in the league Brian Yeo (Gillingham), 31 552 1362 1972–73 1974–75 main WDL Fourth Division PR 5 2 y PET Peterborough United GIL Gillingham COL Colchester United BRY Bury NOR Northampton Town REA Reading CHE Chester BRA Bradford City NPC Newport County EXE Exeter City HAR Hartlepool LIN Lincoln City BAR Barnsley SWA Swansea City ROT Rotherham United TOR Torquay United MAN Mansfield Town SCU Scunthorpe United BRE Brentford DAR Darlington CRE Crewe Alexandra DON Doncaster Rovers WRK Workington STP Stockport County 27 11 8 75 38 25 12 9 90 49 24 12 10 73 36 24 11 11 81 49 20 13 13 63 48 16 19 11 58 37 17 15 14 54 55 17 14 15 58 52 16 14 16 56 65 -1 18 8 19 58 55 16 12 18 48 47 16 12 18 63 67 17 10 19 58 64 16 11 19 45 46 15 13 18 56 58 13 17 16 52 57 13 17 16 62 69 14 12 19 47 64 2 12 16 18 48 50 13 13 20 40 62 14 10 22 43 71 12 11 23 47 80 11 13 22 43 74 7 20 19 44 69 Newport County had one point deducted for fielding an ineligible player. Scunthorpe United v. Exeter was never played; Exeter failed to turn up and Scunthorpe were awarded the points. SCU CP P P P green1 Promotion to the Third Division P P P P red2 Re-elected REE REE REE REE complete rsssf.com Results main FBR grey BAR BRA BRE BRY CHE COL CRE DAR DON EXE GIL HAR LIN MAN NPC NOR PET REA ROT SCU STP SWA TOR WRK Barnsley 2–2 2–1 3–2 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–0 2–0 3–0 3–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 3–2 1–0 5–0 4–0 1–0 1–0 4–0 Bradford City 3–0 1–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 0–1 3–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–0 4–0 3–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 4–3 2–1 2–1 0–1 3–1 2–1 3–2 Brentford 5–1 2–0 1–2 3–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 2–0 0–1 0–3 1–2 2–1 4–1 1–1 3–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 0–0 0–2 0–0 1–1 Bury 2–0 3–0 3–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 5–1 3–1 0–0 3–2 1–0 2–1 2–0 5–0 3–1 0–2 1–0 3–1 0–0 1–1 0–2 4–0 3–1 Chester 3–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 0–4 1–0 1–0 3–0 0–1 2–4 3–1 2–3 1–1 3–0 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 Colchester United 2–0 4–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 3–0 3–0 1–0 0–2 3–0 4–1 1–0 4–1 1–0 1–1 0–0 0–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–2 3–0 Crewe Alexandra 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–2 1–1 4–0 2–5 1–0 1–3 2–1 1–1 4–1 0–2 2–1 2–1 1–8 1–0 1–3 0–0 0–0 1–0 Darlington 4–2 2–1 1–2 0–0 1–2 1–0 3–0 1–0 1–0 1–3 1–1 0–3 1–0 0–1 2–3 2–2 2–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 Doncaster Rovers 1–0 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–2 2–0 0–2 0–0 1–0 1–2 2–2 2–0 0–0 2–0 2–1 3–1 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–1 3–1 0–1 5–2 Exeter City 6–1 0–0 2–1 0–3 2–1 1–0 2–0 3–0 1–2 2–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–2 0–1 0–0 4–0 2–1 2–0 4–2 1–1 Gillingham 1–1 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–0 4–1 3–0 0–1 5–1 2–1 3–0 2–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 7–2 2–1 1–1 2–1 4–0 Hartlepool 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–2 3–0 1–3 2–1 0–2 4–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–2 2–0 3–0 3–0 0–1 0–0 3–0 Lincoln City 1–1 0–1 3–2 4–3 2–2 0–1 4–2 2–1 3–3 2–1 2–3 0–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–1 1–0 1–1 2–2 3–0 2–0 Mansfield Town 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–2 3–0 2–2 1–2 1–0 2–0 3–3 2–2 2–0 4–3 2–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–2 5–0 2–1 2–1 2–0 Newport County 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 0–2 1–3 4–2 2–0 3–1 2–1 3–3 0–0 0–1 2–0 3–1 0–1 0–0 1–0 2–1 3–1 2–1 2–2 4–0 Northampton Town 2–1 3–0 0–0 3–1 3–3 0–0 1–1 5–0 3–1 1–2 0–0 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 0–1 3–3 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 Peterborough United 3–0 1–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 2–0 4–0 1–0 5–1 2–0 4–2 2–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–0 2–0 2–0 1–0 3–2 3–0 1–1 2–0 Reading 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 3–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 5–0 4–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 3–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 4–0 2–0 Rotherham United 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 3–2 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 4–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 2–1 1–1 1–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 Scunthorpe United 3–0 2–1 4–1 1–2 2–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–1 null 1–1 1–1 1–1 5–3 0–0 1–2 2–1 1–0 3–0 2–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 Stockport County 1–1 0–1 1–1 3–2 0–1 0–3 0–0 1–2 0–0 0–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 0–1 3–1 0–1 2–1 1–1 Swansea City 2–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 0–3 0–0 3–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–1 4–2 1–2 3–0 0–1 1–0 Torquay United 1–1 1–0 3–0 1–2 2–2 0–4 2–1 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–1 0–2 2–1 4–0 3–2 1–0 1–2 1–1 3–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 3–0 Workington 1–0 1–0 0–2 0–0 1–1 1–4 0–0 5–2 3–1 3–1 3–3 0–2 1–1 0–0 3–2 1–0 4–1 0–0 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–0 3–1 Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. Scunthorpe United v Exeter City was never played; Exeter failed to turn up and Scunthorpe were awarded two points. Maps England none 400 Locations of the Football League Fourth Division teams 1973–1974 England 53.55 -1.48 right England 53.82 -1.73 right England 51.486 -0.32 right England 53.58 -2.295 right England 53.19 -2.89 right England 51.89 0.90 right England 53.10 -2.44 right England 54.53 -1.55 right England 53.52 -1.133 right England 50.72 -3.53 right England 51.38 0.55 right England 54.69 -1.21 right England 53.23 -0.54 right England 53.14 -1.20 right England 51.59 -3.00 right England 52.24 -0.90 right England 52.58 -0.25 right England 51.41 -0.97 right England 53.43 -1.36 right England 53.58 -0.65 right England 53.41 -2.16 right England 51.62 -3.95 right England 50.48 -3.52 right England 54.64 -3.55 right Barnsley Bradford City Brentford Bury Chester Colchester Crewe Alexandra Darlington Doncaster Exeter City Gillingham Hartlepool Lincoln City Mansfield Town Newport County Northampton Town Peterborough Reading Rotherham Scunthorpe & Lindsey Stockport Swansea City Torquay Workington Attendances Source:https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1902.htm Historical attendances European-football-statistics.co.uk 26 June 2026 Division One No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Manchester United 42,712 60,025 28,589 2 Liverpool FC 42,332 56,003 21,656 3 Leeds United FC 38,666 47,058 26,778 4 Everton FC 35,351 56,098 21,747 5 Birmingham City FC 33,048 50,451 23,767 6 Newcastle United FC 32,861 55,638 19,470 7 Manchester City FC 30,756 51,331 21,590 8 Arsenal FC 30,212 50,699 13,482 9 West Ham United FC 28,394 38,416 16,513 10 Derby County FC 27,788 36,003 23,348 11 Tottenham Hotspur FC 26,124 42,756 14,034 12 Chelsea FC 25,983 40,768 8,171 13 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 25,609 36,980 19,350 14 Leicester City FC 24,825 36,978 15,786 15 Coventry City FC 23,280 35,206 16,457 16 Norwich City FC 23,023 31,798 17,673 17 Sheffield United FC 22,917 39,972 10,832 18 Queens Park Rangers FC 22,867 35,353 12,422 19 Ipswich Town FC 22,381 33,292 15,457 20 Stoke City FC 21,587 39,687 13,843 21 Southampton FC 21,128 30,789 14,572 22 Burnley FC 20,670 40,087 13,169 Division Two No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Sunderland AFC 24,409 41,658 8,142 2 Aston Villa FC 23,413 37,323 12,007 3 Middlesbrough FC 22,264 37,030 14,742 4 Crystal Palace FC 21,797 32,648 16,124 5 West Bromwich Albion FC 15,990 43,029 11,498 6 Bolton Wanderers FC 15,942 23,614 8,692 7 Sheffield Wednesday FC 14,645 23,634 7,865 8 Nottingham Forest FC 14,398 29,962 9,498 9 Bristol City FC 14,058 25,904 9,570 10 Portsmouth FC 13,675 20,062 8,669 11 Luton Town FC 12,214 20,285 4,908 12 Preston North End FC 12,174 21,747 7,650 13 Notts County FC 11,911 32,310 6,975 14 Leyton Orient FC 11,793 29,766 7,216 15 Cardiff City FC 10,714 27,139 5,999 16 Fulham FC 10,129 23,511 4,973 17 Blackpool FC 10,120 18,575 5,508 18 Millwall FC 9,516 20,176 5,906 19 Oxford United FC 8,302 13,714 5,248 20 Carlisle United FC 8,270 19,692 5,096 21 Hull City AFC 8,216 17,409 5,348 22 Swindon Town FC 7,299 14,222 2,791 Division Three No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Bristol Rovers FC 13,026 22,363 7,405 2 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 10,864 18,900 5,297 3 Oldham Athletic FC 10,118 18,528 5,716 4 AFC Bournemouth 8,981 17,079 4,475 5 Hereford United FC 8,040 12,501 3,810 6 Plymouth Argyle FC 7,743 13,004 5,078 7 Blackburn Rovers FC 7,432 10,989 3,520 8 Grimsby Town FC 7,419 10,883 5,244 9 York City FC 6,885 15,829 2,929 10 Watford FC 6,683 10,202 5,358 11 Southend United FC 6,472 10,276 3,956 12 Wrexham AFC 5,957 9,883 3,534 13 Chesterfield FC 5,777 11,559 3,287 14 Huddersfield Town AFC 5,696 11,514 2,522 15 Charlton Athletic FC 5,306 11,414 3,245 16 Aldershot Town FC 5,235 13,259 1,742 17 Walsall FC 4,789 9,035 3,037 18 Cambridge United FC 4,377 7,749 1,979 19 Tranmere Rovers 4,215 6,872 2,650 20 Port Vale FC 3,959 8,505 2,556 21 Halifax Town AFC 2,849 8,126 1,346 22 Southport FC 2,547 9,504 1,083 23 Shrewsbury Town FC 2,502 5,680 1,232 24 Rochdale AFC 1,891 5,923 588 Division Four No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Peterborough United FC 8,824 17,569 6,161 2 Gillingham FC 7,502 12,577 3,864 3 Reading FC 6,477 12,480 3,277 4 Colchester United FC 5,427 10,007 3,468 5 Northampton Town FC 5,424 11,378 3,137 6 Brentford FC 5,063 8,717 3,166 7 Bury FC 4,879 8,813 2,878 8 Barnsley FC 4,254 8,511 2,274 9 Exeter City FC 4,186 6,822 2,226 10 Lincoln City FC 3,930 7,150 1,800 11 Bradford City AFC 3,797 9,041 2,098 12 Rotherham United FC 3,410 6,243 2,334 13 Torquay United FC 3,392 9,265 2,014 14 Mansfield Town FC 3,160 6,924 1,909 15 Scunthorpe United FC 3,029 5,775 1,887 16 Newport County AFC 3,023 5,888 1,685 17 Swansea City AFC 2,815 6,712 1,301 18 Hartlepool United FC 2,721 6,739 844 19 Chester City FC 2,682 6,272 1,687 20 Doncaster Rovers FC 2,395 5,955 1,163 21 Stockport County FC 2,380 4,050 1,311 22 Darlington FC 2,334 4,527 1,326 23 Crewe Alexandra FC 1,921 3,259 1,302 24 Workington AFC 1,179 1,763 693 See also 1973-74 in English football External links Season 1973-74 complete complete lineups, tables and squads at Historical Football Lineups References 1973–74 League