1952–53 in English football

none May 2022 England 1952–53 First Division Arsenal Second Division Sheffield United FA Cup Blackpool 1951–52 1953–54 yes The 1952–53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England. Overview This was the closest championship win in English league history at the time; Arsenal claimed the title with a goal average superior to that of Preston North End by just 0.099. Both Arsenal and Preston had identical records aside from goal difference and goal average. Had goal difference been the deciding factor – as it was from 1977 onwards – Arsenal would still have won with +33 to Preston's +25; in 1989, for comparison, Arsenal would have finished second (to Liverpool) on goal average. Preston had last been champions in 1890, the second season of the Football League. The FA Cup was won by Blackpool, beating Bolton Wanderers 4–3 in what became known as the 'Matthews Final', due to the masterly contribution of 38-year-old winger Stanley Matthews, who helped his side win after going 3–1 down, although three of Blackpool's goals were scored by prolific forward Stan Mortensen. Honours CompetitionWinnerRunner-upFirst DivisionArsenal (7*)Preston North EndSecond DivisionSheffield UnitedHuddersfield TownThird Division NorthOldham AthleticPort ValeThird Division SouthBristol RoversMillwallFA CupBlackpool (1)Bolton WanderersCharity ShieldManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedHome ChampionshipShared by ENG and SCO Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition Football League 1952–53 Football League First Division y First Division Second Division y Second Division Third Division North y Third Division North Third Division South y Third Division South Top goalscorers First Division Charlie Wayman (Preston North End) – 23 goalshttps://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2017-06-04 Second Division Arthur Rowley (Leicester City) – 39 goals Third Division North Jimmy Whitehouse (Carlisle United) – 29 goalshttps://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2017-06-04 Third Division South Geoff Bradford (Bristol Rovers) – 33 goals National team The England national football team were joint winners in the 1953 British Home Championship with Scotland. In the May following the conclusion of the season the England team embarked on their first tour of the Americas, following the experience in Brazil of the 1950 FIFA World Cup. American tour 17 May 1953 ARG 0–0 ENG     Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires Abandoned after 21 minutes due to torrential rain 24 May 1953 CHI 1–2 ENG Guillermo Diaz Tommy Taylor, Nat Lofthouse Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago 31 May 1953 URU 2–1 ENG Oscar Míguez , Julio Abbadie Tommy Taylor Centenario Stadium, Montevideo 13 June 1953 USA 1912 3–6 ENG Otto Decker , George Atheneos Nat Lofthouse, Tom Finney, Redfern Froggatt, Ivor Broadis Yankee Stadium, New York City References 1952