1972–73 Football League

74th season of the Football League The Football League 1972–73 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 websitehttps://www.rsssf.org/engpaul/FLA/1972-73.html England 1972–73 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 2010-02-24 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. 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 1972–73 Liverpool8th title Crystal PalaceWest Bromwich Albion European Cup Liverpool UEFA Cup Leeds UnitedIpswich TownWolverhampton WanderersTottenham Hotspur Watney Cup West Ham UnitedStoke City Pop Robson(28 goals)https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2010-10-31 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) West Bromwich Albion 0–4 Crystal Palace(3 March 1973) Wolverhampton Wanderers 5–3 Stoke City(30 September 1972) 462 1160 1971–72 1973–74 main WDL First Division World Football LIV, ARS, LEE, IPS, WOL, WHU, DER, TOT, NEW, BIR, MCI, CHE, SOU, SHU, STK, LEI, EVE, MUN, COV, NOR, CRY, WBA EC1R UC1R UC1R UC1R WAC UC1R WAC REL REL complete 23 11 8 57 43 15 12 15 53 54 13 14 15 49 51 13 9 20 40 55 9 12 21 41 58 19 8 15 56 54 13 11 18 41 49 17 14 11 55 45 21 11 10 71 45 10 17 15 40 46 25 10 7 72 42 15 11 16 57 60 12 13 17 44 60 16 13 13 60 51 11 10 21 36 63 15 10 17 51 59 11 18 13 47 52 14 10 18 61 56 16 13 13 58 48 9 10 23 38 62 17 12 13 67 53 18 11 13 66 54 C R R Arsenal Birmingham City Chelsea Coventry City Crystal Palace Derby County Everton Ipswich Town Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle United Norwich City Sheffield United Southampton Stoke City Tottenham Hotspur West Bromwich Albion 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 blue1 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as the Football League Cup winners. #CCCCFF Qualification for the Watney Cup West Ham United and Stoke City qualified for the Watney Cup as the two teams with the most goals that had not already qualified for a European competition. red1 Relegation to the Second Division Results main FBR grey 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 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 1972–1973 Greater London 51.558 -0.103 right Greater London 51.482 -0.191 right Greater London 51.398 -0.085 right Greater London 51.603 -0.066 right Greater London 51.532 0.039 right Arsenal Chelsea Crystal Palace Tottenham West Ham England none 400 Locations of the Football League First Division 1972–1973 teams England 51.56 -0.10 left England 52.48 -1.89 left England 51.50 -0.19 left England 52.41 -1.51 left England 51.40 -0.085 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 53.37 -1.47 left England 50.91 -1.39 left England 53.00 -2.18 left England 51.63 -0.063 left England 52.52 -1.97 left England 51.54 0.040 left England 52.59 -2.13 left 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 Second Division Second Division 1972–73 Burnley BurnleyQueens Park Rangers Huddersfield TownBrighton & Hove Albion Cup Winners' Cup SunderlandCardiff City Watney Cup Bristol CityHull City Don Givens(23 goals) 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) Preston North End 0–5 Portsmouth(10 February 1973) Hull City 6–2 Preston North End(27 January 1973)Blackpool 6–2 Brighton & Hove Albion(19 April 1973) 462 1156 1971–72 1973–74 main WDL Second Division BUR, QPR, AVL, MID, BRC, SUN, BLP, OXF, FUL, SHW, MIL, LUT, HUL, NFO, ORI, SWI, POR, CRL, PNE, CAR, HUD, BHA PRO PRO WAC CWC1RFA WAC CWC1RWC REL REL complete 18 14 10 51 47 18 10 14 56 51 8 13 21 46 83 17 12 13 63 51 24 14 4 72 35 11 11 20 43 58 11 12 19 50 52 16 12 14 58 49 8 17 17 36 56 14 12 16 64 59 15 11 16 44 53 17 13 12 46 43 16 10 16 55 47 14 12 16 47 52 12 12 18 49 53 19 7 16 52 43 12 11 19 42 59 11 12 19 37 64 24 13 5 81 37 17 10 15 59 55 17 12 13 59 49 10 16 16 46 60 C, P P R R Aston Villa Blackpool Brighton & Hove Albion Bristol City Burnley Cardiff City Carlisle United Fulham Huddersfield Town Hull City Luton Town Middlesbrough Millwall Nottingham Forest Orient Oxford United Portsmouth Preston North End Queens Park Rangers Sheffield Wednesday Sunderland Swindon Town 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 Sunderland qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1972–73 FA Cup winners. yellow1 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round Cardiff City qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1972–73 Welsh Cup winners. #CCCCFF Qualification for the Watney Cup red1 Relegation to the Third Division Results main FBR grey 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 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 1972–1973 Greater London 51.475 -0.222 right Greater London 51.570 -0.058 right Greater London 51.481 -0.048 right Greater London 51.509 -0.232 right Fulham Orient Millwall Queens Park Rangers England none 400 Locations of the Football League Second Division 1972–1973 teams England 52.54 -1.87 left England 53.81 -3.05 left England 50.83 -0.15 left England 51.42 -2.59 left England 53.79 -2.25 left England 51.47 -3.20 left England 54.90 -2.91 left England 51.45 -0.24 left England 53.74 -0.33 left England 53.64 -1.78 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 51.72 -1.21 left England 50.80 -1.06 left England 53.75 -2.7 left England 51.54 -0.26 left England 53.41 -1.50 left England 54.91 -1.39 left England 51.56 -1.77 left 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 Third Division Football LeagueThird Division 1972–73 Bolton Wanderers (1st title) Promoted Notts County Relegated Brentford,Rotherham United,Scunthorpe United,Swansea City Arthur Horsfield (Charlton Athletic), 26 552 1371 1971–72 1973–74 main WDL Third Division y 2 PR 5 BOL Bolton Wanderers NTC Notts County BLB Blackburn Rovers OLD Oldham Athletic BRR Bristol Rovers PTV Port Vale BOU Bournemouth PLY Plymouth Argyle GRI Grimsby Town TRA Tranmere Rovers CHA Charlton Athletic WRE Wrexham ROC Rochdale STD Southend United SHR Shrewsbury Town CHF Chesterfield WAL Walsall YOR York City WAT Watford HAL Halifax Town ROT Rotherham United BRE Brentford SWA Swansea City SCU Scunthorpe United 25 11 10 73 39 23 11 12 67 47 20 15 11 57 47 19 16 11 72 54 20 13 13 77 56 21 11 14 56 69 17 16 13 66 44 20 10 16 74 66 20 8 18 67 61 15 16 15 56 52 17 11 18 69 67 14 17 15 55 54 14 17 15 48 54 17 10 19 61 54 15 14 17 46 54 17 9 20 57 61 18 7 21 56 66 13 15 18 42 46 12 17 17 43 48 13 15 18 43 53 17 7 22 51 65 15 7 24 51 69 14 9 23 51 73 10 10 26 33 72 CP P R R R R green1 Promotion to the Second Division P P red1 Relegation to the Fourth Division R R R R #CCCCFF Qualified for the Watney Cup 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. WAC WAC complete rsssf.com Results main FBR grey 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 0–3 2–1 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 0–1 3–0 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 4–0 2–1 1–1 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 3–0 1–1 2–0 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 1–2 2–3 1–1 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 3–1 0–1 1–1 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 2–0 2–0 0–1 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 2–2 1–1 2–0 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 0–0 1–0 0–2 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 1–2 2–0 1–1 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 1–2 1–0 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 2–2 2–1 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 0–1 2–2 1–0 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 1–1 1–0 2–7 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 2–0 0–2 0–0 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 0–1 1–1 2–2 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 2–2 2–3 1–0 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 1–1 1–1 0–0 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 0–2 3–2 1–0 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 1–3 2–1 3–2 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 0–0 1–3 1–1 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 1–0 0–1 0–0 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 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 1972–1973 Greater London 51.486 -0.31 right Greater London 51.486 0.036 right Greater London 51.650 -0.401 right Brentford Charlton Athletic Watford England none 400 Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1972–1973 England 53.75 -2.48 left England 53.59 -2.56 left England 50.73 -1.84 left England 51.486 -0.32 left England 51.47 -2.53 left England 51.47 0.07 left England 53.24 -1.43 left England 53.56 -0.068 left England 53.72 -1.86 left England 52.94 -1.137 left England 53.54 -2.12 left England 50.39 -4.15 left England 53.06 -2.21 left England 53.61 -2.16 left England 53.43 -1.36 left England 53.58 -0.65 left England 52.71 -2.75 left England 51.55 0.70 left England 51.62 -3.95 left England 53.37 -3.04 left England 52.58 -1.98 left England 51.65 -0.40 left England 53.03 -2.98 left England 53.96 -1.08 left 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 Fourth Division Football LeagueFourth Division 1972–73 Southport (1st title) Promoted Aldershot,Cambridge United,Hereford United Failed re-election None New club in the league Hereford United Fred Binney (Exeter City), 27 552 1347 1971–72 1973–74 main WDL Fourth Division PR 5 2 y SOU Southport HER Hereford United CAM Cambridge United ALD Aldershot NPC Newport County MAN Mansfield Town REA Reading EXE Exeter City GIL Gillingham LIN Lincoln City STP Stockport County BRY Bury WRK Workington BAR Barnsley CHE Chester BRA Bradford City DON Doncaster Rovers TOR Torquay United PET Peterborough United HAR Hartlepool CRE Crewe Alexandra COL Colchester United NOR Northampton Town DAR Darlington 26 10 10 71 48 23 12 11 56 38 20 17 9 67 57 22 12 12 60 38 22 12 12 64 44 20 14 12 78 51 17 18 11 51 38 18 14 14 57 51 19 11 16 63 58 16 16 14 64 57 18 12 16 53 53 14 18 14 58 51 17 12 17 59 61 14 16 16 58 60 14 15 17 61 52 16 11 19 61 65 15 12 19 49 58 12 17 17 44 47 14 13 19 71 76 12 17 17 34 49 9 18 19 38 61 10 11 25 48 76 10 11 25 40 73 7 15 24 42 85 CP P P P green1 Promotion to the Third Division P P P P red2 Re-elected REE REE REE REE #CCCCFF Qualified for the Watney Cup 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. WAC WAC complete rsssf.com Results main FBR grey 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 Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. Maps England none 400 Locations of the Football League Fourth Division teams 1972–1973 England 51.25 -0.75 left England 53.55 -1.48 left England 53.82 -1.73 left England 53.58 -2.295 left England 52.21 0.12 left England 53.19 -2.89 left England 51.89 0.90 left England 53.10 -2.44 left England 54.53 -1.55 left England 53.52 -1.133 left England 50.72 -3.53 left England 51.38 0.55 left England 54.69 -1.21 left England 52.06 -2.72 left England 53.23 -0.54 left England 53.14 -1.20 left England 51.59 -3.00 left England 52.24 -0.90 left England 52.58 -0.25 left England 51.41 -0.97 left England 53.65 -3.01 left England 53.41 -2.16 left England 50.48 -3.52 left England 54.64 -3.55 left 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 Attendances Source:https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1973.htm Historical attendances European-football-statistics.co.uk July 18, 2026 Division One No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Manchester United 48,623 61,676 36,073 2 Liverpool FC 48,127 56,202 41,550 3 Arsenal FC 40,246 56,194 27,199 4 Birmingham City FC 36,663 51,278 30,757 5 Leeds United FC 35,831 46,468 25,088 6 Everton FC 34,471 54,856 21,806 7 Manchester City FC 32,351 52,086 23,973 8 Tottenham Hotspur FC 32,318 51,291 16,942 9 West Ham United FC 30,174 38,804 23,269 10 Crystal Palace FC 30,167 44,536 17,858 11 Derby County FC 29,766 38,462 20,374 12 Chelsea FC 29,722 51,102 18,279 13 Norwich City FC 28,420 36,688 19,320 14 Newcastle United FC 27,939 38,964 18,103 15 Coventry City FC 24,623 42,911 16,391 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 24,418 34,049 14,888 17 Stoke City FC 23,800 36,063 17,770 18 Sheffield United FC 23,509 40,035 16,231 19 Leicester City FC 22,706 35,876 15,307 20 Ipswich Town FC 22,241 34,636 16,948 21 West Bromwich Albion FC 21,427 39,209 12,147 22 Southampton FC 18,118 24,164 12,125 Division Two No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Aston Villa FC 27,693 38,637 15,902 2 Sunderland AFC 22,603 43,265 11,141 3 Sheffield Wednesday FC 17,076 30,394 8,455 4 Queens Park Rangers FC 14,715 22,518 9,790 5 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 14,167 18,699 9,709 6 Burnley FC 14,083 22,852 9,834 7 Bristol City FC 12,892 20,490 10,588 8 Cardiff City FC 11,456 21,982 6,235 9 Blackpool FC 10,782 25,277 5,303 10 Luton Town FC 10,643 15,799 6,177 11 Middlesbrough FC 10,418 24,145 6,816 12 Swindon Town FC 10,267 15,552 7,245 13 Fulham FC 10,267 20,895 6,262 14 Millwall FC 10,265 16,136 7,811 15 Preston North End FC 10,199 21,550 5,759 16 Nottingham Forest FC 9,995 18,082 6,414 17 Portsmouth FC 9,477 16,419 4,688 18 Hull City AFC 9,233 13,580 5,278 19 Oxford United FC 9,197 13,647 4,954 20 Huddersfield Town AFC 8,175 13,689 3,871 21 Carlisle United FC 7,606 17,840 5,517 22 Leyton Orient FC 6,449 10,629 3,887 Division Three No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Bolton Wanderers FC 13,928 33,309 5,788 2 AFC Bournemouth 12,268 18,374 8,579 3 Grimsby Town FC 10,849 16,807 7,395 4 Notts County FC 10,701 23,613 6,118 5 Blackburn Rovers FC 9,214 16,346 5,710 6 Plymouth Argyle FC 9,057 20,104 4,768 7 Bristol Rovers FC 8,884 18,567 5,750 8 Brentford FC 8,742 11,803 6,067 9 Oldham Athletic FC 8,256 19,745 4,516 10 Southend United FC 7,329 11,233 4,347 11 Watford FC 6,749 9,241 4,578 12 Chesterfield FC 5,723 8,755 3,508 13 Charlton Athletic FC 5,658 7,375 3,015 14 Tranmere Rovers 5,615 14,356 2,830 15 Port Vale FC 5,429 14,168 3,468 16 Walsall FC 4,803 8,159 3,402 17 Rotherham United FC 4,733 7,045 2,907 18 Wrexham AFC 4,546 6,586 2,611 19 York City FC 3,793 9,894 2,307 20 Scunthorpe United FC 3,736 10,768 1,687 21 Rochdale AFC 3,186 7,168 1,588 22 Swansea City AFC 3,104 5,390 1,607 23 Shrewsbury Town FC 3,004 6,574 1,763 24 Halifax Town AFC 2,741 4,838 970 Division Four No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Hereford United FC 8,917 14,849 6,566 2 Reading FC 5,321 10,325 3,721 3 Mansfield Town FC 5,010 7,312 3,451 4 Exeter City FC 4,956 11,296 3,137 5 Newport County AFC 4,817 8,776 2,847 6 Peterborough United FC 4,761 7,577 2,345 7 Lincoln City FC 4,547 6,657 2,429 8 Aldershot Town FC 4,442 10,800 2,761 9 Cambridge United FC 4,227 11,542 2,627 10 Stockport County FC 3,728 5,905 2,204 11 Hartlepool United FC 3,691 7,193 1,887 12 Southport FC 3,580 6,525 1,966 13 Bradford City AFC 3,498 5,566 1,628 14 Torquay United FC 3,300 8,164 1,825 15 Colchester United FC 3,232 6,093 2,437 16 Gillingham FC 3,186 6,115 1,575 17 Bury FC 2,971 4,319 2,039 18 Chester City FC 2,963 4,781 1,390 19 Barnsley FC 2,862 5,900 1,638 20 Northampton Town FC 2,835 5,008 1,180 21 Doncaster Rovers FC 2,259 3,540 1,488 22 Crewe Alexandra FC 2,059 3,820 1,164 23 Darlington FC 1,697 3,724 1,088 24 Workington AFC 1,442 2,065 918 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. 1972–73 League