1981–82 Football League

83rd season of the Football League The Football League 1981–82 Liverpool 1980–81 1982–83 The 1981–82 season was the 83rd completed season (84th overall) of The Football League. This was the first league season with three points for win. Overview Three points for a win was introduced for the first time in England. Champions Aston Villa finished a disappointing 11th but made up for this by triumphing in the European Cup at the first attempt. Liverpool made up for the previous season's slip in league form by winning the league championship for the 13th time in their history, fighting off competition from Ipswich Town, Manchester United and Spurs. Liverpool also won the Football League Cup for the second season in succession. The league triumph was made all the more significant by the fact that they had occupied 10th place on Christmas Day. Their season of triumph was overshadowed, however, by the death of legendary former manager Bill Shankly, 68, following a heart attack in late September. Middlesbrough and Wolves were relegated as financial problems at both clubs began to mount. They were joined by Leeds United, only seven years after playing in the European cup final. West Bromwich Albion felt the loss of manager Ron Atkinson and key players Bryan Robson and Remi Moses as they slumped to 19th in the league and narrowly avoided relegation. This was just the beginning of a sharp decline for a club who three seasons earlier had reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals and almost won the league title. Swansea City were tipped for relegation by most observers as they reached the First Division for the first time in their history, having just completed their third promotion in four seasons. But John Toshack's men had a brilliant first game in the top flight, crushing Leeds United 5-1 and setting the tone for a season which would end with Leeds going down. Swansea, meanwhile, were the most unlikely title contenders, topping the league at several stages of the season before finishing sixth in the final table. Manchester United paid a British record fee of £1.75million for West Bromwich Albion's 24-year-old England midfielder Bryan Robson. Robson's record-breaking move reflected on how the size of transfer fees had risen dramatically in a relatively short period of time. Less than four years earlier, the British record fee had been the £516,000 that West Bromwich Albion had paid for David Mills. In such a short amount of time, the British record had more than tripled. Everton, who had struggled in the league for the past few seasons, turned to their former player Howard Kendall and appointed him as manager in hope of restoring the club to its former glory. First Division First Division 1981–82 Liverpool13th English title Leeds UnitedMiddlesbroughWolverhampton Wanderers European Cup LiverpoolAston Villa Cup Winners' Cup Tottenham HotspurSwansea City UEFA Cup Ipswich TownManchester UnitedArsenalSouthampton Kevin Keegan(26 goals)https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2010-10-31 Manchester United 5–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers(3 October 1981)Tottenham Hotspur 6–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers(6 February 1982)Coventry City 6–1 Sunderland(27 April 1982) Manchester City 0–5 Liverpool(10 April 1982) Southampton 5–5 Coventry City(4 May 1982) 462 1173 11 matchesLiverpool 16 matchesLiverpool 8 matchesWolverhampton Wanderers 1980–81 1982–83 The First Division title race saw many teams take the lead throughout the season, including traditional favourites like Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, as well as thriving Ipswich Town and Southampton, and most incredibly a Swansea City side who had never been in the First Division before, and who had been in the Fourth Division just a few seasons previously. In the end, however, it was Liverpool who clinched the title after a surge in the second half of the campaign which took them from mid table at Christmas to clinching the title on the final day of the season. They also retained the League Cup. Defending champions Aston Villa only finished mid-table but finished the season as European Cup winners, three months after Ron Saunders stood down as manager and was succeeded by his assistant Tony Barton. Wolves went down to the Second Division for the second time in seven seasons, while Middlesbrough went down after eight years in the First Division. Leeds United, who had gradually lost touch with the First Division's elite since Don Revie left in 1974, lost their top flight status after 18 years. Other memorable events of the season included the early season transfer of Bryan Robson from West Bromwich Albion to Manchester United for a national record £1.5million, and the death of legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. Final table main WDL First Division World Football LIV, IPS, MUN, TOT, ARS, SWA, SOU, EVE, WHU, MCI, AVL, NFO, BHA, COV, NTC, BIR, WBA, STK, SUN, LEE, WOL, MID EC1R UC1R UC1R CWC1R UC1R CWCPR UC1R EC1RC REL REL REL complete 20 11 11 48 37 15 12 15 55 53 10 14 18 53 61 13 13 16 43 52 13 11 18 56 62 17 13 12 56 50 26 5 11 75 53 10 12 20 39 61 26 9 7 80 32 15 13 14 49 50 22 12 8 59 29 8 15 19 34 52 15 12 15 42 48 13 8 21 61 69 19 9 14 72 67 12 8 22 44 63 11 11 20 38 58 21 6 15 58 51 20 11 11 67 48 11 11 20 46 57 14 16 12 66 57 10 10 22 32 63 C R R R Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham City Brighton & Hove Albion Coventry City Everton Ipswich Town Leeds United Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Middlesbrough Nottingham Forest Notts County Southampton Stoke City Sunderland Swansea City Tottenham Hotspur West Bromwich Albion West Ham United Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored QR green1 Qualification for the European Cup first round blue1 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round yellow1 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round as the 1981–82 FA Cup winners. yellow2 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round Swansea City qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round as the 1982 Welsh Cup winners. green1 Qualification for the European Cup first round Aston Villa qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1981–82 European Cup winners. red1 Relegation to the Second Division Results main FBR grey ARS AST BIR BHA COV EVE IPS LEE LIV MCI MUN MID NOT NTC SOU STK SUN SWA TOT WBA WHU WOL Arsenal 4–3 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 4–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–1 Aston Villa 0–2 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–2 0–1 1–4 0–3 0–0 1–1 1–0 3–1 0–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 3–0 1–1 2–1 3–2 3–1 Birmingham City 0–1 0–1 1–0 3–3 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–1 3–0 0–1 0–0 4–3 2–1 4–0 2–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 3–3 2–2 0–3 Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 0–1 1–1 2–2 3–1 0–1 1–0 3–3 4–1 0–1 2–0 0–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–2 1–3 2–2 1–0 2–0 Coventry City 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 2–4 4–0 1–2 0–1 2–1 1–1 0–1 1–5 4–2 3–0 6–1 3–1 0–0 0–2 1–0 0–0 Everton 2–1 2–0 3–1 1–1 3–2 2–1 1–0 1–3 0–1 3–3 2–0 2–1 3–1 1–1 0–0 1–2 3–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 Ipswich Town 2–1 3–1 3–2 3–1 1–0 3–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 3–1 1–3 1–3 5–2 2–0 3–3 2–3 2–1 1–0 3–2 1–0 Leeds United 0–0 1–1 3–3 2–1 0–0 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–3 0–0 1–0 2–0 0–0 3–1 3–3 3–0 Liverpool 2–0 0–0 3–1 0–1 4–0 3–1 4–0 3–0 1–3 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–2 3–1 1–0 3–0 2–1 Manchester City 0–0 1–0 4–2 4–0 1–3 1–1 1–1 4–0 0–5 0–0 3–2 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 4–0 0–1 2–1 0–1 2–1 Manchester United 0–0 4–1 1–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 5–0 Middlesbrough 1–3 3–3 2–1 2–1 0–0 0–2 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–1 3–2 0–0 1–1 1–3 1–0 2–3 0–0 Nottingham Forest 1–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 2–1 0–0 2–0 0–2 2–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 Notts County 2–1 1–0 1–4 4–1 2–1 2–2 1–4 2–1 0–4 1–1 1–3 0–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 4–0 Southampton 3–1 0–3 3–1 0–2 5–5 1–0 4–3 4–0 2–3 2–1 3–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 4–3 1–0 3–1 1–2 0–0 2–1 4–1 Stoke City 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 1–2 1–5 1–3 0–3 2–0 1–2 2–2 0–2 0–1 1–2 0–2 3–0 2–1 2–1 Sunderland 0–0 2–1 2–0 3–0 0–0 3–1 1–1 0–1 0–2 1–0 1–5 0–2 2–3 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–1 0–2 1–2 0–2 0–0 Swansea City 2–0 2–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–2 5–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–2 1–2 3–2 1–0 3–0 2–0 2–1 3–1 0–1 0–0 Tottenham Hotspur 2–2 1–3 1–1 0–1 1–2 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–0 3–1 1–0 3–0 3–1 3–2 2–0 2–2 2–1 1–2 0–4 6–1 West Bromwich Albion 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–2 0–0 1–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 0–3 2–0 2–1 2–4 1–1 1–2 2–3 4–1 1–0 0–0 3–0 West Ham United 1–2 2–2 2–2 1–1 5–2 1–1 2–0 4–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 0–1 1–0 4–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 3–1 3–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 0–3 1–1 0–1 1–0 0–3 2–1 1–0 1–0 4–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 3–2 0–0 2–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–2 2–1 Soccerbase Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment Everton ENG Gordon Lee Sacked 6 May 1981 Pre-season ENG Howard Kendall 8 May 1981 Middlesbrough ENG John Neal Sacked 6 May 1981 SCO Bobby Murdoch 13 May 1981 Coventry City ENG Gordon Milne Moved to a general manager role 13 May 1981 ENG Dave Sexton 19 May 1981 West Bromwich Albion ENG Ron Atkinson Signed by Manchester United 9 June 1981 ENG Ronnie Allen 30 June 1981 Manchester United ENG Jack Crompton End of caretaker spell 9 June 1981 ENG Ron Atkinson 9 June 1981 Stoke City WAL Alan Durban Resigned to take the Sunderland job 11 June 1981 ENG Richie Barker 24 June 1981 Sunderland SCO Mick Docherty End of caretaker spell 12 June 1981 WAL Alan Durban 12 June 1981 Brighton & Hove Albion ENG Alan Mullery Resigned 12 June 1981 ENG Mike Bailey 19 June 1981 Wolverhampton Wanderers ENG John Barnwell Sacked 5 January 1982 18th ENG Ian Greaves 8 February 1982 Aston Villa ENG Ron Saunders Resigned 9 February 1982 15th ENG Tony Barton 9 February 1982 Birmingham City ENG Jim Smith 15 February 1982 19th ENG Ron Saunders 22 February 1982 Maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1981–1982 Greater London 51.558 -0.103 right Greater London 51.603 -0.066 right Greater London 51.532 0.039 right Arsenal Tottenham West Ham England none 400 Locations of the Football League First Division 1981–1982 teams England 51.56 -0.10 right England 52.54 -1.87 right England 52.48 -1.89 right England 50.83 -0.15 right England 52.41 -1.51 right England 53.47 -2.97 right England 52.06 1.14 right England 53.78 -1.57 right England 53.53 -2.99 right England 53.47 -2.18 right England 53.47 -2.30 right England 54.57 -1.23 right England 53.01 -1.137 right England 52.94 -1.137 right England 50.91 -1.39 right England 53.00 -2.18 right England 54.91 -1.39 right England 51.62 -3.95 right England 51.63 -0.063 right England 52.52 -1.97 right England 51.54 0.040 right England 52.59 -2.13 right Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham Brighton & Hove Coventry Everton Ipswich Town Leeds United Liverpool Middlesbrough Manchester City Manchester United Nottingham Forest Notts County Southampton Stoke Sunderland Swansea City Tottenham West Bromwich Albion West Ham Wolverhampton Wanderers Second Division Second Division 1981–82 Luton Town Luton TownWatfordNorwich City Cardiff CityWrexhamOrient Ronnie Moore(22 goals) Luton Town 6–0 Grimsby Town(17 October 1981)Rotherham United 6–0 Chelsea(31 October 1981)Queens Park Rangers 7–1 Bolton Wanderers(1 May 1982) Cardiff City 0–4 Newcastle United(3 October 1981)Newcastle United 0–4 Queens Park Rangers(5 May 1982) Cardiff City 5–4 Cambridge United(20 March 1982) 462 1171 1980–81 1982–83 Luton Town clinched the Second Division as their cosmopolitan side ended the club's seven-year exile from the First Division, joined by runners-up Watford (in the First Division for the first time under inspirational manager Graham Taylor) and a Norwich City side who had surged from 10th place to the final promotion place during the final quarter of the campaign. Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Leicester City just missed out on promotion, as did two surprise contenders still yet to play in the First Division - Barnsley and Rotherham United. Cardiff City, Wrexham and Orient were relegated; Leyton Orient have not returned to this level since, whilst Wrexham would have to wait 43 years before returning to the Second Tier. Joe Royle, the 33-year-old former Everton striker, began his managerial career at Oldham Athletic. League table main WDL Second Division LUT, WAT, NOR, SHW, QPR, BAR, ROT, LEI, NEW, BLA, OLD, CHE, CHA, CAM, CRY, DER, GRI, SHR, BOL, CAR, WRE, ORI PRO PRO PRO REL REL REL complete 19 10 13 59 41 16 11 15 47 43 13 7 22 39 61 13 9 20 48 53 12 8 22 45 61 13 12 17 50 65 15 12 15 60 60 13 9 20 34 45 12 12 18 53 68 11 13 18 53 65 18 12 12 56 48 25 13 4 86 46 18 8 16 52 50 22 5 15 64 50 15 14 13 50 51 10 9 23 36 61 21 6 15 65 43 20 7 15 66 54 20 10 12 55 51 11 13 18 37 57 23 11 8 76 42 11 11 20 40 56 C, P P P R R R Barnsley Blackburn Rovers Bolton Wanderers Cambridge United Cardiff City Charlton Athletic Chelsea Crystal Palace Derby County Grimsby Town Leicester City Luton Town Newcastle United Norwich City Oldham Athletic Orient Queens Park Rangers Rotherham United Sheffield Wednesday Shrewsbury Town Watford Wrexham 5 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored QR green1 Promotion to the First Division red1 Relegation to the Third Division Results main FBR grey BAR BLB BOL CAM CAR CHA CHE CRY DER GRI LEI LUT NEW NWC OLD ORI QPR ROT SHW SHR WAT WRE Barnsley 0–1 3–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 3–2 0–2 4–3 1–0 0–1 3–1 1–0 3–0 3–0 1–0 4–0 0–0 2–2 Blackburn Rovers 2–1 0–2 1–0 1–0 0–2 1–1 1–0 4–1 2–0 0–2 0–1 4–1 3–0 0–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 0–0 Bolton Wanderers 2–1 2–2 3–4 1–0 2–0 2–2 0–0 3–2 1–2 0–3 1–2 1–0 0–1 0–2 1–0 1–0 0–1 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 Cambridge United 2–1 1–0 2–1 2–1 4–0 1–0 0–0 1–2 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–0 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–2 2–0 1–2 2–3 Cardiff City 0–0 1–3 2–1 5–4 0–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 2–1 3–1 2–3 0–4 1–0 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 0–2 1–1 2–0 3–2 Charlton Athletic 2–1 2–0 1–0 0–0 2–2 3–4 2–1 2–1 2–0 1–4 0–0 0–1 0–0 3–1 5–2 1–2 1–2 3–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 Chelsea 1–2 1–1 2–0 4–1 1–0 2–2 1–2 0–2 1–1 4–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 2–2 2–2 2–1 1–4 2–1 3–1 1–3 2–0 Crystal Palace 1–2 1–2 1–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 0–1 0–3 0–2 3–3 1–2 2–1 4–0 1–0 0–0 3–1 1–2 0–1 0–3 2–1 Derby County 0–1 1–1 0–2 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 4–1 1–1 3–1 0–0 2–2 0–2 1–0 1–2 3–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 3–2 2–1 Grimsby Town 3–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–1 3–3 3–3 0–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 0–1 5–1 0–2 1–1 Leicester City 1–0 1–0 1–0 4–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 3–0 1–4 2–1 0–1 3–2 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 Luton Town 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 2–3 3–0 2–2 1–0 3–2 6–0 2–1 3–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–2 3–1 0–3 4–1 4–1 0–0 Newcastle United 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–0 2–1 4–1 1–0 0–0 3–0 0–1 0–0 3–2 2–1 2–0 1–0 0–4 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 4–2 Norwich City 1–1 2–0 0–0 2–1 2–1 5–0 2–1 1–0 4–1 2–1 0–0 1–3 2–1 1–2 2–0 0–1 2–0 2–3 2–1 4–2 4–0 Oldham Athletic 1–1 0–3 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–0 3–2 2–0 0–3 0–3 1–1 1–1 2–1 Orient 1–3 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 3–2 1–2 3–0 0–3 1–0 1–1 0–3 1–1 1–2 3–0 2–0 1–3 0–0 Queens Park Rangers 1–0 2–0 7–1 2–1 2–0 4–0 0–2 1–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 1–2 3–0 2–0 0–0 3–0 1–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 Rotherham United 2–4 4–1 2–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 6–0 2–0 2–1 2–2 1–1 2–2 0–0 4–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 2–2 3–0 1–2 2–0 Sheffield Wednesday 2–2 2–2 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–3 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–0 1–3 2–0 0–0 3–1 0–3 Shrewsbury Town 0–2 1–2 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 4–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 0–0 0–2 2–1 2–0 2–1 2–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 Watford 3–1 3–2 3–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 6–1 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–3 3–0 1–1 3–0 4–0 1–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 Wrexham 0–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 3–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–0 0–0 0–2 4–2 2–3 0–3 0–1 1–3 3–2 0–1 1–0 0–1 Soccerbase Maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1981–1982 Greater London 51.486 0.036 right Greater London 51.482 -0.191 right Greater London 51.398 -0.085 right Greater London 51.570 -0.058 right Greater London 51.509 -0.232 right Greater London 51.650 -0.401 right Charlton Athletic Chelsea Crystal Palace Orient Queens Park Rangers Watford England none 400 Locations of the Football League Second Division 1981–1982 teams England 53.55 -1.48 right England 53.75 -2.48 right England 53.59 -2.56 right England 52.21 0.12 right England 51.47 -3.20 right England 51.47 0.07 right England 51.50 -0.19 right England 51.40 -0.085 right England 52.92 -1.476 right England 53.56 -0.068 right England 52.62 -1.14 right England 51.57 -0.01 right England 51.9 -0.433 right England 54.98 -1.62 right England 52.63 1.30 right England 53.54 -2.12 right England 51.54 -0.26 right England 53.43 -1.36 right England 53.41 -1.50 right England 52.71 -2.75 right England 51.65 -0.40 right England 53.03 -2.98 right Barnsley Blackburn Rovers Bolton Cambridge Utd Cardiff City Charlton Chelsea Crystal Palace Derby County Grimsby Town Leicester City Orient Luton Town Newcastle Norwich City Oldham QPR Rotherham Sheffield Wednesday Shrewsbury Watford Wrexham Third Division Burnley, Carlisle United and Fulham enjoyed some success after a string of disappointments by winning promotion to the Second Division. Going down were Wimbledon, Swindon Town, Bristol City and Chester. Bristol City had completed a unique succession of three relegations, while Swindon had been League Cup winners little over a decade earlier. Wimbledon, meanwhile, would not be enduring any more disappointing season for many years after 1982. Football LeagueThird Division 1981–82 Burnley (1st title) Promoted Carlisle UnitedFulham Relegated Bristol CityChesterSwindon TownWimbledon Gordon Davies (Fulham), 24 552 1422 1980–81 1982–83 main WDL Third Division PR 5 BUR Burnley CRL Carlisle United FUL Fulham LIN Lincoln City OXF Oxford United GIL Gillingham STD Southend United BRE Brentford MIL Millwall PLY Plymouth Argyle CHF Chesterfield REA Reading POR Portsmouth PNE Preston North End BRR Bristol Rovers NPC Newport County HUD Huddersfield Town EXE Exeter City DON Doncaster Rovers WAL Walsall WDN Wimbledon SWI Swindon Town BRI Bristol City CHE Chester 21 17 8 66 45 23 11 12 65 50 21 15 10 77 51 21 14 11 66 40 19 14 13 63 49 20 11 15 64 56 18 15 13 63 51 19 11 16 56 47 18 13 15 62 62 18 11 17 64 56 18 10 18 57 58 17 11 18 67 75 14 19 13 56 51 16 13 17 50 56 18 9 19 58 65 -2 14 16 16 54 54 15 12 19 64 59 16 9 21 71 84 13 17 16 55 68 13 14 19 51 55 14 11 21 61 75 13 13 20 55 71 11 13 22 40 65 7 11 28 36 78 Bristol Rovers had 2 points deducted. 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 (incorrect), source=11v11.com Results main FBR grey BRE BRI BRR BUR CRL CHE CHF DON EXE FUL GIL HUD LIN MIL NPC OXF PLY POR PNE REA STD SWI WAL WDN Brentford 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–2 1–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 3–1 4–1 2–0 1–2 0–0 2–2 0–0 1–2 0–1 4–2 0–0 2–3 Bristol City 0–1 1–2 2–3 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–2 3–2 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–1 4–1 2–1 0–2 3–2 0–1 0–0 2–0 0–2 0–3 0–1 1–3 Bristol Rovers 1–2 1–0 2–1 0–1 2–2 1–0 3–0 3–2 1–2 2–0 3–2 0–2 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–3 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–4 2–1 2–2 Burnley 0–0 2–0 4–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 3–3 2–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 3–0 2–0 3–0 3–5 0–2 2–1 2–2 Carlisle United 1–0 2–2 1–2 1–0 3–0 3–0 2–0 3–2 1–2 2–0 2–2 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–1 3–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 3–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 Chester 1–2 0–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–0 3–1 1–2 0–0 0–2 2–2 0–3 3–2 0–1 2–3 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 Chesterfield 0–2 1–0 2–0 1–2 1–0 3–5 3–1 2–1 3–0 1–3 1–0 0–2 0–1 1–0 2–2 2–2 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–0 2–0 Doncaster Rovers 1–0 2–2 4–2 0–1 1–1 4–3 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–1 1–2 4–1 1–0 0–2 1–1 2–2 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–3 Exeter City 3–1 4–0 1–3 2–1 2–1 3–0 0–3 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–2 5–4 1–0 1–2 1–1 3–3 4–3 4–3 1–1 1–2 2–0 2–1 Fulham 1–2 2–1 4–2 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–0 3–1 4–1 0–0 2–2 1–1 0–0 3–1 0–0 1–3 1–1 3–0 2–2 2–1 2–0 1–1 4–1 Gillingham 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 0–0 0–1 3–2 3–0 2–3 2–0 3–2 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 3–2 4–2 0–2 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–4 6–1 Huddersfield Town 1–1 5–0 0–2 1–2 2–1 1–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–2 1–2 2–0 2–0 0–0 0–1 2–3 6–1 3–2 3–0 2–1 1–1 Lincoln City 1–0 1–2 1–0 1–1 0–0 3–0 2–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 0–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 5–1 Millwall 0–1 2–0 0–0 4–3 1–2 2–1 3–2 0–2 5–1 4–3 1–2 1–3 1–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–0 2–1 Newport County 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–3 4–2 1–0 0–0 1–1 3–2 0–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–2 1–0 2–2 0–0 Oxford United 1–2 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–1 3–1 1–1 3–1 0–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–2 3–0 1–0 0–2 5–0 0–1 0–3 Plymouth Argyle 1–0 2–1 4–0 1–1 1–0 5–1 0–2 4–2 2–1 3–1 1–2 1–1 0–2 2–1 1–2 0–1 0–0 0–3 1–1 0–0 2–1 4–1 2–0 Portsmouth 2–2 2–0 0–0 1–2 1–2 2–0 5–1 0–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 3–0 0–0 3–0 1–0 1–0 Preston North End 1–3 1–3 0–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 2–0 3–1 1–0 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–2 Reading 4–1 3–1 0–3 1–1 2–2 4–1 0–2 3–3 4–0 0–3 3–2 1–2 3–2 4–0 2–1 0–3 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 0–0 2–1 Southend 1–1 3–0 1–0 1–4 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 3–0 4–0 0–2 2–2 0–4 0–1 3–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 0–0 3–2 2–0 Swindon Town 0–3 0–0 5–2 1–2 2–1 3–0 1–2 2–2 3–2 1–4 0–1 1–5 1–0 1–2 1–1 3–2 0–2 2–0 4–0 0–2 0–0 2–2 4–1 Walsall 3–0 0–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 1–3 0–1 3–1 0–3 1–2 0–1 5–0 1–0 Wimbledon 1–2 0–0 1–0 0–0 3–1 1–0 3–1 0–1 1–1 1–3 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–3 2–3 2–1 3–2 3–2 0–0 3–0 1–1 2–0 Soccerbase Maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 1981–1982 Greater London 51.486 -0.31 right Greater London 51.475 -0.222 right Greater London 51.481 -0.048 right Greater London 51.43 -0.19 right Brentford Fulham Millwall Wimbledon England none 400 Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1981–1982 England 51.486 -0.32 right England 51.42 -2.59 right England 51.47 -2.53 right England 53.79 -2.25 right England 54.90 -2.91 right England 53.19 -2.89 right England 53.52 -1.133 right England 53.24 -1.43 right England 50.72 -3.53 right England 51.38 0.55 right England 51.45 -0.24 right England 53.64 -1.78 right England 53.23 -0.54 right England 51.48 -0.048 right England 51.59 -3.00 right England 51.72 -1.21 right England 50.39 -4.15 right England 50.80 -1.06 right England 53.75 -2.7 right England 51.41 -0.97 right England 51.55 0.70 right England 51.56 -1.77 right England 52.58 -1.98 right England 51.43 -0.19 right Brentford Bristol City Bristol Rovers Burnley Carlisle United Chester Chesterfield Doncaster Exeter City Gillingham Fulham Huddersfield Lincoln City Millwall Oxford Newport County Plymouth Argyle Portsmouth Preston North End Reading Southend Swindon Walsall Wimbledon Fourth Division Football LeagueFourth Division 1981–82 Sheffield United (1st title) Promoted BournemouthBradford CityWigan Athletic Failed re-election None New club in the league Keith Edwards (Hull City / Sheffield United) 36 552 1512 1980–81 1982–83 Sheffield United began the first phase of their revival by winning the Fourth Division championship, which marked a superb start to the management career of Ian Porterfield. Also promoted were Bradford City, Wigan Athletic and Bournemouth. Crewe Alexandra endured a terrible season and propped up the league with just 27 league points, but the other league members voted in their favour and they maintained their league status. main WDL Fourth Division P 5 SHU Sheffield United BRA Bradford City WIG Wigan Athletic BOU Bournemouth PET Peterborough United COL Colchester United PTV Port Vale HUL Hull City BRY Bury HER Hereford United TRA Tranmere Rovers BLP Blackpool DAR Darlington HAR Hartlepool United TOR Torquay United ALD Aldershot YOR York City STP Stockport County HAL Halifax Town MAN Mansfield Town ROC Rochdale NOR Northampton Town SCU Scunthorpe United CRE Crewe Alexandra 27 15 4 94 41 26 13 7 88 45 26 13 7 80 46 23 19 4 62 30 24 10 12 71 57 20 12 14 82 57 18 16 12 56 49 19 12 15 70 61 17 17 12 80 59 16 19 11 64 58 14 18 14 51 56 15 13 18 66 60 15 13 18 61 62 13 16 17 73 84 14 13 19 47 59 13 15 18 57 68 14 8 24 69 91 12 13 21 48 67 9 22 15 51 72 13 10 23 63 81 -2 10 16 20 50 62 11 9 26 57 84 9 15 22 43 79 6 9 31 29 84 Mansfield Town had 2 points deducted. CP P P P green1 Promotion to the Third Division P P P P red2 Re-elected REE REE REE REE complete Results main FBR grey ALD BLP BOU BRA BRY COL CRE DAR HAL HAR HER HUL MAN NOR PET PTV ROC SCU SHU STP TOR TRA WIG YOR Aldershot 3–2 2–0 0–2 1–2 1–1 3–0 0–0 3–1 1–2 2–2 0–3 2–3 2–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 4–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–0 0–1 Blackpool 0–2 0–3 1–0 1–1 0–0 5–0 1–0 7–1 2–2 1–0 3–1 2–3 1–0 2–2 2–3 1–1 2–0 0–1 2–0 2–1 1–2 1–2 3–1 Bournemouth 2–2 1–0 0–2 3–2 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 5–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 4–0 1–1 0–0 5–1 Bradford City 4–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 4–1 3–0 5–2 1–0 0–0 1–1 3–4 2–1 2–0 1–0 2–0 0–0 0–2 5–1 3–0 1–1 3–3 6–2 Bury 1–1 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–3 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–2 7–1 3–1 3–2 3–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 0–1 4–0 5–3 3–1 Colchester United 1–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 3–3 4–0 2–0 0–1 5–1 1–1 1–0 3–2 2–1 5–2 0–1 3–0 4–0 1–2 4–0 Crewe Alexandra 2–3 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–2 1–3 1–0 0–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 0–2 2–2 0–1 0–2 1–2 3–0 2–3 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 Darlington 0–1 2–2 0–1 1–5 2–3 1–2 1–0 1–1 5–2 0–1 2–1 1–0 3–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 4–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–2 3–1 3–1 Halifax Town 2–2 0–0 1–1 0–0 2–1 0–2 2–1 3–3 2–0 1–2 2–2 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 1–2 1–5 4–1 1–2 0–2 0–0 0–0 Hartlepool 2–2 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–0 1–3 1–2 1–2 3–2 2–1 3–2 3–0 3–1 0–1 3–1 1–1 3–3 2–3 2–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 3–2 Hereford United 0–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 3–0 2–2 4–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–3 1–1 3–0 2–1 Hull City 1–2 1–0 0–0 2–1 3–2 2–3 1–0 1–3 2–0 5–2 2–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 3–1 2–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–2 0–2 2–0 Mansfield Town 1–0 2–2 0–1 0–2 1–1 1–3 0–1 2–3 3–2 3–2 2–1 3–3 4–1 1–2 1–3 4–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 3–1 3–0 1–2 0–2 Northampton Town 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–2 1–0 1–2 3–0 0–1 0–1 2–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 1–0 3–5 2–1 1–1 1–2 0–0 2–0 3–2 2–3 5–0 Peterborough United 7–1 3–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–2 3–0 3–1 0–0 4–4 3–1 3–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 5–1 2–1 0–4 2–0 1–0 1–2 0–3 0–1 Port Vale 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 2–2 0–0 5–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–3 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 Rochdale 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 3–2 0–1 2–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 5–3 1–1 1–2 1–1 0–1 4–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 Scunthorpe United 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 2–2 2–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 2–2 4–4 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 0–2 2–1 2–7 0–3 Sheffield United 2–0 3–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 4–0 0–0 2–2 1–1 2–2 0–0 4–1 7–3 4–0 2–1 3–1 1–0 4–0 4–1 2–0 1–0 4–0 Stockport County 4–2 2–3 1–2 2–3 2–1 0–0 2–0 1–0 2–1 0–2 1–1 1–2 3–0 0–0 3–0 1–2 0–4 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 0–1 4–1 Torquay United 2–1 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–2 2–2 1–1 1–2 2–1 2–0 2–2 1–2 0–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–0 3–2 Tranmere 1–0 3–1 0–1 1–1 1–3 2–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 0–2 1–2 1–2 2–0 0–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–0 0–2 Wigan Athletic 1–0 2–1 0–0 4–1 3–2 3–2 3–0 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 3–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–1 1–0 0–0 4–2 York City 4–0 0–4 0–1 0–3 0–0 3–0 6–0 2–2 4–0 1–2 3–4 1–3 2–1 2–1 4–3 2–0 1–2 3–1 3–4 2–2 1–1 1–3 0–0 Soccerbase Maps England none 400 Locations of the Football League Fourth Division teams 1981–1982 England 51.25 -0.75 right England 53.81 -3.05 right England 50.73 -1.84 right England 53.82 -1.73 right England 53.58 -2.295 right England 51.89 0.90 right England 53.10 -2.44 right England 54.53 -1.55 right England 53.72 -1.86 right England 54.69 -1.21 right England 52.06 -2.72 right England 53.74 -0.33 right England 53.14 -1.20 right England 52.24 -0.90 right England 52.58 -0.25 right England 53.06 -2.21 right England 53.61 -2.16 right England 53.58 -0.65 right England 53.37 -1.47 right England 53.41 -2.16 right England 50.48 -3.52 right England 53.37 -3.04 right England 53.55 -2.65 right England 53.96 -1.08 right Aldershot Blackpool Bournemouth Bradford C. Bury Colchester Crewe Alexandra Darlington Halifax Town Hartlepool Hereford United Hull Mansfield Town Northampton Town Peterborough Port Vale Rochdale Scunthorpe & Lindsey Sheffield United Stockport Torquay Tranmere Wigan Athletic York City Election/re-election to the Football League This year Runcorn, the winners of the Alliance Premier League, could not apply for election because they did not meet Football League requirements. Second placed Enfield could not apply either for the same reasons, so third placed Telford United won the right to apply for election to the Football League to replace one of the four bottom sides in the 1981–82 Football League Fourth Division. The vote went as follows: Club Final Position Votes Northampton Town 22nd (Fourth Division) 53 Crewe Alexandra 24th (Fourth Division) 50 Rochdale 21st (Fourth Division) 48 Scunthorpe United 23rd (Fourth Division) 48 Telford United 3rd (Alliance Premier League) 13 As a result of this, all four Football League teams were re-elected, and Telford United were denied membership of the League. Attendances Source:https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1982.htm Historical attendances European-football-statistics.co.uk Jun 24, 2026 Division One No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Manchester United 44,571 57,830 34,499 2 Tottenham Hotspur FC 35,100 46,827 22,819 3 Liverpool FC 35,061 48,461 24,224 4 Manchester City FC 34,063 52,037 24,443 5 Aston Villa FC 26,780 41,098 18,294 6 West Ham United FC 26,585 34,026 17,130 7 Arsenal FC 25,589 48,897 13,738 8 Everton FC 24,674 51,806 15,328 9 Leeds United FC 22,109 33,689 16,385 10 Ipswich Town FC 21,925 29,050 17,924 11 Southampton FC 21,835 24,704 18,622 12 Nottingham Forest FC 19,937 26,327 15,037 13 Sunderland AFC 19,608 29,372 11,845 14 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 18,244 27,082 10,427 15 Swansea City AFC 18,236 24,115 11,811 16 Birmingham City FC 17,117 32,817 10,715 17 West Bromwich Albion FC 16,786 23,329 11,632 18 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 15,242 28,001 11,099 19 Stoke City FC 14,635 25,256 9,120 20 Middlesbrough FC 13,413 21,019 9,403 21 Coventry City FC 13,100 19,329 9,677 22 Notts County FC 11,613 19,304 6,707 Division Two No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Sheffield Wednesday FC 19,170 30,861 13,047 2 Newcastle United FC 17,276 26,994 9,419 3 Barnsley FC 15,098 28,870 9,287 4 Watford FC 14,631 23,987 9,018 5 Leicester City FC 14,182 21,123 9,524 6 Norwich City FC 14,182 18,827 11,626 7 Chelsea FC 13,132 20,036 6,009 8 Queens Park Rangers FC 12,574 22,091 8,753 9 Luton Town FC 11,881 16,657 8,776 10 Derby County FC 11,828 16,046 7,518 11 Crystal Palace FC 10,381 17,633 7,198 12 Rotherham United FC 9,857 19,841 6,346 13 Grimsby Town FC 8,406 13,370 6,141 14 Blackburn Rovers FC 8,405 15,182 5,207 15 Bolton Wanderers FC 7,597 16,577 5,085 16 Oldham Athletic FC 7,023 15,845 2,919 17 Charlton Athletic FC 6,657 11,133 3,379 18 Cardiff City FC 5,574 10,277 3,239 19 Cambridge United FC 5,073 8,815 3,127 20 Shrewsbury Town FC 4,571 8,103 2,898 21 Leyton Orient FC 4,419 9,698 2,090 22 Wrexham AFC 4,304 6,506 3,076 Division Three No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Portsmouth FC 8,544 11,299 4,889 2 Fulham FC 6,938 20,461 3,629 3 Burnley FC 6,936 18,771 3,377 4 Huddersfield Town AFC 6,746 10,269 3,468 5 Bristol City FC 6,511 11,451 3,404 6 Oxford United FC 5,851 10,407 3,843 7 Swindon Town FC 5,825 9,608 4,084 8 Brentford FC 5,693 10,834 4,124 9 Preston North End FC 5,497 7,815 4,171 10 Bristol Rovers FC 5,402 12,155 3,650 11 Gillingham FC 5,241 9,895 3,245 12 Doncaster Rovers FC 5,234 11,319 3,431 13 Southend United FC 5,083 8,108 3,416 14 Plymouth Argyle FC 4,792 9,458 2,646 15 Chesterfield FC 4,737 7,732 2,028 16 Millwall FC 4,626 7,474 2,562 17 Newport County AFC 4,459 5,915 2,978 18 Carlisle United FC 4,409 6,653 3,085 19 Lincoln City FC 4,222 8,243 2,218 20 Reading FC 4,026 7,171 2,596 21 Exeter City FC 3,858 9,144 2,498 22 Walsall FC 3,744 6,010 2,487 23 Wimbledon FC 2,596 5,554 1,503 24 Chester City FC 2,062 3,509 1,210 Division Four No. Club Average Highest Lowest 1 Sheffield United FC 14,892 24,593 11,293 2 AFC Bournemouth 5,933 9,925 3,244 3 Wigan Athletic FC 5,796 9,021 3,996 4 Bradford City AFC 5,391 13,919 3,601 5 Peterborough United FC 4,698 13,459 1,897 6 Hull City AFC 4,270 7,397 3,040 7 Blackpool FC 4,224 9,439 1,824 8 Port Vale FC 3,639 8,773 1,924 9 Bury FC 3,533 6,650 1,720 10 Colchester United FC 2,859 5,194 1,570 11 Mansfield Town FC 2,685 8,944 1,394 12 Hereford United FC 2,592 4,191 2,060 13 Stockport County FC 2,547 5,450 1,357 14 Darlington FC 2,510 12,557 1,283 15 Halifax Town AFC 2,407 8,077 1,305 16 York City FC 2,360 5,560 1,571 17 Northampton Town FC 2,306 4,975 1,552 18 Torquay United FC 2,248 5,126 1,039 19 Scunthorpe United FC 2,232 8,105 1,106 20 Crewe Alexandra FC 2,192 6,716 1,116 21 Aldershot Town FC 2,168 4,100 1,171 22 Hartlepool United FC 2,055 4,548 1,202 23 Rochdale AFC 1,837 3,966 1,056 24 Tranmere Rovers 1,734 4,675 1,141 See also 1981–82 in English football References Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980. 1981–82 1–4