1952–53 Football League

Final league tables

The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics separated.

Beginning with the season 1894–95, clubs finishing level on points were separated according to goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same goal difference, this system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals. The goal average system was eventually scrapped beginning with the 1976–77 season.

From the 1922–23 season, the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South were required to apply for re-election.

First Division

7th English title (24 goals) (25 December 1952) Aston Villa 6–0 Portsmouth (18 February 1953) Cardiff City 6–0 Manchester City (21 February 1953) (20 September 1952) Preston North End 0–5 Manchester United (18 October 1952) (27 September 1952) Arsenal won their second league title of the postwar era, finishing ahead of runners-up Preston North End on goal average - denying them a first league title since they won the first two English Football League titles more than 60 years earlier. Preston defeated Arsenal in a 2-0 home win in the second last match of the season on 25 April, which was followed by another win at Derby four days later. But Arsenal's 3-2 win in their final match against Burnley on 1 May meant that it was Arsenal who clinched the title on goal average.

Wolverhampton Wanderers bounced back after two disappointing seasons to finish third, three points short of the title. They finished one point ahead of their local rivals West Bromwich Albion. Twelve goals were scored when Blackpool defeated Charlton Athletic 8-4 on 25 September, but Charlton would eventually finish two places higher in the table at fifth place. Defending champions Manchester United, in a period of transition as the team captained by Johnny Carey started to make way for a younger generation of players, finished eighth.

Stoke City and Derby County, who had been among the First Division's leading lights in the first few postwar seasons, went down to the Second Division after several seasons of gradually declining form. Liverpool, the 1947 champions, avoided the drop by just two points.

Results

Maps

Arsenal Charlton Athletic Chelsea Tottenham

Arsenal Aston Villa Blackpool Bolton Burnley Cardiff City Charlton Chelsea Derby County Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Middlesbrough Newcastle Portsmouth Preston North End Sheffield Wednesday Stoke Sunderland Tottenham West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers

Second Division

Huddersfield Town Barnsley (39 goals) Sheffield United were champions of the Second Division, scoring 97 goals in the process. Their season included two runs of eleven league matches in a row without defeat, in October-December and February-April respectively.

Huddersfield Town finished second, two points behind and were promoted to the First Division. Luton Town were contenders for promotion, but a poor finish without a win in their last four games left them six points behind Huddersfield in third place.

Everton recorded their lowest ever league position, finishing 16th in an uneven season that included a 7-1 victory over Doncaster and a 8-2 defeat against Huddersfield.

Southampton were relegated along with Barnsley, who finished bottom after a poor season that included just five wins, 108 conceded goals and a late run of nine consecutive defeats.

Results

Maps

Brentford Fulham West Ham

Barnsley Birmingham Blackburn Rovers Brentford Bury Doncaster Everton Fulham Huddersfield Hull Leeds United Leicester City Lincoln City Luton Town Nottingham Forest Notts County Plymouth Argyle Rotherham Sheffield United Southampton Swansea Town West Ham

Third Division North

Third Division North

Results

Maps

Accrington Stanley Barrow Bradford City Bradford Park Avenue Carlisle United Chester Chesterfield Crewe Alexandra Darlington Gateshead Grimsby Town Halifax T. Hartlepool Mansfield Town Oldham Port Vale Rochdale Scunthorpe & Lindsey Southport Stockport Tranmere Workington Wrexham York City

Third Division South

Third Division South

|win_B&HA=19|draw_B&HA=12|loss_B&HA=15|gf_B&HA=81|ga_B&HA=75 |win_B&BA=19|draw_B&BA=9|loss_B&BA=18|gf_B&BA=74|ga_B&BA=69

Results

|match_ALD_B&BA=1–0 |match_ALD_B&HA=1–2

|name_B&BA=Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic |match_B&BA_ALD=0–3 |match_B&BA_B&HA=2–1 |match_B&BA_BRI=4–1 |match_B&BA_BRR=1–2 |match_B&BA_COL=1–0 |match_B&BA_COV=3–0 |match_B&BA_CRY=4–2 |match_B&BA_EXE=2–1 |match_B&BA_GIL=4–2 |match_B&BA_IPS=2–1 |match_B&BA_LEY=4–1 |match_B&BA_MIL=1–1 |match_B&BA_NPC=1–2 |match_B&BA_NOR=0–1 |match_B&BA_NWC=0–0 |match_B&BA_QPR=1–0 |match_B&BA_REA=2–0 |match_B&BA_SHR=2–0 |match_B&BA_STD=5–1 |match_B&BA_SWI=1–1 |match_B&BA_TOR=0–1 |match_B&BA_WAL=5–1 |match_B&BA_WAT=4–1

|name_B&HA=Brighton & Hove Albion |match_B&HA_ALD=4–2 |match_B&HA_B&BA=2–0 |match_B&HA_BRI=0–1 |match_B&HA_BRR=2–1 |match_B&HA_COL=0–0 |match_B&HA_COV=1–1 |match_B&HA_CRY=4–1 |match_B&HA_EXE=4–2 |match_B&HA_GIL=5–0 |match_B&HA_IPS=1–4 |match_B&HA_LEY=3–1 |match_B&HA_MIL=1–0 |match_B&HA_NPC=2–2 |match_B&HA_NOR=1–1 |match_B&HA_NWC=2–3 |match_B&HA_QPR=2–0 |match_B&HA_REA=1–1 |match_B&HA_SHR=3–1 |match_B&HA_STD=2–2 |match_B&HA_SWI=1–2 |match_B&HA_TOR=2–1 |match_B&HA_WAL=4–2 |match_B&HA_WAT=1–2

|match_BRI_B&BA=1–1 |match_BRI_B&HA=2–2

|match_BRR_B&BA=2–1 |match_BRR_B&HA=7–0

|match_COL_B&BA=1–1 |match_COL_B&HA=0–0

|match_COV_B&BA=2–3 |match_COV_B&HA=3–1

|match_CRY_B&BA=1–0 |match_CRY_B&HA=2–1

|match_EXE_B&BA=5–1 |match_EXE_B&HA=1–5

|match_GIL_B&BA=1–2 |match_GIL_B&HA=1–2

|match_IPS_B&BA=2–1 |match_IPS_B&HA=1–0

|match_LEY_B&BA=2–2 |match_LEY_B&HA=3–0

|match_MIL_B&BA=3–1 |match_MIL_B&HA=1–1

|match_NPC_B&BA=2–1 |match_NPC_B&HA=0–3

|match_NOR_B&BA=5–1 |match_NOR_B&HA=5–3

|match_NWC_B&BA=1–1 |match_NWC_B&HA=3–2

|match_QPR_B&BA=2–1 |match_QPR_B&HA=3–3

|match_REA_B&BA=1–3 |match_REA_B&HA=0–0

|match_SHR_B&BA=1–0 |match_SHR_B&HA=0–0

|match_STD_B&BA=0–0 |match_STD_B&HA=1–2

|match_SWI_B&BA=1–2 |match_SWI_B&HA=3–0

|match_TOR_B&BA=5–1 |match_TOR_B&HA=1–2

|match_WAL_B&BA=2–2 |match_WAL_B&HA=3–0

|match_WAT_B&BA=3–0 |match_WAT_B&HA=2–3

Maps

Leyton Orient Crystal Palace Millwall Queens Park Rangers Watford

Aldershot Bournemouth Brighton & Hove Bristol City Bristol Rovers Colchester Coventry Crystal Palace Exeter City Gillingham Ipswich Town Leyton Orient Millwall Newport County Norwich City Northampton Town QPR Reading Shrewsbury Southend Swindon Torquay Walsall Watford

Attendances

Source:

Division One

Division Two

Division Three

References

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

References

1. "England 1952-53". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
2. Ian Laschke: ''Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79''. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
3. Obituary: ''Charlie Wayman: Small centre-forward, lethal in front of goal'' [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/mar/07/guardianobituaries.football]
4. "English League Leading Goalscorers".
5. "Preston North End club match record 1953". 11v11.com.
6. "Arsenal football club match record 1953". 11v11. com.
7. "Sheffield United football club match record 1953". 11v11.com.
8. "Luton Town football club match record 1953". 11v11.com.
9. "Everton football club match record 1953". 11v11.com.
10. "Barnsley football club match record 1953". 11v11.com.
11. https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1953.htm