1951–52 Football League

The 1951–52 season was the 53rd completed season of The 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.Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.

First Division

After the title disappointments of the previous five seasons, Manchester United finally ended their 41-year wait for the First Division title, finishing four points ahead of their nearest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Huddersfield Town and Fulham were relegated to the Second Division.

Results

Maps

Second Division

Sheffield Wednesday were champions of the Second Division scoring exactly 100 goals in the process. After a weak start winning only three of their first eleven matches and losing 7-3 to rivals Sheffield United in September, the team found their feet and lost only one of their fourteen last matches. Cardiff City finished second on equal points with Birmingham City and were promoted thanks to a better goal average.

Results

Maps

Third Division North

Results

Maps

Third Division South

Results

Maps

Attendances Source:

Division One No. Club Average 1 Tottenham Hotspur FC 51,134 2 Arsenal FC 51,030 3 Newcastle United FC 50,476 4 Manchester United 42,916 5 Chelsea FC 39,932 6 Sunderland AFC 39,853 7 Aston Villa FC 38,641 8 Manchester City FC 38,302 9 Liverpool FC 38,019 10 Bolton Wanderers FC 35,832 11 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 34,437 12 Preston North End FC 32,936 13 Portsmouth FC 32,523 14 Fulham FC 31,645 15 West Bromwich Albion FC 29,580 16 Middlesbrough FC 28,775 17 Charlton Athletic FC 27,609 18 Burnley FC 26,624 19 Blackpool FC 25,854 20 Stoke City FC 25,222 21 Huddersfield Town AFC 24,250 22 Derby County FC 21,949

Division Two

No. Club Average 1 Sheffield Wednesday FC 41,350 2 Everton FC 37,391 3 Sheffield United FC 31,185 4 Hull City AFC 29,210 5 Cardiff City FC 28,945 6 Nottingham Forest FC 28,158 7 Notts County FC 26,525 8 Leicester City FC 26,080 9 Birmingham City FC 24,481 10 Leeds United FC 24,285 11 Blackburn Rovers FC 23,228 12 Brentford FC 23,022 13 Coventry City FC 22,548 14 Doncaster Rovers FC 21,078 15 West Ham United FC 20,264 16 Southampton FC 19,038 17 Rotherham United FC 18,770 18 Swansea City AFC 18,228 19 Queens Park Rangers FC 16,545 20 Luton Town FC 16,284 21 Barnsley FC 15,867 22 Bury FC 14,100

Division Three

No. Club Average 1 Norwich City FC 21,835 2 Millwall FC 19,375 3 Plymouth Argyle FC 19,236 4 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 17,831 5 Bristol City FC 17,780 6 Bristol Rovers FC 17,369 7 Oldham Athletic FC 16,153 8 Reading FC 15,455 9 Grimsby Town FC 14,909 10 Crystal Palace FC 14,873 11 Lincoln City FC 13,811 12 Gillingham FC 12,576 13 Bradford Park Avenue AFC 12,101 14 Stockport County FC 12,030 15 Northampton Town FC 11,767 16 Bradford City AFC 11,558 17 Leyton Orient FC 11,487 18 Ipswich Town FC 11,377 19 Port Vale FC 11,272 20 AFC Bournemouth 10,872 21 Swindon Town FC 10,564 22 Carlisle United FC 10,100 23 Newport County AFC 9,912 24 Shrewsbury Town FC 9,799 25 Chesterfield FC 9,730 26 Watford FC 9,609 27 Mansfield Town FC 9,569 28 Colchester United FC 9,414 29 Hartlepool United FC 9,248 30 Southend United FC 8,963 31 Exeter City FC 8,321 32 Scunthorpe United FC 8,303 33 Wrexham AFC 8,161 34 York City FC 7,968 35 Tranmere Rovers 7,567 36 Torquay United FC 7,565 37 Aldershot Town FC 7,493 38 Walsall FC 7,084 39 Barrow AFC 6,939 40 Halifax Town AFC 6,745 41 Workington AFC 6,679 42 Accrington Stanley FC 6,378 43 Chester City FC 6,146 44 Gateshead AFC 6,114 45 Crewe Alexandra FC 6,061 46 Southport FC 5,452 47 Darlington FC 5,044 48 Rochdale AFC 4,992

See also 1951-52 in English football

References

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