1952–53 Football League

The 1952–53 season was the 54th completed season of The Football League.

The Football League

Season	1952–53
Champions	Arsenal
← 1951–52 1953–54 →

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[1] and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,[2] 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 goal average was used for this purpose for such a long time, it is presented in the tables below even for the seasons prior to 1894–95, and since the goal difference is a more informative piece of information for a modern reader than the goal average, the goal difference is added in this presentation after the goal average.

During the first five seasons of the league, that is, until the season 1893–94, re-election process concerned the clubs which finished in the bottom four of the league. From the 1894–95 season and until the 1920–21 season the re-election process was required of the clubs which finished in the bottom three of the league. From the 1922–23 season on it was required of the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South.[2]

First Division

Football League
First Division

Season	1952–53
Champions	Arsenal (7th English title)
Relegated	Stoke City, Derby County
FA Cup winners	Blackpool (1st and only FA Cup title)
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1,508 (3.26 per match)
Top goalscorer	Charlie Wayman (Preston North End), 24 [3][4]
Biggest home win	Tottenham 7 Middlesbrough 1; Aston Villa 6 Portsmouth 0; Cardiff 6 Manchester City 0
Biggest away win	Bolton 0 Portsmouth 5; Preston North End 0 Manchester Utd 5
Highest scoring	(12 goals) Blackpool 8 Charlton Athletic 4 (27-09-52)
← 1951–52 1953–54 →

Arsenal won their second league title of the postwar era, finishing ahead of runners-up Preston on goal average - denying their nearest rivals a first league title since they won the first two English Football League titles more than 60 years earlier. Wolves bounced back after two disappointing seasons to finish third - a mere three points short of the title. They finished one point ahead of their local rivals West Bromwich Albion. Defending champions Manchester United, in a period 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.

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Arsenal	42	15	3	3	60	30	6	9	6	37	34	1.516	54	League Champions
2	Preston North End	42	15	3	3	46	25	6	9	6	39	35	1.417	54
3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	13	5	3	54	27	6	8	7	32	36	1.365	51
4	West Bromwich Albion	42	13	3	5	35	19	8	5	8	31	41	1.100	50
5	Charlton Athletic	42	12	8	1	47	22	7	3	11	30	41	1.222	49
6	Burnley	42	11	6	4	36	20	7	6	8	31	32	1.288	48
7	Blackpool	42	13	5	3	45	22	6	4	11	26	48	1.014	47	FA Cup winners
8	Manchester United	42	11	5	5	35	30	7	5	9	34	42	0.958	46
9	Sunderland	42	11	9	1	42	27	4	4	13	26	55	0.829	43
10	Tottenham Hotspur	42	11	6	4	55	37	4	5	12	23	32	1.130	41
11	Aston Villa	42	9	7	5	36	23	5	6	10	27	38	1.033	41
12	Cardiff City	42	7	8	6	32	17	7	4	10	22	29	1.174	40
13	Middlesbrough	42	12	5	4	46	27	2	6	13	24	50	0.909	39
14	Bolton Wanderers	42	9	4	8	39	35	6	5	10	22	34	0.884	39
15	Portsmouth	42	10	6	5	44	34	4	4	13	30	49	0.892	38
16	Newcastle United	42	9	5	7	34	33	5	4	12	25	37	0.843	37
17	Liverpool	42	10	6	5	36	28	4	2	15	25	54	0.744	36
18	Sheffield Wednesday	42	8	6	7	35	32	4	5	12	27	40	0.861	35
19	Chelsea	42	10	4	7	35	24	2	7	12	21	42	0.848	35
20	Manchester City	42	12	2	7	45	28	2	5	14	27	59	0.828	35
21	Stoke City	42	10	4	7	35	26	2	6	13	18	40	0.803	34	Relegated
22	Derby County	42	9	6	6	41	29	2	4	15	18	45	0.797	32

Source:

Results

Home \ Away	ARS	AST	BLP	BOL	BUR	CAR	CHA	CHE	DER	LIV	MCI	MUN	MID	NEW	POR	PNE	SHW	STK	SUN	TOT	WBA	WOL
Arsenal		3–1	3–1	4–1	3–2	0–1	3–4	2–0	6–2	5–3	3–1	2–1	2–1	3–0	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–2	4–0	2–2	5–3
Aston Villa	1–2		1–5	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–0	4–0	0–0	3–3	1–0	0–1	6–0	1–0	4–3	1–1	3–0	0–3	1–1	0–1
Blackpool	3–2	1–1		3–0	4–2	0–1	8–4	3–1	2–1	3–1	4–1	0–0	1–1	0–2	3–2	1–1	0–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0
Bolton Wanderers	4–6	0–0	4–0		1–2	0–1	1–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–0	2–1	5–3	4–2	0–5	0–3	1–1	2–1	5–0	2–3	0–1	2–1
Burnley	1–1	1–0	0–1	0–1		0–0	2–0	1–1	1–2	2–0	2–1	2–1	0–1	2–1	3–2	2–2	1–1	3–2	5–1	3–2	5–0	0–0
Cardiff City	0–0	1–2	2–2	1–0	0–0		0–1	3–3	2–0	4–0	6–0	1–2	1–1	0–0	0–1	0–2	4–0	2–0	4–1	0–0	1–2	0–0
Charlton Athletic	2–2	5–1	2–0	2–0	0–0	3–1		2–2	3–1	3–2	1–2	2–2	2–0	0–0	2–2	2–1	3–0	5–1	3–1	3–2	0–0	2–2
Chelsea	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–0	0–2	0–2	0–1		1–1	3–0	3–1	2–3	1–1	1–2	2–0	5–3	1–0	0–0	3–2	2–1	0–2	1–2
Derby County	2–0	0–1	1–1	4–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	3–2		3–2	5–0	2–3	3–3	0–2	3–0	0–1	2–1	4–0	3–1	0–0	1–1	2–3
Liverpool	1–5	0–2	2–2	0–0	1–1	2–1	1–2	2–0	1–1		0–1	1–2	4–1	5–3	1–1	2–2	1–0	3–2	2–0	2–1	3–0	2–1
Manchester City	2–4	4–1	5–0	1–2	0–0	2–2	5–1	4–0	1–0	0–2		2–1	5–1	2–1	2–1	0–2	3–1	2–1	2–5	0–1	0–1	3–1
Manchester United	0–0	3–1	2–1	1–0	1–3	1–4	3–2	2–0	1–0	3–1	1–1		3–2	2–2	1–0	5–2	1–1	0–2	0–1	3–2	2–2	0–3
Middlesbrough	2–0	1–0	5–1	1–2	2–2	3–0	1–0	4–0	1–0	2–3	5–4	5–0		2–1	3–2	1–1	2–2	0–0	1–2	0–4	4–2	1–1
Newcastle United	2–2	2–1	0–1	2–3	0–0	3–0	3–2	2–1	1–0	1–2	2–0	1–2	1–0		1–0	4–3	1–5	1–2	2–2	1–1	3–5	1–1
Portsmouth	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	2–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–1	2–0	1–4	5–1		2–5	5–2	1–1	5–2	2–1	1–2	2–2
Preston North End	2–0	1–3	4–2	2–2	2–1	2–3	2–1	2–1	3–0	1–1	6–2	0–5	3–0	2–1	4–0		1–0	3–0	3–2	1–0	1–0	1–1
Sheffield Wednesday	1–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	0–3	1–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–0	2–0	2–2	3–4	1–1		1–0	4–0	2–0	4–5	2–3
Stoke City	1–1	1–4	4–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	1–0	1–1	1–2	3–1	2–1	3–1	1–0	1–0	2–4	0–0	1–3		3–0	2–0	5–1	1–2
Sunderland	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–1	4–2	2–1	2–1	2–1	3–1	3–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–1	1–1		1–1	1–0	5–2
Tottenham Hotspur	1–3	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–1	2–1	2–0	2–3	5–2	3–1	3–3	1–2	7–1	3–2	3–3	4–4	2–1	1–0	2–2		3–4	3–2
West Bromwich Albion	2–0	3–2	0–1	0–1	1–2	1–0	3–1	0–1	2–2	3–0	2–1	3–1	3–0	1–0	2–0	2–1	0–1	3–2	1–1	2–1		1–1
Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	2–1	2–5	3–1	5–1	1–0	1–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	7–3	6–2	3–3	2–0	4–1	0–2	3–1	3–0	1–1	0–0	2–0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Arsenal

Charlton Athletic

Chelsea

Tottenham

Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1952–1953

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

Locations of the Football League First Division 1952–1953 teams

Second Division

Football League
Second Division

Season	1952–53
Champions	Sheffield United (1st title)
Promoted	Huddersfield Town
Relegated	Barnsley, Southampton
Matches played	462
Goals scored	1,535 (3.32 per match)
Top goalscorer	Arthur Rowley (Leicester City), 39 [4]
← 1951–52 1953–54 →

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GR	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Sheffield United	42	15	3	3	60	27	10	7	4	37	28	1.764	60	Division Champions, promoted
2	Huddersfield Town	42	14	4	3	51	14	10	6	5	33	19	2.545	58	Promoted
3	Luton Town	42	15	1	5	53	17	7	7	7	31	32	1.714	52
4	Plymouth Argyle	42	12	5	4	37	24	8	4	9	28	36	1.083	49
5	Leicester City	42	13	6	2	55	29	5	6	10	34	45	1.203	48
6	Birmingham City	42	11	3	7	44	38	8	7	6	27	28	1.076	48
7	Nottingham Forest	42	11	5	5	46	32	7	3	11	31	35	1.149	44
8	Fulham	42	14	1	6	52	28	3	9	9	29	43	1.141	44
9	Blackburn Rovers	42	12	4	5	40	20	6	4	11	28	45	1.046	44
10	Leeds United	42	13	4	4	42	24	1	11	9	29	39	1.127	43
11	Swansea Town	42	10	9	2	45	26	5	3	13	33	55	0.963	42
12	Rotherham United	42	9	7	5	41	30	7	2	12	34	44	1.014	41
13	Doncaster Rovers	42	9	9	3	26	17	3	7	11	32	47	0.906	40
14	West Ham United	42	9	5	7	38	28	4	8	9	20	32	0.967	39
15	Lincoln City	42	9	9	3	41	26	2	8	11	23	45	0.901	39
16	Everton	42	9	8	4	38	23	3	6	12	33	52	0.947	38
17	Brentford	42	8	8	5	38	29	5	3	13	21	47	0.776	37
18	Hull City	42	11	6	4	36	19	3	2	16	21	50	0.826	36
19	Notts County	42	11	5	5	41	31	3	3	15	19	57	0.682	36
20	Bury	42	10	6	5	33	30	3	3	15	20	51	0.654	35
21	Southampton	42	5	7	9	45	44	5	6	10	23	41	0.800	33	Relegated
22	Barnsley	42	4	4	13	31	46	1	4	16	16	62	0.435	18

Source:

Results

Home \ Away	BAR	BIR	BLB	BRE	BRY	DON	EVE	FUL	HUD	HUL	LEE	LEI	LIN	LUT	NOT	NTC	PLY	ROT	SHU	SOU	SWA	WHU
Barnsley		1–3	1–4	0–2	3–2	2–2	2–3	1–1	2–4	5–1	2–2	0–3	1–1	2–3	0–2	1–2	0–3	2–3	1–3	0–1	3–1	2–0
Birmingham	3–1		1–2	3–1	0–2	2–1	4–2	1–4	0–2	4–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–5	3–2	4–0	4–0	1–2	2–0	1–4	2–0
Blackburn Rovers	2–0	1–2		3–0	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–1	3–2	1–3	0–1	1–2	3–0	3–0	3–0
Brentford	4–0	1–2	3–2		2–2	1–0	2–4	2–2	1–3	1–0	3–3	4–2	1–0	1–1	1–1	5–0	1–2	1–1	0–0	3–0	0–0	1–4
Bury	5–2	3–0	1–0	3–0		2–1	0–5	1–1	1–1	2–1	2–2	1–4	2–2	1–0	2–0	0–1	3–2	2–0	0–4	0–0	1–3	1–1
Doncaster Rovers	1–1	1–0	3–3	0–2	1–1		3–0	0–0	1–1	3–1	0–0	0–0	2–0	1–0	1–0	2–0	1–1	2–1	0–2	1–0	2–3	1–1
Everton	2–1	1–1	0–3	5–0	3–0	7–1		3–3	2–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	0–3	1–1	3–0	1–0	2–0	0–1	0–0	2–2	0–0	2–0
Fulham	3–1	3–1	2–1	5–0	2–0	1–3	3–0		0–2	2–1	2–1	4–6	4–2	2–0	0–1	6–0	2–1	4–1	1–2	1–1	3–1	2–3
Huddersfield Town	6–0	1–1	0–3	0–0	2–0	3–1	8–2	4–2		1–1	1–0	1–0	5–0	3–0	1–2	1–0	4–0	1–0	1–1	5–0	3–0	0–1
Hull City	2–2	2–0	3–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–0	3–1	0–2		1–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–1	6–0	0–1	3–2	4–0	1–0	1–1	1–0
Leeds United	4–1	0–1	0–3	3–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–1	3–1		0–1	2–1	2–2	2–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	0–3	1–1	5–1	3–2
Leicester City	2–2	3–4	2–1	2–3	3–2	4–2	4–2	6–1	2–1	5–0	3–3		3–2	1–1	1–1	3–0	2–0	3–2	0–0	4–1	2–1	0–0
Lincoln City	1–1	1–1	4–1	0–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–1	1–1	3–2		1–2	2–3	3–0	0–0	1–3	3–2	2–2	3–1	3–1
Luton Town	6–0	0–1	6–0	0–1	4–1	1–2	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–2	2–0	2–0	4–0		3–0	5–1	1–0	2–1	4–1	1–2	3–1	0–0
Nottingham Forest	3–0	0–2	1–2	3–0	4–1	2–2	3–3	0–1	1–0	4–1	2–1	1–3	1–1	4–3		1–0	3–1	4–3	1–1	2–3	6–4	0–0
Notts County	1–0	2–0	5–0	4–0	2–1	4–3	2–2	1–1	1–0	2–0	3–2	2–2	1–1	1–2	3–2		0–4	2–1	0–3	1–2	3–4	1–1
Plymouth Argyle	4–0	2–1	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	3–1	0–2	1–2	0–1	2–1	0–0	2–1	0–3	2–2		4–3	5–2	3–1	3–2	1–1
Rotherham United	3–1	1–1	0–0	4–1	6–1	4–2	2–2	1–0	0–0	2–1	3–1	0–0	3–2	1–3	2–3	2–3	2–3		0–2	2–2	2–1	1–1
Sheffield United	3–0	2–2	3–0	3–2	3–1	2–2	1–0	2–1	0–2	0–2	2–1	7–2	6–1	1–1	2–0	2–1	5–0	1–4		5–3	7–1	3–1
Southampton	1–2	1–1	6–1	0–2	1–2	3–3	1–1	5–3	0–2	5–1	2–2	5–2	1–0	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–3	2–3	4–4		1–4	1–2
Swansea Town	3–0	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–0	2–1	2–2	1–1	3–3	3–0	3–2	1–1	1–1	4–2	2–1	5–1	2–2	0–0	1–2	1–2		4–1
West Ham United	3–1	1–2	0–0	3–1	3–2	1–3	3–1	1–2	0–1	0–0	2–2	4–1	5–1	0–1	3–2	2–2	0–1	2–4	1–1	1–0	3–0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Brentford

Fulham

West Ham

Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1952–1953

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

Locations of the Football League Second Division 1952–1953 teams

Third Division North

Football League
Third Division North

Season	1952–53
Champions	Oldham Athletic (1st title)
Failed re-election	none
Matches played	552
Goals scored	1,604 (2.91 per match)
Top goalscorer	Jimmy Whitehouse (Carlisle United), 29 [4]
← 1951–52 1953–54 →

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GR	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Oldham Athletic (C, P)	46	15	4	4	48	21	7	11	5	29	24	1.711	59	Promoted to the second division
2	Port Vale	46	13	9	1	41	10	7	9	7	26	25	1.914	58
3	Wrexham	46	18	3	2	59	24	6	5	12	27	42	1.303	56
4	York City	46	14	5	4	35	16	6	8	9	25	29	1.333	53
5	Grimsby Town	46	15	5	3	47	19	6	5	12	28	40	1.271	52
6	Southport	46	16	4	3	42	18	4	7	12	21	42	1.050	51
7	Bradford Park Avenue	46	10	8	5	37	23	9	4	10	38	38	1.230	50
8	Gateshead	46	13	6	4	51	24	4	9	10	25	36	1.267	49
9	Carlisle United	46	13	7	3	57	24	5	6	12	25	44	1.206	49
10	Crewe Alexandra	46	13	5	5	46	28	7	3	13	24	40	1.029	48
11	Stockport County	46	13	8	2	61	26	4	5	14	21	43	1.188	47
12	Chesterfield	46	13	6	4	40	23	5	5	13	25	40	1.032	47
13	Tranmere Rovers	46	16	4	3	45	16	5	1	17	20	47	1.032	47
14	Halifax Town	46	13	5	5	47	31	3	10	10	21	37	1.000	47
15	Scunthorpe & Lindsey United	46	10	6	7	38	21	6	8	9	24	35	1.107	46
16	Bradford City	46	14	7	2	54	29	0	11	12	21	51	0.938	46
17	Hartlepools United	46	14	6	3	39	16	2	8	13	18	45	0.934	46
18	Mansfield Town	46	11	9	3	34	25	5	5	13	21	37	0.887	46
19	Barrow	46	15	6	2	48	20	1	6	16	18	51	0.930	44
20	Chester	46	10	7	6	39	27	1	8	14	25	58	0.753	37
21	Darlington	46	13	4	6	33	27	1	2	20	25	69	0.604	34
22	Rochdale	46	12	5	6	41	27	2	0	21	21	56	0.747	33
23	Workington	46	9	5	9	40	33	2	5	16	15	58	0.604	32	Re-elected
24	Accrington Stanley	46	7	9	7	25	29	1	2	20	14	60	0.438	27

Source: rsssf.com
(C) Division Champions; (P) Promoted.

Results

Home \ Away	ACC	BRW	BRA	BPA	CRL	CHE	CHF	CRE	DAR	GAT	GRI	HAL	HAR	MAN	OLD	PTV	ROC	SCU	SOU	STP	TRA	WRK	WRE	YOR
Accrington Stanley		1–0	1–1	3–2	1–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–4	0–2	0–1	1–2	1–0
Barrow	2–0		5–1	2–0	0–0	3–0	2–1	1–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	5–1	2–1	3–0	4–3	1–2	2–1	2–1	1–1	1–0	2–0	3–0	1–1	1–0
Bradford City	3–2	2–2		2–1	7–2	2–2	2–1	1–3	4–3	3–1	1–0	5–0	1–1	2–1	0–0	1–0	0–3	0–0	2–2	3–0	5–3	4–0	3–1	1–1
Bradford Park Avenue	4–0	1–0	2–2		2–2	1–0	0–1	1–0	3–0	3–0	0–3	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–0	2–2	2–1	1–1	1–0	1–1	1–0	6–1	1–2	2–3
Carlisle United	4–4	0–0	4–4	1–3		1–1	3–0	1–2	4–2	2–2	3–0	1–2	4–1	1–0	0–0	2–0	5–0	8–0	2–0	2–1	4–0	3–1	1–0	1–1
Chester	2–0	2–1	2–0	0–3	1–2		2–0	2–2	6–3	2–0	0–2	2–1	0–1	2–2	0–1	2–2	3–0	1–1	0–0	4–0	3–2	1–1	1–2	1–1
Chesterfield	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2	2–1		1–0	3–0	1–1	3–2	2–1	2–0	4–1	1–2	1–0	1–0	1–1	1–2	2–1	1–2	1–1	2–1	1–2
Crewe Alexandra	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–2	4–1	2–1		0–1	4–3	1–2	1–1	2–0	1–0	0–1	1–4	4–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–0	4–0	3–3	3–0
Darlington	1–0	1–0	4–1	1–3	0–0	3–2	3–1	1–1		1–0	1–1	0–2	3–0	2–1	0–5	0–2	3–2	1–0	3–1	1–0	1–2	1–0	2–2	0–1
Gateshead	5–0	3–1	2–2	3–2	2–0	4–1	2–4	6–1	5–1		2–0	3–1	1–1	1–2	1–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–2	2–0	0–1	1–1	1–0	1–1
Grimsby Town	3–0	2–1	0–0	2–3	2–3	5–4	0–0	1–0	2–0	0–0		2–0	7–0	5–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–0	1–0	0–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–1
Halifax Town	3–0	1–0	1–1	2–4	2–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	3–2	1–3	3–2		3–2	1–2	2–2	1–2	3–1	2–1	4–1	3–0	0–0	5–2	0–0	0–0
Hartlepool	4–1	2–0	0–0	0–1	1–0	2–2	2–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	2–0	0–0		2–0	4–1	2–0	2–1	1–1	3–0	0–2	4–1	2–2	1–2	2–1
Mansfield Town	0–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–1	2–2	1–4	3–0	3–2	2–0	1–1	2–1	2–0		0–2	1–0	2–1	1–0	2–2	2–2	1–0	0–0	0–2	1–1
Oldham Athletic	3–0	3–0	2–0	2–1	2–4	2–1	1–1	0–1	5–0	1–1	1–1	1–0	4–2	1–0		0–1	1–0	0–1	3–0	1–1	5–2	4–1	4–2	2–1
Port Vale	0–1	3–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	1–1	3–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	3–0	1–1	1–1		5–2	4–0	0–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–0	2–0
Rochdale	1–0	6–2	2–1	1–0	1–2	3–1	0–2	0–1	3–1	2–3	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–0	3–1	1–1		2–2	0–0	2–2	3–0	2–0	4–1	0–3
Scunthorpe & Lindsey United	5–2	1–2	4–0	1–2	1–2	1–1	1–0	2–0	2–0	0–0	0–1	1–1	0–0	0–1	1–1	1–2	5–1		3–0	2–2	2–0	2–1	1–2	2–0
Southport	1–0	3–2	3–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–0	3–0	3–0	3–2	4–3	1–1	0–0	1–3	1–0	0–0	1–0	2–3		3–0	1–2	2–0	1–0	3–1
Stockport County	3–1	6–1	6–1	2–0	3–0	4–1	4–1	2–4	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	3–0		3–2	6–0	3–1	1–1
Tranmere	2–0	2–0	3–1	4–0	4–1	4–0	3–1	1–0	5–2	2–0	2–1	0–0	0–2	1–0	0–0	1–1	1–0	0–1	1–1	1–0		3–0	4–2	1–3
Workington	3–0	3–1	3–2	2–2	1–1	1–2	2–3	4–0	3–1	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–1	1–1	1–1	1–2	0–3	2–4	0–2	2–0		4–0	1–3
Wrexham	3–1	4–0	2–1	0–3	3–0	7–0	2–2	1–0	4–2	1–0	3–1	2–1	3–2	1–0	2–2	3–1	3–0	2–3	3–2	5–2	1–0	3–0		1–1
York City	2–0	1–1	0–0	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	3–0	1–2	2–0	2–2	1–0	2–0	1–2	1–0	2–0	0–2	3–1	3–0	2–0	1–3	2–1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

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

Locations of the Football League Third Division North teams 1952–1953

Third Division South

Football League
Third Division South

Season	1952–53
Champions	Bristol Rovers (1st title)
Failed re-election	none
Matches played	552
Goals scored	1,745 (3.16 per match)
Top goalscorer	Geoff Bradford (Bristol Rovers), 33 [4]
← 1951–52 1953–54 →

Pos	Team	Pld	HW	HD	HL	HGF	HGA	AW	AD	AL	AGF	AGA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Bristol Rovers	46	17	4	2	55	19	9	8	6	37	27	2.000	64	Division Champions, promoted
2	Millwall	46	14	7	2	46	16	10	7	6	36	28	1.864	62
3	Northampton Town	46	18	4	1	75	30	8	6	9	34	40	1.557	62
4	Norwich City	46	16	6	1	56	17	9	4	10	43	38	1.800	60
5	Bristol City	46	13	8	2	62	28	9	7	7	33	33	1.557	59
6	Coventry City	46	15	5	3	52	22	4	7	12	25	40	1.242	50
7	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	12	6	5	48	30	7	6	10	33	45	1.080	50
8	Southend United	46	15	5	3	41	21	3	8	12	28	53	0.932	49
9	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	46	15	3	5	49	23	4	6	13	25	46	1.072	47
10	Watford	46	12	8	3	39	21	3	9	11	23	42	0.984	47
11	Reading	46	17	3	3	53	18	2	5	16	16	46	1.078	46
12	Torquay United	46	15	4	4	61	28	3	5	15	26	60	0.989	45
13	Crystal Palace	46	12	7	4	40	26	3	6	14	26	56	0.805	43
14	Leyton Orient	46	12	7	4	52	28	4	3	16	16	45	0.932	42
15	Newport County	46	12	4	7	43	34	4	6	13	27	48	0.854	42
16	Ipswich Town	46	10	7	6	34	28	3	8	12	26	41	0.870	41
17	Exeter City	46	11	8	4	40	24	2	6	15	21	47	0.859	40
18	Swindon Town	46	9	5	9	38	33	5	7	11	26	46	0.810	40
19	Aldershot	46	8	8	7	36	29	4	7	12	25	48	0.792	39
20	Queens Park Rangers	46	9	9	5	37	34	3	6	14	24	48	0.744	39
21	Gillingham	46	10	7	6	30	26	2	8	13	25	48	0.743	39
22	Colchester United	46	9	9	5	40	29	3	5	15	19	47	0.776	38
23	Shrewsbury Town	46	11	5	7	38	35	1	7	15	30	56	0.747	36	Re-elected
24	Walsall	46	5	9	9	35	46	2	1	20	21	72	0.475	24

Source:

Results

Home \ Away	ALD	B&BA	B&HA	BRI	BRR	COL	COV	CRY	EXE	GIL	IPS	LEY	MIL	NPC	NOR	NWC	QPR	REA	SHR	STD	SWI	TOR	WAL	WAT
Aldershot		1–0	1–2	1–2	0–0	0–0	4–1	0–1	1–1	3–2	1–1	2–0	1–2	2–2	2–1	1–2	4–1	2–2	4–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–2
Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	0–3		2–1	4–1	1–2	1–0	3–0	4–2	2–1	4–2	2–1	4–1	1–1	1–2	0–1	0–0	1–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	1–1	0–1	5–1	4–1
Brighton & Hove Albion	4–2	2–0		0–1	2–1	0–0	1–1	4–1	4–2	5–0	1–4	3–1	1–0	2–2	1–1	2–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	2–1	4–2	1–2
Bristol City	0–0	1–1	2–2		0–0	3–2	1–0	5–0	4–1	4–0	4–2	2–1	0–0	2–0	2–3	0–1	4–4	1–1	3–2	5–0	4–2	4–4	6–1	5–1
Bristol Rovers	4–1	2–1	7–0	0–0		3–1	5–2	2–0	0–0	3–1	3–0	2–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–1	4–0	2–1	2–1	1–2	3–0	2–0	0–3
Colchester United	1–2	1–1	0–0	3–1	0–3		0–1	3–0	3–1	1–1	0–0	3–1	0–0	3–3	1–2	0–4	1–1	2–1	1–0	3–3	3–1	4–1	6–1	1–1
Coventry City	3–0	2–3	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–2		4–2	1–0	2–1	2–0	3–0	4–1	0–1	1–1	2–1	2–0	4–0	0–0	2–1	1–2	7–2	3–1	1–0
Crystal Palace	3–0	1–0	2–1	1–3	1–0	3–1	2–2		2–0	0–0	1–1	2–2	0–1	2–1	4–3	1–1	4–2	0–3	1–2	0–0	3–0	2–2	4–1	1–0
Exeter City	2–2	5–1	1–5	1–1	0–0	2–0	1–0	2–0		0–0	1–1	0–1	1–0	3–2	2–0	1–0	2–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–2	4–1	6–1	1–1
Gillingham	2–0	1–2	1–2	0–1	0–4	1–1	0–0	1–0	1–0		1–1	3–2	0–1	1–1	1–1	0–3	3–0	2–1	4–2	1–1	0–0	2–1	3–1	2–1
Ipswich Town	2–1	2–1	1–0	1–0	1–5	2–2	3–0	2–0	0–1	1–1		0–1	1–6	3–0	1–1	2–1	0–1	1–2	2–1	0–0	1–1	2–2	5–0	1–1
Leyton Orient	4–1	2–2	3–0	1–3	3–3	5–3	1–2	0–0	2–0	1–1	3–1		1–4	2–1	0–1	3–1	5–0	1–1	0–0	3–0	2–2	4–1	4–1	2–0
Millwall	0–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–0	3–1	2–0	0–0	0–0	3–1	3–2	0–0		3–0	1–2	2–3	2–1	1–0	4–1	4–1	3–0	3–0	3–0	1–1
Newport County	2–1	2–1	0–3	4–3	2–2	0–1	4–4	3–2	1–0	1–2	1–3	0–1	1–3		4–1	1–1	2–0	1–0	4–2	0–1	3–0	3–0	3–2	1–1
Northampton Town	4–0	5–1	5–3	0–2	2–2	2–0	3–1	5–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	5–0		3–3	4–2	6–1	3–1	4–3	3–1	3–3	2–1	4–1
Norwich City	5–0	1–1	3–2	0–0	0–0	3–0	1–1	5–1	2–0	3–2	1–0	5–1	2–2	2–0	1–2		2–0	3–0	2–1	3–1	1–1	3–0	3–0	5–2
Queens Park Rangers	2–2	2–1	3–3	2–1	0–1	1–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–1	1–3	4–2	2–2	3–1		1–0	1–0	3–2	1–1	0–1	4–2	2–2
Reading	2–3	1–3	0–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	1–0	4–1	3–1	3–2	1–1	2–0	5–0	2–1	2–0	0–1	2–0		5–3	1–0	4–1	4–1	0–0	3–0
Shrewsbury Town	2–1	1–0	0–0	0–1	0–1	3–0	1–0	1–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–4	1–1	2–4	1–8	0–3	1–1		7–1	2–1	2–1	1–0	3–1
Southend	1–1	0–0	1–2	0–4	2–1	4–0	1–0	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–0	2–1	1–0	3–1	1–2	2–0	3–1	2–2		3–0	3–1	2–1	1–0
Swindon Town	3–2	1–2	3–0	0–0	1–3	0–1	2–3	3–6	5–2	0–0	2–0	1–1	1–2	2–0	3–0	2–1	1–3	2–0	2–2	1–3		2–0	1–2	0–0
Torquay United	1–2	5–1	1–2	1–2	1–0	5–1	2–1	1–1	5–2	3–2	4–1	5–0	1–0	3–3	3–0	4–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	4–2	3–1		0–3	2–2
Walsall	0–0	2–2	3–0	3–3	3–5	0–3	1–1	2–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–0	0–2	1–3	1–5	3–2	1–1	2–0	4–4	1–1	1–2	2–0		0–0
Watford	1–1	3–0	2–3	4–1	2–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	0–0	1–0	1–0	1–1	0–1	2–1	3–2	1–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–1	3–0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Maps

Leyton Orient

Crystal Palace

Millwall

Queens Park Rangers

Watford

Locations of the Football League Third Division South London teams 1952–1953

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

Locations of the Football League Third Division South teams 1952–1953

See also

• 1952-53 in English football

References

1. "England 1952-53". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
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
4. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-31.

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