1970–71 Football League
The 1970–71 season was the 72nd completed season of The Football League.
Season | 1970–71 |
---|---|
Champions | Arsenal |
New Club in League | Cambridge United |
← 1969–70 1971–72 → |
Arsenal won the league championship at the home of their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, with Ray Kennedy scoring the winner. This would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. They narrowly overcame Leeds to win the league, with a 12-point gap separating Leeds United from third-placed Tottenham. Wolves and Liverpool joined these two teams in the UEFA Cup. Chelsea missed out on the top five on goal average but compensated for this shortcoming by beating Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Burnley and Blackpool (who won this year's Anglo-Italian Cup) were relegated to the Second Division. Burnley returned from 1973/74 to 1975/76 but it took Blackpool until the 2009–10 season to regain their top flight status after a 3–2 victory over Cardiff City in the Playoff Final (only to be relegated back after the 2010–11 season).
Wilf McGuinness was sacked after 18 unsuccessful months as manager of Manchester United. Sir Matt Busby was re-appointed as manager on a temporary basis, but never considered returning to his old job on a permanent basis. Leicester City manager Frank O'Farrell was appointed at the end of the season.
Leicester City and Sheffield United were promoted to the First Division. Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, two of the most famous and historic names in English football, were relegated to the Third Division.
Preston North End and Fulham finally had something to shout about by getting promoted to the Second Division. Halifax Town achieved its best ever league position, missing out on the Second Division by one place. Reading, Bury, Doncaster Rovers and Gillingham slid into the Fourth Division.
Notts County, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Oldham Athletic and York City were promoted to the Third Division. The Football League voted for the league's four bottom clubs to maintain their status.
Final league tables and results
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.[1]
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.[2]
First Division
Season | 1970–71 |
---|---|
Champions | Arsenal (8th English title) |
Relegated | Burnley Blackpool |
1971–72 European Cup | Arsenal |
FA Cup winners | Arsenal (4th FA Cup title) (first Arsenal double) |
1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup | Liverpool (Runners up of FA Cup 1970–71), Chelsea (defending champions) |
1971–72 UEFA Cup | Leeds United, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,089 (2.36 per match) |
Top goalscorer | T. Brown (West Bromwich Albion), 28 [3] |
Biggest home win | Southampton – Crystal Palace 6–0 (4 Mar 1971) |
Biggest away win | Burnley – Manchester City 0–4 (19 Dec 1970) |
Highest scoring | Arsenal – West Bromwich Albion 6–2 (19 Sept 1970) Derby County – Manchester United 4–4 (26 Dec 1970) Crystal Palace – Manchester United 3–5 (17 Apr 1971) |
Longest winning run | Arsenal (9) |
Longest unbeaten run | Leeds United (16) |
Longest losing run | Blackpool (7) |
← 1969–70 1971–72 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal (C) | 42 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 71 | 29 | 2.448 | 65 | 1971–72 European Cup |
2 | Leeds United | 42 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 72 | 30 | 2.400 | 64 | 1971–72 UEFA Cup |
3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 33 | 1.636 | 52 | |
4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 64 | 54 | 1.185 | 52 | |
5 | Liverpool | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 42 | 24 | 1.750 | 51 | 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup |
6 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 52 | 42 | 1.238 | 51 | |
7 | Southampton | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 56 | 44 | 1.273 | 46 | 1971–72 UEFA Cup |
8 | Manchester United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 65 | 66 | 0.985 | 43 | |
9 | Derby County | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 56 | 54 | 1.037 | 42 | |
10 | Coventry City | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 38 | 0.974 | 42 | |
11 | Manchester City | 42 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 47 | 42 | 1.119 | 41 | |
12 | Newcastle United | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 44 | 46 | 0.957 | 41 | |
13 | Stoke City | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 44 | 48 | 0.917 | 37 | |
14 | Everton | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 54 | 60 | 0.900 | 37 | |
15 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 40 | 49 | 0.816 | 36 | |
16 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 42 | 61 | 0.689 | 36 | |
17 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 58 | 75 | 0.773 | 35 | |
18 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 39 | 57 | 0.684 | 35 | |
19 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 42 | 48 | 0.875 | 34 | |
20 | West Ham United | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 47 | 60 | 0.783 | 34 | |
21 | Burnley (R) | 42 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 29 | 63 | 0.460 | 27 | Relegation to 1971–72 Second Division |
22 | Blackpool (R) | 42 | 4 | 15 | 23 | 34 | 66 | 0.515 | 23 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.
Results
Maps
Top scorers
Goalscorers are listed order of total goals, then according to the number of league goals, then of FA cup goals, then of League Cup goals. A dash means the team of the player in question did not participate in European competitions.[4]
- The goals listed below in the European fields stem from the following competitions:
- Everton participated in the 1970–71 European Cup.
- Manchester City participated in the 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup.
- Arsenal, Coventry City, Leeds United (winners), Liverpool, and Newcastle United participated in the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
- Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton Wanderers participated in the 1970–71 Texaco Cup.
Second Division
Season | 1970–71 |
---|---|
Champions | Leicester City (5th title) |
Promoted | Sheffield United |
Relegated | Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,141 (2.47 per match) |
Top goalscorer | John Hickton (Middlesbrough), 25 [3] |
Biggest home win | Carlisle United – Portsmouth 6–0 (5 Dec 1970) |
Biggest away win | Portsmouth – Sheffield United 0–4 (30 Sept 1970) Sheffield Wednesday – Luton Town 0–4(10 Oct 1970) Bristol City – Oxford United 0–4 (10 Oct 1970) Sunderland – Cardiff City 0–4 (13 Feb 1971) Watford – Norwich City 0–4 (16 Jan 1971) |
Highest scoring | Middlesbrough – Queens Park Rangers 6–2 (26 Sept 1970) Hull City – Sheffield Wednesday 4–4 (26 Dec 1970) |
← 1969–70 1971–72 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Leicester City | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 27 | 16 | 1.900 | 59 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Sheffield United | 42 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 49 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 21 | 1.872 | 56 | Promoted |
3 | Cardiff City | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 1.561 | 53 | Welsh Cup winners, qualified for UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1971–72 First round |
4 | Carlisle United | 42 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 30 | 1.512 | 53 | |
5 | Hull City | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 25 | 1.317 | 51 | |
6 | Luton Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 40 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 25 | 1.442 | 49 | |
7 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 27 | 1.395 | 48 | |
8 | Millwall | 42 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 30 | 1.405 | 47 | |
9 | Birmingham City | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 28 | 36 | 1.208 | 46 | |
10 | Norwich City | 42 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 32 | 1.038 | 44 | |
11 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 39 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 31 | 1.094 | 43 | |
12 | Swindon Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 37 | 1.196 | 42 | |
13 | Sunderland | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 18 | 33 | 0.963 | 42 | |
14 | Oxford United | 42 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 25 | 0.854 | 42 | |
15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 32 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 42 | 0.739 | 36 | |
16 | Portsmouth | 42 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 28 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 33 | 0.754 | 34 | |
17 | Orient | 42 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 36 | 0.569 | 34 | |
18 | Watford | 42 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 38 | 0.633 | 33 | |
19 | Bristol City | 42 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 16 | 36 | 0.719 | 31 | |
20 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 28 | 30 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 35 | 0.631 | 30 | |
21 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 41 | 0.536 | 27 | Relegated |
22 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 43 | 0.473 | 24 |
Results
Maps
Top scorers
Goalscorers are listed order of total goals, then according to the number of league goals, then of FA cup goals, then of League Cup goals. A dash means the team of the player in question did not participate in European competitions.[4]
- Cardiff City scored a total of 15 goals in the 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup, but John Toshack’s 6 goals are given in the listing
for First Division topscorers by Rothmans. The other 9 goals were distributed between six other players, none of whom made this listing.[5]
Third Division
Season | 1970–71 |
---|---|
Champions | Preston North End (1st title) |
Promoted | Fulham |
Relegated | Bury, Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham, Reading |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,372 (2.49 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Gerry Ingram (Preston North End), 22 Dudley Roberts (Mansfield Town), 22 [3] |
Biggest home win | Chesterfield – Halifax Town 5–0 (10 Oct 1970) Chesterfield – Torquay United 5–0 (24 pr 1971) Fulham – Bradford City 5–0 (2 Sep 1970) Swansea City – Reading 5–0 (27 Mar 1971) Swansea City – Shrewsbury Town 5–0 (1 Sep 1970) Tranmere Rovers – Rotherham United 5–0 (4 Dec 1970) |
Biggest away win | Mansfield Town – Plymouth Argyle 1–5 (4 Sep 1970) Reading – Bury 1–5 (5 Dec 1970) Barnsley – Bristol Rovers 0–4 (2 Jan 1971) Torquay United – Reading 0–4 (19 Feb 1971) |
Highest scoring | Shrewsbury Town – Port Vale 7–3 (12 Sept 1970) |
← 1969–70 1971–72 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Preston North End | 46 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 23 | 1.615 | 61 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Fulham | 46 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 29 | 29 | 1.659 | 60 | Promoted |
3 | Halifax Town | 46 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 46 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 28 | 33 | 1.345 | 56 | |
4 | Aston Villa | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 27 | 33 | 1.174 | 53 | |
5 | Chesterfield | 46 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 45 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 26 | 1.737 | 51 | |
6 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 26 | 1.380 | 51 | |
7 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 44 | 28 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 34 | 1.032 | 51 | |
8 | Rotherham United | 46 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 38 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 41 | 1.067 | 50 | |
9 | Wrexham | 46 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 43 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 29 | 40 | 1.108 | 49 | |
10 | Torquay United | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 37 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 31 | 0.947 | 49 | |
11 | Swansea City | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 41 | 25 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 31 | 1.054 | 46 | |
12 | Barnsley | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 33 | 0.942 | 45 | |
13 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 21 | 34 | 0.935 | 45 | |
14 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 27 | 1.064 | 44 | |
15 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 39 | 33 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 30 | 1.000 | 43 | |
16 | Rochdale | 46 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 29 | 26 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 0.897 | 43 | |
17 | Port Vale | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 41 | 0.881 | 42 | |
18 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 27 | 18 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 0.818 | 42 | |
19 | Bradford City | 46 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 25 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 37 | 0.790 | 40 | |
20 | Walsall | 46 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 30 | 27 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 0.895 | 39 | |
21 | Reading | 46 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 52 | 0.565 | 39 | Relegated |
22 | Bury | 46 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 37 | 0.867 | 37 | |
23 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 17 | 39 | 0.682 | 35 | |
24 | Gillingham | 46 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 22 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 20 | 38 | 0.627 | 33 |
Results
Maps
Top scorers
Goalscorers are listed order of total goals, then according to the number of league goals, then of FA cup goals, then of League Cup goals. A dash means the team of the player in question did not participate in European competitions.[4]
Fourth Division
Season | 1970–71 |
---|---|
Champions | Notts County (1st title) |
Promoted | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Oldham Athletic, York City |
Failed re-election | none |
New club in the league | Cambridge United |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,527 (2.77 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Ted MacDougall (Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic), 42 [3] |
← 1969–70 1971–72 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Notts County | 46 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 59 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 24 | 2.472 | 69 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 51 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 31 | 1.761 | 60 | Promoted |
3 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 57 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 31 | 34 | 1.397 | 59 | |
4 | York City | 46 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 45 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 33 | 40 | 1.444 | 56 | |
5 | Chester | 46 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 27 | 37 | 1.255 | 55 | |
6 | Colchester United | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 44 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 35 | 1.296 | 54 | |
7 | Northampton Town | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 39 | 24 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 24 | 35 | 1.068 | 51 | |
8 | Southport | 46 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 42 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 33 | 1.105 | 48 | |
9 | Exeter City | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 27 | 45 | 0.985 | 48 | |
10 | Workington | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 36 | 0.980 | 48 | |
11 | Stockport County | 46 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 48 | 0.754 | 46 | |
12 | Darlington | 46 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 35 | 1.018 | 45 | |
13 | Aldershot | 46 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 32 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 48 | 0.930 | 45 | |
14 | Brentford | 46 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 45 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 35 | 1.065 | 44 | |
15 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 49 | 35 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 41 | 0.987 | 44 | |
16 | Peterborough United | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 46 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 48 | 0.986 | 43 | |
17 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 38 | 0.918 | 43 | |
18 | Southend United | 46 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 42 | 0.803 | 43 | |
19 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 20 | 45 | 0.803 | 43 | |
20 | Cambridge United[lower-alpha 1] | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 31 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 20 | 39 | 0.773 | 43 | |
21 | Lincoln City | 46 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 45 | 33 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 38 | 0.986 | 39 | Re-elected |
22 | Newport County | 46 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 32 | 36 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 23 | 49 | 0.647 | 28 | |
23 | Hartlepool | 46 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 28 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 6 | 47 | 0.459 | 28 | |
24 | Barrow | 46 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 26 | 52 | 0.567 | 22 |
Notes:
- New club in the league
Results
Maps
Top scorers
Goalscorers are listed order of total goals, then according to the number of league goals, then of FA cup goals, then of League Cup goals. A dash means the team of the player in question did not participate in European competitions.[4]
- Rothmans apparently has an error in the goals of David Shaw, but it is not possible to identify the error clearly.
See also
References
- "England 1970–71". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
- "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
- Rothmans Football Yearbook 1971–72, p. 465–468. The Queen Anne Press Limited. Compiled by Tony Williams and Roy Peskett. Editorial Board: Denis Howell, Sir Matt Busby, David Coleman, Jimmy Hill, Tony Williams and Roy Peskett.
- Rothmans Football Yearbook 1971–72, p. 148. The Queen Anne Press Limited. Compiled by Tony Williams and Roy Peskett. Editorial Board: Denis Howell, Sir Matt Busby, David Coleman, Jimmy Hill, Tony Williams and Roy Peskett.
- Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
External links
- Season 1970-71 complete complete lineups, tables and squads at Historical Football Lineups