1937–38 Football League
The 1937–38 season was the 46th season of The Football League. Manchester City, champions in 1936–37, were relegated, the only time this has happened in the English top flight.
Season | 1937–38 |
---|---|
Champions | Arsenal |
Relegated | Gillingham |
← 1936–37 1938–39 → |
Final league tables
The tables and results 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.
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.[2]
First Division
Season | 1937–38 |
---|---|
Champions | Arsenal 5th English title |
Relegated | Manchester City West Bromwich Albion |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,430 (3.1 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Tommy Lawton (28 goals)[3] |
Biggest home win | Wolverhampton Wanderers 10–1 Leicester City (15 April 1938) |
Biggest away win | Derby County 1–7 Manchester City (29 January 1938) |
Highest scoring | Wolverhampton Wanderers 10–1 Leicester City (15 April 1938) |
← 1936–37 1938–39 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal (C) | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 77 | 44 | 1.750 | 52 | |
2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 72 | 49 | 1.469 | 51 | |
3 | Preston North End | 42 | 16 | 17 | 9 | 64 | 44 | 1.455 | 49 | |
4 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 65 | 51 | 1.275 | 46 | |
5 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 72 | 65 | 1.108 | 46 | |
6 | Brentford | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 69 | 59 | 1.169 | 45 | |
7 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 64 | 60 | 1.067 | 45 | |
8 | Sunderland | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 55 | 57 | 0.965 | 44 | |
9 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 64 | 69 | 0.928 | 43 | |
10 | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 65 | 65 | 1.000 | 41 | |
11 | Liverpool | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 65 | 71 | 0.915 | 41 | |
12 | Blackpool | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 61 | 66 | 0.924 | 40 | |
13 | Derby County | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 66 | 87 | 0.759 | 40 | |
14 | Everton | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 79 | 75 | 1.053 | 39 | |
15 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 17 | 5 | 20 | 55 | 68 | 0.809 | 39 | |
16 | Leicester City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 54 | 75 | 0.720 | 39 | |
17 | Stoke City | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 58 | 59 | 0.983 | 38 | |
18 | Birmingham | 42 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 58 | 62 | 0.935 | 38 | |
19 | Portsmouth | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 62 | 68 | 0.912 | 38 | |
20 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 51 | 68 | 0.750 | 38 | |
21 | Manchester City (R) | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 80 | 77 | 1.039 | 36 | Relegation to the Second Division |
22 | West Bromwich Albion (R) | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 74 | 91 | 0.813 | 36 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results
Second Division
Season | 1937–38 |
---|---|
Champions | Aston Villa |
Promoted | Aston Villa Manchester United |
Relegated | Barnsley Stockport County |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,346 (2.91 per match) |
Top goalscorer | George Henson (27 goals)[3] |
Biggest home win | Fulham 8–1 Swansea Town (22 January 1938) |
Biggest away win | Chesterfield 1–7 Manchester United (13 November 1937) |
Highest scoring | Luton Town 6–4 Stockport County (1 January 1938) |
← 1936–37 1938–39 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aston Villa (C, P) | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 73 | 35 | 2.086 | 57 | Promotion to the First Division |
2 | Manchester United (P) | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 82 | 50 | 1.640 | 53 | |
3 | Sheffield United | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 73 | 56 | 1.304 | 53 | |
4 | Coventry City | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 66 | 45 | 1.467 | 52 | |
5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 76 | 54 | 1.407 | 44 | |
6 | Burnley | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 54 | 54 | 1.000 | 44 | |
7 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 69 | 56 | 1.232 | 43 | |
8 | Fulham | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 61 | 57 | 1.070 | 43 | |
9 | West Ham United | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 53 | 52 | 1.019 | 42 | |
10 | Bury | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 63 | 60 | 1.050 | 41 | |
11 | Chesterfield | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 63 | 63 | 1.000 | 41 | |
12 | Luton Town | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 89 | 86 | 1.035 | 40 | |
13 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 57 | 65 | 0.877 | 40 | |
14 | Norwich City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 56 | 75 | 0.747 | 39 | |
15 | Southampton | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 55 | 77 | 0.714 | 39 | |
16 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 71 | 80 | 0.888 | 38 | |
17 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 49 | 56 | 0.875 | 38 | |
18 | Swansea Town | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 45 | 73 | 0.616 | 38 | |
19 | Newcastle United | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 51 | 58 | 0.879 | 36 | |
20 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 47 | 60 | 0.783 | 36 | |
21 | Barnsley (R) | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 50 | 64 | 0.781 | 36 | Relegation to the Third Division North |
22 | Stockport County (R) | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 43 | 70 | 0.614 | 31 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Third Division North
Season | 1937–1938 |
---|---|
Champions | Tranmere Rovers (1st title) |
Failed re-election | None |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,401 (3.03 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Jack Roberts (Port Vale), 28 [3] |
← 1936–37 1938–39 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tranmere Rovers | 42 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 57 | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 20 | 1.976 | 56 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 48 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 1.510 | 54 | |
3 | Hull City | 42 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 51 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 29 | 24 | 1.860 | 53 | |
4 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 48 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 1.457 | 51 | |
5 | Gateshead | 42 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 53 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 31 | 39 | 1.424 | 51 | |
6 | Rotherham United | 42 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 45 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 35 | 1.214 | 50 | |
7 | Lincoln City | 42 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 48 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 33 | 1.320 | 46 | |
8 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 47 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 24 | 36 | 1.340 | 45 | |
9 | Chester | 42 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 54 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 41 | 1.069 | 44 | |
10 | Wrexham | 42 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 48 | 0.921 | 43 | |
11 | York City | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 43 | 1.029 | 42 | |
12 | Carlisle United | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 22 | 48 | 0.851 | 39 | |
13 | New Brighton | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 43 | 0.984 | 38 | |
14 | Bradford City | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 46 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 20 | 48 | 0.957 | 38 | |
15 | Port Vale | 42 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 45 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 46 | 0.890 | 38 | Transferred to the Third Division South |
16 | Southport | 42 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 23 | 56 | 0.646 | 38 | |
17 | Rochdale | 42 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 38 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 29 | 51 | 0.859 | 37 | |
18 | Halifax Town | 42 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 47 | 0.667 | 36 | |
19 | Darlington | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 17 | 48 | 0.684 | 32 | |
20 | Hartlepools United | 42 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 36 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 60 | 0.663 | 32 | |
21 | Barrow | 42 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 51 | 0.577 | 32 | Re-elected |
22 | Accrington Stanley | 42 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 31 | 32 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 43 | 0.600 | 29 |
Results
Third Division South
Season | 1937–1938 |
---|---|
Champions | Millwall (2nd title) |
Failed re-election | Gillingham |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,264 (2.74 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Harold Crawshaw (Mansfield Town), 25 [3] |
← 1936–37 1938–39 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Millwall | 42 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 30 | 22 | 2.243 | 56 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Bristol City | 42 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 37 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 1.700 | 55 | |
3 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 36 | 30 | 1.702 | 53 | |
4 | Watford | 42 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 50 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 23 | 28 | 1.698 | 53 | |
5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 28 | 1.455 | 51 | |
6 | Reading | 42 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 42 | 1.127 | 51 | |
7 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 45 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 30 | 1.426 | 48 | |
8 | Swindon Town | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 30 | 1.000 | 44 | |
9 | Northampton Town | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 38 | 0.895 | 43 | |
10 | Cardiff City | 42 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 57 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 10 | 32 | 1.241 | 42 | |
11 | Notts County | 42 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 1.000 | 41 | |
12 | Southend United | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 27 | 45 | 1.029 | 40 | |
13 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 42 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 36 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 37 | 0.982 | 40 | |
14 | Mansfield Town[lower-alpha 1] | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 46 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 41 | 0.925 | 39 | |
15 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 28 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 41 | 0.754 | 39 | |
16 | Newport County | 42 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 31 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 37 | 0.827 | 38 | |
17 | Exeter City | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 32 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 38 | 0.814 | 38 | |
18 | Aldershot | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 16 | 45 | 0.661 | 35 | |
19 | Clapton Orient | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 15 | 42 | 0.689 | 33 | |
20 | Torquay United | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 45 | 0.521 | 30 | |
21 | Walsall | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 34 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 18 | 51 | 0.591 | 29 | Re-elected |
22 | Gillingham | 42 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 11 | 52 | 0.468 | 26 | Failed re-election |
Notes:
- Mansfield Town had been transferred from Third Division North for this season.
Results
References
- "England 1937-38". 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.
- Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.