1947–48 Football League
The 1947–48 season was the 49th completed season of The Football League.
Season | 1947–48 |
---|---|
Champions | Arsenal |
← 1946–47 1948–49 → |
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.[2]
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 | 1947–48 |
---|---|
Champions | Arsenal 6th English title |
Relegated | Blackburn Rovers Grimsby Town |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,343 (2.91 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Ronnie Rooke (33 goals)[3] |
← 1946–47 1948–49 → |
Arsenal, the most successful English club side of the 1930s, picked up their first postwar silverware, finishing top of the First Division by seven points. Their nearest rivals were Manchester United, who lifted the FA Cup with a dramatic 4-2 win over Blackpool at Wembley to end their 37-year wait for a major trophy. Burnley finished level on points with Matt Busby's team. Derby County, the 1946 FA Cup-winners, finished fourth in the league. Defending champions Liverpool finished 11th.
Grimsby Town were relegated in bottom place, 14 points adrift of safety, and were joined in the Second Division by Blackburn Rovers.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal (C) | 42 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 81 | 32 | 2.531 | 59 | |
2 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 81 | 48 | 1.688 | 52 | |
3 | Burnley | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 56 | 43 | 1.302 | 52 | |
4 | Derby County | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 77 | 57 | 1.351 | 50 | |
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 83 | 70 | 1.186 | 47 | |
6 | Aston Villa | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 65 | 57 | 1.140 | 47 | |
7 | Preston North End | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 67 | 68 | 0.985 | 47 | |
8 | Portsmouth | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 68 | 50 | 1.360 | 45 | |
9 | Blackpool | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 57 | 41 | 1.390 | 44 | |
10 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 52 | 47 | 1.106 | 42 | |
11 | Liverpool | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 61 | 1.066 | 42 | |
12 | Sheffield United | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 70 | 0.929 | 42 | |
13 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 57 | 66 | 0.864 | 40 | |
14 | Everton | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 52 | 66 | 0.788 | 40 | |
15 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 41 | 55 | 0.745 | 38 | |
16 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 71 | 73 | 0.973 | 37 | |
17 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 46 | 58 | 0.793 | 37 | |
18 | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 71 | 0.746 | 37 | |
19 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 51 | 60 | 0.850 | 36 | |
20 | Sunderland | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 56 | 67 | 0.836 | 36 | |
21 | Blackburn Rovers (R) | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 54 | 72 | 0.750 | 32 | Relegation to the Second Division |
22 | Grimsby Town (R) | 42 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 45 | 111 | 0.405 | 22 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results
Second Division
Season | 1947–48 |
---|---|
Champions | Birmingham City |
Promoted | Birmingham City Newcastle United |
Relegated | Doncaster Rovers Millwall |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,247 (2.7 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Eddie Quigley (23 goals)[3] |
← 1946–47 1948–49 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Birmingham City (C, P) | 42 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 55 | 24 | 2.292 | 59 | Promotion to the First Division |
2 | Newcastle United (P) | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 72 | 41 | 1.756 | 56 | |
3 | Southampton | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 71 | 53 | 1.340 | 52 | |
4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 66 | 53 | 1.245 | 51 | |
5 | Cardiff City | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 61 | 58 | 1.052 | 47 | |
6 | West Ham United | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 53 | 1.038 | 46 | |
7 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 63 | 58 | 1.086 | 45 | |
8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 56 | 43 | 1.302 | 44 | |
9 | Leicester City | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 60 | 57 | 1.053 | 43 | |
10 | Coventry City | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 59 | 52 | 1.135 | 41 | |
11 | Fulham | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 47 | 46 | 1.022 | 40 | |
12 | Barnsley | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 62 | 64 | 0.969 | 40 | |
13 | Luton Town | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 56 | 59 | 0.949 | 40 | |
14 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 68 | 72 | 0.944 | 40 | |
15 | Brentford | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 44 | 61 | 0.721 | 40 | |
16 | Chesterfield | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 54 | 55 | 0.982 | 39 | |
17 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 9 | 20 | 13 | 40 | 58 | 0.690 | 38 | |
18 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 62 | 72 | 0.861 | 36 | |
19 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 54 | 60 | 0.900 | 35 | |
20 | Bury | 42 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 58 | 68 | 0.853 | 34 | |
21 | Doncaster Rovers (R) | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 40 | 66 | 0.606 | 29 | Relegation to the Third Division North |
22 | Millwall (R) | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 44 | 74 | 0.595 | 29 | Relegation to the Third Division South |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Third Division North
Season | 1947–48 |
---|---|
Champions | Lincoln City (2nd title) |
Failed re-election | none |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,369 (2.96 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Jimmy Hutchinson (Lincoln City), 32 [3] |
← 1946–47 1948–49 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lincoln City | 42 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 47 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 34 | 22 | 2.025 | 60 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Rotherham United | 42 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 56 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 39 | 31 | 1.939 | 59 | |
3 | Wrexham | 42 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 49 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 25 | 31 | 1.370 | 50 | |
4 | Gateshead | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 48 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 27 | 29 | 1.316 | 49 | |
5 | Hull City | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 38 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 27 | 1.229 | 47 | |
6 | Accrington Stanley | 42 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 1.051 | 46 | |
7 | Barrow | 42 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 25 | 21 | 1.225 | 45 | |
8 | Mansfield Town[lower-alpha 1] | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 27 | 1.118 | 45 | |
9 | Carlisle United | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 50 | 35 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 38 | 42 | 1.143 | 43 | |
10 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 41 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 0.968 | 43 | |
11 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 25 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 38 | 39 | 0.984 | 41 | |
12 | Rochdale | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 49 | 0.667 | 41 | |
13 | York City | 42 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 27 | 35 | 1.083 | 40 | |
14 | Bradford City | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 39 | 0.985 | 40 | |
15 | Southport | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 0.952 | 39 | |
16 | Darlington | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 39 | 0.771 | 39 | |
17 | Stockport County | 42 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 42 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 39 | 0.940 | 38 | |
18 | Tranmere Rovers | 42 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 30 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 44 | 0.750 | 36 | |
19 | Hartlepools United | 42 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 50 | 0.699 | 36 | |
20 | Chester | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 44 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 20 | 42 | 0.955 | 35 | |
21 | Halifax Town | 42 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 25 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 49 | 0.566 | 27 | Re-elected |
22 | New Brighton | 42 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 53 | 0.469 | 25 |
Notes:
- Mansfield Town had been transferred from Third Division South for this season.
Results
Third Division South
Season | 1947–48 |
---|---|
Champions | Queens Park Rangers (1st title) |
Failed re-election | none |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,327 (2.87 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Len Townsend (Bristol City), 31 |
← 1946–47 1948–49 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts | Promotion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 20 | 2.000 | 61 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 42 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 22 | 2.171 | 57 | |
3 | Walsall | 42 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 28 | 1.750 | 51 | |
4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 42 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 43 | 1.098 | 49 | |
5 | Swansea Town | 42 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 48 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 38 | 1.346 | 48 | |
6 | Notts County | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 24 | 32 | 1.153 | 46 | |
7 | Bristol City | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 47 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 30 | 39 | 1.185 | 43 | |
8 | Port Vale | 42 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 48 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 36 | 1.167 | 43 | |
9 | Southend United | 42 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 42 | 0.879 | 43 | |
10 | Reading | 42 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 30 | 0.966 | 41 | |
11 | Exeter City | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 41 | 0.873 | 41 | |
12 | Newport County | 42 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 45 | 0.836 | 41 | |
13 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 35 | 1.000 | 39 | |
14 | Northampton Town | 42 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 35 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 23 | 44 | 0.806 | 39 | |
15 | Watford | 42 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 42 | 0.722 | 38 | |
16 | Swindon Town | 42 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 26 | 0.891 | 36 | |
17 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 31 | 32 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 41 | 0.699 | 36 | |
18 | Torquay United | 42 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 40 | 29 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 1.016 | 35 | |
19 | Aldershot | 42 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 41 | 0.672 | 35 | |
20 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 39 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 32 | 41 | 0.947 | 34 | |
21 | Norwich City | 42 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 33 | 34 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 28 | 42 | 0.803 | 34 | Re-elected |
22 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 0.589 | 34 |
Results
References
- Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
- "England 1947–48". 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.