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1977–78 Football League

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The Football League
Season1977–78
ChampionsNottingham Forest
RelegatedSouthport
New Club in LeagueWimbledon

The 1977–78 season was the 79th completed season of The Football League.

Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest side took the First Division by storm, first winning the League Cup on 22 March and then confirming themselves as league champions the following month. They joined a small and exclusive company of clubs who have won the league championship one season after promotion.

Manchester United broke the British transfer fee record on 9 February by paying Leeds United £495,000 for Scottish defender Gordon McQueen.

Bob Latchford was the top goalscorer, winning a £10,000 prize offered by a national newspaper for the first footballer to reach 30 goals in a single season,[1] which had not happened in the First Division since the 1971–72 season and in the Second Division since the 1965–66 season.[2]

West Ham United, Newcastle United and Leicester City were relegated from the First Division.

Bolton Wanderers, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur were promoted from the Second Division, while Blackpool, Mansfield Town and Hull City were relegated

Wrexham, Cambridge United and Preston North End were promoted from the Third Division, while Portsmouth, Port Vale, Bradford City and Hereford United were relegated.

Wimbledon played their first season in the Football League, replacing Workington. Watford, Southend United, Swansea City and Brentford were promoted, while Southport were not re-elected. Southport was the last club to leave the Football League through the re-election process.

Final league tables and results

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[3] and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79[4] with home and away statistics separated.

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. Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the re-election process has concerned the bottom four clubs in that division.[4]

First Division

First Division
Season1977–78
ChampionsNottingham Forest
1st English title
RelegatedWest Ham United
Newcastle United
Leicester City
European CupNottingham Forest
Liverpool (defending champions)
Cup Winners' CupIpswich Town
UEFA CupEverton
Manchester City
Arsenal
West Bromwich Albion
Matches played462
Goals scored1,231 (2.66 per match)
Top goalscorerBob Latchford
(30 goals)[2]
Biggest home winEverton 6–0 Coventry City
(26 November 1977)
Everton 6–0 Chelsea
(29 April 1978)
Biggest away winQueens Park Rangers 1–5 Everton
(8 October 1977)
Leicester 0–4 Liverpool
(26 November 1977)
Manchester United 0–4 Nottingham Forest
(17 December 1977)
Everton 2–6 Manchester United
(26 December 1977)
Leicester City 1–5 Everton
(15 April 1978)
Highest scoringCoventry City 5–4 Norwich City
(27 December 1977)
Birmingham 4–5 Chelsea
(31 December 1977)

Brian Clough became only the second manager in the history of English football to win the top division title with two clubs, when he guided Nottingham Forest to their first ever top division title. It was an incredible achievement for a Forest side who were one of just a few teams to win the First Division title a year after promotion. Forest finished seven points above Liverpool, who retained the European Cup. Everton, Manchester City and Arsenal completed the top five, while West Bromwich Albion finished sixth for the second successive season, qualifying for the UEFA Cup again. An exciting Coventry City side finished in 7th position, narrowly missing-out on UEFA Cup qualification. This was the club's second-highest ever league finish, after their sixth position in 1969–70.[5]

Manchester United dipped to 10th place in their first season under new manager Dave Sexton, while Bobby Robson successfully fought off relegation with Ipswich Town and then guided them to their first FA Cup triumph of their history.

Newcastle United, who had finished fifth a year earlier, endured a terrible season and went down bracketed together with Leicester City at the bottom of the table. The Tynesiders had been in the First Division for 13 years, while Leicester's latest run in the First Division had lasted for seven years. West Ham United occupied the final relegation place, ending their 20-year spell in the First Division.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Nottingham Forest (C) 42 25 14 3 69 24 +45 64 Qualification for the European Cup first round
2 Liverpool 42 24 9 9 65 34 +31 57 Qualification for the European Cup first round[a]
3 Everton 42 22 11 9 76 45 +31 55 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Manchester City 42 20 12 10 74 51 +23 52
5 Arsenal 42 21 10 11 60 37 +23 52
6 West Bromwich Albion 42 18 14 10 62 53 +9 50
7 Coventry City 42 18 12 12 75 62 +13 48
8 Aston Villa 42 18 10 14 57 42 +15 46
9 Leeds United 42 18 10 14 63 53 +10 46
10 Manchester United 42 16 10 16 67 63 +4 42
11 Birmingham City 42 16 9 17 55 60 −5 41
12 Derby County 42 14 13 15 54 59 −5 41
13 Norwich City 42 11 18 13 52 66 −14 40
14 Middlesbrough 42 12 15 15 42 54 −12 39
15 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 12 12 18 51 64 −13 36
16 Chelsea 42 11 14 17 46 69 −23 36
17 Bristol City 42 11 13 18 49 53 −4 35
18 Ipswich Town 42 11 13 18 47 61 −14 35 Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round[b]
19 Queens Park Rangers 42 9 15 18 47 64 −17 33
20 West Ham United (R) 42 12 8 22 52 69 −17 32 Relegation to the Second Division
21 Newcastle United (R) 42 6 10 26 42 78 −36 22
22 Leicester City (R) 42 5 12 25 26 70 −44 22
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Liverpool qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1977–78 European Cup winners.
  2. ^ Ipswich Town qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1977–78 FA Cup winners.

Stats

Record

  • Most wins: Nottingham Forest (25)
  • Fewest losses: Nottingham Forest (3)
  • Most goals scored: Everton (76)
  • Fewest goals conceded: Nottingham Forest (24)
  • Best goal difference ratio: Nottingham Forest (+45)
  • Most draws: Norwich City (18)
  • Fewest draws: West Ham United (8)
  • Most losses: Newcastle United (26)
  • Fewest wins: Leicester City (5)
  • Fewest goals scored: Leicester City (26)
  • Most goals conceded: Newcastle United (78)
  • Worst goal difference ratio: Leicester City (-44)

Results

Home \ Away ARS AST BIR BRI CHE COV DER EVE IPS LEE LEI LIV MCI MUN MID NEW NWC NOT QPR WBA WHU WOL
Arsenal 0–1 1–1 4–1 3–0 1–1 1–3 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 3–0 3–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 3–0 1–0 4–0 3–0 3–1
Aston Villa 1–0 0–1 1–0 2–0 1–1 0–0 1–2 6–1 3–1 0–0 0–3 1–4 2–1 0–1 2–0 3–0 0–1 1–1 3–0 4–1 2–0
Birmingham City 1–1 1–0 3–0 4–5 1–1 3–1 0–0 0–0 2–3 1–1 0–1 1–4 1–4 1–2 3–0 2–1 0–2 2–1 1–2 3–0 2–1
Bristol City 0–2 1–1 0–1 3–0 1–1 3–1 0–1 2–0 3–2 0–0 1–1 2–2 0–1 4–1 3–1 3–0 1–3 2–2 3–1 3–2 2–3
Chelsea 0–0 0–0 2–0 1–0 1–2 1–1 0–1 5–3 1–2 0–0 3–1 0–0 2–2 0–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 3–1 2–2 2–1 1–1
Coventry City 1–2 2–3 4–0 1–1 5–1 3–1 3–2 1–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 4–2 3–0 2–1 0–0 5–4 0–0 4–1 1–2 1–0 4–0
Derby County 3–0 0–3 1–3 1–0 1–1 4–2 0–1 0–0 2–2 4–1 4–2 2–1 0–1 4–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 3–1
Everton 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–0 6–0 6–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 2–6 3–0 4–4 3–0 1–3 3–3 3–1 2–1 0–0
Ipswich Town 1–0 2–0 5–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 3–3 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 2–1 4–0 0–2 3–2 2–2 0–2 1–2
Leeds United 1–3 1–1 1–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 2–1 5–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 5–0 0–2 2–2 1–0 3–0 2–2 1–2 2–1
Leicester City 1–1 0–2 1–4 0–0 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–5 2–1 0–0 0–4 0–1 2–3 0–0 3–0 2–2 0–3 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–0
Liverpool 1–0 1–2 2–3 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 2–2 1–0 3–2 4–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 2–0 1–0
Manchester City 2–1 2–0 3–0 2–0 6–2 3–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–3 0–0 3–1 3–1 2–2 4–0 4–0 0–0 2–1 1–3 3–2 0–2
Manchester United 1–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 0–1 2–1 4–0 1–2 0–0 0–1 3–1 2–0 2–2 0–0 3–2 1–0 0–4 3–1 1–1 3–0 3–1
Middlesbrough 0–1 1–0 1–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 2–1 2–0 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–0
Newcastle United 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–2 0–2 0–1 3–2 2–0 0–2 2–2 2–2 2–4 2–2 0–2 0–3 0–3 2–3 4–0
Norwich City 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–2 0–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 2–0 2–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 2–1 3–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–1
Nottingham Forest 2–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 3–1 2–1 3–0 1–1 4–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 4–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–0 2–0
Queens Park Rangers 2–1 1–2 0–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–5 3–3 0–0 3–0 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–2 2–1 1–0 1–3
West Bromwich Albion 1–3 0–3 3–1 2–1 3–0 3–3 1–0 3–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 0–1 0–0 4–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–2 2–0 1–0 2–2
West Ham United 2–2 2–2 1–0 1–2 3–1 2–1 3–0 1–1 3–0 0–1 3–2 0–2 0–1 2–1 0–2 1–0 1–3 0–0 2–2 3–3 1–2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 3–1 0–1 0–0 1–3 1–3 1–2 3–1 0–0 3–1 3–0 1–3 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 3–3 2–3 1–0 1–1 2–2
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.

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Middlesbrough England Harold Shepherdson End of caretaker spell 6 May 1977 Pre-season England John Neal 6 May 1977
Leicester City England Jimmy Bloomfield Resigned 23 May 1977 Scotland Frank McLintock 6 June 1977
West Bromwich Albion Republic of Ireland Johnny Giles 26 May 1977 England Ronnie Allen 21 June 1977
Chelsea Scotland Eddie McCreadie 1 July 1977 England Ken Shellito 6 July 1977
Manchester United Scotland Tommy Docherty Sacked 4 July 1977 England Dave Sexton 14 July 1977
Queens Park Rangers England Dave Sexton Signed by Manchester United 14 July 1977 England Frank Sibley 14 July 1977
Birmingham City Scotland Willie Bell Resigned 5 September 1977 22nd England Alf Ramsey (caretaker) 5 September 1977
Derby County England Colin Murphy Demoted to coach 17 September 1977 21st Scotland Tommy Docherty 17 September 1977
Newcastle United England Richard Dinnis Sacked 9 November 1977 22nd England Bill McGarry 18 November 1977
West Bromwich Albion England Ronnie Allen Resigned 22 December 1977 4th England Ron Atkinson 12 January 1978
Birmingham City England Alf Ramsey End of caretaker spell 12 March 1978 18th England Jim Smith 12 March 1978
Leicester City Scotland Frank McLintock Sacked 5 April 1978 22nd Scotland Ian MacFarlane (caretaker) 5 April 1977

Maps

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Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1977–1978
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Locations of the Football League First Division 1977–1978 teams

Second Division

Second Division
Season1977–78
ChampionsBolton Wanderers
PromotedBolton Wanderers
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
RelegatedBlackpool
Mansfield Town
Hull City
Matches played462
Goals scored1,235 (2.67 per match)
Top goalscorerBob Hatton
(22 goals)[2]
Biggest home winTottenham Hotspur 9–0 Bristol Rovers
(22 October 1977)
Biggest away winCardiff City 1–6 Sheffield United
(3 December 1977)
Highest scoringBolton Wanderers 6–3 Cardiff City
(10 December 1977)

Bolton Wanderers ended their 14-year exile from the top flight by clinching the Second Division title in a tight promotion race between the top four teams. Southampton went up as runners-up, while Tottenham clinched the final promotion place following a final day draw with Southampton. Brighton missed out on a First Division place on goal difference, forcing them to prepare for a fresh assault on reaching the First Division for the first time in their history in 1979.

Hull City, Mansfield Town and Blackpool went down to the Third Division.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Bolton Wanderers (C, P) 42 24 10 8 63 33 +30 58 Promotion to the First Division
2 Southampton (P) 42 22 13 7 70 39 +31 57
3 Tottenham Hotspur (P) 42 20 16 6 83 49 +34 56
4 Brighton & Hove Albion 42 22 12 8 63 38 +25 56
5 Blackburn Rovers 42 16 13 13 56 60 −4 45
6 Sunderland 42 14 16 12 67 59 +8 44
7 Stoke City 42 16 10 16 53 49 +4 42
8 Oldham Athletic 42 13 16 13 54 58 −4 42
9 Crystal Palace 42 13 15 14 50 47 +3 41
10 Fulham 42 14 13 15 49 49 0 41
11 Burnley 42 15 10 17 56 64 −8 40
12 Sheffield United 42 16 8 18 62 73 −11 40
13 Luton Town 42 14 10 18 54 52 +2 38
14 Orient 42 10 18 14 43 49 −6 38
15 Notts County 42 11 16 15 54 62 −8 38
16 Millwall 42 12 14 16 49 57 −8 38
17 Charlton Athletic 42 13 12 17 55 68 −13 38
18 Bristol Rovers 42 13 12 17 61 77 −16 38
19 Cardiff City 42 13 12 17 51 71 −20 38
20 Blackpool (R) 42 12 13 17 59 60 −1 37 Relegation to the Third Division
21 Mansfield Town (R) 42 10 11 21 49 69 −20 31
22 Hull City (R) 42 8 12 22 34 52 −18 28
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results

Home \ Away BLB BLP BOL B&HA BRR BUR CAR CHA CRY FUL HUL LUT MAN MIL NTC OLD ORI SHU SOU STK SUN TOT
Blackburn Rovers 1–2 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 3–0 2–1 3–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 4–2 1–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 0–0
Blackpool 5–2 0–2 0–1 3–1 1–1 3–0 5–1 3–1 1–2 3–0 2–1 1–2 2–2 2–2 1–1 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2
Bolton Wanderers 4–2 2–1 1–1 3–0 1–2 6–3 2–1 2–0 0–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 2–1 2–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 1–0
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–2 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 4–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 2–1 3–2 5–1 3–2 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 3–1
Bristol Rovers 4–1 2–0 0–1 0–4 2–2 3–2 2–2 3–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 3–1 2–0 2–2 0–0 2–1 4–1 0–0 4–1 3–2 2–3
Burnley 2–3 0–1 0–1 0–0 3–1 4–2 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–0 0–2 3–1 4–1 0–0 4–1 3–3 1–0 0–0 2–1
Cardiff City 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 3–1 0–0 1–4 1–1 4–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–6 1–0 2–0 5–2 0–0
Charlton Athletic 2–2 3–1 2–1 4–3 3–1 3–2 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 2–2 0–2 0–0 2–2 2–1 3–0 1–3 3–2 3–2 4–1
Crystal Palace 5–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–3 0–1 3–3 3–1 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–2 0–1 2–2 1–2
Fulham 0–0 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 4–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–2 0–1 5–1 0–2 1–2 2–0 1–1 3–0 3–3 1–1
Hull City 0–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–3 4–1 0–2 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–2 3–2 1–1 0–1 2–2 2–3 0–3 0–0 3–0 2–0
Luton Town 0–0 4–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–2 3–1 7–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 1–0 4–0 1–2 1–2 1–3 1–4
Mansfield Town 2–2 1–3 0–1 1–2 3–0 4–1 2–2 0–3 1–3 2–1 1–0 3–1 0–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 3–3
Millwall 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–3 0–3 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 3–0 0–0 3–1 1–3
Notts County 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 3–2 3–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 3–2 1–1 1–2 2–3 2–0 2–2 3–3
Oldham Athletic 0–2 2–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 0–1 2–2 2–1 2–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1
Orient 0–0 1–4 1–1 0–1 2–1 3–0 2–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 4–2 0–0 0–0 5–3 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–1
Sheffield United 2–0 0–0 1–5 2–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 0–2 2–1 2–0 4–1 2–0 5–2 4–1 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–2 1–1 2–2
Southampton 5–0 2–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 3–0 3–1 4–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 2–3 3–1 2–2 1–0 2–1 1–0 4–2 0–0
Stoke City 4–2 1–2 0–0 1–0 3–2 2–1 2–0 4–0 0–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 5–1 4–0 1–0 0–0 1–3
Sunderland 0–1 2–1 0–2 0–2 5–1 3–0 1–1 3–0 0–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 5–1 0–0 1–0 1–2
Tottenham Hotspur 4–0 2–2 1–0 0–0 9–0 3–0 2–1 2–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 3–3 2–1 5–1 1–1 4–2 0–0 3–1 2–3
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.

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Orient England George Petchey Resigned 26 August 1977 21st England Jimmy Bloomfield 12 September 1977
Hull City England John Kaye Sacked 29 September 1977 13th Scotland Bobby Collins 1 October 1977
Notts County England Ron Fenton 5 October 1977 21st Scotland Jimmy Sirrel 9 October 1977
Sheffield United Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Signed by Notts County 9 October 1977 15th England Cec Coldwell (caretaker) 9 October 1977
Bristol Rovers England Don Megson Sacked 22 November 1977 21st Scotland Bobby Campbell 22 November 1977
Millwall England Gordon Jago Resigned 5 December 1977 18th England George Petchey 4 January 1978
Stoke City England George Eastham Sacked 9 January 1978 14th Wales Alan Durban 13 January 1978
Sheffield United England Cec Coldwell End of caretaker spell 23 January 1978 11th England Harry Haslam 23 January 1978
Luton Town England Harry Haslam Signed by Sheffield United 23 January 1978 7th England David Pleat 23 January 1978
Blackpool Scotland Allan Brown Mutual consent 6 February 1978 7th England Jimmy Meadows 7 March 1978
Hull City Scotland Bobby Collins Sacked 10 February 1978 18th England Wilf McGuinness (caretaker) 10 February 1978
Mansfield Town England Peter Morris 22 February 1978 22nd Northern Ireland Billy Bingham 25 February 1978
Blackburn Rovers England Jim Smith Signed by Birmingham City 12 March 1978 5th England Jim Iley 14 April 1978
Hull City England Wilf McGuinness End of caretaker spell 17 April 1978 21st England Ken Houghton 17 April 1978

Maps

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Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1977–1978
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Locations of the Football League Second Division 1977–1978 teams

Third Division

Football League
Third Division
Season1977–78
ChampionsWrexham (1st title)
PromotedCambridge United,
Preston North End
RelegatedBradford City,
Hereford United,
Portsmouth,
Port Vale
Matches played552
Goals scored1,373 (2.49 per match)
Top goalscorerAlex Bruce (Preston North End), 27 [2]

Pos Team Pld HW HD HL HGF HGA AW AD AL AGF AGA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Wrexham 46 14 8 1 48 19 9 7 7 30 26 +33 61 Division Champions, Welsh Cup Champions, promoted, qualified for Cup Winners' Cup[a]
2 Cambridge United 46 19 3 1 49 11 4 9 10 23 40 +21 58 Promoted
3 Preston North End 46 16 5 2 48 19 4 11 8 15 19 +25 56
4 Peterborough United 46 15 7 1 32 11 5 9 9 15 22 +14 56
5 Chester 46 14 8 1 41 24 2 14 7 18 32 +3 54
6 Walsall 46 12 8 3 35 17 6 9 8 26 33 +11 53
7 Gillingham 46 11 10 2 36 21 4 10 9 31 39 +7 50
8 Colchester United 46 10 11 2 36 16 5 7 11 19 28 +11 48
9 Chesterfield 46 14 6 3 40 16 3 8 12 18 33 +9 48
10 Swindon Town 46 12 7 4 40 22 4 9 10 27 38 +7 48
11 Shrewsbury Town 46 11 7 5 42 23 5 8 10 21 34 +6 47
12 Tranmere Rovers 46 13 7 3 39 19 3 8 12 18 33 +5 47
13 Carlisle United 46 10 9 4 32 26 4 10 9 27 33 0 47
14 Sheffield Wednesday 46 13 7 3 28 14 2 9 12 22 38 −2 46
15 Bury 46 7 13 3 34 22 6 6 11 28 34 +6 45
16 Lincoln City 46 10 8 5 35 26 5 7 11 18 35 −8 45
17 Exeter City 46 11 8 4 30 18 4 6 13 19 41 −10 44
18 Oxford United 46 11 10 2 38 21 2 4 17 26 46 −3 40
19 Plymouth Argyle 46 7 8 8 33 28 4 9 10 28 40 −7 39
20 Rotherham United 46 11 5 7 26 19 2 8 13 25 49 −17 39
21 Port Vale 46 7 11 5 28 23 1 9 13 18 44 −21 36 Relegated
22 Bradford City 46 11 6 6 40 29 1 4 18 16 57 −30 34
23 Hereford United 46 9 9 5 28 22 0 5 18 6 38 −26 32
24 Portsmouth 46 4 11 8 31 38 3 6 14 10 37 −34 31
Source: rsssf.com
Notes:
  1. ^ Wrexham qualified for 1978–79 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: First round as Welsh Cup winners.

Results

Home \ Away BRA BRY CAM CRL CHE CHF COL EXE GIL HER LIN OXF PET PLY POR PTV PNE ROT SHW SHR SWI TRA WAL WRE
Bradford City 2–1 4–0 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–2 1–2 2–1 0–0 2–2 2–3 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 3–0 3–2 2–0 2–1 2–0 2–3 2–1
Bury 2–2 5–2 1–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 5–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 3–2 0–0 1–1 0–0 3–0 1–1 1–1 3–0 0–3 0–0 1–0 0–1 2–3
Cambridge United 4–1 3–0 2–0 0–0 2–0 2–0 2–1 2–3 2–0 5–0 2–1 1–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 5–2 1–0 2–1 1–0
Carlisle United 1–1 0–3 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–3 2–0 1–0 2–0 2–3 2–2 0–0 0–0 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–1 1–0 1–0 2–2 2–2 2–0 1–4
Chester 3–2 1–0 0–0 2–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–2 4–1 2–2 3–1 4–3 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–1
Chesterfield 2–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–2 0–0 0–0 5–2 2–1 0–0 3–0 2–0 4–1 3–0 2–0 0–1 0–0 2–2 3–1 3–1 1–1 0–1 1–0
Colchester United 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 3–0 3–1 4–0 2–3 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 2–0 0–0 1–1 1–1
Exeter City 1–0 2–2 2–4 0–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 3–0 2–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 4–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 4–2 1–1 0–1
Gillingham 4–1 1–4 3–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 1–3 1–0 4–0 0–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 3–1 0–0
Hereford United 2–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 2–1 1–0 4–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 0–0 2–3 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 3–2 1–1
Lincoln City 3–2 0–0 4–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–0 1–2 0–2 0–0 1–0 0–1 2–2 1–0 3–0 2–2 3–3 3–1 1–3 3–1 1–1 2–2 0–1
Oxford United 3–1 0–0 2–3 0–0 4–1 1–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 3–0 1–0 3–3 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–3 1–0 1–1 3–3 1–0 3–1 2–1
Peterborough United 5–0 2–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 0–0 2–2
Plymouth Argyle 6–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–3 2–0 1–2 2–1 1–0 3–1 3–2 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 0–1 3–3 0–1
Portsmouth 3–1 1–1 2–2 3–3 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 2–2 1–5 1–1 0–2 3–3 2–2 2–0 1–2 2–5 1–2 0–1
Port Vale 1–0 1–2 1–1 0–1 0–0 1–3 0–3 4–0 2–2 1–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 3–3 2–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1
Preston North End 3–1 4–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 0–0 4–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 4–0 3–2 0–1 5–2 3–1 2–0 3–2 2–1 2–2 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–3
Rotherham United 2–1 0–3 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–2 0–1 2–0 2–1 1–2 0–0 1–3 2–0 3–0 2–2
Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 3–2 0–0 3–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 0–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 3–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–1
Shrewsbury Town 4–0 5–3 3–3 0–3 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–2 1–2 3–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 3–1 6–1 3–0 0–0 4–1 0–0 2–3 3–1 0–0 2–1
Swindon Town 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 4–0 3–2 1–0 1–0 3–2 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–2 5–0 1–0 2–3 1–2
Tranmere Rovers 0–0 0–0 0–1 3–2 5–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 4–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 2–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 0–1 3–1
Walsall 1–1 1–2 0–0 0–0 3–0 2–2 4–2 1–3 2–1 2–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 0–0 3–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 0–0 0–1
Wrexham 2–0 3–1 4–1 3–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 3–3 2–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 0–0 7–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 6–1 1–0
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

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Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1977–1978
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Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1977–1978

Fourth Division

Football League
Fourth Division
Season1977–78
ChampionsWatford (1st title)
PromotedBrentford,
Southend United,
Swansea City
Failed re-electionSouthport
New club in the leagueWimbledon
Matches played552
Goals scored1,427 (2.59 per match)
Top goalscorerAlan Curtis (Swansea City), 32
Steve Phillips (Brentford), 32 [2]

Pos Team Pld HW HD HL HGF HGA AW AD AL AGF AGA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Watford 46 18 4 1 44 14 12 7 4 41 24 +47 71 Division Champions, promoted
2 Southend United 46 15 5 3 46 18 10 5 8 20 21 +27 60 Promoted
3 Swansea City 46 16 5 2 54 17 7 5 11 33 30 +40 56
4 Brentford 46 15 6 2 50 17 6 8 9 36 37 +32 56
5 Aldershot 46 15 8 0 45 16 4 8 11 22 31 +20 54
6 Grimsby Town 46 14 6 3 30 15 7 5 11 27 36 +6 53
7 Barnsley 46 15 4 4 44 20 3 10 10 17 29 +12 50
8 Reading 46 12 7 4 33 23 6 7 10 22 29 +3 50
9 Torquay United 46 12 6 5 43 25 4 9 10 14 31 +1 47
10 Northampton Town 46 9 8 6 32 30 8 5 10 31 38 −5 47
11 Huddersfield Town 46 13 5 5 41 21 2 10 11 22 34 +8 45
12 Doncaster Rovers 46 11 8 4 37 26 3 9 11 15 39 −13 45
13 Wimbledon[a] 46 8 11 4 39 26 6 5 12 27 41 −1 44
14 Scunthorpe United 46 12 6 5 31 14 2 10 11 19 41 −5 44
15 Crewe Alexandra 46 11 8 4 34 25 4 6 13 16 44 −19 44
16 Newport County 46 14 6 3 43 22 2 5 16 22 51 −8 43
17 AFC Bournemouth 46 12 6 5 28 20 2 9 12 13 31 −10 43
18 Stockport County 46 14 4 5 41 19 2 6 15 15 37 0 42
19 Darlington 46 10 8 5 31 22 4 5 14 21 37 −7 41
20 Halifax Town 46 7 10 6 28 23 3 11 9 24 39 −10 41
21 Hartlepool United 46 12 4 7 34 29 3 3 17 17 55 −33 37 Re-elected
22 York City 46 8 7 8 27 31 4 5 14 23 38 −19 36
23 Southport 46 5 13 5 30 32 1 6 16 22 44 −24 31 Failed re-election
24 Rochdale 46 8 6 9 29 28 0 2 21 14 57 −42 24 Re-elected
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ New club in the league; elected from Southern League

Results

Home \ Away BOU ALD BAR BRE CRE DAR DON GRI HAL HAR HUD NPC NOR REA ROC SCU STD SOU STP SWA TOR WAT WDN YOR
AFC Bournemouth 0–0 2–2 3–2 1–0 2–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 4–2 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–3 3–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 2–1
Aldershot 2–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–0 4–2 0–0 3–0 3–3 2–2 2–1 1–1 2–0 4–0 3–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 3–0 1–0 3–1 1–1
Barnsley 3–0 2–0 0–0 4–0 2–1 0–0 1–2 3–2 3–2 1–1 1–0 2–3 4–1 4–0 3–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 0–2 2–0 1–0 3–2 2–1
Brentford 1–1 2–0 2–0 5–1 2–0 2–2 3–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 3–3 3–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 4–0 0–2 3–0 0–3 4–1 1–0
Crewe Alexandra 3–1 0–2 2–1 4–6 2–2 2–0 0–2 0–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 3–2 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–0 2–2 0–0 1–0
Darlington 1–0 1–1 0–2 1–3 2–0 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 2–2 2–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 3–0 2–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 3–1 0–2
Doncaster Rovers 0–0 4–3 2–1 3–1 2–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 2–0 4–3 2–2 4–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–2 1–1
Grimsby Town 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–0 0–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 2–1 0–0 2–0 2–0 0–0 2–1 3–1 1–1 3–1 3–2
Halifax Town 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 0–0 3–0 0–0 3–1 0–1 2–4 3–1 2–2 0–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 2–0
Hartlepool 0–1 2–2 1–2 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 3–1 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–2 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 0–4 1–2 1–2 2–0 4–2
Huddersfield Town 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–3 3–0 2–1 4–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–0 0–1 0–2 3–1 4–1 2–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 3–0 1–2
Newport County 3–2 2–1 3–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 3–0 2–0 4–2 2–0 5–3 0–0 3–0 3–1 1–2 1–1 2–2 1–0 0–0 2–2 0–1 2–1
Northampton Town 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–2 5–3 3–1 2–4 0–2 3–1 1–2 0–0 1–0 2–1 3–1 1–0 0–2 0–3 1–1
Reading 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 2–1 3–0 0–0 2–1 2–3 1–0 2–0 0–0 4–3 1–0 0–1 3–1 2–1 1–4 3–3 1–3 2–2 1–0
Rochdale 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 0–2 2–0 3–1 1–3 3–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–3 2–3 3–0 1–2
Scunthorpe United 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 3–0 3–0 0–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 0–1 1–0 1–2 0–2 3–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 3–0 2–1
Southend United 5–1 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 4–0 1–1 5–0 1–1 1–3 4–2 0–0 0–2 3–1 2–0 4–2 0–2 2–1 4–0 1–0 1–0 0–0
Southport 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–2 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 3–3 3–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 0–0 2–0 0–3 0–0 2–2 0–5 4–1
Stockport County 2–1 2–1 3–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–3 6–0 0–1 2–0 1–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–0 1–3 2–2 2–0
Swansea City 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–1 5–0 1–2 3–0 2–0 2–0 8–0 1–0 4–0 2–4 2–1 3–0 3–1 0–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 3–3 3–0 1–1
Torquay United 1–1 1–2 3–1 2–1 1–2 0–0 2–0 3–1 2–2 0–0 2–1 2–0 2–1 3–0 3–0 4–2 0–1 2–2 2–0 2–4 2–3 1–1 3–0
Watford 2–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 5–2 2–1 6–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 3–0 1–0 1–0 4–1 1–1 3–2 1–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 1–3
Wimbledon 3–1 1–2 0–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 3–3 2–2 3–3 3–0 2–0 3–0 2–0 1–1 5–1 0–0 1–3 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 1–3 2–1
York City 0–0 1–2 1–2 3–2 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 0–3 2–0 2–2 0–2 1–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 0–0 0–4 1–1
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

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Locations of the Football League Fourth Division London teams 1977–1978
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Locations of the Football League Fourth Division teams 1977–1978

See also

References

  1. ^ Bob Latchford Archived 2014-06-20 at the Wayback Machine, Everton F.C. website
  2. ^ a b c d e "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  3. ^ "England 1977–78". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  4. ^ a b Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
  5. ^ "Coventry City". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  • Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
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