1991–92 Football League
The
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,[1] with home and away statistics separated.
First Division
Season | 1991–92 |
---|---|
Champions | Leeds United 3rd English title |
Relegated | Luton Town Notts County West Ham United |
Champions League | Leeds United |
Cup Winners' Cup | Liverpool |
UEFA Cup | Manchester United Sheffield Wednesday |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,175 (2.54 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Ian Wright (29 goals)[2] |
Biggest home win | Arsenal 7–1 Sheffield Wednesday (15 February 1992) |
Biggest away win | Sheffield Wednesday 1–6 Leeds United (12 January 1992) |
Highest scoring | Oldham Athletic 3–6 Manchester United (26 December 1991) |
Longest winning run | 6 matches Southampton |
Longest unbeaten run | 17 matches Arsenal |
Longest losing run | 6 matches Norwich City |
← 1990–91 |
Overview
With the announcement halfway through the season that the
Newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday had won the Football League Cup to end their 56-year wait for a major trophy, but were then left without a manager when
West Ham United and Notts County went straight back down to the First Division after just one season, while Luton Town were relegated on the final day of the season after a decade in the First Division, with their defeat at the season's end ensuring that Coventry City secured a 26th successive season among the elite. Norwich City, who reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the second time in four seasons but finished 18th after a dismal end to the league season, saw their manager
As one highly promising English striker's career was taking off, a goal scoring legend was on his way out of the English league. In November 1991, Tottenham and England striker
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Leeds United (C) | 42 | 22 | 16 | 4 | 74 | 37 | +37 | 82 | Qualification for the UEFA Champions League first round |
2 | Manchester United | 42 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 63 | 33 | +30 | 78 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a] |
3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 75 | |
4 | Arsenal | 42 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 81 | 46 | +35 | 72 | |
5 | Manchester City | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 70 | |
6 | Liverpool | 42 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 47 | 40 | +7 | 64 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
7 | Aston Villa | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 60 | |
8 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 59 | |
9 | Sheffield United | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 65 | 63 | +2 | 57 | |
10 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 53 | 61 | −8 | 57 | |
11 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 54 | |
12 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 52 | 51 | +1 | 53 | |
13 | Wimbledon | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 53 | |
14 | Chelsea | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 53 | |
15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 58 | 63 | −5 | 52 | |
16 | Southampton | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 39 | 55 | −16 | 52 | |
17 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 63 | 67 | −4 | 51 | |
18 | Norwich City | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 45 | |
19 | Coventry City | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 44 | |
20 | Luton Town (R) | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 38 | 71 | −33 | 42 | Relegated[b] |
21 | Notts County (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 40 | 62 | −22 | 40 | |
22 | West Ham United (R) | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 37 | 59 | −22 | 38 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Manchester United also won the League Cup – that UEFA Cup qualifying place was passed down to the third-placed League team.[3][4]
- ^ From the 1992–93 season, the first tier became the Premier League, and the second tier, then known as the Second Division, was renamed to the First Division.
Results
Map
Second Division
Season | 1991–92 |
---|---|
Champions | Ipswich Town |
Promoted | Ipswich Town Middlesbrough Blackburn Rovers |
Relegated | Plymouth Argyle Brighton & Hove Albion Port Vale |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,418 (2.57 per match) |
Top goalscorer | David Speedie Duncan Shearer (23 goals each)[2] |
← 1990–91 |
Overview
The Second Division title was won by Ipswich Town, with John Lyall taking the Suffolk club back to the top flight after a six-year absence. Middlesbrough were also automatically promoted as runners-up on the final day of the season, but it was play-off winners Blackburn Rovers whose promotion made the biggest headlines. Bankrolled by millionaire chairman Jack Walker and managed by former Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish, Rovers spent several million pounds of building a promotion-winning squad, clinching their promotion with a 1–0 win over Leicester City in the play-off final, booking a place in the new Premier League after 26 years away from the elite of the English league. Blackburn had also overcome the Second Division's other heavy-spending side, Derby County in the semi-finals of the playoffs. Leicester had faced a different sort of challenge in their semi-final clash, travelling to East Anglia for the first leg, where they were paired with a Cambridge United managed by John Beck and the attack being led by Leicester-born forward Dion Dublin, in hunt of a unique third successive promotion. The first leg at the Abbey Stadium had ended in a 1–1 draw, before Leicester triumphed 5–0 in the return leg at Filbert Street.
In manager Jim Smith's first full season as manager, Portsmouth just missed out on the Second Division playoffs but enjoyed a memorable run in the FA Cup, taking eventual winners Liverpool to a replay in the semi-finals before losing on penalties.
By the turn of 1992, fallen giants
Newcastle's local rivals Sunderland were disappointing in the league, failing to mount a promotion challenge in the Second Division following their relegation the previous campaign, but reached the FA Cup final – the first team from the Second Division to do so for more than a decade – where they lost 2–0 to Liverpool.
The relegation places were occupied by
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ipswich Town (C, P) | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 70 | 50 | +20 | 84 | Promotion to the Premier League |
2 | Middlesbrough (P) | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 80 | |
3 | Derby County | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 78 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
4 | Leicester City | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 77 | |
5 | Cambridge United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 74 | |
6 | Blackburn Rovers (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 70 | 53 | +17 | 74 | |
7 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 71 | |
8 | Swindon Town | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 69 | 55 | +14 | 69 | |
9 | Portsmouth | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 65 | 51 | +14 | 69 | |
10 | Watford | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 65 | |
11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 61 | 54 | +7 | 64 | |
12 | Southend United | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 62 | |
13 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 60 | 63 | −3 | 62 | |
14 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 61 | |
15 | Millwall | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 64 | 71 | −7 | 61 | |
16 | Barnsley | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 59 | |
17 | Bristol City | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 55 | 71 | −16 | 54 | |
18 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 53 | |
19 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 47 | 62 | −15 | 53 | |
20 | Newcastle United | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 66 | 84 | −18 | 52 | |
21 | Oxford United | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 66 | 73 | −7 | 50 | |
22 | Plymouth Argyle (R) | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 42 | 64 | −22 | 48 | Relegated |
23 | Brighton & Hove Albion (R) | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 56 | 77 | −21 | 47 | |
24 | Port Vale (R) | 46 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 42 | 59 | −17 | 45 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Play-offs
The semi-finals were decided over two legs, while the final consisted a single match.
Semi-finals 1st leg – 10 May; 2nd leg – 13 May 1992 | Final at Wembley 25 May 1992 | ||||||||||
3rd | Derby County | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||
6th | Blackburn Rovers | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||
6th | Blackburn Rovers | 1 | |||||||||
4th | Leicester City | 0 | |||||||||
4th | Leicester City | 1 | 5 | 6 | |||||||
5th | Cambridge United | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Map
Third Division
Season | 1991–92 |
---|---|
Champions | Brentford (1st title) |
Promoted | Birmingham City, Peterborough United |
Relegation to the Football League Third Division | None |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,435 (2.6 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Dean Holdsworth (Brentford), 24; Iwan Roberts (Huddersfield Town) 24[2] |
Biggest home win | Shrewsbury Town 6–1 Exeter City (31 August 1991) Reading 6–1 Torquay United (11 April 1992) Stockport 5–0 Swansea City (17 August 1991) Stockport 5–0 Bournemouth (13 March 1992) |
Biggest away win | Stockport 0–4 Chester City (18 October 1991) Hartlepool United 0–4 Bolton Wanderers (3 March 1992) |
Highest scoring | Bradford City 4–6 Swansea City (23 November 1991) |
← 1990–91 → |
Overview
In their first full season under the management of Phil Holder, Brentford clinched in the Third Division title and won promotion to the newly rebranded Division One for the 1992–93 season, ending their 14-year run in the league's third tier. Birmingham City, another team with a new manager in the shape of Terry Cooper, finished runners-up to claim their return to the league's second tier at the third time of asking. In the playoffs, two newly promoted teams battled it out for a second successive promotion. Peterborough United came out 2-1 winners against Stockport County to reach the league's second tier for the first time.
Lou Macari's first season as manager of Stoke City ended in disappointment as they finished fourth in the league but saw their promotion hopes ended by a defeat to Stockport County in the playoffs. West Bromwich Albion, in the Third Division for the first time, failed to win promotion at the first time of asking, a win at doomed Shrewsbury Town on the final day of the season not being enough to secure a playoff place. This disappointment was swiftly followed by the end of Bobby Gould's unpopular 15-month reign as manager. Bolton Wanderers, who had narrowly missed out on promotion the previous season, finished a disappointing 13th in the league and sacked manager Phil Neal after nearly seven years in charge, turning to Bruce Rioch as the man to mastermind their Division Two promotion challenge for the 1992–93 season.
Darlington suffered an immediate relegation back to the Fourth Division following two successive promotions, with manager Frank Gray unable to adjust the County Durham side to the pace of a higher division following the departure of his predecessor Brian Little in the summer of 1991. Torquay United also went straight back down to the league's basement division, following a turbulent season which saw three different men occupy the manager's seat at Plainmoor, with not even the mid-season signing of striker Justin Fashanu and his 10 goals from 21 Third Division fixtures being enough to secure survival. Shrewsbury Town also went down, as did a Bury side who had almost won promotion the previous season.
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brentford | 46 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 55 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 26 | +26 | 82 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Birmingham City | 46 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 42 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 30 | +17 | 81 | Promoted |
3 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 23 | +21 | 78 | Participated in play-offs |
4 | Stoke City | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 24 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 24 | 25 | +20 | 77 | |
5 | Stockport County | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 47 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 28 | 32 | +24 | 76 | |
6 | Peterborough United | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 38 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 27 | 38 | +7 | 74 | Promoted through play-offs[a] |
7 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 45 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 24 | +15 | 71 | |
8 | Bournemouth | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 33 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 30 | +4 | 71 | |
9 | Fulham | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 37 | +4 | 70 | |
10 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 34 | +10 | 65 | |
11 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 27 | 36 | 0 | 65 | |
12 | Reading | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 33 | 27 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 26 | 35 | −3 | 61 | |
13 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 26 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 31 | 37 | +1 | 59 | |
14 | Hull City | 46 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 28 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 26 | 31 | 0 | 59 | |
15 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 25 | 43 | −6 | 59 | |
16 | Bradford City | 46 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 36 | 30 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 26 | 31 | +1 | 58 | |
17 | Preston North End | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 42 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 40 | −11 | 57 | |
18 | Chester City | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 29 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 30 | −3 | 56 | |
19 | Swansea City | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 20 | 41 | −10 | 56 | |
20 | Exeter City | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 34 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 55 | −23 | 53 | |
21 | Bury | 46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 31 | 31 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 43 | −19 | 51 | Relegated |
22 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 23 | 37 | −15 | 47 | |
23 | Torquay United | 46 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 13 | 49 | −26 | 47 | |
24 | Darlington | 46 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 31 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 25 | 51 | −34 | 37 |
Notes:
- ^ Peterborough United won the play-offs and were promoted.
Results
Play-offs
The semi-finals were decided over two legs, while the final consisted of a single match.
Semi-finals 1st leg – 10/11 May; 2nd leg – 13/14 May 1992 | Final at Wembley 1 June 1992 | ||||||||||
3rd | Huddersfield Town | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
6th | Peterborough United | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||
6th | Peterborough United | 2 | |||||||||
5th | Stockport County | 1 | |||||||||
4th | Stoke City | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
5th | Stockport County | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Map
Fourth Division
Season | 1991–92 |
---|---|
Champions | Burnley (1st title) |
Promoted | Mansfield Town, Rotherham United, Blackpool |
Folded | Aldershot |
New club in the league | Barnet |
Matches played | 462 |
Goals scored | 1,247 (2.7 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Dave Bamber (Blackpool), 26; Phil Stant (Mansfield Town), 26[2] |
← 1990–91 → |
Overview
Following a slow start to the season which saw manager Frank Casper replaced by Jimmy Mullen in October 1991, Burnley made huge progress in the league and won the Fourth Division title to join Wolverhampton Wanderers as champions of all four divisions of the Football League, also ending their seven-year stay in the Fourth Division.
Runners-up Rotherham United and third-placed Mansfield Town achieved immediate promotion from the Fourth Division, one season after relegation. They were joined by the previous season's beaten playoff finalists Blackpool, who found themselves level with their opponents at the end of extra time as had happened a year earlier, but this time emerged victorious after defeating Scunthorpe United in the shootout. Barnet, in the Football League for the first time, reached the playoff semi-finals but their hopes of a second successive promotion were ended when they were beaten by Blackpool. Crewe Alexandra's hopes of an instant return to the league's third tier were ended in a similar fashion by Scunthorpe United.
On 25 March 1992, Aldershot were declared bankrupt and obliged to resign from the Football League – their record was expunged. A new club to represent the Hampshire town was formed within weeks, but Aldershot Town had to start the 1992–93 season in the Third Division of Isthmian League – five divisions below the original club's final division. Carlisle United eventually finished bottom, but there was no relegation from the Football League in 1991–92 – although Conference champions Colchester United were still promoted, returning to the league after a two-year absence.
Wrexham, the league's lowest placed club the previous season, made good progress in 1991–92 to finish 14th, but the big story of the season came in January 1992 when they defeated defending First Division champions Arsenal 2–1 at the Racecourse Ground in their FA Cup third round tie.
As the season drew to its close, speculation was mounting about the future of another club, Maidstone United, who had been without a home of their own since becoming tenants at Dartford in 1988 and were now hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt.
Returning to the Football League for the 1992–93 season were the Conference champions Colchester United, who were promoted back to the league after a two-year absence following a two-horse promotion race with Wycombe Wanderers.
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Burnley | 42 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 42 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 27 | +36 | 83 | Division Champions, promoted |
2 | Rotherham United | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 38 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 21 | +33 | 77 | Promoted |
3 | Mansfield Town | 42 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 32 | 27 | +22 | 77 | |
4 | Blackpool | 42 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 23 | 32 | +26 | 76 | Promoted through play-offs[a] |
5 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 41 | +5 | 72 | Participated in play-offs |
6 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 31 | +15 | 70 | |
7 | Barnet[b] | 42 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 48 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 33 | 38 | +20 | 69 | |
8 | Rochdale | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 34 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 31 | +4 | 67 | |
9 | Cardiff City | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 26 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 27 | +13 | 66 | Welsh Cup winners, qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1992–93 First round |
10 | Lincoln City | 42 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 20 | +6 | 62 | |
11 | Gillingham | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 34 | +10 | 57 | |
12 | Scarborough | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 39 | 28 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 25 | 40 | −4 | 57 | |
13 | Chesterfield | 42 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 33 | −12 | 53 | |
14 | Wrexham | 42 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 31 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 47 | −21 | 51 | |
15 | Walsall | 42 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 28 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 32 | −10 | 49 | |
16 | Northampton | 42 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 34 | −11 | 46 | |
17 | Hereford United | 42 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 33 | −13 | 44 | |
18 | Maidstone United | 42 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 24 | 22 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 34 | −11 | 42 | |
19 | York City | 42 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 23 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 35 | −16 | 40 | |
20 | Halifax Town | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 35 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 40 | −41 | 38 | |
21 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 21 | 35 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 30 | −25 | 35 | |
22 | Carlisle United | 42 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 24 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 40 | −26 | 34 | |
23 | Aldershot | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Expelled from the Football League[c] |
Notes:
Results
Play-offs
The semi-finals were decided over two legs, while the final consisted of a single match.
Semi-finals 1st leg – 10 May; 2nd leg – 13 May 1992 | Final at Wembley 23 May 1992 | ||||||||||
4th | Blackpool | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
7th | Barnet | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
4th | Blackpool | 1 (4) | |||||||||
5th | Scunthorpe United (pen.) | 1 (3) | |||||||||
5th | Scunthorpe United | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||
6th | Crewe Alexandra | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Map
See also
References
- ^ "England 1991–92". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ "The Competition – EFL". English Football League.
- ^ "European qualification for UEFA competitions explained". premierleague.com.