1970–71 Football League
The 1970–71 season was the 72nd completed season of The Football League.
Arsenal won the league championship at the home of their bitter 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 achieving European Cup Winners' Cup glory over Real Madrid.
Burnley and Blackpool 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.
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, 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.Since the goal average was used for this purpose for such a long time, it is presented in the tables below even for the seasons prior to 1894–95, and since the goal difference is a more informative piece of information for a modern reader than the goal average, the goal difference is added in this presentation after the goal average.
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.
First Division
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.- 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, 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.
Rank | Scorer | Club | League goals | FA Cup goals | League Cup goals | Texaco Cup goals | Euro competitions | Total |
1 | ![]() | Tottenham | 21 | 1 | 7 | 5 | — | 34 |
2 | ![]() | West Bromwich Albion | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 |
3 | ![]() | Arsenal | 19 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 26 |
4 | ![]() | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 | 2 | 0 | 5 | — | 24 |
5 | ![]() | Leeds United | 19 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 23 |
6 | ![]() | Everton | 17 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 23 |
7 | ![]() | Nottingham Forest | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 22 |
8 | ![]() | Manchester United | 18 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 21 |
9 | ![]() | Southampton | 17 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 21 |
10 | ![]() | Arsenal | 15 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 21 |
11 | ![]() | Southampton | 18 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 20 |
12 | ![]() | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | 20 |
13 | ![]() | Manchester City | 14 | 0 | 1 | — | 4 | 19 |
14 | ![]() | Manchester City | 13 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 19 |
15 | ![]() | Liverpool / Cardiff City | 5 + 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 + 5 | 19 |
16 | ![]() | Leeds United | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 19 |
17 | ![]() | Tottenham | 9 | 2 | 4 | 4 | — | 19 |
18 | ![]() | Stoke | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 |
19 | ![]() | Tottenham | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 17 |
20 | ![]() | Manchester United | 15 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 16 |
= | ![]() | West Ham | 15 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 16 |
22 | ![]() | Leeds United | 13 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 16 |
23 | ![]() | West Bromwich Albion | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 |
= | ![]() | Derby County | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 15 |
25 | ![]() | Liverpool | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 15 |
26 | ![]() | Newcastle / Sheffield United | 5 + 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 14 |
27 | ![]() | Chelsea | 13 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 14 |
28 | ![]() | Stoke | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 |
29 | ![]() | Arsenal | 11 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 14 |
30 | ![]() | Coventry / Nottingham Forest | 1 + 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
31 | ![]() | Newcastle / West Ham | 3 + 9 | 0 + 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 13 |
32 | ![]() | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 13 |
33 | ![]() | Crystal Palace | 10 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 13 |
34 | ![]() | Coventry | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 13 |
35 | ![]() | Manchester United | 8 | 0 | 5 | — | — | 13 |
36 | ![]() | Derby County | 11 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 12 |
37 | ![]() ![]() | Ipswich Town | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 |
38 | ![]() | Derby County | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 12 |
39 | ![]() | Crystal Palace | 9 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 12 |
40 | ![]() | Nottingham Forest | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 12 |
41 | ![]() | Huddersfield | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 |
42 | ![]() | Blackpool | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 |
43 | ![]() | Ipswich Town | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 10 |
44 | ![]() | Stoke | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 |
45 | ![]() | Arsenal | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 10 |
Second Division
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.- 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
Rank | Scorer | Club | League goals | FA Cup goals | League Cup goals | Total |
1 | ![]() | Luton Town | 24 | 4 | 2 | 30 |
2 | ![]() | Middlesbrough | 25 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
3 | ![]() | Carlisle United | 18 | 2 | 4 | 24 |
4 | ![]() | Hull | 21 | 2 | 0 | 23 |
5 | ![]() | Queens Park Rangers | 21 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
6 | ![]() | Birmingham City | 16 | 1 | 4 | 21 |
7 | ![]() | Swindon Town | 16 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
8 | ![]() | Cardiff City / Sheffield Wednesday | 13 + 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
9 | ![]() | Millwall / Queens Park Rangers | 15 + 2 | 0 | 0 + 1 | 18 |
10 | ![]() | Leicester City | 15 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
11 | ![]() | Norwich City | 15 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
12 | ![]() | Millwall | 14 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
13 | ![]() | Norwich City | 15 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
14 | ![]() | Sunderland / Rotherham | 4 + 9 | 0 + 3 | 0 | 16 |
15 | ![]() | Watford | 13 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
16 | ![]() | Hull City | 12 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
17 | ![]() | Sheffield United | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
= | ![]() | Sheffield Wednesday | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
= | ![]() | Birmingham City | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
= | ![]() | Cardiff City | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
21 | ![]() | Swindon Town | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
22 | ![]() | Middlesbrough | 13 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
23 | ![]() | Sheffield United | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
24 | ![]() | Portsmouth | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
25 | ![]() | Swindon Town | 11 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
26 | ![]() | Birmingham City | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
27 | ![]() | Carlisle United | 11 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
28 | ![]() | Middlesbrough | 11 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
29 | ![]() | Luton Town | 11 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
30 | ![]() | Leicester City / Mansfield | 3 + 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
31 | ![]() | Bristol City | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
32 | ![]() | Carlisle United | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
33 | ![]() | Queens Park Rangers | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
34 | ![]() | Leicester City | 8 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Bristol City | 8 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
36 | ![]() | Sunderland | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Millwall | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
38 | ![]() | Sheffield United | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Sunderland | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
40 | ![]() | Portsmouth | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
Third Division
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.Rank | Scorer | Club | League goals | FA Cup goals | League Cup goals | Total |
1 | ![]() | Swansea City | 18 | 7 | 2 | 27 |
2 | ![]() | Mansfield Town | 22 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
3 | ![]() | Preston North End | 22 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
4 | ![]() | Torquay United | 18 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
5 | ![]() | Shrewsbury Town | 18 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
6 | ![]() | Chesterfield | 16 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
7 | ![]() | Chesterfield | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
8 | ![]() | Bury | 18 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
9 | ![]() | Halifax Town | 18 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
10 | ![]() | Bristol Rovers | 17 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
11 | ![]() | Bradford City | 16 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
12 | ![]() | Wrexham | 16 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
13 | ![]() | Fulham | 15 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
14 | ![]() | Port Vale | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
15 | ![]() | Rochdale | 13 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
= | ![]() | Fulham | 13 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
17 | ![]() | Mansfield Town | 12 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
18 | ![]() | Bristol Rovers | 13 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
= | ![]() | Wrexham | 13 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
20 | ![]() | Rochdale | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
21 | ![]() | Reading | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
22 | ![]() | Walsall | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
23 | ![]() | Bristol Rovers | 12 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
= | ![]() | Reading | 12 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
25 | ![]() | Preston North End / Bradford City | 10 + 2 | 0 | 0 + 1 | 13 |
26 | ![]() | Brighton & Hove Albion | 11 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
27 | ![]() | Bury | 11 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
28 | ![]() | Tranmere Rovers | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
29 | ![]() | Aston Villa | 9 | 0 | 4 | 13 |
30 | ![]() | Gillingham | 11 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
31 | ![]() | Shrewsbury Town | 11 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
32 | ![]() | Aston Villa | 9 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
33 | ![]() | Aston Villa | 8 | 0 | 4 | 12 |
34 | ![]() | Halifax Town | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Plymouth Argyle | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
36 | ![]() | Fulham / Walsall | 9 + 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
37 | ![]() | Aston Villa / Birmingham City | 5 + 3 | 0 | 0 + 3 | 11 |
38 | ![]() | Tranmere Rovers | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Gillingham | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
40 | ![]() | Rochdale | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Rotherham United | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
42 | ![]() | Barnsley | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
43 | ![]() | Doncaster Rovers | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Halifax Town | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
45 | ![]() | Swansea City | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Fourth Division
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.Rank | Scorer | Club | League goals | FA Cup goals | League Cup goals | Total |
1 | ![]() | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 42 | 7 | 0 | 49 |
2 | ![]() | Colchester United | 25 | 7 | 0 | 32 |
3 | ![]() | York City | 26 | 5 | 0 | 31 |
4 | ![]() | Oldham | 24 | 0 | 2 | 26 |
5 | ![]() | Aldershot | 21 | 3 | 1 | 25 |
6 | ![]() | Bournemouth / York City | 11 + 9 | 0 + 1 | 0 + 3 | 24 |
7 | ![]() | Oldham | 23 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
8 | ![]() | Notts County | 22 | 1 | 0 | 23 |
9 | ![]() | Crewe Alexandra | 20 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
10 | ![]() | Southend | 19 | 3 | 0 | 22 |
11 | ![]() | Exeter City | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
12 | ![]() | Lincoln City | 18 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
13 | ![]() | Exeter City | 18 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
14 | ![]() | Peterborough United | 17 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
= | ![]() | Darlington | 17 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
16 | ![]() | Northampton Town | 15 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
17 | ![]() | Lincoln City / Barrow | 11 + 3 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
18 | ![]() | Cambridge United / Crewe Alexandra | 11 + 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
19 | ![]() | Chester | 16 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
= | ![]() | Stockport | 16 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
= | ![]() | Chester | 16 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
22 | ![]() | Brentford | 15 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
23 | ![]() | Darlington | 13 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
24 | ![]() | Lincoln City | 13 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
25 | ![]() | Lincoln City | 10 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
26 | ![]() | Aldershot | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
= | ![]() | Brentford | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
28 | ![]() | Northampton Town | 14 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
29 | ![]() | Newport County | 13 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
30 | ![]() | Notts County | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
= | ![]() | Barrow | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
32 | ![]() | Oldham | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
= | ![]() | York City | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
= | ![]() | Darlington | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
= | ![]() | Crewe Alexandra | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
36 | ![]() | Notts County | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
37 | ![]() | Peterborough United | 11 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
38 | ![]() | Brentford | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
39 | ![]() | Peterborough United | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
= | ![]() | Southport | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
41 | ![]() | Oxford / Scunthorpe & Lindsey | 4 + 7 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
42 | ![]() | Notts County | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
43 | ![]() | Southend United | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
44 | ![]() | Notts County | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Scunthorpe & Lindsey | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Barrow | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Grimsby Town / Luton Town | 9 + 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
48 | ![]() | Peterborough United | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Chester | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
50 | ![]() | Oldham | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
= | ![]() | Scunthorpe & Lindsey | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
52 | ![]() | Grimsby Town | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Crewe Alexandra | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
54 | ![]() | Newport County | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
= | ![]() | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
56 | ![]() | Oldham | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
57 | ![]() | Workington | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |