1968–69 Football League

The 1968–69 season was the 70th completed season of The Football League.

Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool. Newly promoted Queens Park Rangers were relegated after finishing bottom along with Leicester City.

Jim Hunter scored 22 goals including his 100th career goal in February 1969 against Coventry City

Derby County were runaway winners of the Second Division and they were joined in promotion by runners-up Crystal Palace. Despite still boasting the talents of Johnny Haynes and George Cohen, Fulham finished bottom and were relegated. They were joined in the Third Division by perennial strugglers Bury

Watford won the Third Division title on goal average from Swindon Town and both teams were duly promoted. At the bottom end Northampton Town, Hartlepool, Crewe Alexandra and Oldham Athletic were all relegated.

The Fourth Division was won by Doncaster Rovers, who were promoted along with Halifax Town, Rochdale and Bradford City. No team failed re-election so no new members were admitted to the Football League.

Final league tables and results

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.

Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the bottom four teams of that division have been required to apply for re-election.Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane's, London & Sydney, 1980.

First Division

Results

Maps

Second Division

Results

Maps

Third Division

Results

With thirteen minutes remaining in the Barrow v Plymouth Argyle match on the 9th of November 1968, the score was 0-0. After Barrow took a corner-kick, the ball was cleared towards Barrow player George Mclean. His shot from outside the penalty area was going wide, but hit referee Ivan Robinson and went into the net. Robinson had no choice but to award the goal. Barrow held on to win 1-0.

Maps

Fourth Division

Results

Maps

Attendances Source:

Division One No. Club Average ± Highest Lowest 1 Manchester United 51,169 -11.1% 63,274 36,638 2 Liverpool FC 47,340 1.3% 54,496 40,449 3 Everton FC 45,958 -2.2% 63,938 36,035 4 Arsenal FC 38,423 20.5% 62,300 23,891 5 Chelsea FC 37,613 4.5% 60,436 17,639 6 Tottenham Hotspur FC 37,455 -12.1% 56,280 21,608 7 Leeds United FC 36,998 0.8% 48,145 24,494 8 Newcastle United FC 34,016 -8.7% 48,588 20,374 9 Manchester City FC 33,750 -9.3% 63,052 20,108 10 Coventry City FC 33,223 -4.3% 45,402 24,126 11 West Ham United FC 31,125 4.3% 41,546 24,903 12 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 30,714 -12.3% 44,023 24,330 13 Leicester City FC 28,446 16.0% 41,130 21,086 14 Sheffield Wednesday FC 26,866 -14.6% 50,490 18,055 15 West Bromwich Albion FC 25,096 -2.8% 38,299 16,483 16 Sunderland AFC 24,949 -19.2% 49,428 15,575 17 Nottingham Forest FC 24,920 -23.8% 41,892 17,651 18 Ipswich Town FC 23,593 26.7% 30,837 17,780 19 Southampton FC 22,492 -8.8% 28,147 17,957 20 Queens Park Rangers FC 21,579 16.9% 31,138 12,489 21 Stoke City FC 18,984 -13.5% 30,562 8,833 22 Burnley FC 16,073 -7.8% 32,935 9,597

Division Two

No. Club Average ± Highest Lowest 1 Derby County FC 27,659 32.3% 34,976 21,737 2 Birmingham City FC 26,095 -7.3% 40,527 18,958 3 Aston Villa FC 24,656 24.6% 53,647 12,758 4 Middlesbrough FC 21,063 11.4% 29,824 10,417 5 Crystal Palace FC 19,874 15.9% 43,781 11,071 6 Portsmouth FC 19,163 -16.6% 28,642 13,960 7 Charlton Athletic FC 17,973 28.9% 32,768 9,270 8 Cardiff City FC 16,870 26.8% 26,210 10,809 9 Sheffield United FC 15,480 -31.2% 23,609 9,645 10 Bristol City FC 15,463 -3.0% 20,632 9,664 11 Millwall FC 15,388 13.9% 27,913 10,227 12 Blackpool FC 15,123 -12.0% 27,975 9,524 13 Fulham FC 14,221 -36.0% 23,132 7,154 14 Hull City AFC 14,216 -9.1% 24,307 8,702 15 Norwich City FC 13,750 -15.6% 19,431 7,861 16 Preston North End FC 13,215 -12.2% 20,711 8,224 17 Oxford United FC 11,636 39.8% 18,020 7,085 18 Blackburn Rovers FC 10,617 -21.5% 21,224 4,777 19 Bolton Wanderers FC 10,536 -8.3% 16,627 5,106 20 Huddersfield Town AFC 10,167 -12.0% 18,614 5,702 21 Carlisle United FC 9,212 -11.5% 13,920 5,546 22 Bury FC 7,765 -6.2% 15,361 3,063

Division Three

No. Club Average ± Highest Lowest 1 Swindon Town FC 18,055 32.4% 29,106 10,787 2 Luton Town FC 14,896 20.1% 25,523 10,971 3 Watford FC 13,576 52.3% 22,515 6,950 4 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 10,840 3.3% 16,229 6,395 5 Plymouth Argyle FC 10,599 -0.6% 20,810 6,603 6 Barnsley FC 9,459 -12.6% 14,160 5,631 7 Rotherham United FC 9,077 -12.4% 15,058 6,831 8 Torquay United FC 8,285 -8.9% 15,660 5,802 9 AFC Bournemouth 7,564 26.4% 12,113 3,621 10 Stockport County FC 7,173 -12.9% 13,246 2,569 11 Bristol Rovers FC 7,118 -12.2% 10,614 4,768 12 Mansfield Town FC 7,049 18.5% 13,291 4,635 13 Northampton Town FC 6,790 -24.0% 15,161 4,406 14 Reading FC 6,552 -19.4% 17,629 3,467 15 Tranmere Rovers 6,040 -18.4% 8,353 2,861 16 Walsall FC 5,867 -35.7% 10,654 4,412 17 Leyton Orient FC 5,658 20.0% 13,719 3,240 18 Shrewsbury Town FC 5,516 -17.4% 7,968 2,211 19 Gillingham FC 5,387 -6.6% 8,227 3,860 20 Crewe Alexandra FC 4,804 -18.8% 9,053 2,331 21 Barrow AFC 4,676 -22.9% 7,407 2,919 22 Hartlepool United FC 4,200 -32.1% 6,791 2,035 23 Southport FC 4,188 -29.1% 6,578 2,461 24 Oldham Athletic FC 3,862 -32.8% 6,967 2,073

Division Four

No. Club Average ± Highest Lowest 1 Southend United FC 10,559 -0.6% 13,052 7,684 2 Doncaster Rovers FC 10,211 30.0% 22,268 5,497 3 Lincoln City FC 7,912 18.2% 12,208 6,033 4 Bradford City AFC 7,214 -1.7% 12,441 3,568 5 Brentford FC 6,419 3.4% 9,806 3,361 6 Colchester United FC 6,273 57.2% 10,604 3,199 7 Darlington FC 6,164 53.1% 11,851 4,095 8 Aldershot Town FC 5,882 4.7% 9,280 4,001 9 Chester City FC 5,875 33.1% 13,943 2,468 10 Halifax Town AFC 5,670 26.0% 17,186 2,674 11 Swansea City AFC 5,660 -3.3% 11,879 1,984 12 Peterborough United FC 5,618 -18.5% 8,532 3,758 13 Wrexham AFC 5,604 -16.7% 13,935 3,048 14 Rochdale AFC 5,399 135.6% 12,806 2,038 15 Exeter City FC 5,371 39.3% 12,714 3,264 16 Chesterfield FC 5,063 -50.4% 9,756 2,404 17 Notts County FC 4,778 -15.3% 9,801 3,089 18 Port Vale FC 4,361 -10.7% 6,152 2,679 19 Grimsby Town FC 3,984 -7.4% 7,844 1,833 20 York City FC 3,883 -15.2% 5,559 2,462 21 Scunthorpe United FC 3,644 -5.2% 6,650 2,080 22 Bradford Park Avenue AFC 3,273 -9.3% 10,784 1,572 23 Newport County AFC 2,457 -26.1% 5,083 1,192 24 Workington AFC 2,370 13.6% 4,292 1,225

See also 1968–69 in English football

References

Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane's, London & Sydney, 1980.