| Season | 1949–50 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's football | ||||
| First Division | Portsmouth | |||
| Second Division | Tottenham | |||
| FA Cup | Arsenal | |||
| ||||
The1949–50 season was the 70th season of competitivefootball in England.
Portsmouth retained the First Division title by one of the narrowest margins in history ahead ofWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.[citation needed]
An event that was much talked about in the city ofSheffield for many years was the way the promotion race from theSecond Division was won. Going into the last game of the season,Sheffield Wednesday needed to beatTottenham Hotspur to clinch promotion at the expense of their local rivalsSheffield United. The resulting 0–0 draw meant Wednesday won promotion by agoal average difference of just 0.008 – a 1–1 draw would have left the two great rivals level on points and goal average, and a unique play-off match would have had to be played.[citation needed]
Joe Mercer captained the winning Arsenal team in the FA Cup and was namedFWA Footballer of the Year.[1]
Manchester United returned to a rebuiltOld Trafford eight years after it had been damaged by theLuftwaffe, but failed to win any silverware this season.[citation needed][2]
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portsmouth(C) | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 74 | 38 | 1.947 | 53 | |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 76 | 49 | 1.551 | 53 | |
| 3 | Sunderland | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 83 | 62 | 1.339 | 52 | |
| 4 | Manchester United | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 69 | 44 | 1.568 | 50 | |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 77 | 55 | 1.400 | 50 | |
| 6 | Arsenal | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 79 | 55 | 1.436 | 49 | |
| 7 | Blackpool | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 46 | 35 | 1.314 | 49 | |
| 8 | Liverpool | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 64 | 54 | 1.185 | 48 | |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 59 | 48 | 1.229 | 47 | |
| 10 | Burnley | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 40 | 40 | 1.000 | 45 | |
| 11 | Derby County | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 69 | 61 | 1.131 | 44 | |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 61 | 61 | 1.000 | 42 | |
| 13 | Chelsea | 42 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 58 | 65 | 0.892 | 40 | |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 47 | 53 | 0.887 | 40 | |
| 15 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 52 | 73 | 0.712 | 37 | |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 45 | 59 | 0.763 | 34 | |
| 17 | Fulham | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 41 | 54 | 0.759 | 34 | |
| 18 | Everton | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 42 | 66 | 0.636 | 34 | |
| 19 | Stoke City | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 45 | 75 | 0.600 | 34 | |
| 20 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 13 | 6 | 23 | 53 | 65 | 0.815 | 32 | |
| 21 | Manchester City(R) | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 36 | 68 | 0.529 | 29 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 22 | Birmingham City(R) | 42 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 31 | 67 | 0.463 | 28 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur(C, P) | 42 | 27 | 7 | 8 | 81 | 35 | 2.314 | 61 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday(P) | 42 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 67 | 48 | 1.396 | 52 | |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 68 | 49 | 1.388 | 52 | |
| 4 | Southampton | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 64 | 48 | 1.333 | 52 | |
| 5 | Leeds United | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 54 | 45 | 1.200 | 47 | |
| 6 | Preston North End | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 60 | 49 | 1.224 | 45 | |
| 7 | Hull City | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 64 | 72 | 0.889 | 45 | |
| 8 | Swansea Town | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 53 | 49 | 1.082 | 43 | |
| 9 | Brentford | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 44 | 49 | 0.898 | 43 | |
| 10 | Cardiff City | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 44 | 0.932 | 42 | |
| 11 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 74 | 73 | 1.014 | 40 | |
| 12 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 55 | 55 | 1.000 | 39 | |
| 13 | Barnsley | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 64 | 67 | 0.955 | 39 | |
| 14 | Chesterfield | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 43 | 47 | 0.915 | 39 | |
| 15 | Leicester City | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 55 | 65 | 0.846 | 39 | |
| 16 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 55 | 60 | 0.917 | 38 | |
| 17 | Luton Town | 42 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 41 | 51 | 0.804 | 38 | |
| 18 | Bury | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 60 | 65 | 0.923 | 37 | |
| 19 | West Ham United | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 53 | 61 | 0.869 | 36 | |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 40 | 57 | 0.702 | 34 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle(R) | 42 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 44 | 65 | 0.677 | 32 | Relegation to theThird Division South |
| 22 | Bradford (Park Avenue)(R) | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 51 | 77 | 0.662 | 31 | Relegation to theThird Division North |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doncaster Rovers(C, P) | 42 | 19 | 17 | 6 | 66 | 38 | 1.737 | 55 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Gateshead | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 87 | 54 | 1.611 | 53 | |
| 3 | Rochdale | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 68 | 41 | 1.659 | 51 | |
| 4 | Lincoln City | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 60 | 39 | 1.538 | 51 | |
| 5 | Tranmere Rovers | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 51 | 48 | 1.063 | 49 | |
| 6 | Rotherham United | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 80 | 59 | 1.356 | 48 | |
| 7 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 68 | 55 | 1.236 | 48 | |
| 8 | Mansfield Town | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 66 | 54 | 1.222 | 48 | |
| 9 | Carlisle United | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 68 | 51 | 1.333 | 47 | |
| 10 | Stockport County | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 55 | 52 | 1.058 | 45 | |
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 58 | 63 | 0.921 | 43 | |
| 12 | Chester | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 70 | 79 | 0.886 | 40 | |
| 13 | Accrington Stanley | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 57 | 62 | 0.919 | 39 | |
| 14 | New Brighton | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 45 | 63 | 0.714 | 38 | |
| 15 | Barrow | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 47 | 53 | 0.887 | 37 | |
| 16 | Southport | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 51 | 71 | 0.718 | 37 | |
| 17 | Darlington | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 56 | 69 | 0.812 | 35 | |
| 18 | Hartlepools United | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 52 | 79 | 0.658 | 33 | |
| 19 | Bradford City | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 61 | 76 | 0.803 | 32 | |
| 20 | Wrexham | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 54 | 0.722 | 32 | |
| 21 | Halifax Town | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 58 | 85 | 0.682 | 32 | Re-elected |
| 22 | York City | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 52 | 70 | 0.743 | 31 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County(C, P) | 42 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 95 | 50 | 1.900 | 58 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Northampton Town | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 72 | 50 | 1.440 | 51 | |
| 3 | Southend United | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 66 | 48 | 1.375 | 51 | |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 67 | 39 | 1.718 | 49 | |
| 5 | Torquay United | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 66 | 63 | 1.048 | 48 | |
| 6 | Watford | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 45 | 35 | 1.286 | 45 | |
| 7 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 55 | 54 | 1.019 | 44 | |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 57 | 69 | 0.826 | 44 | |
| 9 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 19 | 5 | 18 | 51 | 51 | 1.000 | 43 | |
| 10 | Reading | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 70 | 64 | 1.094 | 42 | |
| 11 | Norwich City | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 63 | 1.032 | 42 | |
| 12 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 57 | 56 | 1.018 | 42 | |
| 13 | Port Vale | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 47 | 42 | 1.119 | 41 | |
| 14 | Swindon Town | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 59 | 62 | 0.952 | 41 | |
| 15 | Bristol City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 60 | 61 | 0.984 | 40 | |
| 16 | Exeter City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 63 | 75 | 0.840 | 39 | |
| 17 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 57 | 86 | 0.663 | 35 | |
| 18 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 53 | 85 | 0.624 | 35 | |
| 19 | Walsall | 42 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 61 | 62 | 0.984 | 34 | |
| 20 | Aldershot | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 48 | 60 | 0.800 | 34 | |
| 21 | Newport County | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 67 | 98 | 0.684 | 34 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Millwall | 42 | 14 | 4 | 24 | 55 | 63 | 0.873 | 32 |
First Division
Second Division
Third Division North
Third Division South