| Season | 1992–93 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Newcastle United |
| Promoted | Newcastle United West Ham United Swindon Town |
| Relegated | Halifax Town |
| Folded | Maidstone United |
| New club in League | Colchester United |
1993–94 → | |
The 1992–93 season was the 94th completed season of theFootball League.
This season saw the birth of thePremier League. In 1992, all of theFirst Division clubs resigned from the Football League and, on 27 May 1992, the FA Premier League was formed as alimited company, which worked out of an office atthe Football Association’s then headquarters,Lancaster Gate. Hence, the 104-year-old Football League was reduced from four divisions to three, with the oldSecond,Third andFourth Divisions becoming the new First, Second and Third Divisions respectively.
The league was sponsored this season byBarclays.The play offs then involved team from premier league against team from championship, as per Steve King (kinky senior)
The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found atThe Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website.[1] Play-off results are from the same website.
| Season | 1992–93 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Newcastle United |
| Promoted | Newcastle United West Ham United Swindon Town |
| Relegated | Brentford Cambridge United Bristol Rovers |
| Matches | 552 |
| Goals | 1,449 (2.63 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Guy Whittingham (42 goals)[2] |
1993–94 → | |
Newcastle United, who won their first 10 league games, clinched the Division One title with an impressive 96 points to end a four-year exile from the top flight of English football. West Ham United sealed an instant return to the top flight a year after relegation, edging ahead of Portsmouth on 'Goals Scored' to finished second. Portsmouth's promotion bid, dominated by the form of 42-goal strikerGuy Whittingham, ended in the playoff semi-finals when they were beaten by Leicester City, who prevailed thanks to goals by Ian Ormondroyd and Steve Thompson. Leicester then went on to lose the final 4–3 to Swindon Town after clawing back from 3–0 down before a late penalty fromPaul Bodin saw Swindon clinch victory and a place in the top flight for the first time ever. The other losing semi-finalists in the playoffs were Tranmere Rovers, playing only their second season at this level in the postwar era.
Millwall finished one place outside the playoff zone in the first season in management forMick McCarthy, while pre-season promotion favourites Derby County could only manage an eighth-place finish despite having spent millions on new players over the previous two years. Unfancied Grimsby Town and Peterborough United finished in the top half of the table, comfortably above bigger clubs like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City.
Luton Town and Notts County, newly relegated from the top flight, spent the season battling at the wrong end of the division but managed to avoid a second successive relegation, as did a Sunderland side who had been FA Cup finalists one season earlier and members of the top flight two seasons earlier.
Bristol Rovers went down in bottom place after a dismal season. Cambridge United, playoff semi-finalists the previous season, struggled after the sale ofDion Dublin and went down on the last day of the season, as did a Brentford side who had been on the fringe of the playoff places at Christmas before a slump in form during the second half of the season cost the Bees their Division One status and managerPhil Holder his job.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United(C, P) | 46 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 92 | 38 | +54 | 96 | Promotion to thePremier League |
| 2 | West Ham United(P) | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 81 | 41 | +40 | 88 | |
| 3 | Portsmouth | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 80 | 46 | +34 | 88 | Qualification for theFirst Division play-offs |
| 4 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 72 | 56 | +16 | 79 | |
| 5 | Swindon Town(O, P) | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 74 | 59 | +15 | 76 | |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 71 | 64 | +7 | 76 | |
| 7 | Millwall | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 70 | |
| 8 | Derby County | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 68 | 57 | +11 | 66 | |
| 9 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 64 | |
| 10 | Peterborough United | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 55 | 63 | −8 | 62 | |
| 11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 61 | |
| 12 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 61 | |
| 13 | Barnsley | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 56 | 60 | −4 | 60 | |
| 14 | Oxford United | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 56 | −3 | 56 | |
| 15 | Bristol City | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 56 | |
| 16 | Watford | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 57 | 71 | −14 | 55 | |
| 17 | Notts County | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 55 | 70 | −15 | 52 | |
| 18 | Southend United | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 54 | 64 | −10 | 52 | |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 50 | 72 | −22 | 51 | |
| 20 | Luton Town | 46 | 10 | 21 | 15 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 51 | |
| 21 | Sunderland | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 50 | 64 | −14 | 50 | |
| 22 | Brentford(R) | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 52 | 71 | −19 | 49 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 23 | Cambridge United(R) | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 48 | 69 | −21 | 49 | |
| 24 | Bristol Rovers(R) | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 55 | 87 | −32 | 41 |
| Home \ Away | BAR | BIR | BRE | BRI | BRR | CAM | CHA | DER | GRI | LEI | LUT | MIL | NEW | NTC | OXF | PET | POR | STD | SUN | SWI | TRA | WAT | WHU | WOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |
| Birmingham City | 3–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–6 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–4 | |
| Brentford | 3–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | |
| Bristol City | 2–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–5 | 1–0 | |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–5 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | |
| Cambridge United | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Charlton Athletic | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | |
| Derby County | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | |
| Grimsby Town | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| Leicester City | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Luton Town | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Millwall | 0–4 | 0–0 | 6–1 | 4–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 6–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
| Newcastle United | 6–0 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 7–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | |
| Notts County | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | |
| Oxford United | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 5–5 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | |
| Peterborough United | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–3 | |
| Portsmouth | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | |
| Southend United | 3–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| Sunderland | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |
| Swindon Town | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | |
| Tranmere Rovers | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 3–0 | |
| Watford | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | |
| West Ham United | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 5–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Semi-finals 1st leg – 16 May; 2nd leg – 19 May 1993 | Final atWembley 31 May 1993 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | Portsmouth | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 6th | Leicester City | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 5th | Swindon Town | 4 | |||||||||
| 6th | Leicester City | 3 | |||||||||
| 4th | Tranmere Rovers | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
| 5th | Swindon Town | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||
| # | Football club | Home games | Average attendance[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United | 23 | 29,018 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 23 | 17,258 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 23 | 16,001 |
| 4 | Leicester City | 23 | 15,362 |
| 5 | Derby County | 23 | 15,020 |
| 6 | Portsmouth | 23 | 13,706 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 23 | 13,598 |
| 8 | Birmingham City | 23 | 12,328 |
| 9 | Bristol City | 23 | 11,004 |
| 10 | Swindon Town | 23 | 10,716 |
| 11 | Millwall FC | 23 | 9,188 |
| 12 | Brentford FC | 23 | 8,476 |
| 13 | Watford FC | 23 | 8,275 |
| 14 | Luton Town | 23 | 8,212 |
| 15 | Notts County | 23 | 8,151 |
| 16 | Tranmere Rovers | 23 | 8,071 |
| 17 | Peterborough United | 23 | 8,064 |
| 18 | Charlton Athletic | 23 | 7,029 |
| 19 | Barnsley FC | 23 | 6,415 |
| 20 | Oxford United | 23 | 6,356 |
| 21 | Grimsby Town | 23 | 6,088 |
| 22 | Bristol Rovers | 23 | 5,745 |
| 23 | Cambridge United | 23 | 5,545 |
| 24 | Southend United | 23 | 5,396 |
| Season | 1992–93 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Stoke City |
| Promoted | Stoke City Bolton Wanderers West Bromwich Albion |
| Relegated | Preston North End Mansfield Town Wigan Athletic Chester City |
| Matches | 463 |
| Goals | 1,479 (3.19 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Bob Taylor (30 goals)[2] |
1993–94 → | |
Stoke City sealed promotion as Division Two champions inLou Macari's second season as manager, having topped the table for most of the season, as didBolton Wanderers under their new managerBruce Rioch. The third promotion place went to playoff winners West Bromwich Albion, who beat Port Vale 3–0 in the Wembley promotion decider to secure their first promotion for 17 years and end their two-year spell in the league's third tier, as well as recording a first Wembley victory for 25 years.
Swansea City and Stockport County were the losing semi-finalists.
Leyton Orient missed out on the playoff places as they had scored fewer goals than Stockport. Managing director and former managerFrank Clark then left the club after accepting the offer to return toNottingham Forest as manager as successor toBrian Clough.
Chester City's first season at the newDeva Stadium saw them relegated in bottom place and also spelled the end ofHarry McNally's seven-year reign as manager in October, with his successorMike Pejic being unable to steer the club to safety. Wigan Athletic finished second from bottom and suffered their first relegation as a Football League side. Mansfield Town finished third from bottom and suffered an immediate return to the league's fourth tier. The final relegation place went to Preston North End, who had replacedLes Chapman withJohn Beck as manager in October, but not even the man who was fresh from a successful spell in charge of Cambridge United could save theLancashire side from relegation. Hull City narrowly avoided a second relegation in three seasons, while once again England World Cup winnerAlan Ball was able to guide Exeter City to safety.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke City(C, P) | 46 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 73 | 34 | +39 | 93 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers(P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 41 | +39 | 90 | |
| 3 | Port Vale | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 79 | 44 | +35 | 89 | Qualification for theSecond Division play-offs |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion(O, P) | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 88 | 54 | +34 | 85 | |
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 73 | |
| 6 | Stockport County | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 81 | 57 | +24 | 72 | |
| 7 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 69 | 53 | +16 | 72 | |
| 8 | Reading | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 66 | 51 | +15 | 69 | |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 63 | 59 | +4 | 69 | |
| 10 | Bradford City | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 68 | |
| 11 | Rotherham United | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 65 | |
| 12 | Fulham | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 65 | |
| 13 | Burnley | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 57 | 59 | −2 | 61 | |
| 14 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 64 | −5 | 60 | |
| 15 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 60 | |
| 16 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 54 | |
| 17 | Bournemouth | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 53 | |
| 18 | Blackpool | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 63 | 75 | −12 | 51 | |
| 19 | Exeter City | 46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 54 | 69 | −15 | 50 | |
| 20 | Hull City | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 50 | |
| 21 | Preston North End(R) | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 65 | 94 | −29 | 47 | Relegation to theThird Division |
| 22 | Mansfield Town(R) | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 52 | 80 | −28 | 44 | |
| 23 | Wigan Athletic(R) | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 43 | 72 | −29 | 41 | |
| 24 | Chester City(R) | 46 | 8 | 5 | 33 | 49 | 102 | −53 | 29 |
| Home \ Away | BOU | BLP | BOL | BRA | B&HA | BUR | CHE | EXE | FUL | HAR | HUD | HUL | LEY | MAN | PLY | PTV | PNE | REA | ROT | STP | STK | SWA | WBA | WIG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | |
| Blackpool | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 1–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | |
| Bradford City | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | |
| Burnley | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | |
| Chester City | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | |
| Exeter City | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | |
| Fulham | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| Hartlepool United | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | |
| Huddersfield Town | 0–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |
| Hull City | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Leyton Orient | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |
| Mansfield Town | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 2–0 | |
| Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |
| Port Vale | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | |
| Preston North End | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 2–0 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Reading | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | |
| Rotherham United | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | |
| Stockport County | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 5–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | |
| Stoke City | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 2–1 | |
| Swansea City | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–5 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 5–1 | |
| Wigan Athletic | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 |
| Semi-finals 1st leg – 16 May; 2nd leg – 19 May 1993 | Final atWembley 30 May 1993 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | Port Vale | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 6th | Stockport County | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 3rd | Port Vale | 0 | |||||||||
| 4th | West Bromwich Albion | 3 | |||||||||
| 4th | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 5th | Swansea City | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| Season | 1992–93 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cardiff City (1st fourth tier title) |
| Promoted | Barnet Cardiff City Wrexham |
| Promoted through play-offs | York City |
| Relegated | Halifax Town |
| Folded | Maidstone United |
| New club in League | Colchester United |
| Matches | 462 |
| Goals | 1,311 (2.84 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Darren Foreman(Scarborough), 27; Carl Griffiths(Shrewsbury Town), 27[2] |
1993–94 → | |
The season began with the demise ofMaidstone United, who had only reached theFootball League three years earlier and were hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, having been tenants atDartford since 1988 and having been refused planning permission to build a new stadium on land inMaidstone which had since been purchased. A move to relocate the club to the North-East and merge the with non-leagueNewcastle Blue Star was vetoed by theFootball League, and as the season dawned the club had just two players still registered. Their first league game of the new Division Three season was cancelled and they were given until the following Monday to guarantee that they would be able to fulfill their fixtures. Unable to come up with the necessary backing, they resigned from the league and went into liquidation on 17 August.
As the Division Three campaign got underway, the twoWelsh based sides in the division emerged as the pace-setters, with Cardiff City finishing as champions and Wrexham as runners-up.Barnet, who had spent much of the season under threat of going the same way as Maidstone due to mounting debts, being banned from the transfer market for failing to pay staff wages, and being threatened with expulsion from the Football League over an unpaid fine, clinched the final automatic promotion place in only their second season in theFootball League. The season also brought the end ofStan Flashman's eight-year ownership of the club, when he resigned as chairman of the club he had paid £50,000 to save from receivership in 1985. Just before promotion was clinched, managerBarry Fry left to take charge of Southend United, with his assistantEdwin Stein overseeing the final few games of the season before goalkeeperGary Phillips took over as player-manager for the 1993–94 season.
Halifax Town, after 72 years of league membership, finished bottom of the league and were replaced by Conference champions Wycombe Wanderers. Maidstone United went out of business on 17 August after their first game was postponed, and were not replaced.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City(C, P) | 42 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 77 | 47 | +30 | 83 | Cup Winners' Cup first round and promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Wrexham(P) | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 75 | 52 | +23 | 80 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 3 | Barnet(P) | 42 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 66 | 48 | +18 | 79 | |
| 4 | York City(O, P) | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 72 | 45 | +27 | 75 | Qualification for theThird Division play-offs |
| 5 | Walsall | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 76 | 61 | +15 | 73 | |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 75 | 56 | +19 | 70 | |
| 7 | Bury | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 63 | 55 | +8 | 63 | |
| 8 | Lincoln City | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 63 | |
| 9 | Shrewsbury Town | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 62 | |
| 10 | Colchester United | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 66 | 76 | −10 | 59 | |
| 11 | Rochdale | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 70 | 70 | 0 | 58 | |
| 12 | Chesterfield | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 59 | 62 | −3 | 56 | |
| 13 | Scarborough | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 66 | 71 | −5 | 54 | |
| 14 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 57 | 54 | +3 | 54 | |
| 15 | Darlington | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 48 | 53 | −5 | 50 | |
| 16 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 47 | |
| 17 | Hereford United | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 45 | |
| 18 | Carlisle United | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 51 | 65 | −14 | 44 | |
| 19 | Torquay United | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 45 | 67 | −22 | 43 | |
| 20 | Northampton Town | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 48 | 74 | −26 | 41 | |
| 21 | Gillingham | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 48 | 64 | −16 | 40 | |
| 22 | Halifax Town(R) | 42 | 9 | 9 | 24 | 45 | 68 | −23 | 36 | Relegation toFootball Conference |
| 23 | Maidstone United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[a] | Club folded |
| Home \ Away | BAR | BRY | CAR | CRL | CHF | COL | CRE | DAR | DON | GIL | HAL | HER | LIN | NOR | ROC | SCA | SCU | SHR | TOR | WAL | WRE | YOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 5–4 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–5 | |
| Bury | 0–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | |
| Cardiff City | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | |
| Carlisle United | 0–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–4 | 0–2 | 1–2 | |
| Chesterfield | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | |
| Colchester United | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 0–0 | |
| Crewe Alexandra | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 7–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | |
| Darlington | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | |
| Doncaster Rovers | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | |
| Gillingham | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–4 | |
| Halifax Town | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |
| Hereford United | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| Lincoln City | 4–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | |
| Northampton Town | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 4–3 | |
| Rochdale | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 5–1 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | |
| Scarborough | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | |
| Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | |
| Shrewsbury Town | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 4–3 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | |
| Torquay United | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| Walsall | 2–0 | 4–3 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | |
| Wrexham | 2–3 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | |
| York City | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–0 |
| Semi-finals 1st leg – 16 May; 2nd leg – 19 May 1993 | Final atWembley 29 May 1993 | ||||||||||
| 4th | York City | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 7th | Bury | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 4th | York City (pens.) | 1 (5) | |||||||||
| 6th | Crewe Alexandra | 1 (3) | |||||||||
| 5th | Walsall | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 6th | Crewe Alexandra | 5 | 4 | 9 | |||||||