A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Season | 1957–58 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
← 1956–57 1958–59 → | |
The 1957–58 season was the 59th completed season of The Football League. The first division title went to Wolverhampton Wanderers for the second time, while Sunderland were relegated to the second division for the first time in the club's history, after 57 consecutive seasons in the top flight of English football. The season was marred by the Munich air disaster, in which eight Manchester United players died as a result of the crash with two others suffering career-ending injuries. Manchester United were chasing a hat-trick of league championships, but they dropped 21 points in 14 matches after the Munich crash and finished 21 points behind the champions Wolves.
This was the final season in which the Football League was organized into two regional sections on the third tier. Following the season, the bottom twelve clubs of Third Division North and South were assigned to the new, national Fourth Division. The clubs placed second through twelfth, in addition to the two clubs relegated from the Second Division, joined the re-organized national Third Division.
Final league tables
The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website[1] and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,[2] with home and away statistics separated.
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.
From the 1922–23 season, the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South were required to apply for re-election.[2]
First Division
| Season | 1957–58 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wolverhampton Wanderers 2nd English title |
| Relegated | Sunderland Sheffield Wednesday |
| European Cup | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | Chelsea Birmingham City |
| Matches played | 462 |
| Goals scored | 1,721 (3.73 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Bobby Smith (36 goals)[3] |
| Biggest home win | Preston North End 8–0 Birmingham City (1 February 1958) |
| Biggest away win | Sunderland 1–6 Birmingham City (5 April 1958) |
| Highest scoring | Leicester City 8–4 Manchester City (22 February 1958) |
← 1956–57 1958–59 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (C) | 42 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 103 | 47 | 2.191 | 64 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Preston North End | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 100 | 51 | 1.961 | 59 | |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 93 | 77 | 1.208 | 51 | |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 92 | 70 | 1.314 | 50 | |
| 5 | Manchester City | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 104 | 100 | 1.040 | 49 | |
| 6 | Burnley | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 80 | 74 | 1.081 | 47 | |
| 7 | Blackpool | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 80 | 67 | 1.194 | 44 | |
| 8 | Luton Town | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 69 | 63 | 1.095 | 44 | |
| 9 | Manchester United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 85 | 75 | 1.133 | 43 | |
| 10 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 69 | 63 | 1.095 | 42 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 11 | Chelsea | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 83 | 79 | 1.051 | 42 | |
| 12 | Arsenal | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 73 | 85 | 0.859 | 39 | |
| 13 | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 89 | 0.854 | 39 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 73 | 86 | 0.849 | 39 | |
| 15 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 65 | 87 | 0.747 | 38 | |
| 16 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 65 | 75 | 0.867 | 37 | |
| 17 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 51 | 63 | 0.810 | 37 | |
| 18 | Leicester City | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 91 | 112 | 0.813 | 33 | |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 73 | 81 | 0.901 | 32 | |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 73 | 88 | 0.830 | 32 | |
| 21 | Sunderland (R) | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 54 | 97 | 0.557 | 32 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Sheffield Wednesday (R) | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 69 | 92 | 0.750 | 31 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated