1947–48 in English football
# 1947–48 in English football

The 1947–48 season was the 68th season of competitive football in England.

Arsenal won the league title this season for the sixth time in their history, having been league champions five times during the 1930s.

Manchester United won the FA Cup, defeating Blackpool 4-2 in the final.

## Honours

| Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
| - | - | - |
| First Division | Arsenal | Manchester United |
| Second Division | Birmingham City | Newcastle United |
| Third Division North | Lincoln City | Rotherham United |
| Third Division South | Queens Park Rangers | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic |
| FA Cup | Manchester United | Blackpool |
| Home Championship | England | Wales |

## Football League

### First Division

Arsenal won the title in their first season under new manager Tom Whittaker. Manchester United finished as runners-up for the second season in a row, though won their first silverware under Matt Busby by emerging victorious in the FA Cup. Burnley finished third, impressing in their first top-flight season in 18 years.

Grimsby Town and Blackburn Rovers were relegated to Division Two.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Arsenal | 42 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 81 | 32 | 2.531 | 59 | |
| 2 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 81 | 48 | 1.688 | 52 | |
| 3 | Burnley | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 56 | 43 | 1.302 | 52 | |
| 4 | Derby County | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 77 | 57 | 1.351 | 50 | |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 83 | 70 | 1.186 | 47 | |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 65 | 57 | 1.140 | 47 | |
| 7 | Preston North End | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 67 | 68 | 0.985 | 47 | |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 68 | 50 | 1.360 | 45 | |
| 9 | Blackpool | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 57 | 41 | 1.390 | 44 | |
| 10 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 52 | 47 | 1.106 | 42 | |
| 11 | Liverpool | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 61 | 1.066 | 42 | |
| 12 | Sheffield United | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 70 | 0.929 | 42 | |
| 13 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 57 | 66 | 0.864 | 40 | |
| 14 | Everton | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 52 | 66 | 0.788 | 40 | |
| 15 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 41 | 55 | 0.745 | 38 | |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 71 | 73 | 0.973 | 37 | |
| 17 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 46 | 58 | 0.793 | 37 | |
| 18 | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 71 | 0.746 | 37 | |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 51 | 60 | 0.850 | 36 | |
| 20 | Sunderland | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 56 | 67 | 0.836 | 36 | |
| 21 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 54 | 72 | 0.750 | 32 | Relegated to the Second Division |
| 22 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 45 | 111 | 0.405 | 22 | Relegated to the Second Division |

### Second Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 42 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 55 | 24 | 2.292 | 59 | Promoted to the First Division |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 72 | 41 | 1.756 | 56 | Promoted to the First Division |
| 3 | Southampton | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 71 | 53 | 1.340 | 52 | |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 66 | 53 | 1.245 | 51 | |
| 5 | Cardiff City | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 61 | 58 | 1.052 | 47 | |
| 6 | West Ham United | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 53 | 1.038 | 46 | |
| 7 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 63 | 58 | 1.086 | 45 | |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 56 | 43 | 1.302 | 44 | |
| 9 | Leicester City | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 60 | 57 | 1.053 | 43 | |
| 10 | Coventry City | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 59 | 52 | 1.135 | 41 | |
| 11 | Fulham | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 47 | 46 | 1.022 | 40 | |
| 12 | Barnsley | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 62 | 64 | 0.969 | 40 | |
| 13 | Luton Town | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 56 | 59 | 0.949 | 40 | |
| 14 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 68 | 72 | 0.944 | 40 | |
| 15 | Brentford | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 44 | 61 | 0.721 | 40 | |
| 16 | Chesterfield | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 54 | 55 | 0.982 | 39 | |
| 17 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 9 | 20 | 13 | 40 | 58 | 0.690 | 38 | |
| 18 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 62 | 72 | 0.861 | 36 | |
| 19 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 54 | 60 | 0.900 | 35 | |
| 20 | Bury | 42 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 58 | 68 | 0.853 | 34 | |
| 21 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 40 | 66 | 0.606 | 29 | Relegated to the Third Division North |
| 22 | Millwall | 42 | 9 | 11 | 22 | 44 | 74 | 0.595 | 29 | Relegated to the Third Division South |

### Third Division North

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Lincoln City | 42 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 81 | 40 | 2.025 | 60 | Promoted to the Second Division |
| 2 | Rotherham United | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 95 | 49 | 1.939 | 59 | |
| 3 | Wrexham | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 74 | 54 | 1.370 | 50 | |
| 4 | Gateshead | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 75 | 57 | 1.316 | 49 | |
| 5 | Hull City | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 59 | 48 | 1.229 | 47 | |
| 6 | Accrington Stanley | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 62 | 59 | 1.051 | 46 | |
| 7 | Barrow | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 49 | 40 | 1.225 | 45 | |
| 8 | Mansfield Town | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 57 | 51 | 1.118 | 45 | |
| 9 | Carlisle United | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 88 | 77 | 1.143 | 43 | |
| 10 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 61 | 63 | 0.968 | 43 | |
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 63 | 64 | 0.984 | 41 | |
| 12 | Rochdale | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 72 | 0.667 | 41 | |
| 13 | York City | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 65 | 60 | 1.083 | 40 | |
| 14 | Bradford City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 65 | 66 | 0.985 | 40 | |
| 15 | Southport | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 60 | 63 | 0.952 | 39 | |
| 16 | Darlington | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 54 | 70 | 0.771 | 39 | |
| 17 | Stockport County | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 63 | 67 | 0.940 | 38 | |
| 18 | Tranmere Rovers | 42 | 16 | 4 | 22 | 54 | 72 | 0.750 | 36 | |
| 19 | Hartlepools United | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 51 | 73 | 0.699 | 36 | |
| 20 | Chester | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 64 | 67 | 0.955 | 35 | |
| 21 | Halifax Town | 42 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 43 | 76 | 0.566 | 27 | Re-elected |
| 22 | New Brighton | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 38 | 81 | 0.469 | 25 | Re-elected |

### Third Division South

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 74 | 37 | 2.000 | 61 | Promoted to the Second Division |
| 2 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 76 | 35 | 2.171 | 57 | |
| 3 | Walsall | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 70 | 40 | 1.750 | 51 | |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 67 | 61 | 1.098 | 49 | |
| 5 | Swansea Town | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 70 | 52 | 1.346 | 48 | |
| 6 | Notts County | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 68 | 59 | 1.153 | 46 | |
| 7 | Bristol City | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 77 | 65 | 1.185 | 43 | |
| 8 | Port Vale | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 63 | 54 | 1.167 | 43 | |
| 9 | Southend United | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 51 | 58 | 0.879 | 43 | |
| 10 | Reading | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 56 | 58 | 0.966 | 41 | |
| 11 | Exeter City | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 55 | 63 | 0.873 | 41 | |
| 12 | Newport County | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 61 | 73 | 0.836 | 41 | |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 49 | 49 | 1.000 | 39 | |
| 14 | Northampton Town | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 58 | 72 | 0.806 | 39 | |
| 15 | Watford | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 57 | 79 | 0.722 | 38 | |
| 16 | Swindon Town | 42 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 41 | 46 | 0.891 | 36 | |
| 17 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 51 | 73 | 0.699 | 36 | |
| 18 | Torquay United | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 63 | 62 | 1.016 | 35 | |
| 19 | Aldershot | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 67 | 0.672 | 35 | |
| 20 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 71 | 75 | 0.947 | 34 | |
| 21 | Norwich City | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 61 | 76 | 0.803 | 34 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 43 | 73 | 0.589 | 34 | Re-elected |

### Top goalscorers

First Division

* Ronnie Rooke (Arsenal) – 33 goals

Second Division

* Eddie Quigley (Sheffield Wednesday) – 23 goals

Third Division North

* Jimmy Hutchinson (Lincoln City) – 32 goals

Third Division South

* Len Townsend (Bristol City) – 31 goals
