Football League Third Division South: Difference between revisions
Millwall were founder members of this league, if Bristol City is included, that makes eight not seven |
Correction - confusing with 3rd Div South! |
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The '''Football League Third Division South''' was a level of [[England|English]] professional [[football (soccer)|football]] which ran in parallel to [[Football League Third Division North|Third Division North]] from [[1921]] to [[1958]]. |
The '''Football League Third Division South''' was a level of [[England|English]] professional [[football (soccer)|football]] which ran in parallel to [[Football League Third Division North|Third Division North]] from [[1921]] to [[1958]]. |
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The division was created in [[1921]] from the '''Third Division''', formed one year earlier when [[the Football League]] absorbed the entire top division of the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]], effectively ending the ambitions of that league to rival the Football League. Before the creation of the Third Division, most of the Football League's clubs were from the industrial areas of the North and Midlands, with only |
The division was created in [[1921]] from the '''Third Division''', formed one year earlier when [[the Football League]] absorbed the entire top division of the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]], effectively ending the ambitions of that league to rival the Football League. Before the creation of the Third Division, most of the Football League's clubs were from the industrial areas of the North and Midlands, with only 7 of its 44 members based in the South ([[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Clapton Orient]], [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]], [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] and [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]], all from [[London]], and [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]). |
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The following season, a Northern section was created, and the original division was renamed Third Division South. The exceptions to this were [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]], who were promoted to the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]], [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]] who transferred to the Third Division North and [[Aberdare Athletic F.C.|Abedare Athletic]] and [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]] who joined for the first time. Several Midlands-based teams were included in the South division, even though most were geographically closer to their Northern division rivals. |
The following season, a Northern section was created, and the original division was renamed Third Division South. The exceptions to this were [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]], who were promoted to the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]], [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]] who transferred to the Third Division North and [[Aberdare Athletic F.C.|Abedare Athletic]] and [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]] who joined for the first time. Several Midlands-based teams were included in the South division, even though most were geographically closer to their Northern division rivals. |
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Revision as of 03:03, 27 January 2007
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958.
The division was created in 1921 from the Third Division, formed one year earlier when the Football League absorbed the entire top division of the Southern League, effectively ending the ambitions of that league to rival the Football League. Before the creation of the Third Division, most of the Football League's clubs were from the industrial areas of the North and Midlands, with only 7 of its 44 members based in the South (Arsenal, Chelsea, Clapton Orient, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, all from London, and Bristol City).
The following season, a Northern section was created, and the original division was renamed Third Division South. The exceptions to this were Crystal Palace, who were promoted to the Second Division, Grimsby Town who transferred to the Third Division North and Abedare Athletic and Charlton Athletic who joined for the first time. Several Midlands-based teams were included in the South division, even though most were geographically closer to their Northern division rivals.
The division originally had 22 teams, expanding to 24 in 1950. Only one promotion place was available to the Second Division, meaning that many clubs spent long periods of time stuck in the division, and several were never promoted in the division's 31 seasons. At the end of each season, the bottom two clubs were put up for re-election, alongside the bottom two in the Northern section, although most survived the re-election vote.
In 1958, the North and South sections were merged together, to form a single Third Division and a new Fourth Division.
Past Champions
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1921-22 | Southampton |
| 1922-23 | Bristol City |
| 1923-24 | Portsmouth |
| 1924-25 | Swansea Town |
| 1925-26 | Reading |
| 1926-27 | Bristol City |
| 1927-28 | Millwall |
| 1928-29 | Charlton Athletic |
| 1929-30 | Plymouth Argyle |
| 1930-31 | Notts County |
| 1931-32 | Fulham |
| 1932-33 | Brentford |
| 1933-34 | Norwich City |
| 1934-35 | Charlton Athletic |
| 1935-36 | Coventry City |
| 1936-37 | Luton Town |
| 1937-38 | Millwall |
| 1938-39 | Newport County |
| 1939-40 | League abandoned due to World War II |
| 1940-46 | League suspended due to World War II |
| 1946-47 | Cardiff City |
| 1947-48 | Queens Park Rangers |
| 1948-49 | Swansea Town |
| 1949-50 | Notts County |
| 1950-51 | Nottingham Forest |
| 1951-52 | Plymouth Argyle |
| 1952-53 | Bristol Rovers |
| 1953-54 | Ipswich Town |
| 1954-55 | Bristol City |
| 1955-56 | Leyton Orient |
| 1956-57 | Ipswich Town |
| 1957-58 | Brighton & Hove Albion |