| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |
The 1952–53 season was the 54th completed season of The Football League.
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.
| Competition: | First Division |
| Season: | 1952–53 |
| Winners: | Arsenal 7th English title |
| League Topscorer: | Charlie Wayman (24 goals)[3] [4] |
| Biggest Home Win: | (25 December 1952) (18 February 1953) (21 February 1953) |
| Biggest Away Win: | (20 September 1952) (18 October 1952) |
| Highest Scoring: | (27 September 1952) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1508 |
| Prevseason: | 1951–52 |
| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |
Arsenal won their second league title of the postwar era, finishing ahead of runners-up Preston North End on goal average - denying them a first league title since they won the first two English Football League titles more than 60 years earlier. Preston defeated Arsenal in a 2-0 home win in the second last match of the season on 25 April, which was followed by another win at Derby four days later.[5] But Arsenal's 3-2 win in their final match against Burnley on 1 May meant that it was Arsenal who clinched the title on goal average.[6]
Wolverhampton Wanderers bounced back after two disappointing seasons to finish third, three points short of the title. They finished one point ahead of their local rivals West Bromwich Albion. Twelve goals were scored when Blackpool defeated Charlton Athletic 8-4 on 25 September, but Charlton would eventually finish two places higher in the table at fifth place. Defending champions Manchester United, in a period of transition as the team captained by Johnny Carey started to make way for a younger generation of players, finished eighth.
Stoke City and Derby County, who had been among the First Division's leading lights in the first few postwar seasons, went down to the Second Division after several seasons of gradually declining form. Liverpool, the 1947 champions, avoided the drop by just two points.
| Competition: | Second Division |
| Season: | 1952–53 |
| Winners: | Sheffield United |
| Promoted: | Sheffield United Huddersfield Town |
| Relegated: | Southampton Barnsley |
| League Topscorer: | Arthur Rowley (39 goals) |
| Matches: | 462 |
| Total Goals: | 1535 |
| Prevseason: | 1951–52 |
| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |
Sheffield United were champions of the Second Division, scoring 97 goals in the process. Their season included two runs of eleven league matches in a row without defeat, in October-December and February-April respectively.[7]
Huddersfield Town finished second, two points behind and were promoted to the First Division. Luton Town were contenders for promotion, but a poor finish without a win in their last four games left them six points behind Huddersfield in third place.[8]
Everton recorded their lowest ever league position, finishing 16th in an uneven season that included a 7-1 victory over Doncaster and a 8-2 defeat against Huddersfield.[9]
Southampton were relegated along with Barnsley, who finished bottom after a poor season that included just five wins, 108 conceded goals and a late run of nine consecutive defeats.[10]
| Competition: | Football League Third Division North |
| Season: | 1952–53 |
| Winners: | Oldham Athletic (1st title) |
| League Topscorer: | Jimmy Whitehouse (Carlisle United), 29 |
| Continentalcup2: | Failed re-election |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | none |
| Matches: | 552 |
| Total Goals: | 1604 |
| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |
| Competition: | Football League Third Division South |
| Season: | 1952–53 |
| Winners: | Bristol Rovers (1st title) |
| League Topscorer: | Geoff Bradford (Bristol Rovers), 33 |
| Continentalcup2: | Failed re-election |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | none |
| Matches: | 552 |
| Total Goals: | 1745 |
| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |