Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second highest division in English football from 1892 to 1992 . Then it was replaced by the First Division and became the third division under the same name.
With the beginning of the 2004/05 season, the Football League Championship was introduced as the successor class to the First Division, which meant that the First Division was initially downgraded under the official name Football League One to the new third highest class of English football. The Second Division then became England's fourth division under the name Football League Two .
Overview
At the end of each season, the two highest-ranked clubs in the table rose to the First Division with the winner of the play-offs , determined between the clubs that had finished the season between third and sixth place. They were replaced by the three clubs placed in the First Division at the bottom of the table. The clubs that finished in the last four places in the second division were relegated to the third division according to the same principle and were replaced by the three winners of the third division and the play-off winner.
The Second Division was founded in 1892 with twelve clubs. By 1988 the number was gradually increased to 24 clubs, whereby the number was expanded in the following stages:
- 1893: 15 clubs
- 1894: 16 clubs
- 1898: 18 clubs
- 1905: 20 clubs
- 1919: 22 clubs
- 1987: 23 clubs
- 1988: 24 clubs
In the first few years the best clubs in the Second Division did not automatically advance to the First Division above. They usually had to play a series of friendly matches against the weakest clubs in the First Division, with Small Heath (as the predecessor club of Birmingham City ) as reigning champions of the Second Division in 1893 climbing up after losing to Newton Heath (later Manchester United ) was denied.
Football League Second Division winner
- Winner of the old Second Division format (1893–1992)
now: Football League Championship
| year | winner |
|---|---|
| 1893 | Birmingham City |
| 1894 | Liverpool FC |
| 1895 | Bury FC |
| 1896 | Liverpool FC |
| 1897 | Notts County |
| 1898 | Burnley FC |
| 1899 | Manchester City |
| 1900 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1901 | Grimsby Town |
| 1902 | West Bromwich Albion |
| 1903 | Manchester City |
| 1904 | Preston North End |
| 1905 | Liverpool FC |
| 1906 | Bristol City |
| 1907 | Nottingham Forest |
| 1908 | Oldham Athletic |
| 1909 | Bolton Wanderers |
| 1910 | Manchester City |
| 1911 | West Bromwich Albion |
| 1912 | Derby County |
| 1913 | Preston North End |
| 1914 | Notts County |
| 1915 | Derby County |
| 1916–19 • no games • First World War | |
| 1920 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1921 | Birmingham City |
| 1922 | Nottingham Forest |
| 1923 | Notts County |
| 1924 | Leeds United |
| 1925 | Leicester City |
| 1926 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1927 | Middlesbrough FC |
| 1928 | Manchester City |
| 1929 | Middlesbrough FC |
| 1930 | Blackpool FC |
| 1931 | Everton FC |
| 1932 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1933 | Stoke City |
| 1934 | Grimsby Town |
| 1935 | Brentford FC |
| 1936 | Manchester United |
| 1937 | Leicester City |
| 1938 | Aston Villa |
| 1939 | Blackburn Rovers |
| 1940–46 • no games • Second World War | |
| 1947 | Manchester City |
| year | winner |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Birmingham City |
| 1949 | Fulham FC |
| 1950 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1951 | Preston North End |
| 1952 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1953 | Sheffield United |
| 1954 | Leicester City |
| 1955 | Birmingham City |
| 1956 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1957 | Leicester City |
| 1958 | West Ham United |
| 1959 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1960 | Aston Villa |
| 1961 | Ipswich Town |
| 1962 | Liverpool FC |
| 1963 | Stoke City |
| 1964 | Leeds United |
| 1965 | Newcastle United |
| 1966 | Manchester City |
| 1967 | Coventry City |
| 1968 | Ipswich Town |
| 1969 | Derby County |
| 1970 | Huddersfield Town |
| 1971 | Leicester City |
| 1972 | Norwich City |
| 1973 | Burnley FC |
| 1974 | Middlesbrough FC |
| 1975 | Manchester United |
| 1976 | Sunderland AFC |
| 1977 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1978 | Bolton Wanderers |
| 1979 | Crystal Palace |
| 1980 | Leicester City |
| 1981 | West Ham United |
| 1982 | Luton Town |
| 1983 | Queens Park Rangers |
| 1984 | Chelsea FC |
| 1985 | Oxford United |
| 1986 | Norwich City |
| 1987 | Derby County |
| 1988 | Millwall FC |
| 1989 | Chelsea FC |
| 1990 | Leeds United |
| 1991 | Oldham Athletic |
| 1992 | Ipswich Town |
- Winner of the new second division format (1993-2004)
now: Football League One
| year | winner |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Stoke City |
| 1994 | Reading FC |
| 1995 | Birmingham City |
| 1996 | Swindon Town |
| 1997 | Bury FC |
| 1998 | Watford FC |
| 1999 | Fulham FC |
| 2000 | Preston North End |
| 2001 | Millwall FC |
| 2002 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 2003 | Wigan Athletic |
| 2004 | Plymouth Argyle |