Football League Third Division 1977/78

Football League Third Division 1977/78
master	Wrexham AFC
European Cup Winners' Cup	AFC Wrexham (as Welsh Cup Winner)
Climbers	Wrexham AFC Cambridge United Preston North End
Relegated	Port Vale Bradford City Hereford United Portsmouth FC
Teams	24
Games	552
Gates	1,373  (ø 2.49 per game)
Top scorer	Alex Bruce ( Preston North End )
← Football League Third Division 1976/77 Football League Third Division 1978/79 →
^ Football League Second Division 1977/78 Football League Fourth Division 1977/78 ↓

The Football League Third Division 1977/78 was the 51st season of the Football League Third Division as the third highest English football league . Third division champions were the AFC Wrexham, and Cambridge United and Preston North End, behind them, also rose to the Football League Second Division . For the three promoted teams in the following third division season 1978/79, the second division clubs FC Blackpool , Mansfield Town and Hull City ranked in the table below . From the Third Division in the Football League Fourth Division dismount had to Port Vale , Bradford City , Hereford United and Portsmouth . Instead of these clubs took in the following season 1978/79 the fourth division champions Watford FC and behind them Southend United , Swansea City and Brentford FC the vacant positions.

Closing table

Pl.	society	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Wrexham AFC	46	23	15th	8th	078:450	+33	61:31
2.	Cambridge United (N)	46	23	12	11	072:510	+21	58:34
3.	Preston North End	46	20th	16	10	063:380	+25	56:36
4th	Peterborough United	46	20th	16	10	047:330	+14	56:36
5.	Chester FC	46	16	22nd	8th	059:560	+3	54:38
6th	Walsall FC	46	18th	17th	11	061:500	+11	53:39
7th	Gillingham FC	46	15th	20th	11	067:600	+7	50:42
8th.	Colchester United (N)	46	15th	18th	13	055:440	+11	48:44
9.	Chesterfield FC	46	17th	14th	15th	058:490	+9	48:44
10.	Swindon Town	46	16	16	14th	067:600	+7	48:44
11.	Shrewsbury Town	46	16	15th	15th	063:570	+6	47:45
12.	Tranmere Rovers	46	16	15th	15th	057:520	+5	47:45
13.	Carlisle United (A)	46	14th	19th	13	059:590	± 0	47:45
14th	Sheffield Wednesday	46	15th	16	15th	050:520	−2	46:46
15th	Bury FC	46	13	19th	14th	062:560	+6	45:47
16.	Lincoln City	46	15th	15th	16	053:610	−8	45:47
17th	Exeter City (N)	46	15th	14th	17th	049:590	−10	44:48
18th	Oxford United	46	13	14th	19th	064:670	−3	40:52
19th	Plymouth Argyle (A)	46	11	17th	18th	061:680	−7	39:53
20th	Rotherham United	46	13	13	20th	051:680	−17	39:53
21st	Port Vale	46	8th	20th	18th	046:670	−21	36:56
22nd	Bradford City (N)	46	12	10	24	056:860	−30	34:58
23.	Hereford United (A)	46	9	14th	23	034:600	−26	32:60
24.	Portsmouth FC	46	7th	17th	22nd	041:750	−34	31:61

Placement criteria: 1st points - 2nd goal difference - 3rd goals scored

Third division champion, promoted to the Football League Second Division 1978/79 and participation in the European Cup Winners' Cup 1978/79 as a Welsh Cup winner

Promoted to the Football League Second Division 1978/79

Relegation to the Football League Fourth Division 1978/79

(A)	Relegated from the Football League Second Division 1976/77
(N)	Newcomers from the Football League Fourth Division 1976/77

Results table

The home teams are listed in the left column.

	BRA	BUY	CAM	CLS	CHE	CHF	COL	EXE	GIL	HER	LIN	OXF	PET	PLY	POR	PVA	PNE	RED	SHW	SHR	SWI	TRA	WHALE	WRE
Bradford City		2: 1	4-0	2: 2	2: 2	1: 3	1: 2	1: 2	2: 1	0-0	2: 2	2: 3	2: 1	0: 1	1-0	1: 1	1: 1	3-0	3: 2	2-0	2: 1	2-0	2: 3	2: 1
Bury FC	2: 2		5: 2	1: 1	1: 1	0-0	1: 1	5-0	2: 2	1: 1	1-0	3: 2	0-0	1: 1	0-0	3-0	1: 1	1: 1	3-0	0: 3	0-0	1-0	0: 1	2: 3
Cambridge United	4: 1	3-0		2-0	0-0	2-0	2-0	2: 1	2: 3	2-0	5-0	2: 1	1-0	3-0	1-0	2-0	1: 1	1: 1	3-0	2-0	5: 2	1-0	2: 1	1-0
Carlisle United	1: 1	0: 3	1: 1		0-0	2: 1	1: 3	2-0	1-0	2-0	2: 3	2: 2	0-0	0-0	3: 1	1: 1	3: 1	2: 1	1-0	1-0	2: 2	2: 2	2-0	1: 4
Chester FC	3: 2	1-0	0-0	2: 2		2: 1	2: 1	2: 1	2: 2	4: 1	2: 2	3: 1	4: 3	1: 1	2-0	2: 1	1: 2	2: 1	2: 1	1-0	1-0	0-0	1: 1	1: 1
Chesterfield FC	2-0	2: 1	2: 1	2: 1	1: 2		0-0	0-0	5: 2	2: 1	0-0	3-0	2-0	4: 1	3-0	2-0	0: 1	0-0	2: 2	3: 1	3: 1	1: 1	0: 1	1-0
Colchester United	3-0	1-0	2: 1	2: 2	2-0	2-0		3: 1	1: 1	0-0	1: 1	1: 1	3-0	3: 1	4-0	2: 3	0-0	0-0	1: 1	1: 2	2-0	0-0	1: 1	1: 1
Exeter City	1-0	2: 2	2: 4	0: 1	1: 1	0-0	0-0		2: 1	1-0	3-0	2: 1	1-0	0-0	0: 1	4: 1	2-0	1-0	2: 1	1: 1	0-0	4: 2	1: 1	0: 1
Gillingham FC	4: 1	1: 4	3: 1	1: 1	1-0	3-0	1: 3	1-0		4-0	0-0	2: 1	0-0	1: 1	0-0	1: 1	2: 1	2: 1	2: 1	1: 1	2: 2	1: 1	3: 1	0-0
Hereford United	2: 1	1-0	0-0	1-0	2: 2	2: 1	1-0	4-0	2-0		1: 1	2: 1	0-0	1: 3	0: 2	1: 1	0-0	2: 3	0: 1	1: 1	1: 1	0: 1	3: 2	1: 1
Lincoln City	3: 2	0-0	4: 1	2: 1	2: 1	1-0	0-0	1: 2	0: 2	0-0		1-0	0: 1	2: 2	1-0	3-0	2: 2	3: 3	3: 1	1: 3	3: 1	1: 1	2: 2	0: 1
Oxford United	3: 1	0-0	2: 3	0-0	4: 1	1: 1	3-0	0-0	1: 1	3-0	1-0		3: 3	2: 1	0-0	1: 1	1-0	2: 3	1-0	1: 1	3: 3	1-0	3: 1	2: 1
Peterborough United	5-0	2: 1	2-0	2: 1	0-0	2-0	1-0	1: 1	1: 1	2: 1	0: 1	1-0		1-0	0-0	1: 1	1-0	1-0	2: 1	2: 1	2-0	1-0	0-0	2: 2
Plymouth Argyle	6-0	0: 1	0: 1	0: 1	2: 2	2-0	1: 1	2: 2	1: 3	2-0	1: 2	2: 1	1-0		3: 1	3: 2	0-0	1: 1	1: 1	2: 2	0: 2	0: 1	3: 3	0: 1
Portsmouth FC	3: 1	1: 1	2: 2	3: 3	0-0	3-0	0-0	1: 1	1: 1	2-0	0: 2	0: 2	2: 2	1: 5		1: 1	0: 2	3: 3	2: 2	2-0	1: 2	2: 5	1: 2	0: 1
Port Vale	1-0	1: 2	1: 1	0: 1	0-0	1: 3	0: 3	4-0	2: 2	1-0	2: 1	1: 1	0-0	3: 3	2-0		0-0	3-0	0-0	1: 2	1-0	1: 1	2: 2	1: 1
Preston North End	3: 1	4-0	2-0	2: 1	2: 1	0-0	4-0	0-0	2-0	0-0	4-0	3: 2	0: 1	5: 2	3: 1	2-0		3: 2	2: 1	2: 2	1: 1	2: 1	1-0	1: 3
Rotherham United	2: 1	0: 3	1-0	0-0	1: 1	1: 2	1-0	1-0	2-0	1-0	0-0	2-0	0: 1	1: 2	0: 1	2-0	2: 1		1: 2	0-0	1: 3	2-0	3-0	2: 2
Sheffield Wednesday	2-0	3: 2	0-0	3: 1	1: 1	1-0	1: 2	2: 1	0-0	1-0	2-0	2: 1	0: 1	1: 1	0-0	3: 1	1-0	1-0		0: 1	1: 1	1-0	0-0	2: 1
Shrewsbury Town	4-0	5: 3	3: 3	0: 3	0-0	1: 1	1-0	0: 2	1: 2	3-0	0: 1	1-0	0-0	3: 1	6: 1	3-0	0-0	4: 1	0-0		2: 3	3: 1	0-0	2: 1
Swindon Town	0: 1	1: 1	0-0	2: 2	1: 1	2: 1	0-0	4-0	3: 2	1-0	1-0	3: 2	2-0	3: 1	3: 1	1: 1	0: 2	2-0	2: 2	5-0		1-0	2: 3	1: 2
Tranmere Rovers	0-0	0-0	0: 1	3: 2	5-0	1: 1	1-0	2: 1	1: 1	2: 1	3: 1	4: 1	0: 2	1: 1	2-0	2: 1	1-0	2: 2	3: 1	2-0	1: 1		0: 1	3: 1
Walsall FC	1: 1	1: 2	0-0	0-0	3-0	2: 2	4: 2	1: 3	2: 1	2-0	3: 1	2: 1	1-0	1-0	1: 1	2-0	0-0	3: 1	1: 1	3-0	2-0	0-0		0: 1
Wrexham AFC	2-0	3: 1	4: 1	3: 1	1: 2	1: 1	2: 1	2: 1	3: 3	2: 1	1-0	2: 2	0-0	2-0	2-0	1: 1	0-0	7: 1	1: 1	0-0	2: 1	6: 1	1-0

List of goalscorers

	player	society	Gates
1	Alex Bruce	Preston North End	27
2	Alan Buckley	Walsall FC	24
3	Alan Biley	Cambridge United	21st
=	Jim Lumby	Carlisle United / Scunthorpe United	=

Web links

• England 1977-78 (RSSSF)
• English Football League Tables

References and footnotes

1. ↑ English League Leading Goalscorers (RSSSF)
2. ↑ Rothmans Football Yearbook 1986-87, p. 427