1971-10-09
| First Division |
| Division 1 | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 4 | 2 | Newcastle United | Highbury | 40,509 | |
| Graham, Kennedy, Armstrong, Kelly | Lineups | Macdonald 2 | ||||
| Coventry City | 3 | 1 | Leeds United | Highfield Road | 32,183 | |
| Chilton, St John, Hunt | Lineups | Parker OG | ||||
| Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 | West Bromwich Albion | Selhurst Park | 22,399 | |
| Lineups | Brown T, Gould | |||||
| Derby County | 2 | 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | Baseball Ground | 35,744 | |
| Todd, McFarland | Lineups | Chivers, Pearce | ||||
| Huddersfield Town | 0 | 3 | Manchester United | Leeds Road | 33,458 | Largest home gate 1971-72 |
| Lineups | Best, Charlton, Law | |||||
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 1 | Nottingham Forest | Portman Road | 16,306 | |
| Harper | Lineups | Storey-Moore | ||||
| Liverpool | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | Anfield Road | 48,464 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Manchester City | 1 | 0 | Everton | Maine Road | 33,538 | |
| Lee (p) | Lineups | |||||
| Sheffield United | 2 | 3 | Stoke City | Bramall Lane | 35,371 | |
| Woodward (p), Currie | Lineups | Ritchie, Smith T, Conroy | ||||
| West Ham United | 1 | 1 | Leicester City | Upton Park | 31,060 | |
| Hurst | Lineups | Cross | ||||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4 | 2 | Southampton | Molineux | 21,418 | |
| Dougan 2, Parkin (p), Daley | Lineups | Kirkup, Channon | ||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn |  |
First Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 1 | Manchester United | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 2.077 | 19 | W | W | D | W | W | 1971-10-16 | Derby County | H |
| 2 | -1 | Sheffield United | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1.818 | 18 | L | L | W | W | D | 1971-10-16 | Southampton | A |
| 3 | 1 | Manchester City | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 2.75 | 17 | W | W | W | D | W | 1971-10-16 | Leeds United | A |
| 4 | -1 | Derby County | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 2.222 | 17 | D | W | D | D | W | 1971-10-16 | Manchester United | A |
| 5 | 1 | Arsenal | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1.889 | 14 | W | W | W | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Chelsea | A |
| 6 | 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1.118 | 14 | W | L | W | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Tottenham Hotspur | A |
| 7 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 1.286 | 13 | D | W | L | W | D | 1971-10-16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H |
| 8 | -3 | Leeds United | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 1.167 | 13 | L | D | L | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Manchester City | H |
| 9 | -1 | Liverpool | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1.071 | 13 | D | D | D | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Nottingham Forest | A |
| 10 | 1 | Stoke City | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 0.933 | 13 | W | D | L | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Coventry City | H |
| 11 | 1 | Coventry City | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 0.85 | 13 | W | W | W | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Stoke City | A |
| 12 | -2 | West Ham United | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1.077 | 12 | D | D | W | L | W | 1971-10-16 | West Bromwich Albion | A |
| 13 | 0 | Southampton | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 0.8 | 10 | L | L | L | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Sheffield United | H |
| 14 | 2 | Ipswich Town | 12 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0.8 | 10 | D | L | D | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Everton | A |
| 15 | 0 | Chelsea | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 0.789 | 10 | D | W | L | D | L | 1971-10-16 | Arsenal | H |
| 16 | -2 | Huddersfield Town | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 0.632 | 10 | L | W | W | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Leicester City | A |
| 17 | 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0.727 | 9 | W | L | D | L | L | 1971-10-16 | West Ham United | H |
| 18 | -1 | Everton | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0.615 | 8 | L | L | L | W | D | 1971-10-16 | Ipswich Town | H |
| 19 | -1 | Newcastle United | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 0.579 | 8 | L | L | D | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Crystal Palace | H |
| 20 | 0 | Leicester City | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 0.556 | 8 | D | D | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Huddersfield Town | H |
| 21 | 0 | Nottingham Forest | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 0.682 | 7 | D | L | L | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Liverpool | H |
| 22 | 0 | Crystal Palace | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 0.333 | 6 | L | D | W | L | L | 1971-10-16 | Newcastle United | A |
| Second Division |
| Second Division | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool | 4 | 1 | Orient | Bloomfield Road | 14,657 | |
| Burns 2, Suddaby, Ainscow | Lineups | Bowyer | ||||
| Bristol City | 2 | 1 | Watford | Ashton Gate | 18,100 | |
| Galley J, Spiring | Lineups | Lindsay | ||||
| Cardiff City | 1 | 2 | Millwall | Ninian Park | 17,931 | |
| Clark | Lineups | Smethurst, Bridges | ||||
| Carlisle United | 0 | 3 | Burnley | Brunton Park | 11,625 | |
| Lineups | Casper 2, James | |||||
| Charlton Athletic | 2 | 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | The Valley | 8,937 | |
| Davies, Holsgrove OG | Lineups | Joicey 2 | ||||
| Fulham | 1 | 0 | Hull City | Craven Cottage | 8,352 | |
| Earle | Lineups | |||||
| Luton Town | 0 | 0 | Swindon Town | Kenilworth Road | 13,423 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Oxford United | 0 | 0 | Middlesbrough | Manor Ground | 9,925 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Portsmouth | 1 | 1 | Preston North End | Fratton Park | 12,749 | |
| Trebilcock | Lineups | McIlmoyle | ||||
| Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 0 | Birmingham City | Loftus Road | 16,039 | |
| Marsh | Lineups | |||||
| Sunderland | 1 | 1 | Norwich City | Roker Park | 24,951 | |
| Tueart | Lineups | Paddon | ||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | |
Second Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 0 | Norwich City | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2.333 | 17 | D | D | W | W | W | 1971-10-13 | Burnley | H |
| 2 | 0 | Bristol City | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2.667 | 16 | W | W | W | L | L | 1971-10-16 | Millwall | A |
| 3 | 0 | Millwall | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 1.385 | 16 | W | W | D | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Bristol City | H |
| 4 | 2 | Burnley | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 1.909 | 14 | W | L | W | L | W | 1971-10-13 | Norwich City | A |
| 5 | -1 | Sunderland | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1.143 | 14 | D | W | W | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Birmingham City | A |
| 6 | 2 | Queens Park Rangers | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1.778 | 13 | W | D | L | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Sheffield Wednesday | A |
| 7 | 0 | Middlesbrough | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 1.143 | 13 | D | W | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Portsmouth | H |
| 8 | -3 | Birmingham City | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1.556 | 12 | L | D | W | D | W | 1971-10-16 | Sunderland | H |
| 9 | 0 | Luton Town | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1.222 | 12 | D | D | W | W | D | 1971-10-16 | Norwich City | A |
| 10 | 3 | Blackpool | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 1.214 | 11 | W | L | L | D | L | 1971-10-16 | Swindon Town | A |
| 11 | 0 | Portsmouth | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 | D | L | D | W | W | 1971-10-16 | Middlesbrough | A |
| 12 | -2 | Carlisle United | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 1.143 | 10 | L | L | W | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Preston North End | A |
| 13 | 1 | Oxford United | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 10 | D | D | W | W | L | 1971-10-12 | Fulham | A |
| 14 | 1 | Swindon Town | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0.889 | 10 | D | L | L | W | W | 1971-10-16 | Blackpool | H |
| 15 | -3 | Hull City | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 0.667 | 10 | L | D | W | L | L | 1971-10-16 | Charlton Athletic | H |
| 16 | 1 | Preston North End | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0.813 | 9 | D | L | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Carlisle United | H |
| 17 | -1 | Orient | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 0.682 | 9 | L | W | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Oxford United | H |
| 18 | 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 0.789 | 7 | D | W | D | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Queens Park Rangers | H |
| 19 | 2 | Charlton Athletic | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 0.682 | 7 | D | L | L | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Hull City | A |
| 20 | -2 | Cardiff City | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 0.571 | 7 | L | W | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Burnley | A |
| 21 | -2 | Watford | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 0.368 | 7 | L | W | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Fulham | H |
| 22 | 0 | Fulham | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0.3 | 7 | W | L | L | W | L | 1971-10-12 | Oxford United | H |
| Third Division |
| Third Division | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | 2 | 1 | Swansea City | Dean Court | 12,057 | |
| Cave, Miller | Lineups | Evans B | ||||
| Aston Villa | 1 | 2 | Rotherham United | Villa Park | 30,249 | |
| Lochhead | Lineups | Gilbert, Phillips | ||||
| Barnsley | 1 | 4 | Chesterfield | Oakwell | 6,603 | |
| O'Connor | Lineups | Randall, Archer (p), Fenoughty, Phelan | ||||
| Blackburn Rovers | 3 | 0 | Rochdale | Ewood Park | 8,492 | |
| Shanahan 2, McDonald | Lineups | |||||
| Bradford City | 3 | 0 | Walsall | Valley Parade | 4,729 | |
| Bannister 3 (1p) | Lineups | |||||
| Mansfield Town | 0 | 0 | Bristol Rovers | Field Mill | 3,830 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Notts County | 1 | 0 | Plymouth Argyle | Meadow Lane | 11,828 | |
| Bradd | Lineups | |||||
| Oldham Athletic | 0 | 0 | Halifax Town | Boundary Park | 9,526 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Port Vale | 1 | 1 | Bolton Wanderers | Vale Park | 6,394 | |
| Horton (p) | Lineups | Nicholson | ||||
| Torquay United | 2 | 3 | Wrexham | Plainmoor | 4,064 | |
| Skirton, Welsh | Lineups | Park, Kinsey, Griffiths | ||||
| York City | 1 | 1 | Shrewsbury Town | Bootham Crescent | 5,435 | |
| Henderson | Lineups | Andrews | ||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | |
Third Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 1 | AFC Bournemouth | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2.375 | 17 | W | D | D | W | W | 1971-10-15 | Shrewsbury Town | A |
| 2 | -1 | Aston Villa | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2.429 | 15 | L | W | W | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Plymouth Argyle | A |
| 3 | 0 | Notts County | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 1.9 | 15 | W | D | D | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Rochdale | A |
| 4 | 2 | Bolton Wanderers | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 2.167 | 13 | D | W | D | D | L | 1971-10-12 | Plymouth Argyle | A |
| 5 | 5 | Rotherham United | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1.462 | 13 | W | D | W | W | W | 1971-10-16 | Blackburn Rovers | H |
| 6 | -2 | Swansea City | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 1.333 | 13 | L | D | L | W | D | 1971-10-16 | Bradford City | H |
| 7 | 1 | Oldham Athletic | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 1.143 | 13 | D | W | W | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Bolton Wanderers | A |
| 8 | -3 | Plymouth Argyle | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 1.133 | 13 | L | D | L | W | D | 1971-10-12 | Bolton Wanderers | H |
| 9 | 4 | Chesterfield | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 1.545 | 12 | W | W | L | D | L | 1971-10-16 | Torquay United | H |
| 10 | -1 | Shrewsbury Town | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 1.533 | 12 | D | W | W | L | D | 1971-10-15 | AFC Bournemouth | H |
| 11 | -4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1.214 | 12 | L | D | W | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Port Vale | H |
| 12 | 0 | Bristol Rovers | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 1.357 | 11 | D | L | L | W | W | 1971-10-16 | York City | H |
| 13 | 1 | Halifax Town | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1.222 | 11 | D | W | D | L | L | 1971-10-16 | Mansfield Town | H |
| 14 | -3 | Rochdale | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 0.818 | 11 | L | W | W | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Notts County | H |
| 15 | 2 | Port Vale | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0.6 | 11 | D | L | D | W | D | 1971-10-16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A |
| 16 | -1 | Tranmere Rovers | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 10 | W | L | D | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Wrexham | A |
| 17 | 1 | York City | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 0.923 | 10 | D | D | L | W | W | 1971-10-16 | Bristol Rovers | A |
| 18 | -2 | Torquay United | 12 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0.652 | 10 | L | L | L | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Chesterfield | A |
| 19 | 1 | Bradford City | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 0.696 | 9 | W | L | W | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Swansea City | A |
| 20 | -1 | Walsall | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 0.652 | 8 | L | W | D | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Barnsley | H |
| 21 | 0 | Blackburn Rovers | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0.5 | 8 | W | L | D | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Rotherham United | A |
| 22 | 0 | Wrexham | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.737 | 7 | W | L | W | L | L | 1971-10-16 | Tranmere Rovers | H |
| 23 | 0 | Barnsley | 11 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0.385 | 5 | L | D | L | D | L | 1971-10-16 | Walsall | A |
| 24 | 0 | Mansfield Town | 11 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 0.294 | 5 | D | L | D | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Halifax Town | A |
| Fourth Division |
| Fourth Division | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldershot | 0 | 2 | Colchester United | Recreation Ground | 5,285 | |
| Lineups | Lewis, Leslie | |||||
| Bury | 3 | 1 | Scunthorpe United | Gigg Lane | 2,733 | |
| White, McDermott 2 (1p) | Lineups | Davidson | ||||
| Chester | 1 | 1 | Southend United | Sealand Road | 4,092 | |
| Draper | Lineups | Garner (p) | ||||
| Crewe Alexandra | 0 | 0 | Workington | Gresty Road | 1,954 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Darlington | 1 | 2 | Stockport County | Feethams Ground | 2,022 | |
| Hale (p) | Lineups | McMillan, Webber | ||||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1 | 1 | Cambridge United | Belle Vue | 3,521 | |
| Briggs | Lineups | Phillips | ||||
| Grimsby Town | 2 | 1 | Gillingham | Blundell Park | 10,539 | |
| Hickman, Tees | Lineups | Yeo | ||||
| Hartlepool | 0 | 1 | Newport County | Victoria Park | 3,010 | |
| Lineups | White | |||||
| Lincoln City | 4 | 1 | Exeter City | Sincil Bank | 6,085 | |
| Hubbard, Freeman 3 | Lineups | Rowan | ||||
| Northampton Town | 5 | 0 | Reading | County Ground | 5,255 | |
| Hawkins, McNeil (p), Large, Buchanan 2 | Lineups | |||||
| Peterborough United | 7 | 0 | Barrow | London Road | 4,681 | |
| Hall 3, Price 3, Conmy | Lineups | |||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | |
Fourth Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 0 | Brentford | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4.5 | 16 | D | W | W | D | W | 1971-10-16 | Bury | H |
| 2 | 1 | Grimsby Town | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 1.563 | 16 | W | W | L | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Scunthorpe United | A |
| 3 | -1 | Scunthorpe United | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 1.333 | 15 | L | W | W | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Grimsby Town | H |
| 4 | 1 | Workington | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 14 | D | W | D | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Aldershot | H |
| 5 | 1 | Southend United | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1.636 | 14 | D | W | W | W | W | 1971-10-15 | Peterborough United | H |
| 6 | -2 | Southport | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2.091 | 13 | D | L | D | D | W | 1971-10-16 | Exeter City | A |
| 7 | 0 | Lincoln City | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 1.5 | 13 | W | D | W | W | D | 1971-10-15 | Colchester United | A |
| 8 | 2 | Chester | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1.375 | 11 | D | L | W | D | D | 1971-10-16 | Cambridge United | A |
| 9 | 6 | Peterborough United | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 1.222 | 11 | W | L | L | W | L | 1971-10-15 | Southend United | A |
| 10 | 3 | Bury | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1.154 | 11 | W | L | D | W | W | 1971-10-16 | Brentford | A |
| 11 | -3 | Gillingham | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 11 | L | W | D | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Darlington | H |
| 12 | -3 | Aldershot | 11 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0.917 | 11 | L | D | D | D | W | 1971-10-16 | Workington | A |
| 13 | 5 | Northampton Town | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 0.882 | 11 | W | L | L | D | D | 1971-10-15 | Barrow | H |
| 14 | 3 | Colchester United | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 0.786 | 11 | W | W | L | D | W | 1971-10-15 | Lincoln City | H |
| 15 | -3 | Cambridge United | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 10 | D | D | L | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Chester | H |
| 16 | 0 | Doncaster Rovers | 11 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 0.733 | 10 | D | L | W | L | W | 1971-10-16 | Newport County | A |
| 17 | -6 | Reading | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0.5 | 10 | L | L | D | L | L | 1971-10-16 | Hartlepool | H |
| 18 | -4 | Exeter City | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 0.739 | 9 | L | W | W | L | D | 1971-10-16 | Southport | H |
| 19 | 1 | Newport County | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 0.714 | 9 | W | W | L | D | L | 1971-10-16 | Doncaster Rovers | H |
| 20 | -1 | Barrow | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 0.381 | 8 | L | D | D | L | L | 1971-10-15 | Northampton Town | A |
| 21 | 2 | Crewe Alexandra | 11 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 0.778 | 7 | D | L | L | W | L | 1971-10-15 | Stockport County | A |
| 22 | 2 | Stockport County | 11 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 0.625 | 7 | W | W | L | L | L | 1971-10-15 | Crewe Alexandra | H |
| 23 | -2 | Hartlepool | 11 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0.609 | 7 | L | L | W | W | L | 1971-10-16 | Reading | A |
| 24 | -2 | Darlington | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 0.389 | 7 | L | L | D | D | L | 1971-10-16 | Gillingham | A |
