Saturday 1981-05-02
| First Division |
| Division 1 | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 2 | 0 | Aston Villa | Highbury | 57,472 | Largest home, D 1 & league gate 1980-81 |
| Young, McDermott | Lineups | |||||
| Birmingham City | 1 | 1 | Everton | St Andrew's | 12,863 | |
| Evans | Lineups | Eastoe | ||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 | 0 | Leeds United | Goldstone Ground | 27,577 | Largest home gate 1980-81 |
| Foster, Ritchie | Lineups | |||||
| Liverpool | 0 | 1 | Sunderland | Anfield Road | 40,337 | |
| Lineups | Cummins | |||||
| Manchester City | 1 | 1 | Crystal Palace | Maine Road | 31,017 | |
| Bennett | Lineups | Walsh | ||||
| Middlesbrough | 2 | 1 | Ipswich Town | Ayresome Park | 15,503 | |
| Jankovic 2 | Lineups | Mariner | ||||
| Norwich City | 2 | 3 | Leicester City | Carrow Road | 24,675 | |
| McGuire, Fashanu | Lineups | Melrose 3 | ||||
| Nottingham Forest | 1 | 1 | Coventry City | City Ground | 21,511 | |
| Robertson (p) | Lineups | Thompson | ||||
| Stoke City | 3 | 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Victoria Ground | 15,000 | |
| Bracewell 2, Ursem | Lineups | Hibbitt, Evans OG | ||||
| West Bromwich Albion | 4 | 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | The Hawthorns | 20,549 | |
| Robson, Barnes, Brown, Cross | Lineups | Smith, Falco | ||||
| Footnotes | ||||||
| Aston Villa champions | ||||||
| Norwich City relegated | ||||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn |  |
First Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 0 | Aston Villa | 42 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 27 | 32 | 60 | L | W | D | W | L | End of Season | ||
| 2 | 0 | Ipswich Town | 41 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 29 | 35 | 56 | L | W | L | L | W | 1981-05-13 | Southampton | H |
| 3 | 0 | Arsenal | 42 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 36 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 28 | 16 | 53 | W | W | W | W | D | End of Season | ||
| 4 | 1 | West Bromwich Albion | 41 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 27 | 18 | 51 | W | W | L | L | W | 1981-05-06 | Leeds United | A |
| 5 | -1 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 24 | 18 | 50 | D | W | W | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 6 | 0 | Southampton | 41 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 47 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 32 | 19 | 48 | L | D | D | W | L | 1981-05-13 | Ipswich Town | A |
| 7 | 0 | Manchester United | 42 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 30 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 48 | W | W | W | W | W | End of Season | ||
| 8 | 0 | Liverpool | 40 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 47 | L | D | D | L | D | 1981-05-05 | Middlesbrough | A |
| 9 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 37 | 2 | 43 | L | L | D | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 10 | 0 | Leeds United | 41 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 43 | L | W | D | D | W | 1981-05-06 | West Bromwich Albion | H |
| 11 | 0 | Stoke City | 42 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 31 | 23 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 37 | -9 | 42 | W | W | D | D | W | End of Season | ||
| 12 | 0 | Manchester City | 41 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 35 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 33 | -2 | 39 | D | L | W | W | L | 1981-05-19 | Liverpool | A |
| 13 | 0 | Birmingham City | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 23 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 38 | -11 | 38 | D | L | L | L | L | End of Season | ||
| 14 | 0 | Middlesbrough | 41 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 15 | 45 | -7 | 37 | W | L | L | L | W | 1981-05-05 | Liverpool | H |
| 15 | 0 | Coventry City | 42 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 38 | -20 | 36 | D | W | W | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 16 | 2 | Sunderland | 42 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 32 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 34 | -1 | 35 | W | L | L | W | L | End of Season | ||
| 17 | -1 | Everton | 41 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 33 | -3 | 35 | D | L | L | W | L | 1981-05-04 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A |
| 18 | 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 24 | 41 | -13 | 35 | W | W | W | W | L | End of Season | ||
| 19 | -2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 41 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 35 | -12 | 34 | L | W | L | L | L | 1981-05-04 | Everton | H |
| 20 | 0 | Norwich City | 42 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 34 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 15 | 48 | -24 | 33 | L | L | W | W | W | End of Season | ||
| 21 | 0 | Leicester City | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 20 | 44 | 21 | 32 | W | W | L | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 22 | 0 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 32 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 46 | -36 | 19 | D | L | L | L | W | End of Season | ||
| Second Division |
| Second Division | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Wanderers | 0 | 3 | Luton Town | Burnden Park | 7,268 | |
| Lineups | Stein, White, Stephens | |||||
| Bristol Rovers | 0 | 1 | Blackburn Rovers | Eastville | 9,078 | |
| Lineups | Stonehouse | |||||
| Cambridge United | 5 | 1 | Grimsby Town | Abbey Stadium | 4,528 | |
| Evans 2, Streete, Fallon, O'Neill | Lineups | Waters (p) | ||||
| Cardiff City | 0 | 0 | Derby County | Ninian Park | 7,577 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Chelsea | 0 | 2 | Notts County | Stamford Bridge | 13,324 | |
| Lineups | Christie, Harkouk | |||||
| Newcastle United | 3 | 1 | Orient | St James' Park | 11,639 | |
| Walker, Harford, Trewick | Lineups | Mayo | ||||
| Oldham Athletic | 2 | 0 | Bristol City | Boundary Park | 4,785 | |
| Wylde, Heaton | Lineups | |||||
| Preston North End | 1 | 3 | Swansea City | Deepdale | 18,970 | Largest home gate 1980-81 |
| Bruce | Lineups | James L, Craig, Charles | ||||
| Shrewsbury Town | 3 | 3 | Queens Park Rangers | Gay Meadow | 5,714 | |
| Dungworth, Keay (p), King | Lineups | Fenwick, Waddock, Flanagan | ||||
| Watford | 2 | 1 | Sheffield Wednesday | Vicarage Road | 12,351 | |
| Poskett, Blissett | Lineups | Taylor | ||||
| West Ham United | 1 | 0 | Wrexham | Upton Park | 30,515 | |
| Stewart | Lineups | |||||
| Footnotes | ||||||
| Notts County promoted | ||||||
| Swansea City promoted | ||||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | |
Second Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 0 | West Ham United | 40 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 25 | 17 | 49 | 63 | W | W | W | W | W | 1981-05-06 | Cardiff City | A |
| 2 | 0 | Notts County | 41 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 24 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 9 | 51 | W | L | W | D | D | 1981-05-05 | Cambridge United | H |
| 3 | 0 | Swansea City | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 39 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 50 | W | D | W | W | D | End of Season | ||
| 4 | 0 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 22 | 13 | 50 | W | W | D | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 5 | 0 | Luton Town | 42 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 23 | 15 | 48 | W | D | L | W | W | End of Season | ||
| 6 | 1 | Derby County | 41 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 33 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 26 | 6 | 45 | D | W | W | D | L | 1981-05-06 | Preston North End | H |
| 7 | -1 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 2 | 45 | L | W | L | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 8 | 0 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 34 | 10 | 43 | D | W | L | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 9 | 0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 41 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 37 | 3 | 42 | L | L | L | W | L | 1981-05-08 | West Ham United | H |
| 10 | 1 | Newcastle United | 42 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 32 | -15 | 42 | W | L | D | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 11 | 1 | Watford | 41 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 4 | 41 | W | W | D | W | L | 1981-05-04 | Wrexham | A |
| 12 | -2 | Chelsea | 42 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 26 | 5 | 40 | L | L | L | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 13 | 4 | Cambridge United | 41 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 36 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 40 | -10 | 40 | W | L | L | L | L | 1981-05-05 | Notts County | A |
| 14 | 0 | Shrewsbury Town | 42 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 25 | -1 | 39 | D | D | W | W | D | End of Season | ||
| 15 | 3 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 19 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 32 | -9 | 39 | W | W | L | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 16 | -3 | Wrexham | 41 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 21 | -1 | 38 | L | W | D | L | W | 1981-05-04 | Watford | H |
| 17 | -1 | Orient | 42 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 34 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 36 | -4 | 38 | L | D | L | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 18 | -3 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 39 | -5 | 38 | L | D | D | D | W | End of Season | ||
| 19 | 0 | Cardiff City | 41 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 36 | -16 | 35 | D | W | L | D | L | 1981-05-06 | West Ham United | H |
| 20 | 0 | Preston North End | 41 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 28 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 35 | -22 | 34 | L | D | D | W | W | 1981-05-06 | Derby County | A |
| 21 | 0 | Bristol City | 42 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 36 | -22 | 30 | L | D | W | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 22 | 0 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 41 | -31 | 23 | L | L | L | L | D | End of Season | ||
| Third Division |
| Division 3 | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | 4 | 1 | Newport County | Oakwell | 15,659 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Burnley | 1 | 1 | Oxford United | Turf Moor | 3,947 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Charlton Athletic | 2 | 1 | Gillingham | The Valley | 9,367 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Chester | 0 | 1 | Portsmouth | Sealand Road | 2,366 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Colchester United | 1 | 0 | Carlisle United | Layer Road | 1,430 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Exeter City | 0 | 0 | Blackpool | St James Park | 3,864 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Huddersfield Town | 4 | 2 | Fulham | Leeds Road | 6,965 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Millwall | 0 | 2 | Chesterfield | The Den, New Cross | 3,520 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Reading | 2 | 0 | Hull City | Elm Park | 3,399 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Rotherham United | 2 | 1 | Plymouth Argyle | Millmoor | 11,497 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Sheffield United | 0 | 1 | Walsall | Bramall Lane | 16,001 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Swindon Town | 0 | 0 | Brentford | County Ground | 8,968 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Footnotes | ||||||
| Rotherham United champions | ||||||
| Sheffield United relegated | ||||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | |
Third Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 0 | Rotherham United | 46 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 24 | 30 | 61 | W | L | L | D | W | End of Season | ||
| 2 | 0 | Barnsley | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 46 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 59 | W | W | L | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 3 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 36 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 59 | W | W | D | L | L | End of Season | ||
| 4 | 0 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 40 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 56 | W | W | D | L | L | End of Season | ||
| 5 | 1 | Portsmouth | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 28 | 8 | 53 | W | L | L | W | W | End of Season | ||
| 6 | 1 | Chesterfield | 44 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 30 | 32 | 22 | 52 | W | D | W | L | D | 1981-05-05 | Reading | H |
| 7 | -2 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 52 | L | W | D | D | W | End of Season | ||
| 8 | 0 | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 21 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 27 | 12 | 50 | D | L | L | D | W | End of Season | ||
| 9 | 0 | Brentford | 46 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 30 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 24 | 3 | 47 | D | W | W | D | W | End of Season | ||
| 10 | 0 | Reading | 45 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 39 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 37 | 1 | 46 | W | W | W | L | L | 1981-05-05 | Chesterfield | A |
| 11 | 0 | Exeter City | 45 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 36 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 26 | 35 | -3 | 45 | D | D | D | L | L | 1981-05-08 | Chesterfield | A |
| 12 | 0 | Fulham | 46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 28 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 29 | 35 | -7 | 43 | L | L | W | W | L | End of Season | ||
| 13 | 0 | Oxford United | 46 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 23 | -8 | 43 | D | W | D | W | D | End of Season | ||
| 14 | 0 | Gillingham | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 23 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 25 | 39 | -10 | 42 | L | W | D | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 15 | 0 | Millwall | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 39 | -17 | 42 | L | L | D | L | W | End of Season | ||
| 16 | 0 | Newport County | 44 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 1 | 41 | L | W | D | W | D | 1981-05-05 | Carlisle United | H |
| 17 | 3 | Swindon Town | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 29 | -5 | 41 | D | L | D | D | D | End of Season | ||
| 18 | -1 | Carlisle United | 45 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 32 | 29 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 37 | -10 | 41 | L | L | W | L | W | 1981-05-05 | Newport County | A |
| 19 | -1 | Chester | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 31 | -10 | 41 | L | D | L | L | W | End of Season | ||
| 20 | 1 | Walsall | 46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 43 | 43 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 31 | -15 | 41 | W | W | D | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 21 | -2 | Sheffield United | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 43 | 2 | 40 | L | D | L | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 22 | 0 | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 35 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 10 | 43 | -20 | 39 | W | L | L | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 23 | 0 | Blackpool | 46 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 26 | 47 | -30 | 32 | D | W | D | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 24 | 0 | Hull City | 45 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 17 | 49 | -33 | 30 | L | D | D | W | D | 1981-05-07 | Newport County | H |
| Fourth Division |
| Division 4 | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doncaster Rovers | 2 | 1 | AFC Bournemouth | Belle Vue | 11,373 | Largest home gate 1980-81 |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Halifax Town | 1 | 0 | Aldershot | The Shay | 1,587 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Hartlepool United | 3 | 0 | Tranmere Rovers | Victoria Park | 1,826 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Hereford United | 1 | 1 | Peterborough United | Edgar Street | 2,102 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Lincoln City | 1 | 0 | Darlington | Sincil Bank | 4,619 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Scunthorpe United | 4 | 4 | Wigan Athletic | Old Showground | 1,704 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Wimbledon | 2 | 4 | Bury | Plough Lane | 2,933 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| York City | 0 | 3 | Bradford City | Bootham Crescent | 1,481 | |
| Lineups | ||||||
| Footnotes | ||||||
| Doncaster Rovers promoted | ||||||
| Tranmere Rovers to apply for re-election | ||||||
| Home | Away | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | |
Fourth Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Last 5 Games | Next Match | ||||||
| 1 | 0 | Southend United | 46 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 47 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 32 | 25 | 48 | 67 | D | W | W | W | D | End of Season | ||
| 2 | 0 | Lincoln City | 45 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 44 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 21 | 13 | 41 | 64 | W | W | W | L | D | 1981-05-04 | Bury | A |
| 3 | 0 | Wimbledon | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 29 | 18 | 55 | L | W | L | W | W | End of Season | ||
| 4 | 0 | Doncaster Rovers | 45 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 28 | 10 | 55 | W | W | D | W | L | 1981-05-06 | Mansfield Town | A |
| 5 | 0 | Peterborough United | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 21 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 31 | 33 | 14 | 52 | D | D | D | W | D | End of Season | ||
| 6 | 0 | Aldershot | 46 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 28 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 15 | 30 | 2 | 50 | L | D | D | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 7 | 2 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 39 | 3 | 49 | W | D | L | W | W | End of Season | ||
| 8 | -1 | Mansfield Town | 45 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 22 | 29 | 14 | 48 | L | L | W | D | L | 1981-05-06 | Doncaster Rovers | H |
| 9 | -1 | Darlington | 45 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 42 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 22 | 36 | 6 | 48 | L | W | W | L | L | 1981-05-05 | Port Vale | H |
| 10 | 0 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 39 | -4 | 47 | D | W | W | D | L | End of Season | ||
| 11 | 0 | AFC Bournemouth | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 27 | -1 | 45 | L | L | L | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 12 | 0 | Northampton Town | 44 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 42 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 40 | -4 | 45 | W | D | D | D | D | 1981-05-03 | Rochdale | A |
| 13 | 1 | Bury | 45 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 37 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 32 | 41 | 8 | 44 | W | L | W | W | D | 1981-05-04 | Lincoln City | H |
| 14 | 1 | Bradford City | 45 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 23 | 36 | -6 | 44 | W | L | W | L | D | 1981-05-15 | Hereford United | H |
| 15 | -2 | Rochdale | 45 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 24 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 27 | 45 | -9 | 43 | D | L | L | W | W | 1981-05-03 | Northampton Town | H |
| 16 | 1 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 40 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 38 | -9 | 42 | D | W | W | L | L | End of Season | ||
| 17 | -1 | Torquay United | 46 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 38 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 37 | -8 | 41 | L | L | L | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 18 | 0 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 28 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 41 | -13 | 40 | D | L | L | L | W | End of Season | ||
| 19 | 0 | Stockport County | 45 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 15 | 30 | -11 | 39 | W | W | W | L | L | 1981-05-06 | Hereford United | A |
| 20 | 0 | Port Vale | 45 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 40 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 46 | -13 | 38 | D | D | L | D | W | 1981-05-05 | Darlington | A |
| 21 | 0 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 18 | 49 | -14 | 36 | L | W | L | L | D | End of Season | ||
| 22 | 1 | Halifax Town | 46 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 28 | 32 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 39 | -27 | 34 | W | D | W | L | L | End of Season | ||
| 23 | -1 | York City | 45 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 30 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 43 | -18 | 33 | L | D | L | L | W | 1981-05-05 | Northampton Town | H |
| 24 | 0 | Hereford United | 44 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 27 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 8 | 42 | -27 | 31 | D | L | D | W | D | 1981-05-06 | Stockport County | H |
