The Football League 1919-20
| Season | 1919–20 |
|---|---|
| Champions | West Bromwich Albion |
| Relegated | Lincoln City |
|
← 1914–15
1920–21 →
|
|
| Season | 1919–20 |
|---|---|
| Champions | West Bromwich Albion (1st English title) |
| Relegated |
Notts County, The Wednesday |
| Matches played | 462 |
| Goals scored | 1,332 (2.88 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Fred Morris (West Bromwich Albion), 37 |
| Biggest home win | West Brom – Notts County 8–0 (25 Oct 1919) |
| Biggest away win |
Burnley – Bradford Park Avenue 2–6 (22 Nov 1919) Preston North End –Bradford City 1–5 (1 Sep 1919) Bradford Park Avenue – West Brom 0–4 (3 Apr 1920) Derby County – West Brom 0–4 (20 Dec 1919) |
| Highest scoring | Manchester City –Blackburn 8–2 (8 Nov 1919) |
|
← 1914–15
1920–21 →
|
|
| Season | 1919–20 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Tottenham Hotspur (1st title) |
| Relegated | Grimsby Town |
| Failed re-election | Lincoln City |
| Matches played | 462 |
| Goals scored | 1,285 (2.78 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sammy Taylor (Huddersfield Town), 35 |
| Biggest home win | Birmingham – Nottingham Forest 8–0 (10 Mar 1920) |
| Biggest away win |
Barnsley – Birmingham 0–5 (14 Feb 1920) Leicester City – Bury 0–5 (10 Apr 1920) |
| Highest scoring | Hull – Wolverhampton 10–3 (27 Dec 1919) |
|
← 1914–15
1920–21 →
|
|
The 1919–1920 season was the 28th season of The Football League.
In 1919, the First Division was extended from 20 to 22 clubs. During previous expansions, the relegated clubs from the previous season were re-elected, while the top Second Division sides were promoted as usual.
Therefore, Derby and Preston, the two top Second Division sides in 1915 (there had been a break for the war) did move on up. Chelsea, who had finished 19th that season, were, as expected, re-elected.
But the reason for Chelsea's escape were somewhat arbitrary. In 1915, Manchester United had, to avoid relegation, fixed their last game against Liverpool. They won 2–0 and sent Chelsea into the relegation places instead, but the new league president and former Liverpool chairman John McKenna must have felt some guilt, because at the League's AGM in 1919 he gave a speech insisting on the continued presence in the top flight of the Stamford Bridge club.
More controversially though, Tottenham Hotspur - who came 20th in 1915 - were not re-elected and arch-rivals Arsenal, who had finished fifth in the Second Division had their promotion engineered by Sir Henry Norris. It has been alleged that Norris bribed or in some way unduly influenced the voting members of the Football League, in particular McKenna at the League's AGM. McKenna made a speech recommending Arsenal's promotion ahead of Spurs thanks to the former's longer spell in the League (Arsenal joined in 1893, Spurs in 1908), although Preston North End & Wolves, who both finished ahead of Arsenal, had been members of the league longer than Arsenal; Wolves since its inception in 1888. Arsenal have never been relegated from the top flight of the English game since.
In Second Division, Port Vale took over from Leeds City after 4 October 1919, when Leeds were disbanded by F.A. order following alleged irregular practices. Port Vale then inherited Leeds’ record up to that date.
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