1978-1979

 

Division 3

 

Lincoln City’s problems were evident almost from the start of the season, with a 0-5 home defeat by Watford on September 13^th the sort of showing which saw the Imps in 24^th place at the end of that month.  With only 2 points taken from the next 7 games, City reached mid-November 6 points adrift, the gap being narrowed as much by Tranmere’s appalling form as by Lincoln’s own efforts in the next phase of the campaign.  The Imps remained bottom, with away defeats of 0-6 and 1-5 early in March helping to see them 12 points from safety at the start of April.  By this stage, Mansfield, Tranmere, and Peterborough were in the 3 other relegation places.  At mid-April, all 3 teams had a sorry look about them, as did a vulnerable Walsall in 20^th place.

 

September 30th
19	Oxford United	10	10	15	8
20	Walsall	10	17	19	7
21	Brentford	10	8	16	7
22	Bury	10	9	14	6
23	Tranmere Rovers	9	9	17	5
24	Lincoln City	10	7	21	4
November 15th
19	Oxford United	17	14	22	14
20	Bury	17	18	22	13
21	Mansfield Town	17	17	22	13
22	Tranmere Rovers	17	19	27	13
23	Brentford	17	14	23	12
24	Lincoln City	17	9	33	6
December 31st
19	Brentford	23	19	27	19
20	Walsall	22	32	33	18
21	Bury	21	24	27	18
22	Peterborough United	23	22	33	17
23	Tranmere Rovers	21	22	36	13
24	Lincoln City	22	17	42	10
February 14th
19	Bury	24	30	32	22
20	Sheffield Wednesday	23	21	30	20
21	Peterborough United	27	24	38	20
22	Mansfield Town	24	22	30	19
23	Tranmere Rovers	24	27	42	15
24	Lincoln City	25	17	48	10
March 31st
19	Bury	33	42	45	30
20	Walsall	36	48	53	29
21	Mansfield Town	31	31	35	26
22	Peterborough United	34	32	49	26
23	Tranmere Rovers	35	36	61	21
24	Lincoln City	33	23	65	17
April 15th
19	Chesterfield	36	44	55	31
20	Walsall	39	53	61	30
21	Mansfield Town	34	33	41	28
22	Peterborough United	36	33	51	28
23	Tranmere Rovers	38	37	66	21
24	Lincoln City	36	26	66	20

 

The bottom two had been dispatched by the end of the month, with Peterborough’s moderate form and Walsall’s 2 points from 5 games comparing unfavourably with the efforts of both Chesterfield and Mansfield, who had won 6 and 7 points respectively.  Chesterfield beat the poor Saddlers 1-0 on their own ground on May 5^th to send them down, with Mansfield also winning their game with Chester.  Peterborough now trailed the Stags by 4 points but hoped for something from their final 3 matches.  A draw with Chesterfield was followed by a 3-0 Posh win over Hull City on May 11^th, but Mansfield beat Lincoln City 2-0 on the same day and Peterborough were down.

THE STRUGGLERS (continued)

 

Division 4

 

Halifax Town and Rochdale made the weakest starts to the new season and were in the bottom two places by the end of September.  Above them, Crewe Alexandra, Darlington and Doncaster all found the first half of the campaign tough and none of them were able to conjure up a protracted break-away from the danger zone.  By the middle of April, the teams noted above occupied the bottom five places in the section, with Crewe, Rochdale and Halifax separated from the others by a four-point margin and looking likely to fill 3 of the re-election places.  For Darlington, Rovers and Northampton there remained hope, especially as Hartlepool United and AFC Bournemouth, who had already completed 40 games, were only just ahead of them on points.

 

September 30th
19	Darlington	10	6	12	7
20	Crewe Alexandra	10	7	22	7
21	Newport County	10	13	18	6
22	Doncaster Rovers	9	10	18	6
23	Halifax Town	10	6	19	3
24	Rochdale	10	4	20	3
November 15th
19	Darlington	17	17	21	14
20	Doncaster Rovers	17	19	25	14
21	Bradford City	17	23	30	14
22	Crewe Alexandra	17	17	30	13
23	Rochdale	17	11	30	10
24	Halifax Town	17	11	32	6
December 31st
19	York City	21	20	29	20
20	Darlington	22	26	30	19
21	Doncaster Rovers	12	24	32	16
22	Crewe Alexandra	21	20	38	14
23	Rochdale	22	15	36	12
24	Halifax Town	23	15	42	7
February 14th
19	Northampton Town	23	33	38	20
20	York City	22	20	30	20
21	Darlington	24	28	38	19
22	Crewe Alexandra	25	24	42	19
23	Rochdale	24	18	40	13
24	Halifax Town	24	15	43	7
March 31st
19	Hartlepool United	32	37	48	29
20	Northampton Town	33	46	56	27
21	Crewe Alexandra	32	37	64	25
22	Darlington	32	34	48	24
23	Rochdale	32	27	53	19
24	Halifax Town	33	21	53	14
April 15th
19	Northampton Town	37	51	61	31
20	Doncaster Rovers	39	42	61	31
21	Darlington	36	40	52	30
22	Crewe Alexandra	38	40	71	26
23	Rochdale	36	32	56	25
24	Halifax Town	36	26	57	18

 

Crewe lost their final 8 games and finished bottom, their 0-6 defeat at Bradford City on April 28^th condemning the club to its latest re-election application.  Halifax Town’s fate was settled on the same day after they lost 0-1 at Reading.  In complete contrast to Alexandra’s end to the campaign, Rochdale produced 7 wins in their last eight fixtures to escape from the bottom four.  Darlington had finished above Doncaster Rovers, on goal difference, by avoiding a 9-goal defeat at Wimbledon on April 17^th and needed Rochdale to lose their last game, at Crewe, a day later.  ‘Dale, of course, won and it was this which gave the club a last-ditch escape to safety.