![]() |
|
| Countries | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 1992–2004 (as Division Three) 1958–1992 (as Division Four) |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Promotion to | League One |
| Relegation to | Conference National |
| Levels on pyramid | 4 |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup Football League Cup Football League Trophy |
| Current champions | Brentford (2008–09) |
| Website | League Two |
Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Coca-Cola Football League 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.
Football League Two was introduced for the 2004–05 season. It was previously known as the Football League Third Division. Prior to the advent of the Premier League, the fourth-highest division was known as the Football League Fourth Division. It is the most profitable fourth-tier football league in the world.
Contents |
There are 24 clubs in Football League Two. Each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home, once away) and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.
At the end of each season the top three teams, together with the winner of the play-offs between the teams that finished in 4th–7th position, are promoted to Football League One and are replaced by the four teams that finished bottom of that division.
Similarly the two teams that finished at the bottom of Football League Two are relegated to the Conference National and are replaced by the team that finished 1st and the team that won the 2nd–5th place play-off in that division. Technically a team can be reprieved from relegation if the team replacing them does not have a ground suitable for League football, but in practice this is a non-factor because every team currently in the Conference National has a ground that meets the League criteria (and even if they did not, a ground-sharing arrangement with another team can be made until their stadium is upgraded). The other way that a team can be spared relegation is if some other team either resigns or is expelled from the Football League.
Final League position is determined, in this order, by points obtained, goal difference, goals scored, a mini-league of the results between two or more teams ranked using the previous three criteria and finally a series of one or more play off matches.
There is a mandatory wage cap in this division that limits spending on players' wages to 60% of club turnover.
| Club | Finishing position last season |
|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | 16th |
| Aldershot Town | 15th |
| Barnet | 17th |
| Bournemouth | 21st |
| Bradford City | 9th |
| Burton Albion | 1st in Conference National |
| Bury | 4th |
| Cheltenham Town | 23rd in League One |
| Chesterfield | 10th |
| Crewe Alexandra | 22nd in League One |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 8th |
| Darlington | 12th |
| Grimsby Town | 22nd |
| Hereford United | 24th in League One |
| Lincoln City | 13th |
| Macclesfield Town | 20th |
| Morecambe | 11th |
| Northampton Town | 21st in League One |
| Notts County | 19th |
| Port Vale | 18th |
| Rochdale | 6th |
| Rotherham United | 14th |
| Shrewsbury Town | 7th |
| Torquay United | 4th in Conference National (play-off winner) |
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up | 3rd Place | Promoted Play-Off Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Yeovil Town | Scunthorpe United | Swansea City | Southend United |
| 2005–06 | Carlisle United | Northampton Town | Leyton Orient | Cheltenham Town |
| 2006–07 | Walsall | Hartlepool United | Swindon Town | Bristol Rovers |
| 2007–08 | Milton Keynes Dons | Peterborough United | Hereford United | Stockport County |
| 2008–09 | Brentford | Exeter City | Wycombe Wanderers | Gillingham |
| Season | Semifinal (1st Leg) | Semifinal (2nd Leg) | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Lincoln
City 1–0 Macclesfield Town |
Macclesfield Town 1–1 Lincoln
City |
Lincoln City 0–2 Southend United |
| 2005–06 | Lincoln
City 0–1 Grimsby Town |
Grimsby
Town 2–1 Lincoln City |
Grimsby Town 0–1 Cheltenham Town |
| 2006–07 | Bristol Rovers 2–1 Lincoln
City |
Lincoln
City 3–5 Bristol Rovers |
Bristol Rovers 3–1 Shrewsbury Town |
| 2007–08 | Darlington 2–1 Rochdale Wycombe Wanderers 1–1 Stockport County |
Rochdale
2–1 Darlington (Rochdale won 5-4 on penalties, AET) Stockport County 1–0 Wycombe Wanderers |
Rochdale 2–3 Stockport County |
| 2008–09 | Shrewsbury Town 0–1 Bury Rochdale 0–0 Gillingham |
Bury 0–1 Shrewsbury Town (Shrewsbury won 4 - 3 on penalties, AET) Gillingham 2–1 Rochdale |
Gillingham 1–0 Shrewsbury Town |
| Season | Top scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Yeovil Town | 27 | |
| 2005–06 | Carlisle United | 23 | |
| 2006–07 | Hartlepool United | 21 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons | |||
| 2007–08 | Peterborough United | 29 | |
| 2008–09 | Shrewsbury Town | 20 | |
| Chesterfield |
| Home Club | Stadium Name | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Darlington | The Darlington Arena | 25,294 |
| Bradford City | Valley Parade | 25,136 |
| Rotherham United | Don Valley Stadium | 25,000 |
| Notts County | Meadow Lane | 20,300 |
| Port Vale | Vale Park | 18,900 |
| Bury | Gigg Lane | 11,669 |
| Rochdale | Spotland* | 10,249 |
| Lincoln City | Sincil Bank | 10,127 |
| Crewe Alexandra | Alexandra Stadium | 10,118 |
| Shrewsbury Town | Prostar Stadium | 10,000 |
| Grimsby Town | Blundell Park | 9,546 |
| AFC Bournemouth | Dean Court | 9,287 |
| Chesterfield | Saltergate* | 8,504 |
| Northampton Town | Sixfields Stadium | 7,653 |
| Aldershot Town | Recreation Ground* | 7,100 |
| Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road* | 7,066 |
| Burton Albion | Pirelli Stadium* | 6,912 |
| Morecambe | Christie Park* | 6,400 |
| Macclesfield Town | Moss Rose* | 6,335 |
| Torquay United | Plainmoor* | 6,104 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | Victoria Road* | 6,000 |
| Barnet | Underhill Stadium* | 5,568 |
| Hereford United | Edgar Street* | 5,300 |
| Accrington Stanley | Crown Ground* | 5,057 |
| Football League Two | ||
| Country | England | |
| Confederation | UEFA | |
| Founded | 1920 | |
| Level | 4 | |
| Number of teams | 24 | |
| Promotion to | Football League One | |
| Relegation to | Conference National | |
| Current champions | Brentford (2008/09) | |
Football League Two is a football league which is Fourth division in England. It is the new name of the English Third Division.
Contents |
| Season | Champions | Runner-up | Third place |
| 2000/01 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Cardiff City | Chesterfield |
| 2001/02 | Plymouth Argyle | Luton Town | Mansfield Town |
| 2002/03 | Rushden & Diamonds | Hartlepool United | Wrexham |
| 2003/04 | Doncaster Rovers | Hull City | Torquay United |
| 2004/05 | Yeovil Town | Scunthorpe United | Swansea City |
| 2005/06 | Carlisle United | Northampton Town | Leyton Orient |
| 2006/07 | Walsall | Hartlepool United | Swindon Town |
| 2007/08 | Milton Keynes Dons | Peterborough United | Hereford United |
| 2008/09 | Brentford | Exeter City | Wycombe Wanderers |
|
|
|