1971–72 Northern Premier League

Northern Premier League Premier Division

Season	1971–72
Champions	Stafford Rangers
Promoted	None
Relegated	Chorley Kirkby Town
Matches played	552
Goals scored	1585 (2.87 per match)
← 1970–71 1972–73 →

The 1971–72 Northern Premier League season was the fourth in the history of the Northern Premier League, a football competition in England.

Final table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv ^1	Pts ^2	Qualification or relegation
1	Stafford Rangers	46	30	11	5	91	32	2.84	71
2	Boston United	46	28	13	5	87	37	2.35	69
3	Wigan Athletic	46	27	10	9	70	43	1.63	64
4	Scarborough	46	21	15	10	75	46	1.63	57
5	Northwich Victoria	46	20	14	12	65	59	1.10	54
6	Macclesfield Town	46	18	15	13	61	50	1.22	51
7	Gainsborough Trinity	46	21	9	16	93	79	1.18	51
8	South Shields	46	18	14	14	75	57	1.32	50
9	Bangor City	46	20	8	18	93	74	1.26	48
10	Altrincham	46	18	11	17	72	58	1.24	47
11	Skelmersdale United	46	19	9	18	61	58	1.05	47
12	Matlock Town	46	20	7	19	67	75	0.89	47
13	Chorley	46	17	12	17	66	59	1.12	46	Relegated to the Cheshire County League
14	Lancaster City	46	15	14	17	85	84	1.01	44
15	Great Harwood	46	15	14	17	60	74	0.81	44
16	Ellesmere Port Town	46	17	9	20	67	71	0.94	43
17	Morecambe	46	15	10	21	51	64	0.80	40
18	Bradford Park Avenue	46	13	13	20	54	71	0.76	39
19	Netherfield	46	16	5	25	51	73	0.70	37
20	Fleetwood	46	11	15	20	43	67	0.64	37
21	South Liverpool	46	12	12	22	61	73	0.84	36
22	Runcorn	46	8	14	24	48	80	0.60	30
23	Goole Town	46	9	10	27	51	97	0.53	28
24	Kirkby Town	46	6	12	28	38	104	0.37	24	Relegated to the Lancashire Combination

^{1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season. 2 The points system up until the 1982–83 season: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.}

Results

Home ╲ Away

ALT

BAN

BOS

BPA

CHO

EPT

FLE

GAI

GOO

GHT

KEN

Knowsley United

LNC

MAC

MAT

MOR

NOR

RUN

SCA

SKU

CHO

SSH

STA

WIG

Altrincham

2–0

1–3

2–1

4–1

4–2

2–0

0–1

1–3

4–5

1–0

0–0

5–2

1–1

3–0

3–0

0–0

0–0

4–0

1–0

2–1

4–1

0–0

1–3

Bangor City

1–0

1–3

3–1

0–1

5–0

5–1

0–2

4–1

1–1

4–1

4–0

3–3

6–2

2–0

3–2

0–0

4–2

2–3

2–2

3–2

2–3

1–5

1–0

Boston United

2–1

4–3

5–1

2–1

0–0

1–0

1–1

3–0

3–0

1–0

4–0

4–1

1–1

5–3

0–0

5–0

0–0

1–1

4–0

3–1

1–1

1–0

1–0

Bradford Park Avenue

2–1

0–2

1–0

1–1

1–0

1–0

4–2

5–2

0–1

0–0

1–0

3–3

1–0

2–4

0–2

1–1

1–1

0–0

0–1

2–1

0–1

1–2

0–0

Chorley

1–1

3–1

0–1

4–1

2–3

0–0

1–1

1–3

1–2

3–1

2–0

3–2

2–2

8–0

1–0

0–0

3–1

0–1

1–2

1–2

0–1

0–0

2–0

Ellesmere Port Town

1–0

2–1

0–1

3–3

1–2

1–0

0–1

5–2

1–1

3–0

4–1

3–2

2–2

5–1

2–1

0–2

4–1

1–8

2–0

2–1

3–1

0–2

0–1

Fleetwood Town

1–0

0–0

0–1

2–1

0–4

2–0

0–3

2–0

1–3

1–0

1–1

1–1

0–1

1–0

2–0

1–3

1–0

0–0

0–0

2–2

2–2

1–1

1–1

Gainsborough Trinity

1–1

1–1

3–2

1–2

4–1

1–1

3–2

2–2

3–2

2–0

6–0

3–1

2–2

2–1

3–1

2–1

4–2

3–2

4–2

3–0

2–3

0–3

0–1

Goole Town

2–1

2–2

1–1

1–3

0–1

2–1

1–1

2–4

2–0

3–0

1–1

1–3

0–3

0–1

2–2

1–1

2–2

0–0

2–1

0–4

0–2

3–4

0–3

Great Harwood Town

2–1

4–2

0–1

1–1

1–0

2–2

2–2

2–4

2–0

3–2

1–5

3–3

2–1

1–0

3–1

2–0

1–0

1–1

1–1

1–1

1–2

0–1

1–3

Kendal Town

2–0

1–3

0–6

1–0

3–1

0–2

1–1

4–2

3–1

3–0

5–1

1–0

1–1

0–1

0–1

1–1

2–1

4–3

1–0

3–0

1–2

0–1

0–3

Knowsley United

2–3

1–3

1–5

2–1

1–3

1–0

1–2

3–2

1–0

0–0

0–0

2–1

0–5

1–2

0–1

2–3

1–1

0–2

0–0

0–3

0–0

1–1

1–3

Lancaster City

2–0

3–0

1–3

3–0

1–1

1–1

4–1

5–5

4–0

1–1

2–1

5–0

2–0

2–1

3–2

1–1

1–2

0–1

2–1

2–2

2–1

2–2

2–5

Macclesfield Town

0–3

0–0

0–0

3–1

4–0

0–1

1–1

2–0

2–0

1–0

2–1

3–1

3–0

1–1

1–0

3–2

1–1

1–0

3–1

1–0

1–1

1–3

1–0

Matlock Town

2–3

3–2

1–2

0–1

0–0

2–1

3–1

1–0

4–2

2–1

1–2

5–1

1–0

3–1

0–1

2–2

0–0

1–1

3–0

1–2

2–0

0–3

1–3

Morecambe

2–3

1–0

1–2

1–1

3–0

2–0

1–4

2–2

1–3

1–0

3–2

1–1

1–1

1–0

1–2

0–2

1–0

0–1

0–3

4–2

0–2

1–0

2–3

Northwich Victoria

3–2

0–5

1–1

1–2

2–1

2–1

2–1

3–1

2–0

4–0

0–1

1–0

1–0

3–2

2–3

3–1

2–1

2–1

0–0

2–0

1–0

1–1

2–2

Runcorn

4–4

0–2

0–1

2–2

1–3

1–2

1–0

3–0

2–0

3–1

0–1

2–2

2–1

0–0

2–0

0–0

1–1

0–1

2–1

1–2

1–2

3–3

1–2

Scarborough

1–1

3–2

2–0

4–1

1–1

1–0

1–1

3–1

3–0

1–1

3–0

3–0

1–1

0–0

1–3

0–1

3–1

5–0

1–1

4–2

1–0

1–2

2–2

Skelmersdale United

1–0

2–1

2–0

2–1

0–2

1–0

1–0

2–1

2–1

2–0

2–0

2–0

2–3

3–0

2–4

0–2

1–1

4–0

0–1

2–2

2–0

0–1

4–1

South Liverpool

1–0

0–2

1–1

1–1

0–0

1–1

0–1

3–1

1–2

1–2

3–1

1–1

4–1

1–1

0–1

1–1

1–2

3–0

0–1

2–3

1–4

2–0

1–3

South Shields

0–1

4–2

1–1

0–0

1–2

1–1

4–2

0–3

0–0

1–1

4–0

7–1

3–1

0–1

4–0

1–1

2–1

5–0

1–1

2–2

1–1

0–1

0–1

Stafford Rangers

1–1

3–1

4–0

3–2

4–1

1–0

5–0

3–0

2–0

3–0

0–1

3–1

1–1

1–0

0–0

1–1

3–0

2–0

3–1

2–0

3–0

4–2

3–0

Wigan Athletic

0–0

0–1

0–0

1–0

0–0

4–3

2–0

2–1

4–1

1–1

1–0

1–0

2–3

1–0

1–1

1–0

1–0

2–1

1–0

2–1

0–1

2–2

1–0

Updated to games played on 5 May 1972.
Source: Northern Premier Division results grid
1 ^{^} The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Promotion and relegation

In the fourth season of the Northern Premier League none of the teams were put forward for election to the Football League nor automatically promoted. Conversely, none of the sides were relegated, but Chorley and Kirkby Town left the League at the end of the season. They were replaced by newly admitted Mossley and Barrow, who had just left Football League Division Four.

Cup Results

Challenge Cup:

• Wigan Athletic 4–2 agg. Gainsborough Trinity

Northern Premier League Shield: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.

• Wigan Athletic bt. Stafford Rangers

External links

• Northern Premier League Tables at RSSSF