Fulham
1982–83 season
ChairmanErnie Clay
ManagerEngland Malcolm Macdonald
StadiumCraven Cottage
Football League Second Division4th
Milk CupSecond round
FA CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Gordon Davies (19)
All:
Gordon Davies (20)
Highest home attendance24,251 v Leicester City (Division Two, 23 April 1983)
Lowest home attendance4641 v Southend United (Milk Cup first round second leg, 14 September 1982)
Average home league attendance10,836

The 1982–83 season was Fulham's 88th as a professional club in the Football League. They competed in the Second Division and narrowly missed out on a second consecutive promotion following an infamous defeat at Derby County in their final match.[1]

Season summary

For much of the season, the prospect of back-to-back promotions for Fulham was a serious possibility. At the start of 1983, they were in third place behind Wolverhampton Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers, and were seven points clear of fourth-placed Leicester City with a game in hand by the end of March.

However, successive defeats to Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday and QPR saw Fulham drop out of the promotion places for the first time since November. Going into their final match of the season at relegation-threatened Derby, they were level on points with Leicester but with an inferior goal difference, their destiny now out of their hands.

While Leicester were being held to a goalless draw at home by Burnley, Fulham fell behind to a 71st-minute goal by Bobby Davison. The final minutes were played out amid chaotic scenes with Derby supporters lining the pitch, many spilling on to the playing area, and a full scale pitch invasion greeted what appeared to be the final whistle. It later transpired referee Ray Chadwick had actually blown for an offside decision and there were still 78 seconds to go, but there was little hope of the match restarting.

Fulham manager Malcolm Macdonald immediately called for the match to be replayed and the club lodged an official appeal on the following Monday, which was rejected by the Football League. A further appeal against this decision also failed, ending Fulham's hopes of returning to the First Division for the first time since 1968.[2]

Squad

Substitute appearances indicated in brackets
Pos. Nat. Name League Milk Cup FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK  IRE Gerry Peyton 42 0 4 0 3 0 49 0
GK  ENG Jim Stannard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF  ENG Roger Brown 42 4 4 1 3 0 49 5
DF  ENG Cliff Carr 4(2) 1 1 0 0 0 5(2) 1
DF  ENG Clive Day 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF  ENG Tony Gale 42 2 4 1 3 0 49 3
DF  WAL Jeff Hopkins 41 1 4 0 3 0 48 1
DF  ENG Kevin Lock 34 2 3 0 0 0 37 2
DF  ENG Paul Parker 6(10) 0 2 0 3 0 11(10) 0
DF  ENG Les Strong 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF  ENG Steve Tapley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF  IRE Brian Cottington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF  IRE Ray Houghton 42 5 4 1 3 1 49 7
MF  ENG Ray Lewington 42 10 4 0 3 1 49 11
MF  ENG John Marshall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF  ENG Brian McDermott
(on loan from Arsenal)		 0(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0(3) 0
MF  IRE Sean O'Driscoll 42 3 4 0 3 0 49 3
MF  WAL Peter O'Sullivan 0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0
MF  ENG John Reeves 0(2) 0 1 0 0 0 1(2) 0
MF  ENG Peter Scott 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0 0(1) 0
MF  IRE Robert Wilson 40 11 2 0 3 0 45 11
FW  ENG Dean Coney 37 4 4 1 3 2 44 7
FW  WAL Gordon Davies 38 19 3 1 3 0 44 20
FW  SLE Leroy Rosenior 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
FW  HKG Dale Tempest 3(1) 0 0 0 0 0 3(1) 0
FW  ENG Andy Thomas
(on loan from Oxford United)		 3(1) 2 0 0 0 0 3(1) 2

[3]

Second Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
2 Wolverhampton Wanderers (P) 42 20 15 7 68 44 +24 75 Promotion to the First Division
3 Leicester City (P) 42 20 10 12 72 44 +28 70
4 Fulham 42 20 9 13 64 47 +17 69
5 Newcastle United 42 18 13 11 75 53 +22 67
6 Sheffield Wednesday 42 16 15 11 60 47 +13 63
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(P) Promoted

Results

Second Division

Date Opponents H / A Result
F – A		 Scorers Attendance
28 August 1982 Rotherham United H 1–1 Davies 7021
4 September 1982 Shrewsbury Town A 1–0 Wilson 3525
7 September 1982 Queens Park Rangers H 1–1 Lewington 15,004
11 September 1982 Bolton Wanderers H 4–0 Coney 2, Lewington (pen), Houghton 5688
18 September 1982 Middlesbrough A 4–1 Davies 2, Lewington (pen), Houghton 6445
25 September 1982 Leeds United H 3–2 Davies 2, Coney 12,798
28 September 1982 Charlton Athletic A 0–3 6790
2 October 1982 Barnsley A 3–4 Hopkins, Wilson, Davies 12,582
9 October 1982 Blackburn Rovers H 3–1 Davies, Lewington (pen), Wilson 5698
16 October 1982 Newcastle United A 4–1 Davies 2, Coney, Houghton 29,490
23 October 1982 Burnley H 3–1 Lewington 2 (1 pen), Houghton 9040
30 October 1982 Crystal Palace A 1–1 O'Driscoll 14,912
6 November 1982 Oldham Athletic H 0–3 6897
13 November 1982 Grimsby Town A 4–0 Davies 2, Wilson, Gale 6952
20 November 1982 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 4–2 Lewington, Davies 2, Wilson 14,448
27 November 1982 Sheffield Wednesday H 1–0 Davies 13,864
4 December 1982 Leicester City A 0–2 9082
11 December 1982 Derby County H 2–1 Thomas, Carr 7854
18 December 1982 Carlisle United A 2–3 Lewington (pen), O'Driscoll 4859
27 December 1982 Cambridge United H 1–1 Brown 9105
28 December 1982 Chelsea A 0–0 29,797
1 January 1983 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 1–3 Lewington 17,196
3 January 1982 Shrewsbury Town H 2–1 Davies, Thomas 7786
15 January 1982 Rotherham United A 1–0 Brown 7667
22 January 1982 Middlesbrough H 1–0 Wilson 8431
5 February 1982 Bolton Wanderers A 1–0 O'Driscoll 6748
19 February 1983 Blackburn Rovers A 0–0 6141
26 February 1983 Newcastle United H 2–2 Davies, Lock (pen) 14,277
5 March 1983 Burnley A 0–1 8828
12 March 1982 Crystal Palace H 1–0 Brown 11,234
19 March 1983 Oldham Athletic A 0–1 6189
26 March 1982 Grimsby Town H 4–0 Wilson 2, Davies, Lewington 8096
2 April 1983 Chelsea H 1–1 Lock 15,249
5 April 1983 Cambridge United A 0–1 6249
9 April 1982 Charlton Athletic H 2–1 Davies, Brown 9035
16 April 1983 Leeds United A 1–1 Houghton 24,328
19 April 1982 Barnsley H 1–0 Gale 9003
23 April 1983 Leicester City H 0–1 24,251
30 April 1983 Sheffield Wednesday A 1–2 Wilson 12,531
2 May 1983 Queens Park Rangers A 1–3 Davies 24,431
7 May 1982 Carlisle United H 2–0 Wilson 2 10,045
14 May 1983 Derby County A 0–1 21,124

[4]

Milk Cup

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F – A		 Scorers Attendance
1 September 1982 First Round First Leg Southend United A 0–1 2671
14 September 1982 First Round Second Leg Southend United H 4–2 Pennyfather (og), Coney, Houghton, Davies 4641
4 October 1982 Second Round First Leg Coventry City H 2–2 Gale, Brown 6237
26 October 1982 Second Round Second Leg Coventry City A 0–0 (aet - lost on away goals) 8217

[5]

FA Cup

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F – A		 Scorers Attendance
8 January 1983 Third Round Oldham Athletic A 2–0 Coney, Houghton 8087
29 January 1983 Fourth Round Watford A 1–1 Coney 24,574
1 February 1983 Fourth round replay Watford H 1–2 Lewington 22,206

[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Managers: Malcolm Macdonald". Fulham FC.com.
  2. ↑ When Fulham's dreams of promotion died in a game that never ended - theguardian.com
  3. ↑ Rothmans 1983-84, pp. 168–170, 447 & 449
  4. ↑ Rothmans 1983-84, p. 168
  5. ↑ Rothmans 1983-84, pp. 503–504, 506 & 509
  6. ↑ Rothmans 1983-84, pp. 544 & 547–548
Bibliography
  • Rothmans Football Yearbook 1983-84 (Editor: Tony Williams). London: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0-356-09727-7.
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