Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiltshire_Red
I believe that was the first season that goal difference was used in place of goal average, and that 4th goal did make all the difference between needing a draw and having to beat Mansfield.
Looking back now, we didn’t know it at the time, but we had this to look forward to the next season https://youtu.be/6pVE-mSSKb0 |
You are right. It was the 76/77 season that GD replaced GA.
This fact means that my recollections posted earlier were partly incorrect.
Looking back on the final table it finished (as far as us and Palace were concerned) as follows.
Pts F A Diff
3rd Palace 59 68 40 +28
4th Rotherham 59 69 44 +25
5th Wrexham 58 80 54 +26
So, if we had not conceded the 4th against Palace, a draw of any score would have been good enough against Mansfield.
We would have had identical goal difference to Palace, but had scored more. So that 4th Palace goal was indeed crucial.
Interestingly, Palace's final game that season was the win at the Racecourse, so didn't play on that last Saturday.
Just as a final comment concerning league rule changes. When we were relegated from the 2nd Div in 1981/82 it was the first season of 3pts for a win, and we finished 21st of 22, with 44 pts.
Had it remained as 2 pts for a win, we would have finished 19th, leapfrogging Bolton and Cardiff, and would have stayed up!!
19 Bolton Wanderers 42 13 7 22 39 61 46
20 Cardiff City 42 12 8 22 45 61 44
21 Wrexham 42 11 11 20 40 56 44
22 Orient 42 10 9 23 36 61 39