1992–93 Football League

Football League Division One

Newcastle United’s first full season under the management of Kevin Keegan ended in Division One championship glory and promotion to the Premier League, where they remained for 16 seasons until relegation at the end of the 2008–09 season. Following the Geordies into football’s big-money league were West Ham United and Swindon Town. West Ham had suffered relegation just one season earlier, and had been many people’s favourites for an automatic return to the elite. Swindon, meanwhile, had finally reached the top flight after 73 years of trying — they had actually won promotion via the play-offs three years earlier, but promotion had been denied a few weeks later due to financial irregularities.

Going down were Cambridge United (who had just missed out on promotion a year earlier and are now in League Two), Brentford and Bristol Rovers. Brentford, newly promoted a season earlier, had stood in 10th place at the turn of 1993, but a sharp decline in form during the final few months of the season saw them relegated on the final day of the season.

Third-placed Portsmouth had opened up a 9-point gap over fourth-placed Tranmere Rovers, but lost to Leicester City in the playoff semi-finals and this ended any promotion hopes for a club who had begun the season as favourites for promotion, and ended it with 88 points.

Football League Division Two

Lou Macari guided Stoke City to their first successful season in years as they were crowned Division Two champions. Bruce Rioch brought some long-awaited success to Bolton Wanderers as they occupied the division’s second promotion place. Osvaldo Ardiles guided West Bromwich Albion to promotion via the play-offs, bringing some long-awaited success to another club who had once enjoyed better times.

Preston North End, Wigan Athletic, Mansfield Town and Chester City occupied Division Two’s four relegation places. Mansfield were newly promoted, while the other three teams had been established at this level for no less than six years.

Football League Division Three

Cardiff City and Wrexham continued their good progress by occupying Division Three’s top two places. They were joined in third place by Barnet, who had spent most of the season on the brink of expulsion from the league due to financial problems. The final promotion place went to York City, who won the play-offs just weeks after Alan Little was appointed manager.

Halifax Town, after 72 years of league membership, finished bottom of the league and were replaced by Conference champions Wycombe Wanderers. Maidstone United went out of business on 17 August after their first game was postponed, and were not replaced.

Final league tables and results

The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website, with home and away statistics separated. Play-off results are from the same website.

First Division

Newcastle United, who won their first 10 league games, clinched the Division One title with an impressive 96 points to end a four-year exile from the top flight of English football. West Ham United sealed an instant return to the top flight a year after relegation, edging ahead of Portsmouth to finished second. Portsmouth's promotion bid ended in the playoff semi-finals when they were beaten by Leicester City, who went on to lose the final 4-3 to Swindon Town. The other losing semi-finalists in the playoffs were Tranmere Rovers, playing only their second season at this level in the postwar era.

Millwall finished one place outside the playoff zone in the first season in management for Mick McCarthy, while pre-season promotion favourites Derby County could only manage an eighth-place finish despite having the most expensively-assembled squad in the division. Grimsby Town and Peterborough United finished in the top half of the table, comfortably above bigger clubs like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City.

Luton Town and Notts County, newly relegated from the top flight, spent the season battling at the wrong end of the division but managed to avoid a second successive relegation, as did a Sunderland side who had been FA Cup finalists one season earlier and members of the top flight two seasons earlier.

Bristol Rovers went down in bottom place after a dismal season. Cambridge United, playoff semi-finalists the previous season, struggled after the sale of Dion Dublin and went down on the last day of the season, as did a Brentford side who had been on the fringe of the playoff places at Christmas.

First Division results

Source:
1 ^{^} The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second Division

Stoke City sealed promotion as Division Two champions in Lou Macari's second season as manager, as did Bolton Wanderers under their new manager Bruce Rioch. The third promotion place went to playoff winners West Bromwich Albion, who beat Port Vale 3-0 in the Wembley promotion decider. Swansea City and Stockport County were the losing semi-finalists.

Leyton Orient missed out on the playoff places as they had scored fewer goals than Stockport.

Chester City, Wigan Athletic, Mansfield Town and Preston North End went down to Division Three.

Second Division results

Source:
1 ^{^} The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Third Division

Third Division results

Source:
1 ^{^} The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.