2016–17 in English football

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Football in England
Season2016–17
Men's football
Premier LeagueChelsea
ChampionshipNewcastle United
League OneSheffield United
League TwoPortsmouth
National LeagueLincoln City
FA CupArsenal
EFL TrophyCoventry City
EFL CupManchester United
Community ShieldManchester United
← 2015–16 England 2017–18 →

The 2016–17 season was the 137th season of competitive association football in England.

National teams[edit]

England national football team[edit]

Results and fixtures[edit]

2016[edit]
4 September 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification Slovakia  0–1  England Trnava, Slovakia
17:00 BST Report Lallana 90+5' Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
11 November 2016 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification England  3–0  Scotland London, England
19:45 GMT Sturridge 23'
Lallana 50'
Cahill 61'
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 87,258
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
15 November 2016 Friendly England  2–2  Spain London, England
20:00 GMT Lallana 9' (pen.)
Vardy 48'
Report Iago Aspas 89'
Isco 90+6'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
2017[edit]
22 March 2017 Friendly Germany  1–0  England Dortmund, Germany
19:45 BST Podolski 69' Report Stadium: Signal Iduna Park
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
13 June 2017 Friendly France  3–2  England Saint-Denis, France
19:45 BST Umtiti 22'
Sidibé 43'
Dembélé 78'
Report Kane 9', 48' (pen.) Stadium: Stade de France
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Group F[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 10 8 2 0 18 3 +15 26 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 2–1 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–0
2  Slovakia 10 6 0 4 17 7 +10 18 0–1 3–0 1–0 4–0 3–0
3  Scotland 10 5 3 2 17 12 +5 18 2–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–0
4  Slovenia 10 4 3 3 12 7 +5 15 0–0 1–0 2–2 4–0 2–0
5  Lithuania 10 1 3 6 7 20 −13 6 0–1 1–2 0–3 2–2 2–0
6  Malta 10 0 1 9 3 25 −22 1 0–4 1–3 1–5 0–1 1–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[1]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Managerial changes[edit]

Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Incoming manager Date of appointment
England Roy Hodgson Resigned 27 June 2016[2] England Sam Allardyce 27 June 2016
England Sam Allardyce Resigned[3] 26 September 2016 England Gareth Southgate 30 November 2016

England women's national football team[edit]

Results and fixtures[edit]

2016[edit]
15 September EURO England  5–0  Estonia Nottingham
Carter 9', 17', 56'
J. Scott 13'
Carney 90+4'
Report Stadium: Meadow Lane
Attendance: 7,052
Referee: Vera Opeykina (Russia)
20 September EURO Belgium  0–2  England Leuven
Report Parris 65'
Carney 85'
Stadium: Den Dreef
Attendance: 6,754
Referee: Pernilla Larsson (Sweden)
21 October Friendly England  0–0  France Doncaster
Report Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium
Referee: Graziella Pirriatore (Italy)
25 October Friendly Spain  1–2  England Guadalajara, Spain
Report Stadium: Estadio Pedro Escartín
2017[edit]
22 January Friendly England  0–1  Norway La Manga, Spain
17:00 BST Report Hegerberg 26' Stadium: La Manga Stadium
24 January Friendly England  0–0  Sweden Murcia, Spain
17:00 BST Report Stadium: Pinatar Arena

UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying Group 7[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 8 7 1 0 32 1 +31 22 Final tournament 1–1 7–0 1–0 5–0
2  Belgium 8 5 2 1 27 5 +22 17 0–2 1–1 6–0 6–0
3  Serbia 8 3 1 4 10 21 −11 10 0–7 1–3 0–1 3–0
4  Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 3 0 5 8 17 −9 9 0–1 0–5 2–4 4–0
5  Estonia 8 0 0 8 0 33 −33 0 0–8 0–5 0–1 0–1
Source: UEFA

UEFA competitions[edit]

UEFA Champions League[edit]

Play-off round[edit]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Steaua București Romania 0–6 England Manchester City 0–5 0–1

Group stage[edit]

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ARS PAR LUD BSL
1 England Arsenal 6 4 2 0 18 6 +12 14 Advance to knockout phase 2–2 6–0 2–0
2 France Paris Saint-Germain 6 3 3 0 13 7 +6 12 1–1 2–2 3–0
3 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 6 0 3 3 6 15 −9 3 Transfer to Europa League 2–3 1–3 0–0
4 Switzerland Basel 6 0 2 4 3 12 −9 2 1–4 1–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group C[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR MC MGB CEL
1 Spain Barcelona 6 5 0 1 20 4 +16 15 Advance to knockout phase 4–0 4–0 7–0
2 England Manchester City 6 2 3 1 12 10 +2 9 3–1 4–0 1–1
3 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 6 1 2 3 5 12 −7 5 Transfer to Europa League 1–2 1–1 1–1
4 Scotland Celtic 6 0 3 3 5 16 −11 3 0–2 3–3 0–2
Source: UEFA
Group E[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MON LEV TOT CSKA
1 France Monaco 6 3 2 1 9 7 +2 11 Advance to knockout phase 1–1 2–1 3–0
2 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 6 2 4 0 8 4 +4 10 3–0 0–0 2–2
3 England Tottenham Hotspur 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 7 Transfer to Europa League 1–2 0–1 3–1
4 Russia CSKA Moscow 6 0 3 3 5 11 −6 3 1–1 1–1 0–1
Source: UEFA
Group G[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LEI POR KOB BRU
1 England Leicester City 6 4 1 1 7 6 +1 13 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 1–0 2–1
2 Portugal Porto 6 3 2 1 9 3 +6 11 5–0 1–1 1–0
3 Denmark Copenhagen 6 2 3 1 7 2 +5 9 Transfer to Europa League 0–0 0–0 4–0
4 Belgium Club Brugge 6 0 0 6 2 14 −12 0 0–3 1–2 0–2
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase[edit]

Round of 16[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City England 6–6 (a) France Monaco 5–3 1–3
Bayern Munich Germany 10–2 England Arsenal 5–1 5–1
Sevilla Spain 2–3 England Leicester City 2–1 0–2
Quarter-finals[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Atlético Madrid Spain 2–1 England Leicester City 1–0 1–1

UEFA Europa League[edit]

Qualifying rounds[edit]

Third qualifying round[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Domžale Slovenia 2–4 England West Ham United 2–1 0–3
Play-off round[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Astra Giurgiu Romania 2–1 England West Ham United 1–1 1–0

Group stage[edit]

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FEN MU FEY ZOR
1 Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 4 1 1 8 6 +2 13 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 1–0 2–0
2 England Manchester United 6 4 0 2 12 4 +8 12 4–1 4–0 1–0
3 Netherlands Feyenoord 6 2 1 3 3 7 −4 7 0–1 1–0 1–0
4 Ukraine Zorya Luhansk 6 0 2 4 2 8 −6 2 1–1 0–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group K[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SPP HBS SOU INT
1 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 6 4 0 2 8 6 +2 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 1–0 3–1
2 Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8 0–1 0–0 3–2
3 England Southampton 6 2 2 2 6 4 +2 8 3–0 1–1 2–1
4 Italy Internazionale 6 2 0 4 7 11 −4 6 2–1 0–2 1–0
Source: UEFA

Knockout Phase[edit]

Round of 32[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester United England 4–0 France Saint-Étienne 3–0 1–0
Gent Belgium 3–2 England Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 2–2
Round of 16[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Rostov Russia 1–2 England Manchester United 1–1 0–1
Quarter-finals[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Anderlecht Belgium 2–3 England Manchester United 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Semi-finals[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Celta Vigo Spain 1–2 England Manchester United 0–1 1–1
Finals[edit]
Ajax Netherlands0–2England Manchester United
Report
Attendance: 46,961[4]

UEFA Youth League[edit]

UEFA Women's Champions League[edit]

Knockout phase[edit]

Round of 32[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea England 1–4 Germany Wolfsburg 0–3 1–1
Manchester City England 6–0 Russia Zvezda Perm 2–0 4–0
Round of 16[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City England 2–1 Denmark Brøndby 1–0 1–1
Quarter-finals[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Fortuna Hjørring Denmark 0–2 England Manchester City 0–1 0–1
Semi-finals[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City England 2–3 France Lyon 1–3 1–0

Men's Football[edit]

League season[edit]

Promotion and relegation[edit]

League Promoted to league Relegated from league[5]
Premier League
Championship
League One
League Two
National League Premier

Premier League[edit]

Antonio Conte enjoyed a successful start to life as Chelsea manager, winning the title in his first season at the club and earning a record number of league victories for a season, with only poor early form preventing them from also setting a new points total. Tottenham Hotspur shrugged off a disappointing Champions League campaign to push Chelsea close for the title, though they ultimately missed out – however, they ultimately finished with both the best attack and defence, with striker Harry Kane once again claiming the Golden Boot, whilst they ultimately went unbeaten at home during their final season at White Hart Lane. Manchester City improved on the previous season's finish by one place in Pep Guardiola's first season in charge, though ultimately ended the season trophyless, despite recording the third-best attack and reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Liverpool made the Champions League for the first time in three years in Jürgen Klopp's first full season, though were prevented from finishing any higher than fourth by an inconsistent start to 2017, a consequence of both losing their £35 million signing Sadio Mané to international duty in January and February as well as suffering from several dropped points against bottom-half teams, in spite of going the season unbeaten against the rest of the top seven.

Despite winning seven of their final eight games, Arsenal finished in fifth place and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1997, as fan pressure on both manager Arsène Wenger and share-owner Stan Kroenke grew. While they did win the FA Cup for the third time in four seasons, making Wenger the most successful manager in the competition's history, they endured yet another disastrous Champions League run, losing at the last-16 stage for a seventh successive year. Manchester United finished in sixth place, one place lower than the previous season, in José Mourinho's first season in charge with their failure to turn any one of their 15 draws into victories, though they did at least win the EFL Cup and won the Europa League final, winning the competition for the first time in their history and therefore securing a place in the Champions League. In only their second-ever top-flight season, AFC Bournemouth built on the success of the previous season as they secured a ninth-place finish and scored 55 goals, defying the critics who had tipped them to struggle from second-season syndrome. Much as Chelsea had the previous season, Leicester City made a poor defence of their title, despite having what turned out to be the best Champions League run of any English club this season by reaching the quarter-finals. With the club struggling, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked in February and replaced by coach Craig Shakespeare, who steered the club to 12th place, still the lowest finish for a defending Premier League champion, but comfortably clear of relegation.

Crystal Palace had looked in serious danger of relegation early on, but a revival after Sam Allardyce took over saw them comfortably survive, securing a club-record fifth successive top-flight season in the process. Swansea City also looked dead and buried after early struggles under Francesco Guidolin and then a disastrous spell with Bob Bradley as manager, but were ultimately saved by a late improvement under Paul Clement's management. Burnley fared the best of the promoted clubs, with only atrocious away form preventing them finishing higher as they made their home-ground of Turf Moor one of the hardest places to get a point from – and secured a second successive top-flight season for the first time in 40 years. Watford, in their first successive top-flight campaign for 30 years, successfully ensured a third consecutive Premier League season – however, as a result of poor away form, a disastrous end to the season and several spells of indifferent form throughout the campaign, the Hornets were unable to really build on the previous season despite recording their first league victories over Manchester United and at Arsenal since the 1980s.

After several successive escapes from relegation, Sunderland's resilience finally collapsed and they dropped into the Championship after a decade, spending virtually the entire season rooted to the bottom of the table, as David Moyes being the first manager to spend a full season in charge of the Black Cats since 2011 ultimately amounted to nothing. Middlesbrough also struggled throughout their first top-flight season in eight years, with a poor end to the season, the weakest goalscoring record in the division and an inability to turn one of their 13 draws into victories ultimately dooming them. Hull City were the final relegated side, never quite recovering from a disastrous pre-season which saw manager Steve Bruce quit and next to no new players signed; despite encouraging early season form under Mike Phelan, a dismal run in the winter saw him sacked and replaced by Marco Silva, who steered the club to a much better second half of the season, but it ultimately proved to be a case of too little, too late.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Chelsea (C) 38 30 3 5 85 33 +52 93 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Tottenham Hotspur 38 26 8 4 86 26 +60 86
3 Manchester City 38 23 9 6 80 39 +41 78
4 Liverpool 38 22 10 6 78 42 +36 76 Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
5 Arsenal 38 23 6 9 77 44 +33 75 Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
6 Manchester United 38 18 15 5 54 29 +25 69 Qualification for the Champions League group stage[b]
7 Everton 38 17 10 11 62 44 +18 61 Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[c]
8 Southampton 38 12 10 16 41 48 −7 46
9 Bournemouth 38 12 10 16 55 67 −12 46
10 West Bromwich Albion 38 12 9 17 43 51 −8 45
11 West Ham United 38 12 9 17 47 64 −17 45
12 Leicester City 38 12 8 18 48 63 −15 44
13 Stoke City 38 11 11 16 41 56 −15 44
14 Crystal Palace 38 12 5 21 50 63 −13 41
15 Swansea City 38 12 5 21 45 70 −25 41
16 Burnley 38 11 7 20 39 55 −16 40
17 Watford 38 11 7 20 40 68 −28 40
18 Hull City (R) 38 9 7 22 37 80 −43 34 Relegation to the EFL Championship
19 Middlesbrough (R) 38 5 13 20 27 53 −26 28
20 Sunderland (R) 38 6 6 26 29 69 −40 24
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).[6][7]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Arsenal qualified for the Europa League group stage by winning the 2016–17 FA Cup. As they had also qualified there by the virtue of their league position (5th), this spot was passed to the next-highest ranked team (6th), Manchester United.
  2. ^ Manchester United qualified for the Champions League group stage by winning the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. Based on their league position (6th), they would have received the spot above to enter the Europa League group stage. This spot was vacated without replacement as per UEFA regulations.
  3. ^ Manchester United, winners of the 2016–17 EFL Cup, initially attained a spot in the Europa League third qualifying round. That was passed to the next-highest ranked team in the league not already qualified for UEFA competitions (7th-placed Everton).

Championship[edit]

Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion led the way for most of the season, and ultimately secured the two automatic promotion spots. Newcastle, as in their previous spell in the second tier, made an immediate return to the top-flight as champions despite a late scare with three games to go (and because of both Sunderland and Middlesbrough being relegated, it would be the first time since 1998 that the Magpies were the sole North-East team in the top-flight), while Brighton (ironically managed by Chris Hughton who steered Newcastle to promotion in their previous spell in the Championship) lost out on the title on the last day, after not winning any of their last 3 games – however, by this point, they had already earned promotion to the top-flight for only the second time in their history, and for the first time since 1983, after they narrowly missed out to Middlesbrough on goal difference on the final day of the previous season. Taking the final spot through the playoffs were Huddersfield Town, who won promotion to the top-flight for the first time in 45 years and in manager David Wagner's first full season in charge – whilst they did endure a poor end to the season and ultimately finished with a negative goal difference, the Terriers gradually eased their way through the play-off semi-final games against Sheffield Wednesday and then edged out Reading on penalties in the final at Wembley.

Leeds United managed a promotion challenge for the first time in six years and secured only their third finish in the top half of the Championship since being relegated from the Premier League in 2004, but poor runs of form either end of the season combined with an excellent late run by Fulham saw them fall short of the play-offs. Aston Villa's first season outside of the top-flight since 1988 proved to be turbulent as they changed managers after just eleven games – whilst they didn't look like relegation material, their failure to turn draws into wins also prevented them from making anything resembling a promotion challenge despite striker Jonathan Kodjia scoring 19 of their goals. Birmingham City's season surprised for all the wrong reasons, as they controversially sacked manager Gary Rowett in favour of Gianfranco Zola in December despite being only just outside the play-offs, only for their form to completely collapse in the second half of the season, leaving them needing a late improvement after Zola was replaced by Harry Redknapp and then a final-day win at Bristol City to stay up.

After two seasons flirting with relegation, Rotherham United finished bottom in what was a truly awful league campaign, getting through three managers by the end of November and recording the lowest second tier points total since 3 points for a win was introduced in 1981, with only a three match unbeaten run at the end of the season stopping them from conceding 100 goals. Wigan Athletic were immediately relegated back to League One, never quite getting back to grips with life in the Championship and ultimately being cost dear by a poor end to the season, as well as a failure to win home games between October and January. Blackburn Rovers filled the final relegation spot in a season marred by increasing fan protests aimed at the owners; while a late-season revival under Tony Mowbray meant they took survival to the last day, other results ultimately went against them and sent them down to the third tier for the first time since 1980; this also made them the first former Premier League champions to drop down into the third tier (Leicester City and Manchester City had both been in the third tier since the formation of the Premier League, but did not win the league until after their spells in the third tier). In their first ever season in the Championship, Burton Albion flirted with the drop on several occasions but ultimately pulled themselves away from the bottom three to ensure their first season in the second tier would not be their last.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Newcastle United (C, P) 46 29 7 10 85 40 +45 94 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Brighton & Hove Albion (P) 46 28 9 9 74 40 +34 93
3 Reading 46 26 7 13 68 64 +4 85 Qualification for the Championship play-offs[a]
4 Sheffield Wednesday 46 24 9 13 60 45 +15 81
5 Huddersfield Town (O, P) 46 25 6 15 56 58 −2 81
6 Fulham 46 22 14 10 85 57 +28 80
7 Leeds United 46 22 9 15 61 47 +14 75
8 Norwich City 46 20 10 16 85 69 +16 70
9 Derby County 46 18 13 15 54 50 +4 67
10 Brentford 46 18 10 18 75 65 +10 64
11 Preston North End 46 16 14 16 64 63 +1 62
12 Cardiff City 46 17 11 18 60 61 −1 62
13 Aston Villa 46 16 14 16 47 48 −1 62
14 Barnsley 46 15 13 18 64 67 −3 58
15 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 16 10 20 54 58 −4 58
16 Ipswich Town 46 13 16 17 48 58 −10 55
17 Bristol City 46 15 9 22 60 66 −6 54
18 Queens Park Rangers 46 15 8 23 52 66 −14 53
19 Birmingham City 46 13 14 19 45 64 −19 53
20 Burton Albion 46 13 13 20 49 63 −14 52
21 Nottingham Forest 46 14 9 23 62 72 −10 51
22 Blackburn Rovers (R) 46 12 15 19 53 65 −12 51 Relegation to EFL League One
23 Wigan Athletic (R) 46 10 12 24 40 57 −17 42
24 Rotherham United (R) 46 5 8 33 40 98 −58 23
Source: English Football League, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Points in head-to-head matches; 5) Goal difference in head-to-head matches; 6) Goals scored in head-to-head matches; 7) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the Premier League.

League One[edit]

After five seasons of near-misses and playoff heartbreak, Sheffield United finally ended their exile from the Championship and returned to the second tier for the first time since 2011, going up as champions and breaking the 100-point mark in the process; despite making a slow start, the Blades gradually surged up the table and into the top two, giving former player Chris Wilder promotion in his first season as the club's manager as well as his second successive promotion in a year. Taking second place in a battle that went to the final day, Bolton Wanderers secured promotion back to the Championship at the first opportunity and in manager Phil Parkinson's first season in charge, never once looking like falling out of the top six. Taking the final spot through the play-offs were Millwall who shrugged off losing in the final the previous year by scraping into the top six in their last few games and then edged past opponents Bradford City in the final at Wembley, returning to the second tier after two years.

Fleetwood Town enjoyed their best season in their history, earning an unlikely fourth place, missing out on automatic promotion on the final day before only just being edged out by Bradford City in the play-offs semi-finals. In their first ever season at this level, AFC Wimbledon surprised the critics with an early challenge for promotion – whilst several dropped points and a failure to win any of their last six games pushed them back down into mid-table and below rivals Milton Keynes Dons (who looked like suffering a second successive relegation before the arrival of Hearts manager Robbie Neilson helped push them away from the drop), the club were not once in danger of suffering an immediate relegation back to League Two and ensured their stay in the third tier would last beyond one season. Northampton Town's first season in League One since 2009 started strongly as they continued their impressive unbeaten run, but a sharp drop in form in the winter months pushed them into the relegation battle, before a late good run of form helped them move back up the table. For the second season in a row, John Sheridan returned to Oldham Athletic to mastermind the Latic's great escape from relegation, despite their miserable scoring record that saw them score less than all four relegated teams.

At the bottom of the table, Chesterfield's three-year stay in League One came to an end as their decline in form following the loss of manager Paul Cook to Portsmouth finally took its toll. Coventry City fared not much better as they hit rock-bottom and fell into the bottom tier of the Football League for the first time since 1959 and just 16 years after having been in the top-flight – even victory in the Football League Trophy and a late run of good results following the return of successful former manager Mark Robins proved to not be enough, as growing fan protests towards the owners left the Sky Blues facing a bleak future. Only two years after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship, Swindon Town fell into League Two for the first time since 2012 with several poor results proving costly, despite the surprise appointment of former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood as director of football. Taking the final spot were Port Vale, who looked like shrugging off the loss of manager Rob Page to Northampton Town – however, a complete collapse in form around the winter period saw them slide into the relegation zone and they were relegated on the final day after drawing at Fleetwood, as it turned out a victory would have proved enough to save them.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Sheffield United (C, P) 46 30 10 6 92 47 +45 100 Promotion to the EFL Championship
2 Bolton Wanderers (P) 46 25 11 10 68 36 +32 86
3 Scunthorpe United 46 24 10 12 80 54 +26 82 Qualification for the League One play-offs[a]
4 Fleetwood Town 46 23 13 10 64 43 +21 82
5 Bradford City 46 20 19 7 62 43 +19 79
6 Millwall (O, P) 46 20 13 13 66 57 +9 73
7 Southend United 46 20 12 14 70 53 +17 72
8 Oxford United 46 20 9 17 65 52 +13 69
9 Rochdale 46 19 12 15 71 62 +9 69
10 Bristol Rovers 46 18 12 16 68 70 −2 66
11 Peterborough United 46 17 11 18 62 62 0 62
12 Milton Keynes Dons 46 16 13 17 60 58 +2 61
13 Charlton Athletic 46 14 18 14 60 53 +7 60
14 Walsall 46 14 16 16 51 58 −7 58
15 AFC Wimbledon 46 13 18 15 52 55 −3 57
16 Northampton Town 46 14 11 21 60 73 −13 53
17 Oldham Athletic 46 12 17 17 31 44 −13 53
18 Shrewsbury Town 46 13 12 21 46 63 −17 51
19 Bury 46 13 11 22 61 73 −12 50
20 Gillingham 46 12 14 20 59 79 −20 50
21 Port Vale (R) 46 12 13 21 45 70 −25 49 Relegation to EFL League Two
22 Swindon Town (R) 46 11 11 24 44 66 −22 44
23 Coventry City (R) 46 9 12 25 37 68 −31 39
24 Chesterfield (R) 46 9 10 27 43 78 −35 37
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the EFL Championship.

League Two[edit]

Having lost in the play-offs just the previous year, Portsmouth shrugged off the heartbreak and won promotion to League One for the first time since 2013 and their first promotion in 14 years – despite looking set for the play-offs once more, a late surge in form from January onwards helped propel them into the top 3, taking the title on the last day. Going up in second were Plymouth Argyle, who also shrugged off their play-off loss from the previous year and ensured their six-year exile from the third tier came to an end, only missing out on the title by goal difference. Doncaster Rovers took the last automatic spot, securing an immediate return to League One – they had ironically been the first club to be promoted, but a failure to win any of their last five games pushed them into third place. Taking the last place through the play-offs were Blackpool, who also secured an immediate return to League One by defeating Exeter City at Wembley, also giving the club their first promotion since 2010 after 3 relegations in 5 years.

Despite losing their manager to Shrewsbury Town and then dismissing his replacement after only five months, Grimsby Town's first season in the Football League for six years saw them never once threatened with relegation and they secured their Football League status comfortably. Crewe Alexandra endured a turbulent season both on and off the pitch, as their strong start petered out and they were sucked into the relegation fight, which led to the dismissal of manager Steve Davis, an act seen as overdue by the fans after months of protests against the owners and their refusal to sack him. However, following the appointment of former player David Artell as manager, the Railwaymen fought their way back up the table and finished comfortably clear of the bottom two.

At the bottom of the table, after 112 years in the Football League and just three years after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship, Leyton Orient finally hit rock-bottom and were relegated to the fifth tier in a season that saw them change managers five times and was marked by increasing fan protests against the club owners, one of which led to the end of their final home game being finished behind closed doors. Taking the final spot on the last day were Hartlepool United, who finally saw their 96-year stay in the Football League end in the worst possible way – they had looked safe at the turn of the year but a collapse in form as well as failing to better the result of the team above them in their last game ultimately cost them their status. Having spent much of the season adrift in the relegation spaces, a late surge in form saw Newport County narrowly fight their way to safety – with a last-minute goal from player Mark O'Brien against Notts County on the final day proving to be crucial.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Portsmouth (C, P) 46 26 9 11 79 40 +39 87 Promotion to EFL League One
2 Plymouth Argyle (P) 46 26 9 11 71 46 +25 87
3 Doncaster Rovers (P) 46 25 10 11 85 55 +30 85
4 Luton Town 46 20 17 9 70 43 +27 77 Qualification for League Two play-offs[a]
5 Exeter City 46 21 8 17 75 56 +19 71
6 Carlisle United 46 18 17 11 69 68 +1 71
7 Blackpool (O, P) 46 18 16 12 69 46 +23 70
8 Colchester United 46 19 12 15 67 57 +10 69
9 Wycombe Wanderers 46 19 12 15 58 53 +5 69
10 Stevenage 46 20 7 19 67 63 +4 67
11 Cambridge United 46 19 9 18 58 50 +8 66
12 Mansfield Town 46 17 15 14 54 50 +4 66
13 Accrington Stanley 46 17 14 15 59 56 +3 65
14 Grimsby Town 46 17 11 18 59 63 −4 62
15 Barnet 46 14 15 17 57 64 −7 57
16 Notts County 46 16 8 22 54 76 −22 56
17 Crewe Alexandra 46 14 13 19 58 67 −9 55
18 Morecambe 46 14 10 22 53 73 −20 52
19 Crawley Town 46 13 12 21 53 71 −18 51
20 Yeovil Town 46 11 17 18 49 64 −15 50
21 Cheltenham Town 46 12 14 20 49 69 −20 50
22 Newport County 46 12 12 22 51 73 −22 48
23 Hartlepool United (R) 46 11 13 22 54 75 −21 46 Relegation to the National League
24 Leyton Orient (R) 46 10 6 30 47 87 −40 36
Updated to match(es) played on 6 May 2017. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to EFL League One

National League Top Division[edit]

Six years after suffering relegation from League Two, Lincoln City returned to the Football League in a season of unprecedented success and off-field tragedy – not only did they win promotion as champions, nearly breaking the 100-point mark in the process, but they became the first non-league team in over 100 years to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, even securing victory at top-flight team Burnley along the way, honouring the sudden passing of former player and manager Graham Taylor in January in the best possible way. Going up through the playoffs were Forest Green Rovers, who avenged their loss in the playoff final the previous year by comfortably beating Tranmere Rovers at Wembley in manager Mark Cooper's first full season in charge – in the process of winning promotion, not only did the club secure their place in the Football League for the first time in their history but they also ensured that their hometown of Nailsworth became the smallest settlement to ever host a Football League club.

At the bottom of the table, North Ferriby United's first-ever season in the fifth tier ended in disaster as they finished last, undone by their inability to score and having the second worst defence. Southport fared little better as their run of seven successive seasons in the fifth tier finally came to an end in the worst possible fashion, conceding nearly 100 goals and making it through not just three managers but even losing their chairman along the way. Braintree Town took the third spot on the last day of the season, only one season after finishing third in the table and losing out to eventually-promoted Grimsby Town over two legs – just one win from their final three games would have saved them from the drop. Despite victory in the FA Trophy, York City took the last spot on the final day of the campaign, suffering the embarrassment of a second successive relegation and becoming the first club to suffer back-to-back relegations from the Football League to the sixth tier; whilst their form between January and April gave them a good chance of survival, an awful first half of the season ultimately proved to be costly for their hopes, as did a staggering five results all going against them on the final day of the season.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Lincoln City (C, P) 46 30 9 7 83 40 +43 99 Promoted to EFL League Two
2 Tranmere Rovers 46 29 8 9 79 39 +40 95 Qualified for the play-offs
3 Forest Green Rovers (O, P) 46 25 11 10 88 56 +32 86
4 Dagenham & Redbridge 46 26 6 14 79 53 +26 84
5 Aldershot Town 46 23 13 10 66 37 +29 82
6 Dover Athletic 46 24 7 15 85 63 +22 79
7 Barrow 46 20 15 11 72 53 +19 75
8 Gateshead 46 19 13 14 72 51 +21 70
9 Macclesfield Town 46 20 8 18 64 57 +7 68
10 Bromley 46 18 8 20 59 66 −7 62
11 Boreham Wood 46 15 13 18 49 48 +1 58
12 Sutton United 46 15 13 18 61 63 −2 58
13 Wrexham 46 15 13 18 47 61 −14 58
14 Maidstone United 46 16 10 20 59 75 −16 58
15 Eastleigh 46 14 15 17 56 63 −7 57
16 Solihull Moors 46 15 10 21 62 75 −13 55
17 Torquay United 46 14 11 21 54 61 −7 53
18 Woking 46 14 11 21 66 80 −14 53
19 Chester 46 14 10 22 63 71 −8 52
20 Guiseley 46 13 12 21 50 67 −17 51
21 York City (R) 46 11 17 18 55 70 −15 50 Relegated to National League North
22 Braintree Town (R) 46 13 9 24 51 76 −25 48 Relegated to National League South
23 Southport (R) 46 10 9 27 52 97 −45 39 Relegated to National League North
24 North Ferriby United (R) 46 12 3 31 32 82 −50 39
Source: National League official site
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [8]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

League play-offs[edit]

Football League play-offs[edit]

EFL Championship[edit]
Final[edit]
EFL League One[edit]
Final[edit]
Bradford City0–1Millwall
Report Morison 85'
Attendance: 53,320
Referee: Simon Hooper
EFL League Two[edit]
Final[edit]
Blackpool2–1Exeter City
Potts 3'
Cullen 64'
Report Wheeler 40'
Attendance: 23,380

National League play-offs[edit]

National League[edit]
Final[edit]
National League North[edit]
Final[edit]
FC Halifax Town2–1 (a.e.t.)Chorley
Roberts 48'
Garner 101'
Report Blakeman 60'
Attendance: 7,920
Referee: Daniel Middleton
National League South[edit]
Final[edit]
Ebbsfleet United2–1Chelmsford City
Winfield 72'
McQueen 76'
Report Graham 55'
Attendance: 3,134
Referee: Richard Hulme

Cup competitions[edit]

FA Cup[edit]

Final[edit]
Arsenal2–1Chelsea
Sánchez 4'
Ramsey 79'
Report, nationalities Costa 76'
Attendance: 89,472

EFL Cup[edit]

Final[edit]
Manchester United3–2Southampton
Report
Attendance: 85,264

Community Shield[edit]

Leicester City1–2Manchester United
Vardy 52' Report Lingard 32'
Ibrahimović 83'

EFL Trophy[edit]

Final[edit]
Coventry City2–1Oxford United
Report
Attendance: 74,434
Referee: Chris Sarginson

FA Trophy[edit]

Final[edit]
Macclesfield Town2–3York City
R. Browne 13'
O. Norburn 45+1'
J. Parkin 8'
V. Oliver 22'
A. Connolly 86'
Attendance: 38,224

Women's Football[edit]

League season[edit]

Women's Super League[edit]

Women's Super League 1[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester City (C) 16 13 3 0 36 4 +32 42 Qualification for the Champions League
2 Chelsea 16 12 1 3 42 17 +25 37
3 Arsenal 16 10 2 4 33 14 +19 32
4 Birmingham City 16 7 6 3 18 13 +5 27
5 Liverpool 16 7 4 5 27 23 +4 25
6 Notts County 16 4 4 8 16 26 −10 16 Club folded after end of season
7 Sunderland 16 2 4 10 17 41 −24 10
8 Reading 16 1 6 9 15 26 −11 9
9 Doncaster Rovers 16 1 0 15 8 48 −40 3 Relegation to FA WSL 2
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions
Women's Super League 2[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 Yeovil Town (C) 18 12 3 3 41 16 +25 39 Promotion to FA WSL 1
2 Bristol City 18 12 3 3 37 16 +21 39
3 Everton 18 10 4 4 35 18 +17 34
4 Durham 18 10 3 5 30 19 +11 33
5 Sheffield 18 7 5 6 25 18 +7 26
6 Aston Villa 18 7 3 8 26 27 −1 24
7 London Bees 18 6 4 8 28 39 −11 22
8 Millwall Lionesses 18 3 7 8 24 31 −7 16
9 Oxford United 18

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