Football League Two
| Country |
 England |
|---|---|
| Other club(s) from |
 Wales |
| Founded |
2004 1992–2004 (as Division Three) 1958–1992 (as Division Four) |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | League One |
| Relegation to | Conference Premier |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup |
| League cup(s) |
Football League Cup Football League Trophy |
| Current champions |
Chesterfield (2013–14) |
| TV partners |
Sky Sports BBC (Highlights Only) |
| Website | League Two |
 2014–15 Football League Two | |
Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League 2 for sponsorship reasons) is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.
Football League Two was introduced for the 2004–05 season. It was previously known as the Football League Division 3.[1] Before the advent of the Premier League, the fourth-highest division was known as the Football League Fourth Division.
At present (2014–15 season), Accrington Stanley hold the longest tenure in League Two, last being outside the division in the 2005–06 season when they were promoted from the Conference Premier.
Structure
There are 24 clubs in Football League Two. Each club plays each of the other clubs twice (once at home, once away) and is awarded three points for a win, one for a draw and no points for a loss. From these points a league table is constructed.
At the end of each season the top three teams, together with the winner of the play-offs between the teams which finished in fourth–seventh position, are promoted to Football League One and are replaced by the four teams that finished bottom of that division.
Similarly the two teams that finished at the bottom of Football League Two are relegated to the Conference Premier and are replaced by the team that finished first and the team that won the second–fifth place play-off in that division. Technically a team can be reprieved from relegation if the team replacing them does not have a ground suitable for League football, but in practice this is a non-factor because every team currently in the Conference Premier has a ground that meets the League criteria (and even if they did not, a ground-sharing arrangement with another team could be made until their stadium was upgraded). The other way that a team can be spared relegation is if another team either resigns or is expelled from the Football League.
Final League position is determined, in this order, by points obtained, goal difference, goals scored, a mini-league of the results between two or more teams ranked using the previous three criteria and finally a series of one or more play-off matches.
There is a mandatory wage cap in this division that limits spending on players' wages to 100% of club turnover.
Football League Two clubs 2014–15
| Club | Finishing position last season |
|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | 15th |
| AFC Wimbledon | 20th |
| Burton Albion | 6th |
| Bury | 12th |
| Cambridge United | 2nd in Conference |
| Carlisle United | 22nd in League One |
| Cheltenham Town | 17th |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 9th |
| Exeter City | 16th |
| Hartlepool United | 19th |
| Luton Town | 1st in Conference |
| Mansfield Town | 11th |
| Morecambe | 18th |
| Newport County | 14th |
| Northampton Town | 21st |
| Oxford United | 8th |
| Plymouth Argyle | 10th |
| Portsmouth | 13th |
| Shrewsbury Town | 23rd in League One |
| Southend United | 5th |
| Stevenage | 24th in League One |
| Tranmere Rovers | 21st in League One |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 22nd |
| York City | 7th |
Teams promoted from League Two
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd Place | Promoted via play-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Yeovil Town | Scunthorpe United | Swansea City | Southend United |
| 2005–06 | Carlisle United | Northampton Town | Leyton Orient | Cheltenham Town |
| 2006–07 | Walsall | Hartlepool United | Swindon Town | Bristol Rovers |
| 2007–08 | Milton Keynes Dons | Peterborough United | Hereford United | Stockport County |
| 2008–09 | Brentford | Exeter City | Wycombe Wanderers | Gillingham |
| 2009–10 | Notts County | Bournemouth | Rochdale | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| 2010–11 | Chesterfield | Bury | Wycombe Wanderers | Stevenage |
| 2011–12 | Swindon Town | Shrewsbury Town | Crawley Town | Crewe Alexandra |
| 2012–13 | Gillingham | Rotherham United | Port Vale | Bradford City |
| 2013–14 | Chesterfield | Scunthorpe United | Rochdale | Fleetwood Town |
Play-off results
Relegated teams
| Season | Clubs |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Kidderminster Harriers, Cambridge United |
| 2005–06 | Oxford United, Rushden & Diamonds |
| 2006–07 | Boston United, Torquay United |
| 2007–08 | Mansfield Town, Wrexham |
| 2008–09 | Chester City, Luton Town[2] |
| 2009–10 | Darlington, Grimsby Town |
| 2010–11 | Lincoln City, Stockport County |
| 2011–12 | Macclesfield Town, Hereford United |
| 2012–13 | Aldershot Town, Barnet |
| 2013–14 | Bristol Rovers, Torquay United |
Top scorers
| Season | Top scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Phil Jevons | Yeovil Town | 27 |
| 2005–06 | Karl Hawley | Carlisle United | 23 |
| 2006–07 | Richard Barker | Hartlepool United | 21 |
| Izale McLeod | Milton Keynes Dons | ||
| 2007–08 | Aaron McLean | Peterborough United | 29 |
| 2008–09 | Grant Holt | Shrewsbury Town | 20 |
| Jack Lester | Chesterfield | ||
| 2009–10 | Lee Hughes | Notts County | 30 |
| 2010–11 | Clayton Donaldson | Crewe Alexandra | 28 |
| 2011–12 | Izale McLeod | Barnet | 18 |
| Jack Midson | AFC Wimbledon | ||
| 2012–13 | Tom Pope | Port Vale | 31 |
| 2013–14 | Sam Winnall | Scunthorpe United | 23 |
Football League Two stadiums 2014–15
| Home Club | Stadium Name | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 20,688 |
| Carlisle United | Brunton Park1 | 18,500 |
| Plymouth Argyle | Home Park | 16,906 |
| Tranmere Rovers | Prenton Park | 16,567 |
| Oxford United | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 |
| Southend United | Roots Hall | 12,392 |
| Bury | The JD Stadium | 11,840 |
| Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | 10,356 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Adams Park1 | 10,284 |
| Shrewsbury Town | New Meadow | 9,875 |
| Exeter City | St James Park1 | 8,541 |
| Mansfield Town | One Call Stadium | 8,186 |
| Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium1 | 8,127 |
| York City | Bootham Crescent1 | 7,872 |
| Hartlepool United | Victoria Park1 | 7,856 |
| Newport County | Rodney Parade1 | 7,850 |
| Northampton Town | Sixfields Stadium | 7,653 |
| Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road1 | 7,066 |
| Burton Albion | Pirelli Stadium1 | 6,912 |
| Stevenage | Broadhall Way1 | 6,722 |
| Morecambe | Globe Arena1 | 6,476 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | Victoria Road1 | 6,078 |
| Accrington Stanley | Crown Ground1 | 5,057 |
| AFC Wimbledon | Kingsmeadow1 | 4,850 |
1This ground contains terracing
Broadcasting rights
Setanta Sports Australia broadcasts live League 2 matches in Australia. beIN Sport also show Football League Championship and Football League One games and highlights as well as Football League Two games.
See also
- Football League Fourth Division (1958–59 – 1991–92)
- Football League Third Division (1992–93 – 2003–04)
References and Notes
- ↑ http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/Timeline/0,,10794~1357286,00.html "The Football League – Timeline" Retrieved 18 August 2011
- ↑ Luton were deducted 30 points for financial irregularities
External links
- Football League Two official site
- Football League Two clubs' locations
- League Two blogs by League Two fans
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