TOP OF THE LEAGUE AT CHRISTMAS


This is a list of the teams that were top of the league at Christmas each season, and if they were champions at the end of the season.

Records | Divisions 1 and 2 | Divisions 3 and 4 | Forest On Top | When the Top Spot Changed on Christmas Day!

These are the teams that were top of the Third tiers (Division 3 or Division 3N and 3S) or the Fourth tier at Christmas.
Green = the team top at Christmas won the League at the end of the season. Red means they didn't!

Season
1888-89
1889-90
1890-91
1891-92
1892-93
1893-94
1894-95
1895-96
1896-97
1897-98
1898-99
1899-00
1900-01
1901-02
1902-03
1903-04
1904-05
1905-06
1906-07
1907-08
1908-09
1909-10
1910-11
1911-12
1912-13
1913-14
1914-15
1919-20
Division 3 (Percent: 47.8%)
Season Christmas (Final Pos) Winners (Christmas Pos)
1920-21Southampton (2)Crystal Palace (2)
Division 3N (Percent: 45.2%) Division 3S (Percent: 61.3%)
Season Christmas (Final Pos) Winners (Christmas Pos) Christmas (Final Pos) Winners (Christmas Pos)
1921-22Stockport County (1)Stockport County (1)Southampton (1)Southampton (1)
1922-23Nelson (1)Nelson (1)Plymouth Argyle (2)Bristol City (1)
1923-24Wolverhampton Wanderers (1)Wolverhampton Wanderers (1)Swansea Town (4)Portsmouth (2)
1924-25Darlington (1)Darlington (1)Bristol City (3)Swansea Town (3)
1925-26Bradford Park Avenue (2)Grimsby Town (2)Plymouth Argyle (2)Reading (2)
1926-27Stoke City (1)Stoke City (1)Swindon Town (5)Bristol City (3)
1927-28Doncaster Rovers (4)Bradford Park Avenue (2)Millwall (1)Millwall (1)
1928-29Stockport County (2)Bradford City (3)Plymouth Argyle (4)Charlton Athletic (7)
1929-30Port Vale (1)Port Vale (1)Plymouth Argyle (1)Plymouth Argyle (1)
1930-31Lincoln City (2)Chesterfield (3)Notts County (1)Notts County (1)
1931-32Gateshead (2)Lincoln City (3)Brentford (5)Fulham (2)
1932-33Chester City (4)Hull City (2)Brentford (1)Brentford (1)
1933-34Chesterfield (2)Barnsley (4)Norwich City (1)Norwich City (1)
1934-35Tranmere Rovers (6)Doncaster Rovers (6)Charlton Athletic (1)Charlton Athletic (1)
1935-36Tranmere Rovers (3)Chesterfield (2)Luton Town (2)Coventry City (3)
1936-37Chester City (3)Stockport County (4)Luton Town (1)Luton Town (1)
1937-38Oldham Athletic (4)Tranmere Rovers (1)Queens Park Rangers (3)Millwall (5)
1938-39Barnsley (1)Barnsley (1)Newport County (1)Newport County (1)
1939-40
1946-47Doncaster Rovers (1)Doncaster Rovers (1)Cardiff City (1)Cardiff City (1)
1947-48Lincoln City (1)Lincoln City (1)Queens Park Rangers (1)Queens Park Rangers (1)
1948-49Rotherham United (2)Hull City (2)Swansea Town (1)Swansea Town (1)
1949-50Rochdale (3)Doncaster Rovers (1)Notts County (1)Notts County (1)
1950-51Rotherham United (1)Rotherham United (1)Nottingham Forest (1)Nottingham Forest (1)
1951-52Lincoln City (1)Lincoln City (1)Brighton and Hove Albion (5)Plymouth Argyle (1)
1952-53Grimsby Town (5)Oldham Athletic (1)Bristol Rovers (1)Bristol Rovers (1)
1953-54Port Vale (1)Port Vale (1)Ipswich Town (1)Ipswich Town (1)
1954-55Scunthorpe United (3)Barnsley (5)Bristol City (1)Bristol City (1)
1955-56Grimsby Town (1)Grimsby Town (1)Leyton Orient (1)Leyton Orient (1)
1956-57Bradford City (9)Derby County (2)Southampton (4)Ipswich Town (6)
1957-58Scunthorpe United (1)Scunthorpe United (1)Brighton and Hove Albion (1)Brighton and Hove Albion (1)
Division 3 (Percent: 47.8%) Division 4 (Percent: 42.6%)
Season Christmas (Final Pos) Winners (Christmas Pos) Christmas (Final Pos) Winners (Christmas Pos)
1958-59Plymouth Argyle (1)Plymouth Argyle (1)Coventry City (2)Port Vale (2)
1959-60Southampton (1)Southampton (1)Walsall (1)Walsall (1)
1960-61Grimsby Town (6)Bury (2)Crystal Palace (2)Peterborough United (2)
1961-62Portsmouth (1)Portsmouth (1)Wrexham (3)Millwall (8)
1962-63Peterborough United (6)Northampton Town (4)Oldham Athletic (2)Brentford (2)
1963-64Coventry City (1)Coventry City (1)Gillingham (1)Gillingham (1)
1964-65Bristol Rovers (6)Carlisle United (5)Tranmere Rovers (5)Brighton and Hove Albion (4)
1965-66Hull City (1)Hull City (1)Torquay United (3)Doncaster Rovers (6)
1966-67Queens Park Rangers (1)Queens Park Rangers (1)Stockport County (1)Stockport County (1)
1967-68Walsall (7)Oxford United (5)Chesterfield (7)Luton Town (3)
1968-69Watford (1)Watford (1)Aldershot (15)Doncaster Rovers (4)
1969-70Luton Town (2)Leyton Orient (2)Chesterfield (1)Chesterfield (1)
1970-71Bristol Rovers (6)Preston North End (4)Notts County (1)Notts County (1)
1971-72Notts County (4)Aston Villa (2)Brentford (3)Grimsby Town (6)
1972-73Bolton Wanderers (1)Bolton Wanderers (1)Mansfield Town (6)Southport (2)
1973-74Bristol Rovers (2)Oldham Athletic (9)Peterborough United (1)Peterborough United (1)
1974-75Blackburn Rovers (1)Blackburn Rovers (1)Mansfield Town (1)Mansfield Town (1)
1975-76Crystal Palace (5)Hereford United (4)Lincoln City (1)Lincoln City (1)
1976-77Rotherham United (4)Mansfield Town (7)Bradford City (4)Cambridge United (2)
1977-78Wrexham (1)Wrexham (1)Watford (1)Watford (1)
1978-79Watford (2)Shrewsbury Town (2)Wimbledon (3)Reading (3)
1979-80Sheffield United (12)Grimsby Town (2)Walsall (2)Huddersfield Town (3)
1980-81Charlton Athletic (3)Rotherham United (3)Southend United (1)Southend United (1)
1981-82Carlisle United (2)Burnley (19)Colchester United (6)Sheffield United (2)
1982-83Lincoln City (6)Portsmouth (5)Bury (5)Wimbledon (6)
1983-84Oxford United (1)Oxford United (1)York City (1)York City (1)
1984-85Bradford City (1)Bradford City (1)Bury (4)Chesterfield (5)
1985-86Reading (1)Reading (1)Chester City (2)Swindon Town (1)
1986-87Middlesbrough (2)Bournemouth (4)Northampton Town (1)Northampton Town (1)
1987-88Sunderland (1)Sunderland (1)Colchester United (9)Wolverhampton Wanderers (4)
1988-89Wolverhampton Wanderers (1)Wolverhampton Wanderers (1)Crewe Alexandra (3)Rotherham United (3)
1989-90Notts County (3)Bristol Rovers (2)Exeter City (1)Exeter City (1)
1990-91Southend United (2)Cambridge United (6)Doncaster Rovers (11)Darlington (5)
1991-92Brentford (1)Brentford (1)Mansfield Town (3)Burnley (3)
1992-93Stoke City (1)Stoke City (1)York City (4)Cardiff City (8)
1993-94Reading (1)Reading (1)Crewe Alexandra (3)Shrewsbury Town (6)
1994-95Oxford United (7)Birmingham City (2)Carlisle United (1)Carlisle United (1)
1995-96Crewe Alexandra (5)Swindon Town (2)Gillingham (2)Preston North End (3)
1996-97Brentford (4)Bury (3)Fulham (2)Wigan Athletic (4)
1997-98Watford (1)Watford (1)Notts County (1)Notts County (1)
1998-99Fulham (1)Fulham (1)Cardiff City (3)Brentford (3)
1999-00Wigan Athletic (4)Preston North End (3)Barnet (6)Swansea City (3)
2000-01Millwall (1)Millwall (1)Brighton and Hove Albion (1)Brighton and Hove Albion (1)
2001-02Brentford (3)Brighton and Hove Albion (3)Plymouth Argyle (1)Plymouth Argyle (1)
2002-03Wigan Athletic (1)Wigan Athletic (1)Rushden And Diamonds (1)Rushden And Diamonds (1)
2003-04Plymouth Argyle (1)Plymouth Argyle (1)Doncaster Rovers (1)Doncaster Rovers (2)
2004-05Luton Town (1)Luton Town (1)Scunthorpe United (2)Yeovil Town (2)
2005-06Brentford (3)Southend United (2)Wycombe Wanderers (6)Carlisle United (5)
2006-07Nottingham Forest (4)Scunthorpe United (2)Walsall (1)Walsall (1)
2007-08Swansea City (1)Swansea City (1)Milton Keynes Dons (1)Milton Keynes Dons (1)
2008-09Leicester City (1)Leicester City (1)Wycombe Wanderers (3)Brentford (2)
2009-10Leeds United (2)Norwich City (3)Rochdale (3)Notts County (7)
2010-11Brighton and Hove Albion (1)Brighton and Hove Albion (1)Chesterfield (1)Chesterfield (1)
2011-12Charlton Athletic (1)Charlton Athletic (1)Crawley Town (3)Swindon Town (7)
2012-13Sheffield United (5)Doncaster Rovers (4)Gillingham (1)Gillingham (1)
2013-14Leyton Orient (3)Wolverhampton Wanderers (3)Chesterfield (1)Chesterfield (1)
2014-15Bristol City (1)Bristol City (1)Shrewsbury Town (2)Burton Albion (3)
2015-16Walsall (3)Wigan Athletic (5)Plymouth Argyle (5)Northampton Town (3)
2016-17Scunthorpe United (3)Sheffield United (2)Doncaster Rovers (3)Portsmouth (4)
2017-18Wigan Athletic (1)Wigan Athletic (1)Luton Town (2)Accrington Stanley (7)
2018-19Portsmouth (4)Luton Town (2)Lincoln City (1)Lincoln City (1)
2019-20Wycombe Wanderers (3)Coventry City (9)Swindon Town (1)Swindon Town (1)
2020-21Lincoln City (5)Hull City (3)Newport County (5)Cheltenham Town (4)
2021-22Rotherham United (2)Wigan Athletic (2)Forest Green Rovers (1)Forest Green Rovers (1)
2022-23Plymouth Argyle (1)Plymouth Argyle (1)Leyton Orient (1)Leyton Orient (1)
2023-24Portsmouth (1)Portsmouth (1)Stockport County (1)Stockport County (1)
2024-25Birmingham City (1)Birmingham City (1)Walsall (4)Doncaster Rovers (3)
2025-26