Football League Fourth Division 1972/73
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Southport | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 71 | 48 | 1.479 | 62 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Hereford United | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 56 | 38 | 1.474 | 58 | ▲Runners Up |
| 3rd | Cambridge United | 46 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 67 | 57 | 1.175 | 57 | ▲Promoted |
| 4th | Aldershot | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 60 | 38 | 1.579 | 56 | ▲Promoted |
| 5th | Newport County | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 64 | 44 | 1.455 | 56 | - |
| 6th | Mansfield Town | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 78 | 51 | 1.529 | 54 | - |
| 7th | Reading | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 51 | 38 | 1.342 | 52 | - |
| 8th | Exeter City | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 57 | 51 | 1.118 | 50 | - |
| 9th | Gillingham | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 63 | 58 | 1.086 | 49 | - |
| 10th | Lincoln City | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 64 | 57 | 1.123 | 48 | - |
| 11th | Stockport County | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 53 | 53 | 1.000 | 48 | - |
| 12th | Bury | 46 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 58 | 51 | 1.137 | 46 | - |
| 13th | Workington | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 59 | 61 | 0.967 | 46 | - |
| 14th | Barnsley | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 58 | 60 | 0.967 | 44 | - |
| 15th | Chester | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 61 | 52 | 1.173 | 43 | - |
| 16th | Bradford City | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 61 | 65 | 0.938 | 43 | - |
| 17th | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 49 | 58 | 0.845 | 42 | - |
| 18th | Torquay United | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 44 | 47 | 0.936 | 41 | - |
| 19th | Peterborough United | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 71 | 76 | 0.934 | 41 | - |
| 20th | Hartlepool | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 49 | 0.694 | 41 | - |
| 21st | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 9 | 18 | 19 | 38 | 61 | 0.623 | 36 | Re-Elected |
| 22nd | Colchester United | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 48 | 76 | 0.632 | 31 | Re-Elected |
| 23rd | Northampton Town | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 40 | 73 | 0.548 | 31 | Re-Elected |
| 24th | Darlington | 46 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 42 | 85 | 0.494 | 29 | Re-Elected |
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Election for League Membership |
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| The bottom four league sides faced re-election and were joined by 12 non-league clubs in the vote for league membership. | ||
| Votes | Club | End Result |
| 48 | Colchester United | Re Elected to the League |
| 43 | Northampton Town | Re Elected to the League |
| 36 | Crewe Alexandra | Re Elected to the League |
| 26 | Darlington | Re Elected to the League |
| 14 | Yeovil Town | Not Elected to the League |
| 12 | Kettering Town | Not Elected to the League |
| 10 | Wigan Athletic | Not Elected to the League |
| 4 | Chelmsford City | Not Elected to the League |
| 1 | Cambridge City | Not Elected to the League |
| 1 | Nuneaton Borough | Not Elected to the League |
| 1 | Telford United | Not Elected to the League |
| 0 | Barrow | Not Elected to the League |
| 0 | Bedford Town | Not Elected to the League |
| 0 | Boston United | Not Elected to the League |
| 0 | Bradford Park Avenue | Not Elected to the League |
| 0 | Wimbledon | Not Elected to the League |
|
End of Season Notes |
| ▼Rotherham United were Relegated from the Football League Third Division |
| ▼Brentford were Relegated from the Football League Third Division |
| ▼Swansea City were Relegated from the Football League Third Division |
| ▼Scunthorpe United were Relegated from the Football League Third Division |
| ▲Southport were Promoted to the Football League Third Division |
| ▲Hereford United were Promoted to the Football League Third Division |
| ▲Cambridge United were Promoted to the Football League Third Division |
| ▲Aldershot were Promoted to the Football League Third Division |
| ♦ Crewe Alexandra were Re-Elected to the League |
| ♦ Colchester United were Re-Elected to the League |
| ♦ Northampton Town were Re-Elected to the League |
| ♦ Darlington were Re-Elected to the League |