| Season | 1972–73 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crusaders 1st Irish title |
| Matches | 132 |
| Goals | 446 (3.38 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Des Dickson (23 goals) |
← 1971–72 1973–74 → | |
Belfast
The 1972–73 Irish League was the 72nd edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league consisted of 12 teams, and Crusaders won the championship.
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crusaders (C) | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 50 | 22 | 2.273 | 32 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Ards | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 49 | 22 | 2.227 | 31 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Portadown | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 27 | 1.370 | 29 | |
| 4 | Coleraine | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 51 | 31 | 1.645 | 28 | |
| 5 | Linfield | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 29 | 1.310 | 27 | |
| 6 | Glenavon | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 28 | 1.179 | 23 | |
| 7 | Distillery | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 40 | 47 | 0.851 | 22 | |
| 8 | Glentoran | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 48 | 40 | 1.200 | 21 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 9 | Ballymena United | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 35 | 0.743 | 19 | |
| 10 | Bangor | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 32 | 0.875 | 18 | |
| 11 | Cliftonville | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 18 | 66 | 0.273 | 7 | |
| 12 | Larne | 22 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 28 | 67 | 0.418 | 7 |
Results
| Home \ Away | ARD | BAN | BLM | CLI | COL | CRU | DIS | GLV | GLT | LRN | LIN | POR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ards | 3–1 | 3–1 | 7–0 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | |
| Bangor | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 6–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | |
| Ballymena United | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | |
| Cliftonville | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–5 | |
| Coleraine | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 6–1 | 4–2 | 1–3 | |
| Crusaders | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Distillery | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 0–8 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | |
| Glenavon | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| Glentoran | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 9–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | |
| Larne | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 2–3 | |
| Linfield | 4–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | |
| Portadown | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
Source: Irish League Archive
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.