DIVISION 3    1982/83
      P W D L F A Pts
  Leading goalscorer:
Kerry Dixon 
(Reading)
 26  goals

A 1-0 home defeat against Newport County on Saturday 26th March 1983 would seem an unusual choice for one of the most memorable matches in the history of Bournemouth. But it saw the debut of George Best for the Cherries. It was the Irishman's final attempt at a comeback in the Football League but his five matches for Bournemouth at the end of the 1982/83 season proved to be his last in the competition.

   1 Portsmouth 46 27 10 9 74 41 91 Promoted
    2 Cardiff City 46 25 11 10 76 50 86 Promoted
    3 Huddersfield Town 46 23 13 10 84 49 82 Promoted
    4 Newport County 46 23 9 14 76 54 78
    5 Oxford United 46 22 12 12 71 53 78
    6 Lincoln City 46 23 7 16 77 51 76
    7 Bristol Rovers 46 22 9 15 84 58 75
    8 Plymouth Argyle 46 19 8 19 61 66 65
    9 Brentford 46 18 10 18 88 77 64
    10 Walsall 46 17 13 16 64 63 64
    11 Sheffield United 46 19 7 20 62 64 64
    12 Bradford City 46 16 13 17 68 69 61
    13 Gillingham 46 16 13 17 58 59 61
    14 Bournemouth 46 16 13 17 59 68 61
    15 Southend United 46 15 14 17 66 65 59
    16 Preston North End 46 15 13 18 60 69 58
    17 Millwall 46 14 13 19 64 77 55
    18 Wigan Athletic 46 15 9 22 60 72 54
    19 Exeter City 46 14 12 20 81 104 54
    20 Orient 46 15 9 22 64 88 54
    21 Reading 46 12 17 17 64 79 53 Relegated
    22 Wrexham 46 12 15 19 56 76 51 Relegated
    23 Doncaster Rovers 46 9 11 26 57 97 38 Relegated
    24 Chesterfield 46 8 13 25 43 68 37 Relegated