Italy. The current kings of European football. How deep the country’s system goes? Too deep… Let’s go no deeper than 4th Division – Serie C/2. Four groups of 18 teams each, the bottom 3 relegated to Campeonato Interreggionale. The top two promoted to 3rd Division – Serie C/1.
Girone A. Sant’ Elena withdrew after 17 matches for financial reasons and was relegated to Third Category of the Amateur League. Casale, 17th, and Cerretese, 16th, were also relegated.
Just for as taste who played at this level:
Olbia – finished 11th.
Lucchese – 4th,
Allesandria – 3rd. The club which gave us Gianni Rivera dropped into complete obscurity. Once upon a time a first division team…
Asti T.S.C. Finished 2nd and earned promotion – perhaps a big success for this club.
Livorno won the championship without losing a match – 18 wins and 14 ties. They also had fantastic defensive record, allowing just 7 goals in 32 games (the 33rd match was against Sant’ Elena in the fall of 1983, but it did not count, for Sant’ Elena’s record was erased). Livorno obviously aimed to get out of the hell-hole they dropped into and surely were much stronger then the rest of the league – but then again, it was 4th Division, nothing really to brag about.
Girone B perhaps had the most familiar clubs –
Venezia played here – and finished 6th. Also Pro Patria – 9th, Novara – 5th, Mantova – 4th. Faded glory.
Biellese, 20th, Brembillese, 19th, and S. Angelo, 18th, were relegated.
Piacenza finished 2nd and was promoted.
Pavia won the championship and promotion. They prevailed by a point over Piacenza for the top position.
Girone C was made of largely unknown clubs.
Matera was good example – this was one of better clubs, for they occasionally played in the upper leagues.
Monopoli finished 2nd and even lesser name won the league:
Jesi – champions of this group. Their best season ever, surely.
Ravenna, Elpidiense, and Osimana were at the bottom and relegated.
Girone D. Also made of unknown clubs – Siracusa and
Sorrento were perhaps the most familiar names. Sorrento finished 9th, just bellow a club nobody heard of back then – Frosinone.
Marsala, last, Latina, and Grumese were relegated.
Nocerina easily finished 2nd and
Reggina even easier finished 1st. Champions of the group, going up.
The winners had every reason to be happy, the second placed too – good luck to them the next season in Third Division.