1985-86 in English football
Encyclopedia
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football
in England
.
for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish
, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to get the big prize. Neighbours Everton
came second, having been first for nearly the entire campaign and looked favourites to win a second successive title, however a monumental finish from Liverpool
which saw them win 8 out of their last 9 games, to eventually win the title, while West Ham United
came third and Manchester United finished in fourth place. Atkinson's United side had looked set for title glory after winning their first 10 games of the season, but a slump in form during the second half of the season ruined their title hopes.
Going down from the First Division
were Ipswich Town
, Birmingham City
and West Bromwich Albion
. Ipswich, who had been league runners-up and UEFA Cup
winners just a few seasons earlier, had never been the same since the departure of Bobby Robson
for the England
job in 1982 and had gradually faded away under his successor Bobby Ferguson. Birmingham had only won promotion the year before, but had struggled on their comeback to the First Division and relegation had looked certain throughout the season, though the Blues did accrue 16 points from their first 9 matches. Albion had suffered badly since manager Ron Atkinson
had moved to Manchester United and taken key players Bryan Robson
and Remi Moses
with him, and their luck finally ran out as they ended the 1985–86 season bottom of the First Division with just four wins from 42 league games. Despite only winning four matches all season, the Albion still managed to do the 'double' over local rivals Birmingham. Very much the highlight of Albion fans' season.
George Graham
, who had played in Arsenal
's 1970–71
Double-winning side, returned to the club as their new manager after Don Howe had resigned. By the time Graham returned to Arsenal, the club had gone 15 years without a league title and seven years without a major trophy. Graham's task was to bring some success to the Gunners who had been increasingly eclipsed by rivals Tottenham Hotspur
during the 1980s.
The first half of the season was witnessed only in the flesh, as a dispute over the television rights meant no Football League action was seen by TV viewers until January 1986.
holders Norwich City
were most people's favourites for an instant return to the First Division
, and Ken Brown's men proved the observers correct by gaining promotion. But the two other promotion places went to two of the least fancied sides. Charlton
, managed by Lennie Lawrence
, had narrowly escaped closure three years earlier and just after the start of the 1985–86 had been forced to ground-share with Crystal Palace
because their own stadium
was condemned by safety officials. But Lawrence and his players made a huge effort to push for promotion and they succeeded. The third and final promotion place went to Dave Bassett
's Wimbledon
, who were only in their ninth season as a league club.
Carlisle United
, whose fortunes had slumped dramatically since their one-year stay in the top flight during the 1970s, were relegated to the Third Division
having been in the upper half of the league for well over a decade. Harry Gregg
, the former Manchester United goalkeeper who helped rescue passengers at the Munich air disaster
, was appointed Carlisle's manager at the end of the season. Following them down were Fulham
and financially-troubled Middlesbrough
.
promotion places in 1985–86 went to Reading
, Plymouth Argyle
and Derby County
– the beginning of the return to the top for the Rams under Arthur Cox.
The relegation places went to Lincoln City
, Cardiff City
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
and Swansea City
. Just a few seasons earlier, Wolves and Swansea had been enjoying good fortunes in the First Division
– Wolves as League Cup
winners in 1980 and Swansea as sixth-placed in the First Division. But financial problems had caught up with both clubs and pushed them into a downward spiral. Wolves nevertheless would be the last English League winner
to fall into the fourth tier since then.
, Chester City
, Mansfield Town
and Port Vale
occupied the Fourth Division
promotion places in 1985–86. Credit to Swindon manager Lou Macari
for beginning the reversal of decline for a club who had been League Cup
winners in 1969. And to Harry McNally
for guiding Chester to only the second promotion in their 55-year league career.
In the Fourth Division for the first time were two of England
's oldest and most famous clubs – Burnley
and Preston North End
. 1985–86 was the last season of re-election before the introduction of automatic relegation from the Fourth Division. Preston finished second from bottom, just above Torquay United
, and only avoided losing their league status because the league's other members voted for them in favour of Gola League
champions Enfield. Burnley's fortunes were not quite so bad, but a mid-table finish wasn't anywhere near good enough for promotion. Another Fourth Division struggling side, Tranmere Rovers
, almost went out of business during the season but were saved at the eleventh hour by a new chairman.
beat neighbours Everton
3–1 in the final to complete only the third league championship and FA Cup
double of the 20th century. Key player in the triumph was striker Ian Rush
, who scored twice.
marked their First Division debut season with an impressive 3–0 victory over QPR
– managed by former Oxford boss Jim Smith
– in the League Cup
final.
, 21-year-old striker, makes his debut for Crystal Palace
in 3–2 defeat by Huddersfield Town at Selhurst Park
in the Second Division soon after joining the club from non-league Greenwich Borough
.
28 September 1985 – David Rocastle
, 18-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Arsenal
in 1–1 draw with Newcastle United
in the First Division at Highbury
.
23 November 1985 – Martin Keown
, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Arsenal in goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion
at The Hawthorns
.
reached the 1986 FIFA World Cup
quarter finals where they lost 2–1 to eventual winners Argentina
, whose first goal by Diego Maradona
was allowed despite being an obvious handball. Maradona later referred to his controversial goal as "The Hand of God".
signed two British strikers for FC Barcelona
– Mark Hughes
from Manchester United and Gary Lineker
from Everton – in hope of lifting some of the pressure building up on him after Barcelona's European Cup final defeat.
, long-serving Aston Villa
midfielder, leaves the club to join Bari
of Italy
for £500,000, along with striker Paul Rideout
for £400,000, while Tottenham Hotspur
sign Newcastle United
winger Chris Waddle
for £590,000.
1 August 1985 – Everton
sign 24-year-old Leicester City
and England striker Gary Lineker
for a club record fee of £900,000.
2 August 1985 – Crystal Palace
sign 21-year-old striker Ian Wright
from Isthmian League
side Greenwich Borough.
4 August 1985 – Nottingham Forest
re-sign winger John Robertson from Derby County
on a free transfer two years after first leaving the City Ground
.
8 August 1985 – Sheffield Wednesday pay a club record £450,000 for West Bromwich Albion striker Garry Thompson
.
11 August 1985 – Jack Charlton
resigns as Newcastle United
manager six days before the start of the First Division campaign, and is replaced by Willie McFaul
.
12 August 1985 – Sheffield Wednesday
sign striker Garry Thompson
from West Bromwich Albion
for £450,000.
17 August 1985 – The Football League
season kicks off with some significant results. Oxford United
begin their First Division life with a 1–1 draw at West Bromwich Albion
, while resurgent sides Chelsea
and Sheffield Wednesday
battle it out for the same scoreline at Hillsborough. However, the season begins on a disappointing note for defending champions Everton, who lose 3–1 at Leicester City. Gary Lineker fails to make the scoresheet for Everton against his old club.
20 August 1985 – Frank McAvennie
scores twice on his West Ham United debut as they beat Queen's Park Rangers 3–1 in the league at Upton Park
.
26 August 1985 – Gary Lineker
scores his first goal for Everton in a 1–0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur
.
27 August 1985: Aston Villa
pay £450,000 for Nottingham Forest
midfielder Steve Hodge
.
31 August 1985: The first month of the season ends with Manchester United as leaders after five straight wins. Sheffield Wednesday's renaissance continues as they occupy second place, while Chelsea and Newcastle United occupy the next two highest places under their respective new managers John Hollins
and Willie McFaul. In the Second Division, Portsmouth
head the promotion race, joined in the top three by Blackburn Rovers
and Oldham Athletic
. Pre-season promotion favourites Sunderland
prop up the table with defeats from all of their five opening games, while Leeds United
(another side tipped for promotion this season) occupy 20th place with two draws and three defeats so far. Gary Lineker
scores a hat-trick in a 4–1 league win over Birmingham City
at Goodison Park
.
10 September 1985 – Jock Stein
collapses and dies from a heart attack at the end of the Scotland team's
1–1 draw with Wales
that secures their place in the World Cup
qualifying play-off against Australia. Stein, 62, spent all of his playing and management career in Scotland
except for a brief spell as Leeds United
manager in 1978.
11 September 1985 – England's
World Cup qualification is confirmed with a 1–1 draw against Romania
at Wembley.
12 September 1985 – Liverpool
pay Aston Villa £375,000 for winger Steve McMahon
.
13 September 1985 – Sheffield Wednesday sign midfielder Mark Chamberlain
from Stoke City
for £300,000.
28 September 1985 – Charlton Athletic depart from their Valley stadium following a damning inspection report by safety officials, and begin a groundshare with Crystal Palace
. It is not yet known whether the groundshare will be a permanent arrangement or just a temporary measure until Charlton Athletic rebuild The Valley or relocate to a new site.
30 September 1985 – September ends with Manchester United still top of the First Division with a 100% record after 10 games. Pre-season favourites Liverpool and Everton are also in contention, as are surprise contenders Chelsea and Newcastle United. In the Second Division, Portsmouth lead the way with 23 points from their opening 10 games, with Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers once again completing the top three. Sunderland have made a significant improvement this month, hinting that there is still time for promotion that most observers had tipped them for following the high profile appointment of manager Lawrie McMenemy
, but they still stand 20th in the division with eight points.
5 October 1985 – Manchester United's 100% start to the season ends after 10 games as they draw 1–1 at Luton Town
, leaving them one game short of the record 11-match winning start set by Tottenham Hotspur
25 years ago.
11 October 1985 – Leeds United (14th in the Second Division) sack manager Eddie Gray and replace him with another former player – Billy Bremner
, from Doncaster Rovers.
16 October 1985 – England beat Turkey
5–0 in their penultimate World Cup qualifier in Istanbul
.
17 October 1985 – Southampton
sign midfielder Glen Cockerill from Sheffield United
for £225,000.
19 October 1985 – England
goalkeeper Peter Shilton
endures one of the most miserable games of his career when he concedes seven goals for Southampton
in their 7–0 First Division defeat at the hands of Luton Town
.
25 October 1985 – Liverpool sign 21-year-old Wrexham goalkeeper Mike Hooper for £40,000.
26 October 1985 – After starting the season with a record 13 successive league wins, Third Division leaders Reading
finally drop points with a 2–2 home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers
. However, they still have a 15-point lead over their nearest rivals Derby County
, and are 16 points ahead of Brentford
, who occupy fourth place – the highest outside the promotion places. Wolves, in contrast, a second from bottom of the table and are in real danger of becoming only the second club in Football League history to suffer three successive relegations. Also in danger of relegation are Swansea City, who finished sixth in the First Division in 1982 and now occupy 21st place in the Third Division – placing them in danger of a third relegation in four seasons.
31 October 1985: Manchester United are still top of the First Division as October ends, with 12 wins and 2 draws from their opening 14 games, and a 10-point lead over their nearest rivals Liverpool. Portsmouth now lead the Second Division with a seven-point advantage over second placed Blackburn Rovers, while Charlton Athletic
have crept into third place – forcing Oldham Athletic out of the top three on goal difference. Wimbledon
, in only their ninth season as a Football League team and their second in this division, are emerging as surprise contenders for promotion.
8 November 1985 – Kevin Whitton, a Chelsea
supporter, is sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of some of the most serious incidents of football hooliganism ever witnessed in England
, including the violent assault
of a police officer
. On the transfer side of football, Everton
sign promising 21-year-old defender Neil Pointon
from Scunthorpe United for £75,000.
9 November 1985 – Everton boost their bid to retain the title and dent Arsenal's own title ambitions by beating them 6–1 at Goodison Park
.
13 November 1985 – England complete their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland
at Wembley.
29 November 1985 – Manchester United
sign Aston Villa defensive midfielder Colin Gibson for £275,000.
30 November 1985 –
20 December 1985 – Swansea City
, struggling in the Third Division just four years after finishing sixth in the First Division, go into receivership with huge debts and appear to be in real danger of closing down and being forced out of the Football League.
30 December 1985 – Liverpool fan James McGill, 21, is sentenced to more than three years in prison in Belgium
for attacking a Juventus fan with an iron bar in the aftermath of the European Cup final seven months ago.
31 December 1985 – Manchester United finish 1985 still top of the league, with their lead increased from two points to four over the last month, with Liverpool still in second place. Norwich City are the Second Division leaders, with Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic completing the top three. Wimbledon, Barnsley and Crystal Palace are giving the top three a serious run for their money.
2 January 1986 – Second Division strugglers Middlesbrough
are reported to be £1million in debt. Peterborough United
fan Barry Fox, 22, is jailed for three years for punching a policeman unconscious in the game against Northampton Town
at London Road
on 12 October.
4 January 1986 – One of Manchester United
's main shareholders, rock star Phil Lynott
, dies in a Salisbury
hospital at the age of 36 after suffering multiple organ failure resulting from alcoholism
and drug abuse
.
9 January 1986 – Luton Town
sign striker Mike Newell
from Wigan Athletic
for £100,000.
11 January 1986 – Frank McAvennie scores his 20th league goal of the season for West Ham in a 1–0 win over Leicester City at Filbert Street
.
13 January 1986 – Oldham Athletic sign 23-year-old defender Andy Linighan
from Leeds United for £55,000.
14 January 1986 – Bankrupt Swansea City are given a 28-day stay of execution. Birmingham are humbled 2–1 by non-league Altrincham
in the F.A Cup 3rd round at home, despite taking a first half lead.
16 January 1986 – Ron Saunders
resigns as manager of struggling First Division side Birmingham City after four years in charge.
17 January 1986 – Millwall supporters are alleged to have attacked Newcastle United supporters in an incident at a motorway service station.
18 January 1986 –
1 February 1986 – Manchester United fall off the top of the First Division for the first time this season and their place is taken by Everton
. Meanwhile, Second Division leaders Norwich City
sell winger Louie Donowa
to Deportivo La Coruna for £400,000.
4 February 1986 – Everton sign striker Warren Aspinall
from Wigan Athletic for £150,000.
9 February 1986 – 22 people, including a 12-year-old boy, are injured at the Liverpool-Manchester United game after hooligans sprayed a noxious
substance at spectators on their way into the stadium.
10 February 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur captain Steve Perryman
is subject of a transfer bid from Oxford United, which wound see him leave White Hart Lane
for the first time in his career which has so far spanned nearly 20 years.
11 February 1986 – Gary Lineker reaches 23 league goals for Everton this season with a hat-trick in their 4–0 home win over Manchester City
.
22 February 1986 – Everton win the Merseyside derby
2–0 at Anfield
, with Gary Lineker scoring his 24th league goal of the season.
26 February 1986 – Bristol Rovers are reportedly interested in ground-sharing with Bath City at Twerton Park
from next season, as they have to leave their dilapidated Eastville
stadium.
28 February 1986 – Everton finish February as league leaders, ending Manchester United's lengthy dominance, while Luton Town are surprisingly putting pressure on the top five and Aston Villa (just four years after winning the European Cup and five years after being league champions) have slipping into the relegation zone. Norwich City, Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic head the Second Division promotion race.
1 March 1986 – Gary Lineker scores his 25th league goal of the season as Everton beat relegation threatened Aston Villa 2–0 at Goodison Park.
3 March 1986 – Garth Crooks
and Mickey Thomas are transfer listed by West Bromwich Albion.
9 March 1986 – Manchester United's double hopes – and their hopes of retaining the FA Cup – are ended with a 2–0 defeat against West Ham United in the fifth round replay at Old Trafford
three weeks after they drew the first game 1–1 at Upton Park
.
12 March 1986 – Manchester United sign striker Peter Davenport from Nottingham Forest
for £750,000. The England U-21 national side defeats Denmark U-21's 1–0 in the European Championship Quarter Final first leg in Copenhagen
, with the only goal of the game coming from Coventry City
midfielder Nick Pickering
.
19 March 1986 – Bradford City announced that they Valley Parade
stadium, which has been closed since the fatal fire 10 months ago, is due to be comprehensively rebuilt and re-opened during next season.
21 March 1986 – Manchester United announce that striker Mark Hughes
is to join FC Barcelona
of Spain
, managed by former QPR and Crystal Palace
boss Terry Venables
, for a fee of £2million at the end of the season.
22 March 1986 – Birmingham City beat rivals Aston Villa 3–0 at Villa Park in a heated relegation crunch game. Wayne Clarke
scores twice.
23 March 1986 – Terry Venables is reported to have been offered the manager's job at Arsenal, sparking current manager Don Howe to offer his resignation to the club's board.
25 March 1986 – Steve Perryman
, 34, ends his 17-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur
and signs for Oxford United on a free transfer.
26 March 1986 – The return leg of the U-21 European Championship Quarter Final sees England reach the next stage by drawing 1–1 with Denmark at Maine Road
, with Aston Villa defender Paul Elliott equalising after the Danes took a 1–0 lead in the first half.
27 March 1986 – Wimbledon, challenging for promotion to the First Division in only their ninth season as a Football League club, pay a club record £125,000 for Millwall striker John Fashanu
, the younger brother of former Norwich City and Nottingham Forest striker John Fashanu
.
28 March 1986 – Don Howe resigns after just over two years as manager of Arsenal, amid speculation that Terry Venables has been offered his job.
29 March 1986 – Two of the surprise title-contenders Chelsea and West Ham meet at Stamford Bridge
. West Ham destroy Chelsea 4–0 to get themselves right back in the title race. This effectively ends Chelsea's hopes as they suffer their second heavy defeat in a matter of days over the Easter period.
Manchester United's title assault is put in further jeopardy, drawing 1–1 with Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Bryan Robson scoring a late equaliser to salvage a point.
31 March 1986 – March ends with Liverpool leading the table on goal difference over an Everton side who have a game in hand, while a Manchester United side which not so long ago looked all set for title glory are now five points off the top in third place. Meanwhile, it is still looking like a relegation treble for the West Midlands as Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion occupy the bottom three places. Norwich City are looking all set for an immediate return to the First Division as runaway leaders of the Second Division, joined in the top three by Portsmouth and Wimbledon. Charlton Athletic are still a very real threat to the top three, while the challenge from the likes of Brighton, Hull City and Crystal Palace is diminishing.
5 April 1986 – Liverpool beat Southampton 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane
to keep their double
hopes alive, and end Southampton's hopes of gaining silverware in the first season under Chris Nicholl's
management. On the same day, Everton keep their own double bid on track with a 2–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday (trophyless for 50 years) in the other semi-final at Villa Park
.
9 April 1986 – England's hopes of European Championship glory at U-21 level are dealt with a huge blow when they lost 2–0 to Italy's U-21 side in Pisa
in the Semi Final First Leg.
12 April 1986 – West Bromwich Albion
and Birmingham City
are relegated from the First Division as the first of possibly four victims of a rapid decline in midlands football which has accelerated in the last five years. Albion were UEFA Cup
participants just four seasons ago, and their manager Ron Saunders
was ironically recruited from Birmingham just three months ago.
14 April 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur agree a £50,000 fee with Millwall
for 18-year-old defender Neil Ruddock
.
20 April 1986 – Oxford United
beat Queens Park Rangers
3–0 in the League Cup Final, to win their first major piece of silverware.
21 April 1986 – West Ham United beat Newcastle United 8–1 in the league at Upton Park
, with defender Alvin Martin
scoring a hat-trick. Each goal was scored past different goalkeepers; his first goal was scored past Martin Thomas
(who came off injured), Chris Hedworth (who also had to withdraw through injury) and finally Peter Beardsley
.
22 April 1986 – Birmingham City received a £250,000 loan from the city council to repay some of their £2million debt.
23 April 1986 – England's U-21 European dream is over as they can only manage a 1–1 draw with Italy's U-21 side at the County Ground
in Swindon
, with Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson
scoring their only goal.
26 April 1986 –
30 April 1986 – April finishes with Liverpool as leaders and with only second placed Everton still in contention for the title. Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, on the other hand, have had their inevitable relegation confirmed during the month. Their close rivals Aston Villa, however, are almost certain of survival after a good run of form, while Ipswich Town, Coventry City, Leicester City and Oxford United are also in the relegation battle. Norwich City's return to the First Division has been confirmed after one season as Second Division champions, while Charlton Athletic only need a draw from their next fixture to confirm promotion back to the top flight after nearly 30 years away. Wimbledon and Portsmouth are the only other teams still contending for promotion. Blackburn Rovers, who had looked set for promotion earlier in the season, now stand 19th and are only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
1 May 1986 – Chelsea agree a fee of £400,000 for Hibernian
striker Gordon Durie
.
3 May 1986 – Liverpool are confirmed champions of the First Division, while the final relegation place will be occupied by either Oxford United or Ipswich Town. On the same day, Charlton Athletic seal promotion from the Second Division with a 3–2 win at relegation-threatened Carlisle United, who could still beat the drop thanks to a recent turnaround in form which saw their survival chances revived after looking almost completely dead.
4 May 1986 – Oxford United, in their first season as a top division club and only their 24th as Football League members, win their final game of the First Division campaign to relegate an Ipswich Town side that were league runners-up four years ago and UEFA Cup winners five years ago.Wimbledon
seal promotion to the First Division just nine years after being elected to the Football League.
5 May 1986 – League runners-up Everton finish the season with a 3–1 home win over third placed West Ham United, with two goals from Gary Lineker meaning that he finished as the First Division's leading scorer on 30 goals – four than the 26 scored by West Ham's Frank McAvennie.
6 May 1986 – Everton manager Howard Kendall
dismisses speculation that striker Gary Lineker
will sign for Barcelona
.
10 May 1986 – Liverpool beat Everton 3–1 in the first-ever all-Merseyside FA Cup final. This success means that Liverpool are only the fifth club in history to win the league championship and FA Cup double, making a dream debut in management for their 35-year-old player-manager Kenny Dalglish
.
13 May 1986 – Peter Shreeves
is sacked after two years as manager of Tottenham Hotspur
.
14 May 1986 – George Graham
, the Millwall
manager who was part of Arsenal's double winning team in 1971, returns to Highbury
as manager.
16 May 1986 – David Pleat
leaves Luton Town
after eight years as manager to take over at Tottenham Hotspur
.
19 May 1986 – Chelsea hooligan Kevin Whitton, jailed for life six months ago for taking part in a violent incident in a London pub, has his prison sentence reduced to three years on appeal.
20 May 1986 – Controversial plans are unveiled for Chelsea's
Stamford Bridge
stadium to be sold and redeveloped for housing, and for the team to ground-share with Fulham
at Craven Cottage
.
21 May 1986 – Middlesbrough, recently relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history, are faced with the threat of losing their Football League status and going out of business completely after going into liquidation.
22 May 1986 – 20-year-old defender Denis Irwin
joins Oldham Athletic on a free transfer from Leeds United.
3 June 1986 – England
lose 1–0 to Portugal
in their opening World Cup game.
5 June 1986 – Coventry City
sign winger David Phillips
from Manchester City
for £150,000.
6 June 1986 – A goalless draw with Morocco
leaves England needing to win their final group game in order to qualify for the Second Round of the World Cup.
9 June 1986 – Martin Keown
, 20-year-old defender, joins Aston Villa from Arsenal for £200,000.
11 June 1986 – Gary Lineker
scores a hat-trick in England's 3–0 victory over Poland
which sends them through to the Second Round of the World Cup.
13 June 1986 – Southampton
sign 19-year-old goalkeeper Tim Flowers
from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £70,000, while 23-year-old midfielder Ian Crook
joins Norwich City from Tottenham Hotspur for £80,000.
18 June 1986 – England beat Paraguay
3–0 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1970.
22 June 1986 – England's World Cup challenge is ended in the quarter-finals when they lose 2–1 to Argentina
. Diego Maradona
scores both goals for Argentina, his first goal being the controversial "Hand of God" goal which was allowed despite being an obvious handball.
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
First Division
The championship crown went to LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to get the big prize. Neighbours Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
came second, having been first for nearly the entire campaign and looked favourites to win a second successive title, however a monumental finish from Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
which saw them win 8 out of their last 9 games, to eventually win the title, while West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
came third and Manchester United finished in fourth place. Atkinson's United side had looked set for title glory after winning their first 10 games of the season, but a slump in form during the second half of the season ruined their title hopes.
Going down from the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
were Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
. Ipswich, who had been league runners-up and UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
winners just a few seasons earlier, had never been the same since the departure of Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
for the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
job in 1982 and had gradually faded away under his successor Bobby Ferguson. Birmingham had only won promotion the year before, but had struggled on their comeback to the First Division and relegation had looked certain throughout the season, though the Blues did accrue 16 points from their first 9 matches. Albion had suffered badly since manager Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
had moved to Manchester United and taken key players Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
and Remi Moses
Remi Moses
Remi Mark Moses is a former English football player whose main position was as a defensive midfielder.In 1981, Moses was transferred from West Bromwich Albion to Manchester United for £500,000...
with him, and their luck finally ran out as they ended the 1985–86 season bottom of the First Division with just four wins from 42 league games. Despite only winning four matches all season, the Albion still managed to do the 'double' over local rivals Birmingham. Very much the highlight of Albion fans' season.
George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
, who had played in Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
's 1970–71
1970-71 in English football
The 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...
Double-winning side, returned to the club as their new manager after Don Howe had resigned. By the time Graham returned to Arsenal, the club had gone 15 years without a league title and seven years without a major trophy. Graham's task was to bring some success to the Gunners who had been increasingly eclipsed by rivals Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
during the 1980s.
The first half of the season was witnessed only in the flesh, as a dispute over the television rights meant no Football League action was seen by TV viewers until January 1986.
Second Division
League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
holders Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
were most people's favourites for an instant return to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, and Ken Brown's men proved the observers correct by gaining promotion. But the two other promotion places went to two of the least fancied sides. Charlton
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, managed by Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
, had narrowly escaped closure three years earlier and just after the start of the 1985–86 had been forced to ground-share with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
because their own stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
was condemned by safety officials. But Lawrence and his players made a huge effort to push for promotion and they succeeded. The third and final promotion place went to Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
's Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, who were only in their ninth season as a league club.
Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, whose fortunes had slumped dramatically since their one-year stay in the top flight during the 1970s, were relegated to the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
having been in the upper half of the league for well over a decade. Harry Gregg
Harry Gregg
Henry "Harry" Gregg, MBE is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and manager.He played 25 times for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper and played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby with a total of 210 appearances.-Playing career:Gregg started his career with...
, the former Manchester United goalkeeper who helped rescue passengers at the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
, was appointed Carlisle's manager at the end of the season. Following them down were Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and financially-troubled Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
.
Third Division
The Third DivisionFootball League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
promotion places in 1985–86 went to Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
– the beginning of the return to the top for the Rams under Arthur Cox.
The relegation places went to Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
and Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
. Just a few seasons earlier, Wolves and Swansea had been enjoying good fortunes in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
– Wolves as League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winners in 1980 and Swansea as sixth-placed in the First Division. But financial problems had caught up with both clubs and pushed them into a downward spiral. Wolves nevertheless would be the last English League winner
English football champions
The English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
to fall into the fourth tier since then.
Fourth Division
Swindon TownSwindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
and Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
occupied the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
promotion places in 1985–86. Credit to Swindon manager Lou Macari
Lou Macari
Luigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...
for beginning the reversal of decline for a club who had been League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winners in 1969. And to Harry McNally
Harry McNally
Harry McNally was a football player, coach and manager, noted for his spells as manager of Wigan Athletic and Chester City.-The Non-League Background:...
for guiding Chester to only the second promotion in their 55-year league career.
In the Fourth Division for the first time were two of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's oldest and most famous clubs – Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. 1985–86 was the last season of re-election before the introduction of automatic relegation from the Fourth Division. Preston finished second from bottom, just above Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, and only avoided losing their league status because the league's other members voted for them in favour of Gola League
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
champions Enfield. Burnley's fortunes were not quite so bad, but a mid-table finish wasn't anywhere near good enough for promotion. Another Fourth Division struggling side, Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, almost went out of business during the season but were saved at the eleventh hour by a new chairman.
FA Cup
LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
beat neighbours Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
3–1 in the final to complete only the third league championship and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
double of the 20th century. Key player in the triumph was striker Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
, who scored twice.
League Cup
Oxford UnitedOxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
marked their First Division debut season with an impressive 3–0 victory over QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
– managed by former Oxford boss Jim Smith
Jim Smith (footballer)
James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...
– in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final.
Star players
- EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
's new signing Gary LinekerGary LinekerGary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
scored 40 competitive goals for his team as they pursued the domestic honours all season long before being beaten to both the league title and FA Cup by neighbours Liverpool. Lineker was voted Player of the Year by both the PFAProfessional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
and FWAFootball Writers' AssociationThe Football Writers' Association is an association of England football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies, founded in 1947....
. - West HamWest Ham United F.C.West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
's club record third-place finish was mainly down to the prolific goalscoring of young striker Tony CotteeTony CotteeAnthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
who was credited with the PFA Young Player of the YearPFA Young Player of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
award for his strong performances. - Liverpool's double glory was achieved thanks to the efforts of their whole playing squad, but the driving force in their triumph was undoubtedly striker Ian RushIan RushIan James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
who had yet another great season. - Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
's ever-improving striker Mark HughesMark HughesLeslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
had another brilliant season but was unable to halt his side's late-season slump, which cost them the league title. - Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
goalkeeper Pat JenningsPat JenningsPatrick Anthony "Pat" Jennings OBE is a Northern Ireland former football player. He played 119 games for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper, a figure which at the time was a world record and is still a Northern Ireland record, in an international career which lasted for over 22 years...
hung up his gloves at the age of 41 to draw the curtain on a 25-year career which had seen him turn out for WatfordWatford F.C.Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, Tottenham and ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. He famously scored for Tottenham against Manchester United with a goal-line clearance in the 1967 Charity Shield. - Teenage midfielder Paul GascoignePaul GascoignePaul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
scored nine goals for Newcastle United in the First Division.
Famous debutants
31 August 1985 – Ian WrightIan Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
, 21-year-old striker, makes his debut for Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in 3–2 defeat by Huddersfield Town at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
in the Second Division soon after joining the club from non-league Greenwich Borough
Greenwich Borough F.C.
Greenwich Borough F.C. is a football club based in Eltham, in the London Borough of Greenwich, England. They were established in 1928 and joined the Kent League in 1984. In the 2007-08 season, they reached the 5th round of the FA Vase losing to Hungerford Town after a replay...
.
28 September 1985 – David Rocastle
David Rocastle
David Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...
, 18-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in 1–1 draw with Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in the First Division at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
.
23 November 1985 – Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Arsenal in goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
.
National team
EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
reached the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
quarter finals where they lost 2–1 to eventual winners Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, whose first goal by Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
was allowed despite being an obvious handball. Maradona later referred to his controversial goal as "The Hand of God".
Transfers
Terry VenablesTerry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
signed two British strikers for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
– Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
from Manchester United and Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
from Everton – in hope of lifting some of the pressure building up on him after Barcelona's European Cup final defeat.
Diary of the season
1 July 1985 – Gordon CowansGordon Cowans
Gordon Sidney Cowans is an English retired football player and coach.Cowans started his career at Aston Villa as an apprentice in 1974, and signed as a professional in 1976...
, long-serving Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
midfielder, leaves the club to join Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for £500,000, along with striker Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout is a retired English professional football player who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a youth coach with Sporting Kansas City, heading their U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams.-Playing career:...
for £400,000, while Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
sign Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
winger Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
for £590,000.
1 August 1985 – Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
sign 24-year-old Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and England striker Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
for a club record fee of £900,000.
2 August 1985 – Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
sign 21-year-old striker Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
from Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
side Greenwich Borough.
4 August 1985 – Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
re-sign winger John Robertson from Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on a free transfer two years after first leaving the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....
.
8 August 1985 – Sheffield Wednesday pay a club record £450,000 for West Bromwich Albion striker Garry Thompson
Garry Thompson (footballer born 1959)
Garry Thompson is a former professional footballer and football manager, who played as a striker. His younger brother, Keith Thompson, was also a professional footballer....
.
11 August 1985 – Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
resigns as Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
manager six days before the start of the First Division campaign, and is replaced by Willie McFaul
Willie McFaul
William Stewart McFaul, known as Willie and Iam, is a former Northern Irish football player and now coach....
.
12 August 1985 – Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
sign striker Garry Thompson
Garry Thompson (footballer born 1959)
Garry Thompson is a former professional footballer and football manager, who played as a striker. His younger brother, Keith Thompson, was also a professional footballer....
from West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
for £450,000.
17 August 1985 – The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
season kicks off with some significant results. Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
begin their First Division life with a 1–1 draw at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, while resurgent sides Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
battle it out for the same scoreline at Hillsborough. However, the season begins on a disappointing note for defending champions Everton, who lose 3–1 at Leicester City. Gary Lineker fails to make the scoresheet for Everton against his old club.
20 August 1985 – Frank McAvennie
Frank McAvennie
Francis "Frank" McAvennie is a former Scottish football striker best known as a player with West Ham United and Celtic, having had two spells with both of these clubs.-Early life:...
scores twice on his West Ham United debut as they beat Queen's Park Rangers 3–1 in the league at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
.
26 August 1985 – Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
scores his first goal for Everton in a 1–0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
27 August 1985: Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
pay £450,000 for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
midfielder Steve Hodge
Steve Hodge
Stephen Brian Hodge is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s.- Playing career :...
.
31 August 1985: The first month of the season ends with Manchester United as leaders after five straight wins. Sheffield Wednesday's renaissance continues as they occupy second place, while Chelsea and Newcastle United occupy the next two highest places under their respective new managers John Hollins
John Hollins
John William Hollins MBE is a retired English footballer and manager. He was initially a midfielder who, later in his career, became an effective centre back.Hollins' son, Chris Hollins is the main sport presenter on BBC Breakfast....
and Willie McFaul. In the Second Division, Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
head the promotion race, joined in the top three by Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
. Pre-season promotion favourites Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
prop up the table with defeats from all of their five opening games, while Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
(another side tipped for promotion this season) occupy 20th place with two draws and three defeats so far. Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
scores a hat-trick in a 4–1 league win over Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
.
10 September 1985 – Jock Stein
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
collapses and dies from a heart attack at the end of the Scotland team's
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
1–1 draw with Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
that secures their place in the World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
qualifying play-off against Australia. Stein, 62, spent all of his playing and management career in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
except for a brief spell as Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
manager in 1978.
11 September 1985 – England's
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
World Cup qualification is confirmed with a 1–1 draw against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
at Wembley.
12 September 1985 – Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
pay Aston Villa £375,000 for winger Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...
.
13 September 1985 – Sheffield Wednesday sign midfielder Mark Chamberlain
Mark Chamberlain
Mark Valentine Chamberlain is an English retired international footballer. He is the younger brother of Neville Chamberlain, and the father of Arsenal and England U21 player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain....
from Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
for £300,000.
28 September 1985 – Charlton Athletic depart from their Valley stadium following a damning inspection report by safety officials, and begin a groundshare with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. It is not yet known whether the groundshare will be a permanent arrangement or just a temporary measure until Charlton Athletic rebuild The Valley or relocate to a new site.
30 September 1985 – September ends with Manchester United still top of the First Division with a 100% record after 10 games. Pre-season favourites Liverpool and Everton are also in contention, as are surprise contenders Chelsea and Newcastle United. In the Second Division, Portsmouth lead the way with 23 points from their opening 10 games, with Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers once again completing the top three. Sunderland have made a significant improvement this month, hinting that there is still time for promotion that most observers had tipped them for following the high profile appointment of manager Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...
, but they still stand 20th in the division with eight points.
5 October 1985 – Manchester United's 100% start to the season ends after 10 games as they draw 1–1 at Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, leaving them one game short of the record 11-match winning start set by Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
25 years ago.
11 October 1985 – Leeds United (14th in the Second Division) sack manager Eddie Gray and replace him with another former player – Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
, from Doncaster Rovers.
16 October 1985 – England beat Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
5–0 in their penultimate World Cup qualifier in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
17 October 1985 – Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
sign midfielder Glen Cockerill from Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
for £225,000.
19 October 1985 – England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
goalkeeper Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
endures one of the most miserable games of his career when he concedes seven goals for Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in their 7–0 First Division defeat at the hands of Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
.
25 October 1985 – Liverpool sign 21-year-old Wrexham goalkeeper Mike Hooper for £40,000.
26 October 1985 – After starting the season with a record 13 successive league wins, Third Division leaders Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
finally drop points with a 2–2 home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. However, they still have a 15-point lead over their nearest rivals Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, and are 16 points ahead of Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, who occupy fourth place – the highest outside the promotion places. Wolves, in contrast, a second from bottom of the table and are in real danger of becoming only the second club in Football League history to suffer three successive relegations. Also in danger of relegation are Swansea City, who finished sixth in the First Division in 1982 and now occupy 21st place in the Third Division – placing them in danger of a third relegation in four seasons.
31 October 1985: Manchester United are still top of the First Division as October ends, with 12 wins and 2 draws from their opening 14 games, and a 10-point lead over their nearest rivals Liverpool. Portsmouth now lead the Second Division with a seven-point advantage over second placed Blackburn Rovers, while Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
have crept into third place – forcing Oldham Athletic out of the top three on goal difference. Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, in only their ninth season as a Football League team and their second in this division, are emerging as surprise contenders for promotion.
8 November 1985 – Kevin Whitton, a Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
supporter, is sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of some of the most serious incidents of football hooliganism ever witnessed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, including the violent assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
of a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. On the transfer side of football, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
sign promising 21-year-old defender Neil Pointon
Neil Pointon
Neil Geoffrey Pointon, born November 28, 1964 in Church Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, is a former professional football player...
from Scunthorpe United for £75,000.
9 November 1985 – Everton boost their bid to retain the title and dent Arsenal's own title ambitions by beating them 6–1 at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
.
13 November 1985 – England complete their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
at Wembley.
29 November 1985 – Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
sign Aston Villa defensive midfielder Colin Gibson for £275,000.
30 November 1985 –
-
- – November ends with Manchester United's lead cut from 10 points to two, with Liverpool still their nearest contenders, while third place is occupied by a West Ham United side which are in the hunt for their first-ever top division title. The Second Division promotion race is wide open, with the top six clubs – Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Norwich City, Wimbledon and Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
– separated by a margin of just four points. Sunderland continue to recover as they now occupy 12th place.- – Gary Lineker scores his 10th league goal of the season in a narrow 3–2 home win for Everton against Southampton.
- – November ends with Manchester United's lead cut from 10 points to two, with Liverpool still their nearest contenders, while third place is occupied by a West Ham United side which are in the hunt for their first-ever top division title. The Second Division promotion race is wide open, with the top six clubs – Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Norwich City, Wimbledon and Crystal Palace
20 December 1985 – Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, struggling in the Third Division just four years after finishing sixth in the First Division, go into receivership with huge debts and appear to be in real danger of closing down and being forced out of the Football League.
30 December 1985 – Liverpool fan James McGill, 21, is sentenced to more than three years in prison in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
for attacking a Juventus fan with an iron bar in the aftermath of the European Cup final seven months ago.
31 December 1985 – Manchester United finish 1985 still top of the league, with their lead increased from two points to four over the last month, with Liverpool still in second place. Norwich City are the Second Division leaders, with Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic completing the top three. Wimbledon, Barnsley and Crystal Palace are giving the top three a serious run for their money.
2 January 1986 – Second Division strugglers Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
are reported to be £1million in debt. Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
fan Barry Fox, 22, is jailed for three years for punching a policeman unconscious in the game against Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
at London Road
London Road
-England:There are countless London Roads in the UK. Only those significant outside their local area are listed here:* London Road, Brighton; for which a railway station is named* London Road, Guildford; for which a railway station is named...
on 12 October.
4 January 1986 – One of Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
's main shareholders, rock star Phil Lynott
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
, dies in a Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
hospital at the age of 36 after suffering multiple organ failure resulting from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
.
9 January 1986 – Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
sign striker Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
from Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
for £100,000.
11 January 1986 – Frank McAvennie scores his 20th league goal of the season for West Ham in a 1–0 win over Leicester City at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
.
13 January 1986 – Oldham Athletic sign 23-year-old defender Andy Linighan
Andy Linighan
Andrew "Andy" Linighan is a former English football player.Linighan was born in Hartlepool into a footballing family – his brothers David and Brian were also professional footballers. He first played for his local side, Hartlepool United, before spells at Leeds United , Oldham Athletic and...
from Leeds United for £55,000.
14 January 1986 – Bankrupt Swansea City are given a 28-day stay of execution. Birmingham are humbled 2–1 by non-league Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
in the F.A Cup 3rd round at home, despite taking a first half lead.
16 January 1986 – Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders is a retired English football player and former successful manager. He remains the only manager to have taken charge of Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, normally bitter rivals....
resigns as manager of struggling First Division side Birmingham City after four years in charge.
17 January 1986 – Millwall supporters are alleged to have attacked Newcastle United supporters in an incident at a motorway service station.
18 January 1986 –
-
- – League action for the month finishes in the First Division as teams concentrate on FA Cup ties. Manchester United are still top, though now by just a two-point margin above Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea, who are bracketed together on 53 points. In the Second Division, Norwich City have built up a five-point lead over second placed Portsmouth, with Wimbledon completing the top three. Charlton Athletic are the closest threat for the promotion race leaders, with BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion F.C.Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
and Hull CityHull City A.F.C.Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
emerging as surprise promotion contenders. Blackburn Rovers, meanwhile, have fallen to 11th place in the table after a dismal run of results.- – Gary Lineker reaches the 20-goal mark in the First Division by scoring twice for Everton in their 2–0 away win over struggling Birmingham City.
- – League action for the month finishes in the First Division as teams concentrate on FA Cup ties. Manchester United are still top, though now by just a two-point margin above Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea, who are bracketed together on 53 points. In the Second Division, Norwich City have built up a five-point lead over second placed Portsmouth, with Wimbledon completing the top three. Charlton Athletic are the closest threat for the promotion race leaders, with Brighton
1 February 1986 – Manchester United fall off the top of the First Division for the first time this season and their place is taken by Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
. Meanwhile, Second Division leaders Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
sell winger Louie Donowa
Louie Donowa
Brian Louie Donowa is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He made nearly 400 appearances for a variety of clubs in the Football League and also played in several other European countries.-Playing career:...
to Deportivo La Coruna for £400,000.
4 February 1986 – Everton sign striker Warren Aspinall
Warren Aspinall
Warren Aspinall is an English former footballer, who played for a number of teams, having the most significant impact at Portsmouth and Carlisle United....
from Wigan Athletic for £150,000.
9 February 1986 – 22 people, including a 12-year-old boy, are injured at the Liverpool-Manchester United game after hooligans sprayed a noxious
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
substance at spectators on their way into the stadium.
10 February 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur captain Steve Perryman
Steve Perryman
Stephen John "Steve" Perryman MBE is a former English international football player and current manager who is best remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s...
is subject of a transfer bid from Oxford United, which wound see him leave White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
for the first time in his career which has so far spanned nearly 20 years.
11 February 1986 – Gary Lineker reaches 23 league goals for Everton this season with a hat-trick in their 4–0 home win over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
22 February 1986 – Everton win the Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
2–0 at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, with Gary Lineker scoring his 24th league goal of the season.
26 February 1986 – Bristol Rovers are reportedly interested in ground-sharing with Bath City at Twerton Park
Twerton Park
Twerton Park is a multi-purpose stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Bath City. From 1986 to 1996 Bristol Rovers played there due to financial problems...
from next season, as they have to leave their dilapidated Eastville
Eastville Stadium
Eastville Stadium, also known as Bristol Stadium and Bristol Stadium – Eastville, was a stadium in Eastville, a northern suburb of the English city of Bristol....
stadium.
28 February 1986 – Everton finish February as league leaders, ending Manchester United's lengthy dominance, while Luton Town are surprisingly putting pressure on the top five and Aston Villa (just four years after winning the European Cup and five years after being league champions) have slipping into the relegation zone. Norwich City, Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic head the Second Division promotion race.
1 March 1986 – Gary Lineker scores his 25th league goal of the season as Everton beat relegation threatened Aston Villa 2–0 at Goodison Park.
3 March 1986 – Garth Crooks
Garth Crooks
Garth Anthony Crooks OBE is a retired English football player of Jamaican ancestry. He played principally for Stoke City and Tottenham, with whom he was a prolific goal scorer and an FA Cup winner at Wembley in 1981...
and Mickey Thomas are transfer listed by West Bromwich Albion.
9 March 1986 – Manchester United's double hopes – and their hopes of retaining the FA Cup – are ended with a 2–0 defeat against West Ham United in the fifth round replay at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
three weeks after they drew the first game 1–1 at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
.
12 March 1986 – Manchester United sign striker Peter Davenport from Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
for £750,000. The England U-21 national side defeats Denmark U-21's 1–0 in the European Championship Quarter Final first leg in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, with the only goal of the game coming from Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
midfielder Nick Pickering
Nick Pickering
Nicholas "Nick" Pickering is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Sunderland, Coventry City, Derby County, Darlington and Burnley...
.
19 March 1986 – Bradford City announced that they Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
stadium, which has been closed since the fatal fire 10 months ago, is due to be comprehensively rebuilt and re-opened during next season.
21 March 1986 – Manchester United announce that striker Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
is to join FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, managed by former QPR and Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
boss Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
, for a fee of £2million at the end of the season.
22 March 1986 – Birmingham City beat rivals Aston Villa 3–0 at Villa Park in a heated relegation crunch game. Wayne Clarke
Wayne Clarke
Wayne Clarke is a former professional football player from England. During his career he made nearly 450 appearances in the Football League, playing as a striker for several different clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Everton and Manchester City. He scored nearly 150 goals...
scores twice.
23 March 1986 – Terry Venables is reported to have been offered the manager's job at Arsenal, sparking current manager Don Howe to offer his resignation to the club's board.
25 March 1986 – Steve Perryman
Steve Perryman
Stephen John "Steve" Perryman MBE is a former English international football player and current manager who is best remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s...
, 34, ends his 17-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and signs for Oxford United on a free transfer.
26 March 1986 – The return leg of the U-21 European Championship Quarter Final sees England reach the next stage by drawing 1–1 with Denmark at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
, with Aston Villa defender Paul Elliott equalising after the Danes took a 1–0 lead in the first half.
27 March 1986 – Wimbledon, challenging for promotion to the First Division in only their ninth season as a Football League club, pay a club record £125,000 for Millwall striker John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
, the younger brother of former Norwich City and Nottingham Forest striker John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
.
28 March 1986 – Don Howe resigns after just over two years as manager of Arsenal, amid speculation that Terry Venables has been offered his job.
29 March 1986 – Two of the surprise title-contenders Chelsea and West Ham meet at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
. West Ham destroy Chelsea 4–0 to get themselves right back in the title race. This effectively ends Chelsea's hopes as they suffer their second heavy defeat in a matter of days over the Easter period.
Manchester United's title assault is put in further jeopardy, drawing 1–1 with Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Bryan Robson scoring a late equaliser to salvage a point.
31 March 1986 – March ends with Liverpool leading the table on goal difference over an Everton side who have a game in hand, while a Manchester United side which not so long ago looked all set for title glory are now five points off the top in third place. Meanwhile, it is still looking like a relegation treble for the West Midlands as Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion occupy the bottom three places. Norwich City are looking all set for an immediate return to the First Division as runaway leaders of the Second Division, joined in the top three by Portsmouth and Wimbledon. Charlton Athletic are still a very real threat to the top three, while the challenge from the likes of Brighton, Hull City and Crystal Palace is diminishing.
5 April 1986 – Liverpool beat Southampton 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
to keep their double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
hopes alive, and end Southampton's hopes of gaining silverware in the first season under Chris Nicholl's
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...
management. On the same day, Everton keep their own double bid on track with a 2–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday (trophyless for 50 years) in the other semi-final at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
.
9 April 1986 – England's hopes of European Championship glory at U-21 level are dealt with a huge blow when they lost 2–0 to Italy's U-21 side in Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
in the Semi Final First Leg.
12 April 1986 – West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
are relegated from the First Division as the first of possibly four victims of a rapid decline in midlands football which has accelerated in the last five years. Albion were UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
participants just four seasons ago, and their manager Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders
Ron Saunders is a retired English football player and former successful manager. He remains the only manager to have taken charge of Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, normally bitter rivals....
was ironically recruited from Birmingham just three months ago.
14 April 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur agree a £50,000 fee with Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
for 18-year-old defender Neil Ruddock
Neil Ruddock
Neil "Razor" Ruddock is a retired English footballer, who played as a central defender.He made his debut at Millwall , and he had a long career playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Liverpool, West Ham, Crystal Palace, and finally a short-lived spell as a player/coach at Swindon Town Neil...
.
20 April 1986 – Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
beat Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
3–0 in the League Cup Final, to win their first major piece of silverware.
21 April 1986 – West Ham United beat Newcastle United 8–1 in the league at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
, with defender Alvin Martin
Alvin Martin
Alvin Edward Martin is a retired English footballer who played as a defender.Playing most of his footballing career for West Ham United he appeared in 598 games for scoring 34 goals...
scoring a hat-trick. Each goal was scored past different goalkeepers; his first goal was scored past Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas is a British Historian.Thomas did both his undergraduate and doctoral studies at Oxford University, completing his D.Phil in 1991. He joined the history department at the University of the West of England, Bristol in 1992 before leaving to take up a post at the History Department of...
(who came off injured), Chris Hedworth (who also had to withdraw through injury) and finally Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
.
22 April 1986 – Birmingham City received a £250,000 loan from the city council to repay some of their £2million debt.
23 April 1986 – England's U-21 European dream is over as they can only manage a 1–1 draw with Italy's U-21 side at the County Ground
County Ground, Swindon
The County Ground is a stadium located near the town centre of Swindon, England. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club and has been for over a century.The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated...
in Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, with Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson
Stewart Robson
Stewart Ian Robson is an English former football player. He now summarises for Arsenal TV and sometimes on TalkSPORT's evening Kick Off Show during the week...
scoring their only goal.
26 April 1986 –
-
- – Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
become the third midlands club to be relegated this season, but become only the second English club ever to suffer three successive relegations after their descent into the Fourth Division is confirmed. The debt-ridden club were one of Europe's top clubs during the 1950s, winning the league three times, and were highly successful as recently as the start of this decade, having won the Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 1980.- – Gary Gillepsie of LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
achieves a rare feat for a defender by scoring a hat-trick in a 5–0 league win over relegated Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
at AnfieldAnfieldAnfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. He scores the first two goals from open play and the third from a penalty kick.
- – Gary Gillepsie of Liverpool
- – Wolverhampton Wanderers
30 April 1986 – April finishes with Liverpool as leaders and with only second placed Everton still in contention for the title. Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, on the other hand, have had their inevitable relegation confirmed during the month. Their close rivals Aston Villa, however, are almost certain of survival after a good run of form, while Ipswich Town, Coventry City, Leicester City and Oxford United are also in the relegation battle. Norwich City's return to the First Division has been confirmed after one season as Second Division champions, while Charlton Athletic only need a draw from their next fixture to confirm promotion back to the top flight after nearly 30 years away. Wimbledon and Portsmouth are the only other teams still contending for promotion. Blackburn Rovers, who had looked set for promotion earlier in the season, now stand 19th and are only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
1 May 1986 – Chelsea agree a fee of £400,000 for Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
striker Gordon Durie
Gordon Durie
Gordon Scott Durie , known as Jukebox after the TV programme 'Jukebox Jury', is a Scottish former professional footballer, a utility player who usually played as a striker.- Playing career :...
.
3 May 1986 – Liverpool are confirmed champions of the First Division, while the final relegation place will be occupied by either Oxford United or Ipswich Town. On the same day, Charlton Athletic seal promotion from the Second Division with a 3–2 win at relegation-threatened Carlisle United, who could still beat the drop thanks to a recent turnaround in form which saw their survival chances revived after looking almost completely dead.
4 May 1986 – Oxford United, in their first season as a top division club and only their 24th as Football League members, win their final game of the First Division campaign to relegate an Ipswich Town side that were league runners-up four years ago and UEFA Cup winners five years ago.Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
seal promotion to the First Division just nine years after being elected to the Football League.
5 May 1986 – League runners-up Everton finish the season with a 3–1 home win over third placed West Ham United, with two goals from Gary Lineker meaning that he finished as the First Division's leading scorer on 30 goals – four than the 26 scored by West Ham's Frank McAvennie.
6 May 1986 – Everton manager Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
dismisses speculation that striker Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
will sign for Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
10 May 1986 – Liverpool beat Everton 3–1 in the first-ever all-Merseyside FA Cup final. This success means that Liverpool are only the fifth club in history to win the league championship and FA Cup double, making a dream debut in management for their 35-year-old player-manager Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
.
13 May 1986 – Peter Shreeves
Peter Shreeves
Peter Shreeves is a Welsh former football player, manager and coach.-Career:Shreeves was born in Neath in South Wales where his mother had been evacuated to during the early stages of World War II, but was brought up in Islington, London. He began his career with non-league Finchley from where he...
is sacked after two years as manager of Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
14 May 1986 – George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
, the Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
manager who was part of Arsenal's double winning team in 1971, returns to Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
as manager.
16 May 1986 – David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
leaves Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
after eight years as manager to take over at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
19 May 1986 – Chelsea hooligan Kevin Whitton, jailed for life six months ago for taking part in a violent incident in a London pub, has his prison sentence reduced to three years on appeal.
20 May 1986 – Controversial plans are unveiled for Chelsea's
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
stadium to be sold and redeveloped for housing, and for the team to ground-share with Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
at Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage is the name of a football stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896....
.
21 May 1986 – Middlesbrough, recently relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history, are faced with the threat of losing their Football League status and going out of business completely after going into liquidation.
22 May 1986 – 20-year-old defender Denis Irwin
Denis Irwin
Denis Joseph Irwin is a former Irish football player who is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in the United team that won a host of domestic and European trophies in his time there between 1990 and...
joins Oldham Athletic on a free transfer from Leeds United.
3 June 1986 – England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
lose 1–0 to Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
in their opening World Cup game.
5 June 1986 – Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
sign winger David Phillips
David Phillips (Welsh footballer)
David Owen Phillips is a former professional and Welsh international footballer who played as a midfielder for Plymouth Argyle, Manchester City, Coventry City, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City and Stevenage Borough.-Plymouth Argyle & Manchester City:Phillips was...
from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
for £150,000.
6 June 1986 – A goalless draw with Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
leaves England needing to win their final group game in order to qualify for the Second Round of the World Cup.
9 June 1986 – Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
, 20-year-old defender, joins Aston Villa from Arsenal for £200,000.
11 June 1986 – Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
scores a hat-trick in England's 3–0 victory over Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
which sends them through to the Second Round of the World Cup.
13 June 1986 – Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
sign 19-year-old goalkeeper Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers
Timothy David "Tim" Flowers is an English former football goalkeeper and the former manager of Conference North team Stafford Rangers.-Club career:...
from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £70,000, while 23-year-old midfielder Ian Crook
Ian Crook
Ian Stuart Crook, is a former professional footballer who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur before making 418 appearances for Norwich City. He was an England B international.-Club career:...
joins Norwich City from Tottenham Hotspur for £80,000.
18 June 1986 – England beat Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
3–0 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1970.
22 June 1986 – England's World Cup challenge is ended in the quarter-finals when they lose 2–1 to Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
scores both goals for Argentina, his first goal being the controversial "Hand of God" goal which was allowed despite being an obvious handball.
Honours
| Competition | |Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|
| First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... (16*) |
Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
| Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
| Third Division Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two... |
Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
| Fourth Division Football League Fourth Division The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season... |
Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
Chester City Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
| FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... (3) |
Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
| League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Oxford United Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The... (1) |
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
| Charity Shield FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition... |
Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
42 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 89 | 37 | +52 | 88 | Excluded from the European Cup 1986–871990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster in 1985, involving Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... fans. |
| 2 | Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
42 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 87 | 41 | 86 | Excluded from the 1986–87 European Cup Winners' Cup |
|
| 3 | West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
42 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 74 | 40 | 84 | Excluded from the UEFA Cup 1986–87 |
|
| 4 | Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 70 | 36 | 76 | Excluded from the UEFA Cup 1986–87 |
|
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 63 | 54 | 73 | Excluded from the UEFA Cup 1986–87 |
|
| 6 | Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 57 | 56 | 71 | ||
| 7 | Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 49 | 47 | 69 | ||
| 8 | Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 69 | 53 | 68 | ||
| 9 | Luton Town Luton Town F.C. Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was... |
42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 61 | 44 | 66 | ||
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 74 | 52 | 65 | ||
| 11 | Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 67 | 72 | −5 | 63 | |
| 12 | Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 69 | 62 | 59 | ||
| 13 | Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 52 | |
| 14 | Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 46 | |
| 15 | Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 45 | |
| 16 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 51 | 67 | −16 | 44 | |
| 17 | Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 48 | 71 | −23 | 43 | |
| 18 | Oxford United Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The... |
42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 62 | 80 | −18 | 42 | Excluded from the UEFA Cup 1986–87 |
| 19 | Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 54 | 76 | −22 | 42 | |
| 20 | Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02.... |
42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 32 | 55 | −23 | 41 | |
| 21 | Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
42 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 30 | 73 | −43 | 29 | |
| 22 | West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
42 | 4 | 12 | 26 | 35 | 89 | −54 | 24 |
| Key |
|---|
| Champions |
| Qualified for the promotion/relegation playoffs |
| Relegated to Division Two |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 84 | 37 | +47 | 84 |
| 2 | Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 45 | 77 | |
| 3 | Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 58 | 37 | 76 | |
| 4 | Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 69 | 41 | 73 | |
| 5 | Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... |
42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 57 | 52 | 66 | |
| 6 | Hull City Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football... |
42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 65 | 55 | 64 | |
| 7 | Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 64 | 63 | 62 | |
| 8 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 62 | 61 | 60 | |
| 9 | Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 64 | 65 | −1 | 59 |
| 10 | Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 57 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... |
42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 64 | 64 | 56 | |
| 12 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 56 |
| 13 | Bradford City | 42 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 54 |
| 14 | Leeds United | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 56 | 72 | −16 | 53 |
| 15 | Grimsby Town Grimsby Town F.C. Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town... |
42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 58 | 62 | −4 | 52 |
| 16 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... |
42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 51 | 67 | −16 | 52 |
| 17 | Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town F.C. Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football... |
42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 52 | 64 | −12 | 51 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 47 | 61 | −14 | 50 |
| 19 | Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... |
42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 53 | 62 | −9 | 49 |
| 20 | Carlisle United Carlisle United F.C. Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.... |
42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 47 | 71 | −24 | 46 |
| 21 | Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... |
42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 45 |
| 22 | Fulham Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season... |
42 | 10 | 6 | 26 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 36 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division One |
| Qualified for the promotion/relegation playoffs |
| Relegated to Division Three |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
46 | 29 | 7 | 10 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 94 |
| 2 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 88 | 53 | 87 | |
| 3 | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 80 | 41 | 84 | |
| 4 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 82 | 48 | 83 | |
| 5 | Gillingham Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium... |
46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 81 | 54 | 79 | |
| 6 | Walsall Walsall F.C. Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second... |
46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 90 | 64 | 75 | |
| 7 | York City York City F.C. York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions... |
46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 77 | 58 | 71 | |
| 8 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 71 | 60 | 71 | |
| 9 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 69 | 60 | 68 | |
| 10 | Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 58 | 61 | −3 | 66 |
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers F.C. Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in... |
46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 64 |
| 12 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 66 | 55 | 63 | |
| 13 | Darlington Darlington F.C. Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003... |
46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 61 | 78 | −17 | 58 |
| 14 | Rotherham United Rotherham United F.C. Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history... |
46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 61 | 59 | 57 | |
| 15 | Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.... |
46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 65 | 72 | −7 | 54 |
| 16 | Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers F.C. Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city.... |
46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 51 | 75 | −24 | 54 |
| 17 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 61 | 64 | −3 | 53 |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... |
46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 54 | 68 | −14 | 53 |
| 19 | Newport County | 46 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 52 | 65 | −13 | 51 |
| 20 | Bury Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the... |
46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 63 | 67 | −4 | 49 |
| 21 | Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 55 | 77 | −22 | 46 |
| 22 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 53 | 83 | −30 | 45 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 57 | 98 | −41 | 43 |
| 24 | Swansea City | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 43 | 87 | −44 | 43 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Two |
| Relegated to Division Four |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Fourth Division
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
46 | 32 | 6 | 8 | 82 | 43 | +39 | 102 | |
| 2 | Chester City Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 83 | 50 | 84 | ||
| 3 | Mansfield Town Mansfield Town F.C. Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910... |
46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 74 | 47 | 81 | ||
| 4 | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 67 | 37 | 79 | ||
| 5 | Orient Leyton Orient F.C. Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63... |
46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 79 | 64 | 72 | ||
| 6 | Colchester United Colchester United F.C. Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910.... |
46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 88 | 63 | 70 | ||
| 7 | Hartlepool United Hartlepool United F.C. Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season... |
46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 68 | 67 | 70 | ||
| 8 | Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 79 | 58 | 64 | ||
| 9 | Southend United Southend United F.C. Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had... |
46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 69 | 67 | 64 | ||
| 10 | Hereford United Hereford United F.C. Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',... |
46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 74 | 73 | 64 | ||
| 11 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 63 | 71 | −8 | 64 | |
| 12 | Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... |
46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 54 | 61 | −7 | 63 | |
| 13 | Wrexham | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 68 | 80 | −12 | 60 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1986–87 First round |
| 14 | Burnley Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888... |
46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 60 | 65 | −5 | 59 | |
| 15 | Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One.... |
46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 59 | |
| 16 | Aldershot Aldershot F.C. Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable... |
46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 66 | 74 | −8 | 58 | |
| 17 | Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 52 | 64 | −12 | 56 | |
| 18 | Rochdale | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 57 | 77 | −20 | 55 | |
| 19 | Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 74 | 73 | 54 | ||
| 20 | Halifax Town | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 60 | 71 | −11 | 54 | |
| 21 | Exeter City Exeter City F.C. Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003... |
46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 47 | 59 | −12 | 54 | |
| 22 | Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 65 | 80 | −15 | 54 | |
| 23 | Preston North End Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One... |
46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 54 | 89 | −35 | 43 | |
| 24 | Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... |
46 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 43 | 88 | −45 | 37 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Three |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points