1986-87 in English football
Encyclopedia
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football
in England.
in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall
before his departure to Athletic Bilbao
. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off competition from runners-up Liverpool
and third-placed Tottenham
. Fourth place went to George Graham's emerging young Arsenal
side who also won the League cup in his first season in charge. Fifth place in the league went to newly promoted Norwich City
, whose manager Ken Brown built a strong squad on a limited budget to achieve a finish which would have been enough to qualify for UEFA Cup
had it not been for the ongoing ban on English clubs in European competitions.
Wimbledon
finished sixth in the First Division in only their tenth season as a Football League club. Dave Bassett
's men had led the league for the first two weeks of September, but sixth place was still much higher than most pundits had tipped them for at the start of the season.
Aston Villa
were relegated to the Second Division just five years after they won the European Cup. Chairman Doug Ellis
had sensed from the start that 1986–87 would be a tough season for the club, so he axed manager Graham Turner
in September and replaced him with Manchester City
's Billy McNeill
. But McNeill was unable to stop the rot and Villa went down in bottom place. McNeill was subsequently sacked and replaced by Watford's Graham Taylor
.
Villa were joined on the way down by Manchester City
and Leicester City
. In the first season of the relegation/promotion playoffs, Charlton Athletic
beat Second Division Leeds United
to retain their top flight status.
Manchester United
, whose blistering start to the previous season had ended in failure, started the 1986–87 season badly and entered November second from bottom in the league. Manager Ron Atkinson
paid for these failings with his job and in came the Aberdeen
manager Alex Ferguson
to replace him. Ferguson rejuvenated United and they climbed up the table to finish in a secure 11th place.
were promoted for a second successive season; 12 seasons after they were last crowned champions of the First Division. Under the management of Arthur Cox
they arrested an alarming slide which had seen them spend their centenary season (1984–85) in the 3rd Division. Runners-up spot went to Portsmouth
, who were also automatically promoted.
The three playoff places were occupied by Oldham Athletic
, Leeds United and Ipswich Town
. Oldham and Ipswich blew their chances in the semi-finals, while Leeds were defeated by Charlton in the final to miss out on promotion – an FA Cup
semi-final defeat had ended their chances of success in the cup competitions.
The relegation/promotion playoffs which operated between the Second and Third Divisions saw Sunderland
go down to the Third Division for the first time in their history after losing to Gillingham
in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Gillingham were subsequently defeated in a play-off final replay that saw Swindon Town
promoted to the second tier. Lawrie McMenemy
was sacked by the Rokerites at the end of March and Bob Stokoe
, manager of the 1973 FA Cup winning team, was brought in as his successor, but was unable to keep Sunderland clear of the drop.
were promoted to the Second Division for the first time in their history thanks to the efforts of hard working manager Harry Redknapp
. Runners-up spot went to Bruce Rioch
's Middlesbrough
, who had begun the season on the verge of extinction and had been forced to play their first home game of the season at Hartlepool
's Victoria Park
because the official receiver had locked them out of Ayresome Park
.
The relegation/promotion playoffs between the Third and Fourth Divisions saw Bolton Wanderers
go down to the bottom division for the first time. Carlisle, Darlington and Newport County
were also relegated.
's runaway champions Northampton Town
, with young midfielder Eddie McGoldrick
being the key player in his side's season of success.
Down at the bottom end of the division, an injury equaliser for Torquay United
kept them in the Football League after a police dog had bitten one of their players
. The introduction of automatic relegation to the Conference saw Lincoln City
lose their league status in favour of Conference champions Scarborough
.
1986–87 saw many famous clubs reach their lowest ebb throughout the league. In the Fourth Division it was Burnley
– league champions 27 years earlier – who plummeted to new depths. They finished third from bottom in the league and only a win on the last day of the season prevented them from going down to the Conference.
and Tottenham Hotspur
contested the 1987 FA Cup
final. Coventry were in the final for the first time, whereas Tottenham had won all seven of their previous appearances. But a 3–2 scoreline surprised all the observers and saw Coventry lift their first-ever major trophy. But the ban on English clubs in Europe prevented them from qualifying for the Cup Winners' Cup. Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence
, 39, retired at the end of a long and distinguished playing career after this match.
return to Arsenal
as manager was a success as he guided the North Londoners to glory in the League Cup
after an eight-year trophy drought. Arsenal embarked on a memorable run in the League Cup
including a famous semi-final tussle with their arch rivals Tottenham
which they eventually won with a 2–1 replay victory at White Hart Lane
. The final itself against Liverpool
was a landmark because it was the first time the Merseysiders had lost a game in which Ian Rush
had scored first. The Welshman gave them a first half lead only for Charlie Nicholas to bag two goals, the first a scrambled effort from a free-kick, and in the second half a low deflected shot past Bruce Grobbelaar after Perry Groves had broken away down the left hand side.
, 17-year-old attacking midfielder, makes his debut for Southampton
in their 4–3 defeat by Norwich City
at Carrow Road
in the First Division.
30 November 1986 – Paul Ince
, 19-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for West Ham United
in their 4–0 defeat by Newcastle United
at St James' Park
in the First Division.
20 December 1986 – Gary Ablett, 21-year-old defender, makes his debut for Liverpool in goalless away draw with Charlton Athletic in the First Division.
14 February 1987 – Michael Thomas, 19-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Arsenal
in their 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday
at Hillsborough
in the First Division.
, Gary Lineker
departs to Barcelona
of Spain in a £2.75 million deal, where he will play alongside former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes
in a side managed by Terry Venables
. Ian Rush
agrees a £3.2 million transfer to Juventus of Italy in a record fee for a British player, but will remain at Liverpool on loan for a season.
2 July 1986 – Rangers F.C.
sign Norwich City
goalkeeper Chris Woods
for £600,000.
3 July 1986 – Coventry City sign striker Keith Houchen
from Scunthorpe United for £60,000.
7 July 1986 – Two big First Division clubs buy young players from smaller clubs as they prepare to build for the future. Everton sign 20-year-old winger Neil Adams
from Stoke City
for £150,000, while Tottenham Hotspur sign 21-year-old defender Mitchell Thomas
from Luton Town for £233,000.
9 July 1986 – An appeal by Wolverhampton Wanderers
against their winding-up order is adjourned for 21 days by the Court of Appeal.
18 July 1986 – Sir Stanley Rous
, chairman of the Football Association from 1934 to 1961, dies aged 91.
25 July 1986 – Ipswich Town
, who were relegated to the Second Division at the end of last season, sell England international
defender Terry Butcher
to Rangers F.C.
(managed by former Liverpool
midfielder Graeme Souness
) in a £700,000 deal – a record for a Scottish club.
29 July 1986 – Middlesbrough
are wound up in the High Court
due to debts in excess of £1million, but have yet to be expelled from the Football League and may yet be included in the first round draw for the Football League Cup
.
30 July 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers win a High Court
appeal against their winding-up order, enabling them to compete in the 1986–87
Fourth Division campaign – the first time they have played at this level. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough
(newly relegated to the Third Division) are also reprieved, but the bailiff
s have locked them out of Ayresome Park
and they are expected to play at least one home game at Hartlepool United's
ground.
31 July 1986 – Liverpool pay £200,000 for Sunderland defender Barry Venison
.
1 August 1986 – Aston Villa sign midfielder Neale Cooper from Aberdeen
for £350,000.
5 August 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers are saved from bankruptcy after Wolverhampton Council and the Asda
supermarket chain agree to pay off the club's £3million debts.
7 August 1986 – David Seaman
, goalkeeper at relegated Birmingham City
, opts to remain in the First Division and signs for Queen's Park Rangers for £225,000.
8 August 1986 – Rival gangs of Manchester United
and West Ham United
hooligans are involved in violence on a Sealink
ferry bound for Amsterdam
, resulting in dozens of arrests, sparking fears that the ban on English football clubs in European competition (arising from the Heysel disaster of May 1985) could be extended to friendlies between English and foreign clubs.
11 August 1986 – Sheffield Wednesday
pay £200,000 for 18-year-old Barnsley
striker David Hirst
.
12 August 1986 – In response to last Friday's disturbances, Sealink announces that it will not transport football supporters on its ferries unless police guards are provided at ports and on ships.
15 August 1986 – Middlesbrough are saved from closure and will soon be returning to Ayresome Park
, from where they have been locked out by the bailiffs since the end of last month.
20 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign Dundee United and Scotland defender Richard Gough
for £700,000.
21 August 1986 – Everton pay a club record £1million to sign the 24-year-old Norwich City
defender Dave Watson
.
22 August 1986 – The Football League confirms that the First Division will decrease to 21 clubs for the 1987–88 season, while the Second Division will simultaneously expand to 23 clubs, and that in 1988–89 the First Division will have 20 clubs and the Second Division will have 24. On the same day, Everton prepare for their title push by paying newly promoted Norwich City
£900,000 for defender Dave Watson
.
27 August 1986 – Luton Town
ban away fans from the club's Kenilworth Road
ground.
31 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur finish August as First Division leaders under new manager David Pleat, while the bottom two places in the league are occupied by Manchester United and Aston Villa who have yet to gain a point this season. Birmingham City
and Hull City
occupy the top two places in the Second Division, while the next three places (which at the end of the season will determine the clubs who compete with a 19th placed First Division team in a playoff series to determine promotion or relegation) are occupied by Oldham Athletic
, Crystal Palace
and Blackburn Rovers
.
2 September 1986 – Wimbledon, in the First Division
for the first time and Football League
members for just 10 seasons, go top of the league with a 1–0 away win over Charlton Athletic
.
4 September 1986 – Watford
sign Everton midfielder Kevin Richardson
for £225,000.
6 September 1986 – Wimbledon win their fourth successive game of their first top flight season when Glyn Hodges
scores a late goal to give them a 1–0 win at Watford
.
9 September 1986 – England U-21's draw 1–1 with Sweden in Oestersund, with Arsenal defender Tony Adams
(20 next month) scoring their only goal.
12 September 1986 – First Division strugglers Aston Villa tell midfielder Steve Hodge
that he can leave the club for £1 million.
13 September 1986 – Bryan Robson
makes his first league appearance since April when he returns from a shoulder injury to help Manchester United record their first league win of the season at the fifth attempt as they beat Southampton 5–1 at Old Trafford
.
14 September 1986 – Aston Villa
sack manager Graham Turner
after just over two years at the helm.
16 September 1986 – Gordon Hill, the 32-year-old former Manchester United and England winger, becomes a high profile new signing for GM Vauxhall Conference
side Northwich Victoria, managed by former United striker Stuart Pearson
.
20 September 1986 – Leeds United
hooligans overturn a fish and chip van at Odsal Stadium
, temporary home of Bradford City.
22 September 1986 – Luton Town are banned from this season's League Cup for refusing to lift the ban on away fans. Meanwhile, Aston Villa appoint Billy McNeill
as manager from Manchester City, who replace him with Jimmy Frizzell
.
27 September 1986 – Aston Villa's first league match under Billy McNeill ends in a 3–3 draw with Liverpool at Anfield
after the hosts came from behind twice to equalise.
28 September 1986 - Manchester United's dismal start to the season continues as they lose 1-0 at home to Chelsea in the league at Old Trafford
- their sixth defeat from their opening eight games. They were rewarded with two penalties in the second half after Kerry Dixon
gave Chelsea an early lead, but both of the penalties were saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Tony Godden
.
30 September 1986 – Nottingham Forest are First Division leaders at the end of September, while Aston Villa still occupy bottom place under new manager Billy McNeill
and Manchester United are second from bottom with just four points so far this campaign, and the future of manager Ron Atkinson
under serious doubt, with rumours circulating for weeks that he is on the verge of being sacked to be replaced by Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson. At the top end of the table, traditional favourites Everton and Liverpool are putting the pressure on Nottingham Forest, along with surprise contenders Norwich City and Coventry City who have yet to win a top division title. In the Second Division, Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth lead the way, followed by Crystal Palace, Leeds United
and Sheffield United
.
3 October 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign Beligan
striker Nico Claesen
from Standard Liège
for £600,000.
6 October 1986 – Luton Town lose an appeal against their expulsion from the League Cup.
10 October 1986 – Chelsea
striker David Speedie
hands in a transfer request, with emerging title contenders Arsenal reported to be interested in signing him to play alongside Charlie Nicholas.
11 October 1986– Newly promoted Norwich City tops the league with a 0–0 away draw with Luton Town
14 October 1986 – Manchester United sign 18-year-old Irish midfielder Liam O'Brien
from Shamrock Rovers for £60,000.
15 October 1986 – England
open their Euro 88 qualifying series with a 3–0 win over Northern Ireland
at Wembley.
16 October 1986 –
21 October 1986 – Out of favour Manchester United defender John Gidman
joins neighbours City on a free transfer.
23 October 1986 – Norwich City sign 22-year-old goalkeeper Bryan Gunn
for £150,000 from Aberdeen
, whose manager Alex Ferguson has been at the centre of speculation linking him with the manager's job at Manchester United where Ron Atkinson
's job is reportedly under threat due to a dismal start to the season which has seen United fall into the relegation zone.
25 October 1986 – Mike Newell
, a former Liverpool trainee, scores a hat-trick in Luton Town's
4–1 league win over the double winners at Kenilworth Road
.
31 October 1986 – October ends with Nottingham Forest still top of the First Division, while Manchester United and Aston Villa have both climbed out of the bottom two. Portsmouth are now leaders of the Second Division, a point ahead of Oldham Athletic. Leeds United, Plymouth Argyle
(newly promoted this season) and Sunderland
occupy the playoff places. Blackburn Rovers, who were among the promotion challengers a few weeks ago, are now second from bottom.
1 November 1986 – Paul Walsh
scores a hat-trick for Liverpool in their 6–2 home league win over Norwich City.
5 November 1986 – Ron Atkinson
is sacked after five years as manager of Manchester United
, who are second from bottom in the First Division and were last night eliminated from the League Cup
with a 4–1 defeat at Southampton
in the Third Round.
6 November 1986 – Manchester United appoint Alex Ferguson
from Aberdeen
as their new manager. Out of favour West Ham United striker Paul Goddard
joins Newcastle United for £450,000.
8 November 1986 – Manchester United lost 2–0 to Oxford United in the league in their first game under the management of Alex Ferguson.
11 November 1986 – England U-21's being their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 1–1 draw with Yugoslavia's U-21's at London Road
, Peterborough
. Their only goal comes from Brighton & Hove Albion striker Terry Connor
on his debut at this level.
12 November 1986 – England beat Yugoslavia
2–0 at Wembley in their second World Cup qualifier.
13 November 1986 – Crystal Palace
sign Leicester City
striker Mark Bright
for £75,000.
20 November 1986 – Wimbledon sign 21-year-old midfielder Vinny Jones from Alliance Premier League side Wealdstone
for £10,000.
21 November 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers continue their rebuilding process and bid for promotion from the Fourth Division by signing midfielder Andy Thompson and striker Steve Bull
from neighbours West Bromwich Albion
for £35,000 each.
26 November 1986 – Jan Molby scores a hat-trick of penalties in Liverpool's 3–1 League Cup quarter-final win over Coventry City at Anfield.
29 November 1986 – Vinnie Jones
scores in one of his first Football League appearances for Wimbledon
in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Plough Lane
.
30 November 1986 – Arsenal finish November as First Division leaders, while fifth placed Luton Town are putting up an unlikely title challenge. Meanwhile, last season's title contenders Chelsea are now third from bottom but chairman Ken Bates
insists that he will not sack manager John Hollins
. Bottom place is occupied by a Newcastle United side who barely a year ago were looking like title contenders. Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth continue to lead the way in the Second Division, with Plymouth Argyle and Leeds United still occupying the playoff zone, joined by Derby County
who have leapfrogged their way into the top five at the expense of a Sunderland side who have dipped to 11th.
3 December 1986 – Former Southampton
and Republic of Ireland
winger Austin Hayes
dies of lung cancer at the age of 28, 3 weeks after the illness was diagnosed. He had recently returned from a short spell playing in Sweden, and since leaving Southampton in 1981 he had also played for Millwall
and more recently Northampton Town
.
7 December 1986 – Rochdale, struggling in the Fourth Division, make an amibitious offer for Ron Atkinson
(sacked by Manchester United last month) to become their new manager, but Atkinson turns the offer down.
14 December 1986 – 18 months after the stadium fire that killed 56 spectators, Bradford City
return to a revamped Valley Parade
.
16 December 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur's England midfielder Glenn Hoddle
expresses his desire to move abroad at the end of this season.
21 December 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sell defender Graham Roberts
to Rangers for £450,000.
22 December 1986 – Graeme Souness
continues to buy English-based players for Rangers by making a £120,000 move for Doncaster Rovers striker Neil Woods
.
23 December 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign midfielder Steve Hodge
from Aston Villa for £650,000.
26 December 1986 – Manchester United beat Liverpool 1–0 at Anfield
. It is United's first away win of the season and Liverpool's first home defeat.
30 December 1986 – Celtic F.C.
are reported to be in the process of signing Norwich City
captain Steve Bruce
, but Norwich manager Ken Brown dismisses the speculation as "rubbish".
31 December 1986 – 1986 draws to a close with Arsenal leading the league by a seven-point margin, and Manchester United beginning to claw away from relegation by occupying 15th place. The race for First Division football next season is headed by Portsmouth, while Derby County have crept up to second, and the playoff places are occupied by Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town
and Plymouth Argyle.
6 January 1987 – Ian Snodin
opts to join Everton for £840,000 from Leeds United – despite being offered better wages by Liverpool. However, Liverpool are still intent on strengthening their squad as they make a £750,000 bid for Oxford United and Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge
.
13 January 1987 – Winger Peter Barnes
becomes the second Manchester United player to transfer to neighbours City within three months when he completes his £30,000 return to the club where he started his career more than a decade ago.
18 January 1987 – Chelsea sign 23-year-old defender Steve Clarke
from St Mirren for £400,000.
19 January 1987 – Portsmouth
striker Micky Quinn
is found guilty on a double charge of driving while disqualified and receives a 21-day prison sentence. Chelsea
sign defender Steve Clarke
from Scottish
side St Mirren for £422,000.
20 January 1987 – The country's biggest anti-hooliganism police operation sees 26 suspected football hooligans arrested in raids in the West Midlands
and Southern England
.
21 January 1987 – Aston Villa manager Billy McNeill expresses his interest in signing former England striker Trevor Francis
from Atlanta of Italy when his contract expires this summer.
23 January 1987 – Liverpool's £250,000 move for West Bromwich Albion defender Derek Statham
falls through after the player fails a fitness test. Kenny Dalglish had been hoping to sign Statham as cover for Jim Beglin
, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg.
27 January 1987 – Liverpool sign Oxford United
striker John Aldridge
, 28, for a fee of £750,000 as player-manager Kenny Dalglish
ends his search for a new striker ready to take over from Ian Rush, who will leave for Juventus at the end of the season.
28 January 1987 – Chelsea striker Kerry Dixon
asks for a transfer.
30 January 1987 – Out-of-favour Arsenal
defender Tommy Caton
leaves the club after three years and signs for Oxford United
in a £100,000 deal.
31 January 1987 – Arsenal remain top of the First Division as January draws to a close, with traditional favourites Everton and Liverpool their nearest contenders, with unexpected contenders Luton Town occupying fourth place. There is bad news for Aston Villa, however, who have slipped back into the relegation zone after a brief revival in December. Portsmouth are still top of the Second Division with Derby County in second place and the playoff places still occupied by Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle. Stoke City
and Millwall
are also starting to emerge as potential promotion challengers.
2 February 1987 – Micky Quinn
is released from prison after serving 14 days of his 21-day sentence for motoring offences.
5 February 1987 – Winger Nigel Callaghan
sacrifices the chance of FA Cup
glory with Watford for Second Division promotion with Derby County in a £140,000 move to the Baseball Ground
.
6 February 1987 – UEFA
confirms that the ban on English clubs in European competition (which arose from the Heysel disaster nearly two years ago) will continue for at least another season.
11 February 1987 – Chelsea reject an offer from Nottingham Forest for striker David Speedie in exchange for winger Franz Carr
.
14 February 1987 – In a thrilling game between one side challenging for the title and the other battling to avoid relegation, Liverpool beat Leicester City 4–3 at Anfield
and Ian Rush scores a hat-trick.
18 February 1987 – England U-21's win 2–1 over Spain in a friendly in Burgos
, with goals from 19-year-old Arsenal midfielder David Rocastle
and 21-year-old West Ham United striker Tony Cottee
.
19 February 1987 – Billy McNeill boosts Aston Villa's battle against relegation by paying Everton £300,000 for striker Warren Aspinall
.
21 February 1987 – Wigan Athletic, currently in the Third Division and only in their ninth season as Football League members, reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history by beating Hull City 3–0 in the fifth round at Springfield Park
.
22 February 1987 – Title-chasing Everton are knocked out of the FA Cup
in the Fifth Round when they lost 3–1 to Wimbledon in what is the latest of a string of giant-killing victories by the south-west Londoners who are playing their first top division campaign and only their tenth in the Football League.
24 February 1987 – Liverpool sign midfielder Nigel Spackman
from Chelsea for £400,000.
27 February 1987 – Details are announced of a proposed merger between Crystal Palace
and Wimbledon.
28 February 1987 – Everton finish February as First Division leaders, but only lead on goal difference over second-placed Liverpool, and are facing a more distant challenge from five other teams including unfashionable Luton Town and Norwich City. Portsmouth, Derby County, Oldham Athletic, Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town continue to lead the way in the Second Division.
1 March 1987 – Plans for a merger between Fulham
and QPR are scrapped. Former Arsenal winger Liam Brady
returns to England in a £150,000 move to West Ham United
from Ascoli
of Italy.
3 March 1987 – England winger John Barnes
is put on the transfer list by Watford, but manager Graham Taylor advises him against moving to a club abroad. Liverpool are reported to be interested in the 23-year-old, who has spent his entire career at Vicarage Road
.
6 March 1987 – Everton sign striker Wayne Clarke
from Birmingham City for £300,000.
9 March 1987 – Alex Ferguson
announces that he is interested in bringing striker Mark Hughes
back to Old Trafford
, nine months after he signed for FC Barcelona
, but hopes of an imminent transfer are faced with doubt due to the fact that Hughes will be liable for taxation on any earnings from his time in Spain if he returns to England before April 1988.
11 March 1987 – Blackburn Rovers
prepare for a promotion challenge next season after this current disappointing campaign by paying Dundee
£30,000 for defender Colin Hendry
.
12 March 1987 – Oxford United
pay a club record £600,000 for Brighton & Hove Albion striker Dean Saunders
in a bid to avoid relegation after a recent run of bad form in the league.
14 March 1987 – Coventry City
progress to the FA Cup
semi-finals for the first time in their history thanks to a 3–1 away win over Sheffield Wednesday
in the quarter-finals. On the same day, Arsenal's hopes of a unique domestic treble are ended with a shock 3–1 defeat at home to Watford in one of the other quarter-finals.
15 March 1987 – Tottenham Hotspur move closer to a record eighth FA Cup triumph as they eliminate Wimbledon 2–0 at Plough Lane
. Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic's dreams are ended with a 2–0 home defeat by Leeds United.
17 March 1987 – Crystal Palace
, chasing promotion in the Second Division, sign midfielder Alan Pardew
for £7,000 from GM Vauxhall Conference
side Yeovil Town
.
19 March 1987 – One of the league's most promising young players, 22-year-old Paul Stewart, leaves Third Division strugglers Blackpool
and signs for Manchester City
in a £200,000 deal, as manager Jimmy Frizzell
makes one last attempt at saving City from suffering relegation to the Second Division for the second time in five seasons.
26 March 1987 – Arsenal
pay Leicester City
£850,000 for 24-year-old striker Alan Smith, and then loan him back to Leicester until the end of the season.
28 March 1987 – Liverpool's title bid is hit with a shock 2–1 home defeat against Wimbledon.
30 March 1987 – Southampton manager Chris Nicholl
says that he will be ready to listen to offers for 23-year-old defender Mark Wright
at the end of the season, with clubs reported to be willing to offer up to £1million for his services.
31 March 1987 – Liverpool finish March as First Division leaders, but only by a three-point margin over an Everton side with two games in hand. Luton Town are continued to defy the odds by occupying third place. Portsmouth and Derby County continue to dominate the Second Division in the two automatic promotion places, while Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle remain in the playoff zone.
1 April 1987 – England keep up their 100% record in the Euro 88 qualifiers with a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park
in their third qualifying game.
2 April 1987 – Former Aston Villa
and Wales
midfielder Trevor Hockey
dies of a heart attack at the age of 43 after collapsing during a charity football match in West Yorkshire
.
9 April 1987 – Fourth Division side Halifax Town
become the first Football League members to be run by their local council as part of a rescue package to save the club from bankruptcy.
12 April 1987 – Tottenham Hotspur (who have won all of their seven FA Cup finals so far) book their eighth FA Cup final appearance with a 4–1 triumph over Watford at Villa Park
in the semi-final. Coventry City reach their first-ever FA Cup final by defeating Leeds United 3–2 in extra-time in the other semi-final at Hillsborough
.
16 April 1987 – Lawrie McMenemy
, currently the highest-paid manager in the Football League, resigns as manager of Second Division strugglers Sunderland
and is succeeded by Bob Stokoe
, who was manager at Sunderland when they won the FA Cup
in 1973.
17 April 1987 – AC Milan announce that they are willing to sell England internationals Ray Wilkins
and Mark Hateley
.
28 April 1987 – England U-21's suffer a major blow in their European Championship qualification hopes when they draw 0–0 with Turkey in Izmir.
29 April 1987 – England's 100% record in the Euro 88 qualifiers ends in the fourth game when they can only manage a goalless draw with Turkey
in Izmir
.
30 April 1987 – Scarborough
seal the GM Vauxhall Conference title to become the first team to win automatic promotion to the Football League following last summer's abolition of the re-election system. At the other end of the spectrum, the month ends with Everton back on top of the First Division with a three-point lead over second-placed Liverpool and a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur are now the only other team in contention for the title, and as FA Cup finalists could be just 16 days away from becoming the first English team to repeat the double
. Derby County have overhauled Portsmouth at the top of the Second Division, while Oldham Athletic are the only other team still able to achieve automatic promotion. Plymouth Argyle remain in the promotion zone as well, while Leeds United have muscled in at the expense of Ipswich Town. Sunderland, who were in strong contention for promotion as late as November, are now hovering in 19th place – the lowest position before the relegation playoff place.
3 May 1987 – Everton
are confirmed champions of the First Division.
4 May 1987 – Aston Villa are relegated from the First Division just six years after being champions of it, and five years after winning the European Cup. The remaining two automatic relegation places, as well as the relegation playoff place, are now been fought over by Oxford United, Charlton Athletic, Leicester City and Manchester City.
9 May 1987 – Ian Rush completes his Liverpool career before signing for Juventus by scoring their first goal in a 3–3 final day draw at Chelsea
, bringing his goals tally for this season to 30 in the league and 40 in all competitions.
10 May 1987 – The First Division campaign ends with Everton as champions, with the remaining top-five places going to Liverpool
, Tottenham Hotspur
, Arsenal
and Norwich City
respectively, but none of these teams will be competing in Europe next season as a majority vote by UEFA
has resulted in the ban on English teams continuing for at least another season. Meanwhile, Leicester City and Manchester City join Aston Villa in the First Division relegation zone.
12 May 1987 – West Ham United reject a transfer request from striker Tony Cottee
.
13 May 1987 – Manchester United put goalkeeper Chris Turner
and defender Graeme Hogg
on the transfer list.
16 May 1987 – Coventry City
win the first major trophy of their history with a 3–2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur
in the FA Cup final. Their opponents, managed by David Pleat
, had been unbeaten in all of their previous seven appearances in the final. A thrilling game had seen Clive Allen put Tottenham Hotpsur ahead in the second minute with his 49th goal of the season, only for Coventry City's Dave Bennett
to equalise in the ninth minute. Gary Mabbutt
restored Tottenham's lead after 40 minutes, but Keith Houchen
's 64th minute equaliser for Coventry City forced extra time. The winning goal came in the 96th minute, when Gary Mabbutt scored an own goal.
17 May 1987 – Sunderland are relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history after being defeated on away goals in the Second Division relegation/Third Division promotion playoff semi-final by Gillingham
, who will take on Swindon Town
later this month to battle for a Second Division place.
18 May 1987 – Graham Taylor resigns after 11 years as Watford
manager to succeed Billy McNeill
at relegated Aston Villa
. During his time at Watford, Taylor took the club from the Fourth Division to the First, finishing league runners-up in their first top flight season and reaching the FA Cup final
in their second. Meanwhile, Southampton give a free transfer to their longest serving player Nick Holmes, the last remaining player from their 1976 FA Cup winning side.
19 May 1987 – Mel Machin
is named as the new manager of relegated Manchester City, with his predecessor Jimmy Frizzell remaining at the club as his assistant. Meanwhile, Aston Villa begin rebuilding following relegation with the sale of defender Tony Dorigo
to Chelsea for £450,000.
22 May 1987 – Peter Beardsley
, who made one appearance for Manchester United during a brief spell at the club in the 1982–83 season
, is reportedly set to return to Old Trafford in a national record £3million move from Newcastle United.
26 May 1987 – Arsenal sign Wimbledon full back Nigel Winterburn
for £405,000.
3 June 1987 – Sheffield Wednesday
sign midfielder Steve McCall
from Ipswich Town
for £300,000.
7 June 1987 – England's U-21's commence the Toulon Tournament
with a first round 2–0 win over Morocco, with goals from Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne
and Manchester City's Paul Simpson
.
9 June 1987 – Orient revert to their original title of Leyton Orient
, while England U-21's draw 0–0 with the USSR in their second Toulon Tournament group game.
10 June 1987 – Liverpool sign John Barnes from Watford for £800,000.
11 June 1987 – England U-21's reach the next stage of the Toulon Tournament despite losing 2–0 to France.
13 June 1987 – England U-21's progress from the second stage of the Toulon Tournament by being Turkey on penalties after a goalless draw.
15 June 1987 – Despite guiding Luton Town to their best ever finish of seventh in the First Division in his only season as manager, John Moore resigns to be succeeded by his assistant, the former Fulham
manager Ray Harford
.
18 June 1987 – QPR sign defender Paul Parker from Fulham
for £300,000.
21 June 1987 – Glenn Hoddle
leaves Tottenham Hotspur in a £750,000 move to AS Monaco.
24 June 1987 – England goalkeeper Peter Shilton
leaves Southampton for newly promoted Derby County in a deal reported to be worth up to £1million – the highest fee for a goalkeeper in British football.
25 June 1987 – After a disappointing season, Chelsea boost their attack with a £335,000 move for Ipswich Town
and Northern Ireland
striker Kevin Wilson.
30 June 1987 – Liverpool break the British transfer fee record by paying £1.9 million for Newcastle United
and England striker Peter Beardsley
.
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.
First Division
The First Division championship went to 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...
in their final season under the management of 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....
before his departure to Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off competition from runners-up 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...
and third-placed Tottenham
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....
. Fourth place went to George Graham's emerging young 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...
side who also won the League cup in his first season in charge. Fifth place in the league went to newly promoted 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...
, whose manager Ken Brown built a strong squad on a limited budget to achieve a finish which would have been enough to qualify for 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...
had it not been for the ongoing ban on English clubs in European competitions.
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...
finished sixth in the First Division in only their tenth season as a Football League club. Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
's men had led the league for the first two weeks of September, but sixth place was still much higher than most pundits had tipped them for at the start of the season.
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...
were relegated to the Second Division just five years after they won the European Cup. Chairman Doug Ellis
Doug Ellis
Herbert Douglas Ellis, OBE , is an entrepreneur, best known as the former chairman of Aston Villa Football Club.-Early life:...
had sensed from the start that 1986–87 would be a tough season for the club, so he axed manager Graham Turner
Graham Turner
Graham John Turner is an English former footballer who became a manager. He is currently manager of League Two club Shrewsbury Town. His son Mark was also a professional footballer....
in September and replaced him with 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...
's Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
. But McNeill was unable to stop the rot and Villa went down in bottom place. McNeill was subsequently sacked and replaced by Watford's Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
.
Villa were joined on the way down by 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...
and 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...
. In the first season of the relegation/promotion playoffs, 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,...
beat Second Division 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...
to retain their top flight status.
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...
, whose blistering start to the previous season had ended in failure, started the 1986–87 season badly and entered November second from bottom in the league. 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...
paid for these failings with his job and in came the Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
to replace him. Ferguson rejuvenated United and they climbed up the table to finish in a secure 11th place.
Second Division
Just two clubs were promoted from the Second Division this season. Champions Derby CountyDerby 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...
were promoted for a second successive season; 12 seasons after they were last crowned champions of the First Division. Under the management of Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox , is a British actor of television and film.His most regular role was as George, the driver of Jim Hacker in the comedy Yes Minister. His other television credits include The Avengers, Terry and June, and Harbour Lights...
they arrested an alarming slide which had seen them spend their centenary season (1984–85) in the 3rd Division. Runners-up spot went to 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...
, who were also automatically promoted.
The three playoff places were occupied by 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...
, Leeds United and 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....
. Oldham and Ipswich blew their chances in the semi-finals, while Leeds were defeated by Charlton in the final to miss out on promotion – an 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...
semi-final defeat had ended their chances of success in the cup competitions.
The relegation/promotion playoffs which operated between the Second and Third Divisions saw 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...
go down to the Third Division for the first time in their history after losing to 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...
in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Gillingham were subsequently defeated in a play-off final replay that saw 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...
promoted to the second tier. Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...
was sacked by the Rokerites at the end of March and Bob Stokoe
Bob Stokoe
Robert "Bob" Stokoe was an English footballer and manager who was able, almost uniquely, to transcend the traditional north-east rivalry between the region's footballing giants, Newcastle United and Sunderland....
, manager of the 1973 FA Cup winning team, was brought in as his successor, but was unable to keep Sunderland clear of the drop.
Third Division
The three promotion places in this division were gained by three clubs who were among the least fancied promotion contenders at the start of the season. Champions BournemouthA.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....
were promoted to the Second Division for the first time in their history thanks to the efforts of hard working manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
. Runners-up spot went to Bruce Rioch
Bruce Rioch
Bruce David Rioch is an English-born football manager and former player. He was manager of Aalborg BK in the Danish Superliga, until his sacking on 23 October 2008....
's 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...
, who had begun the season on the verge of extinction and had been forced to play their first home game of the season at Hartlepool
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...
's Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Hartlepool
Victoria Park is a 7,856 capacity football ground in Hartlepool, County Durham, England and it is the home of Hartlepool United.The four sides of the ground are known as the Town End Terrace , the Niramax Stand , the Cyril Knowles Stand and the Rink End Victoria Park is a 7,856 capacity football...
because the official receiver had locked them out of Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
.
The relegation/promotion playoffs between the Third and Fourth Divisions saw 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....
go down to the bottom division for the first time. Carlisle, Darlington and Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
were also relegated.
Fourth Division
The stars of the Fourth Division during 1986–87 were Graham CarrGraham Carr
William Graham Carr is an English former professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently Head Scout at Newcastle United.-Club career:...
's runaway champions 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...
, with young midfielder Eddie McGoldrick
Eddie McGoldrick
Edward John Paul "Eddie" McGoldrick is a former Irish footballer whose clubs included most notably Northampton Town, Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Manchester City...
being the key player in his side's season of success.
Down at the bottom end of the division, an injury equaliser for 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...
kept them in the Football League after a police dog had bitten one of their players
Jim McNichol
Jim McNichol is a Scottish former footballer who is most noted for his career at Torquay United and Exeter City.-Playing career:An apprentice at Ipswich Town McNichol joined Luton Town in July 1976. He later played for Brentford, before moving on to Exeter City. In July 1986 he joined Torquay United...
. The introduction of automatic relegation to the Conference saw 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....
lose their league status in favour of Conference champions Scarborough
Scarborough F.C.
Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
.
1986–87 saw many famous clubs reach their lowest ebb throughout the league. In the Fourth Division it was 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...
– league champions 27 years earlier – who plummeted to new depths. They finished third from bottom in the league and only a win on the last day of the season prevented them from going down to the Conference.
FA Cup
Coventry CityCoventry 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...
and 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....
contested the 1987 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...
final. Coventry were in the final for the first time, whereas Tottenham had won all seven of their previous appearances. But a 3–2 scoreline surprised all the observers and saw Coventry lift their first-ever major trophy. But the ban on English clubs in Europe prevented them from qualifying for the Cup Winners' Cup. Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
, 39, retired at the end of a long and distinguished playing career after this match.
League Cup
George Graham'sGeorge 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:...
return to 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...
as manager was a success as he guided the North Londoners to glory 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...
after an eight-year trophy drought. Arsenal embarked on a memorable run 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...
including a famous semi-final tussle with their arch rivals Tottenham
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....
which they eventually won with a 2–1 replay victory 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....
. The final itself against 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...
was a landmark because it was the first time the Merseysiders had lost a game in which 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...
had scored first. The Welshman gave them a first half lead only for Charlie Nicholas to bag two goals, the first a scrambled effort from a free-kick, and in the second half a low deflected shot past Bruce Grobbelaar after Perry Groves had broken away down the left hand side.
Star Players
- TottenhamTottenham 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....
striker Clive AllenClive AllenClive Darren Allen is a retired English footballer, a prolific scorer for a number of clubs.Allen is the son of ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Les Allen, who was a member of the legendary team which won the First Division title and FA Cup "double" in 1961...
, who scored 49 goals in all competitions, was voted Player of the Year by both the PFA and FWA – although his prolific goalscoring was not enough to win any trophies for Spurs who had been in the hunt for all three domestic prizes throughout the season. - 20-year-old Arsenal defender Tony AdamsTony Adams (footballer)Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA for contributing to his side's good progress in the league as well as their League Cup triumph. - Mick Quinn scored 24 league goals to help Portsmouth win promotion to the First Division, despite missing three games in February while he served a prison sentence for disqualified driving.
- 21-year-old Nigel CloughNigel CloughNigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
was Nottingham Forest'sNottingham 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...
joint top league goalscorer with 14 First Division goals. - Winger Martin HayesMartin Hayes (footballer)Martin Hayes is an English former footballer.-Career:Born in Walthamstow, London, Hayes played youth football for Essex schoolboys before joining Arsenal as an apprentice in June 1982...
, 22, was Arsenal's top scorer with 26 goals in all competitions.
Star managers
- Howard KendallHoward KendallHoward 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....
was voted Manager of the Year for guiding 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...
to their second league title in three seasons, but he faced stiff competitions from other managers who enjoyed success during the 1986–87 season. - In the First Division, Ken Brown guided NorwichNorwich 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...
to a top-five finish just one year after winning promotion back to the top flight. Dave BassettDave BassettDavid Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
helped WimbledonWimbledon 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...
achieve a strong sixth-place finish in their first season as a top division club – and only their tenth in the Football League. George GrahamGeorge 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:...
ended 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...
's eight-year trophy drought by bringing them silverware in the shape of the 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...
. And Coventry's John SillettJohn SillettJohn Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
brought his unfancied club their first-ever major trophy by guiding them to victory over favourites TottenhamTottenham 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....
in the FA Cup final. - In the Second Division, Arthur CoxArthur CoxArthur Cox , is a British actor of television and film.His most regular role was as George, the driver of Jim Hacker in the comedy Yes Minister. His other television credits include The Avengers, Terry and June, and Harbour Lights...
helped Derby CountyDerby 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...
win the Second Division championship one year after they had won promotion from the Third Division. PortsmouthPortsmouth 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...
's Alan BallAlan Ball (footballer)Alan James Ball, Jr., MBE was a professional English footballer and football club manager.He was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and played for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years...
guided his side to runners-up spot and helped them win promotion after a long absence from the top flight. Joe RoyleJoe RoyleJoseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
continued to take OldhamOldham 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...
from strength to strength in the Second Division and they only just missed out on promotion. - In the Third Division, Harry RedknappHarry RedknappHenry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
guided BournemouthA.F.C. BournemouthA.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....
to championship glory and brought them Second Division football for the first time. Bruce RiochBruce RiochBruce David Rioch is an English-born football manager and former player. He was manager of Aalborg BK in the Danish Superliga, until his sacking on 23 October 2008....
rescued MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough 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...
from financial oblivion to secure the second promotion place to the Second Division. Lou MacariLou MacariLuigi "Lou" Macari is a Scottish former footballer and football manager of Italian descent.-Playing career:...
secured Swindon's second successive promotion, this time as playoff winners in the Third Division. - In the Fourth Division, Graham CarrGraham CarrWilliam Graham Carr is an English former professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently Head Scout at Newcastle United.-Club career:...
built a strong NorthamptonNorthampton 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...
side which ran away with the championship and gave hope for the future at a club who some years earlier had completed a quick slump from the First Division to the Fourth. - Neil WarnockNeil WarnockNeil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
became the first manager to take a Conference side into the Football League after ScarboroughScarborough F.C.Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
won the Conference title and became the first club to gain automatic promotion to the league.
Famous debutants
30 August 1986 – Matthew Le TissierMatthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
, 17-year-old attacking midfielder, makes his debut 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 4–3 defeat by 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...
at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
in the First Division.
30 November 1986 – Paul Ince
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...
, 19-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for 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...
in their 4–0 defeat by 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...
at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
in the First Division.
20 December 1986 – Gary Ablett, 21-year-old defender, makes his debut for Liverpool in goalless away draw with Charlton Athletic in the First Division.
14 February 1987 – Michael Thomas, 19-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 their 1–1 draw with 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...
at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
in the First Division.
Fourth Division
- Richard Hill (Northampton Town) – 28 goals
Diary of the season
1 July 1986 – After one season at 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...
, 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...
departs to 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 in a £2.75 million deal, where he will play alongside former Manchester United 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....
in a side managed by 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...
. 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...
agrees a £3.2 million transfer to Juventus of Italy in a record fee for a British player, but will remain at Liverpool on loan for a season.
2 July 1986 – Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
sign 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...
goalkeeper Chris Woods
Chris Woods
Christopher 'Chris' Charles Eric Woods is a former England international football goalkeeper, who played in the Football League and Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Southampton and Burnley, in the Scottish Football League for Rangers, and in Major...
for £600,000.
3 July 1986 – Coventry City sign striker Keith Houchen
Keith Houchen
Keith Morton Houchen is an English former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games....
from Scunthorpe United for £60,000.
7 July 1986 – Two big First Division clubs buy young players from smaller clubs as they prepare to build for the future. Everton sign 20-year-old winger Neil Adams
Neil Adams (footballer)
Neil James Adams is a former professional footballer and current Academy football coach for Norwich City.-Career:...
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 £150,000, while Tottenham Hotspur sign 21-year-old defender Mitchell Thomas
Mitchell Thomas
Mitchell Thomas is a retired English football defender. Whilst at Tottenham Hotspur he started in the 1987 FA Cup Final.-Playing career:...
from Luton Town for £233,000.
9 July 1986 – An appeal by 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...
against their winding-up order is adjourned for 21 days by the Court of Appeal.
18 July 1986 – Sir Stanley Rous
Stanley Rous
Sir Stanley Ford Rous, CBE was the 6th President of FIFA, serving from 1961 to 1974. He also served as secretary of the Football Association from 1934 to 1962 and was an international referee.-Early Life:...
, chairman of the Football Association from 1934 to 1961, dies aged 91.
25 July 1986 – 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....
, who were relegated to the Second Division at the end of last season, sell England international
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...
defender Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
to Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
(managed by former 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...
midfielder Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
) in a £700,000 deal – a record for a Scottish club.
29 July 1986 – 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 wound up in the High Court
High Court
The term High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. In some countries, it is the highest court . In others, it is positioned lower in the hierarchy of courts The term High Court usually refers to the superior court (or supreme court) of a country or state. In some...
due to debts in excess of £1million, but have yet to be expelled from the Football League and may yet be included in the first round draw for the 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...
.
30 July 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers win a High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
appeal against their winding-up order, enabling them to compete in the 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
Fourth Division campaign – the first time they have played at this level. Meanwhile, 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...
(newly relegated to the Third Division) are also reprieved, but the bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s have locked them out of Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
and they are expected to play at least one home game at Hartlepool United's
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...
ground.
31 July 1986 – Liverpool pay £200,000 for Sunderland defender Barry Venison
Barry Venison
Barry Venison is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a successful playing career from 1981 to 1997. He later worked as an television pundit.-Sunderland:...
.
1 August 1986 – Aston Villa sign midfielder Neale Cooper from Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
for £350,000.
5 August 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers are saved from bankruptcy after Wolverhampton Council and the Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
supermarket chain agree to pay off the club's £3million debts.
7 August 1986 – David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
, goalkeeper at relegated 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...
, opts to remain in the First Division and signs for Queen's Park Rangers for £225,000.
8 August 1986 – Rival gangs 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...
and 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...
hooligans are involved in violence on a Sealink
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland....
ferry bound for Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, resulting in dozens of arrests, sparking fears that the ban on English football clubs in European competition (arising from the Heysel disaster of May 1985) could be extended to friendlies between English and foreign clubs.
11 August 1986 – 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...
pay £200,000 for 18-year-old 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...
striker David Hirst
David Hirst (footballer)
David Eric Hirst is an English former professional footballer, an exciting but injury prone striker who played for Sheffield Wednesday for much of his career.-Playing career:...
.
12 August 1986 – In response to last Friday's disturbances, Sealink announces that it will not transport football supporters on its ferries unless police guards are provided at ports and on ships.
15 August 1986 – Middlesbrough are saved from closure and will soon be returning to Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
, from where they have been locked out by the bailiffs since the end of last month.
20 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign Dundee United and Scotland defender Richard Gough
Richard Gough
Charles Richard Gough is a former Scottish football central defender who enjoyed great success as captain of Rangers. He also played for Scotland 61 times and had a brief spell as manager of Livingston...
for £700,000.
21 August 1986 – Everton pay a club record £1million to sign the 24-year-old 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...
defender Dave Watson
Dave Watson
David "Dave" Watson is an English former professional footballer who made 12 appearances for the English national team. He is now the youth team coach at Newcastle United.-Playing career:...
.
22 August 1986 – The Football League confirms that the First Division will decrease to 21 clubs for the 1987–88 season, while the Second Division will simultaneously expand to 23 clubs, and that in 1988–89 the First Division will have 20 clubs and the Second Division will have 24. On the same day, Everton prepare for their title push by paying newly promoted 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...
£900,000 for defender Dave Watson
Dave Watson
David "Dave" Watson is an English former professional footballer who made 12 appearances for the English national team. He is now the youth team coach at Newcastle United.-Playing career:...
.
27 August 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...
ban away fans from the club's Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
ground.
31 August 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur finish August as First Division leaders under new manager David Pleat, while the bottom two places in the league are occupied by Manchester United and Aston Villa who have yet to gain a point this season. 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 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...
occupy the top two places in the Second Division, while the next three places (which at the end of the season will determine the clubs who compete with a 19th placed First Division team in a playoff series to determine promotion or relegation) are occupied by 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...
, 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...
and 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....
.
2 September 1986 – Wimbledon, 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....
for the first time and 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...
members for just 10 seasons, go top of the league with a 1–0 away win over 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,...
.
4 September 1986 – 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...
sign Everton midfielder Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson (footballer)
Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was...
for £225,000.
6 September 1986 – Wimbledon win their fourth successive game of their first top flight season when Glyn Hodges
Glyn Hodges
Glyn Hodges , is a Welsh football manager and former player. He played 18 times for the Welsh national side, scoring twice.-Football career:...
scores a late goal to give them a 1–0 win at 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...
.
9 September 1986 – England U-21's draw 1–1 with Sweden in Oestersund, with Arsenal defender Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
(20 next month) scoring their only goal.
12 September 1986 – First Division strugglers Aston Villa tell 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 :...
that he can leave the club for £1 million.
13 September 1986 – 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...
makes his first league appearance since April when he returns from a shoulder injury to help Manchester United record their first league win of the season at the fifth attempt as they beat Southampton 5–1 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:...
.
14 September 1986 – 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...
sack manager Graham Turner
Graham Turner
Graham John Turner is an English former footballer who became a manager. He is currently manager of League Two club Shrewsbury Town. His son Mark was also a professional footballer....
after just over two years at the helm.
16 September 1986 – Gordon Hill, the 32-year-old former Manchester United and England winger, becomes a high profile new signing for GM Vauxhall Conference
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...
side Northwich Victoria, managed by former United striker Stuart Pearson
Stuart Pearson
James Stuart Pearson is an English former football player. He was a skilful forward who played in three FA Cup finals.-Hull City:...
.
20 September 1986 – 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...
hooligans overturn a fish and chip van at Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in Odsal, Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The venue is used for rugby league and has been the home ground of Bradford Bulls/Bradford Northern since 1934...
, temporary home of Bradford City.
22 September 1986 – Luton Town are banned from this season's League Cup for refusing to lift the ban on away fans. Meanwhile, Aston Villa appoint Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
as manager from Manchester City, who replace him with Jimmy Frizzell
Jimmy Frizzell
James "Jimmy" Frizzell is a former Scottish association football player and manager.Frizzell was appointed a patron of Oldham Athletic's supporters' trust, Trust Oldham in 2004.-Playing career:...
.
27 September 1986 – Aston Villa's first league match under Billy McNeill ends in a 3–3 draw with Liverpool 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...
after the hosts came from behind twice to equalise.
28 September 1986 - Manchester United's dismal start to the season continues as they lose 1-0 at home to Chelsea in the league 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:...
- their sixth defeat from their opening eight games. They were rewarded with two penalties in the second half after Kerry Dixon
Kerry Dixon
Kerry Michael Dixon is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.-Early years:...
gave Chelsea an early lead, but both of the penalties were saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Tony Godden
Tony Godden
Anthony Leonard "Tony" Godden is an English former football goalkeeper who played in the Football League for West Bromwich Albion, Luton Town, Walsall, Chelsea, Birmingham City, Bury and Peterborough United.-Career:...
.
30 September 1986 – Nottingham Forest are First Division leaders at the end of September, while Aston Villa still occupy bottom place under new manager Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
and Manchester United are second from bottom with just four points so far this campaign, and the future of 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...
under serious doubt, with rumours circulating for weeks that he is on the verge of being sacked to be replaced by Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson. At the top end of the table, traditional favourites Everton and Liverpool are putting the pressure on Nottingham Forest, along with surprise contenders Norwich City and Coventry City who have yet to win a top division title. In the Second Division, Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth lead the way, followed by Crystal Palace, 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...
and 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...
.
3 October 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign Beligan
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...
striker Nico Claesen
Nico Claesen
Nicolaas "Nico" Pieter Claesen is a former Belgian football player who works as head coach of RFC Liège.-Time at Tottenham:...
from Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
for £600,000.
6 October 1986 – Luton Town lose an appeal against their expulsion from the League Cup.
10 October 1986 – 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...
striker David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
hands in a transfer request, with emerging title contenders Arsenal reported to be interested in signing him to play alongside Charlie Nicholas.
11 October 1986– Newly promoted Norwich City tops the league with a 0–0 away draw with Luton Town
14 October 1986 – Manchester United sign 18-year-old Irish midfielder Liam O'Brien
Liam O'Brien
Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor and voice director perhaps best known for his roles as Gaara of the Sand in Naruto, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, War in the video game Darksiders, 'Vincent Law' in Ergo Proxy and 'Illidan Stormrage' in the 'Warcraft' game series...
from Shamrock Rovers for £60,000.
15 October 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...
open their Euro 88 qualifying series with a 3–0 win over 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.
16 October 1986 –
-
- – QPR put defender Terry FenwickTerry FenwickTerence William 'Terry' Fenwick is an English football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for San Juan Jabloteh of the TT Pro League in Trinidad and Tobago.- Player :...
on the transfer list at his own request.- – Legendary former 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...
goalkeeper Ted SagarTed SagarEdward "Ted" Sagar played football for Everton and England.He was known as a fearless goalkeeper of great ability. He was quite light in an era when goalkeepers were barged into more often than today. He joined Everton as an apprentice in 1929 after playing for Thorne Colliery in Yorkshire and...
dies aged 76.
- – Legendary former Everton
- – QPR put defender Terry Fenwick
21 October 1986 – Out of favour Manchester United defender John Gidman
John Gidman
John Gidman was an English football player. His favoured position was right back.Gidman played for the Liverpool youth team without ever playing for their first team, before he joined Aston Villa in 1971. He was a member of the 1977 League Cup winning side, before being signed by Everton in 1979...
joins neighbours City on a free transfer.
23 October 1986 – Norwich City sign 22-year-old goalkeeper Bryan Gunn
Bryan Gunn
Bryan James Gunn is a Scottish former professional goalkeeper and football manager. After learning his trade with Aberdeen in the early 1980s, he spent most of his playing career at Norwich City, the club with which he came to be most closely associated...
for £150,000 from Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
, whose manager Alex Ferguson has been at the centre of speculation linking him with the manager's job at Manchester United where 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...
's job is reportedly under threat due to a dismal start to the season which has seen United fall into the relegation zone.
25 October 1986 – 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,...
, a former Liverpool trainee, scores a hat-trick in Luton Town's
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...
4–1 league win over the double winners at Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
.
31 October 1986 – October ends with Nottingham Forest still top of the First Division, while Manchester United and Aston Villa have both climbed out of the bottom two. Portsmouth are now leaders of the Second Division, a point ahead of Oldham Athletic. Leeds United, 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...
(newly promoted this season) and 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...
occupy the playoff places. Blackburn Rovers, who were among the promotion challengers a few weeks ago, are now second from bottom.
1 November 1986 – Paul Walsh
Paul Walsh
Paul Anthony Walsh is a retired English footballer.Walsh was a diminutive and pacy centre forward who shot to fame in the 1980s during spells with Charlton, Luton, Liverpool and Tottenham.-Charlton Athletic:...
scores a hat-trick for Liverpool in their 6–2 home league win over Norwich City.
5 November 1986 – 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...
is sacked after five years as manager 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...
, who are second from bottom in the First Division and were last night eliminated from 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...
with a 4–1 defeat at 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 the Third Round.
6 November 1986 – Manchester United appoint Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
from Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
as their new manager. Out of favour West Ham United striker Paul Goddard
Paul Goddard
Paul Goddard is a former professional footballer and football manager.During his playing career, he gained caps for England U21s and earned a single full cap for the England team against Iceland in June 1982...
joins Newcastle United for £450,000.
8 November 1986 – Manchester United lost 2–0 to Oxford United in the league in their first game under the management of Alex Ferguson.
11 November 1986 – England U-21's being their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 1–1 draw with Yugoslavia's U-21's 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...
, Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. Their only goal comes from Brighton & Hove Albion striker Terry Connor
Terry Connor
Terence F. "Terry" Connor is an English former professional association football forward. He scored 91 goals from 358 games in the Football League playing for Leeds United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Portsmouth, Swansea City and Bristol City, and was capped once for the England under-21 team...
on his debut at this level.
12 November 1986 – England beat Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
2–0 at Wembley in their second World Cup qualifier.
13 November 1986 – 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 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...
striker Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
for £75,000.
20 November 1986 – Wimbledon sign 21-year-old midfielder Vinny Jones from Alliance Premier League side Wealdstone
Wealdstone F.C.
Wealdstone Football Club are an English semi-professional football club who formed in Wealdstone, in the London Borough of Harrow, but are currently based a few miles away in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. At present, the club are members of the Isthmian League Premier Division. They...
for £10,000.
21 November 1986 – Wolverhampton Wanderers continue their rebuilding process and bid for promotion from the Fourth Division by signing midfielder Andy Thompson and striker Steve Bull
Steve Bull
Stephen George "Steve" Bull, MBE, is an English former footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers...
from neighbours 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 £35,000 each.
26 November 1986 – Jan Molby scores a hat-trick of penalties in Liverpool's 3–1 League Cup quarter-final win over Coventry City at Anfield.
29 November 1986 – Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
scores in one of his first Football League appearances for 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 a 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Plough Lane
Plough Lane
Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
.
30 November 1986 – Arsenal finish November as First Division leaders, while fifth placed Luton Town are putting up an unlikely title challenge. Meanwhile, last season's title contenders Chelsea are now third from bottom but chairman Ken Bates
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC from 1982 until 2003....
insists that he will not sack manager 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....
. Bottom place is occupied by a Newcastle United side who barely a year ago were looking like title contenders. Oldham Athletic and Portsmouth continue to lead the way in the Second Division, with Plymouth Argyle and Leeds United still occupying the playoff zone, joined by 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...
who have leapfrogged their way into the top five at the expense of a Sunderland side who have dipped to 11th.
3 December 1986 – Former 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...
and Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
winger Austin Hayes
Austin Hayes
Austin William Patrick Hayes was an English-born footballer of Irish descent, who played once as a full international for the Republic of Ireland in 1979, the same year that he collected a Football League Cup runners-up medal with Southampton.-Football career:Hayes was born in Hammersmith, London...
dies of lung cancer at the age of 28, 3 weeks after the illness was diagnosed. He had recently returned from a short spell playing in Sweden, and since leaving Southampton in 1981 he had also played for 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...
and more recently 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...
.
7 December 1986 – Rochdale, struggling in the Fourth Division, make an amibitious offer for 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...
(sacked by Manchester United last month) to become their new manager, but Atkinson turns the offer down.
14 December 1986 – 18 months after the stadium fire that killed 56 spectators, Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
return to a revamped 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...
.
16 December 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur's England midfielder Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
expresses his desire to move abroad at the end of this season.
21 December 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sell defender Graham Roberts
Graham Roberts
Graham Roberts was an English actor most famous for his work on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4, including 31 years playing George Barford, the gamekeeper in Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. He was born and raised in Chester, and was educated at King's School in the city...
to Rangers for £450,000.
22 December 1986 – Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
continues to buy English-based players for Rangers by making a £120,000 move for Doncaster Rovers striker Neil Woods
Neil Woods
Neil Stephen Woods is a former English footballer who played as a striker and former manager of Grimsby Town where he also played between 1990 and 1998. He now works as the Head of Youth at Football League One side Walsall...
.
23 December 1986 – Tottenham Hotspur sign 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 :...
from Aston Villa for £650,000.
26 December 1986 – Manchester United beat Liverpool 1–0 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...
. It is United's first away win of the season and Liverpool's first home defeat.
30 December 1986 – Celtic F.C.
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
are reported to be in the process of signing 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...
captain Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
, but Norwich manager Ken Brown dismisses the speculation as "rubbish".
31 December 1986 – 1986 draws to a close with Arsenal leading the league by a seven-point margin, and Manchester United beginning to claw away from relegation by occupying 15th place. The race for First Division football next season is headed by Portsmouth, while Derby County have crept up to second, and the playoff places are occupied by Oldham Athletic, 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....
and Plymouth Argyle.
6 January 1987 – Ian Snodin
Ian Snodin
Ian Snodin is a retired footballer most notable for playing for Doncaster Rovers and Everton. He also played for Leeds United, Sunderland, Oldham Athletic and Scarborough.-Early career:...
opts to join Everton for £840,000 from Leeds United – despite being offered better wages by Liverpool. However, Liverpool are still intent on strengthening their squad as they make a £750,000 bid for Oxford United and Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
.
13 January 1987 – Winger Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes was an English Olivier Award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His most famous work is the play The Ruling Class, which was made into a 1972 film for which Peter O'Toole received an Oscar nomination....
becomes the second Manchester United player to transfer to neighbours City within three months when he completes his £30,000 return to the club where he started his career more than a decade ago.
18 January 1987 – Chelsea sign 23-year-old defender Steve Clarke
Steve Clarke
Stephen "Steve" Clarke is a Scottish association football player and coach, currently the assistant manager at Liverpool. He played for St. Mirren, Chelsea and Scotland, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end of his career...
from St Mirren for £400,000.
19 January 1987 – 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...
striker Micky Quinn
Micky Quinn
Michael "Micky" Quinn is a former footballer. He was predominantly a centre forward during a career in which he scored 228 goals from 515 games in the Football League.- Club career :...
is found guilty on a double charge of driving while disqualified and receives a 21-day prison sentence. 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...
sign defender Steve Clarke
Steve Clarke
Stephen "Steve" Clarke is a Scottish association football player and coach, currently the assistant manager at Liverpool. He played for St. Mirren, Chelsea and Scotland, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end of his career...
from Scottish
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...
side St Mirren for £422,000.
20 January 1987 – The country's biggest anti-hooliganism police operation sees 26 suspected football hooligans arrested in raids in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
and Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
.
21 January 1987 – Aston Villa manager Billy McNeill expresses his interest in signing former England striker Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
from Atlanta of Italy when his contract expires this summer.
23 January 1987 – Liverpool's £250,000 move for West Bromwich Albion defender Derek Statham
Derek Statham
Derek James Statham is a former English footballer who played at defensive left-back. He played for West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, Walsall and Stoke City....
falls through after the player fails a fitness test. Kenny Dalglish had been hoping to sign Statham as cover for Jim Beglin
Jim Beglin
James Martin "Jim" Beglin is a former Irish professional footballer.- Life and career :Beglin played schoolboy football in his native city with Bolton and Waterford Bohs before joining Shamrock Rovers in 1980...
, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg.
27 January 1987 – Liverpool sign 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...
striker John Aldridge
John Aldridge
John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...
, 28, for a fee of £750,000 as 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...
ends his search for a new striker ready to take over from Ian Rush, who will leave for Juventus at the end of the season.
28 January 1987 – Chelsea striker Kerry Dixon
Kerry Dixon
Kerry Michael Dixon is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.-Early years:...
asks for a transfer.
30 January 1987 – Out-of-favour 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...
defender Tommy Caton
Tommy Caton
Thomas Stephen "Tommy" Caton was an English football player.Born in Kirkby, Liverpool, Caton was a centre half who played for England schoolboys, before signing for Manchester City as an apprentice in 1978...
leaves the club after three years and signs for 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...
in a £100,000 deal.
31 January 1987 – Arsenal remain top of the First Division as January draws to a close, with traditional favourites Everton and Liverpool their nearest contenders, with unexpected contenders Luton Town occupying fourth place. There is bad news for Aston Villa, however, who have slipped back into the relegation zone after a brief revival in December. Portsmouth are still top of the Second Division with Derby County in second place and the playoff places still occupied by Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle. 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...
and 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...
are also starting to emerge as potential promotion challengers.
2 February 1987 – Micky Quinn
Micky Quinn
Michael "Micky" Quinn is a former footballer. He was predominantly a centre forward during a career in which he scored 228 goals from 515 games in the Football League.- Club career :...
is released from prison after serving 14 days of his 21-day sentence for motoring offences.
5 February 1987 – Winger Nigel Callaghan
Nigel Callaghan
Nigel Ian Callaghan is a former professional footballer.-Playing career:Callaghan played on the right-wing for a number of clubs including Watford, Derby County and Aston Villa...
sacrifices the chance of 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...
glory with Watford for Second Division promotion with Derby County in a £140,000 move to the Baseball Ground
Baseball Ground
The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...
.
6 February 1987 – UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
confirms that the ban on English clubs in European competition (which arose from the Heysel disaster nearly two years ago) will continue for at least another season.
11 February 1987 – Chelsea reject an offer from Nottingham Forest for striker David Speedie in exchange for winger Franz Carr
Franz Carr
Franz Carr is an English former footballer. He was a pacy winger who never quite established himself as a regular in the top flight...
.
14 February 1987 – In a thrilling game between one side challenging for the title and the other battling to avoid relegation, Liverpool beat Leicester City 4–3 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...
and Ian Rush scores a hat-trick.
18 February 1987 – England U-21's win 2–1 over Spain in a friendly in Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, with goals from 19-year-old Arsenal midfielder David Rocastle
David Rocastle
David Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...
and 21-year-old West Ham United striker Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
.
19 February 1987 – Billy McNeill boosts Aston Villa's battle against relegation by paying Everton £300,000 for 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....
.
21 February 1987 – Wigan Athletic, currently in the Third Division and only in their ninth season as Football League members, reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history by beating Hull City 3–0 in the fifth round at Springfield Park
Springfield Park (Wigan)
Springfield Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Wigan, England. It was the home ground of Wigan Athletic F.C. until the club moved to the new JJB Stadium after the 1999 season. At its largest, the stadium held 40,000...
.
22 February 1987 – Title-chasing Everton are knocked out of 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...
in the Fifth Round when they lost 3–1 to Wimbledon in what is the latest of a string of giant-killing victories by the south-west Londoners who are playing their first top division campaign and only their tenth in the Football League.
24 February 1987 – Liverpool sign midfielder Nigel Spackman
Nigel Spackman
Nigel James Spackman is an English football manager and former player. He was formerly a midfield player who was an integral part of the much-admired Liverpool team of 1988...
from Chelsea for £400,000.
27 February 1987 – Details are announced of a proposed merger between 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...
and Wimbledon.
28 February 1987 – Everton finish February as First Division leaders, but only lead on goal difference over second-placed Liverpool, and are facing a more distant challenge from five other teams including unfashionable Luton Town and Norwich City. Portsmouth, Derby County, Oldham Athletic, Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town continue to lead the way in the Second Division.
1 March 1987 – Plans for a merger between 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 QPR are scrapped. Former Arsenal winger Liam Brady
Liam Brady
Liam Brady is a former Irish association football player, and former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team....
returns to England in a £150,000 move to 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...
from Ascoli
Ascoli Calcio 1898
Ascoli Calcio 1898 is an Italian football club based in Ascoli Piceno, Marche. The club was formed in 1898 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, having returned to it after two seasons spent in Serie A...
of Italy.
3 March 1987 – England winger John Barnes
John Barnes (footballer)
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...
is put on the transfer list by Watford, but manager Graham Taylor advises him against moving to a club abroad. Liverpool are reported to be interested in the 23-year-old, who has spent his entire career at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
.
6 March 1987 – Everton sign striker 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...
from Birmingham City for £300,000.
9 March 1987 – Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
announces that he is interested in bringing 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....
back to 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:...
, nine months after he signed 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....
, but hopes of an imminent transfer are faced with doubt due to the fact that Hughes will be liable for taxation on any earnings from his time in Spain if he returns to England before April 1988.
11 March 1987 – 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....
prepare for a promotion challenge next season after this current disappointing campaign by paying Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
£30,000 for defender Colin Hendry
Colin Hendry
Edward Colin Hendry is a retired Scottish footballer and manager, who played as a defender. Hendry started his career with Dundee in 1983 and spent spells at Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Rangers, Coventry City, Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool...
.
12 March 1987 – 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...
pay a club record £600,000 for Brighton & Hove Albion striker Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
in a bid to avoid relegation after a recent run of bad form in the league.
14 March 1987 – 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...
progress to 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...
semi-finals for the first time in their history thanks to a 3–1 away win over 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...
in the quarter-finals. On the same day, Arsenal's hopes of a unique domestic treble are ended with a shock 3–1 defeat at home to Watford in one of the other quarter-finals.
15 March 1987 – Tottenham Hotspur move closer to a record eighth FA Cup triumph as they eliminate Wimbledon 2–0 at Plough Lane
Plough Lane
Plough Lane was a football stadium in Wimbledon, south west London. It was the home ground of Wimbledon Football Club from September 1912 to May 1991, when the club moved their first team home matches to Selhurst Park as part of a groundshare agreement with Crystal Palace. Both clubs' reserve teams...
. Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic's dreams are ended with a 2–0 home defeat by Leeds United.
17 March 1987 – 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...
, chasing promotion in the Second Division, sign midfielder Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew
Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United....
for £7,000 from GM Vauxhall Conference
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...
side Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
.
19 March 1987 – One of the league's most promising young players, 22-year-old Paul Stewart, leaves Third Division strugglers 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...
and signs for 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...
in a £200,000 deal, as manager Jimmy Frizzell
Jimmy Frizzell
James "Jimmy" Frizzell is a former Scottish association football player and manager.Frizzell was appointed a patron of Oldham Athletic's supporters' trust, Trust Oldham in 2004.-Playing career:...
makes one last attempt at saving City from suffering relegation to the Second Division for the second time in five seasons.
26 March 1987 – 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...
pay 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...
£850,000 for 24-year-old striker Alan Smith, and then loan him back to Leicester until the end of the season.
28 March 1987 – Liverpool's title bid is hit with a shock 2–1 home defeat against Wimbledon.
30 March 1987 – Southampton manager Chris Nicholl
Chris Nicholl
Christopher John "Chris" Nicholl is an English-born former Northern Ireland international footballer.-Playing career:Nicholl was born in Macclesfield...
says that he will be ready to listen to offers for 23-year-old defender Mark Wright
Mark Wright
Mark Wright may refer to:*Mark Wright , English footballer and manager*Mark Wright , English footballer...
at the end of the season, with clubs reported to be willing to offer up to £1million for his services.
31 March 1987 – Liverpool finish March as First Division leaders, but only by a three-point margin over an Everton side with two games in hand. Luton Town are continued to defy the odds by occupying third place. Portsmouth and Derby County continue to dominate the Second Division in the two automatic promotion places, while Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle remain in the playoff zone.
1 April 1987 – England keep up their 100% record in the Euro 88 qualifiers with a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
in their third qualifying game.
2 April 1987 – Former 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...
and 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...
midfielder Trevor Hockey
Trevor Hockey
Trevor Hockey was a professional footballer. His professional career spanned 16 years, seven clubs and almost 600 appearances, plus nine international caps for Wales.-Playing career:...
dies of a heart attack at the age of 43 after collapsing during a charity football match in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
9 April 1987 – Fourth Division side Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
become the first Football League members to be run by their local council as part of a rescue package to save the club from bankruptcy.
12 April 1987 – Tottenham Hotspur (who have won all of their seven FA Cup finals so far) book their eighth FA Cup final appearance with a 4–1 triumph over Watford 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...
in the semi-final. Coventry City reach their first-ever FA Cup final by defeating Leeds United 3–2 in extra-time in the other semi-final at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
.
16 April 1987 – Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...
, currently the highest-paid manager in the Football League, resigns as manager of Second Division strugglers 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...
and is succeeded by Bob Stokoe
Bob Stokoe
Robert "Bob" Stokoe was an English footballer and manager who was able, almost uniquely, to transcend the traditional north-east rivalry between the region's footballing giants, Newcastle United and Sunderland....
, who was manager at Sunderland when they won 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...
in 1973.
17 April 1987 – AC Milan announce that they are willing to sell England internationals Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
and Mark Hateley
Mark Hateley
Mark Wayne Hateley is a retired English football player who played as a centre-forward. He was capped 32 times for the English national team , and played in top-level football leagues in England, Italy, France and Scotland...
.
28 April 1987 – England U-21's suffer a major blow in their European Championship qualification hopes when they draw 0–0 with Turkey in Izmir.
29 April 1987 – England's 100% record in the Euro 88 qualifiers ends in the fourth game when they can only manage a goalless draw with 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...
in Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
.
30 April 1987 – Scarborough
Scarborough F.C.
Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
seal the GM Vauxhall Conference title to become the first team to win automatic promotion to the Football League following last summer's abolition of the re-election system. At the other end of the spectrum, the month ends with Everton back on top of the First Division with a three-point lead over second-placed Liverpool and a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur are now the only other team in contention for the title, and as FA Cup finalists could be just 16 days away from becoming the first English team to repeat the 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...
. Derby County have overhauled Portsmouth at the top of the Second Division, while Oldham Athletic are the only other team still able to achieve automatic promotion. Plymouth Argyle remain in the promotion zone as well, while Leeds United have muscled in at the expense of Ipswich Town. Sunderland, who were in strong contention for promotion as late as November, are now hovering in 19th place – the lowest position before the relegation playoff place.
3 May 1987 – 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...
are confirmed champions of the First Division.
4 May 1987 – Aston Villa are relegated from the First Division just six years after being champions of it, and five years after winning the European Cup. The remaining two automatic relegation places, as well as the relegation playoff place, are now been fought over by Oxford United, Charlton Athletic, Leicester City and Manchester City.
9 May 1987 – Ian Rush completes his Liverpool career before signing for Juventus by scoring their first goal in a 3–3 final day draw at 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...
, bringing his goals tally for this season to 30 in the league and 40 in all competitions.
10 May 1987 – The First Division campaign ends with Everton as champions, with the remaining top-five places going to 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...
, 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....
, 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...
and 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...
respectively, but none of these teams will be competing in Europe next season as a majority vote by UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
has resulted in the ban on English teams continuing for at least another season. Meanwhile, Leicester City and Manchester City join Aston Villa in the First Division relegation zone.
12 May 1987 – West Ham United reject a transfer request from striker Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
.
13 May 1987 – Manchester United put goalkeeper Chris Turner
Chris Turner
Christopher Robert "Chris" Turner is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Leyton Orient, Hartlepool United on two occasions, Sheffield Wednesday and Stockport County. He was previously a player with seven clubs, including two spells at Wednesday, Sunderland and Manchester United...
and defender Graeme Hogg
Graeme Hogg
Graeme Hogg is a retired Scottish footballer.He began his career with Manchester United in 1984 and went on to play 83 league games for the club before joining Portsmouth in 1988...
on the transfer list.
16 May 1987 – 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...
win the first major trophy of their history with a 3–2 victory 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....
in the FA Cup final. Their opponents, managed by 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...
, had been unbeaten in all of their previous seven appearances in the final. A thrilling game had seen Clive Allen put Tottenham Hotpsur ahead in the second minute with his 49th goal of the season, only for Coventry City's Dave Bennett
Dave Bennett
David Anthony Bennett is an English former Association football player. He is most famous for playing in two FA Cup Finals; 1981 for Manchester City, when he finished on the losing side, and 1987, when he produced a Man of the Match performance as Coventry City beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2.-Playing...
to equalise in the ninth minute. Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt MBE is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a...
restored Tottenham's lead after 40 minutes, but Keith Houchen
Keith Houchen
Keith Morton Houchen is an English former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games....
's 64th minute equaliser for Coventry City forced extra time. The winning goal came in the 96th minute, when Gary Mabbutt scored an own goal.
17 May 1987 – Sunderland are relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history after being defeated on away goals in the Second Division relegation/Third Division promotion playoff semi-final by 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...
, who will take on 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...
later this month to battle for a Second Division place.
18 May 1987 – Graham Taylor resigns after 11 years as 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...
manager to succeed Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
at relegated 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...
. During his time at Watford, Taylor took the club from the Fourth Division to the First, finishing league runners-up in their first top flight season and reaching the FA Cup final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
in their second. Meanwhile, Southampton give a free transfer to their longest serving player Nick Holmes, the last remaining player from their 1976 FA Cup winning side.
19 May 1987 – Mel Machin
Mel Machin
Melvyn "Mel" Machin is an English former footballer and manager.A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962, before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1971, before he transferred to Bournemouth for a three year spell...
is named as the new manager of relegated Manchester City, with his predecessor Jimmy Frizzell remaining at the club as his assistant. Meanwhile, Aston Villa begin rebuilding following relegation with the sale of defender Tony Dorigo
Tony Dorigo
Anthony Robert Dorigo is a retired English football player who played for Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds United and the England national side as a left-back.-Career:...
to Chelsea for £450,000.
22 May 1987 – 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...
, who made one appearance for Manchester United during a brief spell at the club in the 1982–83 season
1982-83 in English football
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Bob Paisley's last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His...
, is reportedly set to return to Old Trafford in a national record £3million move from Newcastle United.
26 May 1987 – Arsenal sign Wimbledon full back Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...
for £405,000.
3 June 1987 – 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 midfielder Steve McCall
Steve McCall
Stephen Harold "Steve" McCall is a retired English footballer who now works as a scout for Ipswich Town.A defensive midfielder during his playing days, McCall built a reputation as a cultured midfield player, with immaculate passing ability. He began his career with Ipswich Town and quickly...
from 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....
for £300,000.
7 June 1987 – England's U-21's commence the Toulon Tournament
Toulon Tournament
The Toulon Tournament is a football tournament which traditionally features invited national teams composed of under-21 players, although the first tournament in 1967 featured club teams...
with a first round 2–0 win over Morocco, with goals from Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul 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...
and Manchester City's Paul Simpson
Paul Simpson (footballer)
Paul David Simpson is an English former footballer and manager. His son Jake is also a professional footballer.-Manchester City:...
.
9 June 1987 – Orient revert to their original title of Leyton 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...
, while England U-21's draw 0–0 with the USSR in their second Toulon Tournament group game.
10 June 1987 – Liverpool sign John Barnes from Watford for £800,000.
11 June 1987 – England U-21's reach the next stage of the Toulon Tournament despite losing 2–0 to France.
13 June 1987 – England U-21's progress from the second stage of the Toulon Tournament by being Turkey on penalties after a goalless draw.
15 June 1987 – Despite guiding Luton Town to their best ever finish of seventh in the First Division in his only season as manager, John Moore resigns to be succeeded by his assistant, the former 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...
manager Ray Harford
Ray Harford
Raymond Thomas Harford was an English footballer, better known for his successes as a coach and manager than as a player. He is considered to have been one of the top coaches of his generation.-Playing career:...
.
18 June 1987 – QPR sign defender Paul Parker from 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...
for £300,000.
21 June 1987 – Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
leaves Tottenham Hotspur in a £750,000 move to AS Monaco.
24 June 1987 – England 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....
leaves Southampton for newly promoted Derby County in a deal reported to be worth up to £1million – the highest fee for a goalkeeper in British football.
25 June 1987 – After a disappointing season, Chelsea boost their attack with a £335,000 move for 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....
and 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...
striker Kevin Wilson.
30 June 1987 – Liverpool break the British transfer fee record by paying £1.9 million for 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...
and England striker 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...
.
Deaths
- 21 September 1986 – Jamie Baker, 9, was mascot for Everton in their fixture against Manchester United, and died hours later from leukaemia.
- 14 October 1986 – Barry Salvage, 38, a former QPRQueens 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...
and FulhamFulham 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...
midfielder, died of a heart attack after collapsing at EastbourneEastbourneEastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
during a charity run. - 16 October 1986 – Ted SagarTed SagarEdward "Ted" Sagar played football for Everton and England.He was known as a fearless goalkeeper of great ability. He was quite light in an era when goalkeepers were barged into more often than today. He joined Everton as an apprentice in 1929 after playing for Thorne Colliery in Yorkshire and...
, 76, was a goalkeeper for Everton from 1929 until 1954. His team-mates included Dixie Dean and Tommy Lawton. - 3 December 1986 – Austin HayesAustin HayesAustin William Patrick Hayes was an English-born footballer of Irish descent, who played once as a full international for the Republic of Ireland in 1979, the same year that he collected a Football League Cup runners-up medal with Southampton.-Football career:Hayes was born in Hammersmith, London...
, 28, died of lung cancer just 3 weeks after the illness was diagnosed. He had been on the losing side for Southampton against Nottingham Forest in the 1979 League Cup final and was capped by Éire in the same year. He later turned out for Millwall and Northampton Town, and just before his death had a brief spell playing in Sweden. - 2 April 1987 – Trevor HockeyTrevor HockeyTrevor Hockey was a professional footballer. His professional career spanned 16 years, seven clubs and almost 600 appearances, plus nine international caps for Wales.-Playing career:...
, 43, died of a heart attack while participating in a five-a-side football tournament for charity. He was a former Welsh international footballer who also played for clubs including Bradford City and Aston Villa.
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.... |
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... (9) |
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... |
| 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... |
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... |
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... |
| 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... |
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.... |
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... |
| 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... |
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... |
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... |
| 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... |
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... (1) |
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.... |
| 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... |
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... (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... |
| Screen Sport Super Cup | 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... |
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... |
| Full Members Cup Full Members Cup The Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992.... |
Blackburn Rovers | 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,... |
| Freight Rover Trophy | 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... |
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... |
| 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... and 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... (shared) |
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 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 | 76 | 31 | +45 | 86 |
| 2. | 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 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 72 | 42 | +30 | 77 |
| 3. | 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 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 71 |
| 4. | 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 | 10 | 12 | 58 | 35 | +23 | 70 |
| 5. | 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 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 68 |
| 6. | 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 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 66 |
| 7. | 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 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 66 |
| 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 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 65 |
| 9. | 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 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 67 | 54 | +13 | 63 |
| 10. | 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 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 63 |
| 11. | 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 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 56 |
| 12. | 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 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 69 | 68 | +1 | 52 |
| 13. | 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 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 59 | -1 | 52 |
| 14. | 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 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 53 | 64 | -11 | 52 |
| 15. | 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 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 52 | 67 | -15 | 52 |
| 16. | Queen's 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 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 48 | 64 | -16 | 50 |
| 17. | 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 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 47 | 65 | -18 | 47 |
| 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 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 44 | 69 | -25 | 46 |
| 19. | 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 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 45 | 55 | -10 | 44 |
| 20. | 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 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 54 | 76 | -22 | 42 |
| 21. | 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 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 36 | 57 | -21 | 39 |
| 22. | 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 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 45 | 79 | -34 | 36 |
| 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. | 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... |
42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 64 | 38 | +26 | 84 |
| 2. | 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 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 53 | 28 | +25 | 78 |
| 3. | 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... |
42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 75 |
| 4. | 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... |
42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 58 | 44 | +14 | 68 |
| 5. | 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 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 59 | 43 | +16 | 64 |
| 6. | 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 | 5 | 18 | 51 | 53 | -2 | 62 |
| 7. | 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... |
42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 62 | 57 | +5 | 61 |
| 8. | 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 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 58 |
| 9. | 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 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 50 | 49 | +1 | 58 |
| 10. | Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two.... |
42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 55 |
| 11. | 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 | 13 | 15 | 49 | 52 | -3 | 55 |
| 12. | 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 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 45 | 55 | -10 | 55 |
| 13. | 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... |
42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 52 | 59 | -7 | 53 |
| 14. | 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 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 41 | 55 | -14 | 53 |
| 15. | 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 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 51 |
| 16. | 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 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 39 | 45 | -6 | 51 |
| 17. | 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 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 54 | 61 | -7 | 51 |
| 18. | 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 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 41 | 53 | -12 | 51 |
| 19. | 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 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 47 | 59 | -12 | 50 |
| 20. | 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... |
42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 49 | 59 | -10 | 48 |
| 21. | 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 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 39 | 59 | -20 | 44 |
| 22. | 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 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 37 | 54 | -17 | 39 |
| 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. | 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 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 76 | 40 | +36 | 97 |
| 2. | 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... |
46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 67 | 30 | +37 | 94 |
| 3. | 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 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 77 | 47 | +30 | 87 |
| 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 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 83 | 60 | +23 | 85 |
| 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 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 65 | 48 | +17 | 78 |
| 6. | 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 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 63 | 36 | +27 | 77 |
| 7. | 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 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 77 | 56 | +21 | 76 |
| 8. | 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 | 80 | 67 | +13 | 75 |
| 9. | 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 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 74 | 59 | +15 | 64 |
| 10. | 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 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 52 | 55 | -3 | 61 |
| 11. | 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 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 64 | 66 | -2 | 60 |
| 12. | 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 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 76 | 70 | +6 | 57 |
| 13. | 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 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 56 | 62 | -6 | 57 |
| 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 | 48 | 57 | -9 | 57 |
| 15. | 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 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 61 | 59 | +2 | 56 |
| 16. | 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 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 54 | 60 | -6 | 55 |
| 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 | 15 | 18 | 56 | 69 | -13 | 54 |
| 18. | 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... |
46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 59 | 77 | -18 | 53 |
| 19. | 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 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 49 | 75 | -26 | 51 |
| 20. | 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 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 55 | 79 | -24 | 49 |
| 21. | 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 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 46 | 58 | -12 | 45 |
| 22. | 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.... |
46 | 10 | 8 | 28 | 39 | 78 | -39 | 38 |
| 23. | 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 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 45 | 77 | -32 | 37 |
| 24. | Newport County Newport County A.F.C. Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system... |
46 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 49 | 86 | -37 | 37 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Two |
| Qualified for the promotion/relegation playoffs |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 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 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 103 | 53 | +50 | 99 |
| 2. | 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 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 72 | 47 | +25 | 90 |
| 3. | 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 | 25 | 5 | 16 | 68 | 55 | +13 | 80 |
| 4. | 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 | 24 | 7 | 15 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 79 |
| 5. | 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 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 70 |
| 6. | 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 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 64 | 57 | +7 | 70 |
| 7. | 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 | 9 | 17 | 64 | 61 | +3 | 69 |
| 8. | 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 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 73 | 57 | +16 | 66 |
| 9. | Wrexham | 46 | 15 | 20 | 11 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 65 |
| 10. | 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 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 65 |
| 11. | 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 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 60 | 62 | -2 | 62 |
| 12. | 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... |
46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 56 | 61 | -5 | 62 |
| 13. | 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 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 48 | 50 | -2 | 61 |
| 14. | 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 | 11 | 23 | 12 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 56 |
| 15. | Halifax Town Halifax Town A.F.C. Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years... |
46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 59 | 74 | -15 | 55 |
| 16. | 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 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 60 | 61 | -1 | 53 |
| 17. | 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 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 70 | 72 | -2 | 53 |
| 18. | 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 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 44 | 65 | -21 | 51 |
| 19. | 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 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 40 | 69 | -29 | 51 |
| 20. | 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 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 54 | 72 | -18 | 50 |
| 21. | Rochdale Rochdale A.F.C. Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921... |
46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 54 | 73 | -19 | 50 |
| 22. | 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 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 53 | 74 | -21 | 49 |
| 23. | 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 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 56 | 72 | -16 | 48 |
| 24. | 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 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 45 | 65 | -20 | 48 |
| Key |
|---|
| Promoted to Division Three |
| Qualified for the promotion/relegation playoffs |
| Relegated to The Fifth Tier |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points