1995-96 in English football - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Premiership

Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title.

Manchester United were England's entrants for the European Cup, while Newcastle United were joined in the UEFA Cup by 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...

, Aston Villa (League Cup winners) and 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...

.

Going down were Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers.

Division One

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 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...

both returned to the Premiership after a five-year exile, joined by Division One playoff winners Leicester City.

Watford F.C.

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...

and Luton Town, who had both been established top division sides a decade earlier, were relegated to the league's third tier after enduring a terrible season. On the last day of the season they were joined by 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...

, who had been top of the division five months earlier but slumped dramatically after Mick McCarthy

Mick McCarthy

Michael Joseph "Mick" McCarthy is an English-born former Irish international footballer who is currently the manager of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he has been in charge since July 2006....

's departure for the Republic of Ireland manager's job.

Division Two

Swindon Town returned to Division One at the first attempt after lifting the Division Two championship trophy. They were joined by runners-up Oxford United, who were enjoying their first successful season since the mid 1980s, and playoff winners 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....

.

Going down were Carlisle United, Swansea City (who got through five managers in a season), Brighton & Hove Albion (sinking further into a financial crisis) 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...

Division Three

Preston North End, 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...

, Bury F.C.

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...

and playoff winners 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...

won promotion to Division Two.

Torquay United finished bottom of Division Three, having won just five games all season, but were saved from demotion because Conference champions Stevenage Borough did not meet the league's required minimum stadium capacity.

Successful managers

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...

guided Manchester United to a unique second double of the league title and FA Cup.

Brian Little

Brian Little (footballer)

Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...

completed his impressive rebuilding of Aston Villa by guiding them to glory in the League Cup as well as a fourth place finish in the Premiership.

Peter Reid

Peter Reid

Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...

brought some long-awaited success to Sunderland A.F.C.

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...

as they finished champions of Division One and won promotion to the Premiership.

Experienced manager Jim Smith

Jim Smith (footballer)

James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...

achieved another managerial success by winning promotion to the Premiership with Derby County

Derby County F.C.

.

Martin O'Neill

Martin O'Neill

Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...

achieved his third promotion in four seasons by winning promotion to the Premiership with Leicester City.

Steve McMahon

Steve McMahon

Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...

succeeded in getting Swindon Town back into Division One at the first attempt as they were crowned champions of Division Two.

Denis Smith built on the success he achieved earlier in his career (with York City and later Sunderland A.F.C.

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...

) by gaining promotion to Division One with Oxford United.

Gary Peters

Gary Peters (footballer)

Gary David Peters is an English former professional footballer and now manager. He is currently Director of Football at Hereford United.-Playing career:...

had a dream start to his reign as Preston North End manager as they were crowned champions of Division Three.

Stan Ternent

Stan Ternent

Francis Stanley "Stan" Ternent is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Blackpool, Hull City, Bury, Burnley, Gillingham and Huddersfield Town. He is currently a scout for Sunderland.-Career:...

finally enjoyed some success in his long management and coaching career by winning promotion to Division Two with Bury

Bury F.C.

.

Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....

achieved the fifth promotion of his managerial career (and his fourth via the playoffs) by winning the Division Three playoffs with Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

.

Chris Kamara

Chris Kamara

Chris Kamara is a retired English footballer. He ended his playing career in 1995 and last managed a club in 1998. He is now a presenter and football analyst on Sky Sports.-Playing career:...

got Bradford City promoted via the Division 2 play offs just 6 months after taking over as manager. The feat was all the more amazing considering they lost 0-2 at home to Blackpool

Blackpool

Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...

in the 1st leg of the play off semi final. A 3-0 victory in the 2nd leg saw Bradford City reach Wembley for the first ever time defeating Notts County 2-0 in the final with goals from 19 year old local boy Des Hamilton

Des Hamilton

Derrick Vivian "Des" Hamilton is an English retired professional footballer. He was a midfielder, who played most notably for Bradford City which counted for nearly half his career appearances and in the Premier League with Newcastle United...

and Kamara's first signing Mark Stallard

Mark Stallard

Mark Stallard is a retired English professional footballer who last played for Conference North side Corby Town as a striker. He made more than 450 appearances in the Football League between 1991 and 2008, scoring 134 goals....

Successful Players

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

topped the Premiership scoring charts with the highest number of goals in the league charted at the time, with 31. Shearer was followed closely by Robbie Fowler

Robbie Fowler

Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....

on 28, Ian Wright

Ian Wright

Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...

and Les Ferdinand

Les Ferdinand

Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...

.

Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman

Steven McManaman is a retired English footballer who played as a midfielder, winger and playmaker. Having spent his playing career at two of European football's most successful clubs of the 20th century, Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a spell at Manchester City, McManaman is the most...

led the assists chart with 25 assists this season, also a new record for the league.

Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...

was awarded the Football Writers' Player of the Year, the PFA Player of the Year for his comeback and galvanising influence over a successful young Manchester United side.

Double double delight for United

Manchester United made history as the first English club to repeat the double of the league title and FA Cup. The triumph was made all the more incredible by the fact that 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...

had sold key players 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...

, 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....

and Andrei Kanchelskis

Andrei Kanchelskis

Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...

before the start of the season, and not bought any new players. Instead he placed his faith in young players like Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being...

, Nicky Butt

Nicky Butt

Nicholas "Nicky" Butt is an English footballer. He began his career with Manchester United and spent 12 years in their first-team before moving to Newcastle United in 2004. He spent one season on loan to Birmingham City in 2005–06...

, David Beckham

David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...

, Gary Neville

Gary Neville

Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....

and Phil Neville, who fitted in well with a team still containing more experienced players like 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...

, Gary Pallister

Gary Pallister

Gary Andrew Pallister is an English former footballer, most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 until 1998...

and Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

.

United's title dreams looked dead come Christmas as they trailed Newcastle United by 12 points. On 27 December they beat Newcastle 2-0 to cut the gap to seven points, and a 1-0 win at St. James's Park on 4 March cut the gap to a single point. A 1-1 draw at QPR the following weekend put United on top of the Premiership and they remained at the top for the rest of the season. On the final day of the season they confirmed their status as Premiership champions for the third time in four seasons thanks to a 3-0 away win over Middlesbrough F.C.

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...

- managed by former United captain 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...

.

Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

, who returned from his suspension in style to spearhead United's chase for trophies, was voted FWA Player of the Year as the press who had vilified him for the previous season's Selhurst Park

Selhurst Park

Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...

incident came to applaud him for his brilliance on the pitch.

On 11 May, United faced Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

in the FA Cup final at Wembley. A late goal from Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

saw United make history and lift the FA Cup as England's first 'double double' winners.

Venables out, Hoddle in

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...

announced in January that he would not be continuing as England manager after the 1996 European Championships, so the F.A began their hunt for his successor. The likes of 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...

, 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....

, Steve Coppell

Steve Coppell

Stephen James "Steve" Coppell is an English former footballer and manager, currently without a club.As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and represented England at the World Cup...

, Gerry Francis

Gerry Francis

Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...

and Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....

were all linked with the job, but all quickly ruled themselves out either because of club commitments or a lack of experience.

In the end, 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...

manager 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....

(aged 39) agreed to take charge of the England team on a four-year contract. Hoddle's successor at Chelsea was the 33-year-old Dutch legend Ruud Gullit

Ruud Gullit

OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...

Euro 96: So close for England

England hosted the 1996 European Championships - for the first time in the history of the competition. They went through to the quarter finals after drawing with Switzerland and beating Scotland and Holland in the group stages. The score with Spain was 0-0 in the quarter finals but England went through on penalties. An Alan Shearer goal gave them an early lead over Germany in the semi finals, but the Germans pulled a goal back to force extra time and England's hopes of glory were ended when they lost the inevitable penalty shoot-out. Germany went on to beat Czech Republic 2-1 in the final.

Europe runs rings around England

English clubs endured a tough time in European competition during 1995-96. Manchester United, Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

and Leeds United suffered early exits from the UEFA Cup, while Blackburn Rovers were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stages and 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...

were dumped out of the Cup Winners Cup in the Second Round. That left Nottingham Forest as the only English club still in Europe after Christmas.

Forest took on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup quarter finals and lost 2-1 away and looking good on the return leg with an away goal in hand. However, Jürgen Klinsmann

Jürgen Klinsmann

Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...

was the driving force in the German side's triumph as they trounced Forest 5-1 at the City ground and went on to win the competition.

Bosman ruling throws transfer market into chaos

A legal challenge in the European Court of Human Rights by little-known Belgian midfielder Jean-Marc Bosman

Jean-Marc Bosman

Jean-Marc Bosman is a former Belgian footballer, whose judicial challenge of the football transfer rules led to the Bosman ruling...

gave out-of-contract players aged 23 or above the right to become free agents and move to other clubs for no fee. There was widespread controversy following the announcement, as many clubs feared that they would lose expensively signed players for nothing. The Bosman Ruling also saw an end to the three foreigner rule which restricted teams to fielding a maximum of three players born outside the country that they were employed in. In the Premiership, the limit of three foreigners in a match squad had covered Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish players. But the Bosman ruling allowed clubs in EU countries to field an unlimited number of players who were of EU nationalities, although they were still restricted to fielding 3 players of non-EU nationalities.

Bob Paisley dies

Bob Paisley

Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...

, who won a record total of 21 trophies during his reign as Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

manager (1974 until 1983), died on 14 February at the age of 77. His success, which included six league titles and three European Cups, was all the more amazing because he had not originally wanted to take over as manager. On his promotion from the coaching staff to the manager's seat, Paisley (55 at the time) had tried to persuade his predecessor Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly

William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...

to carry on. But Paisley eventually agreed to take over as manager and established himself as a world class manager. After retiring, he remained at the club as a director and later president.

Honours

Competition	Winner
FA Premier League FA Premier League The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...	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... (10/3*)
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...	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... (9*)
Coca-Cola 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...	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... (5)
Football League 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....	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...
Football League 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...	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...
Football League 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...	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 Community 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...

English national team

As England was hosting the 1996 UEFA European Football Championship

1996 UEFA European Football Championship

The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...

the English national team did not play any competitive fixtures up until the championships themselves but played a number of friendlies this season.

Date	Opposition	Venue	Result
6 September 1995	Colombia Colombia national football team The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...	Wembley Stadium, London	D 0-0
11 October 1995	Norway Norway national football team The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...	Ullevaal Stadion Ullevaal Stadion Ullevaal Stadion is an all-seater football stadium located in Oslo, Norway. It is the home ground of Vålerenga IF and the Norway national football team, and the site of the Norwegian Cup Final. From its opening in 1926 to 2009 it was the home ground of FK Lyn. With a capacity of 25,572, it is the... , Oslo	D 0-0
15 November 1995	Switzerland Switzerland national football team The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...	Wembley Stadium, London	W 3-1
12 December 1995	Portugal Portugal national football team The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...	Wembley Stadium, London	D 1-1
27 March 1996	Bulgaria Bulgaria national football team The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...	Wembley Stadium, London	W 1-0
24 April 1996	Croatia Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...	Wembley Stadium, London	D 0-0
18 May 1996	Hungary Hungary national football team The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....	Wembley Stadium, London	W 3-0
23 May 1996	China	Workers Stadium Workers Stadium The Workers Stadium , often called Gongti or Gong Ti, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It is mostly used for football matches... , Beijing	W 3-0

FA Carling Premiership

For more detail on the Premiership this season see FA Premier League 1995-96
FA Premier League 1995-96
-Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:...

A blend of experience and youth were the winning formula for Manchester United as they overhauled Newcastle United's lead during the second half of the season to clinch the Premiership title, and then 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...

to complete a unique repeat of the double. Aston Villa made huge progress by finishing fourth and winning the Coca-Cola 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...

. Liverpool continued to show signs of a return to their former glory by attaining third spot in the Premiership and runners-up spot in the FA Cup. Arsenal built the foundations for a revival by finishing fifth and coming within a goal of reaching the Coca-Cola Cup final.

FA Cup

FA Cup

winners Everton failed to retain their silverware but progressed well in the league and sixth place was just a narrow miss in their quest for a 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...

place.

Blackburn Rovers never looked like retaining their league title, but excellent late-season form saw them climb to seventh and only their dismal start to the season deprived them of European qualification.

Nottingham Forest attained a respectable ninth place finish and were the only English side to progress to the last eight of any of the European competitions.

Bolton Wanderers, Queen's Park Rangers and Manchester City were the unlucky sides who could not escape relegation, while Coventry City and Southampton stayed up on goal difference.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1.	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...	38	25	7	6	73	35	82
2.	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...	38	24	6	8	66	37	78
3.	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...	38	20	11	7	70	34	71
4.	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...	38	18	9	11	52	35	63
5.	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...	38	17	12	9	49	32	63
6.	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...	38	17	10	11	64	44	61
7.	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....	38	18	7	13	61	47	61
8.	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....	38	16	13	9	50	38	61
9.	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...	38	15	13	10	50	54	58
10.	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...	38	14	9	15	43	52	51
11.	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...	38	12	14	12	46	44	50
12.	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...	38	11	10	17	35	50	43
13.	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...	38	12	7	19	40	57	43
14.	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...	38	10	11	17	55	70	41
15.	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...	38	10	10	18	48	61	40
16.	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...	38	8	14	16	42	60	38
17.	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...	38	9	11	18	34	52	38
18.	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...	38	9	11	18	33	58	38
19.	Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...	38	9	6	23	38	57	33
20.	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....	38	8	5	25	39	71	29

Key
Qualified for the Champions League
Qualified for the UEFA Cup
Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup
Relegated to Division One

Endsleigh League Division One

Sunderland gave their best performance in years by clinching the Division One title, and were joining among the elite by runners-up Derby County and playoff winners Leicester City. Crystal Palace fell victim to a last-minute Leicester winner at Wembley, and would have gone up automatically had it not been for their dismal first half of the season.

Luton Town, Watford and Millwall, who had all played in the top flight at some stage in the last nine seasons, went down to Division Two. Oldham Athletic narrowly avoided a second relegation in three seasons, while Wolverhampton Wanderers finished a disappointing 20th and the last safe place was secured by Portsmouth.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1.	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...	46	22	17	7	59	33	83
2.	Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...	46	21	16	9	71	51	79
3.	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...	46	20	15	11	67	48	75
4.	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...	46	20	13	13	60	49	73
5.	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...	46	19	14	13	66	60	71
6.	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,...	46	17	20	9	57	45	71
7.	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....	46	19	12	15	79	69	69
8.	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...	46	17	12	17	61	58	63
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...	46	16	14	16	57	54	62
10.	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...	46	14	18	14	60	66	60
11.	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...	46	16	12	18	60	68	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	15	16	59	66	60
13.	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	14	17	15	64	60	59
14.	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	15	14	17	52	61	59
15.	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...	46	15	13	18	61	64	58
16.	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...	46	14	15	17	59	55	57
17.	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...	46	14	14	18	55	69	56
18.	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...	46	14	14	18	54	50	56
19.	Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...	46	13	17	16	54	63	56
20.	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	13	16	17	56	62	55
21.	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...	46	13	13	20	61	69	52
22.	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...	46	13	13	20	43	63	52
23.	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...	46	10	18	18	62	70	48
24.	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...	46	11	12	23	40	64	45

Key
Promoted to the Premiership
Qualified for the promotion playoff
Relegated to Division Two

NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference

Endsleigh League Division Two

Swindon Town secured an immediate return to Division One by winning the Division Two title. They were joined by local rivals and runners-up Oxford United, while the final promotion place went to playoff winners Bradford City whose Wembley glory gave Chris Kamara

Chris Kamara

Chris Kamara is a retired English footballer. He ended his playing career in 1995 and last managed a club in 1998. He is now a presenter and football analyst on Sky Sports.-Playing career:...

a dream start in management.

Blackpool, who missed out on automatic promotion by one place, attained their highest league finish for more than 20 years but a playoff semi-final failure cost them a place in Division One and cost Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce

Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....

his job.

Carlisle United, Swansea City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Hull City were relegated to Division Three.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1.	Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...	46	25	17	4	71	34	92
2.	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...	46	24	11	11	76	39	83
3.	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	23	13	10	67	40	82
4.	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	15	10	63	39	78
5.	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	22	7	17	77	60	73
6.	Bradford City	46	22	7	17	71	69	73
7.	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	20	12	14	56	51	72
8.	Wrexham Wrexham A.F.C. Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...	46	18	16	12	76	55	70
9.	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	19	13	14	61	47	70
10.	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	20	10	16	57	60	70
11.	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	19	12	15	60	45	69
12.	Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers F.C. Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...	46	15	15	16	63	59	60
13.	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	15	15	16	55	60	60
14.	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	16	10	20	51	70	58
15.	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	13	18	43	49	58
16.	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	14	14	18	54	62	56
17.	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	14	13	19	56	68	55
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...	46	13	14	19	58	70	53
19.	Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...	46	13	13	20	59	66	52
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	13	13	20	58	73	52
21.	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	12	13	21	57	72	49
22.	Swansea City	46	11	14	21	43	79	47
23.	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....	46	10	10	26	46	69	40
24.	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...	46	5	16	25	36	78	31

Note: 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...

left administration, avoided expellment and made arrangements before promotion as champions after 2 relegations.

Key
Promoted to Division One
Qualified for the promotion playoff
Relegated to Division Three

NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference

Endsleigh League Division Three

Preston North End got on the right path towards better days by sealing the Division Three title. Joining them in Division Two were runners-up Gillingham, third placed Bury and playoff winners Plymouth Argyle.

Torquay United finished bottom of the league by quite a margin, but avoided relegation because Conference champions Stevenage Borough did not meet the required Football League stadium capacity standards.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1.	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	23	17	6	78	38	86
2.	Gillingham Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...	46	22	17	7	49	20	83
3.	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	22	13	11	66	48	79
4.	Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...	46	22	12	12	68	49	78
5.	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	20	18	8	60	42	78
6.	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	20	14	12	65	47	74
7.	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	18	18	10	61	51	72
8.	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	18	16	12	72	53	70
9.	Barnet Barnet F.C. Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....	46	18	16	12	65	45	70
10.	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	20	10	16	62	56	70
11.	Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...	46	18	13	15	51	44	67
12.	Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....	46	15	15	16	67	61	60
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	16	11	19	49	60	59
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	13	18	15	46	53	57
15.	Rochdale	46	14	13	19	57	61	55
16.	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	14	12	20	61	71	54
17.	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	57	63	53
18.	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	13	14	19	57	73	53
19.	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	11	20	15	54	64	53
20.	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	12	13	21	47	67	49
21.	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...	46	12	11	23	44	63	47
22.	Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...	46	11	12	23	41	64	45
23.	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...	46	8	16	22	39	69	40
24.	Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...	46	5	14	27	30	84	29

Note: 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...

returned to administration after failing to comply with rules on insolvency.

Key
Promoted to Division Two
Qualified for the promotion playoff

NB In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference

Diary of the season

30 June 1995 - 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....

pay a club record £4.5million for striker Chris Armstrong

Chris Armstrong (footballer born 1971)

Christopher Peter "Chris" Armstrong is an English former England B international footballer who has played as a striker for Wrexham , Millwall, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers between 1989 and 2005.-Crystal Palace:After short spells with Wrexham and Millwall, Armstrong found...

from relegated 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...

.

1 July 1995 - 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...

pay a club record £2.5million for 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...

midfielder Chris Bart-Williams

Chris Bart-Williams

Christopher Gerald Bart-Williams is a Sierra Leonean-born English former footballer. His position was defence or midfield....

, on the same day that they sell striker Stan Collymore

Stan Collymore

Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is an English football pundit and former footballer, who played from 1990 until 2001. He held the British transfer record when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995 and was capped three times at senior level by the England...

to Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

for a national record fee of £8.5million. Collymore's place in the Nottingham Forest attack is taken by Kevin Campbell

Kevin Campbell (footballer)

Kevin Joseph Campbell is an English former football player who played as a striker.-Playing career:Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985...

, a £2.8million signing from Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

.

3 July 1995 - Alan Ball is appointed the new manager of 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...

.

5 July 1995 - Brian Little's

Brian Little (footballer)

regeneration of 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...

continues with the £3.25million acquisition of 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...

midfielder Mark Draper

Mark Draper

Mark Draper is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder and represented England at under-21 level. He currently works as the Kit Man at Notts County.-Career:...

.

6 July 1995 - 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...

sign French winger David Ginola

David Ginola

David Karl Ginola is a French former international football player who has also worked as an actor and model.Ginola was born in Gassin, Var...

from Paris St Germain for £2.5million and striker Les Ferdinand

Les Ferdinand

from Queen's Park Rangers for a club record £6million.

10 July 1995 - England midfielder 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...

returns to the UK after three years away in a £4.3million move to Glasgow Rangers

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...

.

12 July 1995 - George Graham

George Graham (footballer)

George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...

is banned from football for a year as punishment for accepting illegal payments, which cost him his job as Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

manager five months ago.

14 July 1995 - Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

pay a club record £4.75million for England captain David Platt from Sampdoria of Italy. Platt, 29, is now the world's costliest player with transfer fees now totalling £22.15millon since Aston Villa signed him from 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...

for £200,000 in February 1988.

17 July 1995 - Mike Naylor, chairman and founder of Football League sponsors Endsleigh Insurance

Endsleigh Insurance

Endsleigh Insurance is a Cheltenham-based UK insurance intermediary specialising in the student and graduate markets. It is the preferred insurer for several unions and professional associations....

, dies in Southern France

Southern France

Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...

when his Bentley

Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...

crashes into a tree.

19 July 1995 - Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

sign Belgian midfielder Marc Degryse

Marc Degryse

Marc Gabriel Degryse , nicknamed Le Lutin d'Ardooie and The Little One, is a former Belgian footballer, who played as a forward.-Club career:...

from Anderlecht

Anderlecht

Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region.There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality.-Pronunciation:* Dutch: * French:...

for £1.5million.

24 July 1995 - Footballers Bruce Grobelaar, Hans Segers

Hans Segers

Johannes Segers is a Dutch goalkeeper, who spent most of his playing career in England.-Career:Segers was born in Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant. His early career was with home-town club PSV Eindhoven, before being signed for Nottingham Forest by Brian Clough during the 1983-84 season...

and John Fashanu

John Fashanu

John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...

are charged with being involved in match-fixing and bribery.

26 July 1995 - Queen's Park Rangers sign Australia national football team captain Ned Zelic

Ned Zelic

Nedijeljko "Ned" Zelić is a former Australian football player.-Club career:Zelic started his career in the old Australian National Soccer League,where he played with clubs Sydney Croatia and Sydney Olympic...

from Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund

Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...

of Germany for £1.25million.

1 August 1995 - Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

sign Derby County

Derby County F.C.

defender Craig Short

Craig Short

Craig Jonathan Short is a former football player who played as a central-defender...

for £2.4million.

3 August 1995 - 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...

buy winger John Salako

John Salako

John Salako is an English former professional football player who played for a variety of clubs and has also represented England at senior level. He was a part of the Crystal Palace team which reached the 1990 FA Cup Final. A severe knee injury sustained against Leeds United in 1991 put him out...

from Crystal Palace for £1.5million.

5 August 1995 - Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

, newly promoted to the Premier League, pay a club record £5.25million for 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....

forward Nick Barmby

Nick Barmby

Nicholas Jon "Nick" Barmby is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a midfielder, where he is also caretaker manager. At his peak he earned a total of 23 caps for England between 1995 and 2001...

.

8 August 1995 - Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

announces his intention to depart from English football, but Manchester United refuse to terminate his contract. Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

, newly promoted to the Premier League under Cantona's former team-mate Bryan Robson

Bryan Robson

, sign Tottenham Hotspur forward Nick Barmby

Nick Barmby

for a club record £5.25million.

10 August 1995 - Eric Cantona changes his mind and announces his intention to stay at Manchester United after a discussion with 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...

. Newcastle United sign 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...

goalkeeper Shaka Hislop

Shaka Hislop

Neil Shaka Hislop, CM is a former professional football goalkeeper. The majority of his career was spent in the top division in England where he was a part of the Newcastle United team which finished second in the Premier League for two successive seasons under Kevin Keegan's first tenure...

for £1.575million.

16 August 1995 - Andrea Silenzi

Andrea Silenzi

Andrea Silenzi is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.He was known for his goal-poaching ability, but at a highly inconsistent level. The scorer of 89 league goals during his career, Silenzi was also the first Italian to play in the Premier League, when he signed with...

becomes the first Italian to play for a Premier League side when he agrees to join 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...

in a £1.8million move from Torino.

19 August 1995 - The FA Premier League

FA Premier League

The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

season kicks off with a 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...

side predominantly made up of young players suffers a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

. Blackburn's defence of the league title begins with a 1-0 home win over Queen's Park Rangers, with Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer

scoring the only goal. Matt Le Tissier scores a hat-trick for Southampton at The Dell but can't prevent them from losing 4-3 to Nottingham Forest. Newcastle United, one of the title favourites, begin in style with a 3-0 home win over Coventry City in which the debutant Les Ferdinand scores. Bolton Wanderers mark their comeback to the top flight after 15 years away on a low note at Selhurst Park

Selhurst Park

, where they lose 3-2 to Wimbledon.

20 August 1995 - Middlesbrough's Premier League comeback sees record signing Nick Barmby score on his debut in a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Highbury

Arsenal Stadium

Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...

.

22 August 1995 - Les Ferdinand's fine start for Newcastle United continues as he scores twice in their 3-1 away win over Bolton Wanderers.

24 August 1995 - 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...

pay a club record £5million for Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

winger Andrei Kanchelskis

Andrei Kanchelskis

, who agreed to join the club weeks ago but his transfer was delayed due to legal difficulties.

26 August 1995 - 28,286 spectators watch Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

beat Chelsea

Chelsea F.C.

2-0 in their first game at the new Riverside Stadium

Riverside Stadium

The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough F.C. since it opened in 1995...

, the first new stadium to be occupied by a top division club since Manchester City's Maine Road

Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...

opened in 1923. Craig Hignett

Craig Hignett

Craig Hignett, , is an English former professional footballer who now works as an agent and a commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live...

scores the first goal at the new stadium.

28 August 1995 - In the first clash between the two clubs since Blackburn were crowned Premier League champions, Manchester United beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 at Ewood Park. United's Roy Keane

Roy Keane

Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....

is sent off for two bookable offences.

29 August 1995 - Arsenal are held to a 1-1 draw at home by Nottingham Forest in the league, with Forest striker Kevin Campbell

Kevin Campbell (footballer)

Kevin Joseph Campbell is an English former football player who played as a striker.-Playing career:Campbell began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1985...

depriving his old club of the three points.

31 August 1995 - August draws to a close with Newcastle United top of the Premier League having won all three of their games so far, ahead of Leeds United and Manchester United on goal difference. Meanwhile, the three relegation places are currently occupied by winless Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur as well as pointless Southampton. The race for a place in next season's Premier League is led by Millwall

Millwall F.C.

, while second place in Division One is occupied by 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...

who have never played top division football before. 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...

, 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...

, Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace F.C.

and 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,...

complete the top six.

9 September 1995 - In their first meeting since the FA Cup Final, Manchester United beat Everton 3-2 in the league at Goodison Park

Goodison Park

Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...

. Lee Sharpe

Lee Sharpe

Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...

scores twice, while former United player Andrei Kanchelskis dislocates his shoulder in a collision with former team mate Nicky Butt

Nicky Butt

and is ruled out for up to 10 games.

20 September 1995 - 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...

achieve a shock 3-0 away win over an under-strength Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

side in the League Cup

Football League Cup

second round first leg. United manage to win the second leg 3-1 but go out 4-3 on aggregate.

23 September 1995 -

- - Long-serving Rangers
  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...
  
  striker 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...
  
  is transferred to FA Premier League
  FA Premier League
  The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
  
  strugglers Queens Park Rangers
  Queens Park Rangers F.C.
  Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
  
  .
  - - Robbie Fowler
    Robbie Fowler
    Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
    
    scores four goals for Liverpool in their 5-0 league win over Bolton Wanderers 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...
    
    .
    - - Manchester United, whose predominantly young side was famously written off by many observers (most notably Alan Hansen
      Alan Hansen
      Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
      
      ) on the opening day of the season, go top of the Premier League with a goalless away draw against Sheffield Wednesday.

24 September 1995 - Newcastle United regain their lead of the Premier League with a 2-0 home win over Chelsea, in which Les Ferdinand

Les Ferdinand

scores twice.

30 September 1995 -

- - Newcastle United remain top of the Premier League with seven wins from their opening eight games, while Aston Villa are their nearest contenders but will be leapfrogged into second place if Manchester United beat Liverpool tomorrow in a much-anticipated game that sees the long-awaited return of Eric Cantona. Meanwhile, Manchester City prop up the top flight with just one point from their first eight games, while Southampton have climbed slightly to the highest relegation place and Bolton Wanderers have fallen to second from bottom after a reasonably good start to their first top flight campaign in 16 years. Leicester City now lead Division One, with their nearest challengers Barnsley and Millwall level on points. Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield Town (searching for a second successive promotion to end 25 years outside the top flight) 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...
  
  complete the top six.
  - - Teddy Sheringham
    Teddy Sheringham
    Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
    
    scores twice for Tottenham in their 3-1 home league win over Wimbledon, bringing his goals tally in the league this season to eight (with seven scored in September).

1 October 1995 - Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

returns from his 8-month suspension and scores late equaliser in a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

. Meanwhile, Newcastle extend their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 away win over Everton.

11 October 1995 - 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...

striker Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Cowan Ferguson is a Scottish former footballer. He was notorious for his "hardman" image and nicknamed "Big Dunc" and "Duncan Disorderly"....

is sentenced to 3 months in prison for assault

Assault

In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...

over his headbutt on Raith Rovers

Raith Rovers F.C.

Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...

player John McStay

John McStay

John "Jock" McStay is a Scottish former professional footballer. He played as a defender....

while playing for Glasgow Rangers

Rangers F.C.

18 months ago. He is the first footballer in British history to be sent to prison for an on-field offence, an unwanted milestone which Eric Cantona escaped on appeal earlier this year.

14 October 1995 - 20-year-old striker Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes

scores the only goal of the Manchester derby

Manchester derby

The Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. The local derby centres on the City of Manchester and Greater Manchester with approximately four miles separating the clubs with City based in east Manchester at the City of Manchester Stadium...

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:...

, with the result boosting United's title challenge and pushing City further into relegation trouble by extending their winless start to the season.

15 October 1995 - Bryan Robson

Bryan Robson

pulls off one of the biggest surprises of 1995 by signing Brazilian midfielder Juninho

Juninho Paulista

Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior , better known as Juninho Paulista or simply Juninho, is a former Brazilian footballer...

, currently one of the most sought-after talents in world football, in a £4.75million deal.

21 October 1995 - Les Ferdinand scores a hat-trick in Newcastle's 6-1 home league win over Wimbledon, while Manchester United remain in strong contention in second place with a 4-1 away win over Chelsea.

28 October 1995 - The Football Association announces that the 72 Football League clubs will receive an extra £21million of television revenue after they failed to agree upon an initial sum of nearly £120million. Despite fierce competition up front from the younger Stan Collymore and Robbie Fowler, 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...

still manages to impress for Liverpool as he scores twice in their 6-0 home league win over bottom-of-the-table Manchester City. Leeds United captain Gary McAllister

Gary McAllister

Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...

scores a hat-trick in a 3-1 home league win over Coventry City.

30 October 1995 - 31-year-old striker John McGinlay

John McGinlay

John McGinlay is a Scottish former footballer who is perhaps best known for his spell at Bolton Wanderers in the mid to late 1990s.-Early Career:...

scores for struggling 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....

as they achieve a surprise 1-0 home win over Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

.

31 October 1995 - October draws to a close with Newcastle United still top, but with a one-point and one-game advantage over their nearest contenders Manchester United who are continuing to impress with Eric Cantona back from his suspension and spearheading an exciting side featuring several talented young players. Blackburn Rovers, however, are still only 11th in the league and 13 points adrift of the top place that they need to gain if the Premier League trophy is to remain at Ewood Park

Ewood Park

Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

. The relegation battle features Manchester City still bottom of the table and winless after 11 games, with Bolton Wanderers and Southampton also in the bottom three. FA Cup holders Everton are continuing to struggle in the league, being just two points and two places clear of the drop zone. Millwall lead the race for promotion to the Premier League, three points ahead of Leicester City at the top of Division One. 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...

, Sunderland, 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...

(pushing for a second successive promotion to end 10 years outside the top flight) and Tranmere Rovers complete the top six.

4 November 1995 - Manchester United surrender the chance to go top of the Premier League by losing 1-0 at Arsenal. Instead, Newcastle extend their lead with a 2-1 home win over Liverpool.

8 November 1995 - Chelsea

Chelsea F.C.

sign Dan Petrescu

Dan Petrescu

Daniel Vasile Petrescu is a Romanian football manager and former player, currently the manager of Kuban Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League....

from Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

for a club record fee of £2.3million.

10 November 1995 - The Football Association withdraws its £118.5million television revenue deal with Football League clubs after they failed to meet a deadline for a decision on the deal.

10 November 1995 - Inter Milan manager Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...

discourages bids from other clubs for 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...

midfielder 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...

, who joined them from Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

on 22 June but has been disappointing in Italy. Hodgson states that he is unaware of any difficulties at the club which might have prompted him to desire a transfer, despite interest from Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

who are looking to buy a new midfielder to take over from the unsettled John Jensen

John Jensen

John Jensen , nicknamed Faxe, is a former Danish international footballer who is unemployed. He is known for his temper and is often outspoken in interviews. His playing career lasted over a decade, during which he played most famously for Arsenal F.C...

.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-league-rejects-fa-tv-offer-1581442.html

11 November 1995 - The first round of the FA Cup produces some memorable results. Northern Premier League

Northern Premier League

The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...

side Marine

Marine F.C.

Marine Football Club is an English football club in Crosby, Merseyside. The club, which was founded in 1894, is a member of both the Liverpool County and Lancashire County Football Associations, and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.Marine is notable for having the...

go to 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...

(Division Two) with hopes of performing a giant-killing feat, but end up on the receiving end of Shrewsbury's biggest-ever win of 11-2. Division Two crisis club Swansea City are thrashed 7-0 by Division Three Fulham at Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage

Craven Cottage is the name of a football stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896....

. Another Division Two club, Bradford City, fight off a brave challenge from non-league Burton Albion to win 4-3 at 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...

. Hitchin Town

Hitchin Town F.C.

Hitchin Town Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. They will compete in the Southern Football League's Premier Division for the 2011–12 season...

pull off perhaps the biggest upset on the round by defeating 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....

2-1 at Top Field. Dorchester Town's

Dorchester Town F.C.

Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England, and currently playing in the Blue Square Bet South...

hopes of a giant-killing act against 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...

at the Manor Ground are swiftly blown apart in a 9-1 defeat.

13 November 1995 - Former England

England national football team

manager Graham Taylor resigns after 20 months in charge of 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...

, who began the season as Division One

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....

promotion favourites but currently stand 19th in the table.

17 November 1995 - 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...

, director of football at 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....

since June after guiding them to Premier League title glory, is reported to be in the running for the manager's job at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

18 November 1995 - Blackburn's dismal start to the season is giving way to improvement, as a 7-0 home win over Nottingham Forest suggests that they may at least come close to repeating last season's title glory.

24 November 1995 - The FA Premier League

FA Premier League

's foreign legion continues to expand with 26-year-old Swedish striker Tomas Brolin

Tomas Brolin

Per Tomas Brolin is a Swedish former professional football player who had a successful period with A.C. Parma during the early nineties winning the 1992 Coppa Italia, the 1993 Cup Winners' Cup, the 1993 UEFA Super Cup and the 1995 UEFA Cup.Brolin also played for the Swedish national team,...

signing for 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...

from Parma

Parma F.C.

Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...

in a club record £4.5million deal. On the same day, Everton striker Duncan Ferguson is released from prison after serving 44 days of his three-month sentence for assault.

25 November 1995 - Steve Nicol

Steve Nicol

Stephen "Steve" Nicol is a Scottish former professional footballer. A utility player who played in the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980s, he was most recently coach of New England Revolution, and was the longest-tenured head coach in MLS to coach a single club.As a player, Nicol was a...

returns to the Premier League less than a year after leaving Liverpool for a 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...

side now in Division Two, when he signs for a Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

side looking to climb away from the relegation battle.

27 November 1995 - The Football League signs a five-year television coverage deal worth £125million with BSkyB.

30 November 1995 - November draws to a close with Newcastle United now leading by five points but Manchester United still pushing them hard after a generally good month which saw two comprehensive victories over Chelsea and Southampton. Manchester City have climbed off bottom place and out of the relegation zone with their first three wins of the season, while Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City and Queen's Park Rangers occupy the bottom three places. It is familiar ground for Coventry City, while a struggle is inevitable for Bolton Wanderers as it's their first top division campaign since 1979-80, but these are unfamiliar surroundings for a Queen's Park Rangers side who have never finished below ninth in their previous three top division campaigns but are now feeling the absence of Les Ferdinand

Les Ferdinand

who is now banging in goals at an impressive rate with top-of-the-table Newcastle United. Millwall remain top of Division One. 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...

emerge as surprise promotion contenders as they occupy second place in the league. Leicester City, Sunderland, Tranmere Rovers and Birmingham City complete the top six.

2 December - Blackburn's revival and Alan Shearer's prolific goalscoring both continue as he scores a hat-trick in their 4-2 home win over West Ham United. Manchester United's title push, however, stalls when they are held to a 1-1 home draw by Chelsea.

3 December - Newcastle remain five points ahead of Manchester United after being held to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Wimbledon.

4 December - Dion Dublin

Dion Dublin

Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...

scores a hat-trick for struggling Coventry City, but they still lose 4-3 to Sheffield Wednesday in the league 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...

.

7 December 1995 - Mark McGhee

Mark McGhee

Mark Edward McGhee is a former Scottish professional football player. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading...

steps down as manager of Division One promotion challengers 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...

to manage relegation threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers.

9 December 1995 - Defending Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers suffer a shock 5-0 defeat at 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...

, while in Division One 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 top after beating previous leaders Millwall

Millwall F.C.

6-0 at Roker Park

Roker Park

Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...

.

12 December 1995 - Dave Bassett

Dave Bassett

David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....

, the fifth longest serving manager in the English league, resigns as manager of Division One

Football League First Division

strugglers 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...

. On the same day, one of the highest scoring competitive games of the season sees 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...

defeat 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...

8-4 in the FA Cup second round replay at Bescot Stadium

Bescot Stadium

Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m...

that followed a 1-1 draw in the first match at Plainmoor

Plainmoor

Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...

10 days ago.

13 December 1995 - Howard Kendall

Howard Kendall

, the former Everton manager, is named as the new manager of Sheffield United.

15 December 1995 - Queen's Park Rangers misfit Ned Zelic returns to Germany in a £1million move to Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...

.

16 December 1995 -

- - 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....
  
  left-back Graeme Le Saux
  Graeme Le Saux
  Graeme Pierre Le Saux is a retired English footballer of French ancestry who played for the Premier League clubs Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton, and for the England national football team. Primarily a left back, he was sometimes also played in midfield or on the left wing.After...
  
  suffers a serious ankle fracture in a 1-0 home win over 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...
  
  in the FA Premier League
  FA Premier League
  The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
  
  . He is set to be out of action for at least nine months and will miss Euro 96.
  - - Newcastle United go seven points ahead at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 over Everton, while new Aston Villa striker Savo Milosevic
    Savo Miloševic
    Savo Milošević is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a striker.After making a name for himself at Partizan, he signed for Aston Villa, and went on to spend the vast majority of the following decade playing in Spain, where he represented four clubs, amassing La Liga totals of 241 games and...
    
    answers the critics with a hat-trick in Villa's 4-1 home win over Coventry City.

17 December 1995 - Manchester United remain seven points adrift of Newcastle after losing 2-0 at Liverpool, where Robbie Fowler scores twice.

21 December 1995 - Norwich City's

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...

Martin O'Neill

steps down as manager after just six months to take over at 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...

, while Division One bottom club 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...

replace Terry Westley

Terry Westley

Terry Westley is an association football coach and manager. Until 2011 he was the Academy Director at Birmingham City.Westley previously worked at Rushden & Diamonds, Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic, Luton Town and Derby County. At these clubs he was responsible for developing young players, who...

with Bradford City's Lennie Lawrence

Lennie Lawrence

Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...

. Meanwhile, England World Cup

1966 FIFA World Cup

The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...

winner and Leeds United

Leeds United A.F.C.

legend Jack Charlton

Jack Charlton

John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...

steps down after nearly 10 years as manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team

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....

.

22 December 1995 - Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

, the bottom club in the Premier League, pay a club record £1.2million for Sheffield United

Sheffield United F.C.

striker Nathan Blake

Nathan Blake

Nathan Alexander Blake is a Welsh former professional footballer, who played in the Premier League for several clubs and also represented his country at international level...

.

23 December 1995 - Coventry City give their survival hopes a major boost by beating Everton 2-1 at home. Robbie Fowler scores a hat-trick for Liverpool at home to Arsenal for the second season running as they win 3-1. Newcaslte United extend their lead at the top of the league to 10 points with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

24 December 1995 - Newcastle remain 10 points ahead as their nearest rivals Manchester United lose 3-1 at Leeds United.

27 December 1995 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

cut the gap at the top of the FA Premier League

FA Premier League

to 7 points with a 2-0 home win over leaders Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

.

30 December 1995 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

cut the gap at the top to 4 points with a 2-1 win over QPR.

31 December 1995 - 1995 ends with Newcastle United's lead cut from 10 points to four in the space of a week by a resurgent Manchester United, although Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....

's men still have a game in hand. Manchester City, Queen's Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers occupy the three relegation places, with Southampton and Coventry City directly above them. Back at the top end of the table, Liverpool are proving the strongest threat to the top two, while Tottenham Hotspur's good run of form is starting to suggest that they might pose a threat in the title race. Also in contention are Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. Derby County are now top of Division One with Sunderland in second place and the playoff zone occupied by Leicester City, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United, two teams who began the season among the promotion favourites, have slipped into a relegation zone that is propped up by Luton Town.

1 January 1996 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

suffer their heaviest Premier League defeat yet when they lose 4-1 at Tottenham, four years to the day that they suffered a similar humiliation at home to QPR in the last season of the pre-Premiership First Division. The gap between themselves and Newcastle United is now seven points wide.

2 January 1996 - Roy McFarland

Roy McFarland

Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...

is sacked as manager of Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

, bottom of the FA Premier League

FA Premier League

, who promote his assistant Colin Todd

Colin Todd

Colin Todd is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League...

to the manager's seat. Newcastle United re-establish a seven-point lead at the top of the league by beating Arsenal 2-0 at home.

6 January 1996 - Ian Rush

Ian Rush

breaks Denis Law

Denis Law

Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....

's goalscoring record in the FA Cup with two goals for Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

in their 7-0 win over Rochdale in the third round, while an 80th minute goal from Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

forces a 2-2 draw for 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...

in a scare for Manchester United against the Wearsiders

River Wear

The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...

at Old Trafford

Old Trafford

.

10 January 1996 - Terry Venables

Terry Venables

announces that he will quit as England manager after Euro 96 in order to concentrate on clearing his name in legal disputes with Alan Sugar

Alan Sugar

Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar is a British entrepreneur, media personality and political advisor. From humble origins in the East End of London, Sugar now has an estimated fortune of £770m , and was ranked 89th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011...

over his dismissal from 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 June 1993.

15 January 1996 - Bryan Robson

Bryan Robson

, Middlesbrough F.C.

Middlesbrough F.C.

manager and England assistant manager, is rumoured by the media to be in line to succeed Terry Venables

Terry Venables

as England manager after Euro 96. Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....

, 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....

and Gerry Francis

Gerry Francis

are also reported to be favourites for the job, but none of them have expressed any interest in it.

16 January 1996 - Sunderland's battle with Manchester United in the FA Cup third round ends in the replay at Roker Park

Roker Park

after late goals from Nicky Butt

Nicky Butt

and Andy Cole

Andy Cole

Andrew Alexander Cole is a retired English footballer. He is most well known by the name Andy Cole , but in 2000, he reputedly asked to be known as Andrew Cole...

give United a 2-1 win.

17 January 1996 - One of the most surprising results of the FA Cup third round sees Sheffield United

Sheffield United F.C.

eliminate Arsenal with a 1-0 replay win at Bramall Lane

Bramall Lane

-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...

in which out-of-favour Carl Veart

Carl Veart

Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...

is the unlikely hero with the winning goal.

20 January 1996 - Neil Ruddock

Neil Ruddock

Neil "Razor" Ruddock is a retired English footballer, who played as a central defender.He made his debut at Millwall , and he had a long career playing for Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Liverpool, West Ham, Crystal Palace, and finally a short-lived spell as a player/coach at Swindon Town Neil...

and Robbie Fowler both score twice in Liverpool's 5-0 home win over Leeds United in the league.

23 January 1996 - Blackburn Rovers block a move by the Irish Football Association to try to appoint their director of football Kenny Dalglish as the new national coach.

24 January 1996 - Nigel Clough

Nigel Clough

Nigel 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....

, who has been forced out of the Liverpool side by the emergence of Robbie Fowler

Robbie Fowler

Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....

and arrival of Stan Collymore

Stan Collymore

since he joined the club three summers ago, is sold to Manchester City

Manchester City F.C.

for £1.5million.

27 January 1996 - Reading's

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...

hopes of achieving a giant-killing feat against Manchester United in the FA Cup third round are quickly blown apart when United win 3-0 at Elm Park

Elm Park (stadium)

Elm Park was a football stadium in the West Reading district of the English town of Reading. It was the home of Reading Football Club from 1896 until 1998, when they moved to the new Madejski Stadium....

. Among the scorers is Paul Parker, scoring only his second goal for the club and making a rare appearance as he has been displaced by Gary Neville

Gary Neville

Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....

as United's first choice right-back over the last two seasons.

30 January 1996 - Bryan Robson is reported to be the Football Association's preferred choice for the England manager's job.

31 January 1996 - January draws to a close with Newcastle United still top and with a nine-point lead over Manchester United as well as a game in hand. The threat from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur is becoming increasingly distant, while Aston Villa have muscled in on the top five and are also making good progress in both of the cups. Manchester City, Queen's Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers continue to prop up the rest of the Premier League while Middlesbrough's recent slip has seen alarm bells ringing in the direction of relegation when a month ago they were pushing for a top-five place. Manchester United make a surprise £500,000 move for Manchester City goalkeeper Tony Coton

Tony Coton

Anthony Philip "Tony" Coton is an English former footballer who made 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing as a goalkeeper for Birmingham City, Watford, Manchester City and Sunderland...

, signed for £500,000 as cover for Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel

Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...

. Derby County remain top of Division One, with Charlton Athletic second and the playoff zone being occupied by Huddersfield Town, Sunderland, Leicester City and a 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...

side who have enjoyed a recent fine run of form under player-manager Ronnie Whelan

Ronnie Whelan

Ronald Andrew "Ronnie" Whelan is a former Irish football midfielder, and sometimes defender, who was an integral part of the dominant Liverpool side of the 1980s...

. West Bromwich Albion, who were in the promotion hunt three months ago, have slipped into the relegation battle and are only a goal away from falling into the bottom three.

4 February 1996 - Gavin Peacock

Gavin Peacock

Gavin Keith Peacock is a former English professional football player who played primarily in midfield but often as a striker...

scores a hat-trick in Chelsea's 5-0 win over Middlesbrough in the league.

5 February 1996 - Millwall

Millwall F.C.

manager Mick McCarthy

Mick McCarthy

, 39, is appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland team.

6 February 1996 - Jimmy Kelly

Jimmy Kelly (footballer born 1973)

James "Jimmy" Kelly is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for Nantwich Town. He has played for several clubs in The Football League, Conference National and Welsh Premier League....

, 22-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

midfielder, is jailed for five years for the manslaughter of a woman he kicked in the head during a Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

nightclub brawl.

8 February 1996 - The Department of Employment refuses to issue work permits to Marc Hottiger

Marc Hottiger

Marc Hottiger is a retired Swiss football defender.He was capped 63 times and scored 5 goals for the Swiss national team between 1989 and 1996...

(who has agreed a deal to move from Newcastle United to Everton F.C.

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 Ilie Dumitrescu

Ilie Dumitrescu

Ilie Dumitrescu is a former Romanian football player and current coach, he last managed Steaua Bucureşti. A tricky forward, he shot to fame when his frontline partnership with Gheorghe Hagi and Florin Răducioiu led the Romania national football team to the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal,...

(who has agreed a deal to move from 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....

to West Ham). Meanwhile, Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace F.C.

(16th in Division One) appoint Dave Bassett as manager, ending Steve Coppell

Steve Coppell

's short-lived second spell as manager.

10 February 1996 - Newcastle United break their transfer record yet again with a £6.7million move for Parma

Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

and Colombia

Colombia national football team

The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...

striker Faustino Asprilla

Faustino Asprilla

Faustino Hernán "Tino" Asprilla Hinestroza is a former Colombian football player. He was known by his supporters in his home country as The Octopus for his voracious appetite...

.

14 February 1996 - Former Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

manager Bob Paisley

Bob Paisley

dies aged 77 four years after announcing that he had Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

. On the same day, Liverpool's neighbours Everton surrender their defence of the FA Cup with a fourth round replay shock defeat at the hands of 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...

, while West Ham United's FA Cup dreams are ended with a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Division One underdogs Grimsby Town

Grimsby Town F.C.

.

17 February 1996 - Middlesbrough's recent slump continues as they lose 4-1 at home to resurgent bottom-of-the-table Bolton Wanderers.

24 February 1996 - Manchester City boost their own survival bid and do neighbouring United's title bid a favour by holding leaders Newcastle United to a 3-3 draw at Maine Road

Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...

.

25 February 1996 - Newcastle are now just four points ahead at the top of the Premier League as Manchester United triumph 6-0 at Bolton Wanderers.

28 February 1996 - Swindon Town and Huddersfield Town, the last remaining non Premier League teams in the FA Cup, are defeated in fifth round replays, meaning that the quarter-finals will be a rare case of a top flight only affair.

29 February 1996 - February draws to a close with Newcastle United still top, but a few missed opportunities from them and a run of strong results from Manchester United has cut the gap at the top to just four points, and all eyes are on next week's showdown between the top two on Tyneside

Tyneside

Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...

, which is billed by many as the "title decider". Meanwhile, Liverpool's good form has kept them in line with the top two. Bolton Wanderers are still bottom with a mere 16 points and a 6-0 destruction by Manchester United leaving their Premier League survival looking less and likely. Manchester City and Queen's Park Rangers are faring little better, while Southampton, Wimbledon and Coventry City are only clear of the drop zone because they have a better goal difference than Manchester City. Derby County and Sunderland lead the pack in Division One, with Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield Town, Barnsley and Stoke City completing the top six. Crystal Palace, who were battling relegation a few weeks ago, are now just one point outside the playoff zone.

4 March 1996 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

cut Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

's FA Premier League

FA Premier League

lead to a single point thanks to an Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

goal in a 1-0 win 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'...

.

5 March 1996 - Arsenal bid for a UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

place is bolstered when they beat Manchester City 3-1 at Highbury.

7 March 1996 - Marc Hottiger

Marc Hottiger

Marc Hottiger is a retired Swiss football defender.He was capped 63 times and scored 5 goals for the Swiss national team between 1989 and 1996...

and Ilie Dumitrescu

Ilie Dumitrescu

finally receive the necessary work permit

Work permit

Work permit is a generic term for a legal authorization which allows a person to take employment.It is most often used in reference to instances where a person is given permission to work in a country where one does not hold citizenship, but is also used in reference to minors, who in some...

s to complete their long-awaited transfers.

11 March 1996 - Manchester United remain in line for a unique second double by defeating Southampton 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.

16 March 1996 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

go top of the FA Premier League

FA Premier League

on goal difference with a 1-1 away draw against Queen's Park Rangers.

18 March 1996 - Newcastle regain their lead of the Premier League with a 3-0 home win over West Ham.

20 March 1996 - A goal from Eric Cantona puts Manchester United back on top of the Premier League on goal difference as they beat Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford.

23 March 1996 - Arsenal further aid Manchester United's title bid by beating Newcastle United 2-0 at Highbury and sending Alex Ferguson's team back on top of the table on goal difference.

24 March 1996 - Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

defeat Leeds United

Leeds United A.F.C.

3-0 in the Football League Cup

Football League Cup

final, while Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to give themselves a three-point lead over Newcastle.

25 March 1996 - To celebrate England hosting this year's European Championships, an edition of stamps commemorating five deceased legends of the English game is announced. Following a poll among the public, the players selected are Dixie Dean

Dixie Dean

William Ralph Dean , better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football...

, Bobby Moore

Bobby Moore

Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...

, Duncan Edwards

Duncan Edwards

Duncan Edwards was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national team. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid 1950s, and one of eight players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster.Born in Dudley,...

, Billy Wright and Danny Blanchflower

Danny Blanchflower

Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur F.C. during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009...

. With the exception of the Northern Irish Blanchflower, all of the players chosen were former England internationals.

28 March 1996 - Relegation battlers Manchester City make a last-ditch attempt to bolster their attack in the Premier League relegation run-in by signing Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

striker Mikhail Kavelashvili

Mikhail Kavelashvili

Mikhail Kavelashvili is a Georgian former footballer.As with many leading Georgian players, Kavelahvili began his career with FC Dinamo Tbilisi, emerging from their youth system in 1989. A skillful striker, he soon established himself in the Dinamo side before earning a move to Russian club FC...

from Alania Vladikavkaz for £1.4million.

30 March 1996 - Queen's Park Rangers keep their fading survival hopes alive with a 3-0 home win over fellow strugglers Southampton, while in the race for a UEFA Cup place, Andrei Kanchelskis scores twice as Everton beat Blackburn 3-0 at Ewood Park.

31 March 1996 - March draws to a close with Manchester United as leaders with a three-point margin over Newcastle United who have two games in hand, while Liverpool - like Manchester United - are still in contention for a unique second double, though with a far steeper task ahead of them. Aston Villa's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool has put paid to any hopes they might have had of a unique domestic treble, but at least their boardroom already has the League Cup on display and they are still within a shout of the league title. Arsenal have edged their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur out of the top five, while at the other end of the table Bolton Wanderers and Queen's Park Rangers have recently enjoyed a slight improvement to keep their survival hopes alive (though they continue to prop up the rest of the top flight), while Manchester City have climbed out of the drop zone at the expense of Southampton. Sunderland have stormed to the top of Division One and are four points ahead of second placed Derby County, also having a game in hand. Crystal Palace's revival has continued and they stand third. Charlton Athletic, Ipswich Town and Stoke City complete the top six. A resurgent Wolverhampton Wanderers are now just three points outside the playoff zone.

3 April 1996 - Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

and Newcastle United play out the match of the season in a 4-3 thriller 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...

. Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore both score twice for the hosts, who help aid Manchester United's title bid while denting Newcastle's which they had looked so certain to win only a couple of months ago.

5 April 1996 - Resurgent Middlesbrough move closer to survival and mid table security with a 3-1 home win over a Sheffield Wednesday side still in a precarious position.

6 April 1996 - Manchester United retain their lead of the Premier League with a 3-2 win over City in the Manchester derby at Maine Road - a result which puts their neighbours deeper into relegation trouble.

8 April 1996 - 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...

defender David Busst

David Busst

David Busst is a former English footballer and current football community manager and coach. Busst played all of his professional career at Coventry City before suffering a broken leg during a match which ended his career. His injury is often considered as the most horrific in the history of the...

suffers a compound leg fracture in the 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

at Old Trafford

Old Trafford

; he is expected to be out of action for at least a year and there are fears that he may never play senior football again. Meanwhile, the result helps United move closer to the title - while Newcastle's hopes take another big blow when two late goals from Graham Fenton

Graham Fenton

Graham Anthony Fenton is an English professional footballer, currently playing for North Shields. He was also capped once by England at under-21 level.-Career:...

see Blackburn beat them 2-1 at Ewood Park. Queen's Park Rangers continue to keep their survival bid alive by beating Everton 3-1 at Loftus Road

Loftus Road

Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...

, a result which damages the visiting side's hopes of European qualification. Bolton Wanderers, the bottom placed club, also keep their faint survival hopes alive by beating Chelsea 2-1 at Burnden Park

Burnden Park

Burnden Park was the home of English FA Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games here between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting an FA Cup Final replay it was the scene of one of the greatest disasters in English football and the subject of an L. S...

.

12 April 1996 - John Aldridge

John Aldridge

John William Aldridge is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager...

, 37, is appointed player-manager of 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...

after John King's nine-year reign as manager came to an end.

13 April 1996 - 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....

scores his first hat-trick for Chelsea as they beat Leeds United 4-1 in the league at Stamford Bridge

Stamford Bridge (stadium)

Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...

. His old club Manchester United suffer a shock 3-1 defeat to relegation battlers Southampton, but are still six points clear at the top of the league.

14 April 1996 - Newcastle keep their title challenge alive by beating Aston Villa 1-0 and cutting Manchester United's lead to three points.

16 April 1996 - The Merseyside derby

Merseyside derby

The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

at Goodison Park

Goodison Park

ends in a 1-1 draw, with Andrei Kanchelskis scoring for Everton and Robbie Fowler for Liverpool.

17 April 1996 - The gap at the top of the Premier League remains three points wide as Manchester United and Newcastle United both achieve 1-0 home wins, against Leeds United and Southampton respectively.

20 April 1996 - 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...

win promotion to the Premier League, meaning they will be playing the top division against both Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

and Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

next season - for the first time since the 1970s.

22 April 1996 - With the Football Association still yet to decide on who will be the next England manager, midfielder Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne

makes a public plea for Terry Venables to be persuaded to stay in the job.

25 April 1996 - The Football Association's hopes of appointed Bryan Robson as the new England manager are effectively ended when he agrees to remain at Middlesbrough until at least the end of the 1999-2000 season.

27 April 1996 - Bolton Wanderers are relegated after just one season in the Premier League as they lose 1-0 at home to Southampton, whose goal from Matt Le Tissier boosts their own survival bid. Queen's Park Rangers beat West Ham United 3-0 but it is too late to prevent their relegation from the top flight after 13 years. Manchester City, meanwhile, are still very much alive when a Steve Lomas

Steve Lomas

Stephen "Steve" Lomas is the football manager of St Johnstone and a former Northern Ireland international player. He played for Manchester City, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers and Gillingham, finishing his playing career at United Counties Football League Premier Division club St Neots Town...

goal gives them a surprise 1-0 win over Aston Villa 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...

, as are Coventry City after a 2-0 away win over Wimbledon in which Peter Ndlovu

Peter Ndlovu

Peter Ndlovu is a Zimbabwean footballer, who plays as a striker.-Coventry City:Ndlovu was originally spotted by John Sillett, prior to his official signing from Highlanders by Terry Butcher in July 1991...

scores twice.

28 April 1996 - A 5-0 home win over Nottingham Forest moves Manchester United closer to their third league title in four seasons.

29 April 1996 -

- - The Football Association offers Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle the England manager's job. Hoddle, 38, has been in management since taking over at Swindon Town five years ago and took the Wiltshire
  Wiltshire
  Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
  
  club into the Premier League in 1993 before taking over at Chelsea, who reached the FA Cup final in his first season, the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in his second season, and the FA Cup semi-final this season, although they have never finished higher than 11th in the Premier League.
  - - Newcastle United remain in contention for the league title with a 1-0 away win over Leeds United.

30 April 1996 - With most clubs just having one game left to play in the Premier League, April draws to a close with Manchester United firm favourites for the title with a six-point advantage over Newcastle United, who have two games in hand and are now the only team able to prevent them from winning the first half of a unique second double. Aston Villa are now assured of a top-five finish, with the final UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

place now down to Arsenal, Everton, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur. Queen's Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers have had their relegation confirmed, while the final place is down to Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City, Southampton and Manchester City. The race for the final automatic promotion place in Division One is still open between Derby County and Crystal Palace. Stoke City, Charlton Athletic and Leicester City complete the top six. Ipswich Town and Huddersfield Town are now the only teams who can muscle in on the top six.

2 May 1996 -

- - 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...
  
  boss 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....
  
  agrees to become 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...
  
  manager on a four-year contract after the European Football Championships.

- - - Former Manchester City chairman Peter Swales, who departed two years ago following the election of Francis Lee
    Francis Lee
    Francis Henry Lee is a former professional footballer, who played in the 1960s and 1970s, including 27 appearances for the England national team. Lee played for Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, and Derby County...
    
    as his successor, dies aged 62 after suffering a heart attack.

- - - - Newcastle United are held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, leaving them needing a comprehensive win over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the season to even scrape the league title which has eluded them since 1927.

5 May 1996 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

clinch the FA Premier League

FA Premier League

title with a 3-0 away win over Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

on the final day of the season. They also clinch a place in the European Cup

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

. The UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

places go to Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

, Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

, Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

and Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

. Going down to Division One

Football League First Division

are Manchester City

Manchester City F.C.

, Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

and Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

.

10 May 1996 - Ruud Gullit

Ruud Gullit

accepts Chelsea's offer to become their player-manager in place of Glenn Hoddle. Gullit, who turns 34 on 1 September, will be the youngest manager in the Premier League as well as the top flight's only black and foreign manager.

11 May 1996 - Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

become the first English team to repeat the 'double' (and do so with a similar squad to the 1994 side) when a late Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona

goal gives them a 1-0 win over Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

in the FA Cup

FA Cup

final. Ian Rush

Ian Rush

has to settle for an FA Cup runners-up medal in his final game as a Liverpool player, having collected winner's medals in 1986, 1989 and 1992.

14 May 1996 - Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

agree a £4million fee for FC Porto's Brazilian midfielder Emerson

Emerson Moisés Costa

Emerson Moisés Costa , simply Emerson, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.As well as in his country, he played professionally in Portugal, England, Spain and Scotland...

.

24 May 1996 - Gianluca Vialli

Gianluca Vialli

Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....

agrees to sign for Chelsea on a free transfer from Juventus.

27 May 1996 - With England's 22-man squad for Euro 96 yet to be confirmed, it is reported that the 35-year-old Newcastle United forward 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...

will not be part of it.

28 May 1996 -

- - Leicester City seal promotion to the Premier League, a year after going down, with a goal in the dying seconds of extra time from striker Steve Claridge
  Steve Claridge
  Stephen Edward Claridge is an English football player, pundit and coach. He is currently a pundit for BBC Sport football shows including Football Focus and the The Football League Show, whilst also playing as a striker for semi-professional team Gosport Borough.Claridge's career is known for its...
  
  which gave them a 2-1 win over 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...
  
  of Wembley Stadium.

- - - England's Euro 96 squad is announced, with notable omissions being Peter Beardsley, Ugo Ehiogu
    Ugo Ehiogu
    Ugochuku "Ugo" Ehiogu is an English former footballer who played as a centre back, most recently for Sheffield United...
    
    , Dennis Wise
    Dennis Wise
    Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
    
    , Robert Lee
    Rob Lee
    Robert Martin "Rob" Lee is a retired English footballer who played the majority of his career for Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.-Charlton Athletic:...
    
    and Jason Wilcox
    Jason Wilcox
    Jason Wilcox is a former professional footballer who played as a left winger. He made 5 appearances for England including 3 at full international level.-Blackburn:...
    
    .

1 June 1996 - Ian Rush

Ian Rush

leaves Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

after two spells (the first of which began in 1980, the second of which began in 1988) and joins Leeds United

Leeds United A.F.C.

on a free transfer.

8 June 1996 - FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

announces that all football agents involved in transfers must now be licenced. On the same day, the Premier League announces that teams will be able to select five substitutes in the match squad, an increase upon the previous limit of three substitutes, though only three of the named substitutes can be used.

25 June 1996 - England bow out of Euro 96 in the semi-final, a Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009...

penalty miss putting them out after a 1-1 draw with Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

.

30 June 1996 - Euro 96 is won by Germany, who beat Czech Republic

Czech Republic national football team

The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

2-1 at Wembley with Oliver Bierhoff

Oliver Bierhoff

Oliver Bierhoff is a retired German former football striker, who scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final...

scoring both of his country's goals.

Notable debutants

26 August 1995: Michael Brown, 18-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Manchester City

Manchester City F.C.

in a 1-0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road

Loftus Road

in the Premier League.

13 January 1996: Ian Harte

Ian Harte

Ian Patrick Harte is an Irish international footballer who plays for Reading in the Football League Championship. Best known for his spell at Leeds United and also his ability to score goals from long range, including being a free kick specialist...

, 18-year-old left-back, makes his debut as a substitute in a 2-0 home win for Leeds United against West Ham United in the Premier League.

31 January 1996: Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard

Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...

, 17-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 3-2 home win over 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...

in the Premier League.

30 March 1996: Harry Kewell

Harry Kewell

Harold "Harry" Kewell is an Australian professional football midfielder who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Internationally he has received 55 caps, and scored 16 goals, while playing for the Australian national team...

, 18-year-old Australian winger, makes his debut for Leeds United

Leeds United A.F.C.

against Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

in the Premier League.

5 May 1996: Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand

Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...

, 18-year-old central defender, makes his debut for West Ham United in their 1-1 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

on the final day of the Premier League season.

Retirements

19 July 1995: Alan Smith, 32-year-old Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

striker who helped them win five major trophies since joining them in 1987, retires after failing to recover from an ankle injury.

10 October 1995: Clive Allen

Clive Allen

Clive 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...

, 34-year-old striker, retires after being given a free transfer by Carlisle United after playing just three games for them in Division Two. His best days came at Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

, where he scored 49 goals in all competitions in the 1986-87 season and was voted PFA Player of the Year.

16 October 1995: David O'Leary

David O'Leary

David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...

, 37-year-old Leeds United defender, retires due to an achilles injury after 18 months out of action.

11 November 1995: Jimmy Case

Jimmy Case

James Robert Case is a retired English football player who shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.-Early life:...

, 41-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion player-manager, announces his retirement from playing. Case, who is best known for his time at Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

and 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...

, was the oldest outfield player registered in the English Football League or Premier League.

11 November 1995: Simon Webster

Simon Webster (footballer)

Simon Paul Webster is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Exeter City, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Oldham Athletic and Derby County...

, 31-year-old West Ham United

West Ham United F.C.

defender, retires after failing to recover from a broken leg suffered in a training ground collision with Julian Dicks

Julian Dicks

Julian Andrew Dicks , is a retired football player and manager, last attached to Isthmian League Division One North club Grays Athletic.-Playing career:...

Deaths

July 1995 – John Marshall, 16, died suddenly from a heart defect just before he was due to sign an apprenticeship with 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...

.
August 1995 – Dennis Allen
Dennis Allen (footballer)
Dennis James Allen was an English football player and manager.Born in Dagenham, Allen represented Charlton Athletic , Reading and Bournemouth as an inside-forward. He scored 89 goals in 358 league appearances...

, 56, was a former player of 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,...

, 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...

and 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...

. He was a member of a strong footballing family, being the father of Martin Allen
Martin Allen
Martin James Allen is a former football player and current manager of Notts County. He played more than 100 games for each Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and Southend United. Five years later, he took his first job in management, at...

and the uncle of Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...

, Clive Allen
Clive Allen
Clive 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...

and Bradley Allen
Bradley Allen
Bradley James Allen is a former English professional footballer who played as a striker. He notably played for Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic and Grimsby Town. He also played as a professional for Colchester United, Peterborough United and Bristol Rovers in a professional career that...

.
23 August 1995 – Johnny Carey
Johnny Carey
John Joseph "Johnny" Carey , also known as Jackie Carey, was an Irish footballer and manager. As a player Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953...

, 76, former Manchester United defender and Republic of Ireland international. Won the league in 1952, and the FA Cup in 1948. Later managed a number of clubs, including 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....

, 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...

, 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...

and 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...

.
14 September 1995 – Harold Shepherdson
Harold Shepherdson
Harold Shepherdson was an English football player, coach and manager.Born in Middlesbrough, Shepherdson signed for his home town club in 1936, but saw his playing career interrupted by the Second World War and ultimately made just 17 league appearances.He is most notable for having been Alf...

, 76, longtime assistant coach for the England national team, a role he held during England's 1966 World Cup victory.
21 September 1995 – Michael Millett
Michael Millett
Michael Millett was an English footballer who played for Wigan Athletic. Millett was regarded as a talented youngster who could play in defence or midfield. He had represented England at U16 and U18 level, and made his first-team debut for Wigan towards the end of the 1994-95 season...

, 17, 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...

defender, died in a car crash one day before his 18th birthday. Had played three times for his club and was tipped by many to reach the highest level.
25 September 1995 – Dave Bowen
Dave Bowen
David Lloyd "Dave" Bowen was a Welsh football player and manager, who captained his country to their only ever World Cup finals, in 1958.-Playing career:...

, 67, former 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 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...

defender, who won 19 caps for 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...

and represented his country at the 1958 World Cup. Later became Northampton's most successful manager of all time, guiding the Cobblers from the fourth to the first division in four seasons.
28 September 1995 – Albert Johanneson
Albert Johanneson
Albert Louis Johanneson was one of the first high-profile black players, of any nationality, to play top-flight football in England.-Career:Johanneson, a skilful and swift left winger, was recommended to Leeds United by a South African schoolteacher and joined the club in April 1961...

, 55, South African winger who played for 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...

during the 1960s and played in their first league championship winning team in 1969. Moved to 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...

a year later. Died alone at his tower block flat in Leeds.
25 November 1995 – Alan Nicholls
Alan Nicholls
Alan Nicholls was an English football goalkeeper.Alan started his career as a trainee at Wolverhampton Wanderers but never made the first team...

, 22, former 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...

goalkeeper, was killed in a motorcycle crash near Peterborough which also claimed the life of the motorcyclist whose motorcycle he was a passenger on. At the time of his death, was playing for Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

in the Conference after a brief spell at 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...

.
13 January 1996 – Bobby Langton
Bobby Langton
Robert "Bobby" Langton was an English footballer who played for the majority of his career for Lancashire clubs. He played mostly on the left wing.-Playing career:...

, 77, former Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

and 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...

left-winger who also won 11 caps for England.
16 January 1996 – Harry Potts
Harry Potts
Harold "Harry" Potts was an English football player and manager.-Early life:Born in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, as was another well-known name in football, Bob Paisley. The duo spent much of their childhood playing various sports, but it was football that Potts loved most...

, 75, former 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...

player and manager. Played 165 league games for the Charets between 1946 and 1950, and was appointed manager in 1958, a post he held until 1970, winning the 1959-60 league title. He also had a second spell as Burnley manager between 1977 and 1979.
16 January 1996 – Dai Ward
Dai Ward
David "Dai" Ward was a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. During his career in The Football League, he averaged a goal every other game, scoring 160 goals in 316 matches between 1954 and 1965....

, 61, former 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....

, 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...

, 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...

and 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....

striker who made over 300 appearances in the Football League, averaging just over a goal every other game, and won two caps for Wales.
9 February 1996 – Neil Franklin
Neil Franklin
Cornelius 'Neil' Franklin was an English footballer.-Early career:Franklin had made a impression at schoolboy level, playing at both inside and centre forward...

, 74, an outstanding centre-half with 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...

, winning 27 England caps. In 1950, he agreed to join Santa Fé of the non-FIFA sanctioned Colombian league where he would allegedly receive "ten times his English wages", but returned to England disillusioned and never played top-flight football again.
14 February 1996 – Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...

, 77, legendary 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...

manager who won a total of 21 prizes between 1974 and 1983, and had previously been employed by the club as a player and later as a coach. At the time of his death he was still the most successful manager in English football.
2 May 1996 – Peter Swales, 63, who was chairman of 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...

from 1973 to 1993, died after suffering a heart attack.

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