1968–69 in English football
The 1968–69 season was the 89th season of competitive
Honours
Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
First Division | Leeds United (1) | Liverpool |
Second Division | Derby County | Crystal Palace |
Third Division | Watford | Swindon Town |
Fourth Division | Doncaster Rovers | Halifax Town
|
FA Cup |
Manchester City (4) | Leicester City |
League Cup | Swindon Town (1) | Arsenal |
Charity Shield | Manchester City | West Bromwich Albion |
Home Championship |
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Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour.
FA Cup
The season's big giant-killers were Third Division Mansfield Town who accounted for Sheffield United in the Third Round and West Ham in the Fifth before going out to Leicester in the Sixth Round.[citation needed]
League Cup
In one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition
European football
Football League
First Division
Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool.
Manchester United's final season under the management of
Newly promoted Queens Park Rangers were relegated after finishing bottom, along with the FA Cup runners-up Leicester City.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Leeds United | 42 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 66 | 26 | 2.538 | 67 | Qualified for the European Cup |
2 | Liverpool | 42 | 25 | 11 | 6 | 63 | 24 | 2.625 | 61 | Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup |
3 | Everton | 42 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 77 | 36 | 2.139 | 57 | |
4 | Arsenal | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 56 | 27 | 2.074 | 56 | Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[a] |
5 | Chelsea | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 73 | 53 | 1.377 | 50 | |
6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 61 | 51 | 1.196 | 45 | |
7 | Southampton | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 57 | 48 | 1.188 | 45 | Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[b] |
8 | West Ham United | 42 | 13 | 18 | 11 | 66 | 50 | 1.320 | 44 | |
9 | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 61 | 55 | 1.109 | 44 | Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[c] |
10 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 64 | 67 | 0.955 | 43 | |
11 | Manchester United | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 57 | 53 | 1.075 | 42 | |
12 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 59 | 60 | 0.983 | 41 | |
13 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 64 | 55 | 1.164 | 40 | Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup |
14 | Burnley | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 55 | 82 | 0.671 | 39 | |
15 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 41 | 54 | 0.759 | 36 | |
16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 41 | 58 | 0.707 | 35 | |
17 | Sunderland | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 43 | 67 | 0.642 | 34 | |
18 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 45 | 57 | 0.789 | 33 | |
19 | Stoke City | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 40 | 63 | 0.635 | 33 | |
20 | Coventry City | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 46 | 64 | 0.719 | 31 | |
21 | Leicester City | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 39 | 68 | 0.574 | 30 | Relegated to the Second Division |
22 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 4 | 10 | 28 | 39 | 95 | 0.411 | 18 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- ^ Arsenal qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead of Everton, who finished below Liverpool, due to the "only one club per city" rule.
- ^ Southampton qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, who finished below Arsenal, due to the "only one club per city" rule.
- ^ Newcastle United qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as the trophy holders.
Second Division
Derby County were runaway winners of the Second Division and they were joined in being promoted by runners-up Crystal Palace. Despite still boasting the talents of Johnny Haynes and George Cohen, Fulham finished bottom and were relegated. They were joined in the Third Division by perennial strugglers Bury
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Derby County | 42 | 26 | 11 | 5 | 65 | 32 | 2.031 | 63 | Promoted to the First Division |
2 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 70 | 47 | 1.489 | 56 | |
3 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 61 | 52 | 1.173 | 50 | |
4 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 58 | 49 | 1.184 | 49 | |
5 | Cardiff City | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 67 | 54 | 1.241 | 47 | |
6 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 53 | 46 | 1.152 | 46 | |
7 | Birmingham City | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 73 | 59 | 1.237 | 44 | |
8 | Blackpool | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 51 | 41 | 1.244 | 43 | |
9 | Sheffield United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 61 | 50 | 1.220 | 43 | |
10 | Millwall | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 57 | 49 | 1.163 | 43 | |
11 | Hull City | 42 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 59 | 52 | 1.135 | 42 | |
12 | Carlisle United | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 46 | 49 | 0.939 | 42 | |
13 | Norwich City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 53 | 56 | 0.946 | 40 | |
14 | Preston North End | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 38 | 44 | 0.864 | 39 | |
15 | Portsmouth | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 58 | 58 | 1.000 | 38 | |
16 | Bristol City | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 46 | 53 | 0.868 | 38 | |
17 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 55 | 67 | 0.821 | 38 | |
18 | Aston Villa | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 37 | 48 | 0.771 | 38 | |
19 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 52 | 63 | 0.825 | 37 | |
20 | Oxford United | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 0.618 | 33 | |
21 | Bury | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 51 | 80 | 0.638 | 30 | Relegated to the Third Division |
22 | Fulham | 42 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 40 | 81 | 0.494 | 25 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Third Division
Watford won the title on goal average (Goal Ratio) from Swindon Town and both teams were duly promoted. At the bottom end Northampton Town, Hartlepool, Crewe Alexandra and Oldham Athletic were all relegated.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Watford | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 74 | 34 | 2.176 | 64 | Promoted to the Second Division |
2 | Swindon Town | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 71 | 35 | 2.029 | 64 | |
3 | Luton Town | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 74 | 38 | 1.947 | 61 | |
4 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic
|
46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 60 | 45 | 1.333 | 51 | |
5 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 53 | 49 | 1.082 | 49 | |
6 | Torquay United | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 54 | 46 | 1.174 | 48 | |
7 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 70 | 68 | 1.029 | 48 | |
8 | Southport | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 71 | 64 | 1.109 | 47 | |
9 | Stockport County | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 67 | 68 | 0.985 | 46 | |
10 | Barnsley | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 58 | 63 | 0.921 | 46 | |
11 | Rotherham United | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 56 | 50 | 1.120 | 45 | |
12 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 72 | 65 | 1.108 | 45 | |
13 | Walsall | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 50 | 49 | 1.020 | 44 | |
14 | Reading | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 67 | 66 | 1.015 | 43 | |
15 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 62 | 0.935 | 43 | |
16 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 63 | 71 | 0.887 | 43 | |
17 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 51 | 67 | 0.761 | 43 | |
18 | Orient | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 51 | 58 | 0.879 | 42 | |
19 | Barrow | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 56 | 75 | 0.747 | 42 | |
20 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 54 | 63 | 0.857 | 41 | |
21 | Northampton Town | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 54 | 61 | 0.885 | 40 | Relegated to the Fourth Division |
22 | Hartlepool | 46 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 40 | 70 | 0.571 | 39 | |
23 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 52 | 76 | 0.684 | 35 | |
24 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 50 | 83 | 0.602 | 35 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Fourth Division
The Division was won by
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 65 | 38 | 1.711 | 59 | Promoted to the Third Division |
2 | Halifax Town | 46 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 53 | 37 | 1.432 | 57 | |
3 | Rochdale | 46 | 18 | 20 | 8 | 68 | 35 | 1.943 | 56 | |
4 | Bradford City | 46 | 18 | 20 | 8 | 65 | 46 | 1.413 | 56 | |
5 | Darlington | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 62 | 45 | 1.378 | 52 | |
6 | Colchester United | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 57 | 53 | 1.075 | 52 | |
7 | Southend United | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 78 | 61 | 1.279 | 51 | |
8 | Lincoln City | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 54 | 52 | 1.038 | 51 | |
9 | Wrexham
|
46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 61 | 52 | 1.173 | 50 | |
10 | Swansea Town | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 58 | 54 | 1.074 | 49 | |
11 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 64 | 65 | 0.985 | 48 | |
12 | Workington | 46 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 40 | 43 | 0.930 | 47 | |
13 | Port Vale | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 46 | 46 | 1.000 | 46 | |
14 | Chester | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 76 | 66 | 1.152 | 45 | |
15 | Aldershot | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 66 | 66 | 1.000 | 45 | |
16 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 61 | 60 | 1.017 | 44 | |
17 | Exeter City | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 66 | 65 | 1.015 | 43 | |
18 | Peterborough United | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 60 | 57 | 1.053 | 42 | |
19 | Notts County | 46 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 48 | 57 | 0.842 | 42 | |
20 | Chesterfield | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 43 | 50 | 0.860 | 41 | |
21 | York City | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 53 | 75 | 0.707 | 39 | Re-elected |
22 | Newport County | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 49 | 74 | 0.662 | 36 | |
23 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 9 | 15 | 22 | 47 | 69 | 0.681 | 33 | |
24 | Bradford Park Avenue
|
46 | 5 | 10 | 31 | 32 | 106 | 0.302 | 20 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Top goalscorers
First Division
- Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur) – 27 goals[2]
Second Division
- John Toshack (Cardiff City) – 22 goals[2]
Third Division
- Don Rogers (Swindon Town) – 22 goals[2]
Fourth Division
- Gary Talbot (Chester) – 22 goals[2]
Events of the season
- 3 August 1968 – The reigning champions Manchester City beat the FA Cup holders West Bromwich Albion 6–1 in the Charity Shield at Maine Road. Bobby Owen and Francis Lee both score twice.[3]
- 10 August 1968 – The League season begins with Manchester City losing 2–1 to Liverpool at Anfield. Promoted Queens Park Rangers draw their first match in the First Division at home to Leicester City, and Arsenal win the North London derby 2–1 at White Hart Lane.[4]
- 17 August 1968 – The Manchester derby at Maine Road finishes goalless. Draws for West Ham United and Arsenal (against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool respectively) end their 100% records, leaving Leeds United as the only First Division club with six points out of six. Crystal Palace and Millwall are the teams with maximum points in Division Two, while Mansfield Town and Lincoln City, of Divisions Three and Four respectively, have won both of their games thus far.[5]
- 19 October 1968 – Geoff Hurst scores six times as West Ham United thrash Sunderland 8–0 to equal their record League victory.[6] Burnley beat Leeds United 5–1.[4]
- 18 December 1968 – Tommy Docherty becomes the manager at Aston Villa, his third club in six weeks, after his resignation from Rotherham United and a brief spell at Queens Park Rangers.
- 21 December 1968 – Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 to top the First Division table at Christmas. Leeds United, who avenge their earlier defeat to Burnley by beating the Clarets 6–1 at Elland Road, are three points behind with two games in hand, while Everton and Arsenal remain in contention. At the bottom, Queens Park Rangers and Coventry City occupy the relegation places.[7]
- 14 January 1969 – Sir Matt Busby announces that he will retire as the manager of Manchester United at the end of the season.[8]
- 20 January 1969 – Nuneaton Borough.[9]
- 22 February 1969– Mary Raine became the first woman to report on sport for the BBC, when she was sent to report on the Chelsea-Sunderland league game for radio’s Sports Report. The match finished 5-1 to Chelsea.
- 15 March 1969 – Third Division League Cup final thanks to two goals in extra-time from Don Rogers.[10]
- 19 March 1969 – Struggling Manchester United beat bottom-of-the-table Queens Park Rangers 8–1 at Old Trafford in one of the highest-scoring matches of the First Division season.[4]
- 29 March 1969 – Queens Park Rangers lose 2–1 at home to Liverpool and are relegated from the First Division in their first season after promotion, having won just three of their 38 matches so far.[4]
- 11 April 1969 – The Dave Mackay of Derby County are the joint-winners. Leeds' Billy Bremner finishes third, and Jimmy Greaves of Tottenham is fourth.[11]
- 26 April 1969 – Manchester City win the FA Cup with a final.[12]
- 28 April 1969 – Leeds United draw 0–0 with second-placed Liverpool at Anfield to clinch the First Division title for the first time in their history.[13]
- 15 May 1969 – Manchester United's defence of the European Cup ends when they are knocked out by Milan in the semi-finals. They win the second leg at Old Trafford 1–0 with a goal by Bobby Charlton, but lose 2–1 on aggregate. Milan's goalkeeper Fabio Cudicini is injured by an object thrown from the crowd.[14]
- 17 May 1969 – Three weeks after their FA Cup final defeat, Leicester City are relegated from the First Division. Needing to beat Manchester United to overtake Coventry City, they lose 3–2 in Matt Busby's last match as Manchester United's manager.[15] Liverpool's draw with Newcastle United leaves them in second place, six points behind Leeds United, who finish the season with just two defeats and unbeaten in their last 28 League games since October.[4]
- 11 June 1969 – Newcastle United beat Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Finalto secure a 6–2 aggregate victory and win their first European trophy.
Star players
For the only time in its history the
Star managers
- Don Revie led Leeds United to their first ever League win, with a record number of points, losing just two matches and set in place a team that was to become one of the most successful of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
- Already a club legend as a player, Joe Harvey became one of Newcastle United's most celebrated managers by leading the club to European glory.
- Danny Williamsalso won the League Cup to make his own name.
National team
The
American tour
Deaths
- 5 October 1968 – Joe Brough, 81.[16]
- 8 October 1968 – Frank Womack, 80.
- 14 October 1968 – Paul Shardlow, 25, heart attack.[17]
- October 1968 – Eric Sweeney, 65[18]
- December 1968 – Brian Hill, 31.[17]
- 20 January 1969, Roy Evans, 25, car accident.[17]
- 21 January 1969, Len Andrews, 80.[19]
- April 1969, Harry Nuttall, 71
- 13 July 1969, Bobby Barclay, 62
References
- ^ "David Nish profile". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Man City triumph in Charity Shield thriller". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ ISBN 1859832148.
- ^ "Leeds only unbeaten first division club". The Gazette. Montreal. The Canadian Press. 19 August 1968. p. 29. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ "West Ham United 8 - 0 Sunderland". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ Tom German (23 December 1968). "Tottenham true to pattern". The Times. No. 57441. London. p. 9.
- ^ "1969: Matt Busby retires from Man United". BBC News. 14 January 1969.
- ^ [1] Archived 2010-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Forgotten Story Of ... Swindon's 1969 League Cup triumph". The Guardian. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ a b "MACKAY AND BOOK SHARE AWARD". The Herald. Glasgow. 11 April 1969. p. 6. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ "FA Cup Final 1969". Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ Geoffrey Green (29 April 1969). "Leeds survive pounding to clinch title". The Times. No. 57557. London. p. 8.
- ^ Geoffrey Green (16 May 1969). "Milan rearguard action balks United". The Times. No. 57561. London. p. 11.
- ^ Geoffrey Green (19 May 1969). "Too good a side for relegation". The Times. No. 57563. London. p. 6.
- ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b c Player death notices
- ^ Eric Sweeney
- ISBN 0-9527458-0-1.