The 1959–60 season was the 80th season of competitive football in England.
Honours
editNotes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
Awards
editFootball League
editFirst Division
editBurnley failed to top the First Division all season, but pipped Wolves to top spot on the final day of their season to clinch the title. Wolves finished their season on 30-April on 54 points. Burnley's last game of the season was on Monday, 2 May, which they won to move to 55 points. The runners-up Wolves, while missing out on a third successive league title and becoming the first team this century to win the elusive double, went on to win the FA Cup this season. Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion and newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday completed the top five. Manchester United, last season's runners-up, dipped to seventh in the league this season despite 32 goals from forward Dennis Viollet and the mid-season signing of half-back Maurice Setters. Luton Town, last season's FA Cup finalists, went down in bottom place, and were joined in relegation by Leeds United.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley (C) | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 85 | 61 | 1.393 | 55 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 106 | 67 | 1.582 | 54 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 86 | 50 | 1.720 | 53 | |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 83 | 57 | 1.456 | 49 | |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 80 | 59 | 1.356 | 49 | |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 59 | 51 | 1.157 | 48 | |
| 7 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 102 | 80 | 1.275 | 45 | |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 82 | 78 | 1.051 | 44 | |
| 9 | Preston North End | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 79 | 76 | 1.039 | 44 | |
| 10 | Fulham | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 73 | 80 | 0.913 | 44 | |
| 11 | Blackpool | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 59 | 71 | 0.831 | 40 | |
| 12 | Leicester City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 66 | 75 | 0.880 | 39 | |
| 13 | Arsenal | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 68 | 80 | 0.850 | 39 | |
| 14 | West Ham United | 42 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 75 | 91 | 0.824 | 38 | |
| 15 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 73 | 78 | 0.936 | 37 | |
| 16 | Manchester City | 42 | 17 | 3 | 22 | 78 | 84 | 0.929 | 37 | |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 60 | 70 | 0.857 | 37 | |
| 18 | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 76 | 91 | 0.835 | 37 | |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 63 | 80 | 0.788 | 36 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 20 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 50 | 74 | 0.676 | 35 | |
| 21 | Leeds United (R) | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 65 | 92 | 0.707 | 34 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Luton Town (R) | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 50 | 73 | 0.685 | 30 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Second Division
editAston Villa earned an immediate return to the First Division as Second Division champions, and were joined in promotion by runners-up Cardiff City. Liverpool's change of manager from Phil Taylor to Bill Shankly was not enough to earn them promotion, as they finished in third place, eight points adrift of promotion. Huddersfield Town could only finish sixth in the Second Division despite the goals of brilliant young forward Denis Law, who was sold to Manchester City towards the end of the season for a national record fee.
Hull City and Bristol City went down to the Third Division.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa (C, P) | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 89 | 43 | 2.070 | 59 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Cardiff City (P) | 42 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 90 | 62 | 1.452 | 58 | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 90 | 66 | 1.364 | 50 | |
| 4 | Sheffield United | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 68 | 51 | 1.333 | 50 | |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 90 | 64 | 1.406 | 48 | |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 73 | 52 | 1.404 | 47 | |
| 7 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 90 | 87 | 1.034 | 47 | |
| 8 | Rotherham United | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 61 | 60 | 1.017 | 47 | |
| 9 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 72 | 78 | 0.923 | 47 | |
| 10 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 76 | 61 | 1.246 | 44 | |
| 11 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 78 | 68 | 1.147 | 44 | |
| 12 | Swansea Town | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 82 | 84 | 0.976 | 40 | |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 75 | 78 | 0.962 | 39 | |
| 14 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 67 | 76 | 0.882 | 38 | |
| 15 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 57 | 71 | 0.803 | 36 | |
| 16 | Sunderland | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 52 | 65 | 0.800 | 36 | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 66 | 83 | 0.795 | 35 | |
| 18 | Derby County | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 61 | 77 | 0.792 | 35 | |
| 19 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 61 | 89 | 0.685 | 35 | |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 59 | 77 | 0.766 | 32 | |
| 21 | Hull City (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 48 | 76 | 0.632 | 30 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 22 | Bristol City (R) | 42 | 11 | 5 | 26 | 60 | 97 | 0.619 | 27 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Third Division
editThe Third Division promotion race was very much a two-horse race for much of the season, ending with Southampton going up as champions and Norwich City as runners-up.
Accrington Stanley, Wrexham, York City and Mansfield Town went down to the Fourth Division.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton (C, P) | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 106 | 75 | 1.413 | 61 | Promotion to the Second Division |
| 2 | Norwich City (P) | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 82 | 54 | 1.519 | 59 | |
| 3 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 97 | 75 | 1.293 | 52 | |
| 4 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 87 | 70 | 1.243 | 52 | |
| 5 | Coventry City | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 78 | 63 | 1.238 | 52 | |
| 6 | Brentford | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 78 | 61 | 1.279 | 51 | |
| 7 | Bury | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 64 | 51 | 1.255 | 51 | |
| 8 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 73 | 54 | 1.352 | 49 | |
| 9 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 83 | 74 | 1.122 | 47 | |
| 10 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 72 | 72 | 1.000 | 47 | |
| 11 | Reading | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 84 | 77 | 1.091 | 46 | |
| 12 | Southend United | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 76 | 74 | 1.027 | 46 | |
| 13 | Newport County | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 80 | 79 | 1.013 | 46 | |
| 14 | Port Vale | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 80 | 79 | 1.013 | 46 | |
| 15 | Halifax Town | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 70 | 72 | 0.972 | 46 | |
| 16 | Swindon Town | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 69 | 78 | 0.885 | 46 | |
| 17 | Barnsley | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 65 | 66 | 0.985 | 44 | |
| 18 | Chesterfield | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 71 | 84 | 0.845 | 43 | |
| 19 | Bradford City | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 66 | 74 | 0.892 | 42 | |
| 20 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 72 | 75 | 0.960 | 41 | |
| 21 | York City (R) | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 57 | 73 | 0.781 | 38 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 22 | Mansfield Town (R) | 46 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 81 | 112 | 0.723 | 36 | |
| 23 | Wrexham (R) | 46 | 14 | 8 | 24 | 68 | 101 | 0.673 | 36 | |
| 24 | Accrington Stanley (R) | 46 | 11 | 5 | 30 | 57 | 123 | 0.463 | 27 |
Fourth Division
editWalsall sealed the Fourth Division title and with it a place in the Third Division. They were joined in the higher division by Notts County, Torquay United and Watford.
Gateshead were voted out of the Football League and replaced by ambitious Southern League side Peterborough United, who boasted a 30,000-capacity stadium.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsall (C, P) | 46 | 28 | 9 | 9 | 102 | 60 | 1.700 | 65 | Promotion to the Third Division |
| 2 | Notts County (P) | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 107 | 69 | 1.551 | 60 | |
| 3 | Torquay United (P) | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 84 | 58 | 1.448 | 60 | |
| 4 | Watford (P) | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 92 | 67 | 1.373 | 57 | |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 84 | 61 | 1.377 | 53 | |
| 6 | Northampton Town | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 85 | 63 | 1.349 | 53 | |
| 7 | Gillingham | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 74 | 69 | 1.072 | 52 | |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 84 | 64 | 1.313 | 50 | |
| 9 | Exeter City | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 80 | 70 | 1.143 | 49 | |
| 10 | Stockport County | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 58 | 54 | 1.074 | 49 | |
| 11 | Bradford (Park Avenue) | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 70 | 68 | 1.029 | 49 | |
| 12 | Rochdale | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 65 | 60 | 1.083 | 46 | |
| 13 | Aldershot | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 77 | 74 | 1.041 | 45 | |
| 14 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 79 | 88 | 0.898 | 45 | |
| 15 | Darlington | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 63 | 73 | 0.863 | 43 | |
| 16 | Workington | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 68 | 60 | 1.133 | 42 | |
| 17 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 69 | 76 | 0.908 | 42 | |
| 18 | Barrow | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 77 | 87 | 0.885 | 41 | |
| 19 | Carlisle United | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 51 | 66 | 0.773 | 41 | |
| 20 | Chester | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 59 | 77 | 0.766 | 40 | |
| 21 | Southport | 46 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 48 | 92 | 0.522 | 34 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Gateshead (R) | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 58 | 86 | 0.674 | 33 | Failed re-election and demoted |
| 23 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 8 | 12 | 26 | 41 | 83 | 0.494 | 28 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 10 | 7 | 29 | 59 | 109 | 0.541 | 27 |
Top goalscorers
editFirst Division
- Dennis Viollet (Manchester United) – 32 goals[1]
Second Division
- Brian Clough (Middlesbrough) – 39 goals[1]
Third Division
- Derek Reeves (Southampton) – 39 goals[2]
Fourth Division
- Cliff Holton (Watford) – 42 goals[2]
References
edit- 1 2 "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- 1 2 "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.