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The1960–61 season was the 81st season of competitivefootball inEngland.Tottenham Hotspur became the first club in the twentieth century to "do the Double" by winning both the League and theFA Cup competitions in the same season. Spurs sealed theFirst Division title with a 2–1 home win overSheffield Wednesday on 17 April 1961.Preston North End, who had been the first team to achieve the League and FA Cup "double", was relegated in last place – and to date have not returned to the top flight of English football. 1960–61 still remains the last time Tottenham Hotspur won the League Championship. This season also saw the first contesting of theFootball League Cup.
Portsmouth became the first formerEnglish League champion to be relegated to the Third Division, ten years after winning their second title.Peterborough United set a Football League record by scoring the most league goals (134) in a season.
Tottenham Hotspur beatLeicester City 2–0 to win the1961 FA Cup Final atWembley Stadium to become the first team in the 20th Century to winthe double.
The1960–61 season was the inaugural staging of theFootball League Cup, The tournament was won byAston Villa, who beatRotherham United 3–2 on aggregate after extra time. Although Aston Villa are credited as the League Cup Winners in 1960–61, both legs of the Final were held over until after the commencement of the1961–62 season due to fixture congestion. Villa finally lifted the trophy on 5 September 1961.
In June 1961,Denis Law leftManchester City forItalian sideTorino in a £100,000 deal – a record fee involving a British player.
| Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| First Division | Tottenham Hotspur (2) | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Second Division | Ipswich Town | Sheffield United |
| Third Division | Bury | Walsall |
| Fourth Division | Peterborough United | Crystal Palace |
| FA Cup | Tottenham Hotspur (3) | Leicester City |
| League Cup | Aston Villa (1) | Rotherham United |
| Charity Shield | Burnley andWolverhampton Wanderers (shared) | |
| Home Championship | ||
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
Tottenham Hotspur became the first team in the 20th century to winthe double, finishing eight points ahead of runners-up Sheffield Wednesday. Wolves, Everton and defending champions Burnley completed the top five, while FA Cup runners-up Leicester City were in sixth place and Manchester United finished seventh for the second season running.
Preston North End, in their first season without retired wingerTom Finney, went down in bottom place, joined in relegation by Newcastle United.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur(C) | 42 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 115 | 55 | 2.091 | 66 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup preliminary round |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 78 | 47 | 1.660 | 58 | Qualification for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 103 | 75 | 1.373 | 57 | |
| 4 | Burnley | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 102 | 77 | 1.325 | 51 | |
| 5 | Everton | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 87 | 69 | 1.261 | 50 | |
| 6 | Leicester City | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 87 | 70 | 1.243 | 45 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round[a] |
| 7 | Manchester United | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 88 | 76 | 1.158 | 45 | |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 78 | 77 | 1.013 | 43 | |
| 9 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 77 | 76 | 1.013 | 43 | |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 67 | 71 | 0.944 | 41 | |
| 11 | Arsenal | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 77 | 85 | 0.906 | 41 | |
| 12 | Chelsea | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 98 | 100 | 0.980 | 37 | |
| 13 | Manchester City | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 79 | 90 | 0.878 | 37 | |
| 14 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 62 | 78 | 0.795 | 37 | Qualification for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 15 | Cardiff City | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 60 | 85 | 0.706 | 37 | |
| 16 | West Ham United | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 77 | 88 | 0.875 | 36 | |
| 17 | Fulham | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 72 | 95 | 0.758 | 36 | |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 73 | 0.795 | 35 | |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 62 | 84 | 0.738 | 34 | Qualification for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup second round |
| 20 | Blackpool | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 68 | 73 | 0.932 | 33 | |
| 21 | Newcastle United(R) | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 86 | 109 | 0.789 | 32 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 22 | Preston North End(R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 43 | 71 | 0.606 | 30 |
Alf Ramsey's Ipswich side reached the First Division for the first time in their history by winning the Second Division title. The club had been in non-league football 25 years earlier. They were joined in promotion bySheffield United. Liverpool just missed out on First Division football once again, while Norwich City achieved their best final position yet by finishing fourth.
Lincoln City went down in bottom place and were joined in the Third Division by Portsmouth, league champions just over a decade earlier.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ipswich Town(C, P) | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 100 | 55 | 1.818 | 59 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Sheffield United(P) | 42 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 81 | 51 | 1.588 | 58 | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 87 | 58 | 1.500 | 52 | |
| 4 | Norwich City | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 70 | 53 | 1.321 | 49 | |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 83 | 74 | 1.122 | 48 | |
| 6 | Sunderland | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 75 | 60 | 1.250 | 47 | |
| 7 | Swansea Town | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 77 | 73 | 1.055 | 47 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round |
| 8 | Southampton | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 84 | 81 | 1.037 | 44 | |
| 9 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 69 | 64 | 1.078 | 43 | |
| 10 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 97 | 91 | 1.066 | 43 | |
| 11 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 81 | 82 | 0.988 | 42 | |
| 12 | Derby County | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 80 | 80 | 1.000 | 40 | |
| 13 | Luton Town | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 71 | 79 | 0.899 | 39 | |
| 14 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 75 | 83 | 0.904 | 38 | |
| 15 | Rotherham United | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 65 | 64 | 1.016 | 37 | |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 61 | 75 | 0.813 | 37 | |
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 73 | 92 | 0.793 | 37 | |
| 18 | Stoke City | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 36 | |
| 19 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 55 | 78 | 0.705 | 36 | |
| 20 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 62 | 71 | 0.873 | 35 | |
| 21 | Portsmouth(R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 64 | 91 | 0.703 | 33 | Relegation to theThird Division |
| 22 | Lincoln City(R) | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 48 | 95 | 0.505 | 24 |
Bury won promotion to the Second Division as champions of the Third Division and were joined in the higher division by runners-up Walsall.
Chesterfield, Colchester United and Tranmere Rovers, who had all spent most or all of their history in nothing higher than the league's third tier, went down to the Fourth Division, but were relegated along with a Bradford City side who had played in the First Division for a number of seasons until 1922 and were FA Cup winners in 1911.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury(C, P) | 46 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 108 | 45 | 2.400 | 68 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Walsall(P) | 46 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 98 | 60 | 1.633 | 62 | |
| 3 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 93 | 60 | 1.550 | 60 | |
| 4 | Watford | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 85 | 72 | 1.181 | 52 | |
| 5 | Notts County | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 82 | 77 | 1.065 | 51 | |
| 6 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 77 | 69 | 1.116 | 50 | |
| 7 | Port Vale | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 96 | 79 | 1.215 | 49 | |
| 8 | Barnsley | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 83 | 80 | 1.038 | 49 | |
| 9 | Halifax Town | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 71 | 78 | 0.910 | 49 | |
| 10 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 83 | 75 | 1.107 | 46 | |
| 11 | Hull City | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 73 | 73 | 1.000 | 46 | |
| 12 | Torquay United | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 75 | 83 | 0.904 | 45 | |
| 13 | Newport County | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 81 | 90 | 0.900 | 45 | |
| 14 | Bristol City | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 70 | 68 | 1.029 | 44 | |
| 15 | Coventry City | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 80 | 83 | 0.964 | 44 | |
| 16 | Swindon Town | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 62 | 55 | 1.127 | 43 | |
| 17 | Brentford | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 56 | 70 | 0.800 | 43 | |
| 18 | Reading | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 72 | 83 | 0.867 | 40 | |
| 19 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 58 | 76 | 0.763 | 40 | |
| 20 | Southend United | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 60 | 76 | 0.789 | 39 | |
| 21 | Tranmere Rovers(R) | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 79 | 115 | 0.687 | 38 | Relegation to theFourth Division |
| 22 | Bradford City(R) | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 65 | 87 | 0.747 | 36 | |
| 23 | Colchester United(R) | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 68 | 101 | 0.673 | 33 | |
| 24 | Chesterfield(R) | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 67 | 87 | 0.770 | 32 |
Peterborough United enjoyed a blistering debut in the Football League, finding the net 134 times (with 52 goals coming from centre-forwardTerry Bly) and clinching the Fourth Division title. They were joined in promotion by Crystal Palace, Northampton Town and Bradford Park Avenue.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peterborough United(C, P) | 46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 134 | 65 | 2.062 | 66 | Promotion to theThird Division |
| 2 | Crystal Palace(P) | 46 | 29 | 6 | 11 | 110 | 69 | 1.594 | 64 | |
| 3 | Northampton Town(P) | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 90 | 62 | 1.452 | 60 | |
| 4 | Bradford (Park Avenue)(P) | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 84 | 74 | 1.135 | 60 | |
| 5 | York City | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 80 | 60 | 1.333 | 51 | |
| 6 | Millwall | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 97 | 86 | 1.128 | 50 | |
| 7 | Darlington | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 78 | 70 | 1.114 | 49 | |
| 8 | Workington | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 74 | 76 | 0.974 | 49 | |
| 9 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 61 | 67 | 0.910 | 49 | |
| 10 | Aldershot | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 79 | 69 | 1.145 | 45 | |
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 76 | 78 | 0.974 | 45 | |
| 12 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 79 | 88 | 0.898 | 45 | |
| 13 | Stockport County | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 57 | 66 | 0.864 | 45 | |
| 14 | Southport | 46 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 69 | 67 | 1.030 | 44 | |
| 15 | Gillingham | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 64 | 66 | 0.970 | 43 | |
| 16 | Wrexham | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 62 | 56 | 1.107 | 42 | |
| 17 | Rochdale | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 60 | 66 | 0.909 | 42 | |
| 18 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 74 | 88 | 0.841 | 40 | |
| 19 | Carlisle United | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 61 | 79 | 0.772 | 39 | |
| 20 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 71 | 78 | 0.910 | 38 | |
| 21 | Exeter City | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 66 | 94 | 0.702 | 38 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Barrow | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 52 | 79 | 0.658 | 37 | |
| 23 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 71 | 103 | 0.689 | 32 | |
| 24 | Chester | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 61 | 104 | 0.587 | 31 |
First Division
Second Division
Third Division
Fourth Division