The1957–58 season was the 78th season of competitivefootball in England.
The season ended withWolverhampton Wanderers asFirst Division champions after scoring 103 goals andBolton Wanderers asFA Cup winners. However, the season is remembered most for theMunich air disaster which occurred on 6 February 1958 and involvedManchester United on the return flight from aEuropean Cup quarter-final win inYugoslavia; 23 people died as a result of their injuries in the crash, including eight of the club's players.
[1]At the end of the season, Sunderland were relegated for the first time in their history. This was the last season to feature a regionalised Third Division. At the end of the season, the teams finishing between 2nd and 12th in the North and South divisions were placed in the new national Third Division, with the remainder being transferred to the new Fourth Division.
31 August 1957: TheManchester derby atOld Trafford seesUnited beatCity 4–1 with goals fromDuncan Edwards,Tommy Taylor,Johnny Berry andDennis Viollet.[2]
18 September 1957: In the First Division,Nottingham Forest beatBurnley 7–0, the first time they have scored seven without reply since 1950 in theThird Division South.[3]
28 September 1957:Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Manchester United at home 3–1 with two goals fromDennis Wilshaw and one fromNorman Deeley.[4]
10 October 1957: TheEngland squad to faceWales is announced, and features three newcomers. They areBolton Wanderers goalkeeperEddie Hopkinson,Blackburn Rovers'Bryan Douglas andDon Howe ofWest Bromwich Albion.[5]
16 November 1957: Wolverhampton Wanderers lose their 100% home record tolocal rivals West Bromwich Albion in a 1–1 draw. Until then the home team had won eight successive home games, scoring 27 goals and conceding only five.[4]
1 December 1957:Harry Gregg becomes the world's most expensive goalkeeper after joining Manchester United fromDoncaster Rovers for a fee of £23,500.[6]
7 December 1957:Everton'sDave Hickson issent off from their all-North West clash with Manchester City.[7]
13 December 1957: EvertonianTony McNamara heads acrossStanley Park to joinLiverpool.[8]
25 December 1957:Tottenham Hotspur, in their 1–0 home victory, become only the second team (Everton did so in the first game of the season) in the whole season to prevent Wolverhampton Wanderers from scoring.[4]
3 January 1958: Liverpool add "much-wanted"Hibernian inside forwardJimmy Harrower to their ranks, paying a fee that "tops £10,000".[8]
9–10 January 1958: Dave Hickson is suspended byThe Football Association for 21 days, with their disciplinary committee taking into account "the player's record on previous misconduct"; Everton order him not to comment.[7]
15 January 1958: Manchester United managerMatt Busby accepts an offer to become manager of theScotland national football team, while attending the under-23 international atGoodison Park between England and Scotland. Reports suggest Busby will assume command before the match between Scotland and aScottish Football League XI on 3 February.[9]
1 February 1958: A thrilling First Division match atHighbury sees Manchester United defeatArsenal 5–4.[10]
5 February 1958: Manchester United reach theEuropean Cup semi-finals with a 3–3 draw (5–4 win on aggregate) in the quarter-final second leg againstRed Star Belgrade inYugoslavia.
6 February 1958:The Manchester United team plane crashes atMunich Airport inWest Germany. 21 people are killed, including seven of the team's players (Roger Byrne,Geoff Bent,Eddie Colman,Bill Whelan, Tommy Taylor,David Pegg andMark Jones) and three club officials (secretaryWalter Crickmer, coachTom Curry and trainerBert Whalley). Also among the dead is journalistFrank Swift, the former Manchester City and England goalkeeper. Ten other players are injured, with doctors being particularly concerned about the conditions of winger Johnny Berry and left-half Duncan Edwards.[11] Manager Matt Busby is also seriously injured.[12]
19 February 1958: In their first game since the Munich air disaster, Manchester United (with a side mostly made up of reserve players) defeatSheffield Wednesday 3–0 in theFA Cup fifth round at Old Trafford. However, the victory is overshadowed by news from Munich that the condition of Duncan Edwards has deteriorated once more.[13]
21 February 1958: 21-year-old Duncan Edwards dies in hospital from injuries sustained fifteen days ago in the Munich air disaster.
13 March 1958: Liverpool's leading goalscorer,Tony Rowley, signs forTranmere Rovers.[14]
12 April 1958:Woking win theFA Amateur Cup after victory overIlford in thefinal 3–0, in front of a youngMartin Tyler.[15]
26 April 1958: Wolverhampton Wanderers are crowned champions after scoring their 103rd goal of the season, but are beaten by already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday in their last league game of the season, while in the Second Division the Anglo-Welsh derby betweenBristol City andSwansea Town goes the way of Swansea.[16] Meanwhile, two England representative teams are in action, as theschoolboys win 3–1 over their Scottish equivalents atWembley Stadium in front of 90,000,[17] while theEngland amateurs drew 1–1 against France.[18]
3 May 1958:Nat Lofthouse scores both goals as Bolton Wanderers beat Manchester United 2–0 in theFinal at Wembley to win the FA Cup for the fourth time.
24 August 1957:Jimmy Greaves, 17-year-old forward, scores once on his debut forChelsea in a First Division fixture againstTottenham Hotspur.[19]
28 September 1957:Gerry Byrne, 19-year-old left-back, makes his debut for illness-ravaged Liverpool.[20]
21 December 1957:Kenny Morgans, 18-year-old winger, makes his debut for Manchester United in First Division home match againstLeicester City.[21]
19 February 1958:Shay Brennan, 20-year-old winger, scores twice on his debut for Manchester United as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 in the FA Cup third round, their first game after the Munich air disaster.[22]
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
The First Division title went to Wolves, still captained byBilly Wright and managed byStan Cullis. Preston North End finished runners-up, while Tottenham Hotspur finished third thanks largely to the influence of captain andFootballer of the Year,Danny Blanchflower. West Bromwich Albion finished fourth and the top five was completed by Manchester City, who became the first and so far only club to both score and concede 100 goals in a league season. After the Munich air disaster, Manchester United won only one more league game and dropped to ninth place, although they did reach the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Bolton Wanderers.
Sheffield Wednesday propped up the First Division and were the first side to be relegated, being joined soon after by a Sunderland side who had been in the First Division for nearly seventy years.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers(C) | 42 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 103 | 47 | 2.191 | 64 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup first round |
| 2 | Preston North End | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 100 | 51 | 1.961 | 59 | |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 93 | 77 | 1.208 | 51 | |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 92 | 70 | 1.314 | 50 | |
| 5 | Manchester City | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 104 | 100 | 1.040 | 49 | |
| 6 | Burnley | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 80 | 74 | 1.081 | 47 | |
| 7 | Blackpool | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 80 | 67 | 1.194 | 44 | |
| 8 | Luton Town | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 69 | 63 | 1.095 | 44 | |
| 9 | Manchester United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 85 | 75 | 1.133 | 43 | |
| 10 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 69 | 63 | 1.095 | 42 | |
| 11 | Chelsea | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 83 | 79 | 1.051 | 42 | Qualification for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 12 | Arsenal | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 73 | 85 | 0.859 | 39 | |
| 13 | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 89 | 0.854 | 39 | Qualification for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 73 | 86 | 0.849 | 39 | |
| 15 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 65 | 87 | 0.747 | 38 | |
| 16 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 65 | 75 | 0.867 | 37 | |
| 17 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 51 | 63 | 0.810 | 37 | |
| 18 | Leicester City | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 91 | 112 | 0.813 | 33 | |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 73 | 81 | 0.901 | 32 | |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 73 | 88 | 0.830 | 32 | |
| 21 | Sunderland(R) | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 54 | 97 | 0.557 | 32 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 22 | Sheffield Wednesday(R) | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 69 | 92 | 0.750 | 31 |
West Ham United topped the Second Division to secure First Division football for the first time in the postwar era, while Blackburn Rovers finished one point behind them in second place. Charlton Athletic missed out on an immediate return to the First Division by a single point, while Liverpool missed out on promotion by two points. With six games remaining in the season,Lincoln City looked certain to be relegated - five points adrift of the club above them, and having won only five matches all season. Incredibly they won their last six matches to escape relegation by a single point.[23]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Ham United(C, P) | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 101 | 54 | 1.870 | 57 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Blackburn Rovers(P) | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 93 | 57 | 1.632 | 56 | |
| 3 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 107 | 69 | 1.551 | 55 | |
| 4 | Liverpool | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 79 | 54 | 1.463 | 54 | |
| 5 | Fulham | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 97 | 59 | 1.644 | 52 | |
| 6 | Sheffield United | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 75 | 50 | 1.500 | 52 | |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 83 | 74 | 1.122 | 45 | |
| 8 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 68 | 69 | 0.986 | 44 | |
| 9 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 63 | 66 | 0.955 | 44 | |
| 10 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 85 | 80 | 1.063 | 42 | |
| 11 | Stoke City | 42 | 18 | 6 | 18 | 75 | 73 | 1.027 | 42 | |
| 12 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 77 | 79 | 0.975 | 41 | |
| 13 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 86 | 83 | 1.036 | 40 | |
| 14 | Barnsley | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 70 | 74 | 0.946 | 40 | |
| 15 | Cardiff City | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 63 | 77 | 0.818 | 37 | |
| 16 | Derby County | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 60 | 81 | 0.741 | 36 | |
| 17 | Bristol City | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 63 | 88 | 0.716 | 35 | |
| 18 | Rotherham United | 42 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 65 | 101 | 0.644 | 33 | |
| 19 | Swansea Town | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 72 | 99 | 0.727 | 31 | |
| 20 | Lincoln City | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 55 | 82 | 0.671 | 31 | |
| 21 | Notts County(R) | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 44 | 80 | 0.550 | 30 | Relegation to theThird Division |
| 22 | Doncaster Rovers(R) | 42 | 8 | 11 | 23 | 56 | 88 | 0.636 | 27 |
Scunthorpe & Lindsey United sealed the Third Division North title by a comfortable margin and secured their place in the Second Division, while runners-up Accrington Stanley had the consolation of at least being able to play in the third of the league's fourth tiers following the decision to reorganise into four national divisions for the 1958–59 season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scunthorpe & Lindsey United(C, P) | 46 | 29 | 8 | 9 | 88 | 50 | 1.760 | 66 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 83 | 61 | 1.361 | 59 | Qualification for theThird Division |
| 3 | Bradford City | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 73 | 49 | 1.490 | 57 | |
| 4 | Bury | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 94 | 62 | 1.516 | 56 | |
| 5 | Hull City | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 78 | 67 | 1.164 | 53 | |
| 6 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 100 | 92 | 1.087 | 52 | |
| 7 | Halifax Town | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 83 | 69 | 1.203 | 51 | |
| 8 | Chesterfield | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 71 | 69 | 1.029 | 51 | |
| 9 | Stockport County | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 74 | 67 | 1.104 | 47 | |
| 10 | Rochdale | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 79 | 67 | 1.179 | 46 | |
| 11 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 82 | 76 | 1.079 | 46 | |
| 12 | Wrexham | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 61 | 63 | 0.968 | 46 | |
| 13 | York City(R) | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 68 | 76 | 0.895 | 46 | Relegation to theFourth Division |
| 14 | Gateshead(R) | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 68 | 76 | 0.895 | 45 | |
| 15 | Oldham Athletic(R) | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 72 | 84 | 0.857 | 45 | |
| 16 | Carlisle United(R) | 46 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 80 | 78 | 1.026 | 44 | |
| 17 | Hartlepools United(R) | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 73 | 76 | 0.961 | 44 | |
| 18 | Barrow(R) | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 66 | 74 | 0.892 | 41 | |
| 19 | Workington(R) | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 72 | 81 | 0.889 | 41 | |
| 20 | Darlington(R) | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 78 | 89 | 0.876 | 41 | |
| 21 | Chester(R) | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 73 | 81 | 0.901 | 39 | |
| 22 | Bradford (Park Avenue)(R) | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 68 | 95 | 0.716 | 37 | |
| 23 | Southport(R) | 46 | 11 | 6 | 29 | 52 | 88 | 0.591 | 28 | Re-elected to theFourth Division |
| 24 | Crewe Alexandra(R) | 46 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 47 | 93 | 0.505 | 23 |
Brighton & Hove Albion won promotion to the Second Division as champions of the Third Division South.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion(C, P) | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 88 | 64 | 1.375 | 60 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 82 | 56 | 1.464 | 58 | Qualification for theThird Division |
| 3 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 67 | 48 | 1.396 | 58 | |
| 4 | Swindon Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 79 | 50 | 1.580 | 57 | |
| 5 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 79 | 51 | 1.549 | 55 | |
| 6 | Southampton | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 112 | 72 | 1.556 | 54 | |
| 7 | Southend United | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 90 | 58 | 1.552 | 54 | |
| 8 | Norwich City | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 75 | 70 | 1.071 | 53 | |
| 9 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 81 | 74 | 1.095 | 51 | |
| 10 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 64 | 65 | 0.985 | 50 | |
| 11 | Newport County | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 73 | 67 | 1.090 | 48 | |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 77 | 79 | 0.975 | 47 | |
| 13 | Northampton Town(R) | 46 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 87 | 79 | 1.101 | 44 | Relegation to theFourth Division |
| 14 | Crystal Palace(R) | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 70 | 72 | 0.972 | 43 | |
| 15 | Port Vale(R) | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 67 | 58 | 1.155 | 42 | |
| 16 | Watford(R) | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 59 | 77 | 0.766 | 42 | |
| 17 | Shrewsbury Town(R) | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 49 | 71 | 0.690 | 40 | |
| 18 | Aldershot(R) | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 59 | 89 | 0.663 | 40 | |
| 19 | Coventry City(R) | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 61 | 81 | 0.753 | 39 | |
| 20 | Walsall(R) | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 61 | 75 | 0.813 | 37 | |
| 21 | Torquay United(R) | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 49 | 74 | 0.662 | 35 | |
| 22 | Gillingham(R) | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 52 | 81 | 0.642 | 35 | |
| 23 | Millwall(R) | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 63 | 91 | 0.692 | 31 | Re-elected to theFourth Division |
| 24 | Exeter City(R) | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 57 | 99 | 0.576 | 31 |
First Division
Second Division
Third Division North
Third Division South
