The1959–60 season was the 80th season of competitivefootball in England.
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17 November 1959:Phil Taylor resigns as manager of lowlyLiverpool, languishing in the lower depths of the Second Division, after three years as manager, with all three of his seasons in charge ending with a narrow failure to win promotion to the First Division.
1 December 1959:Bill Shankly ofHuddersfield Town accepts the offer to become Second Division club Liverpool's new manager.[1]
25 December 1959: The last Football League games to be played on Christmas Day are held – Blackburn defeated Blackpool 1–0 in the First Division and Coventry beat Wrexham 5–3 in the Third Division.
15 March 1960 Second DivisionManchester City payHuddersfield Town a club record £55,000 transfer fee forDenis Law.[2][better source needed]
7 May 1960:Wolverhampton Wanderers defeatBlackburn Rovers 3–0 in theFA Cup final atWembley Stadium, with two goals fromNorman Deeley and an own goal fromMick McGrath.
| Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| First Division | Burnley (2) | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Second Division | Aston Villa | Cardiff City |
| Third Division | Southampton | Norwich City |
| Fourth Division | Walsall | Notts County |
| FA Cup | Wolverhampton Wanderers (4) | Blackburn Rovers |
| Charity Shield | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Nottingham Forest |
| Home Championship | ||
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
Burnley 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 elusivedouble, went on to win theFA 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 forwardDennis Viollet and the mid-season signing of half-backMaurice 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 theEuropean Cup first round |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 106 | 67 | 1.582 | 54 | Qualification for theCup 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 theInter-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 theSecond Division |
| 22 | Luton Town(R) | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 50 | 73 | 0.685 | 30 |
Aston 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 fromPhil Taylor toBill 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 forwardDenis 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 theFirst 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 theThird Division |
| 22 | Bristol City(R) | 42 | 11 | 5 | 26 | 60 | 97 | 0.619 | 27 |
The 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 theSecond 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 theFourth 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 |
Walsall 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 theFootball League and replaced by ambitiousSouthern League sidePeterborough 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 theThird 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 |
First Division
Second Division
Third Division
Fourth Division