1964–65 in English football

The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England. This season also introduced Match of the Day on TV for the first time for the top flight games.

Overview

Diary of the season

21 July 1964: John White, 27-year-old Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland forward, is killed on a North London golf course while sheltering under a tree which was struck by lightning.

15 September 1964: Stan Cullis, one of the longest serving managers in the Football League, is sacked after 16 years in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers. He had won three league titles and two FA Cups with them, but recent form has been dismal for the Black Country side whose attendances have now fallen below 15,000 and relegation appears to a real threat to the club.[1]

2 November 1964: Wolves, marooned at the foot of the First Division, appoint former Scotland manager Andy Beattie as their caretaker manager.[2]

6 February 1965: Stanley Matthews plays the final competitive game of his 35-year career for Stoke City against Fulham in the First Division.

15 March 1965: Chelsea defeat Leicester City 3–2 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Football League Cup final.

15 April 1965: A goalless draw in the Football League Cup final second leg at Filbert Street gives the trophy to Chelsea.

28 April 1965: Despite losing 2–1 at Aston Villa on the final day of the league season, Manchester United are crowned First Division champions for the sixth time in their history (and the first time since 1957) on goal average ahead of a Leeds United side who have yet to win the top division title.

1 May 1965: Liverpool win the FA Cup for the first time in their history, defeating Leeds United 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium.

19 May 1965: West Ham United win the European Cup Winners' Cup at Wembley Stadium with a 2–0 win over 1860 Munich of West Germany in the final.

Notable debuts

8 September 1964: Pat Dunne, 21-year-old Irish goalkeeper, makes his debut for Manchester United in 3-3 league draw with Everton at Goodison Park.[3]

19 December 1964: Ralph Coates, 18-year-old winger,[4] makes his debut for Burnley in a 3-1 home league win over Sheffield United.[5]

Notable retirements

Arthur Rowley - Shrewsbury Town centre-forward and all-time leading Football League goalscorer with a total of 434 goals; he also played for Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City.[6]

Deaths

21 July 1964 - John White, 27, Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland forward, was killed on a North London golf course when the tree he was sheltering under was struck by lightning. He had joined Spurs five years earlier from Falkirk and his goals helped them win the double in 1961, another FA Cup in 1962 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.[7]

Honours

CompetitionWinnerRunner-up
First DivisionManchester United (6)Leeds United
Second DivisionNewcastle UnitedNorthampton Town
Third DivisionCarlisle UnitedBristol City
Fourth DivisionBrighton & Hove AlbionMillwall
FA CupLiverpool (1)Leeds United
League CupChelsea (1)Leicester City
Charity ShieldLiverpool and West Ham United (shared)
Home Championship England

Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition

League table

First Division

Manchester United clinched their sixth First Division title, with teenage Northern Irish winger George Best excelling in a front-line already dominated by Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and David Herd. They finished champions ahead of newly promoted Leeds United on goal average, while third placed Chelsea won the League Cup, 1963 champions Everton finished fourth, and Nottingham Forest completed the top five.

Birmingham City went down in bottom place, while Wolves were relegated to the Second Division for the first time in the postwar era following the dismissal of long-serving manager Stan Cullis.

PosClubPWDLFAGAPts
1Manchester United42269789392.28261
2Leeds United42269783521.59661
3Chelsea422481089541.64856
4Everton4217151069601.15049
5Nottingham Forest4217131271671.06047
6Tottenham Hotspur421971687711.22545
7Liverpool4217101567730.91844
8Sheffield Wednesday4216111557551.03643
9West Ham United421941982711.15542
10Blackburn Rovers4216101683791.05142
11Stoke City4216101667661.01542
12Burnley4216101670701.00042
13Arsenal421771869750.92041
14West Bromwich Albion4213131670651.07739
15Sunderland421491964740.86537
16Aston Villa421652157820.69537
17Blackpool4212111967780.85935
18Leicester City4211131869850.81235
19Sheffield United4212111950640.78135
20Fulham4211121960780.76934
21Wolverhampton Wanderers421342559890.66330
22Birmingham City428112364960.66727

Second Division

Newcastle United returned to the First Division after four years away as Second Division champions, and were joined in the elite by runners-up Northampton Town, who had started the decade in the Fourth Division.

Manchester City endured one of the worst seasons of their history by finishing 11th and extending their top flight exile into its third season.

Swansea Town and Swindon Town fell into the Third Division.

PosClubPWDLFAGAPts
1Newcastle United42249981451.80057
2Northampton Town422016666501.32056
3Bolton Wanderers4220101280581.37950
4Southampton4217141183631.31748
5Ipswich Town4215171074671.10447
6Norwich City422071561571.07047
7Crystal Palace4216131355511.07845
8Huddersfield Town4217101553511.03944
9Derby County4216111584791.06343
10Coventry City421791672701.02943
11Manchester City421691763621.01641
12Preston North End4214131576810.93841
13Cardiff City4213141564571.12340
14Rotherham United4214121670691.01440
15Plymouth Argyle421681863790.79740
16Bury4214101860660.90938
17Middlesbrough421392070760.92135
18Charlton Athletic421392064750.85335
19Leyton Orient4212111950720.69435
20Portsmouth4212102056770.72734
21Swindon Town421452363810.77833
22Swansea Town4211102162840.73832

Third Division

Carlisle United won a second successive promotion and lifted the Third Division championship trophy. They finished a point ahead of runners-up Bristol City, who claimed promotion on goal average ahead of Mansfield Town. Hull City and Brentford missed out on promotion by a slightly wider margin.

Barnsley, Colchester United, Port Vale and Luton Town were relegated to the Fourth Division - completing a six-season fall from the First Division for Luton Town, who had been FA Cup finalists in 1959.

PosClubPWDLFAGAPts
1Carlisle United4625101176531.43460
2Bristol City4624111192551.67359
3Mansfield Town4624111195611.55759
4Hull City4623121191571.59658
5Brentford462491383551.50957
6Bristol Rovers4620151182581.41455
7Gillingham462391470501.40055
8Peterborough United462271785741.14951
9Watford4617161371641.10950
10Grimsby Town4616171368671.01549
11Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic4618111772631.14347
12Southend United461981978711.09946
13Reading4616141670701.00046
14Queens Park Rangers4617121772800.90046
15Workington4617121758690.84146
16Shrewsbury Town4615121976840.90542
17Exeter City4612171751520.98141
18Scunthorpe United4614122065720.90340
19Walsall461572455800.68837
20Oldham Athletic4613102361830.73536
21Luton Town4611112451940.54333
22Port Vale469142341760.53932
23Colchester United4610102650890.56230
24Barnsley469112654900.60029

Fourth Division

Brighton sealed promotion to the Third Division as Fourth Division champions. They were joined by Millwall, York City, and the league's newest members Oxford United.

PosClubPWDLFAGAPts
1Brighton & Hove Albion4626119102571.78963
2Millwall462316778451.73362
3York City462861291561.62562
4Oxford United462315887441.97761
5Tranmere Rovers462761399561.76860
6Rochdale4622141074531.39658
7Bradford Park Avenue462017986621.38757
8Chester4625615119811.46956
9Doncaster Rovers4620111584721.16751
10Crewe Alexandra4618131590811.11149
11Torquay United462171870701.00049
12Chesterfield462081858700.82948
13Notts County4615141761730.83644
14Wrexham461792084920.91343
15Hartlepools United4615131861850.71843
16Newport County461782185811.04942
17Darlington461862284870.96642
18Aldershot461572464840.76237
19Bradford City461282670880.79532
20Southport468162258890.65232
21Barrow4612628591050.56230
22Lincoln City461162958990.58628
23Halifax Town4611629541030.52428
24Stockport County461072944870.50627

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points

References

  1. "Confident Sunderland Will Remain In First Division". Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Reuters. 17 November 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 18 December 2014.