1979–80 in English football

The 1979–80 season was the 100th season of competitive football in England.

FA Cup

Main article: 1979–80 FA Cup

Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1–0 with a Trevor Brooking goal. They are the last team to win the FA Cup from outside the top division.

League Cup

Wolverhampton Wanderers overcame the challenge of European champions Nottingham Forest to lift their second League Cup. The match finished 1–0 with a goal by Andy Gray following a mix-up between goalkeeper Peter Shilton and defender David Needham.

European football

Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest made up for disappointment in the League by retaining the European Cup and becoming the first team to have won more European Cups than league championships. Arsenal faced Valencia of Spain in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, days after their FA Cup final loss. It finished goalless after extra time, and Arsenal lost the penalty shoot-out after misses from Liam Brady and Graham Rix.

Awards

Liverpool's Terry McDermott was voted Player of the Year by both the PFA and FWA. PFA Young Player of the Year was Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Glenn Hoddle.

Star managers

Diary of the season

11 August 1979: League champions Liverpool defeat FA Cup holders Arsenal 3–1 at Wembley Stadium to win the Charity Shield.

18 August 1979: Arsenal move straight to the top of the First Division table with a 4–0 away win against newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion on the first day of the League season.[1] The first round of fixtures in the inaugural season of The Alliance Premier League, now the Conference National, takes place.[2]

31 August 1979: The first month of the season ends with Norwich City, who have never even finished in the top five of the First Division, leading the League alongside 1978 champions Nottingham Forest, after both teams win their first three matches. Middlesbrough are one point behind the leaders. At the bottom, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion have yet to gain a point.[1]

5 September 1979: Manchester City sign midfielder Steve Daley from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a national record fee of £1,437,500.[3]

8 September 1979: The national transfer record fee is broken for the second time in four days when Wolverhampton Wanderers pay almost £1,500,000 for Aston Villa and Scotland striker Andy Gray.[4]

30 September 1979: September ends with newly promoted Crystal Palace, unbeaten after eight games, topping the First Division on goal difference from Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. After losing twice this month, Liverpool occupy ninth place. Derby County, champions in 1972 and 1975, are bottom of the table, joined in the relegation zone by Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur.[1]

3 October 1979: Liverpool are knocked out of the European Cup 4–2 on aggregate by Dinamo Tbilisi.[5]

13 October 1979: Kazimierz Deyna scores the only goal as Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest, knocking the Midlands club into second place, behind Manchester United.[6] Crystal Palace's unbeaten start to the season ends with a 3–1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park.

31 October 1979: Manchester United end October as First Division leaders, one point ahead of Nottingham Forest, with Liverpool, Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur a further two points adrift. Brighton & Hove Albion now occupy bottom place behind Derby County, while Bolton Wanderers have dropped into the relegation zone.[1]

24 November 1979: Joe Jordan's brace helps Manchester United put five past Norwich without reply, struggling Ipswich Town turn over Southampton while Derby are the victors in the East Midlands derby, beating Forest 4–1.[7]

30 November 1979: November ends with Manchester United still top of the First Division, one point ahead of Liverpool. Crystal Palace remain in contention, two points behind the leaders, and Middlesbrough have joined the chasing pack. Bolton Wanderers, Brighton & Hove Albion and Ipswich Town occupy the relegation zone.[1]

26 December 1979: The Steel City derby in the Third Division sees Sheffield Wednesday beat Sheffield United 4–0, attracting a crowd of nearly 50,000.[8]

31 December 1979: The decade ends with Liverpool narrowly ahead of Manchester United at the top of the First Division, having won the clash between the two on Boxing Day. Southampton and Arsenal lead the chasing group, but are eight points behind the leaders. Crystal Palace have fallen to ninth place. Bristol City have joined Derby County and Bolton Wanderers in the relegation zone.[1]

5 January 1980: Fourth Division Halifax Town cause the upset of the FA Cup third round by beating Manchester City 1–0.[9]

8 January 1980: Non-League Harlow Town beat Second Division promotion candidates Leicester City 1–0 in an FA Cup third round replay.[9]

20 January 1980: Cold weather ravages the English game as 35 matches were postponed. Only four First Division matches went ahead: Danny Blanchflower registered his first victory as Chelsea manager as his charges beat Manchester City 3–2, Queens Park Rangers held Middlesbrough, Leeds United won 2–1 at Tottenham and a double from John Wark helped Ipswich to a 3–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.[10]

31 January 1980: Liverpool hold a two-point lead over Manchester United at the end of January. Arsenal are third, five points behind the leaders having played two games more.[1]

29 February 1980: With the season approaching its final quarter, Manchester United have moved level on points at the top of the First Division with Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Unbeaten since the beginning of December, Ipswich Town have moved from third-bottom to third-top in less than three months, and are five points behind the leaders in third place. Arsenal and Southampton complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers remain bottom, with just one League win from their first 27 matches, and Derby County and Bristol City also remain in the relegation zone, with Everton occupying the last safe spot.[1]

1 March 1980: Everton lose 2–1 at home to Liverpool in the First Division Merseyside derby, and during the game their legendary former striker Dixie Dean dies from a heart attack in the stands, aged 72.[11] Manchester United's title hopes are dashed by a 6–0 thrashing at Ipswich Town.[1]

8 March 1980: Second Division West Ham United beat Aston Villa 1–0 in the FA Cup sixth round. They are joined in the last four by Liverpool, Everton and holders Arsenal.[9]

15 March 1980: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Nottingham Forest, who have won the trophy in the last two seasons, 1–0 in the League Cup final thanks to a second-half goal from Andy Gray.[12]

31 March 1980: Liverpool now have a four-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the First Division. Ipswich Town and Arsenal are the nearest challengers to the top two, and Southampton complete the top five. At the bottom of the table, Bolton Wanderers managed three League wins in March, but are still in bottom place, eight points adrift of safety. Derby County and Bristol City remain with them in the drop zone.[1]

12 April 1980: Both FA Cup semi-finals - Arsenal versus Liverpool and Everton versus West Ham United - end in draws.[9] Bolton Wanderers are relegated from the First Division.[1]

16 April 1980: West Ham United beat Everton 2–1 at Elland Road to reach the FA Cup final. In the other semi-final replay, Arsenal and Liverpool draw again, 1–1.[9]

23 April 1980: Nottingham Forest lose the second leg of their European Cup 1–0 to Ajax, beat reach the final for the second year in succession with a 2–1 aggregate victory.[5]

26 April 1980: Derby County, twice champions in the 1970s, are relegated from the First Division with one match remaining. Liverpool's goalless draw at Crystal Palace puts them on the verge of retaining the title.[1]

28 April 1980: Arsenal and Liverpool require another replay after drawing 1–1 again in their FA Cup semi-final second replay at Villa Park.[9]

29 April 1980: Bristol City lose 5–2 at Southampton to take the final First Division relegation spot.[1]

30 April 1980: Liverpool are level on points with Manchester United at the end of April, with a superior goal difference and with two matches remaining to the Red Devils' one. Ipswich Town are third, five points behind.[1]

1 May 1980: Arsenal finally reach the FA Cup final after beating Liverpool 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final third replay at Highfield Road.[9] Liverpool agree a fee of £300,000 for Chester striker Ian Rush, 18.[13]

3 May 1980: Liverpool clinch the league title in their penultimate league game of the season by beating Aston Villa 4–1 at Anfield.[14] The result is rendered academic by Manchester United's 2–0 defeat to Leeds United. Ipswich Town lose the unbeaten League run that they have maintained for over five months against Manchester City, but remain third.[1]

10 May 1980: Trevor Brooking scores the winning goal as Second Division West Ham United triumph 1–0 over holders Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

14 May 1980: Arsenal lose 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out to Valencia after a 0–0 draw in the European Cup Winners' Cup Final.[15]

19 May 1980: More than two weeks after the planned final day of the season, the First Division fixtures are completed when Arsenal lose 5–0 to Middlesbrough. The result leaves Ipswich Town one point ahead of the Gunners in third place.[1]

28 May 1980: Nottingham Forest retain the European Cup by beating Hamburg 1–0 in the final in Madrid. John Robertson scores the only goal in the first half.[5]

13 June 1980: Clive Allen, 19, becomes the most expensive teenager in Europe when he joins Arsenal from Queens Park Rangers in a £1,250,000 deal.

England national team

12 September 1979: England move closer to the 1980 European Championship Finals with a 1–0 win at home to Denmark.[16]

17 October 1979: England virtually guarantee their place in the summer's European Championship Finals by beating Northern Ireland 5–1 at Windsor Park.[16]

22 November 1979: Glenn Hoddle scores on his debut for England in a 2–0 over Bulgaria in a European Championship qualifier.[16]

13 May 1980: England beat world champions Argentina 3–1 in a friendly at Wembley with two goals from David Johnson and one from Kevin Keegan.[16]

17 May 1980: England's run of six consecutive wins ends abruptly in a 4–1 defeat to Wales in the Home Championship.[16]

24 May 1980: England beat Scotland 2–0 at Hampden Park but finish runners-up to Northern Ireland in the Home Championship.[16]

12 June 1980: England's first match at the European Championship Finals for twelve years ends in a 1–1 draw against Belgium. The game is marred by hooliganism in the stands that is only calmed by the use of tear gas by the Italian police.[16]

15 June 1980: England are eliminated from the European Championships after they lose 1–0 to hosts Italy through a late goal from Marco Tardelli.[16]

18 June 1980: England win their final group match at the European Championships 2–1 against Spain, but finish in third place in the group.[16]

Famous debutants

18 August 1979: Tommy Caton, 16-year-old defender, makes his debut for First Division side Manchester City on the opening day of the season in a goalless home draw with newly promoted Crystal Palace, just weeks after leaving school.

7 April 1980: Paul Davis, 18-year-old midfielder, makes his First Division debut for Arsenal in a 2–1 win over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Deaths

Honours

CompetitionWinnerRunner-up
First DivisionLiverpool (12*)Manchester United
Second DivisionLeicester CitySunderland
Third DivisionGrimsby TownBlackburn Rovers
Fourth DivisionHuddersfield TownWalsall
FA CupWest Ham United (3)Arsenal
League CupWolverhampton Wanderers (1)Nottingham Forest
Charity ShieldLiverpoolArsenal
Home Championship Northern Ireland England

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

Football League

First Division

Bob Paisley's Liverpool retained their league championship trophy after fighting off a determined challenge by Dave Sexton's Manchester United. Nottingham Forest failed to make a serious title challenge but compensated for this by retaining the European Cup.

Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers were relegated after brief and uneventful spells in the First Division, but Derby County's relegation came just five years after they had been league champions.

Kevin Keegan, the current European Footballer of the Year, ended his three-year spell with Hamburg in Germany and returned to England in a shock £400,000 move to Southampton.

Much of the attention in the early part of the season focused on Manchester City where Malcolm Allison had dismantled the side selling international talents such as Asa Hartford and Peter Barnes and replacing them with unknowns and the uncapped Steve Daley for £1.5 million. City had a mediocre season including an FA Cup defeat by Fourth Division Halifax Town.

PosClubPWDLFAGDPts
1Liverpool42251078130+5160
2Manchester United42241086535+3058
3Ipswich Town42229116839+2953
4Arsenal42181685236+1652
5Nottingham Forest42208146343+2048
6Wolverhampton Wanderers42199145847+1147
7Aston Villa421614125150+146
8Southampton42189156553+1245
9Middlesbrough421612145044+644
10West Bromwich Albion421119125450+441
11Leeds United421314154650−440
12Norwich City421314155866−840
13Crystal Palace421216144150−940
14Tottenham Hotspur421510175262−1040
15Coventry City42167195666−1039
16Brighton & Hove Albion421115164757−1037
17Manchester City421213174366−2337
18Stoke City421310194458−1436
19Everton42917164351−835
20Bristol City42913203766−2931
21Derby County42118234767−2030
22Bolton Wanderers42515223873−3525

Second Division

Leicester City, Sunderland and Birmingham City ended their relatively short spells in the Second Division and occupied the division's three promotion places. Going down were Fulham, Burnley and Charlton Athletic.

PosClubPWDLFAGDPts
1Leicester City42211385838+2055
2Sunderland42211296942+2754
3Birmingham City422111105838+2053
4Chelsea42237126652+1453
5Queens Park Rangers421813117553+2249
6Luton Town42161796645+2149
7West Ham United42207155443+1147
8Cambridge United421416126153+844
9Newcastle United421514135349+444
10Preston North End421219115652+443
11Oldham Athletic421611154953−443
12Swansea City42179164853−543
13Shrewsbury Town42185196053+741
14Leyton Orient421217134854−641
15Cardiff City42168184148−740
16Wrexham42166204049−938
17Notts County421115165152−137
18Watford421213173946−737
19Bristol Rovers421113185064−1435
20Fulham42117244274−3229
21Burnley42615213973−3427
22Charlton Athletic42610263978−3922

Third Division

Grimsby Town, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday all achieved some long-awaited success by gaining promotion from the Third Division. Bury, Southend United, Mansfield Town and Wimbledon occupied the Third Division's relegation places.

PosClubPWDLFAGDPts
1Grimsby Town462610107342+3162
2Blackburn Rovers46259125836+2259
3Sheffield Wednesday46211698147+3458
4Chesterfield462311127146+2557
5Colchester United462012146456+852
6Carlisle United461812166656+1048
7Reading461616146665+148
8Exeter City461910176068−848
9Chester461713164957−847
10Swindon Town46198197163+846
11Barnsley461614165356−346
12Sheffield United461810185966−746
13Rotherham United461810185866−846
14Millwall461613176559+645
15Plymouth Argyle461612185955+444
16Gillingham461414184951−242
17Oxford United461413195762−541
18Blackpool461511206274−1241
19Brentford461511205973−1441
20Hull City461216185169−1840
21Bury46167234559−1439
22Southend United461410224757−1038
23Mansfield Town461016204758−1136
24Wimbledon461014225281−2934

Fourth Division

Huddersfield Town and Portsmouth finally achieved some success by gaining promotion from the Fourth Division. Newport County achieved their first promotion since 1939 and Walsall were also promoted. Rochdale finished bottom but survived re-election by one vote ahead of Altrincham.

PosClubPWDLFAGDPts
1Huddersfield Town462712710148+5366
2Walsall46231857547+2864
3Newport County46277128350+3361
4Portsmouth462412109149+4260
5Bradford City462412107750+2760
6Wigan Athletic462113127661+1555
7Lincoln City461817116442+2253
8Peterborough United462110155847+1152
9Torquay United461517147069+147
10Aldershot461613176253+945
11Bournemouth461318155251+144
12Doncaster Rovers461514176263−144
13Northampton Town461612185166−1544
14Scunthorpe United461415175875−1743
15Tranmere Rovers461413195056−641
16Stockport County461412204872−2440
17York City461411216582−1739
18Halifax Town461313204672−2639
19Hartlepool United461410225964−538
20Port Vale461212225670−1436
21Hereford United461114213852−1436
22Darlington46917205074−2435
23Crewe Alexandra461113223568−3335
24Rochdale46713263379−4627

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

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 144. ISBN 1859832148.
  2. mario.loulie. "Microsoft Word – Com Books – ManCity Edition coverage List _6_.doc" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
  3. 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=1979/index.html
  4. "Notts Forest drops from Division I lead". The Gazette (Montreal). Reuters. 15 October 1979. p. 55. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  5. "On this day in history ~ Division One, 1979". wsc.co.uk (When Saturday Comes). 24 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  6. "Top 10 Boxing Day massacres". The Sun (London).
  7. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 234. ISBN 1859832148.
  8. "Chelsea shocks Manchester City". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 22 January 1980. p. 45. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  9. Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 258. ISBN 1859832148.
  10. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 Payne, Mike (1993). England: The Complete Post-War Record'. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 1873626398.