1982-83 in English football
Encyclopedia
The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football
in England
.
's last season as Liverpool
manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division
with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His successor was long-serving coach Joe Fagan. Newly promoted Watford
were the shock of the season, finishing in second place in their first ever season in the top flight.
Manchester City
were relegated despite a four-year spending spree totalling around £5 million. Swansea City were also relegated after only their second season as a First Division club. They had finished sixth a year earlier and at several stages had topped the league table. FA Cup
finalists Brighton & Hove Albion
joined them on the way down.
were champions with Wolverhampton Wanderers
and Leicester City
also promoted to the First Division. Rotherham United
, Burnley
and Bolton Wanderers
were relegated to the Third Division
. It was another blow for Bolton, who had been relegated from the First Division three years earlier.
Charlton Athletic
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
both came within hours of going bankrupt but were both saved by respective new owners.
Leicester City
's promotion was appealed against by Fulham
after their final day match against Derby County
was stopped with more than a minute to play due to a pitch invasion. Fulham's appeal was eventually rejected and Leicester City's promotion was confirmed.
's revival continued as they ran away with the Third Division
championship, followed closely behind by runners-up Cardiff City
and third-placed Huddersfield Town. Newport County
finished 4th, their highest post-Second World War
position in the Football League. Occupying the four relegation places were Reading
, Wrexham
, Doncaster Rovers
and Chesterfield
.
champions and the efforts of manager Dave Bassett
were bound to ensure that this would not be their last promotion. Hull City
, Port Vale
and Scunthorpe United
occupied the other three promotion places. The re-election system once again went in favour of the bottom four sides in the Fourth Division, but had things gone differently then Blackpool
could have gone out of the Football League
little over a decade after they had been a First Division side.
At the end of the season, Fourth Division strugglers Crewe Alexandra
appointed Milan-born ex-Wimbledon manager Dario Gradi as their new manager.
won their first major trophy under Ron Atkinson
's management by hammering Brighton
4–0 in the FA Cup
final replay after a 2–2 draw in the first match.
as an added bonus for manager Bob Paisley
during his final season in charge. When his team prepared to ascend the 39 steps to the Royal Box, they all insisted that he should be the man to collect the trophy.
with midfield dynamo Gordon Cowans
playing a major part in the win.
pay Bristol Rovers
£105,000 for defender Gary Mabbutt
, who turns 21 later this month.
19 August 1982: Newcastle United
pay Southampton
£100,000 for Kevin Keegan
.
24 August 1982: The Shankly Gates are unveiled at Anfield
, honouring former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly
almost a year after his death.
25 August 1982: Arsenal
sign 22-year-old striker Lee Chapman
from Stoke City
for £500,000.
26 August 1982: Bob Paisley
announces that this season as Liverpool manager (his ninth in charge) will be his last.
28 August 1982: The first games of the First Division
season are played. Manchester United achieve the biggest win of the opening day of the season, by beating Birmingham City 3–0 to send themselves top of the league and their opponents to the bottom. On the same day, Peter Shilton
exits Nottingham Forest
to become the world's most expensive goalkeeper in a £325,000 move to Southampton
.
9 September 1982: Peter Beardsley
, a 21-year-old former Carlisle United
playing for Vancouver Whitecaps
in Canada
, signs for Manchester United in a £325,000 deal.
11 September 1982: Watford, in the First Division for the first time, go top of the league on goal difference (level with Manchester United and Manchester City) by beating West Bromwich Albion
3–0 in their fifth league game of the season.
22 September 1982: England
draw 2–2 with Denmark
in Copenhagen
in their opening Euro 84 qualifier, which is also their first game under the management of Bobby Robson
.
25 September 1982: Watford
beat Sunderland
8–0 at Vicarage Road
in only their seventh game as a First Division club.
30 September 1982: September draws to a close with defending champions Liverpool top of the First Division, with Manchester United in second place. Watford, playing top division football for the first time in their history, occupy third place. West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five, while Southampton, Birmingham City and Norwich City occupy the bottom three places. In the Second Division, surprise promotion contenders Grimsby Town
are heading the race for a place in the First Division, joined by Wolverhampton Wanderers
(relegated last year) and Sheffield Wednesday
in the top three. Fulham
and QPR are putting pressure on the top three, as are a Crystal Palace
side who are showing signs of recovery after two seasons of dismal performances.
31 October 1982: October ends with Liverpool, West Ham United and Manchester United all level on 22 points at the top of the First Division. West Bromwich Albion appear to be on the road to recovery after narrowly avoiding relegation last season, as they finish the month in fourth place. Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five, while Birmingham City, Norwich City and Sunderland occupy the bottom three places. Sheffield Wednesday and QPR now head the Second Division promotion race, with Fulham joining them in the top three and their manager Malcolm Macdonald
turning heads with his promising young side who are looking like serious contenders for a second successive promotion. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Grimsby Town and Leeds United
are giving the top three a serious run for their money, while Derby County
(First Division champions as recently as 1975) are second from bottom.
6 November 1982: In the Merseyside derby
at Goodison Park
, Liverpool beat Everton
5–0 with four goals from Ian Rush
and a further goal from Mark Lawrenson
.
10 November 1982: Colchester United
striker John Lyons
, 25, commits suicide at his home in Essex
.
17 November 1982: England beat Greece
3–0 in Salonika in the Euro 84 qualifiers.
30 November 1982: Liverpool remain top of the First Division as November draws to a close, leading by four points ahead of second-placed Watford. Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and West Ham United complete the top five, while the bottom three clubs remain unchanged from the end of last month. QPR, Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday head the Second Division promotion race.
15 December 1982: England beat Luxembourg
9–0 at Wembley in the Euro 84 qualifiers. Luther Blissett
scores a hat-trick on his England debut and becomes the nation's first black goalscorer, while fellow black team mate Mark Chamberlain
is also on the scoresheet.
22 December 1982: Everton
sign 26-year-old midfielder Peter Reid
from Bolton Wanderers
in a £60,000 deal.
31 December 1982: 1982 ends with Liverpool's lead at the top of the First Division increased to six points, with Nottingham Forest their nearest challengers. Manchester United, West Ham United and Coventry City complete the top five, while sixth-place Watford's title challenge is fading fast and their league challenge now appears to be very much a race for a UEFA Cup
place rather than for the league title. Sunderland, Birmingham City and Brighton & Hove Albion occupy the bottom three places. An excellent month for Wolverhampton Wanderers has seen the Midlands side storm to the top of the Second Division, joining in the top three by QPR and Fulham. One of the division's smaller clubs, Shrewsbury Town
are emerging as unlikely promotion contenders as they stand sixth in the division ahead of much bigger clubs including Leeds United, Chelsea and bottom-of-the-table Derby County.
1 January 1983: Alan Ball, now aged 37 and the only England World Cup winner
still playing, leaves Southampton on a free transfer and signs a contract with Bristol Rovers
.
19 January 1983: Aston Villa
lose 1–0 to Barcelona
at the Nou Camp in the first leg of the European Super Cup
.
26 January 1983: Aston Villa clinch the European Super Cup by beating Barcelona 3–0 at Villa Park
.
31 January 1983: As January ends, Liverpool are now 10 points clear at the top of the First Division, their nearest rivals now being Manchester United. A resurgent Watford have climbed to third place, while Nottingham Forest and Coventry City complete the top five. Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City are still in the bottom three, but Sunderland have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Norwich City. Wolverhampton Wanderers, QPR and Fulham continue to lead the way in the Second Division, with third placed Fulham now nine points ahead of their nearest challengers Sheffield Wednesday. At the other end of the table, fallen giants Derby County show no sign of improvement as they remain bottom of the division and are now eight points adrift of safety.
20 February 1983: Liverpool's hopes of a unique domestic treble are ended when they suffer a shock 2–1 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fifth round.
28 February 1983: Liverpool now have a 14-point advantage at the top of the First Division, with Watford one place behind and with a game in hand. Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa complete the top five. The bottom three remain unchanged from the end of last month. Wolves, QPR and Fulham remain the leading force in the Second Division promotion race, but Leicester City are starting to put pressure on the leading pack.
1 March 1983: Peter Beardsley leaves Manchester United and returns to Vancouver Whitecaps on a free transfer, having only made one appearance for the Old Trafford
club.
26 March 1983: Liverpool
clinch the Football League Cup
for the third season running by beating Manchester United
2–1 at Wembley.
31 March 1983: Liverpool are looking all set to add the league title to their League Cup this season, as they end March as First Division leaders with a 13-point lead over nearest challengers Watford. Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion complete the top five. The bottom three clubs remain unchanged for the second month-end running. QPR have overhauled Wolverhampton Wanderers at the top of the Second Division, while Fulham remain third but still under pressure from a determined Leicester City side. Derby County are at last showing some sign of being able to avoid relegation as they are now just two points adrift of safety.
16 April 1983: Manchester United, FA Cup
winners four times, reach the FA Cup final
along with Brighton who have never reached the final before.
19 April 1983: Liverpool are confirmed First Division champions for the second season running. Watford, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest complete the top five, with Stoke City, Southampton, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur providing strong competition in the race for a UEFA Cup place. Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City remain in the bottom two, but Norwich City have climbed out of the drop zone at the expense of Swansea City.
27 April 1983: England beat Hungray
2–0 at Wembley in the Euro 84 qualifiers.
30 April 1983: April ends with champions Liverpool 14 points ahead of second-placed Watford with three games to go, while Manchester United are three points behind Watford with two games in hand. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest complete the top five, but the next six teams are still in contention for a UEFA Cup place. Swansea City's dismal form has continued as they prop up the First Division and now need something little short of a miracle to stay up. Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City complete the bottom three. QPR's promotion to the First Division has been confirmed, and Wolverhampton Wanderers only need one win from their final three games to be sure of promotion. Fulham, meanwhile, have lapsed and a just one point ahead of Leicester City in the race for the final promotion place. Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday still have an outside chance of going up this season.
7 May 1983: FA Cup finalists Brighton are relegated from the First Division after losing 1–0 at home to fellow strugglers Manchester City
.
15 May 1983: The First Division campaign ends with Liverpool
sealing their 14th league championship, while Watford
finish runners-up in their first season at this level. Joining Brighton in the relegation zone are Manchester City and Swansea City. Going up are QPR, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City. The final day drama comes at Maine Road
, where ironically Manchester City and Luton Town both went into the game scrapping to avoid the final relegation place. A draw would be enough to keep the home side up, while the visitors had to win to survive. A late goal from Raddy Antic keeps Luton up and relegated a Manchester City side who were top of the league 17 months ago.
20 May 1983: Everton
midfielder Steve McMahon
, 21, is sold to Aston Villa
for £175,000.
21 May 1983: Manchester United and Brighton draw 2–2 in the FA Cup final
to book a replay in five days time. Brighton nearly won the game with a late shot by Gordon Smith, which United goalkeeper Gary Bailey
saved.
26 May 1983: Manchester United thrash Brighton 4–0 in the FA Cup final replay to lift the trophy on legendary former manager and current director Sir Matt Busby's
74th birthday.
1 June 1983: Paul Rideout
, highly rated 19-year-old Swindon Town
striker, makes the big step from the Fourth Division to the First Division in a £200,000 move to Aston Villa.
, 17-year-old striker, scores on his debut for West Ham United in 3–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Upton Park
.
26 February 1983: Ian Baird
, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut for Southampton in 1–1 draw with West Ham United at Upton Park.
20 April 1983: Colin Hill
, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Arsenal in 3–1 defeat by Norwich City at Carrow Road
.
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
First Division
Second Division
Third Division
Fourth Division
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
* Two points deducted for on-field brawl.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
First Division
Bob PaisleyBob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
's last season as Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine years. His successor was long-serving coach Joe Fagan. Newly promoted Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
were the shock of the season, finishing in second place in their first ever season in the top flight.
Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
were relegated despite a four-year spending spree totalling around £5 million. Swansea City were also relegated after only their second season as a First Division club. They had finished sixth a year earlier and at several stages had topped the league table. FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalists Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
joined them on the way down.
Second Division
Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
were champions with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
and Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
also promoted to the First Division. Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
were relegated to the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
. It was another blow for Bolton, who had been relegated from the First Division three years earlier.
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
both came within hours of going bankrupt but were both saved by respective new owners.
Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
's promotion was appealed against by Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
after their final day match against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
was stopped with more than a minute to play due to a pitch invasion. Fulham's appeal was eventually rejected and Leicester City's promotion was confirmed.
Third Division
PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
's revival continued as they ran away with the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
championship, followed closely behind by runners-up Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
and third-placed Huddersfield Town. Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
finished 4th, their highest post-Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
position in the Football League. Occupying the four relegation places were Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
, Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
and Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
.
Fourth Division
Wimbledon were crowned Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
champions and the efforts of manager Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
were bound to ensure that this would not be their last promotion. Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
and Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
occupied the other three promotion places. The re-election system once again went in favour of the bottom four sides in the Fourth Division, but had things gone differently then Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
could have gone out of the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
little over a decade after they had been a First Division side.
At the end of the season, Fourth Division strugglers Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
appointed Milan-born ex-Wimbledon manager Dario Gradi as their new manager.
FA Cup
Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
won their first major trophy under Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
's management by hammering Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
4–0 in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final replay after a 2–2 draw in the first match.
League Cup
Liverpool won their third successive League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
as an added bonus for manager Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
during his final season in charge. When his team prepared to ascend the 39 steps to the Royal Box, they all insisted that he should be the man to collect the trophy.
European football
Aston Villa win the European Super CupEuropean Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
with midfield dynamo Gordon Cowans
Gordon Cowans
Gordon Sidney Cowans is an English retired football player and coach.Cowans started his career at Aston Villa as an apprentice in 1974, and signed as a professional in 1976...
playing a major part in the win.
Star players
- Liverpool's dominant side ran away with the honours as Kenny DalglishKenny DalglishKenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
was voted Player of the Year by both the PFAProfessional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
and FWAFootball Writers' AssociationThe Football Writers' Association is an association of England football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies, founded in 1947....
. - 21-year-old Liverpool striker Ian RushIan RushIan James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
established himself as one of the league's finest goalscorers after collecting the PFA Young Player of the Year award as well as league championship and League Cup medals. - Manchester United's FA Cup winning squad included star players like Bryan RobsonBryan RobsonBryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
, Ray WilkinsRay WilkinsRaymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
and the 18-year-old Norman WhitesideNorman WhitesideNorman Whiteside is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in two World Cups.He appeared for Manchester United and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985...
. - Aston Villa's midfield dynamo Gordon CowansGordon CowansGordon Sidney Cowans is an English retired football player and coach.Cowans started his career at Aston Villa as an apprentice in 1974, and signed as a professional in 1976...
helps inspire Villa to win the European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
. - The key player in WatfordWatford F.C.Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
's rise to the top of the EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
game was prolific striker Luther BlissettLuther BlissettLuther Loide Blissett is a former professional footballer and manager, who is currently a first-team coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, whom he helped win promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division...
.
Star managers
- Bob PaisleyBob PaisleyRobert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
's illustrious career as Liverpool manager went out on a high as they were league champions and League Cup winners. - Graham TaylorGraham Taylor (football manager)Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
guided Watford to an impressive second-place finish in their First Division debut season. - Ron AtkinsonRon AtkinsonRonald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
won the FA Cup to end Manchester United's six-year trophy drought. - Terry VenablesTerry VenablesTerence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
took Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
back into the First Division after a four-year exile. - Jimmy MeliaJimmy MeliaJimmy Melia is a former English footballer who spent most of his career playing for Liverpool and went on to become a manager.-Liverpool:Jimmy joined the Reds straight from St...
guided BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion F.C.Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
to their first-ever FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final although he couldn't save them from relegation to the Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. - Graham HawkinsGraham HawkinsGraham Norman Hawkins is an English former football player and manager.A defender, he began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1964, before he moved on to Preston North End three years later. In seven years with Preston he made 245 league appearances, and also served as their captain...
took Wolverhampton Wanderers back into the First Division a year after relegation. - Dave BassettDave BassettDavid Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
guided Wimbledon to Fourth Division championship glory with 98 points. - Malcolm MacdonaldMalcolm MacdonaldMalcolm Ian Macdonald is a former English footballer nicknamed Supermac, famed for scoring goals for Luton Town, Newcastle United and Arsenal.-Football career:...
took Fulham to fourth place in the Second Division – just missing out on promotion – to achieve their highest league finish for nearly 20 years. - Keith BurkinshawKeith BurkinshawHarry Keith Burkinshaw is an English former professional footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
inspired Tottenham to fourth place in the First Division and ensured that they would qualify for the following season's UEFA Cup. - Brian CloughBrian CloughBrian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
ensured that Nottingham Forest remained among English football's leading sides by inspiring them to fifth place in the league and achieving qualification for the UEFA Cup.
Diary of the season
11 August 1982: Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
pay Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
£105,000 for defender Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt MBE is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a...
, who turns 21 later this month.
19 August 1982: Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
pay Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
£100,000 for Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
.
24 August 1982: The Shankly Gates are unveiled at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, honouring former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
almost a year after his death.
25 August 1982: Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
sign 22-year-old striker Lee Chapman
Lee Chapman
Lee Chapman is an English former footballer who scored almost 200 first-team goals as a striker. He was best known for his spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United...
from Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
for £500,000.
26 August 1982: Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
announces that this season as Liverpool manager (his ninth in charge) will be his last.
28 August 1982: The first games of the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
season are played. Manchester United achieve the biggest win of the opening day of the season, by beating Birmingham City 3–0 to send themselves top of the league and their opponents to the bottom. On the same day, Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
exits Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
to become the world's most expensive goalkeeper in a £325,000 move to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
.
9 September 1982: Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
, a 21-year-old former Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
playing for Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, signs for Manchester United in a £325,000 deal.
11 September 1982: Watford, in the First Division for the first time, go top of the league on goal difference (level with Manchester United and Manchester City) by beating West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
3–0 in their fifth league game of the season.
22 September 1982: England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
draw 2–2 with Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in their opening Euro 84 qualifier, which is also their first game under the management of Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
.
25 September 1982: Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
beat Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
8–0 at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
in only their seventh game as a First Division club.
30 September 1982: September draws to a close with defending champions Liverpool top of the First Division, with Manchester United in second place. Watford, playing top division football for the first time in their history, occupy third place. West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five, while Southampton, Birmingham City and Norwich City occupy the bottom three places. In the Second Division, surprise promotion contenders Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
are heading the race for a place in the First Division, joined by Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
(relegated last year) and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in the top three. Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and QPR are putting pressure on the top three, as are a Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
side who are showing signs of recovery after two seasons of dismal performances.
31 October 1982: October ends with Liverpool, West Ham United and Manchester United all level on 22 points at the top of the First Division. West Bromwich Albion appear to be on the road to recovery after narrowly avoiding relegation last season, as they finish the month in fourth place. Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five, while Birmingham City, Norwich City and Sunderland occupy the bottom three places. Sheffield Wednesday and QPR now head the Second Division promotion race, with Fulham joining them in the top three and their manager Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Ian Macdonald is a former English footballer nicknamed Supermac, famed for scoring goals for Luton Town, Newcastle United and Arsenal.-Football career:...
turning heads with his promising young side who are looking like serious contenders for a second successive promotion. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Grimsby Town and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
are giving the top three a serious run for their money, while Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
(First Division champions as recently as 1975) are second from bottom.
6 November 1982: In the Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, Liverpool beat Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
5–0 with four goals from Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
and a further goal from Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson
Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional football player, a defender in the Liverpool and Irish football teams of the 1980s; he since became a radio, television and internet pundit for the BBC and Today FM. He was born in England, but played for the Republic of Ireland because his...
.
10 November 1982: Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
striker John Lyons
John Lyons
John Lyons is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.At the 2001 general election, he was elected to the British House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Strathkelvin and Bearsden....
, 25, commits suicide at his home in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
17 November 1982: England beat Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
3–0 in Salonika in the Euro 84 qualifiers.
30 November 1982: Liverpool remain top of the First Division as November draws to a close, leading by four points ahead of second-placed Watford. Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and West Ham United complete the top five, while the bottom three clubs remain unchanged from the end of last month. QPR, Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday head the Second Division promotion race.
15 December 1982: England beat Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
9–0 at Wembley in the Euro 84 qualifiers. Luther Blissett
Luther Blissett
Luther Loide Blissett is a former professional footballer and manager, who is currently a first-team coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, whom he helped win promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division...
scores a hat-trick on his England debut and becomes the nation's first black goalscorer, while fellow black team mate Mark Chamberlain
Mark Chamberlain
Mark Valentine Chamberlain is an English retired international footballer. He is the younger brother of Neville Chamberlain, and the father of Arsenal and England U21 player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain....
is also on the scoresheet.
22 December 1982: Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
sign 26-year-old midfielder Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
from Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in a £60,000 deal.
31 December 1982: 1982 ends with Liverpool's lead at the top of the First Division increased to six points, with Nottingham Forest their nearest challengers. Manchester United, West Ham United and Coventry City complete the top five, while sixth-place Watford's title challenge is fading fast and their league challenge now appears to be very much a race for a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place rather than for the league title. Sunderland, Birmingham City and Brighton & Hove Albion occupy the bottom three places. An excellent month for Wolverhampton Wanderers has seen the Midlands side storm to the top of the Second Division, joining in the top three by QPR and Fulham. One of the division's smaller clubs, Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
are emerging as unlikely promotion contenders as they stand sixth in the division ahead of much bigger clubs including Leeds United, Chelsea and bottom-of-the-table Derby County.
1 January 1983: Alan Ball, now aged 37 and the only England World Cup winner
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
still playing, leaves Southampton on a free transfer and signs a contract with Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
.
19 January 1983: Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
lose 1–0 to Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
at the Nou Camp in the first leg of the European Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
.
26 January 1983: Aston Villa clinch the European Super Cup by beating Barcelona 3–0 at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
.
31 January 1983: As January ends, Liverpool are now 10 points clear at the top of the First Division, their nearest rivals now being Manchester United. A resurgent Watford have climbed to third place, while Nottingham Forest and Coventry City complete the top five. Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City are still in the bottom three, but Sunderland have climbed out of the relegation zone at the expense of Norwich City. Wolverhampton Wanderers, QPR and Fulham continue to lead the way in the Second Division, with third placed Fulham now nine points ahead of their nearest challengers Sheffield Wednesday. At the other end of the table, fallen giants Derby County show no sign of improvement as they remain bottom of the division and are now eight points adrift of safety.
20 February 1983: Liverpool's hopes of a unique domestic treble are ended when they suffer a shock 2–1 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fifth round.
28 February 1983: Liverpool now have a 14-point advantage at the top of the First Division, with Watford one place behind and with a game in hand. Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa complete the top five. The bottom three remain unchanged from the end of last month. Wolves, QPR and Fulham remain the leading force in the Second Division promotion race, but Leicester City are starting to put pressure on the leading pack.
1 March 1983: Peter Beardsley leaves Manchester United and returns to Vancouver Whitecaps on a free transfer, having only made one appearance for the Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
club.
26 March 1983: Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
clinch the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
for the third season running by beating Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
2–1 at Wembley.
31 March 1983: Liverpool are looking all set to add the league title to their League Cup this season, as they end March as First Division leaders with a 13-point lead over nearest challengers Watford. Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion complete the top five. The bottom three clubs remain unchanged for the second month-end running. QPR have overhauled Wolverhampton Wanderers at the top of the Second Division, while Fulham remain third but still under pressure from a determined Leicester City side. Derby County are at last showing some sign of being able to avoid relegation as they are now just two points adrift of safety.
16 April 1983: Manchester United, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners four times, reach the FA Cup final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
along with Brighton who have never reached the final before.
19 April 1983: Liverpool are confirmed First Division champions for the second season running. Watford, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest complete the top five, with Stoke City, Southampton, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur providing strong competition in the race for a UEFA Cup place. Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City remain in the bottom two, but Norwich City have climbed out of the drop zone at the expense of Swansea City.
27 April 1983: England beat Hungray
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
2–0 at Wembley in the Euro 84 qualifiers.
30 April 1983: April ends with champions Liverpool 14 points ahead of second-placed Watford with three games to go, while Manchester United are three points behind Watford with two games in hand. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest complete the top five, but the next six teams are still in contention for a UEFA Cup place. Swansea City's dismal form has continued as they prop up the First Division and now need something little short of a miracle to stay up. Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City complete the bottom three. QPR's promotion to the First Division has been confirmed, and Wolverhampton Wanderers only need one win from their final three games to be sure of promotion. Fulham, meanwhile, have lapsed and a just one point ahead of Leicester City in the race for the final promotion place. Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday still have an outside chance of going up this season.
7 May 1983: FA Cup finalists Brighton are relegated from the First Division after losing 1–0 at home to fellow strugglers Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
15 May 1983: The First Division campaign ends with Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
sealing their 14th league championship, while Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
finish runners-up in their first season at this level. Joining Brighton in the relegation zone are Manchester City and Swansea City. Going up are QPR, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City. The final day drama comes at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
, where ironically Manchester City and Luton Town both went into the game scrapping to avoid the final relegation place. A draw would be enough to keep the home side up, while the visitors had to win to survive. A late goal from Raddy Antic keeps Luton up and relegated a Manchester City side who were top of the league 17 months ago.
20 May 1983: Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
midfielder Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...
, 21, is sold to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
for £175,000.
21 May 1983: Manchester United and Brighton draw 2–2 in the FA Cup final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
to book a replay in five days time. Brighton nearly won the game with a late shot by Gordon Smith, which United goalkeeper Gary Bailey
Gary Bailey
Gary Richard Bailey is a former footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. He was capped twice for England....
saved.
26 May 1983: Manchester United thrash Brighton 4–0 in the FA Cup final replay to lift the trophy on legendary former manager and current director Sir Matt Busby's
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
74th birthday.
1 June 1983: Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout is a retired English professional football player who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a youth coach with Sporting Kansas City, heading their U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams.-Playing career:...
, highly rated 19-year-old Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
striker, makes the big step from the Fourth Division to the First Division in a £200,000 move to Aston Villa.
Famous debutants
1 January 1983: Tony CotteeTony Cottee
Anthony Richard "Tony" Cottee is a former football player who now works as a television football commentator...
, 17-year-old striker, scores on his debut for West Ham United in 3–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Upton Park
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
.
26 February 1983: Ian Baird
Ian Baird
Ian Baird is an ex-professional footballer whose most notable spell was as a player for Leeds United. He had two spells at the club with his first spell having a season as captain and his second spell including a player of the year award and just after he left, he got a second division...
, 18-year-old striker, makes his debut for Southampton in 1–1 draw with West Ham United at Upton Park.
20 April 1983: Colin Hill
Colin Hill
Colin Frederick Hill is a former Northern Irish professional football player most notable for his careers with Arsenal and Leicester City and as a Northern Ireland international....
, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Arsenal in 3–1 defeat by Norwich City at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
.
Honours
| Competition | |Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|
| First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... (14*) |
Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
| Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
| Third Division Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two... |
Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
| Fourth Division Football League Fourth Division The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season... |
Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
Hull City Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football... |
| FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... (5) |
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... |
| League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... (3*) |
Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
| Charity Shield FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition... |
Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
| Home Championship 1983 British Home Championship The 1983 British Home Championship was the penultimate in the series of football tournaments between the British Home Nations which stretched back 99 years to 1884... |
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 87 | 37 | +50 | 82 |
| 2 | Watford Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade... |
42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 74 | 57 | 71 | |
| 3 | Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 56 | 38 | 70 | |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 65 | 50 | 69 | |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 62 | 50 | 69 | |
| 6 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 62 | 50 | 68 | |
| 7 | Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 66 | 48 | 64 | |
| 8 | West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
42 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 68 | 62 | 64 | |
| 9 | Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02.... |
42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 64 | 50 | 58 | |
| 10 | Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 58 | 56 | 58 | |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 51 | 49 | 57 | |
| 12 | Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 54 | 58 | −4 | 57 |
| 13 | Stoke City Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 57 |
| 14 | Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 54 |
| 15 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 55 | 71 | −16 | 52 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 50 |
| 17 | Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 50 |
| 18 | Luton Town Luton Town F.C. Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was... |
42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 65 | 84 | −19 | 49 |
| 19 | Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 48 | 59 | −11 | 48 |
| 20 | Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 47 | 70 | −23 | 47 |
| 21 | Swansea City | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 51 | 69 | −18 | 41 |
| 22 | Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... |
42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 38 | 68 | −30 | 40 |
Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 77 | 36 | +41 | 85 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
42 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 68 | 44 | 75 | |
| 3 | Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 72 | 44 | 70 | |
| 4 | Fulham Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season... |
42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 64 | 47 | 69 | |
| 5 | Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 75 | 53 | 67 | |
| 6 | Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 60 | 47 | 63 | |
| 7 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 64 | 47 | 61 | |
| 8 | Leeds United | 42 | 13 | 21 | 8 | 51 | 46 | 60 | |
| 9 | Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town F.C. Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football... |
42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 48 | 48 | 59 | |
| 10 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 57 | 55 | 57 | |
| 11 | Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... |
42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 58 | 58 | 57 | |
| 12 | Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 51 |
| 13 | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
42 | 10 | 19 | 13 | 49 | 58 | −9 | 49 |
| 14 | Carlisle United Carlisle United F.C. Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.... |
42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 48 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... |
42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 48 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... |
42 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 46 | 67 | −21 | 48 |
| 17 | Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 63 | 86 | −23 | 48 |
| 18 | Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 51 | 61 | −10 | 47 |
| 19 | Grimsby Town Grimsby Town F.C. Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town... |
42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 47 |
| 20 | Rotherham United Rotherham United F.C. Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history... |
42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 68 | −23 | 45 |
| 21 | Burnley Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888... |
42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 44 |
| 22 | Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... |
42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 44 |
Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 74 | 41 | +33 | 91 |
| 2 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 76 | 50 | 86 | |
| 3 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... |
46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 84 | 49 | 82 | |
| 4 | Newport County | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 76 | 54 | 78 | |
| 5 | Oxford United Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The... |
46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 71 | 53 | 78 | |
| 6 | Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
46 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 77 | 51 | 76 | |
| 7 | Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers F.C. Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city.... |
46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 84 | 58 | 75 | |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 61 | 66 | −5 | 65 |
| 9 | Brentford Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One.... |
46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 88 | 77 | 64 | |
| 10 | Walsall Walsall F.C. Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second... |
46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 64 | 63 | 64 | |
| 11 | Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 62 | 64 | −2 | 64 |
| 12 | Bradford City | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 68 | 69 | −1 | 61 |
| 13 | Gillingham Gillingham F.C. Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium... |
46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 61 |
| 14 | Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.... |
46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 59 | 68 | −9 | 61 |
| 15 | Southend United Southend United F.C. Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had... |
46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 66 | 65 | 59 | |
| 16 | Preston North End Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One... |
46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 60 | 69 | −9 | 58 |
| 17 | Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 64 | 77 | −13 | 55 |
| 18 | Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW... |
46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 60 | 72 | −12 | 54 |
| 19 | Exeter City Exeter City F.C. Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003... |
46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 81 | 104 | −23 | 54 |
| 20 | Orient Leyton Orient F.C. Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63... |
46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 64 | 88 | −24 | 54 |
| 21 | Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 64 | 79 | −15 | 53 |
| 22 | Wrexham | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 56 | 76 | −20 | 51 |
| 23 | Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers F.C. Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in... |
46 | 9 | 11 | 26 | 57 | 97 | −40 | 38 |
| 24 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
46 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 43 | 68 | −25 | 37 |
Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wimbledon Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football... |
46 | 29 | 11 | 6 | 96 | 45 | +51 | 98 |
| 2 | Hull City Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football... |
46 | 25 | 15 | 6 | 75 | 34 | 90 | |
| 3 | Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 67 | 34 | 88 | |
| 4 | Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One.... |
46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 71 | 42 | 83 | |
| 5 | Bury Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the... |
46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 74 | 46 | 81 | |
| 6 | Colchester United Colchester United F.C. Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910.... |
46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 75 | 55 | 81 | |
| 7 | York City York City F.C. York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions... |
46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 88 | 58 | 79 | |
| 8 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 61 | 54 | 68 | |
| 9 | Peterborough United Peterborough United F.C. Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is... |
46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 52 | 64 | |
| 10 | Mansfield Town Mansfield Town F.C. Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910... |
46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 61 | 70 | −9 | 61 |
| 11 | Halifax Town | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 66 | −7 | 60 |
| 12 | Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... |
46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 58 |
| 13 | Chester Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 55 | 60 | −5 | 56 |
| 14 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 59 | 70 | −11 | 56 |
| 15 | Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 65 | 75 | −10 | 54 |
| 16 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 60 | 79 | −19 | 54 |
| 17 | Darlington Darlington F.C. Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003... |
46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 61 | 71 | −10 | 52 |
| 18 | Aldershot Aldershot F.C. Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable... |
46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 61 | 82 | −21 | 51 |
| 19 | Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 50 |
| 20 | Rochdale | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 55 | 73 | −18 | 49 |
| 21 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 55 | 74 | −19 | 49 |
| 22 | Hartlepool United Hartlepool United F.C. Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season... |
46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 46 | 76 | −30 | 48 |
| 23 | Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra F.C. Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club... |
46 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 53 | 71 | −18 | 41 |
| 24 | Hereford United Hereford United F.C. Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',... |
46 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 42 | 79 | −37 | 41 |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Deaths
- 8 November 1982 – Jimmy DickinsonJimmy DickinsonJames William 'Jimmy' Dickinson was an English football player.Dickinson holds the record for number of league appearances for Portsmouth...
, 57, former PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
wing-half and captain, and EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international, who played more than 800 matches for Pompey, winning two league championship medals. - 10 November 1982 – John LyonsJohn LyonsJohn Lyons is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.At the 2001 general election, he was elected to the British House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Strathkelvin and Bearsden....
, 25, Colchester United striker, committed suicide. - 3 April 1983 – Jimmy BloomfieldJimmy BloomfieldJames Henry "Jimmy" Bloomfield was an English football player and manager.Born in Notting Hill, North Kensington, London, Bloomfield started his career at non-league Hayes before joining Second Division side Brentford in October 1952...
, 49, former inside-forward, most notably at ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
; later manager at Leyton OrientLeyton Orient F.C.Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
and Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. Died from cancer. - 13 April 1983 – Gerry HitchensGerry HitchensGerald Archibald "Gerry" Hitchens was an English footballer, who played as a centre forward.Hitchens was born in the village of Rawnsley, Staffordshire, near Cannock, and began his career with non-league Kidderminster Harriers in 1953...
, 48, former EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international striker who scored five goals in seven internationals, and played at club level for Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and several teams in the Italian Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, including InterF.C. Internazionale MilanoFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
and TorinoTorino F.C.Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
.