1973–74 in English football

The 1973–74 season was the 94th season of competitive football in England.

Overview

First Division

Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to the league championship, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national team manager, with England having failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup. Revie's Leeds side beat Liverpool to the title by five points to win it for the second time in their history. Newly promoted Burnley finished in sixth place.

Manchester United were relegated from the First Division just six years after winning the European Cup at the end of a season which had seen goalkeeper Alex Stepney as joint top scorer with two goals at Christmas. United's 37-year stay at the top ended after their penultimate game of the season, a 1–0 home defeat against Manchester City; former United striker Denis Law scored City's winning goal. Despite this, the board kept faith in manager Tommy Docherty as the man to regain the club's top flight place.

Joining United in the Second Division were Norwich City and Southampton. This was the first season in which the League introduced three relegation places from the top division.

Second Division

Former Leeds United player Jack Charlton had managed Middlesbrough to the Second Division title and a place in the First Division. Second in the table were Luton Town, who finished 15 points behind the champions. Third-placed Carlisle United, managed by Alan Ashman, gained a place in the First Division for the first, and so far only, time in their history, completing a rapid rise from the Fourth Division to the First Division. Crystal Palace, Preston North End and Swindon Town were all relegated.

Third Division

Promotion was secured by champions Oldham Athletic, Bristol Rovers and York City, which at the time represented York's highest ever League finish. Cambridge United, Shrewsbury Town, Southport and Rochdale were all relegated.

Fourth Division

Peterborough United won Division Four and were promoted along with Gillingham, Colchester United and Bury. The league's re-election system voted in favour of the bottom four league clubs and there were no departures from or arrivals into the league in 1974.

FA Cup

The FA Cup Final was won by Liverpool, who beat Newcastle United 3–0^[1] with two goals from Kevin Keegan and one from Steve Heighway. Burnley beat Leicester City 1-0 at Filbert Street in the fifth and final third-place playoff, held five days after the final.

Surprises in the earlier rounds included a first round defeat for Exeter City by Alvechurch F.C. and a 4–0 second round replay win for a Walton & Hersham team that included Dave Bassett over a Brighton & Hove Albion side managed by Brian Clough.

League Cup

Bill McGarry's Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Manchester City 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium with Kenny Hibbitt and John Richards getting the Wolves goals and Colin Bell replying for City. It was a first-ever League Cup win for Wolves, and their first major trophy since the Stan Cullis era more than a decade earlier.

Plymouth Argyle of the Third Division reached the semi-finals before losing to Manchester City.

European football

Tottenham Hotspur reached the UEFA Cup Final but lost 4–2 on aggregate to Feyenoord. Tottenham Hotspur supporters rioted after the second leg in Rotterdam, following Feyenoord's victory.

Player awards

• Veteran Liverpool winger Ian Callaghan won the FWA Footballer of the Year award for his contribution to his club's successful season.
• This season also saw the inauguration of two new awards by the Professional Footballers' Association, both of which were voted for by footballers. The PFA Players' Player of the Year award was won by Norman Hunter of Leeds United, whilst the PFA Young Player of the Year award was won by Kevin Beattie of Ipswich Town.

Top goalscorers

First Division

• Mick Channon (Southampton) – 21 goals.^[2]

Second Division

• Duncan McKenzie (Nottingham Forest) – 26 goals

Third Division

• Billy Jennings (Watford) – 26 goals

Fourth Division

• Brian Yeo (Gillingham) – 31 goals

Diary of the season

25 August 1973: Champions Liverpool begin the new league season with a 1–0 win at home to Stoke City.^[2]

26 September 1973: England defeated Austria 7–0 at Wembley in their first international of the season, with Mick Channon, Allan Clarke and Tony Currie each scoring twice.^[3]

30 September 1973: Leeds United leading the First Division at the end of September, leading Coventry City by three points having dropped one point from their first nine matches. At the bottom, Birmingham City and West Ham United are still looking for their first league wins of the season.^[2]

15 October 1973: Brian Clough, the Derby County manager, and his assistant Peter Taylor, leave the club after a dispute with the club's directors.^[4]

17 October 1973: England fail to qualify for next summer's World Cup after Poland hold them to a 1–1 draw at Wembley in the last qualifying game, sending the Eastern European nation through at the expense of the 1966 world champions.^[5]

20 October 1973: Leeds United beat Liverpool 1–0 at Elland Road to move eight points ahead of the reigning champions.^[2]

23 October 1973: The eight-day saga of Brian Clough and Derby County, which has seen numerous protests by the club's fans calling for his reinstatement, ends when former Rams player Dave Mackay resigns as Nottingham Forest manager to take charge of his old club.^[6]

31 October 1973: Leeds United are five points ahead of Everton, newly promoted Burnley and Derby County at the end of October.^[2]

1 November 1973: Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor return to the game after accepting an offer to take charge of Third Division club Brighton & Hove Albion.^[7]

30 November 1973: Leeds United, without a league title since 1969, are seven points clear at the top, and still unbeaten, at the end of November. Newcastle United, Burnley, Everton and Liverpool lead the chasing pack. Birmingham City and West Ham United remain at the foot of the table, and have been joined in the relegation zone by Norwich City.^[2]

31 December 1973: At the end of the year, Leeds United are still unbeaten in the league, and now lead nearest rivals Liverpool by eight points. Only goal difference keeps Manchester United, level on points with Birmingham City, out of the relegation zone.^[2]

31 January 1974: Leeds United remain eight points ahead of Liverpool at the end of January. An improved run of form has seen West Ham United move out of the bottom three at the expense of Manchester United.^[2]

2 February 1974: Ipswich Town thrash Southampton 7–0 at Portman Road in the biggest win of the First Division season.^[2]

23 February 1974: After beginning the season with a 29-match unbeaten run, Leeds United finally suffer defeat when they are beaten 3–2 by Stoke City at the Victoria Ground.^[8] However, they remain eight points ahead of Liverpool, who have moved six points ahead of third-placed Derby County.^[2]

8 March 1974: A bad-tempered FA Cup quarter-final tie between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest is halted mid-match when "hundreds of fans" invade the City Ground pitch, one of whom attacked Forest midfielder Dave Serella.^[9]

16 March 1974: Liverpool beat Leeds United 1–0 at Anfield to move six points behind the Yorkshire side with two games in hand. At the other end of the table, Manchester United's relegation problems continue as they lose 1–0 to Birmingham City, who also remain in the bottom three.^[2]

30 March 1974: Leeds United lose 3–1 at West Ham United, their third league defeat in a row, handing control of the title race to Liverpool, who are now four points behind with three games in hand.^[2]

8 April 1974: Liverpool's hopes of retaining their league title are hit by a 1–0 defeat away to Sheffield United.^[2]

20 April 1974: Liverpool draw 0–0 at home to Everton, allowing Leeds United to move to the verge of the title with a 3–2 win over Ipswich Town. Norwich City are relegated to the Second Division.^[2]

22 April 1974: In response to the events in Nottingham in March, Newcastle are banned by the Football Association from hosting home cup games during next season.^[10]

24 April 1974: Liverpool's 1–0 home defeat by Arsenal ends their double hopes and hands the league title to Leeds United.^[11]

27 April 1974: Manchester United go into the Manchester derby at Old Trafford needing to beat neighbours City to stand any chance of avoiding relegation, six years after winning the European Cup. They lose 1–0 with former club hero Denis Law scoring City's only goal, but would have been relegated even if they had won due to Birmingham City winning.^[12] Birmingham's win also relegates Southampton, despite the Saints' 3–0 win away to Everton. Leeds United end the season with a 1–0 away win over Queens Park Rangers.^[2]

30 April 1974: Sir Alf Ramsey is sacked after 11 years as England manager.^[13]

4 May 1974: Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3–0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley, with Kevin Keegan scored twice and Steve Heighway once.^[14]

11 May 1974: England's first match since the dismissal of Alf Ramsey ends in a 2–0 win over Wales in the Home Championship.^[3]

19 May 1974: England are beaten 2–0 by Scotland at Hampden Park and finish second in the Home Championship.^[3]

29 May 1974: Tottenham Hotspur are beaten 4–2 on aggregate to Feyenoord in the UEFA Cup Final. Tottenham Hotspur supporters rioted after the second leg in Rotterdam, following Feyenoord's victory.

4 July 1974: Don Revie accepts The Football Association's offer to manage the England team, ending his 13-year reign as manager of Leeds United.^[15]

12 July 1974: Bill Shankly announced his retirement as manager after 15 years. He is to be succeeded by his 55-year-old assistant Bob Paisley.^[16]

30 July 1974: Brian Clough leaves Brighton & Hove Albion to become the new manager of Leeds United, but his assistant Peter Taylor remains at the Goldstone Ground and steps into the manager's seat there.

Honours

Competition	Winner	Runner-up
First Division	Leeds United (2)	Liverpool
Second Division	Middlesbrough	Luton Town
Third Division	Oldham Athletic	Bristol Rovers
Fourth Division	Peterborough United	Gillingham
FA Cup	Liverpool (2)	Newcastle United
League Cup	Wolverhampton Wanderers (1)	Manchester City
Charity Shield	Burnley	Manchester City
Home Championship	Shared by  England and  Scotland

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

League table

First Division

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
1	Leeds United	42	24	14	4	66	31	2,129	62
2	Liverpool	42	22	13	7	52	31	1,677	57
3	Derby County	42	17	14	11	52	42	1,238	48
4	Ipswich Town	42	18	11	13	67	58	1,155	47
5	Stoke City	42	15	16	11	54	42	1,286	46
6	Burnley	42	16	14	12	56	53	1,057	46
7	Everton	42	16	12	14	50	48	1,042	44
8	Queens Park Rangers	42	13	17	12	56	52	1,077	43
9	Leicester City	42	13	16	13	51	41	1,244	42
10	Arsenal	42	14	14	14	49	51	0,961	42
11	Tottenham Hotspur	42	14	14	14	45	50	0,900	42
12	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	13	15	14	49	49	1,000	41
13	Sheffield United	42	14	12	16	44	49	0,898	40
14	Manchester City	42	14	12	16	39	46	0,848	40
15	Newcastle United	42	13	12	17	49	48	1,021	38
16	Coventry City	42	14	10	18	43	54	0,796	38
17	Chelsea	42	12	13	17	56	60	0,933	37
18	West Ham United	42	11	15	16	55	60	0,917	37
19	Birmingham City	42	12	13	17	52	64	0,813	37
20	Southampton	42	11	14	17	47	68	0,691	36
21	Manchester United	42	10	12	20	38	48	0,792	32
22	Norwich City	42	7	15	20	37	62	0,597	29

Second Division

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
1	Middlesbrough	42	27	11	4	77	30	2,567	65
2	Luton Town	42	19	12	11	64	51	1,255	50
3	Carlisle United	42	20	9	13	61	48	1,271	49
4	Orient	42	15	18	9	55	42	1,310	48
5	Blackpool	42	17	13	12	57	40	1,425	47
6	Sunderland	42	19	9	14	58	44	1,318	47
7	Nottingham Forest	42	15	15	12	57	43	1,326	45
8	West Bromwich Albion	42	14	16	12	48	45	1,067	44
9	Hull City	42	13	17	12	46	47	0,979	43
10	Notts County	42	15	13	14	55	60	0,917	43
11	Bolton Wanderers	42	15	12	15	44	40	1,100	42
12	Millwall	42	14	14	14	51	51	1,000	42
13	Fulham	42	16	10	16	39	43	0,907	42
14	Aston Villa	42	13	15	14	48	45	1,067	41
15	Portsmouth	42	14	12	16	45	62	0,726	40
16	Bristol City	42	14	10	18	47	54	0,870	38
17	Cardiff City	42	10	16	16	49	62	0,790	36
18	Oxford United	42	10	16	16	35	46	0,761	36
19	Sheffield Wednesday	42	12	11	19	51	63	0,810	35
20	Crystal Palace	42	11	12	19	43	56	0,768	34
21	Preston North End	42	9	14	19	40	62	0,645	31*
22	Swindon Town	42	7	11	24	36	72	0,500	25

* Preston North End had one point deducted for fielding an ineligible player.

Third Division

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
1	Oldham Athletic	46	25	12	9	83	47	1,766	62
2	Bristol Rovers	46	22	17	7	65	33	1,970	61
3	York City	46	21	19	6	67	38	1,763	61
4	Wrexham	46	22	12	12	63	43	1,465	56
5	Chesterfield	46	21	14	11	55	42	1,310	56
6	Grimsby Town	46	18	15	13	67	50	1,340	51
7	Watford	46	19	12	15	64	56	1,143	50
8	Aldershot	46	19	11	16	65	52	1,250	49
9	Halifax Town	46	14	21	11	48	51	0,941	49
10	Huddersfield Town	46	17	13	16	56	55	1,018	47
11	Bournemouth	46	16	15	15	54	58	0,931	47
12	Southend United	46	16	14	16	62	62	1,000	46
13	Blackburn Rovers	46	18	10	18	62	64	0,969	46
14	Charlton Athletic	46	19	8	19	66	73	0,904	46
15	Walsall	46	16	13	17	57	48	1,188	45
16	Tranmere Rovers	46	15	15	16	50	44	1,136	45
17	Plymouth Argyle	46	17	10	19	59	54	1,093	44
18	Hereford United	46	14	15	17	53	57	0,930	43
19	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	16	11	19	52	58	0,897	43
20	Port Vale	46	14	14	18	52	58	0,897	42
21	Cambridge United	46	13	9	24	48	81	0,593	35
22	Shrewsbury Town	46	10	11	25	41	62	0,661	31
23	Southport	46	6	16	24	35	82	0,427	28
24	Rochdale	46	2	17	27	38	94	0,404	21

Fourth Division

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
1	Peterborough United	46	27	11	8	75	38	1,974	65
2	Gillingham	46	25	12	9	90	49	1,837	62
3	Colchester United	46	24	12	10	73	36	2,028	60
4	Bury	46	24	11	11	81	49	1,653	59
5	Northampton Town	46	20	13	13	63	48	1,313	53
6	Reading	46	16	19	11	58	37	1,568	51
7	Chester	46	17	15	14	54	55	0,982	49
8	Bradford City	46	17	14	15	58	52	1,115	48
9	Newport County	46	16	14	16	56	65	0,862	45†
10	Exeter City	45	18	8	19	58	55	1,055	44*
11	Hartlepool	46	16	12	18	48	47	1,021	44
12	Lincoln City	46	16	12	18	63	67	0,940	44
13	Barnsley	46	17	10	19	58	64	0,906	44
14	Swansea City	46	16	11	19	45	46	0,978	43
15	Rotherham United	46	15	13	18	56	58	0,966	43
16	Torquay United	46	13	17	16	52	57	0,912	43
17	Mansfield Town	46	13	17	16	62	69	0,899	43
18	Scunthorpe United	45	14	12	19	47	64	0,734	42*
19	Brentford	46	12	16	18	48	50	0,960	40
20	Darlington	46	13	13	20	40	62	0,645	39
21	Crewe Alexandra	46	14	10	22	43	71	0,606	38
22	Doncaster Rovers	46	12	11	23	47	80	0,588	35
23	Workington	46	11	13	22	43	74	0,581	35
24	Stockport County	46	7	20	19	44	69	0,638	34

* Scunthorpe United v. Exeter was never played; Exeter failed to turn up and Scunthorpe were awarded the points.

† Newport had one point deducted for fielding an ineligible player.

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

References