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1958–59 in English football
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July 2020
July 2020
England 1958–59 First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers Second Division Sheffield Wednesday Third Division Plymouth Argyle Fourth Division Port Vale FA Cup Nottingham Forest FA Amateur Cup Charity Shield Bolton Wanderers 1957–58 1959–60 yes
The 1958–59 season was the 79th season of competitive football in England.
Diary of the season
August 1958: The Football League season begins with the new national Third and Fourth divisions that have been created from the old Third Division North and Third Division South.
30 August 1958: The Football Association snub Manchester United's wish to participate in the 1958–59 European Cup.United Forbidden To Represent UK 1 September 1958 8 January 2015 Reuters The Gazette Montreal 10 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eowxAAAAIBAJ&pg=4623%2C57906
September 1958: Manchester United pay a national record fee of £45,000 for Sheffield Wednesday inside-forward Albert Quixall.http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/news/s/309530_stars_turn_out_for_alberts_big_day.html Stars turn out for Albert's big day Stockport Express 2 August 2002 M.E.N. MediaJuly 2026 InternetArchiveBot
12 November 1958: Wolverhampton Wanderers play their first European Cup game, drawing 2–2 at home to Schalke 04 in the first round first leg.
18 November 1958: Wolverhampton Wanderers lose 2–1 to Schalke 04 in the European Cup first round second leg in West Germany, ending their hopes of being the first team other than Real Madrid (winners of the first three competitions) to win the European Cup.
15 January 1959: Second Division Liverpool suffer a shock FA Cup third round exit when they lose 2-1 to non league Worcester City.Statistics http://www.lfchistory.net/Stats/Article/2561 A timeline for Liverpool Football Club LFChistory.net 7 August 2011
4 April 1959: Jeff Hall, 29, right-back for Birmingham City and England, dies from polio, prompting widespread takeup of the polio vaccine.The forgotten story of … Jeff Hall, the footballer whose death turned tide against polio Simon Burnton 9 December 2016 15 July 2017 The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/dec/09/fogotten-story-jeff-hall-death-polio-birmingham-city
2 May 1959: Nottingham Forest defeat Luton Town 2–1 in the 1959 FA Cup Final.
Notable debutants
8 September 1958: Bobby Moore, 17-year-old wing-half, makes his debut for West Ham United against Manchester United in the First Division.http://www.bobbymooreonline.co.uk/Fact.html Fact 2013-01-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20130814043520/http://bobbymooreonline.co.uk/Fact.html 2013-08-14 dead
Notable retirements
May 1959: Billy Wright, 35, Wolverhampton Wanderers and England captain, after more than 500 appearances for his club and a record 105 for his country.http://www.thewolvessite.co.uk/bwright.htm 'The Wolves' Site Old Gold, Billy Wright CBE 2013-01-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20080513164020/http://www.thewolvessite.co.uk/bwright.htm 2008-05-13 dead
June 1959: Jackie Blanchflower, 26, Manchester United and Northern Ireland centre-half, who announced his retirement as a player after failing to recover sufficiently from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster 16 months earlier.http://www.soccer-ireland.com/manchester-united/jackie-blanchflower.htm Jackie Blanchflower Soccer Ireland 5 July 2020
Honours
CompetitionWinnerRunner-upFirst DivisionWolverhampton Wanderers (3)Manchester UnitedSecond DivisionSheffield WednesdayFulhamThird DivisionPlymouth ArgyleHull CityFourth DivisionPort ValeCoventry CityFA CupNottingham Forest (2)Luton TownCharity ShieldBolton WanderersWolverhampton WanderersHome ChampionshipShared by ENG & NIR
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
Awards
Football Writers' Association
Footballer of the Year – Syd Owen (Luton Town)
Football League
1958–59 Football League
First Division
In the last season of captain Billy Wright's playing career, Wolves retained their First Division title – the third time they had been league champions in six seasons. There was every reason to hope for continued success in the post-Wright era, though, with younger players like Bobby Mason and Mickey Lill excelling in the team. Manchester United enjoyed a good return in the season following the Munich tragedy, as new signings and younger players integrated with crash survivors to achieve runners-up spot in the league. Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion completed the top five, while newly promoted West Ham United recorded their highest league finish yet by finishing sixth.
y First Division
Second Division
Sheffield Wednesday sealed an immediate return to the First Division as Second Division champions, being joined by runners-up Fulham.
y Second Division
Third Division
Plymouth Argyle won the first championship of the new national Third Division, with Hull City finishing one point behind them in second place. Norwich City made the headlines with their run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but the cup run distracted them from the league as fourth place in the final table was not enough for promotion.
y Third Division
Fourth Division
Port Vale were champions of the new Fourth Division, and were joined in promotion by Coventry City, York City and Shrewsbury Town.
y Fourth Division
Top goalscorers
First Division
Jimmy Greaves (Chelsea) – 33 goalshttps://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2017-06-04
Second Division
Brian Clough (Middlesbrough) – 42 goals
Third Division
Jim Towers (Brentford) – 32 goals
Fourth Division
Arthur Rowley (Shrewsbury Town) – 37 goals
National team
Although the England national football team eventually shared victory in the 1959 British Home Championship with Northern Ireland, it was a tough year without so many of the squad's key players lost in the Munich air disaster the year before. The season concluded with a disastrous tour of the Americas, in which the team lost three successive games before restoring some pride in the final match against the USA. The final game against the USA was also the last match for veteran defender and captain Billy Wright after a then record 105 caps. The match was played in front of just 13,000 fans on a gravel pitch in Los Angeles.
Tour of the Americas
13 May 1959 BRA 2–0 ENG Henrique, Julinho Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
17 May 1959 PER 4–1 ENG Juan Seminario 3, Juan Joya Jimmy Greaves Estadio Nacional, Lima
24 May 1959 MEX 2–1 ENG Raul Cardenas, Salvador Reyes Derek Kevan Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City
28 May 1959 USA 1912 1–8 ENG Ed Murphy Bobby Charlton 3 (1P), Ron Flowers 2, Warren Bradley, Derek Kevan, Johnny Haynes Wrigley Field, Los Angeles
References
1958