1959–60 Burnley F.C. season

English football club season April 2021 April 2021 Burnley 1959–60 Harry Potts Bob Lord Turf Moor First Division 1st FA Cup Sixth round John Connelly (20) John Connelly (24) 52,850 vs. Bradford City (FA Cup fifth-round replay, 23 February 1960) 17,398 vs. Leeds United (First Division, 19 December 1959) 26,869 _thinskycollar _hoops_sky _claretborder _claretborder 5cc9f9 901420 5cc9f9 FFFFFF 901420 1958–59 1960–61 The 1959–60 season was Burnley Football Club's 61st season in the Football League, and their 13th consecutive campaign in the First Division, the top tier of English football. The team, and their manager Harry Potts, endured a tense season in which Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers were the other contenders for the league title. Burnley won their second First Division championship, and their first since 1920–21, on the last matchday with a 2–1 victory at Manchester City; they had not topped the table until the last match was played out.OneDay Burnley topped the league table between 25 and 26 August after their second game but fell down to third place after the other teams completed their second fixtures.Quelch (2015), pp. 72–76 Only two players—Alex Elder and Jimmy McIlroy—had cost a transfer fee, while the others were recruited from Burnley's youth academy. With 80,000 inhabitants, the town of Burnley became one of the smallest to have hosted an English first-tier champion. In the FA Cup, Burnley reached the sixth round before being defeated by local rivals Blackburn Rovers after a replay. Burnley won the local Lancashire Cup for the fifth time in their history after defeating Manchester United in the final. After the regular season ended, the Burnley squad travelled to the United States to participate in the first edition of the International Soccer League. During the season, 18 players made at least one appearance for the club, with Jimmy Adamson, Brian Miller and Ray Pointer present in all 50 competitive matches. The team's top goalscorer was John Connelly with 24 goals, including 20 in the league. The highest attendance recorded at home ground Turf Moor was 52,850 for the FA Cup fifth-round replay match against Bradford City; the lowest was 17,398 for a league game against Leeds United. The average league attendance at Turf Moor was 26,869, around one-third of the town's population. Background and pre-season The 1959–60 campaign was Burnley's 61st season in the Football League, and their 13th consecutive season in the First Division, since promotion from the Second Division in 1946–47.Simpson (2007), pp. 529–530 The team had finished the 1958–59 season in seventh place and had reached the sixth round of the FA Cup.Simpson (2007), p. 290 Burnley ended the campaign with 8 wins out of 13 in the league,Burnley match record: 1959 https://www.11v11.com/teams/burnley/tab/matches/season/1959/ 31 March 2021 11v11 AFS Enterprises 21 January 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210121064354/https://www.11v11.com/teams/burnley/tab/matches/season/1959/ and approached the new season with confidence.Quelch (2015), p. 211 The club's chairman, Bob Lord, was elected to the position in 1955. Lord only appointed managers with a previous playing career at the club; he selected Harry Potts for the post in February 1958.McParlan Paul 27 February 2018 Burnley, Total Football and the pioneering title win of 1959/60 These Football Times https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/02/27/burnley-total-football-and-the-pioneering-title-win-of-1959-60/ 10 June 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20201222222230/https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/02/27/burnley-total-football-and-the-pioneering-title-win-of-1959-60/ 22 December 2020 Burnley had become one of the most progressive clubs under Lord,Quelch (2015), pp. 199–206York Gary 24 May 2007 John Connelly life story: Part 1 http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/burnley_fc/news/1422640.John_Connelly_life_story__Part_1/ https://web.archive.org/web/20201222222233/https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/1422640.john-connelly-life-story-part-1/ 22 December 2020 25 January 2018 Lancashire Telegraph who was described by the scriptwriter Arthur Hopcraft as "the Khrushchev of Burnley" as a result of his authoritarian attitude.Bagchi Rob 27 May 2009 Burnley are back – thankfully without caricature chairman Bob Lord The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/may/27/burnley 9 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20190603211307/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/may/27/burnley 3 June 2019 Burnley were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground (at Gawthorpe in 1955),Marshall Tyrone 24 March 2017 Training ground move a sign of our ambition, says Burnley captain Tom Heaton as Clarets move into their new home https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/15174299.training-ground-move-sign-ambition-says-burnley-captain-tom-heaton-clarets-move-new-home/ https://web.archive.org/web/20201222222247/https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/15174299.training-ground-move-sign-ambition-says-burnley-captain-tom-heaton-clarets-move-new-home/ 22 December 2020 15 June 2020 Lancashire Telegraph which included a medical room, a gymnasium, three full-size pitches and an all-weather surface.Quelch (2015), p. 253 The club also became renowned for its youth policy and scouting system. Burnley's scouts—including Jack Hixon—focused particularly on North East England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.5 July 2000 Scout Hixon back on the Turf payroll https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6076054.scout-hixon-back-theturf-payroll/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200614175403/https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6076054.scout-hixon-back-theturf-payroll/ 14 June 2020 30 March 2021 Lancashire Telegraph thumb|upright|Jimmy Greaves (2007 photograph) was an admirer of Burnley's playing style.|alt=A headshot of a former footballer During matches, Potts often employed the then unfashionable 4–4–2 formation and he implemented a Total Football playing style.Ponting Ivan 22 January 1996 Obituary: Harry Potts The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-harry-potts-1325268.html 10 June 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20201223101709/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-harry-potts-1325268.html 23 December 2020 Billy Wright of Wolverhampton Wanderers described Burnley's playing style as "progressing [from defense to attack] by nicely controlled patterns with every man searching hungrily for space".Quelch (2015), p. 66 Jimmy Greaves labelled the team's style of play as "smooth, skilled football that was a warming advertisement for all that was best about British football". Most Burnley players had been recruited from the club's youth academy—only Alex Elder and Jimmy McIlroy had cost a transfer fee. Both players were bought from Northern Irish club Glentoran; McIlroy transferred to Burnley for £8,000 in 1950, while Elder cost the club £5,000 in January 1959.Simpson (2007), p. 292 Potts made no major additions to his squad during pre-season, while Ken Bracewell (to Tranmere Rovers),Ken Bracewell https://www.11v11.com/players/ken-bracewell-26735/ 29 March 2021 11v11 AFS Enterprises 1 April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210401141007/https://www.11v11.com/players/ken-bracewell-26735/ Albert Cheesebrough (to Leicester City for £20,000), Doug Newlands (to Stoke City for £12,000) and Les Shannon (retired) left the club.Simpson (2007), pp. 497–498 On 17 August 1959, the team played a pre-season friendly against Glentoran, which was organised as part of Elder's transfer. Burnley defeated their opponents 8–1, with Jimmy Robson scoring four times.Simpson (2007), p. 504 Burnley's kit remained unchanged from the previous seasons: a claret jersey with light blue sleeves, a light blue stripe around the collar, and white shorts along with claret and light blue socks.Moor Dave Burnley http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Burnley/Burnley.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20210213134249/http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Burnley/Burnley.htm 13 February 2021 1 April 2021 Historical Football Kits First Division August to December Burnley's First Division campaign began with a 3–2 win over Leeds United at Elland Road on 22 August, with goals from Brian Pilkington, John Connelly, and Ray Pointer.Simpson (2007), p. 294 Ahead of Burnley's first home match of the season at Turf Moor against Everton, Potts wrote in the club's matchday programme: "We pride ourselves on being a footballing team and no club can be more eager to meet the demand for better play".Quelch (2015), p. 74 The team defeated Everton 5–2, but then lost 3–1 at home to West Ham United, despite taking the lead through Connelly. Burnley's form remained inconsistent: a 4–1 away loss against Chelsea was followed by 2–1 wins against local rival Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion, after coming from behind on both occasions. Potts had selected the same starting line-up for the first seven matches, but he made several changes to his side for the reverse fixture against Preston on 15 September. Billy White replaced McIlroy, who was injured, while Bobby Seith had contacted giant urticaria and was replaced by Tommy Cummings, leaving the left-back position open for the 18-year-old Elder to make his debut.Simpson (2007), p. 295Quelch (2015), pp. 87–88 Burnley lost the fixture 1–0 but Elder played well against Preston's England international Tom Finney and remained in the starting line-up. Burnley ended September by defeating Newcastle United and Birmingham City, both by a scoreline of 3–1. The team were a point behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur, who were their next opponents.Burnley match record: 1960 https://www.11v11.com/teams/burnley/tab/matches/season/1960/ https://web.archive.org/web/20210121021107/https://www.11v11.com/teams/burnley/tab/matches/season/1960/ 21 January 2021 2 April 2021 11v11 AFS Enterprises Both sides were missing key players—Spurs were without Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, while McIlroy, Burnley's playmaker, was still absent. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, after defender Brian Miller equalised for Burnley in the 87th minute. Burnley then faced Lancashire rivals Blackpool at home; Burnley took the lead through Robson but the visitors scored four goals to win 4–1.Quelch (2015), pp. 101–103 Before the East Lancashire derby at Blackburn Rovers on 17 October, Potts received criticism from the Burnley supporters who objected to his "confusing playing style", such as the defenders switching positions during matches.Quelch (2015), pp. 60, 103–104 Against Blackburn, Burnley equalised twice, but the hosts scored a third goal to win 3–2. McIlroy was back to full fitness for the match against Manchester City a week later and led the team to a 4–3 victory. Burnley ended October with a 1–1 draw at Luton Town after being 1–0 down.Quelch (2015), pp. 106–107 On 7 November, Burnley defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–1 at Turf Moor; Wolves were the First Division champions of the previous two seasons. Two weeks later, Burnley recorded their largest post-war league win when they beat Nottingham Forest, the previous season's FA Cup winners, 8–0 at home.Heneghan Michael 12 December 2002 England FA Challenge Cup 1958–1959 https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engcup1959.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200112050621/http://rsssf.com/tablese/engcup1959.html 12 January 2020 RSSSF 29 March 2021 The team kept their first clean sheet of the season, and Robson became the club's first player in over 30 years to score five goals in one match. It was followed by a 1–0 loss against newly promoted Fulham on 28 November. After beating Bolton Wanderers 4–0 on 5 December, Burnley defeated Arsenal 4–2 at Highbury a week later. Arsenal led 2–0 after the first half; during half-time Potts pushed McIlroy and Miller forward. The team turned the match around: Jimmy Adamson, Burnley's captain, scored a penalty kick halfway through the second half and Connelly completed a hat-trick inside 16 minutes. McIlroy received many plaudits for his performance, even though he had picked up a groin strain injury early during the game.Quelch (2015), pp. 130–132 With McIlroy absent, Burnley hosted last-place Leeds United on 19 December in front of a season-lowest crowd of 17,398. Leeds won 1–0 and Burnley slipped down from third to fourth place in the table, three points behind leaders Tottenham. On Boxing Day, Burnley defeated Manchester United 2–1 at Old Trafford; forward Ian Lawson came back into the team after three years and scored the winner. In the return fixture against United two days later, Burnley lost 4–1 in front of 47,696 spectators—the highest home league crowd of the season.Quelch (2015), pp. 134–135 January to May The team's first match of 1960 resulted in a 5–2 victory away at title contenders West Ham. The Sunday Pictorial concluded: "If they go on playing like this they'll soon have nobody above them".Quelch (2015), pp. 141–143 Burnley then defeated Chelsea 2–1 on a snowy Turf Moor pitch and drew 0–0 with West Brom to end January in second place in the table. Burnley beat Newcastle United 2–1 on 6 February, the scorers being Robson with a shot from 30 yd and Pointer with a lob. The match against Birmingham City a week later was postponed due to poor weather.Quelch (2015), pp. 153–154 On 1 March, the team recorded a 2–0 home win over league leaders Tottenham to close the gap to three points, but with two games in hand on Spurs. Burnley also defeated Blackburn Rovers 1–0 and Arsenal 3–2 to win three league matches in a row. On 30 March, Burnley played second-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers but were overwhelmed by "Wolves' fast, direct power play" and were defeated 6–1.Quelch (2015), pp. 171–173 The following game, at home against Sheffield Wednesday, ended in a 3–3 draw after Miller equalised for Burnley in the 88th minute. It was Seith's last match for the club; he read in the Burnley Express that he would not play the next game against Nottingham Forest and was aggrieved at not being told directly by Potts. A dispute followed, after which Seith was put on the transfer list.Quelch (2015), p. 176 Potts moved Adamson to the centre-half position to partner Cummings, while Miller was placed in midfield.Simpson (2007), p. 293 The team recorded three consecutive wins: Forest and Leicester City were both defeated 1–0, while Burnley beat Luton 3–0 despite only having 10 men for most of the game, after Pointer came off injured.Quelch (2015), pp. 179–181 Connelly scored the winning goal against Leicester, his 20th league goal of the season, but picked up a cartilage injury during the match and was out for the remainder of the season; he was replaced by Trevor Meredith. On 18 April, Meredith scored his first goal in a 2–1 defeat in the return game at Leicester, with former Burnley player Cheesebrough netting the winner for the home team. thumb|upright=1.4|Burnley won their second First Division championship on the last matchday with a 2–1 victory at Maine Road (1975 photograph).|alt=A photograph of the inside of a football stadium Five days later, Burnley drew 1–1 at Blackpool after the hosts equalised with six minutes remaining. Jim Furnell made his Burnley debut in goal as Adam Blacklaw was out injured. The team's main rivals for the league title, Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, met on the same day at Wolves' Molineux Stadium; Spurs won 3–1 to leave the title race open.Quelch (2015), pp. 181–184 Blacklaw returned in goal for the match against Birmingham City on 27 April, while Cummings, McIlroy and Miller also played despite having minor injuries; Burnley won 1–0 after a late goal from Pilkington. With the victory, the team moved up to second place behind Wolves on goal average and one point ahead of Tottenham. As Burnley's last home match of the season ended in a goalless draw with Fulham, while Wolves and Tottenham were both victorious in their final games, Burnley needed to win their last match at Manchester City to claim the league title. On 2 May, in front of almost 66,000 spectators at Maine Road—including Wolves manager Stan Cullis and several of his players—Burnley went ahead after four minutes when Pilkington's shot deflected off City's Bert Trautmann into the net. The hosts soon equalised through Joe Hayes but Meredith's volley put Burnley back in front after half an hour. Blacklaw made several saves and the team held on to the lead.Quelch (2015), pp. 185–189 Burnley were crowned First Division champions for the second time, and won their first top flight title in 39 years. They had not led the table until the last match was played out.Marshall Tyrone 20 June 2016 'We weren't jumping around, we'd only won the league' – Burnley legend on the day the Clarets were crowned Kings of England http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/14567385._We_weren_t_jumping_around__we_d_only_won_the_league____Burnley_legend_on_the_day_the_Clarets_were_crowned_Kings_of_England/ https://web.archive.org/web/20201223101655/https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/14567385.we-werent-jumping-around-won-league---burnley-legend-day-clarets-crowned-kings-england/ 23 December 2020 26 January 2018 Lancashire TelegraphOneDay The Daily Mirror noted: "Burnley, the team of quiet men—five of them are part-timers and the whole outfit cost less than £15,000—snatched the First Division Championship from the teeth of the famous Wolves". Burnley's population had reduced by around 20 per cent since the club won the First Division in 1921; with 80,000 inhabitants in 1960, the town became one of the smallest to have hosted an English first-tier champion. During the season, Burnley attracted an average crowd of 26,869, equal to around one-third of the town's population, the highest ratio in the top flight.Quelch (2015), p. 266 The team won the title with one of the lowest post-war point tallies (55), one of the smallest goal averages (1.39), and one of the highest numbers of goals conceded (61).Quelch (2015), p. 265 Match results Key In result column, Burnley's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal Results DateOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance 22 August 1959 Leeds United (A) 3–2 Pilkington, Connelly, Pointer 20,233 25 August 1959 Everton (H) 5–2 Connelly (2), Pilkington, Pointer, Robson 29,165 29 August 1959 West Ham United (H) 1–3 Connelly 26,756 2 September 1959 Everton (A) 2–1 Pointer (2) 39,416 5 September 1959 Chelsea (A) 1–4 Connelly 36,023 8 September 1959 Preston North End (H) 2–1 Pointer, Robson 29,195 12 September 1959 West Bromwich Albion (H) 2–1 Robson, Pilkington 23,907 15 September 1959 Preston North End (A) 0–1 27,299 19 September 1959 Newcastle United (A) 3–1 McIlroy, Connelly (2) 38,576 26 September 1959 Birmingham City (H) 3–1 Pointer, McIlroy, Connelly 23,848 3 October 1959 Tottenham Hotspur (A) 1–1 Miller 42,717 10 October 1959 Blackpool (H) 1–4 Robson 28,104 17 October 1959 Blackburn Rovers (A) 2–3 Pilkington, Douglas (o.g.) 33,316 24 October 1959 Manchester City (H) 4–3 Pilkington, Pointer, White (2) 28,653 31 October 1959 Luton Town (A) 1–1 Pointer 15,638 7 November 1959 Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) 4–1 Pointer (2), Robson, Connelly 27,793 14 November 1959 Sheffield Wednesday (A) 1–1 Robson 18,420 21 November 1959 Nottingham Forest (H) 8–0 Robson (5), Pilkington, Pointer (2) 24,349 28 November 1959 Fulham (A) 0–1 29,582 5 December 1959 Bolton Wanderers (H) 4–0 Pointer, Connelly, McIlroy (2) 26,510 12 December 1959 Arsenal (A) 4–2 Adamson (pen.), Connelly (3) 26,056 19 December 1959 Leeds United (H) 0–1 17,398 26 December 1959 Manchester United (A) 2–1 Robson, Lawson 62,673 28 December 1959 Manchester United (H) 1–4 Robson 47,696 2 January 1960 West Ham United (A) 5–2 Lawson (2), Pilkington, Connelly (2) 25,752 16 January 1960 Chelsea (H) 2–1 Robson (2) 21,916 23 January 1960 West Bromwich Albion (A) 0–0 23,512 6 February 1960 Newcastle United (H) 2–1 Robson, Pointer 26,998 27 February 1960 Bolton Wanderers (A) 1–2 Connelly 28,772 1 March 1960 Tottenham Hotspur (H) 2–0 Pointer, Connelly 32,992 5 March 1960 Blackburn Rovers (H) 1–0 Robson 32,331 19 March 1960 Arsenal (H) 3–2 Pointer, Miller, Connelly 20,327 30 March 1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) 1–6 Pointer 33,953 2 April 1960 Sheffield Wednesday (H) 3–3 Connelly, McIlroy (pen.), Miller 23,123 9 April 1960 Nottingham Forest (A) 1–0 Pointer 24,640 15 April 1960 Leicester City (H) 1–0 Connelly 23,777 16 April 1960 Luton Town (H) 3–0 Pointer, Robson, McIlroy (pen.) 20,893 18 April 1960 Leicester City (A) 1–2 Meredith 24,429 23 April 1960 Blackpool (A) 1–1 Meredith 23,753 27 April 1960 Birmingham City (A) 1–0 Pilkington 37,032 30 April 1960 Fulham (H) 0–0 30,807 2 May 1960 Manchester City (A) 2–1 Pilkington, Meredith 65,981 Source: Partial league table 1959–60 Football League#First Division +First Division final table, positions 1–5Pos PositionClubPld Matches playedW Matches wonD Matches drawnL Matches lostF Goals forA Goals againstGA Goal averagePts Points1Burnley422471185611.39552Wolverhampton Wanderers4224612106671.58543Tottenham Hotspur4221111086501.72534West Bromwich Albion4219111283571.46495Sheffield Wednesday4219111280591.3649 Source:Quelch (2015), p. 197 FA Cup thumb|upright=1.2|Burnley drew 2–2 with Bradford City at a very muddy Valley Parade pitch (2008 photograph).|alt=A photograph of the inside of a football stadium Burnley entered the season's FA Cup in the third round where they were drawn away against Second Division side Lincoln City; the game finished in a 1–1 draw, necessitating a replay at Turf Moor. Although not fully fit, McIlroy returned in the starting line-up and opened the scoring from the penalty spot. He provided the assist for Pilkington's headed goal to lead Burnley to a 2–0 victory and qualification for the fourth round.Quelch (2015), pp. 143–145 The team faced mid-table Second Division side Swansea Town at Vetch Field and drew 0–0; the Swansea manager Trevor Morris was confident and stated: "We'll win the replay".Quelch (2015), pp. 147–148 At Turf Moor, Robson scored twice to put Burnley 2–0 ahead, before Swansea's Mel Nurse halved the lead in the 83rd minute. The team held on to the lead to set up a fifth-round fixture with Third Division side Bradford City, who were undefeated in 18 matches.Quelch (2015), pp. 151–152Bradford City match record: 1960 https://www.11v11.com/teams/bradford-city/tab/matches/season/1960/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170510143416/https://www.11v11.com/teams/bradford-city/tab/matches/season/1960/ 10 May 2017 31 March 2022 11v11 AFS Enterprises City's Valley Parade pitch was very muddy, which hindered Burnley in their passing game, and City took a 2–0 lead.Quelch (2015), pp. 155–160 With ten minutes remaining, Connelly dribbled through the Bradford defence and put the ball past their goalkeeper. He scored his second goal in injury time to salvage a replay for Burnley, following a scramble in City's penalty area. The replay took place three days later at Turf Moor, in front of an official attendance of 52,850. Some of the gates were broken down, however, and many uncounted fans poured into the ground. The road from Bradford was closed due to the traffic, and numerous Bradford City and Burnley supporters were denied entry by the local police. On an icy Turf Moor pitch, Burnley ran out 5–0 winners and advanced to the sixth round. Burnley were drawn at home for the first time in the FA Cup campaign. On 12 March, they faced arch-rivals Blackburn Rovers in front of 51,501 spectators at Turf Moor. Burnley quickly went 2–0 up in the second half: McIlroy set up both goals, with Pilkington and then Pointer finding the net. Connelly added a third before Blackburn scored three times in the final 15 minutes to draw the match 3–3. After a goalless 90 minutes in the replay, Rovers scored twice in extra time to eliminate Burnley from the competition. Robson had played while being ill, and McIlroy was again not fully fit and concluded: "I had probably my poorest ever game in a Burnley shirt".Quelch (2015), pp. 167–170 Blackburn advanced to the final where they lost 3–0 to Wolves.Heneghan Michael 12 December 2002 England FA Challenge Cup 1959–1960 https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engcup1960.html 31 March 2021 29 October 2020 RSSSF https://web.archive.org/web/20201029074434/http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/engcup1960.html Match results Key In result column, Burnley's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal Results DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorersAttendance 9 January 1960 Third Lincoln City (A) 1–1 Pointer 21,693 12 January 1960 Third (replay) Lincoln City (H) 2–0 McIlroy (pen.), Pilkington 35,456 30 January 1960 Fourth Swansea Town (A) 0–0 29,976 2 February 1960 Fourth (replay) Swansea Town (H) 2–1 Robson (2) 37,040 20 February 1960 Fifth Bradford City (A) 2–2 Connelly (2) 26,244 23 February 1960 Fifth (replay) Bradford City (H) 5–0 Pointer (2), Robson (2), Connelly 52,850 12 March 1960 Sixth Blackburn Rovers (H) 3–3 Pilkington, Pointer, Connelly 51,501 16 March 1960 Sixth (replay) Blackburn Rovers (A) 0–2 53,892 Source: Player details Potts used only 18 different players in the First Division during the season, the lowest number in the division. Ten players scored at least one goal and one opposition player scored an own goal. The team usually played in a 4–4–2 formation throughout the season, with four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. Miller, Adamson and Pointer featured in all 50 league and cup games; Blacklaw, John Angus and Pilkington each missed one First Division match and made 49 appearances for the club. Angus would go on to set a club record for appearances for outfield players with 521.Simpson (2007), p. 539 Gordon Harris made just two appearances for Burnley in the First Division, while Billy Marshall and Furnell featured in only one league match during the campaign. Connelly was the top goalscorer for Burnley with 24 goals, including 20 in the league. With a tally of 23 goals, Pointer was the second-highest scorer, followed by Robson with 22; both players also scored four goals in the FA Cup. Connelly, Pointer and Robson scored two-thirds of the club's 85 league goals. + Players having played at least one first-team matchPos. Playing positionNat. NationalityNameFirst DivisionFA CupTotalApps AppearancesGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGKSCOAdam Blacklaw41080490GKENGJim Furnell100010DFENGJohn Angus footballer, born 193841080490DFENGTommy Cummings23000230DFNIRAlex Elder34080420DFNIRBilly Marshall100010DFENGBrian Miller footballer42380503DFSCOBobby Seith27080350MFENGJimmy Adamson42180501MFENGJohn Connelly footballer, born 19383420844224MFENGGordon Harris footballer, born 1940200020MFNIRJimmy McIlroy32661387MFENGTrevor Meredith730073MFENGBrian Pilkington footballer419824911FWENGIan Lawson footballer, born 1939831093FWENGRay Pointer4219845023FWENGJimmy Robson3818844622FWENGBilly White621072 GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender, MF = Midfielder, FW = Forward Source: Minor competitions Lancashire Cup Burnley also participated in the local Lancashire Cup, although their starting line-ups consisted primarily of reserve and youth players. Their first game, against Manchester City on 23 November, ended in a 5–1 victory with five different goalscorers for the team—White, Ron Fenton, Ian Towers, Andy Lochhead and Harris. Burnley's next match, at Chester, ended in a 3–1 win and qualification for the semi-final. Burnley were drawn away against Preston North End and won by a scoreline of 3–0. Burnley secured their fifth Lancashire Cup title after winning the final 4–2 against Manchester United at Turf Moor. Walter Joyce and Harris each scored one goal, while Lochhead netted twice. Match results Key In result column, Burnley's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal Results DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorers 23 November 1959 Round of 16 Manchester City (H) 5–1 White, Fenton, Towers, Lochhead, Harris 13 January 1960 Quarter-final Chester (A) 3–1 Meredith, Harris (2) 22 March 1960 Semi-final Preston North End (A) 3–0 Lochhead, Simpson, Harris 12 April 1960 Final Manchester United (H) 4–2 Joyce, Lochhead (2), Harris Source: International Soccer League After the regular season ended, Burnley travelled to the United States to represent England in the initial edition of the International Soccer League, which was the first modern attempt to create an American soccer league. The team entered the first group, together with five other sides from Europe and North America.Posnanski Joe 14 October 2014 David and Goliath and Burnley NBC SportsWorld http://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/david-and-goliath-and-burnley/ 25 January 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20201222203344/https://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/david-and-goliath-and-burnley/ 22 December 2020Litterer David A. 15 December 1999 USA – International Soccer League II https://www.rsssf.org/usadave/islii.html https://web.archive.org/web/20200727081521/http://www.rsssf.com/usadave/islii.html 27 July 2020 RSSSF 20 August 2020 Burnley beat their first opponents Bayern Munich 3–0 through goals from Pointer, Pilkington and Miller. In the second game, Burnley faced Kilmarnock, the 1959–60 Scottish Football League runners-up, and lost 2–0.Stokkermans Karel 6 June 2008 Scotland 1959/60 https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/scot60.html 31 March 2021 10 July 2020 RSSSF https://web.archive.org/web/20200710171545/http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/scot60.html The team then drew 3–3 with home side New York Americans before defeating Northern Irish club Glenavon 6–2, with Pilkington scoring a hat-trick. In their final group match, Burnley faced French club Nice, who had won four Ligue 1 titles during the 1950s, most recently in 1958–59.Mazet François Pauron Frédéric 18 May 2017 France – List of Champions https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/franchamp.html https://web.archive.org/web/20170725210524/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesf/franchamp.html 25 July 2017 RSSSF 31 March 2021 Burnley defeated Nice 4–0 and finished as runners-up in the group behind Kilmarnock, who advanced to the final but lost against Brazilian side Bangu. Although Burnley faced strong opponents, the players found it hard to take the tournament seriously. The stadium announcer often misinterpreted the referee's decisions, the crowd showed little interest in the games, and according to McIlroy, every match would end with a countdown "worthy of a space-rocket launching".Quelch (2015), p. 234 Match results Key In result column, Burnley's score shown first H = Home match A = Away match N = Neutral match pen. = Penalty kick o.g. = Own goal Results DateRoundOpponentsResultGoalscorers 28 May 1960 Group stage Bayern Munich (N; in New York) 3–0 Pointer, Pilkington, Miller 1 June 1960 Group stage Kilmarnock (N; in New York) 0–2 4 June 1960 Group stage New York Americans (A) 3–3 Pointer, Robson (2) 11 June 1960 Group stage Glenavon (N; in New York) 6–2 Pilkington (3), Miller (2), Harris 19 June 1960 Group stage Nice (N; in Jersey City) 4–0 Pilkington, Lawson (2), Robson Source: Aftermath Bobby Seith, who had been placed on the transfer list by the club, was sold to Dundee in August 1960 for a fee of £7,500.Quelch (2015), p. 223 Although he had made 27 First Division appearances during the season, Seith was not awarded a championship medal, although he would finally receive one in 1999. Trevor Meredith, who scored the title-winning goal, was ineligible for a winners' medal after making only a handful of appearances, but was later presented with one during a home match against Manchester City in 2026.Mullock Simon 22 April 2026 Erling Haaland sends Manchester City top with narrow win over relegated Burnley https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-41832308.html https://web.archive.org/web/20260422213505/https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-41832308.html 22 April 2026 22 April 2026 Irish Examiner Burnley's championship-winning team remained intact going into the 1960–61 season and was strengthened with reserve and youth players such as Joyce and Lochhead.Simpson (2007), p. 299 Burnley would go on to compete in six different competitions the following season—the First Division, the FA Cup, the newly created Football League Cup, the FA Charity Shield, the European Cup and the Lancashire Cup.Simpson (2007), p. 296 Notes References Specific Works cited Quelch Tim Never Had It So Good: Burnley's Incredible 1959/60 League Title Triumph 2015 Pitch Publishing Ltd 978-1909626546 none Simpson Ray The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882-2007 2007 Burnley Football Club 978-0955746802 none External links Programmes - Season 1959/60 – Clarets Mad Champions of England – Clarets Mad 1959/60 Series – The Longside Category:Burnley F.C. seasons Burnley Category:English football championship–winning seasons