1955–56 in English football

The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England.

Football in England
Season1955–56
Men's football
First DivisionManchester United
Second DivisionSheffield Wednesday
FA CupManchester City
England

Overview

Defending league champions Chelsea decided not to compete in the new European Champions Cup, following opposition from the Football League about the participation of English clubs in the competition.

The league title is taken by a Manchester United side with an average age of just 22, which finished an incredible 11 points ahead of their nearest contenders, Blackpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was a Manchester double for trophies, with Manchester City winning the FA Cup, with goalkeeper Bert Trautmann famously playing on despite suffering what was later diagnosed as a broken neck in a collision with a Birmingham City player.

Honours
CompetitionWinnerRunner-up
First DivisionManchester United (4)Blackpool
Second DivisionSheffield WednesdayLeeds United
Third Division NorthGrimsby TownDerby County
Third Division SouthLeyton OrientBrighton & Hove Albion
FA CupManchester City (3)Birmingham City
Charity ShieldChelseaNewcastle United
Home ChampionshipShared by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

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

Awards

Football Writers' Association

Top goalscorer

Football League
Main article: 1955–56 Football League

First Division

Manchester United won the First Division title by 11 points, featuring a squad of players with an average age of just 22, with manager Matt Busby's emphasis on youth paying dividends and answering the critics who felt that his policy would not be able to maintain United's place among the game's elite. Second place was occupied by Blackpool, with Stanley Matthews still a dominant presence in the team in his 41st year, while Wolves finished third, FA Cup winners Manchester City finished fourth, and Arsenal completed the top five. Birmingham City finished sixth to record their best ever final position.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United 42 25 10 7 83 51 1.627 60 Qualified for the European Cup
2 Blackpool 42 20 9 13 86 62 1.387 49
3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 20 9 13 89 65 1.369 49
4 Manchester City 42 18 10 14 82 69 1.188 46
5 Arsenal 42 18 10 14 60 61 0.984 46
6 Birmingham City 42 18 9 15 75 57 1.316 45
7 Burnley 42 18 8 16 64 54 1.185 44
8 Bolton Wanderers 42 18 7 17 71 58 1.224 43
9 Sunderland 42 17 9 16 80 95 0.842 43
10 Luton Town 42 17 8 17 66 64 1.031 42
11 Newcastle United 42 17 7 18 85 70 1.214 41
12 Portsmouth 42 16 9 17 78 85 0.918 41
13 West Bromwich Albion 42 18 5 19 58 70 0.829 41
14 Charlton Athletic 42 17 6 19 75 81 0.926 40
15 Everton 42 15 10 17 55 69 0.797 40
16 Chelsea 42 14 11 17 64 77 0.831 39
17 Cardiff City 42 15 9 18 55 69 0.797 39
18 Tottenham Hotspur 42 15 7 20 61 71 0.859 37
19 Preston North End 42 14 8 20 73 72 1.014 36
20 Aston Villa 42 11 13 18 52 69 0.754 35
21 Huddersfield Town 42 14 7 21 54 83 0.651 35 Relegated to the Second Division
22 Sheffield United 42 12 9 21 63 77 0.818 33
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Second Division

Sheffield Wednesday crossed paths with their cross city rivals to return to the First Division by winning the Second Division title, joined by runners-up Leeds United. Liverpool narrowly missed out on a First Division comeback by finishing third.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Sheffield Wednesday 42 21 13 8 101 62 1.629 55 Promoted to the First Division
2 Leeds United 42 23 6 13 80 60 1.333 52
3 Liverpool 42 21 6 15 85 63 1.349 48
4 Blackburn Rovers 42 21 6 15 84 65 1.292 48
5 Leicester City 42 21 6 15 94 78 1.205 48
6 Bristol Rovers 42 21 6 15 84 70 1.200 48
7 Nottingham Forest 42 19 9 14 68 63 1.079 47
8 Lincoln City 42 18 10 14 79 65 1.215 46
9 Fulham 42 20 6 16 89 79 1.127 46
10 Swansea Town 42 20 6 16 83 81 1.025 46
11 Bristol City 42 19 7 16 80 64 1.250 45
12 Port Vale 42 16 13 13 60 58 1.034 45
13 Stoke City 42 20 4 18 71 62 1.145 44
14 Middlesbrough 42 16 8 18 76 78 0.974 40
15 Bury 42 16 8 18 86 90 0.956 40
16 West Ham United 42 14 11 17 74 69 1.072 39
17 Doncaster Rovers 42 12 11 19 69 96 0.719 35
18 Barnsley 42 11 12 19 47 84 0.560 34
19 Rotherham United 42 12 9 21 56 75 0.747 33
20 Notts County 42 11 9 22 55 82 0.671 31
21 Plymouth Argyle 42 10 8 24 54 87 0.621 28 Relegated to the Third Division South
22 Hull City 42 10 6 26 53 97 0.546 26 Relegated to the Third Division North
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Third Division North
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Grimsby Town 46 31 6 9 76 29 2.621 68 Promoted to the Second Division
2 Derby County 46 28 7 11 110 55 2.000 63
3 Accrington Stanley 46 25 9 12 92 57 1.614 59
4 Hartlepools United 46 26 5 15 81 60 1.350 57
5 Southport 46 23 11 12 66 53 1.245 57
6 Chesterfield 46 25 4 17 94 66 1.424 54
7 Stockport County 46 21 9 16 90 61 1.475 51
8 Bradford City 46 18 13 15 78 64 1.219 49
9 Scunthorpe & Lindsey United 46 20 8 18 75 63 1.190 48
10 Workington 46 19 9 18 75 63 1.190 47
11 York City 46 19 9 18 85 72 1.181 47
12 Rochdale 46 17 13 16 66 84 0.786 47
13 Gateshead 46 17 11 18 77 84 0.917 45
14 Wrexham 46 16 10 20 66 73 0.904 42
15 Darlington 46 16 9 21 60 73 0.822 41
16 Tranmere Rovers 46 16 9 21 59 84 0.702 41
17 Chester 46 13 14 19 52 82 0.634 40
18 Mansfield Town 46 14 11 21 84 81 1.037 39
19 Halifax Town 46 14 11 21 66 76 0.868 39
20 Oldham Athletic 46 10 18 18 76 86 0.884 38
21 Carlisle United 46 15 8 23 71 95 0.747 38
22 Barrow 46 12 9 25 61 83 0.735 33
23 Bradford Park Avenue 46 13 7 26 61 122 0.500 33 Re-elected
24 Crewe Alexandra 46 9 10 27 50 105 0.476 28
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Third Division South
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Leyton Orient 46 29 8 9 106 49 2.163 66 Promoted to the Second Division
2 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 29 7 10 112 50 2.240 65
3 Ipswich Town 46 25 14 7 106 60 1.767 64
4 Southend United 46 21 11 14 88 80 1.100 53
5 Torquay United 46 20 12 14 86 63 1.365 52
6 Brentford 46 19 14 13 69 66 1.045 52
7 Norwich City 46 19 13 14 86 82 1.049 51
8 Coventry City 46 20 9 17 73 60 1.217 49
9 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 46 19 10 17 63 51 1.235 48
10 Gillingham 46 19 10 17 69 71 0.972 48
11 Northampton Town 46 20 7 19 67 71 0.944 47
12 Colchester United 46 18 11 17 76 81 0.938 47
13 Shrewsbury Town 46 17 12 17 69 66 1.045 46
14 Southampton 46 18 8 20 91 81 1.123 44
15 Aldershot 46 12 16 18 70 90 0.778 40
16 Exeter City 46 15 10 21 58 77 0.753 40
17 Reading 46 15 9 22 70 79 0.886 39
18 Queens Park Rangers 46 14 11 21 64 86 0.744 39
19 Newport County 46 15 9 22 58 79 0.734 39
20 Walsall 46 15 8 23 68 84 0.810 38
21 Watford 46 13 11 22 52 85 0.612 37
22 Millwall 46 15 6 25 83 100 0.830 36
23 Crystal Palace 46 12 10 24 54 83 0.651 34 Re-elected
24 Swindon Town 46 8 14 24 34 78 0.436 30
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Top goalscorers

First Division

Second Division

Third Division North

Third Division South

References
  1. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  2. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
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