1967–68 in English football

The 1967–68 season was the 88th season of competitive football in England. Defending First Division champions, Manchester United, became the first English team to win the European Cup, while the First Division title went to their cross city rivals City. West Bromwich Albion lifted the FA Cup this season, for the fifth time in their history. Leeds United won their first two major trophies when they lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and Football League Cup at the expense of an Arsenal side who had not played at Wembley for 16 years.

Football in England
Season1967–68
Men's football
First DivisionManchester City
Second DivisionIpswich Town
Third DivisionOxford United
Fourth DivisionLuton Town
FA CupWest Bromwich Albion
League CupLeeds United
Charity ShieldManchester United
England

Honours
CompetitionWinnerRunner-up
First DivisionManchester City (2)Manchester United
Second DivisionIpswich TownQueens Park Rangers
Third DivisionOxford UnitedBury
Fourth DivisionLuton TownBarnsley
FA CupWest Bromwich Albion (5)Everton
League CupLeeds United (1)Arsenal
Charity ShieldManchester United and Tottenham Hotspur (shared)
Home Championship England Scotland

Notes. Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour.

FA Cup
Main article: 1967–68 FA Cup

The 1968 FA Cup Final was won by West Bromwich Albion who beat Everton 1–0 in extra time with a goal from Jeff Astle. It was Albion's fifth FA Cup success.

League Cup
Main article: 1967–68 Football League Cup

Leeds United beat Arsenal 1–0 in the final of the League Cup to win the competition for the first time.

Football League
Main article: 1967–68 Football League

First Division

For the first time since 1937, Manchester City won the First Division, finishing two points clear of their local rivals Manchester United. Fulham finished in last place and were relegated along with Sheffield United. Coventry City, under Noel Cantwell escaped relegation by one point and would go on to stay in the top division until their eventual relegation at the end of the 2000–01 season.

Manchester United's George Best and Ron Davies of Southampton finished as Division One's joint-top scorers with 28 goals apiece. Best was awarded the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, as well as the European Footballer of the Year award.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester City 42 26 6 10 86 43 2.000 58 Qualified for the European Cup[lower-alpha 1]
2 Manchester United 42 24 8 10 89 55 1.618 56
3 Liverpool 42 22 11 9 71 40 1.775 55 Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 2]
4 Leeds United 42 22 9 11 71 41 1.732 53
5 Everton 42 23 6 13 67 40 1.675 52
6 Chelsea 42 18 12 12 62 68 0.912 48 Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 3]
7 Tottenham Hotspur 42 19 9 14 70 59 1.186 47
8 West Bromwich Albion 42 17 12 13 75 62 1.210 46 Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup
9 Arsenal 42 17 10 15 60 56 1.071 44
10 Newcastle United 42 13 15 14 54 67 0.806 41 Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 4]
11 Nottingham Forest 42 14 11 17 52 64 0.813 39
12 West Ham United 42 14 10 18 73 69 1.058 38
13 Leicester City 42 13 12 17 64 69 0.928 38
14 Burnley 42 14 10 18 64 71 0.901 38
15 Sunderland 42 13 11 18 51 61 0.836 37
16 Southampton 42 13 11 18 66 83 0.795 37
17 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 14 8 20 66 75 0.880 36
18 Stoke City 42 14 7 21 50 73 0.685 35
19 Sheffield Wednesday 42 11 12 19 51 63 0.810 34
20 Coventry City 42 9 15 18 51 71 0.718 33
21 Sheffield United 42 11 10 21 49 70 0.700 32 Relegated to the Second Division
22 Fulham 42 10 7 25 56 98 0.571 27
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. Manchester United qualified for European Cup as the trophy holders.
  2. Leeds United qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as the trophy holders.
  3. Chelsea qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead Everton, who finished below Liverpool, due to rule "only one club per city".
  4. Newcastle United qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who finished below Chelsea, due to rule "only one club per city".

Second Division

Bill McGarry's Ipswich Town team won the Second Division by one point from Queens Park Rangers, with both teams promoted. Blackpool finished third on goal average and so missed out. Rotherham United and bottom club Plymouth Argyle were both relegated to the Third Division.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Ipswich Town 42 22 15 5 79 44 1.795 59 Promoted to the First Division
2 Queens Park Rangers 42 25 8 9 67 36 1.861 58
3 Blackpool 42 24 10 8 71 43 1.651 58
4 Birmingham City 42 19 14 9 83 51 1.627 52
5 Portsmouth 42 18 13 11 68 55 1.236 49
6 Middlesbrough 42 17 12 13 60 54 1.111 46
7 Millwall 42 14 17 11 62 50 1.240 45
8 Blackburn Rovers 42 16 11 15 56 49 1.143 43
9 Norwich City 42 16 11 15 60 65 0.923 43
10 Carlisle United 42 14 13 15 58 52 1.115 41
11 Crystal Palace 42 14 11 17 56 56 1.000 39
12 Bolton Wanderers 42 13 13 16 60 63 0.952 39
13 Cardiff City 42 13 12 17 60 66 0.909 38
14 Huddersfield Town 42 13 12 17 46 61 0.754 38
15 Charlton Athletic 42 12 13 17 63 68 0.926 37
16 Aston Villa 42 15 7 20 54 64 0.844 37
17 Hull City 42 12 13 17 58 73 0.795 37
18 Derby County 42 13 10 19 71 78 0.910 36
19 Bristol City 42 13 10 19 48 62 0.774 36
20 Preston North End 42 12 11 19 43 65 0.662 35
21 Rotherham United 42 10 11 21 42 76 0.553 31 Relegated to the Third Division
22 Plymouth Argyle 42 9 9 24 38 72 0.528 27
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Third Division

In the Third Division, Oxford United won their first divisional title and achieved what was then their highest ever finish in only their sixth season as a league club. Runners-up Bury joined them in promotion. Grimsby Town, Colchester United and Scunthorpe United were relegated, although the biggest story concerned bottom placed Peterborough United who were docked 19 points for offering irregular bonuses to their players and so finished bottom. Had the points been restored the club would have finished in the top half. As a result of the ruling Mansfield Town escaped relegation.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Oxford United 46 22 13 11 69 47 1.468 57 Promoted to the Second Division
2 Bury 46 24 8 14 91 66 1.379 56
3 Shrewsbury Town 46 20 15 11 61 49 1.245 55
4 Torquay United 46 21 11 14 60 56 1.071 53
5 Reading 46 21 9 16 70 60 1.167 51
6 Watford 46 21 8 17 74 50 1.480 50
7 Walsall 46 19 12 15 74 61 1.213 50
8 Barrow 46 21 8 17 65 54 1.204 50
9 Swindon Town 46 16 17 13 74 51 1.451 49
10 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 16 16 14 57 55 1.036 48
11 Gillingham 46 18 12 16 59 63 0.937 48
12 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 46 16 15 15 56 51 1.098 47
13 Stockport County 46 19 9 18 70 75 0.933 47
14 Southport 46 17 12 17 65 65 1.000 46
15 Bristol Rovers 46 17 9 20 72 78 0.923 43
16 Oldham Athletic 46 18 7 21 60 65 0.923 43
17 Northampton Town 46 14 13 19 58 72 0.806 41
18 Orient 46 12 17 17 46 62 0.742 41
19 Tranmere Rovers 46 14 12 20 62 74 0.838 40
20 Mansfield Town 46 12 13 21 51 67 0.761 37
21 Grimsby Town 46 14 9 23 52 69 0.754 37 Relegated to the Fourth Division
22 Colchester United 46 9 15 22 50 87 0.575 33
23 Scunthorpe United 46 10 12 24 56 87 0.644 32
24 Peterborough United 46 20 10 16 79 67 1.179 31[lower-alpha 1]
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. Peterborough deducted 19 points for making irregular payments to players.

Fourth Division

Luton Town won the Fourth Division and were promoted along with Barnsley, Hartlepools United and Crewe Alexandra. The bottom four clubs were forced to apply to re-election to the Football League as per usual; more unusually however, Port Vale were also made to apply for re-election, as a result of financial irregularities. In the end, all five clubs were re-elected.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Luton Town 46 27 12 7 87 44 1.977 66 Promoted to the Third Division
2 Barnsley 46 24 13 9 68 46 1.478 61
3 Hartlepools United 46 25 10 11 60 46 1.304 60
4 Crewe Alexandra 46 20 18 8 74 49 1.510 58
5 Bradford City 46 23 11 12 72 51 1.412 57
6 Southend United 46 20 14 12 77 58 1.328 54
7 Chesterfield 46 21 11 14 71 50 1.420 53
8 Wrexham 46 20 13 13 72 53 1.358 53
9 Aldershot 46 18 17 11 70 55 1.273 53
10 Doncaster Rovers 46 18 15 13 66 56 1.179 51
11 Halifax Town 46 15 16 15 52 49 1.061 46
12 Newport County 46 16 13 17 58 63 0.921 45
13 Lincoln City 46 17 9 20 71 68 1.044 43
14 Brentford 46 18 7 21 61 64 0.953 43
15 Swansea Town 46 16 10 20 63 77 0.818 42
16 Darlington 46 12 17 17 47 53 0.887 41
17 Notts County 46 15 11 20 53 79 0.671 41
18 Port Vale 46 12 15 19 61 72 0.847 39[lower-alpha 1] Re-elected
19 Rochdale 46 12 14 20 51 72 0.708 38
20 Exeter City 46 11 16 19 45 65 0.692 38
21 York City 46 11 14 21 65 68 0.956 36 Re-elected
22 Chester 46 9 14 23 57 78 0.731 32
23 Workington 46 10 11 25 54 87 0.621 31
24 Bradford Park Avenue 46 4 15 27 30 82 0.366 23
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. Despite finishing 18th, Port Vale were forced to face the re-election process after having been expelled at the end of the season, as a result of financial irregularities.

Top goalscorers

First Division

Second Division

Third Division

Fourth Division

European football

Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup when they beat Benfica 4–1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium with goals from Bobby Charlton (2), George Best and Brian Kidd. Manager Matt Busby was knighted that year for his achievements. A double triumph was secured by Leeds United when they won the Inter Cities Fairs Cup by beating Ferencváros 1–0 on aggregate in the final, which was not completed until September 1968.

Events of the season
  • 12 August 1967 – Tottenham Hotspur's goalkeeper Pat Jennings scores in the Charity Shield as Spurs draw 3–3 with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
  • 19 August 1967 – The League champions Manchester United open the First Division season with a 3–1 defeat to Everton. Liverpool and Manchester City draw 0–0, and Coventry City's first match in the First Division ends in a 2–1 loss at Burnley.[3]
  • 26 August 1967 – Sheffield Wednesday are the early leaders of the First Division, the only team with three wins out of three. Defeats for Manchester City and Leeds United leave both teams without a League win from their first three matches.[3]
  • 2 September 1967 – Southampton thrash Chelsea 6–2 at Stamford Bridge. Burnley beat Tottenham Hotspur 5–1, and Sheffield Wednesday win the Steel City derby to top the League table.[3]
  • 16 September 1967 – Manchester City's fifth consecutive League win, 5–2 against Sheffield United sees them join Liverpool, Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the League table.[3]
  • 7 October 1967 – After scoring just ten goals in their first nine League matches, Leeds United hammer Chelsea 7–0 at Elland Road. Liverpool lose at Leicester City, allowing Sheffield Wednesday to return to the top of the table.[3]
  • 28 October 1967 – Liverpool beat Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 at Anfield to lead the First Division at the end of October.[3]
  • 11 November 1967 – Manchester United beat Liverpool 2–1 and replace them at the top of the League table. Manchester City are third after beating Leicester City 6–0. West Bromwich Albion thrash Burnley 8–1.[3]
  • 9 December 1967 – Manchester City move to within a point of the leaders Manchester United by beating Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on a snow-covered pitch at Maine Road with goals from Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Tony Coleman and Neil Young.[3][4]
  • 30 December 1967 – Manchester United end the calendar year top of the First Division, three points ahead of Liverpool and four ahead of Leeds United. Manchester City drop to fourth after losing to West Bromwich Albion for the second time in four days. Coventry City and Fulham occupy the relegation places.[3]
  • 13 January 1968 – Leeds United move into second place in the League by beating Southampton 5–0, having beaten Fulham by the same score the previous week.[3]
  • 17 February 1968 – Manchester United lose in the League for the first time since October when they go down 2–1 at Burnley, but they remain a point clear of Leeds United at the top of the table.[3]
  • 2 March 1968 – Leeds United beat Arsenal 1–0 in the League Cup final at Wembley.
  • 16 March 1968 – Manchester United's defeat at Coventry allows Manchester City to move to the top of the table on goal average by beating bottom-of-the-table Fulham 5–1. They lead Leeds United by one point, with Liverpool a further point behind.[3]
  • 27 March 1968 – Manchester City win the League derby at Old Trafford, leaving both teams locked together with Leeds United at the top of the table with nine games remaining.[3]
  • 6 April 1968 – Manchester United are beaten 2–1 at home by Liverpool, their second consecutive home defeat in the League. Manchester City lose at Leicester, allowing Leeds United to move to the top of the table with a 3–0 win over relegation-threatened Sheffield United.[3]
  • 29 April 1968 – Manchester City move back to the top of the First Division by beating Everton 2–0 while Manchester United are thrashed 6–3 by free-scoring West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.[3]
  • 1 May 1968 – Fulham lose 2–0 at home to Stoke City and are relegated from the First Division.[3]
  • 4 May 1968 – Liverpool keep their title hopes alive by beating Leeds United 2–1. Both teams trail the two Manchester clubs by three points, with City remaining ahead of United on goal average.[3]
  • 7 May 1968 – Leeds United's third consecutive League defeat, 4–3 at Arsenal, eliminates them from the Championship race. Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool remain in contention going into the final Saturday.[3]
  • 11 May 1968 – Manchester City win the First Division title for the first time since 1937 with a 4–3 away win against Newcastle United. Manchester United surrender their title by losing 2–1 at home to Sunderland. Sheffield United take the second relegation spot after losing at home to Chelsea.[3]
  • 15 May 1968 – Leeds United reach the final of the Fairs Cup by beating Scottish side Dundee. Eddie Gray scores the decisive goal in the second leg to secure a 2–1 aggregate victory.
  • 18 May 1968 – West Bromwich Albion beat Everton 1–0 after extra time in the FA Cup final to win the trophy for the fifth time.
  • 29 May 1968 – Manchester United defeat Benfica 4–1 after extra time in the European Cup final at Wembley. Bobby Charlton scores twice and George Best and Brian Kidd add further goals as the Red Devils become the first English team to win the competition.

Deaths

References
  1. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  2. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  3. Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 122. ISBN 1859832148.
  4. Motson, John (1992). Match of the Day: The Complete Record since 1964. London: BBC Books. p. 33. ISBN 0563364068.
  5. Player death notices Football player cards. Retrieved 14 October 2007
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