1985–86 Football League

The 1985–86 season was the 87th completed season of The Football League.

The Football League
Season1985–86
ChampionsLiverpool

Final league tables and results

The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website,[1] with home and away statistics separated.

During the first five seasons of the league, that is, until the season 1893–94, re-election process concerned the clubs which finished in the bottom four of the league. From the 1894–95 season and until the 1920–21 season the re-election process was required of the clubs which finished in the bottom three of the league. From the 1922–23 season on it was required of the bottom two teams of both Third Division North and Third Division South. Since the Fourth Division was established in the 1958–59 season, the re-election process has concerned the bottom four clubs in that division.[2]

First Division
First Division
Season1985–86
ChampionsLiverpool
16th English title
RelegatedIpswich Town
Birmingham City
West Bromwich Albion
Matches played462
Goals scored1,288 (2.79 per match)
Top goalscorerGary Lineker
(30 goals)[3]
Biggest home winLuton Town 7–0 Southampton
(19 October 1985)
West Ham United 8–1 Newcastle United
(21 April 1986)
Biggest away winSheffield Wednesday 1–5 Everton
(3 September 1985)
West Bromwich Albion 1–5 Manchester United
(21 September 1985)
Chelsea 0–4 West Ham United
(29 Mar 1986)
Chelsea 1–5 Watford
(5 May 1986)
Highest scoringWest Ham United 8–1 Newcastle United
(21 April 1986)
Longest winning run10 matches
Manchester United
Longest unbeaten run18 matches
West Ham United
Longest losing run9 matches
West Bromwich Albion

In a close three-horse race, Liverpool pipped Everton and West Ham United to the First Division title,[4] while also defeating Merseyside rivals Everton in the FA Cup Final, thereby completing a historic double. Manchester United had been ten points clear in early November after winning their first ten matches; and thirteen of their first fifteen,[5] but injuries, loss of form and ineffective signings had seen them fall away, leaving them still waiting for their first league title since 1967, mounting the pressure of manager Ron Atkinson, although the Old Trafford board initially decided to stick with Atkinson as their manager for the following season.

Arsenal finished seventh in the league for a third successive season, their manager Don Howe resigning a few weeks before the end of the season after it was reported that Terry Venables had been offered his job. Coach Steve Burtenshaw was placed in temporary charge of the first team until the end of the season, when George Graham returned to Highbury as manager. Tottenham Hotspur finished a disappointing 10th in the league, prompting the White Hart Lane board to sack manager Peter Shreeves and replace him with Luton Town's David Pleat.

At the lower end of the table, a disastrous season saw West Bromwich Albion relegated in bottom place after just four wins in the league, while nearby rivals Birmingham City fared nearly as badly, and were relegated in second place from bottom; both clubs would not return to the top flight until 2002. Their local rivals Aston Villa nearly went down with them, before a late upturn in form secured their survival. Oxford United had a memorable first season at this level as League Cup winners, but spent much of the season battling against relegation before finally managing to beat the drop. The final relegation place went to Ipswich Town, who had gradually fallen out of contention with the First Division's leading pack since Bobby Robson's departure to manage the England team four years earlier.

Final table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Liverpool (C) 42 26 10 6 89 37 +52 88 Disqualified from the European Cup[6]
2 Everton[lower-alpha 1] 42 26 8 8 87 41 +46 86 Disqualified from the European Cup Winners' Cup[7]
3 West Ham United 42 26 6 10 74 40 +34 84 Disqualified from the UEFA Cup[8]
4 Manchester United 42 22 10 10 70 36 +34 76
5 Sheffield Wednesday[lower-alpha 2] 42 21 10 11 63 54 +9 73
6 Chelsea 42 20 11 11 57 56 +1 71
7 Arsenal 42 20 9 13 49 47 +2 69
8 Nottingham Forest 42 19 11 12 69 53 +16 68
9 Luton Town 42 18 12 12 61 44 +17 66
10 Tottenham Hotspur 42 19 8 15 74 52 +22 65
11 Newcastle United 42 17 12 13 67 72 −5 63
12 Watford 42 16 11 15 69 62 +7 59
13 Queens Park Rangers 42 15 7 20 53 64 −11 52
14 Southampton 42 12 10 20 51 62 −11 46
15 Manchester City 42 11 12 19 43 57 −14 45
16 Aston Villa 42 10 14 18 51 67 −16 44
17 Coventry City 42 11 10 21 48 71 −23 43
18 Oxford United[lower-alpha 3] 42 10 12 20 62 80 −18 42 Disqualified from the UEFA Cup[9]
19 Leicester City 42 10 12 20 54 76 −22 42
20 Ipswich Town (R) 42 11 8 23 32 55 −23 41 Relegation to the Second Division
21 Birmingham City (R) 42 8 5 29 30 73 −43 29
22 West Bromwich Albion (R) 42 4 12 26 35 89 −54 24
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Since the FA Cup winners, Liverpool, would have instead qualified for the European Cup, qualification would have instead been passed down to runners-up Everton.
  2. Since Everton would have instead qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup qualification would have been passed down to Sheffield Wednesday.
  3. Oxford United would have qualified as League Cup winners.

First Division results
Home \ Away ARS AST BIR CHE COV EVE IPS LEI LIV LUT MCI MUN NEW NOT OXF QPR SHW SOU TOT WAT WBA WHU
Arsenal 3–2 0–0 2–0 3–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–2 0–0 1–1 2–1 3–1 1–0 3–2 0–0 0–2 2–2 1–0
Aston Villa 1–4 0–3 3–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 2–2 3–1 0–1 1–3 1–2 1–2 2–0 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–2 4–1 1–1 2–1
Birmingham City 0–1 0–0 1–2 0–1 0–2 0–1 2–1 0–2 0–2 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 1–2 1–2 0–1 1–0
Chelsea 2–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–2 1–1 4–2 1–4 1–1 2–1 2–0 2–0 1–5 3–0 0–4
Coventry City 0–2 3–3 4–4 1–1 1–3 0–1 3–0 0–3 1–0 1–1 1–3 1–2 0–0 5–2 2–1 0–1 3–2 2–3 0–2 3–0 0–1
Everton 6–1 2–0 4–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 2–3 2–0 4–0 3–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 4–3 3–1 6–1 1–0 4–1 2–0 3–1
Ipswich Town 1–2 0–3 0–1 0–2 1–0 3–4 0–2 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–1 2–2 1–0 3–2 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–1
Leicester City 2–2 3–1 4–2 0–0 2–1 3–1 1–0 0–2 0–0 1–1 3–0 2–0 0–3 4–4 1–4 2–3 2–2 1–4 2–2 2–2 0–1
Liverpool 2–0 3–0 5–0 1–1 5–0 0–2 5–0 1–0 3–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 6–0 4–1 2–2 1–0 4–1 3–1 4–1 3–1
Luton Town 2–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–0 3–1 0–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–0 7–0 1–1 3–2 3–0 0–0
Manchester City 0–1 2–2 1–1 0–1 5–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–3 1–0 1–2 0–3 2–0 1–3 1–0 2–1 0–1 2–1 2–2
Manchester United 0–1 4–0 1–0 1–2 2–0 0–0 1–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 3–0 2–3 3–0 2–0 0–2 1–0 0–0 1–1 3–0 2–0
Newcastle United 1–0 2–2 4–1 1–3 3–2 2–2 3–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 3–1 2–4 0–3 3–0 3–1 4–1 2–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 1–2
Nottingham Forest 3–2 1–1 3–0 0–0 5–2 0–0 3–1 4–3 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–3 1–2 1–1 4–0 0–1 2–1 0–1 3–2 2–1 2–1
Oxford United 3–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 4–3 5–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 1–3 1–2 1–2 3–3 0–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–2
Queens Park Rangers 0–1 0–1 3–1 6–0 0–2 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–1 2–1 3–1 1–1 0–2 2–5 2–1 1–0 0–1
Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 2–0 5–1 1–1 2–2 1–5 1–0 1–0 0–0 3–2 3–2 1–0 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–0 2–2
Southampton 3–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 2–3 1–0 0–0 1–2 1–2 3–0 1–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 3–0 2–3 1–0 3–1 3–1 1–1
Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 4–2 2–0 4–1 0–1 0–1 2–0 1–3 1–2 1–3 0–2 0–0 5–1 0–3 5–1 1–1 5–1 5–3 4–0 5–0 1–0
Watford 3–0 1–1 3–0 3–1 3–0 0–2 0–0 2–1 2–3 1–2 3–2 1–1 4–1 1–1 2–2 2–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 5–1 0–2
West Bromwich Albion 0–0 0–3 2–1 0–3 0–0 0–3 1–2 2–2 1–2 1–2 2–3 1–5 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 3–1 2–3
West Ham United 0–0 4–1 2–0 1–2 1–0 2–1 2–1 3–0 2–2 0–1 1–0 2–1 8–1 4–2 3–1 3–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–1 4–0
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Liverpool England Joe Fagan Retired 30 May 1985 Pre-season Scotland Kenny Dalglish 30 May 1985
Southampton England Lawrie McMenemy Signed by Sunderland 8 June 1985 Northern Ireland Chris Nicholl 12 July 1985
Queens Park Rangers England Frank Sibley Became assistant manager 11 June 1985 England Jim Smith 11 June 1985
Oxford United England Jim Smith Signed by Queens Park Rangers 11 June 1985 England Maurice Evans 11 June 1985
Chelsea England John Neal Retired 12 June 1985 England John Hollins 12 June 1985
Newcastle United England Jack Charlton Resigned 10 August 1985 Northern Ireland Willie McFaul 10 August 1985
West Bromwich Albion Republic of Ireland Johnny Giles 29 September 1985 22nd England Nobby Stiles 29 September 1985
Birmingham City England Ron Saunders 16 January 1986 21st England John Bond 22 January 1986
West Bromwich Albion England Nobby Stiles Sacked 1 February 1986 22nd England Ron Saunders 14 February 1986
Arsenal England Don Howe Resigned 22 March 1986 5th England Steve Burtenshaw (caretaker) 22 March 1986
Coventry City Scotland Don Mackay Sacked 13 April 1986 20th England John Sillett 13 April 1986

First Division maps
Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1985–1986
Locations of the Football League First Division 1985–1986 teams

Second Division
Second Division
Season1985–86
ChampionsNorwich City
PromotedNorwich City
Charlton Athletic
Wimbledon
RelegatedCarlisle United
Middlesbrough
Fulham
Matches played462
Goals scored1,264 (2.74 per match)
Top goalscorerKevin Drinkell
(22 goals)[3]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Norwich City (C, P) 42 25 9 8 84 37 +47 84 Promotion to the First Division
2 Charlton Athletic (P) 42 22 11 9 78 45 +33 77
3 Wimbledon (P) 42 21 13 8 58 37 +21 76
4 Portsmouth 42 22 7 13 69 41 +28 73
5 Crystal Palace 42 19 9 14 57 52 +5 66
6 Hull City 42 17 13 12 65 55 +10 64
7 Sheffield United 42 17 11 14 64 63 +1 62
8 Oldham Athletic 42 17 9 16 62 61 +1 60
9 Millwall 42 17 8 17 64 65 −1 59
10 Stoke City 42 14 15 13 48 50 −2 57
11 Brighton & Hove Albion 42 16 8 18 64 64 0 56
12 Barnsley 42 14 14 14 47 50 −3 56
13 Bradford City 42 16 6 20 51 63 −12 54
14 Leeds United 42 15 8 19 56 72 −16 53
15 Grimsby Town 42 14 10 18 58 62 −4 52
16 Huddersfield Town 42 14 10 18 51 67 −16 52
17 Shrewsbury Town 42 14 9 19 52 64 −12 51
18 Sunderland 42 13 11 18 47 61 −14 50
19 Blackburn Rovers 42 12 13 17 53 62 −9 49
20 Carlisle United (R) 42 13 7 22 47 71 −24 46 Relegation to the Third Division
21 Middlesbrough (R) 42 12 9 21 44 53 −9 45
22 Fulham (R) 42 10 6 26 45 69 −24 36
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results
Home \ Away BAR BLB BRA B&HA CRL CHA CRY FUL GRI HUD HUL LEE MID MIL NWC OLD POR SHU SHR STK SUN WDN
Barnsley 1–1 2–2 3–2 1–2 2–1 2–4 2–0 1–0 1–3 1–4 3–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 1–0 0–1 2–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 0–1
Blackburn Rovers 0–3 3–0 1–4 2–0 0–0 1–2 1–0 3–1 0–1 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–2 2–1 0–0 1–0 6–1 1–1 0–1 2–0 2–0
Bradford City 2–0 3–2 3–2 1–0 1–2 1–0 3–1 0–1 3–0 4–2 0–1 2–1 0–2 0–2 1–0 2–1 1–4 3–1 3–1 2–0 1–1
Brighton & Hove Albion 0–1 3–1 2–1 6–1 3–5 2–0 2–3 2–2 4–3 3–1 0–1 3–3 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 0–0 0–2 2–0 3–1 2–0
Carlisle United 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–0 2–3 2–2 2–1 1–2 2–0 2–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 0–4 3–1 0–1 1–0 0–2 3–0 1–2 2–3
Charlton Athletic 2–1 3–0 1–1 2–2 3–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 3–0 1–2 4–0 2–0 3–3 1–0 1–1 1–2 2–0 4–1 2–0 2–1 0–0
Crystal Palace 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 2–3 0–2 3–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 3–2 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–3
Fulham 2–0 3–3 4–1 1–0 0–1 0–3 2–3 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 0–3 1–2 0–1 2–2 0–1 2–3 2–1 1–0 1–2 0–2
Grimsby Town 1–2 5–2 2–0 0–2 1–0 2–2 3–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–0 3–2 5–1 1–0 1–4 1–0 0–1 3–1 3–3 1–1 0–1
Huddersfield Town 1–1 0–0 2–0 1–0 3–3 0–2 0–0 1–3 2–2 2–1 3–1 0–3 4–3 0–0 2–0 1–2 3–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 0–1
Hull City 0–1 2–2 1–0 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–2 5–0 2–0 3–1 2–1 0–0 3–0 1–0 4–2 2–2 0–0 4–3 0–2 1–1 1–1
Leeds United 0–2 1–1 2–1 2–3 2–0 1–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 3–1 0–2 3–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 0–0
Middlesbrough 0–0 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–3 1–3 0–2 1–0 3–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 3–0 1–1 3–2 1–0 1–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–0
Millwall 2–2 0–1 2–1 0–1 3–1 2–2 3–2 1–1 1–0 2–1 5–0 3–1 3–0 4–2 0–1 0–4 3–0 2–0 2–3 1–0 0–1
Norwich City 1–1 3–0 0–0 3–0 2–1 3–1 4–3 2–1 3–2 4–1 2–0 4–0 2–0 6–1 1–0 2–0 4–0 3–1 1–1 0–0 1–2
Oldham Athletic 1–1 3–1 0–1 4–0 2–1 2–1 2–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 3–1 1–0 0–0 1–3 2–0 1–5 4–3 2–4 2–2 2–1
Portsmouth 1–1 3–0 4–0 1–2 4–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 3–1 4–1 1–1 2–3 1–0 2–1 2–0 1–2 0–3 4–0 3–0 3–0 1–1
Sheffield United 3–1 3–3 3–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–2 0–1 1–3 2–5 2–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 4–0
Shrewsbury Town 3–0 2–0 2–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–2 2–1 0–2 3–0 0–0 1–3 2–1 1–1 0–3 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–0 1–2 1–1
Stoke City 0–0 2–2 3–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 0–1 6–2 3–2 0–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–2 1–0 0–0
Sunderland 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 4–2 3–3 1–0 1–1 4–2 1–0 1–2 0–2 0–3 1–3 2–1 2–0 2–0 2–1
Wimbledon 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 4–1 3–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 2–2 3–1 0–3 3–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–3 5–0 2–1 1–0 3–0
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second Division maps
Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1985–1986
Locations of the Football League Second Division 1985–1986 teams

Third Division
Football League, Third Division
Season1985–86
ChampionsReading (1st title)
PromotedDerby County,
Plymouth Argyle
RelegatedCardiff City,
Lincoln City,
Wolverhampton Wanderers,
Swansea City
Matches played552
Goals scored1,550 (2.81 per match)
Top goalscorerTrevor Senior (Reading), 27[3]

Pos Team Pld HW HD HL HGF HGA AW AD AL AGF AGA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Reading 46 16 3 4 39 22 13 4 6 28 29 +16 94 Division Champions, promoted
2 Plymouth Argyle 46 17 3 3 56 20 9 6 8 32 33 +35 87 Promoted
3 Derby County 46 13 7 3 45 20 10 8 5 35 21 +39 84
4 Wigan Athletic 46 17 4 2 54 17 6 10 7 28 31 +34 83
5 Gillingham 46 14 5 4 48 17 8 8 7 33 37 +27 79
6 Walsall 46 15 7 1 59 23 7 2 14 31 41 +26 75
7 York City 46 16 4 3 49 17 4 7 12 28 41 +19 71
8 Notts County 46 12 6 5 42 26 7 8 8 29 34 +11 71
9 Bristol City 46 14 5 4 43 19 4 9 10 26 41 +9 68
10 Brentford 46 8 8 7 29 29 10 4 9 29 32 −3 66
11 Doncaster Rovers 46 7 10 6 20 21 9 6 8 25 31 −7 64
12 Blackpool 46 11 6 6 38 19 6 6 11 28 36 +11 63
13 Darlington 46 10 7 6 39 33 5 6 12 22 45 −17 58
14 Rotherham United 46 13 5 5 44 18 2 7 14 17 41 +2 57
15 AFC Bournemouth 46 9 6 8 41 31 6 3 14 24 41 −7 54
16 Bristol Rovers 46 9 8 6 27 21 5 4 14 24 54 −24 54
17 Chesterfield 46 10 6 7 41 30 3 8 12 20 34 −3 53
18 Bolton Wanderers 46 10 4 9 35 30 5 4 14 19 38 −14 53
19 Newport County 46 7 8 8 35 33 4 10 9 17 32 −13 51
20 Bury 46 11 7 5 46 26 1 6 16 17 41 −4 49
21 Lincoln City 46 7 9 7 33 34 3 7 13 22 43 −22 46 Relegated
22 Cardiff City 46 7 5 11 22 29 5 4 14 31 54 −30 45
23 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 6 6 11 29 47 5 4 14 28 51 −41 43
24 Swansea City 46 9 6 8 27 27 2 4 17 16 60 −44 43
Source:

Third Division results
Home \ Away BOU BLP BOL BRE BRC BRR BRY CAR CHF DAR DER DON GIL LIN NPC NTC PLY REA ROT SWA WAL WIG WOL YOR
AFC Bournemouth 1–4 2–1 0–0 5–0 6–1 2–1 1–1 3–2 4–2 1–1 1–1 2–3 2–2 0–1 0–0 1–3 0–1 1–2 4–0 0–1 0–2 3–2 2–0
Blackpool 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–1 4–2 5–0 3–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 0–0 1–3 1–1 0–0 2–1 2–0 2–1 1–2 0–1 0–2
Bolton Wanderers 1–0 1–3 1–2 0–4 0–2 1–4 5–0 2–1 0–3 0–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 4–0 1–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–2 4–1 1–1
Brentford 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 3–0 1–0 2–1 3–3 1–3 1–2 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–3 1–3 2–1 3–3
Bristol City 1–3 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–0 4–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 4–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 3–0 2–0 3–0 3–1 0–1 2–3 1–0 3–0 2–2
Bristol Rovers 2–3 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–1 1–2 0–2 5–2 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1
Bury 3–0 4–1 2–1 0–0 6–3 1–1 3–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 4–0 1–1 2–4 0–1 3–1 2–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 3–1 4–2
Cardiff City 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–3 2–0 0–0 0–2 0–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–3 1–2 1–3 2–3 1–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 2–1
Chesterfield 0–1 1–2 3–0 1–3 0–0 2–0 4–3 3–4 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 1–2 3–4 2–0 4–1 2–3 1–1 3–0 1–0
Darlington 0–0 2–1 1–1 3–5 2–1 3–3 1–1 4–1 2–1 2–1 0–2 3–2 1–0 3–2 2–3 0–2 0–0 2–2 6–0 0–3 1–1 2–1 1–0
Derby County 3–0 1–2 2–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 7–0 1–1 2–0 1–2 1–1 2–1 5–1 3–1 1–0 4–2 2–1
Doncaster Rovers 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 0–2 1–0 0–2 2–0 1–0 0–3 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1
Gillingham 2–0 2–2 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–2 4–0 2–0 0–1 4–0 1–1 3–0 3–0 5–1 5–2 2–0 2–0 1–2
Lincoln City 3–2 0–3 1–1 3–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 0–4 2–1 1–1 0–1 3–3 1–0 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–0 4–1 3–2 0–0 2–3 3–4
Newport County 2–1 1–1 0–1 1–2 1–1 3–0 1–0 1–2 3–3 3–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–2 1–2 3–1 0–2 0–0 2–0 1–5 3–4 3–1 1–1
Notts County 3–1 1–2 1–0 0–4 4–0 0–0 2–2 1–4 2–1 5–0 0–3 1–1 1–1 3–2 1–2 2–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 3–1 1–1 4–0 3–1
Plymouth Argyle 2–1 3–1 4–1 2–0 4–0 4–2 3–0 4–4 0–0 4–2 4–1 0–1 3–0 2–1 2–0 0–1 0–1 4–0 2–0 2–0 2–1 3–1 2–2
Reading 1–2 1–0 1–0 3–1 1–0 3–2 2–0 1–1 4–2 0–2 1–0 2–0 1–2 0–2 2–0 3–1 4–3 2–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 2–2 0–0
Rotherham United 4–1 4–1 4–0 1–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–0 1–2 1–2 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 4–1 3–0 0–0 1–2 4–1
Swansea City 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–3 0–1 1–0 3–1 1–1 2–2 0–3 0–2 2–2 3–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 2–3 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–2 1–0
Walsall 4–2 1–1 2–0 1–2 2–1 6–0 3–2 6–3 3–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 4–1 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–2 6–0 3–1 3–1 3–3 1–1 3–1
Wigan Athletic 3–0 1–1 1–3 4–0 1–1 4–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 5–1 2–1 4–1 3–3 3–2 0–0 3–1 3–0 1–0 2–0 5–0 2–0 5–3 1–0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–3 2–1 0–2 1–4 2–1 3–4 1–1 3–1 1–0 2–1 0–4 1–2 1–3 1–1 1–2 2–2 0–3 2–3 0–0 1–5 0–0 2–2 3–2
York City 2–1 3–0 3–0 1–0 1–1 4–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 7–0 1–3 0–1 2–0 2–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 0–1 2–1 3–1 1–0 4–1 2–1
Source: Soccerbase
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Third Division maps
Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1985–1986
1985–86 Football League is located in Greater London
1985–86 Football League
Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 1985–1986

Fourth Division
Football League, Fourth Division
Season1985–86
ChampionsSwindon Town (1st title)
PromotedChester City,
Mansfield Town,
Port Vale
Failed re-electionNone
Matches played552
Goals scored1,576 (2.86 per match)
Top goalscorerSteve Taylor (Rochdale), 25
Richard Cadette (Southend United), 25[3]

Pos Team Pld HW HD HL HGF HGA AW AD AL AGF AGA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Swindon Town 46 20 2 1 52 19 12 4 7 30 24 +39 102 Division Champions, promoted
2 Chester City 46 15 5 3 44 16 8 10 5 39 34 +33 84 Promoted
3 Mansfield Town 46 13 8 2 43 17 10 4 9 31 30 +27 81
4 Port Vale 46 13 9 1 42 11 8 7 8 25 26 +30 79
5 Orient 46 11 6 6 39 21 9 6 8 40 43 +15 72
6 Colchester United 46 12 6 5 51 22 7 7 9 37 41 +25 70
7 Hartlepool United 46 15 6 2 41 20 5 4 14 27 47 +1 70
8 Northampton Town 46 9 7 7 44 29 9 3 11 35 29 +21 64
9 Southend United 46 13 4 6 43 27 5 6 12 26 40 +2 64
10 Hereford United 46 15 6 2 55 30 3 4 16 19 43 +1 64
11 Stockport County 46 9 9 5 35 28 8 4 11 28 43 −8 64
12 Crewe Alexandra 46 10 6 7 35 26 8 3 12 19 35 −7 63
13 Wrexham 46 11 5 7 34 24 6 4 13 34 56 −12 60 Welsh Cup Runners up, winners Shrewsbury Town are English so Wrexham qualified for the 1986–87 European Cup Winners' Cup First round[lower-alpha 1]
14 Burnley 46 11 3 9 35 30 5 8 10 25 35 −5 59
15 Scunthorpe United 46 11 7 5 33 23 4 7 12 17 32 −5 59
16 Aldershot 46 12 5 6 45 25 5 2 16 21 49 −8 58
17 Peterborough United 46 9 11 3 31 19 4 6 13 21 45 −12 56
18 Rochdale 46 12 7 4 41 29 2 6 15 16 48 −20 55
19 Tranmere Rovers 46 9 1 13 46 41 6 8 9 28 32 +1 54
20 Halifax Town 46 10 8 5 35 27 4 4 15 25 44 −11 54
21 Exeter City 46 10 4 9 26 25 3 11 9 21 34 −12 54 Re-elected
22 Cambridge United 46 12 2 9 45 38 3 7 13 20 42 −15 54
23 Preston North End 46 7 4 12 32 41 4 6 13 22 48 −35 43
24 Torquay United 46 8 5 10 29 32 1 5 17 14 56 −45 37
Source:
Notes:
  1. Wrexham won the 1986 Welsh Cup and thus claimed a place in the 1986–87 European Cup Winners' Cup, Welsh clubs still being allowed to compete in UEFA's competitions.

Fourth Division results
Home \ Away ALD BUR CAM CHE COL CRE EXE HAL HAR HER LEY MAN NOR PET PTV PNE ROC SCU STD STP SWI TOR TRA WRE
Aldershot 0–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 4–0 1–2 0–1 2–0 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 0–0 4–0 2–1 2–1 1–3 6–1 2–4 1–1 3–1 6–0
Burnley 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–2 0–1 3–1 1–3 2–0 3–2 1–0 2–1 3–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–3 0–1 0–2 3–0 3–1 5–2
Cambridge United 0–2 0–4 3–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 4–0 4–2 4–0 1–2 4–2 2–5 3–1 1–3 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–2 1–2 1–1 3–0 3–2 4–3
Chester City 1–0 4–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 1–0 2–3 2–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 3–1 1–0 2–1
Colchester United 4–0 2–2 4–1 2–3 1–2 1–1 3–1 3–1 4–1 4–0 0–0 2–0 5–0 1–0 4–0 0–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 1–1 0–0 1–2 5–2
Crewe Alexandra 2–0 3–1 0–1 2–2 0–2 0–1 2–2 0–0 2–0 1–3 2–1 0–1 1–1 0–1 3–3 4–2 4–0 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 3–2
Exeter City 2–0 0–2 0–0 1–3 2–2 1–2 1–0 1–2 3–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–1 1–0 3–0 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–0 0–3 2–2 1–0 0–1
Halifax Town 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–2 2–2 1–0 1–0 3–2 1–0 2–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–3 0–0 1–3 0–0 1–2 5–2
Hartlepool United 2–1 3–1 2–1 1–1 4–1 4–1 0–0 3–0 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 3–2 1–0 1–0 1–0 3–3
Hereford United 4–1 2–2 1–0 0–2 2–0 4–1 4–1 2–1 2–2 3–2 4–2 3–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 2–1 3–2 4–1 4–1 1–4 3–1
Orient 1–1 3–0 3–1 0–0 1–2 0–1 2–2 1–0 1–1 2–2 0–1 0–1 2–2 1–0 2–0 5–0 3–0 3–0 0–1 1–0 4–2 3–1 1–3
Mansfield Town 2–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–1 2–3 3–2 1–1 3–0 4–2 1–1 4–0 0–1 1–1
Northampton Town 2–3 2–0 0–2 2–2 1–0 0–1 2–2 4–0 3–0 1–3 2–3 1–0 2–2 2–2 6–0 1–0 2–2 0–0 3–1 0–1 5–1 2–2 1–2
Peterborough United 3–0 0–0 0–0 3–0 1–2 0–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–0 2–2 4–2 0–5 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 3–0 2–0 0–1 1–1
Port Vale 3–1 1–1 4–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 0–0 3–2 4–0 1–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 3–0 0–0 0–0 4–0
Preston North End 1–3 1–0 1–2 3–6 3–2 1–2 2–2 0–1 2–1 2–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 2–4 0–1 1–1 0–1 3–2 1–2 0–3 4–0 2–2 1–0
Rochdale 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–2 3–3 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–2 1–1 1–4 1–1 3–2 2–1 3–3 1–1 1–0 2–1 4–1 1–2 5–0 1–1 3–2
Scunthorpe United 1–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–0 3–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 0–3 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–3 3–1 2–0 2–3 0–2 4–0 0–1 1–1
Southend United 2–0 2–3 1–0 1–1 2–4 0–1 2–0 2–1 3–2 3–1 5–1 3–1 0–4 0–1 2–1 2–1 5–0 2–1 0–0 0–0 1–2 2–2 3–0
Stockport County 3–2 1–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 3–0 1–1 2–1 1–3 1–1 2–3 0–2 1–0 2–2 1–2 2–1 3–0 0–0 2–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0
Swindon Town 4–1 3–1 1–0 4–2 2–1 1–0 2–1 3–1 3–2 1–0 4–1 2–1 3–2 3–0 0–0 4–1 4–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–1 2–1 0–1
Torquay United 1–2 2–0 1–1 0–3 2–1 0–0 1–2 2–0 1–3 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–2 1–0 2–2 4–3 0–1 1–2 1–3
Tranmere Rovers 3–0 2–1 6–2 2–3 3–4 0–1 0–1 0–3 4–2 1–2 0–3 1–2 1–3 7–0 1–2 2–3 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–3 3–1 2–0 1–3
Wrexham 4–1 0–1 6–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–3 1–2 1–0 0–1 1–3 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–0 3–0 0–1 3–2 1–1
Source: Soccerbase
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Fourth Division maps
Locations of the Football League Fourth Division London teams 1985–1986
Locations of the Football League Fourth Division teams 1985–1986

Election/Re-election to the Football League

As champions of the Alliance Premier League, Enfield won the right to apply for election to the Football League, to replace one of the four bottom teams in the 1985–86 Football League Fourth Division. The vote went as follows:

Club Final Position Votes
Exeter City21st (Fourth Division)64
Preston North End23rd (Fourth Division)62.5
Cambridge United22nd (Fourth Division)61
Torquay United24th (Fourth Division)61
Enfield1st (Alliance Premier League)7.5

Hence, all four Football League teams were re-elected, and Enfield were denied membership of the Football League.

This was the last season in which the Alliance Premier League champions had to apply for election to the Football League. From the 1986–87 season, when the Alliance Premier League was re-branded as the Football Conference, the champions were automatically promoted, provided that they met the criteria set by the Football League.

See also

Notes

    References
    1. "England 1985–86". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
    2. Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
    3. "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
    4. Remember the 1985 TV blackout? Only the Big Yin knew who McAvennie was, Simon Hart, The Independent, 22 October 2011
    5. When football fans did not see a single match on TV over Christmas, Steven Pye, The Guardian, 3 December 2019
    6. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from the season 1985–86 on until the season 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster in 1985, involving Liverpool fans.
    7. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from the season 1985–86 on until the season 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster in 1985, involving Liverpool fans.
    8. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from the season 1985–86 on until the season 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster in 1985, involving Liverpool fans.
    9. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from the season 1985–86 on until the season 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster in 1985, involving Liverpool fans.
    • Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane's, London & Sydney, 1980.
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