The
1959–60 season was
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
's
61st season in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
, and their 13th consecutive campaign in the
First Division, the
top tier of English football. The team, and their manager
Harry Potts
Harold Potts (22 October 1920 – 16 January 1996) was an English football player and manager. As a player he won promotion with both Burnley and Everton, and both from Second Division. As Burnley manager, he guided them to the First Division ...
, endured a tense season in which
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
and
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
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
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
; they had not topped the table until the last match was played out. Only two players—
Alex Elder
Alexander Russell Elder (born 25 April 1941) is a former Northern Irish footballer, who played for Burnley and Stoke City as well as the Northern Ireland national team.
He was said to play a very mature game for someone with so little experien ...
and
Jimmy McIlroy
James McIlroy (25 October 1931 – 20 August 2018) was a Northern Ireland international footballer, who played for Glentoran, Burnley, Stoke City and Oldham Athletic. He was regarded as one of Burnley's greatest players, having played 497 matc ...
—had cost a
transfer fee
Transfer may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović
* ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film
* ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies
...
, while the others were recruited from
Burnley’s youth academy. With 80,000 inhabitants, the town of
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
became one of the smallest to have hosted an English first-tier champion. In the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, Burnley reached the sixth round before being defeated by local rivals
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
after a
replay. Burnley won the local
Lancashire Cup for the fifth time in their history after defeating
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in the final. After the regular season ended, the Burnley squad travelled to the United States to participate in the
first edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants.
First edition
According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...
of the
International Soccer League
The International Soccer League was a U.S.-based soccer league which was formed in 1960 and collapsed in 1965. The League, affiliated with the American Soccer League, featured guest teams primarily from Europe and some from Asia, South America, C ...
.
During the season, 18 players made at least one appearance for the club, with
Jimmy Adamson
James Adamson (4 April 1929 – 8 November 2011) was an English professional footballer and football manager. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He made 486 appearances for Burnley ranking him sixth in their all-time appearance lis ...
,
Brian Miller and
Ray Pointer
Raymond Pointer (10 October 1936 – 26 January 2016) was a professional association footballer and England international who played as a striker.
He had a long and successful playing career, totalling over 400 league appearances whilst play ...
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
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...
was 52,850 for the FA Cup fifth round replay match against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
; the lowest was 17,398 for a league game against
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
. 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
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
's
61st season in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
, and their 13th consecutive season in the
First Division, since
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
from the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
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. Burnley ended the campaign with 8 wins out of 13 in the league, and approached the new season with confidence. The club's chairman,
Bob Lord, was elected to the position in 1955. Lord only appointed
managers
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
with a previous playing career at the club; he selected
Harry Potts
Harold Potts (22 October 1920 – 16 January 1996) was an English football player and manager. As a player he won promotion with both Burnley and Everton, and both from Second Division. As Burnley manager, he guided them to the First Division ...
for the post in February 1958.
Burnley had become one of the most progressive clubs under Lord,
[Quelch (2015), pp. 199–206] who was described by the scriptwriter
Arthur Hopcraft
Arthur Hopcraft (30 November 1932 – 22 November 2004) was an English scriptwriter, well known for his TV plays such as ''The Nearly Man'', and for his small-screen adaptations such as ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''; '' Hard Times'', ''Blea ...
as "the
Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Premier of the Soviet Union, chairm ...
of Burnley" as a result of his authoritarian attitude.
Burnley were one of the first to set up a purpose-built
training ground
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...
(at
Gawthorpe in 1955),
which included a medical room, a gymnasium, three full-size
pitches and an all-weather surface. The club also became renowned for its youth policy and
scouting system. Burnley's scouts—including
Jack Hixon
John Hixon (7 February 1921 – 20 December 2009) was an English football talent scout.
A familiar face at football games across the North East for decades, Hixon played a major part in furthering the careers of many footballers from the region.
...
—focused particularly on
North East England
North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...
, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
![Jimmy Greaves 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Jimmy_Greaves_2007.jpg)
During matches, Potts often employed the then unfashionable
4–4–2 formation and he implemented a
Total Football playing style.
Billy Wright of
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
described Burnley's playing style as "progressing
rom defense to attackby nicely controlled patterns with every man searching hungrily for space".
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter Greaves (20 February 1940 – 19 September 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Greaves is regarded as one of England’s best ever players. He is England's fifth-highest international goalscorer ...
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
Alexander Russell Elder (born 25 April 1941) is a former Northern Irish footballer, who played for Burnley and Stoke City as well as the Northern Ireland national team.
He was said to play a very mature game for someone with so little experien ...
and
Jimmy McIlroy
James McIlroy (25 October 1931 – 20 August 2018) was a Northern Ireland international footballer, who played for Glentoran, Burnley, Stoke City and Oldham Athletic. He was regarded as one of Burnley's greatest players, having played 497 matc ...
had cost a
transfer fee
Transfer may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović
* ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film
* ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies
...
. Both players were bought from Northern Irish club
Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882.
History
Early history
In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...
; 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
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
,
while
Ken Bracewell
Ken Bracewell (born 5 October 1936) is an English former professional football player and coach. Bracewell, who played as a full-back, made over 200 league appearances in England, Canada, and the United States.
Playing career
Born in Colne, ...
(to
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
),
Albert Cheesebrough
Albert Cheesebrough (17 January 1935 – 2 September 2020) was an English footballer. A forward, he scored 88 goals in 345 leagues games over a sixteen-year professional career in the Football League.
Turning professional with Burnley in 1951 ...
(to
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
for £20,000),
Doug Newlands (to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
for £12,000) and
Les Shannon
Leslie Shannon (12 March 1926 – 2 December 2007) was an English football player and manager.
As a forward, he scored 40 goals in 274 league games in the Football League, playing for Liverpool between November 1944 and November 1949 and t ...
(retired) left the club.
[Simpson (2007), pp. 497–498] On 17 August 1959, the team played a
pre-season friendly
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against Glentoran, which was organised as part of Elder's transfer. Burnley defeated their opponents 8–1, with
Jimmy Robson
James Robson (23 January 1939 – 14 December 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He played over 450 matches in the Football League.
Robson won the First Division with Burnley in 1960, beating Manchest ...
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
Collar may refer to:
Human neckwear
*Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations
*Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck
...
, and white shorts along with claret and light blue socks.
First Division
August to December
Burnley's First Division campaign began with a 3–2 win over
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
at
Elland Road
Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England.
The g ...
on 22 August, with goals from
Brian Pilkington,
John Connelly, and
Ray Pointer
Raymond Pointer (10 October 1936 – 26 January 2016) was a professional association footballer and England international who played as a striker.
He had a long and successful playing career, totalling over 400 league appearances whilst play ...
.
[Simpson (2007), p. 294] Ahead of Burnley's first home match of the season at
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...
against
Everton, Potts wrote in the club's
matchday programme
A matchday programme or match programme is a booklet associated with a live sporting event which details the proposed starting lineup and other details of the match. To some spectators, the purchase of a matchday programme is part of the "ritu ...
: "We pride ourselves on being a footballing team and no club can be more eager to meet the demand for better play". The team defeated Everton 5–2, but then lost 3–1 at home to
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, despite taking the lead through Connelly.
Burnley's form remained inconsistent: a 4–1
away
Away may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Away'' (2016 film), a 2016 British film
* ''Away'' (2019 film), a 2019 animated silent film
* ''Away'' (TV series), a 2020 science fiction drama on Netflix
Literature
* ''Away'' (play), a 1986 play by M ...
loss against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
was followed by 2–1 wins against local rival
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
and
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
, after coming from behind on both occasions.
Potts had selected the same
starting line-up
In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are ''substitutes'' o ...
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
Robert Seith (born 9 March 1932) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He won league championships in both England and Scotland, with Burnley and Dundee respectively.
Playing career
Seith began his professional career with Burnley, ...
had contacted
giant urticaria and was replaced by
Tommy Cummings
Thomas Smith Cummings (12 September 1928 – 12 July 2009) was an English football player and manager.
Cummings was born in Sunderland, County Durham and started his football career at Hylton Colliery Juniors. Such was his quality as a centr ...
, leaving the
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
position open for the 18-year-old Elder to make his debut.
[Simpson (2007), p. 295][Quelch (2015), pp. 87–88] Burnley lost the fixture 1–0 but Elder played well against Preston's
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
international
Tom Finney
Sir Thomas Finney (5 April 1922 – 14 February 2014) was an English international footballer who played from 1946 to 1960 as a winger or centre forward for Preston North End and England. He is widely acknowledged to have been one of the spor ...
and remained in the starting line-up.
Burnley ended September by defeating
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
, both by a scoreline of 3–1. The team were a point behind league leaders
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
, who were their next opponents.
Both sides were missing key players—Spurs were without
Dave Mackay
David Craig Mackay (14 November 1934 – 2 March 2015) was a Scottish football player and manager. Mackay was best known for a highly successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the Double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961, an ...
and
Danny Blanchflower
Robert Dennis Blanchflower (10 February 1926 – 9 December 1993) was a former Northern Ireland footballer, football manager and journalist who played for and captained Tottenham Hotspur, including during their double-winning season of 1960 ...
, while McIlroy, Burnley's
playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
, was still absent. The match ended in a 1–1
draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
, after defender
Brian Miller equalised for Burnley in the 87th minute. Burnley then faced Lancashire rivals
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
at home; Burnley took the lead through Robson but the visitors scored four goals to win 4–1. Before the
East Lancashire derby
The East Lancashire derby, also known as the Cotton Mills derby and El Lanclasico, is an association football rivalry between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. The nickname originates from the fact that both Blackburn and Burnley are former mill ...
at
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
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. 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
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
a week later and led the team to a 4–3 victory. Burnley ended October with a 1–1 draw at
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
after being 1–0 down. 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
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
, the previous season's
FA Cup winners
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout competition in English football, organised by and named after The Football Association (the FA). It is the oldest existing football competition in the world, hav ...
, 8–0 at home.
The team kept their first
clean sheet
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
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
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
on 28 November.
After beating
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
4–0 on 5 December, Burnley defeated
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
4–2 at
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
a week later.
Arsenal led 2–0 after the first half; during
half-time
In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...
Potts pushed McIlroy and Miller forward. The team turned the match around:
Jimmy Adamson
James Adamson (4 April 1929 – 8 November 2011) was an English professional footballer and football manager. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He made 486 appearances for Burnley ranking him sixth in their all-time appearance lis ...
, Burnley's
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, scored a
penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
halfway through the second half and Connelly completed a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
inside 16 minutes. McIlroy received many plaudits for his performance, even though he had picked up a groin
strain injury early during the game.
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.
[Quelch (2015), pp. 130–132] On
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
, Burnley defeated
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
2–1 at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
; 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.
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
The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marke ...
'' concluded: "If they go on playing like this they'll soon have nobody above them". 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 and Pointer with a
lob
Lob may refer to:
Sports
* Lob (pickleball)
* Lob (tennis)
* Lob (association football), a lofted pass or shot in association football
* Lob bowling, an archaic bowling style in cricket
People
* Lob Brown, American college football player
* L ...
. The match against Birmingham City a week later was postponed due to poor weather. 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. The following game, at home against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
, 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
__NOTOC__
The ''Burnley Express'' is a newspaper for Burnley and Padiham, England and surrounding area. It is printed twice weekly, on Tuesday and Friday, which is the larger edition. In print since 1877, it is now part of the group JPIMedia. One ...
'' 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 The transfer market is the arena in which football players are available for transfer to clubs.
The transfer market consists of a list of players available for transfer, and also the money moving between clubs as they contest to purchase and sell ...
.
Potts moved Adamson to the
centre-half
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
position to partner Cummings, while Miller was placed in
midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...
.
[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.
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
Trevor George Meredith (born 25 December 1936) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a winger. Whilst playing for Burnley, he scored the winning goal in the 2–1 victory over Manchester City on 2 May 1960, a win which saw ...
.
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.
[Quelch (2015), pp. 179–181]
![Maine Road, December 1975](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Maine_Road%2C_December_1975.jpg)
Five days later, Burnley drew 1–1 at Blackpool after the hosts equalised with six minutes remaining;
Jim Furnell
James Furnell (born 23 November 1937 in Clitheroe, Lancashire) is a former English association football, footballer, who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.
Career
Furnell started his career at his local club Burnley F.C. ...
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
Molineux Stadium ( ) in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, has been the home ground of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers since 1889. The first stadium built for use by a Football League club, it was one of the first British grounds ...
; 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
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
and one point ahead of Tottenham. 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
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
—including Wolves manager
Stan Cullis
Stanley Cullis (25 October 1916 – 28 February 2001) was an English professional footballer and manager, primarily for Wolverhampton Wanderers. During his term as manager between 1948 and 1964, Wolves became one of the strongest teams in the En ...
and several of his players—Burnley went ahead after four minutes when Pilkington's shot deflected off City's
Bert Trautmann
Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann EK OBE BVO (22 October 1923 – 19 July 2013) was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964.
In August 1933, (aged 9), he joined the Jungvolk, the junio ...
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.
The ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' 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
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
'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; around one-third of the town's population, the highest ratio in the top flight. 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
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
;Results
Source:
Partial league table
Source:
FA Cup
![Valley Parade, Bradford](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Valley_Parade%2C_Bradford.jpg)
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
Assist or ASSIST may refer to:
Sports
Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team:
*Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...
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
The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the club moved to the newly built Liberty Stadium in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at ...
and drew 0–0; the Swansea manager
Trevor Morris was confident and stated: "We'll win the replay". At Turf Moor, Robson scored twice to put Burnley 2–0 ahead, before Swansea's
Mel Nurse
Melvyn Tudor George Nurse (born 11 October 1937) is a Welsh former professional footballer. A centre-half, he started his career at his hometown club Swansea Town and made his professional debut in 1956.
He joined Middlesbrough in 1962 for a c ...
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
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
, who were undefeated in 18 matches.
City's
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, known as the University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they c ...
pitch was very muddy, which hindered Burnley in their passing game, and City took a 2–0 lead.
With ten minutes remaining, Connelly dribbled through the Bradford defence and put the ball past their
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
. He scored his second goal in
injury time
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
to salvage a replay for Burnley, following a scramble in City's
penalty area
The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5m (18 yd) to each side of the goal and 16.5m (18 yd) in front of it.
Wit ...
. 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
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
was closed due to the traffic; 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.
[Quelch (2015), pp. 155–160]
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
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
to eliminate Burnley from the competition. Robson had played while being ill; McIlroy was again not fully fit and concluded: "I had probably my poorest ever game in a Burnley shirt". Blackburn advanced to the final where they
lost 3–0 to Wolves.
Match results
;Key
*In result column, Burnley's score shown first
*H = Home match
*A = Away match
*pen. =
Penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
;Results
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
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
.
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.
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.
GK =
Goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
, DF =
Defender, MF =
Midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, FW =
Forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
Source:
Minor competitions
Lancashire Cup
Burnley also participated in the local
Lancashire Cup, although their starting line-ups consisted primarily of
reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
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
Ronald Fenton (21 September 1940 – 25 September 2013) was an English football player, coach and manager. He played as an inside forward and made nearly 200 appearances in the Football League.
Fenton was born in South Shields, and began his ...
,
Ian Towers
Ian Joseph Towers (11 October 1940 – 25 January 2015) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Burnley, Oldham Athletic and Bury and in South Africa for Cape Town City and Hellenic. He als ...
,
Andy Lochhead
Andrew Lorimar Lochhead (9 March 1941 – 18 March 2022) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward.
Career
Lochhead was born in Milngavie, Stirlingshire, Scotland. He started his career at Burnley and made his first team de ...
and Harris. Burnley's next match, at
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, 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
Walter Joyce (10 September 1937 – 29 September 1999) was an English professional footballer and manager who played as a wing half, born in Oldham, Lancashire. His son, Warren Joyce, also played for Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the ...
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
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
;Results
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
The International Soccer League was a U.S.-based soccer league which was formed in 1960 and collapsed in 1965. The League, affiliated with the American Soccer League, featured guest teams primarily from Europe and some from Asia, South America, C ...
, 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.
Burnley beat their first opponents
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
3–0 through goals from Pointer, Pilkington and Miller.
In the second game, Burnley faced
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
, the
1959–60 Scottish Football League runners-up, and lost 2–0.
The team then drew 3–3 with home side
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
before defeating Northern Irish club
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
6–2, with Pilkington scoring a hat-trick. In their final group match, Burnley faced French club
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
, who had won four
Ligue 1 titles during the 1950s, most recently in
1958–59.
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".
Match results
;Key
*In result column, Burnley's score shown first
*H = Home match
*A = Away match
*N =
Neutral match
*pen. =
Penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
*o.g. =
Own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
;Results
Source:
Aftermath
Bobby Seith, who had been put on the transfer list by the club,
was sold to
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
in August 1960 for a fee of £7,500.
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.
[Quelch (2015), p. 223] 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 Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, the newly created
Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
, the
FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
, the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
and the Lancashire Cup.
[Simpson (2007), p. 296]
Notes
References
;Specific
;General
*
*
External links
Programmes - Season 1959/60 – Clarets MadChampions of England – Clarets Mad
{{DEFAULTSORT:1959-60 Burnley F.C. season
Burnley F.C. seasons
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
English football championship-winning seasons