The 1967–68 season was the 88th season of competitive

football in England Association football, Football is the most popular sport in England. Widely regarded as the birthplace of modern football, the first official rules of the game were established in England in 1863. The country is home to the world's first footba ...

. Defending First Division champions,

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

, became the first English team to win the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

, while the First Division title went to their cross city rivals

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...

lifted the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

this season, for the fifth time in their history.

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

won their first two major trophies when they lifted the

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as the Fairs Cup and sometimes as the European Fairs Cup or Fairs Cities' Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The Fairs Cup was the idea of FIFA vice-presid ...

and

Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

at the expense of an

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 ...

side who had not played at

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

for 16 years.

Honours

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

FA Cup

The 1968 FA Cup final was won by

, who beat Everton 1–0 at

with an extra time goal from Jeff Astle. It was Albion's fifth

success.

League Cup

beat

1–0 in the 1968 Football League Cup final at Wembley to win the competition for the first time.

Football League

First Division

For the first time since 1937,

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

won the First Division, finishing two points clear of their local rivals

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

finished in last place and were relegated along with Sheffield United. Coventry City, under

Noel Cantwell Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell (28 February 1932 – 8 September 2005) was an Irish football player and sometime cricketer. Club career Cantwell was born in Cork, Ireland, and was educated at the Roman Catholic Presentation Brothers College ...

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.

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

and Ron Davies of

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

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.

Second Division

Bill McGarry's Ipswich Town team won the Second Division by one point from

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

, with both teams promoted.

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

finished third on goal average and so missed out. Rotherham United and bottom club Plymouth Argyle were both relegated to the Third Division.

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 Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...

, 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 Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

escaped relegation.

Fourth Division

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

won the Fourth Division and were promoted along with

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

, 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.

Top goalscorers

First Division *

(

) and Ron Davies (

) – 28 goals Second Division * John Hickton (

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

) – 24 goals Third Division * Don Rogers (

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

) – 25 goals Fourth Division * Les Massie ( Halifax Town) and Roy Chapman ( Port Vale) – 25 goals

European football

became the first English team to win the

when they beat Benfica 4–1 after extra time in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

Bobby Charlton Sir Robert Charlton (11 October 1937 – 21 October 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, left winger or centre-forward. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member ...

(2),

and Brian Kidd scored the goals. Manager

Matt Busby Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an E ...

was knighted that year for his achievements.

reached the final of the Fairs Cup by beating Scottish side

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

. Eddie Gray scored the decisive goal in the second leg to secure a 2–1 aggregate victory. In the

, which was not completed until September 1968, Leeds defeated

Ferencváros Ferencváros (, ) is the 9th district of Budapest (), Hungary. Name The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary. History The developmen ...

1–0 on aggregate.

Events of the season

* 12 August 1967 – Tottenham Hotspur's goalkeeper Pat Jennings scores in the Charity Shield as Spurs draw 3–3 with

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

. * 19 August 1967 – The League champions Manchester United open the First Division season with a 3–1 defeat to Everton.

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

draw 0–0, and Coventry City's first match in the First Division ends in a 2–1 loss at

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

. * 26 August 1967 –

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

are the early leaders of the First Division, the only team with three wins out of three. Defeats for Manchester City and

leave both teams without a League win from their first three matches. * 2 September 1967 –

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. * 16 September 1967 – Manchester City's fifth consecutive League win, 5–2 against Sheffield United sees them join Liverpool,

, Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the League table. * 7 October 1967 – After scoring just ten goals in their first nine League matches, Leeds United hammer Chelsea 7–0 at

Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...

. Liverpool lose at Leicester City, allowing Sheffield Wednesday to return to the top of the table. * 28 October 1967 – Liverpool beat Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 at

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

to lead the First Division at the end of October. * 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.

thrash Burnley 8–1. * 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 Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...

with goals from Colin Bell,

Mike Summerbee Michael George Summerbee (born 15 December 1942) is an English former association football, footballer, who played as a Forward (association football), forward in the successful Manchester City F.C., Manchester City side of the late 1960s and ...

, Tony Coleman and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

. * 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

occupy the relegation places. * 13 January 1968 – Leeds United move into second place in the League by beating

5–0, having beaten Fulham by the same score the previous week. * 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. * 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. * 27 March 1968 – Manchester City win the League

derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, leaving both teams locked together with Leeds United at the top of the table with nine games remaining. * 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. * 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 The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...

. * 1 May 1968 – Fulham lose 2–0 at home to Stoke City and are relegated from the First Division. * 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. * 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. * 11 May 1968 – Manchester City win the First Division title for the first time since

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

with a 4–3 away win against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

. Manchester United surrender their title by losing 2–1 at home to

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. Sheffield United take the second relegation spot after losing at home to Chelsea.

Deaths

* 7 March 1968 – Grenville Hair, 36, former

left back and current Bradford City manager, from heart attack during training.Player death notices
''Football player cards''. Retrieved 14 October 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1967-68 in English football