1957–58 in English football
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The 1957–58 season was the 78th season of competitive
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
in England. The season ended with Wolverhampton Wanderers as First Division champions after scoring 103 goals and
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 ...
as FA Cup winners. However, the season is remembered most for the Munich air disaster which occurred on 6 February 1958 and involved
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 ...
on the return flight from a
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 ...
quarter-final win in Yugoslavia. 23 people died as a result of their injuries in the crash, including eight of the club's players.


Overview


In this season, Sunderland were relegated for the first time in their history. This was the last season in which Division 3 was split, North and South. Teams finishing between 2nd and 12th were placed in Division 3 the following season, the remainder in Division 4


Diary of the season

31 August 1957: The Manchester derby 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 ...
sees United beat
City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
4–1 with goals from
Duncan Edwards Duncan Edwards (1 October 1936 – 21 February 1958) was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national team. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid ...
, Tommy Taylor,
Johnny Berry Reginald John Berry (1 June 1926 – 16 September 1994), also listed as John James Berry, was an English footballer. Berry joined Manchester United from Birmingham City in 1951. Despite his diminutive stature, he was a natural right winger with ...
and Dennis Viollet. 18 September 1957: In the First Division, Nottingham Forest beat Burnley 7–0, the first time they have scored seven without reply since 1950 in the Football League Third Division South. 28 September 1957: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Manchester United at home 3–1 with two goals from Dennis Wilshaw and one from Norman Deeley. 10 October 1957: The England squad to face Wales is announced, and features three newcomers. They are
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 ...
goalkeeper Eddie Hopkinson, Blackburn Rovers'
Bryan Douglas Bryan Douglas (born 27 May 1934) is an English former footballer who played as a winger. During his career, he played for Blackburn Rovers from 1954 to 1969, totalling 438 league appearances and 100 goals. He also earned 36 caps and scored ...
and Don Howe of West Bromwich Albion. 16 November 1957: Champions-to-be Wolverhampton Wanderers lose their 100% home record to local rivals West Bromwich Albion in a 1–1 draw. Until then the home team had won 8 successive home games scoring 27 goals against 5. 1 December 1957:
Harry Gregg Henry Gregg, (27 October 1932 – 16 February 2020), was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby, with a total of 247 appearances for the club. He w ...
becomes the world's most expensive goalkeeper in a £23,500 transfer from Doncaster Rovers to Manchester United. 7 December 1957: Everton's Dave Hickson is sent off from their all- North West clash with Manchester City. 13 December 1957: Evertonian Tony McNamara heads across Stanley Park to join Liverpool. 25 December 1957: Tottenham Hotspur in their 1–0 home victory become only the second team (Everton did so in the first game of the season) in the whole season to prevent the Champions-to-be Wolverhampton Wanderers from scoring. 3 January 1958: Liverpool add "much-wanted" Hibs inside forward Jimmy Harrower to their ranks, paying a fee that "tops £10,000". 9–10 January 1958: Dave Hickson is suspended by the Football Association for 21 days, their disciplinary committee taking into account "the player’s record on previous misconduct"; Everton order him not to comment. 15 January 1958: Manchester United manager
Matt Busby Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager, who managed Manchester United F.C., Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 197 ...
accepts an offer to become manager of the Scotland national football team, while attending the under-23 international at Goodison Park between England and Scotland. Reports suggest Busby will assume command before the match between Scotland and a Scottish Football League XI on 3 February. 1 February 1958: A thrilling First Division match at Highbury sees Manchester United defeat
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 ...
5–4. 5 February 1958: Manchester United reach 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 ...
semi-finals with a 3–3 draw (5–4 win on aggregate) in the quarter-final second leg against Red Star Belgrade in Yugoslavia. 6 February 1958: The Manchester United team plane crashes at Munich Airport in West Germany. 21 people are killed, including seven of the team's players ( Roger Byrne,
Geoff Bent Geoffrey Bent (27 September 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer who played as a full-back. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster. Personal life Bent was born at Ir ...
,
Eddie Colman Edward Colman (1 November 1936 – 6 February 1958) was an English football player and one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster. Colman was born on Archie Street in Ordsall, Salford, Lanca ...
, Bill Whelan, Tommy Taylor,
David Pegg David Pegg (20 September 1935 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer and one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958. Career He signed for United on leaving school in 1950 an ...
and Mark Jones) and three club officials (secretary
Walter Crickmer Walter Raymond Crickmer (1900 – 6 February 1958) was an English football club secretary and manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government b ...
, coach Tom Curry and trainer
Bert Whalley Herbert Whalley (6 August 1913 – 6 February 1958) was a footballer who played as a half-back for Manchester United from 1934 to 1946, later serving on the coaching staff at the club. He died in the Munich air disaster in 1958, at the age of ...
). Also among the dead is journalist Frank Swift, the former Manchester City and England goalkeeper. 10 other players are injured, with doctors being particularly concerned about the conditions of winger Johnny Berry and left-half Duncan Edwards. Manager Matt Busby is also seriously injured. 19 February 1958: In their first game since the Munich air disaster, Manchester United (with a side mostly made up of reserve players) defeat Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 in the FA Cup fifth round at Old Trafford. However, the victory is overshadowed by news from Munich that the condition of Duncan Edwards has deteriorated once more. 21 February 1958: Duncan Edwards (aged 21) dies in hospital from injuries sustained 15 days ago in the Munich air disaster. 13 March 1958: Liverpool's leading goalscorer,
Tony Rowley Antonio Camilio Rowley (19 September 1929 – 28 April 2006) was a Welsh footballer who played in the English Football League for Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers. A centre forward, he also played for Wellington Town, Birmingham City, Stourbridge, ...
, signs for Tranmere Rovers. 12 April 1958:
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
win the
FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footba ...
after victory over Ilford in the final 3–0, in front of a young Martin Tyler. 26 April 1958: Wolverhampton Wanderers are crowned Champions after scoring their 103rd goal but are beaten by already- relegated Sheffield Wednesday in their last league game of the season, while in the Second Division the Anglo-Welsh derby between
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
and Swansea Town goes the way of the Welsh club. Meanwhile, two England representative teams are in action, as the schoolboys win 3–1 over their Scottish equivalents at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000, while the England amateurs drew 1–1 against France. 3 May 1958: Nat Lofthouse scores both goals as Bolton Wanderers beat Manchester United 2–0 in the Final at Wembley to win the FA Cup for the fourth time.


Notable debutants

24 August 1957: Jimmy Greaves, 17-year-old forward, scores once on his debut for Chelsea in a First Division fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. 28 September 1957: Gerry Byrne, 19-year-old left-back, makes his debut for illness-ravaged Liverpool. 21 December 1957: Kenny Morgans, 18-year-old winger, makes his debut for Manchester United in First Division home match against Leicester City. 19 February 1958:
Shay Brennan Seamus Anthony "Shay" Brennan (6 May 1937 – 9 June 2000) was an Irish footballer in the 1960s. He was a full back for Manchester United. His first game for the club came in an FA Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday on 19 February 1958; this ...
, 20-year-old winger, scores twice on his debut for Manchester United as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 in the FA Cup third round, their first game after the Munich air disaster.


Honours

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


Awards

Football Writers' Association * Footballer of the Year –
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 1960â ...
( Tottenham Hotspur) Top goalscorer * Bobby Smith ( Tottenham Hotspur), 36


Football League


First Division

The First Division title went to Wolves, still captained by Billy Wright and managed by
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 ...
. Preston North End finished runners-up, while Tottenham Hotspur finished third thanks largely to the influence of captain and Footballer of the Year,
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 1960â ...
. West Bromwich Albion finished fourth and the top five was completed by Manchester City, who became the first and so far only club to both score and concede 100 goals in a league season. After the Munich air disaster, Manchester United won only one more league game and dipped to ninth place, although they did reach the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Bolton Wanderers. Sheffield Wednesday propped up the First Division and were the first side to go down, being joined soon after by a Sunderland side who had enjoyed the longest run in the First Division totaling nearly 70 years.


Second Division

West Ham United topped the Second Division to secure First Division football for the first time in the postwar era, while Blackburn Rovers finished one point behind them in second place. Charlton Athletic missed out on an immediate return to the First Division by a single point, while Liverpool missed out on promotion by two points. With six games remaining in the season, Lincoln City looked certain to be relegated - five points adrift of the club above them, and having won only five matches all season. Incredibly they won their last six matches to escape relegation by a single point.


Third Division North

Scunthorpe & Lindsey United sealed the Third Division North title by a comfortable margin and secured their place in the Second Division, while runners-up Accrington Stanley had the consolation of at least being able to play in the third of the league's fourth tiers following the decision to reorganize into four national divisions for the 1958–59 season.


Third Division South

Brighton & Hove Albion won promotion to the Second Division as champions of the Third Division South.


Top goalscorers

First Division * Bobby Smith ( Tottenham Hotspur) – 36 goals Second Division * Tommy Johnston ( Leyton Orient / Blackburn Rovers) – 43 goals Third Division North * Alf Ackerman (
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
) – 35 goals Third Division South *
Derek Reeves Derek Reeves (27 August 1934 – 22 May 1995) was an English footballer, born in Poole, Dorset, who played as a centre forward for Southampton and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in the Football League. Football career Derek Reeves joined Sou ...
( Southampton) and
Sammy McCrory Samuel McKee McCrory (11 October 1924 – 4 May 2011) was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, most notably spending five years with Southend United and scoring the first goal at their Roots Hall stadium. Club career McCrory was born ...
( Southend United) – 31 goals


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1957-58 in English football