1950–51 in English football
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The 1950–51 season was the 71st season of competitive football in England.


Overview

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
won their first League Championship, while Newcastle United defeated Blackpool 2–0 to win their fourth
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 ...
. They would win it twice more over the next four seasons. Everton were relegated to the Second Division for only the second time in their history. The league was expanded from 88 to 92 clubs for this season, with Scunthorpe United and
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
joining the Third Division North, and
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
join the Third Division South along with Gillingham who were re-elected to the league 12 years after being voted out of it. Sunderland signed
Trevor Ford Trevor Ford (1 October 1923 – 29 May 2003) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a centre forward for Swansea Town, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, PSV, Newport County and Romford, as well as for the Wales national ...
from Aston Villa for the then record fee of £30,000 (''2012: £'').Huw Richards, 'Ford, Trevor (1923–2003)’,
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
, Oxford University Press, Jan 2007; online edn, Jan 2010
At the end of the season, Matt Busby signed
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, 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. Sin ...
winger Johnny Berry for Manchester United for a club record fee of £25,000.


Honours

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


FA Cup

Newcastle United defeated Blackpool 2–0 in the 1951 FA Cup Final.


Football League


First Division

Tottenham Hotspur, in their first top-flight season since 1935, surpassed all expectations by winning the league for the first time in their history. Manchester United finished second, continuing their wait for their first title under Matt Busby. Blackpool finished third, narrowly beating out FA Cup winners Newcastle United. A dramatic finish to the season saw all the bottom three sides bracketed together on 32 points. Everton finished bottom after being thrashed 6-0 by Sheffield Wednesday (who were already all but assured of relegation) on the last day, with Chelsea surviving thanks to a four-game winning streak.


Second Division

Preston North End won the division, with Manchester City earning promotion as runners-up, continuing the yo-yo club existence of both sides, with Preston having been out of the top-flight for two seasons, and City for one season. Grimsby Town and Chesterfield were both relegated to the third tier.


Third Division North

Rotherham United convincingly won the season, with Mansfield Town and Carlisle United both having more-than-respectable seasons, but not being able to catch Rotherham. New Brighton, who had struggled with low attendance and financial problems since their
Sandheys Park Sandheys Park was a football ground in New Brighton, England. It was the home ground of New Brighton A.F.C. from 1921 until World War II. History In 1921 the football club purchased a 3.5-acre site which had previously been used as a school pla ...
ground was destroyed by bombing in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, finished bottom and did not make a serious bid to be re-elected, effectively resigning their membership of the Football League. Their place was taken by
Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Locat ...
for the following season. Accrington Stanley retained their membership of the league as a consequence.


Third Division South

Nottingham Forest won promotion back to the Second Division at the second time of asking, with Cardiff City finishing a convincing second, but not being able to overhaul Forest. Watford and Crystal Palace were both forced to apply for re-election, but New Brighton's plight meant neither club was in any real danger of losing their place in the Football League.


Top goalscorers

First Division *
Stan Mortensen Stanley Harding Mortensen (26 May 1921 – 22 May 1991) was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final (subsequently known as the "Matthews Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a ha ...
( Blackpool) – 30 goals Second Division * Cec McCormack ( Barnsley) – 33 goals Third Division North * Jack Shaw (
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
) – 37 goals Third Division South * Wally Ardron (
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 ...
) – 36 goals


References

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