1983–84 In English Football
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The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
in England.


Diary of the season

6 June 1983: Resurgent
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, newly promoted to the Second Division after winning last season's Third Division title, prepare for their latest challenge by paying a club record £180,000 for Coventry City's 21-year-old striker
Mark Hateley Mark Wayne Hateley (born 7 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker. He started his career with Coventry City F.C., Coventry City in the Football L ...
. 1 July 1983: Joe Fagan, 62, is appointed as the new manager of
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 ...
on a two-year contract following
Bob Paisley Robert Paisley (23 January 1919 – 14 February 1996) was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. ...
's retirement after nine years in charge. 1 August 1983: Gerry Francis, former
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
midfielder, is appointed player-manager of Exeter City. 4 August 1983: Chelsea, who narrowly avoided relegation to the Third Division last season, pay
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
£175,000 for 21-year-old striker Kerry Dixon. 20 August 1983: Bryan Robson scores both of
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 ...
's goals in the FA Charity Shield as they beat
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 ...
2–0. 27 August 1983: The
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
season commences. Notts County are top of the First Division with a 4–0 away win over East Midlands rivals Leicester City. A seven-goal thriller at
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
sees Aston Villa beat local rivals West Bromwich Albion 4–3. Liverpool begin their quest for a third successive league title with a 1–1 away draw against newly promoted
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
. Chelsea record the biggest win in the Second Division with a 5–0 triumph over Derby County at Stamford Bridge. 31 August 1983: Notts County,
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
, Aston Villa and
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 ...
all win their first two matches of the First Division season to lead the table at the end of August. Leicester City,
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. The team compete in the ...
and West Bromwich Albion lose their first two matches of the season. 3 September 1983:
West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...
are the only First Division side with a 100% record after three games after beating
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. 6 September 1983: West Ham extend their 100% start to the season to four games and remain top with a 3–1 home win over Leicester City. Manchester United beat
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 ...
3–2 at Highbury. Ipswich are second in the table with three wins from their opening four games after a 3–0 home win over Everton. 10 September 1983: West Ham make it five wins in a row with a 5–2 home win over Coventry City, with David Swindlehurst scoring a hat-trick. Ipswich keep up their challenge with a 5–0 home win over Stoke City, as do third-placed Manchester United with a 2–0 home win over Luton Town. Leicester City are still looking for their first point of the season after a 3–0 home defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. 17 September 1983: West Ham's perfect start to the season ends with a 1–0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion, although they are still top of the First Division.
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, ...
go second with a 3–0 home win over Manchester United.
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 ...
's bid for an immediate return to the First Division is boosted by a 6–0 home win over Blackburn Rovers, lifting them to second place in the Second Division. Swansea City are facing a battle avoid a second successive relegation after collecting one point from their first five games. 21 September 1983: England lose 1–0 to
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in their European Championship qualifier at Wembley, making qualification for the Finals unlikely. 23 September 1983: Newcastle United boost their Second Division promotion push by signing Peter Beardsley, who was rejected by
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 ...
last previous season, in a £150,000 deal from Vancouver Whitecaps. 24 September 1983: West Ham return to their winning ways and maintain their lead of the First Division by beating Notts County 3–0 at Upton Park. Manchester United keep up the pressure by beating Liverpool 1–0 at Old Trafford. Southampton's title challenge is hit with a 1–0 defeat away to Aston Villa, who go sixth in the table. Wolves, with no wins from their first seven games, lose 4–0 at home to QPR. Leicester City finally pick up a league point at the seventh attempt with a 2–2 draw at home to Stoke City. 27 September 1983: Manchester United progress to the second round of the European Cup Winners' Cup by eliminating Czech side
Dukla Prague Dukla Prague () was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi-finals of the ...
on away goals. 28 September 1983: All four English entrants in the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
,
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa – progress to the second round. Tottenham recorded a 14–0 aggregate victory over Irish side Drogheda United, while
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
came from 3–1 down against West German side Kaiserlautern in the first leg to win the second leg 3–0 at Vicarage Road. 30 September 1983: With six wins from seven matches, West Ham United are top of the First Division at the end of September, with Manchester United,
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, ...
, Liverpool and Ipswich Town completing the top five. Leicester City's terrible start to the season sees them prop up the top flight with only a single point from their opening seven games.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
(winless) and Stoke City (one win) complete the bottom three.
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 ...
head the race for promotion from the Second Division, followed closely behind by recently relegated
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 ...
and a
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
side who only won promotion from the Fourth Division four seasons ago.
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 ...
, Charlton Athletic and Chelsea have also made a good start to the Second Division campaign. 1 October 1983: First Division leaders West Ham lose 3–1 to Stoke City at the Victoria Ground. Southampton cut their lead of the table to a single point with a 1–0 win over Wolves at The Dell. Ipswich keep up the pressure by beating Coventry City 2–1 at Highfield Road. Manchester United miss the chance to draw level on points with the leaders when Norwich City hold them to a 3–3 draw in the thrilling match at
Carrow Road Carrow Road is a association football, football stadium in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship club Norwich City F.C., Norwich City. The stadium is east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. ...
. Leicester's shambolic start to the season continues with a 2–1 away defeat to
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. The team compete in the ...
. In the Second Division, leaders Sheffield Wednesday beat Blackburn Rovers 4–2 at Hillsborough. Struggling Derby County lose 4–1 at home to Carlisle United. Newcastle United boost their promotion push with a 4–2 home win over
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
.
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
give their hopes of an instant return to the First Division a major boost by beating Charlton Athletic 7–0 at the Goldstone Ground. Fallen giants Leeds United lose 5–1 at
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
. 2 October 1983: In the first fully televised
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
match for 23 years, Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest 2–1 at White Hart Lane. 8 October 1983: Despite the lack of First Division today, all 22 Second Division clubs are in action.
Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football stadium in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 29,589; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game agains ...
is the scene of an eight-goal thriller in which Chelsea boost their promotion push with a 5–3 away win over West London 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 ...
. 12 October 1983: England keep their faint hopes of European Championship qualification alive by beating
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
3–0 in
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
in their penultimate qualifying game, but Denmark remain top of the group. 15 October 1983: First Division action returns with Manchester United beating West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at Old Trafford to go top of the First Division, with West Ham's lead of the table being ended by a 3–1 home defeat to Liverpool. Wolves are still without a victory nine games into the season after losing 3–2 at home to Tottenham. 16 October 1983: Nottingham Forest beat neighbours Notts County 3–1 at the City Ground in the only First Division action of the day. 20 October 1983: Coventry City sign 21-year-old full-back Stuart Pearce from Alliance Premier League side Wealdstone. 22 October 1983: Manchester United remain top of the First Division with a 1–0 win over
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 ...
at Roker Park. A mid-table clash at Highbury sees Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 4–1. Leicester City claim their second point of the season with a 2–2 draw at Ipswich, but are still winless after 10 league games. 23 October 1983: The only league action of the day sees Wolves draw 1–1 at home to local rivals Aston Villa in a First Division, making it three points after 10 games, but still no league victories. 26 October 1983: Giant-killings in the second round of the
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 ...
, as third-tier clubs Oxford United and
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
knock out Newcastle United and
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
. Elsewhere in round two, Leeds United overcome a 1–0 deficit from the first leg to beat the Football League's basement club Chester City 4–2 on aggregate and Lincoln City win on the night at home to Tottenham Hotspur but lose out on aggregate. There is no such joy for Bury, who lose 10–0 to West Ham at Upton Park (12–1 on aggregate) with teenage striker Tony Cottee scoring four goals. 30 October 1983: Manchester United maintain their lead of the First Division with a 3–0 home win over Wolves, who are still winless after 11 games. Leicester City record their first league win of the season with a 2–0 home win over Everton. Tony Woodcock scores five goals in Arsenal's 6–2 away win over Aston Villa. Ian Rush scores five in Liverpool's 6–0 home win over Luton Town. QPR go third with a 3–0 away win over Norwich City. The Abbey Stadium is the scene of a goal glut in the Second Division as Brighton beat
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
4–3. Chelsea boost their promotion hopes and deal a blow to the visiting side's by defeating Charlton Athletic 3–2 at Stamford Bridge. Peter Beardsley scores a hat-trick in Newcastle's 5–0 home win over Manchester City. 31 October 1983: October draws to a close with Manchester United top of the First Division. Liverpool continue their push for a third successive league title as they stand second, while newly promoted Queens Park Rangers occupy third place, level on points with West Ham United, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. Wolverhampton Wanderers, still without a win after 11 games, remain bottom of the table. Leicester City and Notts County complete the bottom three. Sheffield Wednesday are still top of the Second Division, joined in the top three by Newcastle United and Manchester City. Chelsea, Huddersfield Town and
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 ...
are pushing them hard for promotion. 1 November 1983:
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
sign 20-year-old striker Mo Johnston from Partick Thistle for £200,000. 2 November 1983: Liverpool progress to the quarter-finals of the European Cup at the expense of Spanish champions Atletico Bilbao. Manchester United reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup with a 4–1 aggregate win over
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n side Spartak Varna. Tottenham eliminate Dutch side
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
6–2 on aggregate in the second round of the UEFA Cup.
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
eliminate Levski Sofia from the competition and Nottingham Forest oust
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
, but Aston Villa are edged out 4–3 on aggregate by Spartak Moscow. 5 November 1983 – Wolves are bottom of the First Division and still winless after 12 games following a 5–0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. Peter Withe scores twice as Aston Villa inflict a 2–1 defeat on Manchester United at Old Trafford, meaning that Liverpool can return to the top of the table if they win their game tomorrow. Arsenal's erratic form continues as they lose 2–1 at home to Sunderland. There is no shortage of action in the race to reach the First Division. Second Division leaders Sheffield Wednesday maintain a four-point lead at the top of the table by beating
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
rivals
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 ...
2–0 at Hillsborough. Newcastle United win 3–2 at home to Fulham. Manchester City remain in the top three by beating Shrewsbury Town 3–1 at Gay Meadow. Chelsea's promotion push takes a dent when they are held to a 1–1 draw by struggling
Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
at Boundary Park, but they are just three points outside the top three with a game in hand. 6 November 1983 – Liverpool go top of the First Division with a 3–0 win over Everton in the
Merseyside derby The Merseyside derby is an association football match between Everton F.C., Everton and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, two clubs based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is the longest running top-flight local derby, derby in England, with its fi ...
at Anfield. 10 November 1983 – Everton sign striker Andy Gray from Wolves for £250,000. 12 November 1983 – Liverpool remain top of the First Division despite being held to a 2–2 draw at Tottenham. West Ham keep up the pressure with a 3–0 away win over Wolves, who are still winless after 13 games. Manchester United miss the chance to return to the top of the table when they are held to a 1–1 draw at Leicester. Southampton climb from eighth to fourth with a 1–0 home win over West Bromwich Albion. Arsenal suffer another setback when they lose 1–0 at Ipswich. Brighton's hopes of an instant return to the First Division appear to be fading fast after a 4–0 defeat to Manchester City 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 ...
leaves them 16th in the Second Division. Chelsea close the gap between themselves and the top three with a 4–0 home win over Newcastle United. 16 November 1983: England fail to qualify for the European Championships despite a 4–0 away win over
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
in their final qualifying game, as Denmark win 2–0 in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
to top the group. 19 November 1983: The first round of 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 ...
sees non-league sides Whitby Town and Telford United both overcome
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
opposition. In the First Division, Everton manager Howard Kendall is under mounting pressure after a 2–1 defeat at Arsenal leaves his side 17th in the table. Tottenham continue their surge up the table with a 4–2 win over Luton Town at
Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road, known affectionately as The Kenny, is a association football, football stadium in the area of Bury Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The sta ...
. Liverpool remain top with a 1–0 home win over Stoke City. West Ham are still just a point behind the leaders with a 1–0 win over Sunderland at Roker Park. Frank Stapleton scores a hat-trick in Manchester United's 4–1 home win over Watford, which boosts their goal difference and keeps them level with West Ham and a single point behind Liverpool. Wolves are still winless 14 games into the season and claim their fourth point with a goalless draw at home to fifth-placed Coventry City. A 4–1 home win for Arsenal against Leicester takes some of the pressure off under-fire manager Terry Neill. In the Second Division, Newcastle drop out of the top three with a 4–2 defeat at leaders Sheffield Wednesday, allowing Chelsea to climb into the promotion places despite being held to a 2–2 draw at home by their London rivals Crystal Palace. Manchester City remain in the top three despite losing 2–0 to Carlisle United at Brunton Park. 21 November 1983: Worcester City become the third non-league team this season to knock Football League opposition out of the FA Cup when they beat
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
2–1. 22 November 1983: FA Cup first round replays fail to produce any giant-killing feats but a non-league clash between London rivals Enfield and Wealdstone ends in a 2–2 draw and forces a second replay. There are also replays for four League Cup fourth round ties. Two of these matches go to a second replay – including Liverpool's clash with Fulham at Anfield, which ends in a 1–1 draw. The only league action of the day sees Chelsea go second in the table with a 3–1 win over Swansea City at the
Vetch Field The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales, and was the home ground of Swansea City A.F.C. from the club’s founding until 2005. Following its closure, the club relocated to a newly constructed stadium, originally named the Libert ...
. Swansea are now bottom of the Second Division with just one win from their first 15 games and are currently seven points adrift of safety, a mere 18 months after finishing sixth in the First Division. 23 November 1983: Watford further boost their ranks with the £150,000 signing of 19-year-old defender David Bardsley from
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 ...
. Maidstone United from the Alliance Premier League knock Third Division Exeter City out of the FA Cup in a first round replay. 26 November 1983:
Kenny Dalglish Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of Celtic's, Liv ...
scores his 100th competitive goal for Liverpool in a 1-1 league draw against Ipswich Town. Elsewhere, QPR fail to hold on to their lead at fellow Londoners Spurs, who win 3–2 thanks to Mark Falco's double and Steve Archibald's 15th of the season. Notts County boost their bid to keep clear of the relegation zone with a 5–2 win over Aston Villa. Leicester City are just two points adrift of safety after a 3–0 home win over Arsenal. Watford, runners-up in the league last season, are still in the bottom three after a 2–1 home defeat to local rivals Luton Town, who shoot up from 10th to fifth in the table. Wolves finally win a league game at the 15th attempt when they overcome local rivals West Bromwich Albion 3–1 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. ...
. The highest-scoring game of the day sees
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 ...
boost their hopes of a quick return to the Second Division when they beat bottom-of-the-table Port Vale 7–0 at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
. 27 November 1983: Liverpool remain top of the First Division after their nearest rivals West Ham United and Manchester United draw 1–1 at Upton Park. A decisive result for either side would have seen the winner of the game going top of the league. 29 November 1983: Liverpool finally beat Fulham at the third attempt by triumphing 1–0 in front of nearly 21,000 fans at
Craven Cottage Craven Cottage is a football stadium in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 29,589; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game agains ...
in their League Cup third round second replay. The fourth round tie between Arsenal and
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
at Highbury produces a shock result when the Third Division visitors win 2–1. The surprise result has echoes of Walsall's shock win over Arsenal back in January 1933, when they beat the Gunners 2–0 at Fellows Park. 30 November 1983: Liverpool's bid for a third successive league title is now looking stronger, as they finish November as First Division leaders with a one-point lead over West Ham United and Manchester United. Tottenham Hotspur occupy fourth place, while
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 ...
are fifth. Wolverhampton Wanderers, with just one win, are still bottom of the table, with Watford (the previous season's runners-up) and Stoke City completing the bottom three. Sheffield Wednesday are still top of the Second Division, while Newcastle United remain in the top three, with Chelsea overtaking Manchester City to move into third. In the League Cup, Oxford United hold Manchester United to a 1–1 draw at the Manor Ground in a fourth round tie. United give a first team debut to 20-year-old Welsh striker
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
. Norwich City beat their
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
n rivals Ipswich Town 1–0 at
Portman Road Portman Road is a association football, football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C., Ipswich Town since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one E ...
. There is another local derby in the competition 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. ...
, where Aston Villa beat West Bromwich Albion 2–1. In the only league action of the day, Leicester City climb out of the bottom three with a 2–1 home win over Southampton. 1 December 1983: Newcastle United further boost their promotion bid with the £150,000 acquisition of QPR defender Glenn Roeder, while Terry Neill makes a last-ditch attempt to reverse
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 ...
's dismal league form by signing 21-year-old Manchester City defender Tommy Caton for £500,000. 3 December 1983: The pressure mounts further on Arsenal manager Terry Neill after a 1–0 defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion leaves his side 15th in the First Division. Leaders Liverpool are now four points ahead at the top of the table after a 1–0 win over Birmingham City, as Manchester United lose 1–0 at home to Everton and West Ham United are beaten 1–0 by Aston Villa at
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. Coventry City keep up the pressure on the leading pack with a 4–2 away win over Luton Town. Watford climb out of the bottom three with a 5–0 away win over Wolves. 4 December 1983: Nottingham Forest beat their East Midlands rivals Leicester City 3–2 in a First Division clash at the City Ground, lifting the hosts up from 11th place to sixth. 6 December 1983: Everton boost their chances of ending their 14-year wait for a major trophy by beating West Ham United 2–0 in a League Cup fourth round replay at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
. In the Second Division, Chelsea boost their promotion push and increase Swansea's relegation worries with a 6–1 win at Stamford Bridge. 7 December 1983: Watford's UEFA Cup quest ends in a 7-2 aggregate defeat to Sparta Prague in the third round. Nottingham Forest progress to the quarter-finals with a 2–1 win over
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
at
Parkhead Parkhead () is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet (place), hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necro ...
, after the first leg at the City Ground ended in a goalless draw. On the domestic scene, Oxford United take Manchester United to a second replay in the League Cup third round after a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford. 10 December 1983: Coventry City achieve one of the most surprising results of the season by defeating league champions Liverpool 4–0 at Highfield Road. Striker Terry Gibson scores a hat-trick. The defeat cuts Liverpool's lead at the top of the First Division to a single point following victories for both West Ham United and Manchester United. Coventry are now fourth and just three points off the top of the table. QPR climb from ninth to fifth with a 2–1 away win over West Bromwich Albion. Notts County stay clear of the relegation zone after another rout, this time beating Sunderland 6–1 at
Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...
. Luton Town remain in touch with the leading pack by winning 4–2 at Stoke City. Wolves are now nine points adrift of safety after losing 6–1 to Leicester City at Filbert Street. Arsenal are just five points clear of the relegation zone after losing 3–1 at West Ham. In the Second Division, Newcastle United beat Huddersfield Town 5–2 on
Tyneside Tyneside is a List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne in Northern England. The population of Tyneside as published in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 774,891 ...
to return to the top three at the expense of Manchester City, who lose 2–1 at home to leaders Sheffield Wednesday. 14 December 1983: Telford United beat Football League opposition in the FA Cup for the second time this season, beating Northampton Town 3–2 at home. 16 December 1983: Terry Neill is sacked after more than seven years as manager of Arsenal, who occupy 16th place in the First Division. Manchester United go top of the league with a 4–2 home win over Tottenham. 17 December 1983: Liverpool return to the top of the First Division with a 5–0 home win over Notts County. Aston Villa keep up the pressure on the leading pack with a 4–0 home win over Ipswich Town. Caretaker manager Don Howe begins his spell in charge of Arsenal with a 3–1 home win over Watford. Coventry City miss the chance to close the gap on the leaders with a goalless draw at Norwich. QPR go fourth with a 2–0 home win over Everton. 18 December 1983: Luton Town are sixth in the First Division and just five points behind the leaders after beating West Bromwich Albion 2–0 at
Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road, known affectionately as The Kenny, is a association football, football stadium in the area of Bury Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The sta ...
. 19 December 1983: Arsenal sell misfit striker Lee Chapman 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 ...
for £200,000. Manchester United bow out of the League Cup after losing their second third round replay 2–1 to Oxford United at the Manor Ground. 20 December 1983: Liverpool's bid for a fourth successive League Cup triumph continues when they draw 1–1 with Birmingham City in the fourth round. 22 December 1983: Liverpool beat Birmingham City 3–0 in the League Cup fourth round replay at Anfield. 24 December 1983:
Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...
is the scene of the last league action before Christmas, with struggling
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
losing 4–3 at home to a
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
side pushing for a second successive promotion. 26 December 1983:
Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...
drama in the First Division sees Liverpool extend their lead to three points with a 2–1 away win over West Bromwich Albion, while Manchester United are held to a 1–1 draw at Coventry. Luton Town go third with a 3–0 away win over Notts County. Wolves are now 10 points adrift of safety and have still only won one of their first 19 games, going down 3–1 at Ipswich. Arsenal's recovery continues as they triumph 4–2 over Tottenham in the North London derby at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. 27 December 1983: Wolves gain their first home win of the season with a 3–0 victory against Everton, while Manchester United throw away a two-goal lead to draw 3–3 with struggling Notts County in a bad-tempered match featuring nine yellow cards for the East Midlanders. 28 December 1983: Nottingham Forest are five points off the top of the First Division after beating Coventry City 3–0 at the City Ground. 31 December 1983: The year draws to a close with Liverpool still top of the First Division by a three-point margin over Manchester United, having beaten Nottingham Forest 1–0 at the City Ground, while
Ron Atkinson Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939) is an English former football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Ron", he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits in the 1990s and early 2000s. Nicknamed "The Tank" during his ...
's men keep up the pressure with a 1–0 home win over Stoke City. West Ham United go third with a 4–1 home win over Tottenham at Upton Park. Wolves make it back-to-back victories and are now just five points adrift of safety after a 2–0 home win over Norwich City. Chelsea go top of the Second Division with a 1–0 home win over Brighton. 2 January 1984: Liverpool and Manchester United draw 1–1 at Anfield to keep the gap at the top three points wide. West Ham miss the chance to cut the gap between themselves and the top two after being held to a 2–2 draw at Notts County. Nottingham Forest close in on the top three with a 3–2 away win over Luton Town. Tottenham's erratic league form continues with a 3–2 home defeat to Watford. Sheffield Wednesday regain their lead of the Second Division with a 3–0 home win over Oldham Athletic. Manchester City are held to a 1–1 draw at home to Leeds United and surrender their top-three place to Newcastle United, who beat Barnsley 1–0 at home. 6 January 1984: The FA Cup third round ties begin with a 4–0 win for Liverpool at home to Newcastle United. 7 January 1984:
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
pull off one of the biggest
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 ...
upsets of all time with a 2–0 win over holders Manchester United in the third round. Arsenal, Leicester City and QPR lose to Second Division opponents (Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town respectively), while Manchester City are beaten 2–1 by Fourth Division
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 ...
. Telford make it three giant-killing ties in a row by beating
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
4–1 at Spotland. 14 January 1984: Leicester City continue their climb towards safety with a 5–2 away win over local rivals Notts County. Leaders Liverpool suffer a shock 1–0 home defeat at home to Wolves, with Steve Mardenborough scoring the only goal of the game and giving Wolves a major boost in their bid for survival, making it three wins from their last four league games. 17 January 1984: QPR beat Stoke City 6–0 at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
to put themselves fourth in the First Division and six points behind leaders Liverpool. 20 January 1984: Ian Rush scores a hat-trick in Liverpool's 3–1 away win over Aston Villa in the First Division, increasing their lead at the top to five points, although their nearest challengers Manchester United can cut the gap to two points if they win at the weekend. 21 January 1984: Manchester United cut Liverpool's lead of the First Division to two points by beating Southampton 3–2 at Old Trafford. West Ham keep up their title challenge with a 2–0 home win over West Bromwich Albion, as do Nottingham Forest with a 3–0 home win over Norwich City. 23 January 1984: Nottingham Forest are now just three points off the top of the First Division after beating Southampton 1–0 at The Dell. 24 January 1984: Everton reach the League Cup semi-finals with a 4–1 win over Oxford United in their quarter-final replay clash at Goodison Park. 25 January 1984: Liverpool reach the League Cup semi-finals with a 3–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in their quarter-final replay clash at Anfield. 28 January 1984: Stoke City boost their survival hopes by beating Arsenal 1–0 in their First Division clash at the Victoria Ground. 29 January 1984: Brighton & Hove Albion knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup for the second season running. 31 January 1984:
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
's FA Cup run ends with in a 2–0 defeat to
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 ...
in the fourth round at Ayresome Park. Everton are held to a goalless draw by Gillingham in their fourth round tie at Priestfield. 1 February 1984: Telford United's FA Cup ends in a 3–2 defeat to Derby County in their fourth round clash at the Baseball Ground. Tottenham's hopes of winning the FA Cup for a record eighth time are ended by a 2–1 defeat to Norwich City at
Carrow Road Carrow Road is a association football, football stadium in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship club Norwich City F.C., Norwich City. The stadium is east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. ...
. In the First Division, Liverpool sustain their lead of the league with a 3–0 win over Watford at Anfield. 3 February 1984: Media mogul
Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, politician and fraudster. After escaping the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, ...
, who already owns Third Division promotion challengers Oxford United, is reported to be on the verge of taking over Manchester United in a deal worth up to £10million. 4 February 1984: Leaders Liverpool are held to a goalless draw by Sunderland in the First Division at Roker Park. Manchester United fail to close the gap at the top when Norwich hold them to a goalless draw at Old Trafford, although third-placed West Ham take advantage of the top two's failure to win by beating Stoke City 3–0 at Upton Park. Nottingham Forest's title hopes are hit by a 2–2 draw at home to Tottenham. Fifth-placed QPR keep up the pressure on the leading pack by beating Arsenal 2–0 at Highbury. The top four sides in the Second Division are all in action today. Sheffield Wednesday are held to a goalless draw by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, allowing Chelsea to extend their lead at the top of the table with a 3–1 home win over Huddersfield Town. Manchester City are held to a 1–1 draw by
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 ...
at Blundell Park, allowing fourth-placed Newcastle United to draw level on points by beating
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
4–1 at Fratton Park. Grimsby are now fifth and looking like serious contenders for promotion to the First Division, in which they last played just after the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. 6 February 1984: Gillingham's hopes of ousting Everton from the FA Cup are ended when the
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
rs win the FA Cup fourth replay 3–0. 7 February 1984: Walsall hold Liverpool to a 2–2 draw in the League Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield. In the First Division, their lead of the First Division stands at four points after Manchester United are held to a 2–2 draw at Birmingham City. Third-placed West Ham United also drop points, being held to a 1–1 draw by QPR at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
. 8 February 1984: Midweek drama in the First Division sees Nottingham Forest win 5–0 away to West Bromwich Albion to go second in the league and three points behind Liverpool. Tottenham beat Sunderland 3–0 at White Hart Lane. 11 February 1984: Liverpool remain top of the First Division with a 2–1 home win over Arsenal. Nottingham Forest keep up the pressure with a 1–0 away win over QPR, as do West Ham with a 2–1 away win over Coventry City. Tottenham continue to close in on the top five with a 3–2 home win over Leicester City. Watford's revival continues as they climb up to 11th with a 5–3 away win over Notts County. 12 February 1984: Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside score twice and Frank Stapleton is also on the scoresheet as Manchester United beat Luton Town 5–0 at Kenilworth Road. The result means that United are now four points off the top of the table, and also deals a major blow to Luton's hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup just two seasons after being promoted. 14 February 1984: Liverpool reach the final of the Football League Cup for the fourth year in a row after a 4-2 aggregate victory over Third Division
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
. In the First Division, QPR remain firmly in the top five with a 2–0 home win over Norwich City. 15 February 1984: Everton beat Aston Villa 2–0 in the League Cup semi-final first leg. 17 February 1984: Southampton beat Blackburn Rovers 1–0 in the FA Cup fifth round at Ewood Park. 18 February 1984: First Division West Bromwich Albion suffer a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Third Division strugglers Plymouth Argyle, who win 1–0 in the fifth round match 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. ...
. West Ham's double hopes are ended when they lose 3–0 to Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Everton's cup adventures continue on both fronts as they beat Shrewsbury Town 3–0. Notts County beat Middlesbrough 1–0 at Meadow Lane. Sheffield Wednesday triumph 3–0 away to Oxford United. Watford beat Brighton 3–1 at Vicarage Road. In the First Division, Arsenal draw 1–1 with Aston Villa at Highbury and Stoke City win 3–2 at Coventry City. The top three of Liverpool, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest are all held to draws away from home. 21 February 1984: West Ham's title hopes are hit by a 4–2 home defeat to Watford. 22 February 1984: Despite losing 1–0 to Aston Villa in the semi-final second leg, Everton are through to the League Cup final, securing them their first cup final for seven years and the first all-Merseyside final in any of the domestic or European cup competitions. 25 February 1984: Wolves are now 13 points adrift of safety after losing 4–0 to local rivals Aston Villa in the First Division at Villa Park. Liverpool maintain a four-point lead at the top of the table, with Manchester United's 2–1 home win over Sunderland keeping up the pressure on the leaders. Nottingham Forest's title hopes take another blow they lose 1–0 at home to Arsenal. West Ham are now nine points behind the leaders after going down 1–0 at Norwich. An eight-goal thriller at Vicarage Road sees Watford and Everton draw 4-4. 28 February 1984: Birmingham City go seven points clear of the relegation zone with a 2–1 home win over local rivals West Bromwich Albion. 29 February 1984: England's first international game since their failure to qualify for the European Championship Finals ends in a 2–0 defeat to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in the
Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...
. On the club scene, Liverpool continue to top the First Division, with a four-point lead over Manchester United. Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Southampton complete the top five. Wolverhampton Wanderers remain bottom of the table, 13 points adrift of safety with 14 games to go. Notts County are 11 points adrift of safety, and Stoke City complete the bottom three, just behind West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City and Ipswich Town. Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea are level at the top of the Second Division, while Grimsby Town have crept into the top three at the expense of Manchester City. 3 March 1984: The Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ends in a 1–1 draw, allowing Manchester United to cut Liverpool's lead to two points by beating Aston Villa 3–0 at Villa Park. Nottingham Forest's title hopes are fading fast after their fall to another defeat, this time losing 1–0 at Wolves, who grab three points to boost their survival hopes. West Ham win 3–0 at Ipswich, and Southampton boost their hopes of making a late run to the title by beating Norwich City 2–1 at The Dell. 7 March 1984: European action resumes with four English clubs still in the three cups. Liverpool beat Portuguese champions SL Benfica 1–0 in the European Cup quarter-final first leg at Anfield, but Manchester United lose 2–0 to
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
in the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals. Nottingham Forest beat
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n side Sturm Graz 1–0 at the City Ground in the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg, while Tottenham gain a 2–0 advantage over another Austrian side, Austria Vienna, in their quarter-final first leg. On the First Division scene, Sunderland move closer to safety with a 1–0 home win over QPR. 10 March 1984: Watford reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 14 years with a 3–1 away win over Birmingham City in the quarter-final tie at St Andrew's. Everton's hopes of a domestic cup double are kept alive as a 2–1 away win over Notts County takes them through. One of Home Park's largest-ever crowds of more than 34,000 sees Plymouth Argyle keep their FA Cup dream alive, with a goalless draw with Derby County forcing a replay at the Baseball Ground. First Division action includes victories for leaders Liverpool and second-placed Manchester United. 11 March 1984: Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton draw 0–0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at Hillsborough in front of more than 43,000 fans. 13 March 1984: Midweek action in the First Division includes a six-goal thriller at Highfield Road, where local rivals Coventry City and Aston Villa draw 3-3. Luton Town climb three places to eighth with a 2–1 win over Ipswich Town, who are now on the brink of the relegation zone just two seasons after finishing as runners-up. Notts County keep their survival hopes alive with a 1–0 away win over Norwich City. Nottingham Forest remain in touch with the top two with a 1–0 home win over Everton. 14 March 1984: FA Cup surprise package Plymouth Argyle book a semi-final place by beating Derby County 1–0 in the quarter-final replay at the Baseball Ground, four days after the first match ended in a goalless draw at Home Park. 16 March 1984: The First Division title race takes something of a surprise turn when Southampton beat Liverpool 2–0 at The Dell, putting themselves eight points the leaders with two games in hand, and giving Manchester United the chance to go top of the table if they win this weekend. 17 March 1984: Manchester United go top of the First Division with a 4–0 home win over Arsenal. Nottingham Forest's title challenge is fading as they go down 1–0 at Aston Villa, as is West Ham's following a 4–1 defeat to Leicester City at Filbert Street. Ipswich Town drop in the relegation zone after a 1–0 defeat at Everton, with Stoke City's 2–1 home win over Birmingham City lifting them out of the bottom three. 20 March 1984: Southampton become the fourth team to reach the FA Cup semi-finals, beating Sheffield Wednesday 5–1 in a quarter-final replay at The Dell. 21 March 1984: Oxford United, heading for promotion glory under Jim Smith in the Third Division, sign high-scoring Newport County striker John Aldridge for £78,000. Liverpool go through to the European Cup semi-finals with a 5–1 aggregate win over SL Benfica. Bryan Robson is instrumental with two goals as Manchester United overturn a 2–0 deficit against Barcelona to win the second leg of their European Cup quarter-final tie 3–0 and secure their first European semi-final appearance for 15 years. Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest both go through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. 24 March 1984: Southampton's title hopes are hit by a 4–0 defeat at QPR. Wolves fall closer towards relegation with a 4–1 defeat at Arsenal. Their local rivals West Bromwich Albion move closer to survival with a 3–0 home win over Stoke City in a relegation crunch game 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. ...
. 25 March 1984: Liverpool and Everton draw 0–0 in the first all-
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
Football League Cup final. The match will be replayed at a neutral venue on 28 March. 28 March 1984: Liverpool win an unprecedented fourth successive Football League Cup by beating Everton 1–0 in the replay 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 captain Graeme Souness scoring the only goal of the game. 31 March 1984: Liverpool return to the top of the First Division with a 2–0 away win over Watford, as Manchester United lose 2–0 at West Bromwich Albion. Arsenal's revival continues as they climb up to eighth place with a 4–1 away win over Coventry City. 2 April 1984: Tottenham manager Keith Burkinshaw announces that he will resign as manager at the end of the season after nearly eight years in charge. 4 April 1984: Peter Taylor resigns as manager of Second Division strugglers Derby County, and is replaced on a caretaker basis by veteran player Roy McFarland. 7 April 1984: The gap at the top of the First Division remains at two points as Liverpool defeat West Ham 6–0 at Anfield and Manchester United beat Birmingham City 1–0 at Old Trafford. Watford's improved form is interrupted by a 6–1 defeat at Norwich. Nottingham Forest beat West Bromwich Albion 3–1 at the City Ground but are still nine points off the top of the table with eight games left to play. Wolves move closer towards relegation with a 1–0 defeat at home to Notts County, whose own survival hopes are boosted. The Second Division's top three clubs Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United are level on 69 points at the top of the table, seven points ahead of fourth-placed Manchester City, with the Owls having two games in hand over their direct rivals. 8 April 1984: Wolves sack manager Graham Hawkins after just under two years in charge. 9 April 1984: Thriving Arsenal's hopes of breaking into the top five are dented when they are held to a 0–0 draw by Everton at Goodison Park. 11 April 1984: Liverpool beat Dinamo Bucharest 1–0 in the European Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield. Manchester United draw 1–1 at home to
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
in their first semi-final clash in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Tottenham's hopes of reaching the UEFA Cup final are dented by a 2–1 defeat to Hajduk Split in
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, but Nottingham Forest go 2–0 up in the first leg of their semi-final clash at home to
Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
. 14 April 1984: Everton defeat Southampton 1–0 at Highbury in the FA Cup semi-finals to reach their first final for 16 years, while Watford reach the FA Cup final for the first time ever with a 1–0 win over giantkilling Plymouth Argyle at
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. Liverpool lose 2–0 at Stoke City in the First Division, but Manchester United fail to take advantage and go down 1–0 at Notts County, allowing Joe Fagan's men to stay on top. Nottingham Forest fail to take advantage of the top two's defeat, and are only able to manage a 2–2 draw away to an Ipswich Town side who are still in the bottom three. Down in the Second Division, Cambridge United become the first team to be relegated this season, having won just two out of 36 games, while Swansea City are now almost certain to suffer a second successive relegation. 17 April 1984: Manchester United squander another chance to go top of the First Division, being held to a goalless draw at Watford. Nottingham Forest's title bid is fading fast as they go down 2–1 at Coventry City. Southampton beat Everton 3–1 at The Dell. West Ham keep up their bid for a UEFA Cup place with a 3–1 home win over Luton Town. 18 April 1984: The gap at the top of the First Division now stands at two points after Liverpool draw a thrilling game at Filbert Street 3–3 with Leicester City. Tottenham Hotspur remain in the hunt for another top-five finish by beating Aston Villa 2–1. 21 April 1984: Liverpool beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at Anfield in the First Division but Manchester United keep up the pressure on them with a 4–1 home win over Coventry City. Nottingham Forest's title challenge is practically over despite a 5–1 home win over Birmingham City. Southampton remain in with an outside chance of winning the title by beating West Ham 2–0 at The Dell. Wolves lose 3–0 at home to Ipswich Town, a result which boosts the
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
club's survival chances but leaves the hosts needing to win all six of their remaining games to have any chance of surviving even on goal difference. 23 April 1984: Wolves go down to the Second Division just one season after winning promotion, their relegation confirmed when they lose 2–0 to Everton at Goodison Park. Their local rivals West Bromwich Albion take another step closer to survival by beating Sunderland 3–1 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. ...
. Ipswich Town climb out of the bottom three by beating
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
n rivals Norwich City 2–0 at Portman Road. In the Second Division, Manchester City's promotion hopes are left looking slim after they lose 3–2 at home to Huddersfield Town, meaning that Sheffield Wednesday only need one point from their final six games to secure their return to the First Division after 14 years away. Newcastle United's title hopes are also given a huge boost with a 5–1 home win over Carlisle United. 25 April 1984: Liverpool reach their fourth European Cup final in eight seasons with a 3–1 aggregate win over Dinamo Bucharest in the semi-finals. Manchester United's hopes of European glory are ended when they lose their Cup Winners' Cup semi-final second leg 2–1 to Juventus in
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
. Nottingham Forest suffer a spectacular 3–0 defeat to Anderlecht in their UEFA Cup semi-final second leg tie in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, after winning the first leg 2–0, ending their hopes of an all-English UEFA Cup final clash with Tottenham, who overcome Hajduk Split on away goals. Sheffield Wednesday's promotion celebrations are delayed by a 2–0 defeat to Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park. 28 April 1984: Southampton claim the biggest win of the First Division season with an 8–2 defeat of Coventry City, with Steve Moran and Danny Wallace both scoring hat-tricks, keeping the Saints in contention for the title. Liverpool are held to a 2–2 draw at home to Ipswich Town, but Manchester United miss the chance to draw level on points with the leaders after West Ham hold them to a goalless draw at Old Trafford. QPR's faint hopes of winning the title are kept alive with a 2–1 home win over Tottenham. Sheffield Wednesday's promotion is confirmed by a 1–0 home win over Crystal Palace, and are joined in the First Division next season by Chelsea, who go up in style by beating Leeds United 5–0 at home with top scorer Kerry Dixon scoring a hat-trick, although the Second Division title has yet to be decided. Newcastle United only need four points from their final three games to be sure of promotion. 1 May 1984: Notts County keep their survival hopes alive with a 4–0 home win over Wolves. 2 May 1984: Manchester City's hopes of an immediate return to the First Division are ended by a 2–0 home defeat to Chelsea. 5 May 1984: The First Division title race continues as Liverpool are held to a goalless draw at Birmingham City, while Manchester United draw 1–1 with Everton at Goodison Park. QPR keep up their title push with a 3–0 away win over Notts County, in which Clive Allen scores a hat-trick, leaving the home side needing to win their final three games to stand any chance of survival. Derby County are on the brink of going down to the Third Division a mere nine years after being First Division champions, after a 4–0 away defeat to Newcastle United, who now need just a point from their final two games to be sure of ending their six-year absence from the First Division. 7 May 1984: Liverpool are now just two points away from being league champions for the third successive season, having beaten Coventry City 5–0 at Anfield while Manchester United lose 2–1 at home to Ipswich Town. Notts County's relegation is confirmed when they fail to break the deadlock against Sunderland in a goalless draw at Roker Park. Nottingham Forest's 5–1 home win over Watford books them a second successive UEFA Cup campaign. Newcastle United secure their return to the First Division with a 2–2 draw against Huddersfield Town at Leeds Road. Oldham Athletic's 2–1 home win over Grimsby Town confirms Derby County's relegation to the Third Division 9 May 1984: Tottenham Hotspur draw 1–1 with
Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
in the first leg of the UEFA Cup Final in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. 10 May 1984: Ray Wilkins accepts an offer to join
AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
from Manchester United in a £1.5 million deal at the end of the season. 12 May 1984: Liverpool's third successive league title (and 15th overall) is confirmed when they draw 0–0 at Notts County and their last remaining rivals Manchester United are held to a 1–1 draw at Tottenham, and outsiders Southampton are held to a goalless draw at Birmingham, who are relegated after Coventry City and Stoke City both win their final games of the season. Chelsea seal the Second Division title on goal difference ahead of Sheffield Wednesday. 14 May 1984: Alan Mullery departs Crystal Palace, ostensibly "by mutual consent" though Palace players suspect the sack. Meanwhile, veteran player Archie Gemmill is one of eight released by Derby County, who will spend their centenary season in the Third Division. 16 May 1984: Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United 2–0 to leapfrog their opponents in second place in the First Division on goal difference. 17 May 1984: In the last match of the First Division season, Southampton beat Notts County 3–1 to finish in second place – the highest finish in their history – while Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and QPR complete the top five and qualify for the UEFA Cup. 19 May 1984: Everton win their first major trophy in 14 years by defeating Watford 2–0 in the
FA Cup final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...
with goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray. This gives them entry to next season's European Cup Winners' Cup. 21 May 1984: PFA Young Player of the Year Paul Walsh joins Liverpool from Luton Town for £700,000 as manager Joe Fagan lines him up as a potential long-term successor to the 33-year-old Kenny Dalglish. 23 May 1984: Tottenham Hotspur draw 1–1 with Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup final second leg at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
, and win 4–3 on penalties to lift the trophy. 25 May 1984: Everton pay Sunderland £425,000 for 22-year-old midfielder
Paul Bracewell Paul William Bracewell (born 19 July 1962) is an English former professional association football, football player and manager. Bracewell played as a midfielder. He was a member of the Everton F.C., Everton side that won the League title in 19 ...
. 30 May 1984: Liverpool lift the European Cup, beating A.S. Roma 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. They become the first English team to win three major competitions in the same season. 31 May 1984: Keith Burkinshaw is succeeded as Tottenham manager by his assistant Peter Shreeves. 10 June 1984:
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...
scores a spectacular goal for England in their 2–0 away win over
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
in a friendly. After
Luther Blissett Luther Loide Blissett (born 1 February 1958) is a former professional association football, footballer and coach (sport), manager who played for the England national football team, England national team during the 1980s. Born in Jamaica, Bliss ...
and Mark Chamberlain 18 months previously, he becomes only the third black player to score for the full England team. 12 June 1984: Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness departs for Italian club Sampdoria in a £650,000 deal. 22 June 1984: Coventry City sign 26-year-old goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic from Shrewsbury Town for £72,000. 28 June 1984: AC Milan sign Portsmouth striker Mark Hateley for £915,000.


National team

The
England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
had failed to qualify for Euro 84 but the FA kept faith in manager Bobby Robson. England also performed badly at the 1984 British Home Championship, coming joint second with
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
behind
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
but only scoring two goals in the process. However, a tour to South America during June instigated to replace the European Championship for the England team was more successful, with a notable victory over
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
in the Maracanã Stadium.


American tour

---- ----


European football

Liverpool also won the European Cup, to complete a unique treble of trophies. Keith Burkinshaw resigned after seven years as Tottenham Hotspur manager, and went out on a high after his side won the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
.


FA Cup

Everton overcame
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
2–0 at Wembley to win 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 ...
, with goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray. The biggest shock of the season came in the third round, when
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
beat holders
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 ...
2–0.


League Cup

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 ...
won their fourth successive League Cup, with a 1–0 win over neighbours Everton in a replay.


Football League


First Division

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 ...
became only the third English team to win three successive First Division titles and the first to win three major trophies in the season, as they won their fourth European Cup in eight seasons and their fourth
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 ...
in succession. But they were not without their contenders in the title race, which was not won until the beginning of May.
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, ...
enjoyed their best league season ever, finishing runners-up and reaching the semi-finals of 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 ...
(being unlikely contenders for the double until the final weeks of the season), while
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
finished third, also taking in a run to the semi-finals of the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
.
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 ...
led the league more than once during the season but their form collapsed in the run-in and they finished fourth, the brightest moment of the season coming when they overhauled a two-goal deficit in the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup to overcome a
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
side containing world superstar
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
. The top five was completed by newly promoted QPR, whose manager Terry Venables then accepted an offer to manage Barcelona. After a dismal start to the season which saw many fans calling for the dismissal of manager Howard Kendall, Everton's fortunes took a dramatic upturn following the arrival of striker Andy Gray, which saw any fears of relegation swiftly forgotten as they climbed up the table and eventually finished seventh, and then ended their 14-year trophy drought by winning the FA Cup. Everton also reached the final of the Football League Cup, but were beaten in a replay by their Merseyside neighbours. Tottenham Hotspur manager Keith Burkinshaw stepped down at the end of the campaign after eight years in charge, but went out on a high by winning the UEFA Cup.
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
climbed to a secure mid table finish after the arrival of high scoring striker Mo Johnston lifted them clear of the relegation zone, and they also reached their first ever FA Cup final, but lost to Everton.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
suffered a swift return to the Second Division with just six wins all season, and were joined in the drop zone by Notts County and local rivals
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. The team compete in the ...
. Coventry City climbed clear of the drop zone after a turnaround in the final few games which had followed a dramatic slump down the table, while
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 ...
's survival was ensured by an excellent first half of the season before a post-Christmas slump.


Second Division

A year after narrowly avoiding relegation, Chelsea thrived in the Second Division and won the title on goal difference, thanks largely to the prolific scoring of new striker Kerry Dixon.
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 ...
finished runners-up to end their 14-year exile from the First Division. The final promotion place went to Newcastle United, whose former England striker Kevin Keegan retired after achieving the objective of promotion that had been his clear target when signing for the
Tyneside Tyneside is a List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne in Northern England. The population of Tyneside as published in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 774,891 ...
rs two years earlier. Although the top three all secured promotion before the final game of the campaign, there had been no shortage of competition in the promotion race for much of the season, from the likes of
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 ...
,
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 ...
and Carlisle United. Dave Bassett agreed to take charge of Crystal Palace at the end of the season, but changed his mind three days later – without signing the contract – and returned to
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
. Palace installed former Manchester United winger Steve Coppell, 29, as their new manager.
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
's six-year stay in the Second Division ended after a terrible season where they secured just four wins. Swansea City fared little better, going down for the second season running – a mere two years after finishing sixth in the First Division – as financial problems mounted. The last relegation place went to Derby County, First Division champions just nine years previously. Derby's Peter Taylor, who almost guided the club to the semi-finals in 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 ...
that season, resigned as manager and was succeeded by Arthur Cox, who had just taken Newcastle into the First Division. Administration entrance and exit without arrangements = Swansea City


Third Division

Jim Smith, who had guided
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. The team compete in the ...
into the First Division four years earlier, made use of
Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, politician and fraudster. After escaping the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, ...
's funds to strengthen Oxford United and this policy paid off at the second attempt as he led them to the Third Division title by a wide margin. Also going up were
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
and Sheffield United, while Hull City failed to follow Wimbledon to a second successive promotion only on goals scored.
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, who enjoyed an impressive run to the
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 ...
semi-finals which included knocking out
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 ...
and costing Gunners manager Terry Neill his job after seven years, finished sixth in the league. Millwall, who had achieved a remarkable escape from relegation a year earlier under new manager George Graham, progressed to ninth place in the Third Division. Narrowly avoiding the Third Division drop zone were Plymouth Argyle, who compensated for their dismal league form by reaching 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 ...
semi finals for the first time in their history. Exeter City, Port Vale, Southend United and Scunthorpe United ended the season relegated to the Fourth Division. New owner Anton Johnson made an instrumental move to reverse Southend's decline by appointed England's World Cup winning captain
Bobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA ...
as manager.


Fourth Division

York City became the first English league team to amass 100 league points in a season, and in doing so clinched the Fourth Division title and a place in the Third Division. Leeds United legend
Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who played for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, and the Scotland national football team, Scot ...
took
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
to promotion as runners-up, while
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
climbed out of the league's basement division in third place. The final promotion place went to a Bristol City side on the comeback trail after their recent catastrophic hat-trick of relegations and near brush with closure.
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
just missed out on promotion, as did a
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 ...
side who had been under threat of closure and loss of league status a year earlier.
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
propped up the league, and had to apply for re-election along with Hartlepool United, Halifax Town and
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
. All four clubs retained their league status.


Top goalscorers

First Division * Ian Rush (Liverpool) – 32 goals Second Division * Kerry Dixon (Chelsea) – 28 goals Third Division * Keith Edwards (Sheffield United) – 33 goals Fourth Division * Trevor Senior (Reading) – 36 goals


Non-league football

The divisional champions of the major non-League competitions were:


Star players

*
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 ...
's promising young striker Paul Walsh was voted PFA Young Player of the Year, and would soon join Liverpool to team up with Ian Rush – who had been voted both
PFA Players' Player of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Men's Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is ...
and FWA Footballer of the Year. *Also hitting the headlines were
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
winger
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...
,
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 ...
midfielder Bryan Robson and Everton midfielder Peter Reid. *Retiring striker Kevin Keegan ended his playing career on a high as he helped Newcastle United gain promotion to the First Division.


Star managers

* Joe Fagan became the first manager to lead an English club to three major trophies in the same season as he ended his first season as
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 ...
manager as league champions, League Cup winners and European Cup winners. * Howard Kendall won his first major trophy as Everton manager in shape of 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 ...
. * Keith Burkinshaw resigned from
Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
at the end of the season but ended his time at the club on a high note by winning the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
. * Lawrie McMenemy guided Southampton to their highest-ever league finish – runners-up in the First Division. *
John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...
guided Chelsea to the Second Division championship with a new-look side, having helped the club narrowly avoid relegation to the Third Division a year earlier. * Howard Wilkinson brought First Division football back to
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 ...
just a few seasons after they had narrowly avoided relegation to the Fourth Division. * Arthur Cox helped Newcastle United return to the First Division before suddenly quitting and moving to fallen giants Derby County in hope of reversing their sharp decline. * Jim Smith took Oxford United to title glory in the Third Division. * Dennis Smith took York City to the Fourth Division championship. * Dave Bassett took Wimbledon into the Second Division in only their seventh season as a Football League club.


Famous debutants

29 August 1983: Mark Bowen, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Tottenham Hotspur in 1–1 draw with Coventry City at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
. 12 October 1983: Stuart Pearce, 21-year-old defender, makes his debut for Coventry City in 2–1 win over Queen's Park Rangers at Highfield Road after signing from non-league Wealdstone. 5 November 1983: Tony Adams, 17-year-old defender, makes his debut for
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 ...
in a 2–1 home defeat against Sunderland, a month after his 17th birthday. 13 January 1984: Graeme Hogg, 19-year-old defender, makes his debut for Manchester United in 1–1 draw with Queen's Park Rangers at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
. 16 May 1984: Clayton Blackmore, 19-year-old winger/defender, makes his debut for Manchester United in 2–0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.Clayton Blackmore – Manchester United FC – Football-Heroes.net
Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved on 2011-03-23.


Deaths

* 31 October 1983: George Smith, 68, played 125 league games at centre-half for Charlton Athletic,
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
, QPR and Ipswich Town between 1938 and 1950. He was capped once for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and after retirement had spells as manager of four different non-league clubs before serving in the Football League in charge of Crystal Palace and finally a nine-year spell at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
which ended in 1970. He died at
Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...
,
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. * 5 December 1983: Les Talbot, 73, played for Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City in the 1930s and finished his playing career in 1947 at
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
. He then moved to the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
where he managed seven clubs between 1949 and 1972, and stayed there until his death. * 10 February 1984: Tommy Briggs, 60, scored 256 Football League goals in a 12-year career which began in 1946 and took him from
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 ...
to Coventry City, and then to
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. The team compete in the ...
and Blackburn Rovers before he completed his playing career back at Grimsby. * 4 April 1984: Frank Mitchell, 61, who was born in Australia but spent his whole playing career in England, made 361 Football League appearances between 1946 and 1958 for Birmingham City, Chelsea and
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
. * 23 April 1984: Harry Hibbs, 77, kept goal for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
25 times between 1924 and 1939 and also played 358 times for
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. The team compete in the ...
in the Football League. He later managed
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
for seven years. * 13 June 1984: Ken Armstrong, 60, wing-half from Chelsea 1955 league title winning team, died in New Zealand, where he had coached the national side for two spells between 1958 and 1980. * 18 June 1984: Arthur Chandler, 88, was Leicester City's all-time leading goalscorer, finding the net 259 times in the league and 273 in all competitions between 1923 and 1935. He also scored a further 16 league goals for his first club QPR and six for his last club Notts County.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1983-84 in English football