1985–86 In English Football
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The 1985–86 season was the 106th 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 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 ...
.


Timeline

* 5 July 1985: Everton signed
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 ...
striker
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker ( ; born 30 November 1960) is an English Sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Lineker is the only player t ...
for £800,000. * 10 July 1985: Everton sold striker Andy Gray to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
for £150,000, six years after he first left
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 ...
to sign for
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 ...
. Gray departed from
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 ...
despite calls for manager Howard Kendall to retain him, as he helped Everton win three major trophies in his two seasons at the club. * 12 July 1985:
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
signed striker Imre Varadi from
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 ...
for £285,000. * 2 August 1985: Crystal Palace signed striker Ian Wright from Greenwich Borough. * 10 August 1985: Everton beat
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 in the
FA Charity Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier ...
at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
. * 12 August 1985: Sheffield Wednesday signed striker Garry Thompson from
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
for £450,000. * 17 August 1985: The league season began. Defending champions Everton suffered a 3–1 defeat to Leicester City on Filbert Street.
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 ...
holders Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4–0 at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
.
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
beat
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 ...
4–0 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 ...
.
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 ...
won 3–0 against
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 ...
, while
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 ...
beat Millwall 4–3 at
Leeds Road Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home ...
. The season began without any live coverage of matches on TV after talks between ITV and 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 ...
to show live matches failed. International matches were the only matches shown on live TV.Remember the 1985 TV blackout? Only the Big Yin knew who McAvennie was
Simon Hart, The Independent, 22 October 2011
When football fans did not see a single match on TV over Christmas
Steven Pye, The Guardian, 3 December 2019
* 24 August 1985:
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
achieved their first win in the First Division with a 5–0 victory over Leicester City at the Manor Ground. Watford beat West Bromwich Albion 5–1 at Vicarage Road. Manchester United were the only team in the First Division with a 100% record after three games, having beaten
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 ...
2–1 at
Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...
. Sheffield Wednesday won 3–1 against
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 ...
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 ...
. * 26 August 1985:
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 ...
beat Ipswich Town 5–0 at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
in the First Division.
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
won 2–1 against Coventry City.
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
lost 6–2 to Stoke City. * 31 August 1985: Manchester United led the league after five straight wins, with Sheffield Wednesday in second place, while Chelsea and Newcastle United filled the next two places. Everton climbed to fifth as Lineker scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in a 4–1 win over
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 ...
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,
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 ...
headed the promotion race, joined in the top three by Blackburn Rovers and
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
. * 4 September 1985: Manchester United won 3–0 against Newcastle United, Tottenham beat Chelsea 4–1 at White Hart Lane, Leicester and Watford drew 2–2 at Filbert Street, Aston Villa won 3–0 against West Bromwich Albion. * 7 September 1985: Manchester United won 3–0 against Oxford United at Old Trafford. Liverpool won 3–1 against
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 ...
. Everton lost 3–0 to
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
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 ...
. Tottenham beat Newcastle 5–1 at White Hart Lane. Down in the Second Division,
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 ...
drew 3–3 with
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 Roker Park. * 8 September 1985:
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 ...
beat Leicester City 3-0 at Filbert Street. * 10 September 1985:
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
manager
Jock Stein John Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He was the first manager of a club from a Northern European country to win the European Champio ...
, 62, died at the end of a 1–1 draw between Scotland and
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 ...
in the last game of the World Cup qualifying campaign at
Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...
. * 13 September 1985: Sheffield Wednesday signed winger Mark Chamberlain from Stoke City for £300,000. * 14 September 1985: In the
Manchester derby The Manchester derby refers to association football, football matches between Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, ...
, Manchester United won 3–0 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 ...
. Liverpool drew 2–2 with Oxford United at the Manor Ground. Arsenal won 1–0 at home against Sheffield Wednesday. * 18 September 1985:
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
won 4–3 against Crystal Palace 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. ...
. * 21 September 1985: Manchester United won 5–1 against West Bromwich Albion at
The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an All-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F.C. ...
in the First Division. Tottenham's beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-1, and move up to fifth place. Liverpool won 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 ...
3–2 at Goodison Park. * 28 September 1985: Charlton Athletic left The Valley after an inspection report by safety officials, and began a groundshare with Crystal Palace. Manchester United won their tenth game against
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, ...
at Old Trafford. Liverpool beat Tottenham 4–1 at Anfield. Chelsea lost 3–1 at Watford. * 29 September 1985: West Bromwich Albion sacked
Johnny Giles Michael John Giles (born 6 November 1940) is an Irish former association football player and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from management in 1985, Giles served as ...
as manager and replaced him with
Nobby Stiles Norbert Peter Stiles (18 May 194230 October 2020) was an English professional footballer. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. I ...
. * 1 October 1985: Ipswich Town, UEFA Cup winners in 1981 and league runners-up as recently as 1982, lost 1–0 against
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 ...
. * 2 October 1985: Leicester and Oxford drew 4–4 in the First Division at Filbert Street. * 5 October 1985: Manchester United drew 1–1 against Luton Town, one game short of the record 11-match winning start set by Tottenham in 1960. Liverpool lost 2–1 to Queens Park Rangers. Chelsea won 1–0 against Manchester City at Maine Road. West Bromwich Albion drew 1–1 with Tottenham. In the Second Division
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 ...
beat Carlisle United 6–1 at the Goldstone Ground. * 6 October 1985: Coventry City beat Leicester City 3–0 in the First Division at Highfield Road. * 8 October 1985: Aston Villa beat Exeter City 8–1 at Villa Park. Liverpool won 5–2 against
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
in their second leg visit to
Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...
, making it 8–2 over the two legs. * 11 October 1985: Leeds United sacked manager Eddie Gray and replaced him with former club captain
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 ...
, who was recruited from Third Division side
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 ...
. * 12 October 1985:
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 ...
set a football league record of winning their first 12 league games of the season, beating Newport County 2–0 at Somerton Park in the Third Division. Sheffield Wednesday drew 2–2 with Coventry City, and Everton lost 2–1 to Chelsea. West Bromwich Albion drew 2–2 with Leicester. * 17 October 1985:
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, ...
signed midfielder Glenn Cockerill from Sheffield United for £225,000. * 19 October 1985: Reading won 1–0 against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank. In the First Division, Manchester United and Liverpool drew 1–1 at Old Trafford. Chelsea lost 2–1 to Oxford. Sheffield Wednesday beat Leicester City 3–2 at Filbert Street. Luton Town won 7–0 against Southampton 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 ...
.
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 ...
won 4–1 at home against Aston Villa. West Bromwich Albion won 2–1 against Birmingham City at The Hawthorns. Charlton beat Brighton 5–3. * 20 October 1985: Tottenham were in seventh place in the First Division after winning 3–2 against Coventry City. * 22 October 1985: In the Second Division, Sunderland beat Middlesbrough 1–0 at Roker Park. * 23 October 1985: Reading drew 2–2 at home with Wolverhampton Wanderers. * 26 October 1985: Manchester United won 2–1 against Chelsea, and Liverpool beat Luton Town 3–2 at Anfield. Sheffield Wednesday won 1–0 against West Bromwich Albion. Everton drew 1–1 with Manchester City at Maine Road. Tottenham lost 3–1 to Leicester City. Portsmouth won 4–0 against Millwall. Sheffield United won 4–1 against Bradford City. Oldham Athletic climbed up three places to second after winning 4–0 at home against Brighton. Norwich won 2–0 against Sunderland. * 2 November 1985: Manchester United beat Coventry City 2–0 at Old Trafford, and Liverpool beat Leicester City 1–0 at Anfield. Everton lost 2–1 to West Ham. Charlton Athletic won 4–1 against Shrewsbury Town. Grimsby Town beat Millwall 5–1 at Blundell Park. Sheffield United beat Hull City 3–1 at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...
. * 3 November 1985: West Bromwich Albion lost 2–1 to Nottingham Forest at the
City Ground The City Ground is a association football, football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest F.C., Nottingham Forest since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,455. ...
. * 9 November 1985: Manchester United lost 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Liverpool won 3–0 against Coventry City. Lineker scored his second league hat-trick of the season as Everton beat Arsenal 6–1 at Goodison Park. West Ham won 2–1 against Oxford. Chelsea won 4–2 against Nottingham Forest. Tottenham lost 3–1 to Luton Town, and Sheffield United won 5–1 against Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park. Hull City won 5–0 against Fulham at Boothferry Park. Carlisle United won 3–0 against Stoke City. * 13 November 1985: England completed their successful World Cup qualifying campaign by drawing with
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 ...
at Wembley. * 16 November 1985: Liverpool won 4–1 against West Bromwich Albion, while Manchester United drew with Tottenham. Everton beat Ipswich Town 4-3 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 ...
. Manchester City won 2–0 against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. In the Second Division, Brighton won 4–3 against Huddersfield, Middlesbrough won 3–2 against Oldham at
Ayresome Park Ayresome Park was a football stadium in the Ayresome area of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Middlesbrough F.C. from its construction in time for the 1903–04 season, until the Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. It ...
, and Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers drew 3–3 at Bramall Lane. * 23 November 1985: Manchester United lost 3–0 to Leicester City at Filbert Street. Liverpool won 2–0 against Birmingham City. Ipswich Town lost to Oxford United 4–3 after leading 3-0. Oldham lost 4–2 to Stoke. * 26 November 1985: Ipswich Town beat Fourth Division pace-setters
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
6–1 at Portman Road in the Milk Cup, Chelsea drew 2–2 with Everton at Stamford Bridge and Liverpool beat Manchester United 2–1 at Anfield. Portsmouth had a replay against Tottenham after a goalless draw at
Fratton Park Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
, Arsenal beat Southampton 3–1, and Aston Villa won 2–1 against West Bromwich Albion. * 29 November 1985: Manchester United signed Aston Villa midfielder Colin Gibson for £275,000. * 30 November 1985: West Ham beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0, Ipswich Town won 2–1 against Sheffield Wednesday, and Everton beat Southampton 3–2 at the Dell. * 1 December 1985: Nottingham Forest drew with Oxford United at the City Ground in the First Division. * 7 December 1985: Manchester United beat Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, while
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 ...
's Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3–0 at Anfield. Everton won 3–0 against West Bromwich Albion. * 14 December 1985: Manchester United won 3–1 against Aston Villa. Liverpool lost 2–0 against Arsenal, for whom 19-year-old Irish striker
Niall Quinn Niall John Quinn (honorary Order of the British Empire, MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit. As a player, he was a Striker (association f ...
scored on his debut. West Ham United won 2–0 over Birmingham City. Everton lost 2–1 to Leicester City at Goodison Park. West Bromwich Albion drew 2–2 with Oxford at the Manor Ground. In the Second Division, Norwich City won 3–1 against Oldham. * 19 December 1985 – The Football League confirms that the First Division will decrease to 21 clubs for the 1987–88 season, while the Second Division will expand to 23 clubs, and that in 1988–89 the First Division will have 20 clubs and the Second Division will have 23 clubs in 1987-88 and 24 clubs in 1988-89. * 20 December 1985: The league accepted a £1.3 million offer to show nine First Division and League Cup games this season. The first match shown was the FA Cup third-round match between Charlton Athletic and West Ham on 5 January. * 21 December 1985: Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1–0 at Old Trafford in the First Division, while Liverpool and Newcastle United drew 1–1. West Ham drew 0–0 with Luton Town. Chelsea won 2–1 against Birmingham City. Norwich City won against Millwall 6–1 at Carrow Road. Wimbledon, who were only elected to the Football League in 1977 and were still in the Fourth Division three seasons ago, won 5–0 against Sheffield United. Middlesbrough beat Fulham 3–0 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 ...
. * 22 December 1985: West Bromwich Albion won 3–1 against Watford. In the Second Division, Portsmouth won 1–0 against Carlisle United, and Derby and Blackpool won their matches in the Third Division. In the Fourth Division, Halifax scored three goals within 37 minutes against Scunthorpe United, and Iron forward John Hawley accomplished a hat-trick and won his team a point. * 26 December 1985: In the First Division, Everton beat Manchester United 3–1 at Goodison Park. Liverpool lost 1–0 to Manchester City at Maine Road, and West Ham lost 1–0 to Tottenham. * 28 December 1985: Everton won 3–1 against Sheffield Wednesday. Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion drew 1–1 at Villa Park. Chelsea won 2–0 against Tottenham. Liverpool drew 1–1 with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Millwall won 5–0 against Hull City. Brighton won 3–2 against Leeds at
Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
. Portsmouth won 4–0 against Shrewsbury Town. * 1 January 1986: Manchester United beat Birmingham City 1–0 at Old Trafford. Everton drew 2–2 with Newcastle United 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 ...
. Liverpool drew 2–2 with Sheffield Wednesday. Nottingham Forest beat Coventry City 5–2 at the City Ground. Hull City won 4–1 against
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 ...
at Oakwell. Norwich City and Portsmouth won their matches. Brighton won 2–0 against Crystal Palace. * 2 January 1986:
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 ...
were reported to be £1 million in debt. Peterborough United fan Barry Fox, 22, was jailed for three years for punching a policeman unconscious in the game against
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
at London Road on 12 October. * 4 January 1986: In the FA Cup's third round, Leicester City lost 3–1 to Third Division Bristol Rovers. Liverpool won 5–0 against Norwich City. Arsenal beat Grimsby Town 4–3 at Blundell Park. Ipswich Town and Bradford drew 4–4 at Portman Road. * 5 January 1986: West Ham won 1–0 against Charlton Athletic at
Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...
. Everton won 1–0 against Exeter City. The FA Cup ties were the first televised domestic matches of the season. * 9 January 1986: Manchester United won 2–0 against Rochdale. * 11 January 1986: Manchester United beat Oxford United 3–1 at the Manor Ground. Everton won 4–3 against Queens Park Rangers. Chelsea won 1–0 over Luton Town. Ipswich Town won 1–0 against Birmingham City. West Bromwich Albion drew 1–1 with Newcastle United. Norwich City won 2–0 against Middlesbrough. Sunderland won 4–2 against Leeds United. * 12 January 1986: Liverpool won 3–2 win against Watford at Vicarage Road. * 14 January 1986: Birmingham City were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 2–1 to
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
. * 16 January 1986: Ron Saunders resigned as manager of Birmingham City. * 18 January 1986: Manchester United lost 3–2 to Nottingham Forest. Lineker scored twice for Everton in their 2–0 win over Birmingham City. * 22 January 1986: Former Manchester City manager John Bond was appointed as the new manager of Birmingham City. * 25 January 1986: In the FA Cup's fourth round, Arsenal won 5–1 at home against Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday won 5–0 over
Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...
, and Manchester United drew 0–0 with Sunderland at Roker Park, in which captain
Bryan Robson Bryan Robson (born 11 January 1957) is an English association football, football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club ca ...
was substituted due to a shoulder injury. * 26 January 1986: Liverpool won 2–1 against Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round. * 29 January 1986: Manchester United signed striker Terry Gibson from Coventry City for £600,000. In the FA Cup fourth round replays, Tottenham beat
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
5–0, Manchester United beat Sunderland 3–0, and Millwall beat Aston Villa 1–0. * 1 February 1986: Everton won 1–0 at home against Tottenham. Liverpool lost 2–1 to Ipswich. Stiles resigned after four months as West Bromwich Albion's manager. * 2 February 1986: Manchester United lost 2–1 to West Ham. * 4 February 1986: Everton signed striker Warren Aspinall from Wigan Athletic for £150,000. * 8 February 1986: Chelsea lost 4–1 to Oxford United. * 9 February 1986: Everton remained at the top of the First Division on goal difference after Liverpool and Manchester United drew 1–1 at Anfield. * 11 February 1986: Everton won 4–0 at home against Manchester City. * 12 February 1986: The League Cup semi-finals were played. Aston Villa drew 2–2 with Oxford United, and Liverpool lost 1–0 to Queens Park Rangers. * 14 February 1986: One month after leaving Birmingham City, Ron Saunders was named as the new manager of West Bromwich Albion. * 15 February 1986: Liverpool drew 1–1 with York City at
Bootham Crescent Bootham Crescent in York, England, was the home of York City F.C., York City Football Club and York City Knights, York City Knights rugby league club. With a capacity of 8,256, it was near the city centre, just over a mile from York railway sta ...
in the fifth round of the FA Cup. * 16 February 1986: Coventry City and Birmingham City drew 4-4 at Highfield Road. * 18 February 1986: York City lost the fifth round replay 3–1 to Liverpool at Anfield. * 22 February 1986: Manchester United won 3–0 against West Bromwich Albion as
Jesper Olsen Jesper Olsen (born 20 March 1961) is a Danish former professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, left winger. He is best remembered for representing AFC Ajax, Ajax of the Netherlands and Manchester United F.C ...
scored a hat-trick. * 1 March 1986: Everton beat Aston Villa 2–0 at home. Manchester United lost 1–0 to Southampton. * 2 March 1986: Liverpool beat Tottenham 2–1 at White Hart Lane in the league. * 4 March 1986: Everton won 2–1 against Tottenham in the fifth round of the FA Cup. * 5 March 1986: In the FA Cup fifth round, Watford drew 1–1 with Bury at Vicarage Road, while Manchester United drew 1–1 with West Ham at Upton Park. Southampton won 1–0 against Millwall in a replay, while Sheffield Wednesday beat Derby County at Hillsborough, and Luton Town beat Arsenal 3–0 in a second replay. Liverpool drew 2–2 with Queens Park Rangers at Anfield. * 8 March 1986: Watford beat Bury 3–0 at Gigg Lane. In the first two quarter-final ties, Everton drew 2–2 with Luton Town and forced a replay, while Southampton won 2–0 against Brighton. Aston Villa remained in the relegation zone after losing 4–1 to Arsenal, Chelsea won 1–0 against Manchester City, Ipswich Town won 1–0 at home against Nottingham Forest, Liverpool beat Queen Park Rangers 4–1 at Anfield, and West Bromwich Albion lost 5–0 to Tottenham. * 9 March 1986: Manchester United lost 2–0 to West Ham in the FA Cup fifth round replays. * 11 March 1986: Liverpool drew with Watford 0–0 in the FA Cup quarter-final. Arsenal won 2–1 against Ipswich Town. Southampton beat Queens Park Rangers 2–0 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 ...
. * 12 March 1986: Oxford United reached the League Cup final for the first time after beating Aston Villa 4–3 on aggregate. Manchester United signed striker Peter Davenport from Nottingham Forest for £750,000. The England U21 team defeated
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 ...
1–0 in the European Championship quarter-final in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, with the only goal of the game coming from Coventry City midfielder Nick Pickering.England – U-21 International Results 1986–1995 – Details
. Rsssf.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-23.
In the FA Cup, West Ham lost 2–1 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Everton beat Luton Town 1–0 in the quarter-final replay at Goodison Park. Birmingham City lost 4–2 to Leicester City at Filbert Street. Norwich City won 4–1 against Huddersfield Town. * 14 March 1986: Portsmouth signed Oldham Athletic striker Micky Quinn, who had scored 34 goals since he joined the Latics in January 1984, for £150,000. * 15 March 1986: Liverpool won against Southampton 2–1 at the Dell. Norwich beat Carlisle United 2–1 at Carrow Road. * 16 March 1986: Everton drew 1–1 with Chelsea. * 17 March 1986: Liverpool won their FA Cup quarter-final replay against Watford 2–1 at Vicarage Road. * 21 March 1986: Manchester United announced 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 ...
was to join
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 ...
, managed by former Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace boss Terry Venables, for a fee of £2 million at the end of the season. * 22 March 1986:
Don Howe Donald Howe (12 October 1935 – 23 December 2015) was an English football player, coach, manager and pundit. As a right back Howe featured for clubs West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal together with the England national football team in his pla ...
resigns as Arsenal's manager after reports that Venables was offered his job. His final game in charge was Arsenal's 3–0 victory over Coventry. Coach Steve Burtenshaw remained in temporary charge at Highbury. Manchester United drew 2–2 in the
Manchester derby The Manchester derby refers to association football, football matches between Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, ...
. Liverpool beat Oxford United 6–0 at Anfield. Birmingham City won 3–0 against Aston Villa. Norwich City won 5–2 against Sheffield United. * 23 March 1986: The first final of the Full Members Cup was played at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, with Chelsea defeating
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 ...
5–4 with a hat-trick from David Speedie and two goals from
Colin Lee Colin Lee (born 12 June 1956) is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently head of football at South Dartmoor Community College in Ashburton, Devon along with Chris Beard. Playing career Lee began his football career w ...
. * 25 March 1986: Steve Perryman, 34, left Tottenham after 17 years and signed for Oxford United on a free transfer. * 26 March 1986: In the return leg of the under-21 European Championship quarter-final, England drew 1–1 with Denmark 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 ...
. Everton goalkeeper
Neville Southall Neville Southall (born 16 September 1958) is a Welsh Manager (association football), football manager and former international association football, footballer. He has been described as one of the best Goalkeeper (association football), goalk ...
was ruled out after an ankle injury suffered on international duty for Wales. * 27 March 1986: On transfer deadline day, Wimbledon paid £125,000 for Millwall striker John Fashanu. After Southall's injury, Everton signed veteran goalkeeper Pat Jennings on a short-term contract. * 29 March 1986: Everton maintained their lead of the First Division with a 1–0 win over Newcastle United. Liverpool drew 0–0 with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Manchester United drew 1–1 with Birmingham, while West Ham won against Chelsea 4–0 at Stamford Bridge. West Bromwich Albion won 1–0 against Southampton at The Hawthorns. * 31 March 1986: Liverpool won 2–0 against Manchester City, and Everton drew 0–0 with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Chelsea lost 6–0 to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. West Ham beat Tottenham 2–1 at Upton Park. * 1 April 1986: West Bromwich Albion lost 3–0 to Luton Town. Arsenal lost 3–0 to Watford. * 5 April 1986: Liverpool beat Southampton 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-final 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 ...
. Everton won 2–1 against Sheffield Wednesday in the other semi-final at Villa Park. Manchester United won 3–1 against Coventry City. Arsenal won 1–0 against Manchester City, while Chelsea drew 1–1 with Ipswich Town. Fulham lost 4–2 away to Sunderland. Norwich won 3–0 home against Brighton. * 6 April 1986: Birmingham City lost 2–0 to Luton Town. * 8 April 1986: West Ham won 1–0 home against Southampton. * 9 April 1986: England's under-21 team lost 2–0 to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
in the semi-final first leg. Manchester United lost 2–1 to Chelsea. Aston Villa drew 2–2 with Newcastle United on Tyneside after Oxford won against Watford. Birmingham City lost 4–1 to Newcastle. Liverpool won 5–0 against Coventry City, while Everton won 1–0 against Arsenal. West Ham beat Oxford United 3–1 at Upton Park, and Aston Villa won 4–1 against Watford. Chelsea drew 0–0 with Nottingham Forest. Norwich City won 2–0 against Bradford City. Wimbldeon won 3–0 against Sunderland at Plough Lane. * 12 April 1986: West Bromwich Albion were relegated from the First Division after losing 1–0 to Queens Park Rangers. * 13 April 1986: Manchester United lost 2–0 to Sheffield Wednesday. * 14 April 1986: Tottenham agreed a £50,000 fee with Millwall for 18-year-old defender
Neil Ruddock Neil "Razor" Ruddock (born 9 May 1968) is an English former professional footballer and television personality who is a club director at Enfield. As a player he was a central defender from 1986 to 2003, and was voted the 17th "hardest footbal ...
. Queens Park Rangers beat Leicester City 4–1 in the First Division at Filbert Street. * 15 April 1986: Everton won 2–0 win against Watford. Chelsea won 2–1 against West Ham. * 16 April 1986: Liverpool beat Luton Town 1–0 at Kenilworth Road, and Aston Villa beat Ipswich Town 1–0. Manchester United won 4–2 against Newcastle United. Birmingham City lost 2–0 to Tottenham. * 19 April 1986: Birmingham City lost 2–0 at home to Southampton and were relegated from the First Division. Manchester United tied 0–0 with Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Everton beat Ipswich Town 1–0, and Liverpool won 2–1 against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Norwich City drew 1–1 with Stoke City. * 20 April 1986: Oxford United beat Queens Park Rangers 3–0 in the Milk Cup final at Wembley. * 21 April 1986: West Ham United beat Newcastle United 8–1 in the league at Upton Park, with defender Alvin Martin scoring a hat-trick. * 23 April 1986: England's under-21 drew 1–1 with Italy at the County Ground in
Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...
, with Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson scoring their only goal. * 26 April 1986: Wolverhampton Wanderers became the third West Midlands club to be relegated, and the second English league club to be relegated three consecutive times, after their descent into the Fourth Division is confirmed. Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie scores a hat-trick in a 5–0 league win over Birmingham City at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
, while Everton drew 0–0 with Nottingham Forest. West Ham won 1–0 at home against Coventry City, while Manchester United beat Leicester City 4–0 at Old Trafford. Chelsea lost 3–1 to Aston Villa. Ipswich Town climbed three places above the relegation zone with a 3–2 win over Oxford United. Fulham were relegated from the Second Division despite a 2–1 home win against Huddersfield Town, while Middlesbrough beat Millwall 3–0 to climb out of the bottom three, while Sunderland lost 3–1 to Brighton. * 28 April 1986: Ray Stewart converted a penalty, which gave West Ham a 1–0 win against Manchester City. * 29 April 1986: Charlton Athletic won 2–0 against Fulham. Carlisle won 2–0 against Brighton at Brunton Park. Sunderland won 2–0 against Shrewsbury Town. * 30 April 1986: Everton lost 1–0 to Oxford, Liverpool won 2–0 against Leicester, and West Ham won 2–1 against Ipswich Town. * 1 May 1986: Chelsea agreed a £400,000 fee for Hibernian striker Gordon Durie. * 3 May 1986: Player-manager Kenny Dalglish scored the only goal as Liverpool beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to win the First Division title. Everton won against Southampton 6–1. Ipswich Town lost their last match 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday. Coventry City and Leicester City secured survival with home wins. Charlton Athletic sealed their promotion from the Second Division with a 3–2 win against relegation-threatened Carlisle United. Wimbledon reached the First Division by winning 1–0 against Huddersfield. * 5 May 1986: The First Division ended with four matches and 21 goals. Oxford United beat Arsenal 3–0, Chelsea finished sixth after losing 5–1 to Watford, Everton finished in second place after winning 3–1 against West Ham at Goodison Park, and Tottenham won 5–3 against Southampton. The Second Division ended with Blackburn winning 3–1 against Grimsby Town at
Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a Association football, football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the English Football League, Football League and Premier League, who have played there since ...
, while Carlisle lost 2–1 to Oldham at
Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...
. Reading won the Third Division after a 2–0 win over Doncaster Rovers, and were promoted to the Second Division. Lincoln City was relegated after they lost 3–2 to Wolves. Fourth Division champions Swindon Town finished the season with a Football League record of 102 points. * 6 May 1986: Everton manager Howard Kendall dismissed speculation that Lineker would sign for Barcelona. * 7 May 1986: After the Fourth Division ended, Rochdale drew 1–1 with Peterborough United at London Road and finished 18th to avoid having to apply for re-election to the Football League. * 9 May 1986: Derby County were promoted from the Third Division after a 2–1 win over Rotherham United at the Baseball Ground. * 10 May 1986:
Ian Rush Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best Welsh playe ...
scored twice for Liverpool, beating Everton 3–1 in the first-ever 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 ...
FA Cup final. Liverpool became the fifth club in history to win the league championship and FA Cup double. * 13 May 1986: Tottenham sacked manager Peter Shreeves after two seasons in charge; he had turned Tottenham into title contenders and guided them to third place in his first season as manager, but during the second season they finished 10th in the First Division. * 14 May 1986: Millwall manager George Graham returned to Highbury as the club's new manager.
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
manager
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
rejected the position. * 16 May 1986:
David Pleat David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English association football, football player turned manager (association football), manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He ...
stepped down as Luton Town's manager to become the new Tottenham manager. * 22 May 1986: 20-year-old defender
Denis Irwin Joseph Denis Irwin (born 31 October 1965) is an Irish former professional footballer and sports television presenter. Irwin is the joint most successful Irish footballer in history, a record he shares with Ronnie Whelan and fellow Manchester U ...
joined Oldham Athletic on a free transfer from Leeds United. * 3 June 1986: England lost 1–0 to
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in their opening
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
game. Luton Town coach John Moore was named as the club's new manager. * 5 June 1986: Coventry City signed winger David Phillips from Manchester City for £150,000. * 6 June 1986:
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
drew 0-0 with England. * 8 June 1986: Ian Rush agreed to sign for Juventus for £3 million, but loaned back to Liverpool for the 1986–87 season. * 11 June 1986: Lineker scored a hat-trick in England's 3–0 victory over
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, which allowed them to advance to the second round of the World Cup. * 13 June 1986: Southampton signed 19-year-old goalkeeper Tim Flowers from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £70,000, while 23-year-old midfielder Ian Crook joined Norwich City from Tottenham for £80,000. * 18 June 1986: England beat
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
3–0 and reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
. * 22 June 1986: England lost 2–1 to
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
.


FA Cup

Liverpool beat Everton 3–1 in the final – with Rush scoring twice – to complete the third league championship and
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 ...
double of the 20th century.


League Cup

After being promoted to the First Division the season before, Oxford United won the League Cup, beating the Queens Park Rangers 3–0 in the final.


Football League


First Division

Liverpool narrowly reclaimed the league title from Everton. They completed their first and only league and cup double by defeating Everton in the FA Cup final. As a result of the previous year's
Heysel Stadium disaster The Heysel Stadium disaster ( ; ; ) was a crowd disaster on 29 May 1985, when Juventus fans were escaping from an attack by Liverpool fans while they were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, before the start of ...
, both Liverpool and Everton missed out on the European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup respectively, while West Ham United, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday all missed out on the UEFA Cup, as did Oxford United. West Bromwich Albion fell back into Division Two after ten seasons, following a campaign in which they only won four games. Birmingham City performed almost as poorly and made an immediate return to Division Two. Coventry City had spent most of the season in the relegation zone until a late revival after George Curtis and John Sillett took over as co-managers with three games remaining.


Second Division

Norwich City won the Second Division title and were promoted back to the First Division after one season. Charlton Athletic, despite having suffered a financial crisis over the previous years and leaving their home ground The Valley to ground share with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, returned to the First Division for the first time since 1957. Wimbledon, who had been in the Fourth Division only three years before and were in only their second season in the Second Division, claimed the third and final promotion spot. Fulham were relegated in last place after mounting financial pressures had forced them to sell off most of their squad during the summer. Middlesbrough suffered their only second relegation to the Third Division, as their own financial situation worsened to the point where they were locked out of their
Ayresome Park Ayresome Park was a football stadium in the Ayresome area of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Middlesbrough F.C. from its construction in time for the 1903–04 season, until the Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. It ...
ground and nearly expelled from the Football League before the following season.


Third Division

Reading won the Third Division title after beginning the season with 13 successive victories, meaning they would be playing in the Second Division for the first time since 1931. Plymouth Argyle took the runner-up spot, and Derby County was the third promoted side. The bottom two positions were occupied by Swansea City and the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Cardiff City and Lincoln City filled the other relegation spots.


Fourth Division

Swindon Town won promotion by a record-breaking 18 points, and became the second team (after York City two years previously) to exceed 100 points in a season, and was also awarded the board's decision to reinstate manager Lou Macari days after his controversial dismissal at the end of the previous season. Chester City, who had finished bottom of the league just two years prior, were promoted as runners-up. Mansfield Town and Port Vale took the two remaining promotion spaces. Torquay United, Preston North End, Cambridge United, and Exeter City were made to apply for re-election. Preston, the inaugural Football League champions back in 1888–89, saw their lowest finish ever at 23rd position almost a century on from their two back-to-back titles.


Top goalscorers

First Division *
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker ( ; born 30 November 1960) is an English Sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Lineker is the only player t ...
(Everton) – 30 goals Second Division * Kevin Drinkell (Norwich City) – 22 goals Third Division * Trevor Senior (Reading) – 27 goals Fourth Division * Richard Cadette (Southend United) – 25 goals


Famous debutants

* 24 August 1985:
Julian Dicks Julian Andrew Dicks (born 8 August 1968) is an English football coach and former Association football, footballer, currently manager of Heybridge Swifts F.C., Heybridge Swifts. Playing from 1985 until 2002, he was a left back, notably in the P ...
, 17-year-old left-back, made his debut as a substitute for Birmingham City in a 2–0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. * 31 August 1985: Ian Wright, 21-year-old striker, made his debut for Crystal Palace in a 3–2 defeat by
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 ...
at
Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...
in the Second Division soon after joining the club from non-league Greenwich Borough. * 14 September 1985: Carlton Palmer, 19-year-old midfielder, made his debut as a substitute for West Bromwich Albion in a 4–1 defeat by Newcastle United at St James' Park. * 28 September 1985: David Rocastle, 18-year-old midfielder, made his debut for Arsenal in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United in the First Division at Highbury. * 23 November 1985:
Martin Keown Martin Raymond Keown ( ; born 24 July 1966) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer. A defender, he played from 1984 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for Arsenal, where he made over 400 appearances for the club an ...
, 19-year-old defender, made his debut for Arsenal in a goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. * 14 December 1985:
Niall Quinn Niall John Quinn (honorary Order of the British Empire, MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit. As a player, he was a Striker (association f ...
, 19-year-old centre-forward, made his debut and scored for Arsenal in a 2–0 win over Liverpool at Highbury. * 15 March 1986: Dalian Atkinson, 17-year-old striker, made his debut as a substitute for Ipswich Town in a 3–1 defeat by Newcastle United at St James' Park. * 3 May 1986: Earl Barrett, 19-year-old defender, made his debut as for Manchester City in a 1–1 draw with Luton Town at Maine Road.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1985-86 in English football