1967–68 in English football

The 1967–68 season was the 88th season of competitive football in England. Defending First Division champions, Manchester United, became the first English team to win the European Cup, while the First Division title went to their cross city rivals City. West Bromwich Albion lifted the FA Cup this season, for the fifth time in their history. Leeds United won their first two major trophies when they lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and Football League Cup at the expense of an Arsenal side who had not played at Wembley for 16 years.

Football in England

Season	1967–68
Men's football
First Division	Manchester City
Second Division	Ipswich Town
Third Division	Oxford United
Fourth Division	Luton Town
FA Cup	West Bromwich Albion
League Cup	Leeds United
Charity Shield	Manchester United
← 1966–67 1968–69 →

Honours

Competition	Winner	Runner-up
First Division	Manchester City (2)	Manchester United
Second Division	Ipswich Town	Queens Park Rangers
Third Division	Oxford United	Bury
Fourth Division	Luton Town	Barnsley
FA Cup	West Bromwich Albion (5)	Everton
League Cup	Leeds United (1)	Arsenal
Charity Shield	Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur (shared)
Home Championship	England	Scotland

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

FA Cup

Main article: 1967–68 FA Cup

The 1968 FA Cup final was won by West Bromwich Albion, who beat Everton 1–0 at Wembley with an extra time goal from Jeff Astle. It was Albion's fifth FA Cup success.

League Cup

Main article: 1967–68 Football League Cup

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

Football League

Main article: 1967–68 Football League

First Division

For the first time since 1937, Manchester City won the First Division, finishing two points clear of their local rivals Manchester United. Fulham finished in last place and were relegated along with Sheffield United. Coventry City, under Noel Cantwell escaped relegation by one point and would go on to stay in the top division until their eventual relegation at the end of the 2000–01 season.

Manchester United's George Best and Ron Davies of Southampton finished as Division One's joint-top scorers with 28 goals apiece. Best was awarded the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, as well as the European Footballer of the Year award.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Manchester City	42	26	6	10	86	43	2.000	58	Qualified for the European Cup[lower-alpha 1]
2	Manchester United	42	24	8	10	89	55	1.618	56
3	Liverpool	42	22	11	9	71	40	1.775	55	Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 2]
4	Leeds United	42	22	9	11	71	41	1.732	53
5	Everton	42	23	6	13	67	40	1.675	52
6	Chelsea	42	18	12	12	62	68	0.912	48	Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 3]
7	Tottenham Hotspur	42	19	9	14	70	59	1.186	47
8	West Bromwich Albion	42	17	12	13	75	62	1.210	46	Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup
9	Arsenal	42	17	10	15	60	56	1.071	44
10	Newcastle United	42	13	15	14	54	67	0.806	41	Qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[lower-alpha 4]
11	Nottingham Forest	42	14	11	17	52	64	0.813	39
12	West Ham United	42	14	10	18	73	69	1.058	38
13	Leicester City	42	13	12	17	64	69	0.928	38
14	Burnley	42	14	10	18	64	71	0.901	38
15	Sunderland	42	13	11	18	51	61	0.836	37
16	Southampton	42	13	11	18	66	83	0.795	37
17	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	14	8	20	66	75	0.880	36
18	Stoke City	42	14	7	21	50	73	0.685	35
19	Sheffield Wednesday	42	11	12	19	51	63	0.810	34
20	Coventry City	42	9	15	18	51	71	0.718	33
21	Sheffield United	42	11	10	21	49	70	0.700	32	Relegated to the Second Division
22	Fulham	42	10	7	25	56	98	0.571	27

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Manchester United qualified for European Cup as the trophy holders.
2. Leeds United qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as the trophy holders.
3. Chelsea qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead Everton, who finished below Liverpool, due to rule "only one club per city".
4. Newcastle United qualified for Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ahead Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who finished below Chelsea, due to rule "only one club per city".

Second Division

Bill McGarry's Ipswich Town team won the Second Division by one point from Queens Park Rangers, with both teams promoted. Blackpool finished third on goal average and so missed out. Rotherham United and bottom club Plymouth Argyle were both relegated to the Third Division.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Ipswich Town	42	22	15	5	79	44	1.795	59	Promoted to the First Division
2	Queens Park Rangers	42	25	8	9	67	36	1.861	58
3	Blackpool	42	24	10	8	71	43	1.651	58
4	Birmingham City	42	19	14	9	83	51	1.627	52
5	Portsmouth	42	18	13	11	68	55	1.236	49
6	Middlesbrough	42	17	12	13	60	54	1.111	46
7	Millwall	42	14	17	11	62	50	1.240	45
8	Blackburn Rovers	42	16	11	15	56	49	1.143	43
9	Norwich City	42	16	11	15	60	65	0.923	43
10	Carlisle United	42	14	13	15	58	52	1.115	41
11	Crystal Palace	42	14	11	17	56	56	1.000	39
12	Bolton Wanderers	42	13	13	16	60	63	0.952	39
13	Cardiff City	42	13	12	17	60	66	0.909	38
14	Huddersfield Town	42	13	12	17	46	61	0.754	38
15	Charlton Athletic	42	12	13	17	63	68	0.926	37
16	Aston Villa	42	15	7	20	54	64	0.844	37
17	Hull City	42	12	13	17	58	73	0.795	37
18	Derby County	42	13	10	19	71	78	0.910	36
19	Bristol City	42	13	10	19	48	62	0.774	36
20	Preston North End	42	12	11	19	43	65	0.662	35
21	Rotherham United	42	10	11	21	42	76	0.553	31	Relegated to the Third Division
22	Plymouth Argyle	42	9	9	24	38	72	0.528	27

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Third Division

In the Third Division, Oxford United won their first divisional title and achieved what was then their highest ever finish in only their sixth season as a league club. Runners-up Bury joined them in promotion. Grimsby Town, Colchester United and Scunthorpe United were relegated, although the biggest story concerned bottom placed Peterborough United who were docked 19 points for offering irregular bonuses to their players and so finished bottom. Had the points been restored the club would have finished in the top half. As a result of the ruling Mansfield Town escaped relegation.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Oxford United	46	22	13	11	69	47	1.468	57	Promoted to the Second Division
2	Bury	46	24	8	14	91	66	1.379	56
3	Shrewsbury Town	46	20	15	11	61	49	1.245	55
4	Torquay United	46	21	11	14	60	56	1.071	53
5	Reading	46	21	9	16	70	60	1.167	51
6	Watford	46	21	8	17	74	50	1.480	50
7	Walsall	46	19	12	15	74	61	1.213	50
8	Barrow	46	21	8	17	65	54	1.204	50
9	Swindon Town	46	16	17	13	74	51	1.451	49
10	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	16	16	14	57	55	1.036	48
11	Gillingham	46	18	12	16	59	63	0.937	48
12	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	46	16	15	15	56	51	1.098	47
13	Stockport County	46	19	9	18	70	75	0.933	47
14	Southport	46	17	12	17	65	65	1.000	46
15	Bristol Rovers	46	17	9	20	72	78	0.923	43
16	Oldham Athletic	46	18	7	21	60	65	0.923	43
17	Northampton Town	46	14	13	19	58	72	0.806	41
18	Orient	46	12	17	17	46	62	0.742	41
19	Tranmere Rovers	46	14	12	20	62	74	0.838	40
20	Mansfield Town	46	12	13	21	51	67	0.761	37
21	Grimsby Town	46	14	9	23	52	69	0.754	37	Relegated to the Fourth Division
22	Colchester United	46	9	15	22	50	87	0.575	33
23	Scunthorpe United	46	10	12	24	56	87	0.644	32
24	Peterborough United	46	20	10	16	79	67	1.179	31[lower-alpha 1]

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Peterborough deducted 19 points for making irregular payments to players.

Fourth Division

Luton Town won the Fourth Division and were promoted along with Barnsley, Hartlepools United and Crewe Alexandra. The bottom four clubs were forced to apply to re-election to the Football League as per usual; more unusually however, Port Vale were also made to apply for re-election, as a result of financial irregularities. In the end, all five clubs were re-elected.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Luton Town	46	27	12	7	87	44	1.977	66	Promoted to the Third Division
2	Barnsley	46	24	13	9	68	46	1.478	61
3	Hartlepools United	46	25	10	11	60	46	1.304	60
4	Crewe Alexandra	46	20	18	8	74	49	1.510	58
5	Bradford City	46	23	11	12	72	51	1.412	57
6	Southend United	46	20	14	12	77	58	1.328	54
7	Chesterfield	46	21	11	14	71	50	1.420	53
8	Wrexham	46	20	13	13	72	53	1.358	53
9	Aldershot	46	18	17	11	70	55	1.273	53
10	Doncaster Rovers	46	18	15	13	66	56	1.179	51
11	Halifax Town	46	15	16	15	52	49	1.061	46
12	Newport County	46	16	13	17	58	63	0.921	45
13	Lincoln City	46	17	9	20	71	68	1.044	43
14	Brentford	46	18	7	21	61	64	0.953	43
15	Swansea Town	46	16	10	20	63	77	0.818	42
16	Darlington	46	12	17	17	47	53	0.887	41
17	Notts County	46	15	11	20	53	79	0.671	41
18	Port Vale	46	12	15	19	61	72	0.847	39[lower-alpha 1]	Re-elected
19	Rochdale	46	12	14	20	51	72	0.708	38
20	Exeter City	46	11	16	19	45	65	0.692	38
21	York City	46	11	14	21	65	68	0.956	36	Re-elected
22	Chester	46	9	14	23	57	78	0.731	32
23	Workington	46	10	11	25	54	87	0.621	31
24	Bradford Park Avenue	46	4	15	27	30	82	0.366	23

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Despite finishing 18th, Port Vale were forced to face the re-election process after having been expelled at the end of the season, as a result of financial irregularities.

Top goalscorers

First Division

• George Best (Manchester United) and Ron Davies (Southampton) – 28 goals^[1]

Second Division

• John Hickton (Middlesbrough) – 24 goals^[1]

Third Division

• Don Rogers (Swindon Town) – 25 goals^[2]

Fourth Division

• Les Massie (Halifax Town) and Roy Chapman (Port Vale) – 25 goals^[2]

European football

Manchester United became the first English team to win the European Cup when they beat Benfica 4–1 after extra time in the final at Wembley Stadium. Bobby Charlton (2), George Best and Brian Kidd scored the goals. Manager Matt Busby was knighted that year for his achievements.

Leeds United reached the final of the Fairs Cup by beating Scottish side Dundee. Eddie Gray scored the decisive goal in the second leg to secure a 2–1 aggregate victory. In the final, which was not completed until September 1968, Leeds defeated Ferencváros 1–0 on aggregate.

Events of the season

• 12 August 1967 – Tottenham Hotspur's goalkeeper Pat Jennings scores in the Charity Shield as Spurs draw 3–3 with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
• 19 August 1967 – The League champions Manchester United open the First Division season with a 3–1 defeat to Everton. Liverpool and Manchester City draw 0–0, and Coventry City's first match in the First Division ends in a 2–1 loss at Burnley.^[3]
• 26 August 1967 – Sheffield Wednesday are the early leaders of the First Division, the only team with three wins out of three. Defeats for Manchester City and Leeds United leave both teams without a League win from their first three matches.^[3]
• 2 September 1967 – Southampton thrash Chelsea 6–2 at Stamford Bridge. Burnley beat Tottenham Hotspur 5–1, and Sheffield Wednesday win the Steel City derby to top the League table.^[3]
• 16 September 1967 – Manchester City's fifth consecutive League win, 5–2 against Sheffield United sees them join Liverpool, Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the League table.^[3]
• 7 October 1967 – After scoring just ten goals in their first nine League matches, Leeds United hammer Chelsea 7–0 at Elland Road. Liverpool lose at Leicester City, allowing Sheffield Wednesday to return to the top of the table.^[3]
• 28 October 1967 – Liverpool beat Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 at Anfield to lead the First Division at the end of October.^[3]
• 11 November 1967 – Manchester United beat Liverpool 2–1 and replace them at the top of the League table. Manchester City are third after beating Leicester City 6–0. West Bromwich Albion thrash Burnley 8–1.^[3]
• 9 December 1967 – Manchester City move to within a point of the leaders Manchester United by beating Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on a snow-covered pitch at Maine Road with goals from Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Tony Coleman and Neil Young.^[3][4]
• 30 December 1967 – Manchester United end the calendar year top of the First Division, three points ahead of Liverpool and four ahead of Leeds United. Manchester City drop to fourth after losing to West Bromwich Albion for the second time in four days. Coventry City and Fulham occupy the relegation places.^[3]
• 13 January 1968 – Leeds United move into second place in the League by beating Southampton 5–0, having beaten Fulham by the same score the previous week.^[3]
• 17 February 1968 – Manchester United lose in the League for the first time since October when they go down 2–1 at Burnley, but they remain a point clear of Leeds United at the top of the table.^[3]
• 16 March 1968 – Manchester United's defeat at Coventry allows Manchester City to move to the top of the table on goal average by beating bottom-of-the-table Fulham 5–1. They lead Leeds United by one point, with Liverpool a further point behind.^[3]
• 27 March 1968 – Manchester City win the League derby at Old Trafford, leaving both teams locked together with Leeds United at the top of the table with nine games remaining.^[3]
• 6 April 1968 – Manchester United are beaten 2–1 at home by Liverpool, their second consecutive home defeat in the League. Manchester City lose at Leicester, allowing Leeds United to move to the top of the table with a 3–0 win over relegation-threatened Sheffield United.^[3]
• 29 April 1968 – Manchester City move back to the top of the First Division by beating Everton 2–0 while Manchester United are thrashed 6–3 by free-scoring West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.^[3]
• 1 May 1968 – Fulham lose 2–0 at home to Stoke City and are relegated from the First Division.^[3]
• 4 May 1968 – Liverpool keep their title hopes alive by beating Leeds United 2–1. Both teams trail the two Manchester clubs by three points, with City remaining ahead of United on goal average.^[3]
• 7 May 1968 – Leeds United's third consecutive League defeat, 4–3 at Arsenal, eliminates them from the Championship race. Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool remain in contention going into the final Saturday.^[3]
• 11 May 1968 – Manchester City win the First Division title for the first time since 1937 with a 4–3 away win against Newcastle United. Manchester United surrender their title by losing 2–1 at home to Sunderland. Sheffield United take the second relegation spot after losing at home to Chelsea.^[3]

Deaths

• 7 March 1968 – Grenville Hair, 36, former Leeds United left back and current Bradford City manager, from heart attack during training.^[5]

References

1. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
2. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
3. Smailes, Gordon (2000). The Breedon Book of Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 122. ISBN 1859832148.
4. Motson, John (1992). Match of the Day: The Complete Record since 1964. London: BBC Books. p. 33. ISBN 0563364068.
5. Player death notices Football player cards. Retrieved 14 October 2007