1974–75 in English football

The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.

Football in England

Season	1974–75
Men's football
First Division	Derby County
Second Division	Manchester United
Third Division	Blackburn Rovers
Fourth Division	Mansfield Town
FA Cup	West Ham United
League Cup	Aston Villa
Charity Shield	Liverpool

Diary of the season

4 July 1974: Don Revie accepts the offer from The Football Association to become the new manager of the England national football team, ending thirteen years as manager of Leeds United, the defending league champions.

12 July 1974: Bill Shankly stuns Liverpool by announcing his retirement after fifteen years as manager. He is to be succeeded by 55-year-old coach Bob Paisley.

30 July 1974: Leeds United's search for a new manager ends with the appointment of Brian Clough, who had managed Third Division side Brighton & Hove Albion since November after his controversial dismissal from Derby County, the side he managed to title glory in 1972. However, he is not joined at Elland Road by his long serving assistant Peter Taylor, who is promoted to the manager's seat at the Goldstone Ground.

10 August 1974: This year's FA Charity Shield is played at Wembley Stadium between league champions Leeds United and FA Cup holders Liverpool, both sides having appointed new managers for the first time in over a decade. The match ends in a 1–1 draw and Liverpool win 6–5 on penalties, but it is marred by the dismissal of Leeds captain Billy Bremner and Liverpool striker Kevin Keegan.

17 August 1974: The First Division season begins. Clough's first League match in charge of Leeds ends in a 3–0 defeat to Stoke City. Carlisle United, in the First Division for the first time in their history, win 2–0 at Chelsea, and Manchester City beat West Ham United 4–0. Manchester United play their first game outside the top flight since 1938, beating Orient 2–0 at Brisbane Road in the opening Second Division fixture. Football hooliganism was rife at the Orient match, with reports of clashes between United supporters and police, damaged Underground trains and fighting in the ground.

24 August 1974: Carlisle United move to the top of the league after winning their first three games in the First Division. In the Second Division, Old Trafford hosts its first Second Division game in 36 years as Manchester United beat Millwall 4–0, with Gerry Daly scoring a hat-trick and Stuart Pearson scoring the other goal.

29 August 1974: Following a poor start to the season and a 2–1 defeat by Manchester City at White Hart Lane, longtime Tottenham Hotspur manager Bill Nicholson resigns, citing burnout and the growing rift between him and younger players.

31 August 1974: At the end of August, Liverpool have gained the lead of the First Division under new manager Bob Paisley, one point ahead of Ipswich Town, Everton and Manchester City, whose 2–1 defeat of Leeds United leaves the champions just one point off the bottom.

12 September 1974: Brian Clough is sacked after 44 days and six league matches in charge of Leeds United, who have won just once in the league and stand 19th of 22 clubs in the First Division. He receives a pay-off in the region of £98,000.

14 September 1974: Leeds United lose 2–1 to Burnley in their first match after the departure of Brian Clough.

30 September 1974: With eight wins from their first ten games, Ipswich Town top the First Division table at the end of September. They lead Manchester City by two points. At the bottom, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Leeds United are level on points.

4 October 1974: After nearly a month, Leeds United finally appoint a successor to Brian Clough by naming Jimmy Armfield of Bolton Wanderers as their new manager.

5 October 1974: Leeds United beat Arsenal 2–0 at Elland Road to send the Gunners, who have been in the First Division since 1919, to the bottom of the table.

22 October 1974: Don Revie's first England squad is announced, featuring six U23 players without full senior caps: Kevin Beattie of Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough's Willie Maddren, Birmingham City forward Trevor Francis, Stoke City's Alan Hudson and QPR pair Gerry Francis and Dave Thomas.

30 October 1974: England beat Czechoslovakia 3–0 at Wembley in a European Championship qualifier, Don Revie's first match as manager.

31 October 1974: Liverpool regain top spot in the First Division at the end of the month, one point ahead of Manchester City. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur continue to struggle in the relegation zone, where they have been joined by Luton Town.

9 November 1974: Manchester City take over at the top of the First Division as Liverpool lose 3–1 at home to Arsenal.

20 November 1974: England are held to a goalless draw by Portugal in their second 1976 European Championship qualifier.

30 November 1974: Stoke City beat Leicester City 1–0 to move to the top of the First Division, but just three points separate the top nine clubs. Carlisle United's early form has deserted them, and they now lie in the relegation zone with Luton Town and Chelsea.

7 December 1974: Manchester United come back from being 3–1 down against Sheffield Wednesday to draw 4–4. An eight-man on-pitch "brawl" breaks out in the match between Carlisle United and Arsenal.

11 December 1974: Derby County's UEFA Cup campaign is ended at the third round stage by Velež, leaving Leeds United as Britain's only club still in any of the European competitions. Newcastle United retain the Texaco Cup after beating ten-man Southampton 3–1 on aggregate.

18 December 1974: Fourth Division Chester reach the semi-finals of the League Cup after beating Newcastle United 1–0 in a replay. Middlesbrough lose 3–0 to Manchester United, leaving no First Division clubs in the competition.

31 December 1974: At the end of the year, the race for the First Division title remains remarkably close, with five points separating the top thirteen teams. Ipswich Town lead the table, alongside last year's Second Division champions Middlesbrough. Chelsea have moved out of the relegation zone at the expense of Leicester City.

4 January 1975: Isthmian League Leatherhead reach the fourth round of the FA Cup by beating Brighton & Hove Albion 1–0. They are joined by Southern League side Wimbledon, who win 1–0 away to First Division Burnley. Non-league Altrincham and Wycombe Wanderers hold First Division opponents, Everton and Middlesbrough respectively, to draws.

7 January 1975: Third Division underdogs Walsall knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup by winning the third round replay 3–2 at Fellows Park, three days after the first match at Old Trafford ended in a goalless draw.

11 January 1975: Ipswich beat high-flying Middlesbrough and register their fifteenth win of the season to go top of the First Division, but seven other clubs are within three points of the Suffolk club. Everton, in second, put three past bottom club Leicester without reply, and sit one point off the lead. Division Two leaders Manchester United open up a six-point gap at the summit with a victory over Sheffield Wednesday, while Sunderland in second are beaten by lowly Portsmouth.

18 January 1975: Everton, who have lost just three League games so far, take over leadership of the First Division with a 3–0 win over Birmingham City. Ipswich Town and Burnley are one point behind.

22 January 1975: Aston Villa and Norwich City complete aggregate victories in their League Cup semi-finals over Chester and Manchester United respectively.

25 January 1975: Wimbledon hold Leeds United to a 0–0 draw at Elland Road in the FA Cup fourth round. Leatherhead's run comes to an end with a 3–2 defeat to Leicester City. FA Cup holders Liverpool are knocked out of this season's competition 1–0 by Ipswich Town. Walsall's FA Cup run continues with a 1–0 home win over last season's runners-up Newcastle United.

10 February 1975: Wimbledon's FA Cup run finally ends in the fourth round replay with a 1–0 defeat to Leeds United.

15 February 1975: Walsall's FA Cup run comes to an end in the fifth round when they lose 1–0 at Birmingham City.

28 February 1975: At the end of February, the destination of the League title is no clearer, as five points separate the top half of the First Division, which Everton led by one point from Stoke City and Burnley. Carlisle United have dropped to last place, one point behind Luton Town and Leicester City.

1 March 1975: Aston Villa beat Norwich City 1–0 in the all-Second Division final of the League Cup at Wembley, ending their 14-year wait for a major trophy which began when they won the first ever League Cup.

8 March 1975: Second Division Fulham beat Carlisle United 1–0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals. West Ham United and Birmingham City join them in the last four.

12 March 1975: England beat world champions West Germany 2–0 in a friendly in their 100th international at Wembley.

15 March 1975: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Chelsea 7–1 in the biggest win of the First Division season. Ipswich Town beat Newcastle United 5–4, but Everton now lead the table by three points from Burnley with a game in hand.

27 March 1975: After three draws, Ipswich Town beat Leeds United 3–2 in the third replay of their FA Cup quarter-final at Filbert Street.

29 March 1975: Everton suffer a 3–0 defeat away to bottom-placed Carlisle United, and relinquish top spot in the First Division to Liverpool.

31 March 1975: Everton beat Coventry City 1–0 to move back to the top of the table, as Liverpool lose 2–0 to Stoke City. They lead Liverpool and Stoke by one point with a game in hand, and have just five matches remaining, but Ipswich Town, Derby County and Middlesbrough also remain in contention. Tottenham Hotspur have slipped back into the relegation zone alongside Carlisle United and Luton Town.

5 April 1975: Both FA Cup semi-finals, Birmingham City versus Fulham and Ipswich Town versus West Ham United, require replays after ending in draws. In the Second Division, Manchester United win 1–0 at Southampton (who went down with them last season) to seal an instant return to the First Division.

9 April 1975: Everton lose 2–1 to relegation-threatened Luton Town, and Derby County take advantage by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 to move two points clear at the top of the table with three matches left. West Ham United and Fulham reach the FA Cup final after narrow victories in their semi-final replays.

12 April 1975: Stoke City's title challenge ends with defeat to Sheffield United, leaving Derby County, Liverpool, Everton and Ipswich Town as the remaining contenders. Carlisle United are relegated after losing at Anfield.

16 April 1975: Malcolm Macdonald scores all five goals as England beat Cyprus 5–0 in a European Championship qualifier. He is the first England player for 37 years to achieve this feat.

19 April 1975: Liverpool, Everton and Ipswich Town all lose to hand the initiative in the title race to Derby County. Although the Rams can only draw with Leicester City, only Ipswich can now prevent them from winning their second title in four seasons. At the bottom, Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 2–0 in a vital relegation clash.

23 April 1975: Derby County win the title after Ipswich Town can only draw 1–1 with Manchester City.

26 April 1975: Derby County lie two points clear at the top at the end of the season after drawing their last match against Carlisle United. Liverpool finish ahead of Ipswich Town in second on goal average, with Everton fourth. Chelsea's 1–1 draw with Everton sees them relegated, and Tottenham Hotspur slip into the relegation zone after losing the North London derby to Arsenal. They must take a point from their final match to stay in the First Division.

28 April 1975: Tottenham Hotspur beat Leeds United 4–2 to survive in the First Division and relegate Luton Town one year after promotion.

3 May 1975: West Ham United win the FA Cup at the end of their first season under the management of John Lyall, beating Fulham 2–0 at Wembley in the final with two goals from Alan Taylor.

11 May 1975: England beat Cyprus 1–0 to move three points clear at the top of their European Championship qualifying group.

24 May 1975: England win the Home Championship by thrashing Scotland 5–1 at Wembley.

28 May 1975: Leeds United are beaten 2–0 by West German side Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in Paris. Peter Lorimer has a goal disallowed, which sparks a furious pitch invasion and rioting by a section of Leeds fans.

UEFA competitions

1973–74 League champions Leeds United reached the European Cup final at the Parc des Princes in Paris, where they lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich. Leeds fans ran riot following the match, in which Peter Lorimer had a goal disallowed, and the club was banned from European competition for four years, later reduced to two on appeal.

FA Cup

Main article: 1974–75 FA Cup

John Lyall kicked off his management career in style by guiding West Ham United to FA Cup glory over Fulham at Wembley. On the losing Fulham side was former West Ham captain Bobby Moore.

League Cup

Main article: 1974–75 Football League Cup

Ron Saunders guided Aston Villa to League Cup success against Norwich City in the only final of the competition between two Second Division teams. Both clubs were also promoted to the First Division at the end of the season.

Fourth Division side Chester reached the semi-finals after accounting for top-flight giants Leeds United and Newcastle United. They lost the semi-final to Aston Villa 5–4 on aggregate. Manchester United, also of the Second Division, lost the other semi-final.

Football League

Main article: 1974–75 Football League

First Division

Derby County won the First Division title for the second time in four seasons, in their first full season under the management of Dave Mackay. Liverpool finished runners-up under Bob Paisley, who had been promoted to the manager's seat from the coaching staff following Bill Shankly's retirement a month before the start of the season. Ipswich Town enjoyed their best finish since being champions in 1962. Everton lost just eight games during the season, the fewest of any side in the league that season, but a poor run of form at the end of the season cost Billy Bingham's side league glory.

With Don Revie now in charge of the England team, Leeds United made a dismal start to the season under Brian Clough, who was sacked after just 44 days in charge. His successor Jimmy Armfield steered Leeds to a ninth-place finish and to their first European Cup final, which they lost to Bayern Munich. West Ham United compensated for a disappointing season in the league by winning the FA Cup. It was a disappointing season in North London as Arsenal finished 16th and Tottenham finished 19th.

Carlisle United had incredibly topped the First Division in late August after winning their first three games in the top flight, but failed to keep up their good form and finished the season relegated in bottom place. Luton Town also went straight back down. Financially troubled Chelsea, plagued by falling attendances and rising debts, were also relegated.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Derby County	42	21	11	10	67	49	1.367	53	Qualified for the European Cup
2	Liverpool	42	20	11	11	60	39	1.538	51	Qualified for the UEFA Cup
3	Ipswich Town	42	23	5	14	66	44	1.500	51
4	Everton	42	16	18	8	56	42	1.333	50
5	Stoke City	42	17	15	10	64	48	1.333	49
6	Sheffield United	42	18	13	11	58	51	1.137	49
7	Middlesbrough	42	18	12	12	54	40	1.350	48
8	Manchester City	42	18	10	14	54	54	1.000	46
9	Leeds United	42	16	13	13	57	49	1.163	45
10	Burnley	42	17	11	14	68	67	1.015	45
11	Queens Park Rangers	42	16	10	16	54	54	1.000	42
12	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	14	11	17	57	54	1.056	39
13	West Ham United	42	13	13	16	58	59	0.983	39	Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup
14	Coventry City	42	12	15	15	51	62	0.823	39
15	Newcastle United	42	15	9	18	59	72	0.819	39
16	Arsenal	42	13	11	18	47	49	0.959	37
17	Birmingham City	42	14	9	19	53	61	0.869	37
18	Leicester City	42	12	12	18	46	60	0.767	36
19	Tottenham Hotspur	42	13	8	21	52	63	0.825	34
20	Luton Town	42	11	11	20	47	65	0.723	33	Relegated to the Second Division
21	Chelsea	42	9	15	18	42	72	0.583	33
22	Carlisle United	42	12	5	25	43	59	0.729	29

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.

Second Division

Manchester United kept faith in manager Tommy Docherty after their relegation to the Second Division and sealed an instant return to the First Division by winning the Second Division title. FIFA finally lifted George Best's worldwide ban from football, but Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty was not prepared to give him another chance at Old Trafford, and he joined Stockport County on a free transfer.

Norwich City also sealed an instant return to the First Division by finished third. Also going up were runners-up Aston Villa, who took the League Cup up with them and ended their eight-year exile from the First Division.

Sunderland, the 1973 FA Cup winners, just missed out on promotion, as did Bristol City. Don Howe paid for a second failure to take West Bromwich Albion back into the First Division and was replaced as manager by veteran player Johnny Giles. Nottingham Forest, battling against a second relegation in three seasons, turned to Brian Clough in hope of turning the club around, and the turnaround started with Clough guiding them to Second Division survival.

Cardiff City and Millwall were relegated to the Third Division, along with Sheffield Wednesday, who would be playing Third Division football for the first time in their history.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Manchester United	42	26	9	7	66	30	2.200	61	Promoted to the First Division
2	Aston Villa	42	25	8	9	79	32	2.469	58	Promoted to the First Division and qualified for the UEFA Cup
3	Norwich City	42	20	13	9	58	37	1.568	53	Promoted to the First Division
4	Sunderland	42	19	13	10	65	35	1.857	51
5	Bristol City	42	21	8	13	47	33	1.424	50
6	West Bromwich Albion	42	18	9	15	54	42	1.286	45
7	Blackpool	42	14	17	11	38	33	1.152	45
8	Hull City	42	15	14	13	40	53	0.755	44
9	Fulham	42	13	16	13	44	39	1.128	42
10	Bolton Wanderers	42	15	12	15	45	41	1.098	42
11	Oxford United	42	15	12	15	41	51	0.804	42
12	Orient	42	11	20	11	28	39	0.718	42
13	Southampton	42	15	11	16	53	54	0.981	41
14	Notts County	42	12	16	14	49	59	0.831	40
15	York City	42	14	10	18	51	55	0.927	38
16	Nottingham Forest	42	12	14	16	43	55	0.782	38
17	Portsmouth	42	12	13	17	44	54	0.815	37
18	Oldham Athletic	42	10	15	17	40	48	0.833	35
19	Bristol Rovers	42	12	11	19	42	64	0.656	35
20	Millwall	42	10	12	20	44	56	0.786	32	Relegated to the Third Division
21	Cardiff City	42	9	14	19	36	62	0.581	32
22	Sheffield Wednesday	42	5	11	26	29	64	0.453	21

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.
Notes:

Third Division

Blackburn Rovers won their first promotion in nearly twenty years when they sealed the Third Division title to climb back into the Second Division after four seasons away. Plymouth Argyle finished a point behind them as runners-up, with Charlton Athletic sealing the final promotion place. Swindon Town missed out on promotion by two points. Crystal Palace finally enjoyed some good form after two successive relegations, but fifth place was not enough for promotion.

Huddersfield Town, who had become the first English team to win three successive league titles back in the 1920s, went down to the Fourth Division with a third relegation in four seasons. They went down with Watford, Tranmere Rovers and Bournemouth.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Blackburn Rovers	46	22	16	8	68	45	1.511	60	Promoted to the Second Division
2	Plymouth Argyle	46	24	11	11	79	58	1.362	59
3	Charlton Athletic	46	22	11	13	76	61	1.246	55
4	Swindon Town	46	21	11	14	64	58	1.103	53
5	Crystal Palace	46	18	15	13	66	57	1.158	51
6	Port Vale	46	18	15	13	61	54	1.130	51
7	Peterborough United	46	19	12	15	47	53	0.887	50
8	Walsall	46	18	13	15	67	52	1.288	49
9	Preston North End	46	19	11	16	63	56	1.125	49
10	Gillingham	46	17	14	15	65	60	1.083	48
11	Colchester United	46	17	13	16	70	63	1.111	47
12	Hereford United	46	16	14	16	64	66	0.970	46
13	Wrexham	46	15	15	16	65	55	1.182	45
14	Bury	46	16	12	18	53	50	1.060	44
15	Chesterfield	46	16	12	18	62	66	0.939	44
16	Grimsby Town	46	15	13	18	55	64	0.859	43
17	Halifax Town	46	13	17	16	49	65	0.754	43
18	Southend United	46	13	16	17	46	51	0.902	42
19	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	16	10	20	56	64	0.875	42
20	Aldershot	46	14	11	21	53	63	0.841	39
21	AFC Bournemouth	46	13	12	21	44	58	0.759	38	Relegated to the Fourth Division
22	Tranmere Rovers	46	14	9	23	55	57	0.965	37
23	Watford	46	10	17	19	52	75	0.693	37
24	Huddersfield Town	46	11	10	25	47	76	0.618	32

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.

Fourth Division

Mansfield Town won the Fourth Division title by a six-point margin, and went up along with Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United and League Cup semi-finalists Chester, who enjoyed their first promotion since joining the Football League in 1931. Lincoln City, managed by the league's youngest manager, Graham Taylor, missed out on promotion on goal average.

Scunthorpe, Workington, Swansea and Darlington retained their league status as the Football League voted for the third successive season to re-elect its four lowest-placed members.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Mansfield Town	46	28	12	6	90	40	2.250	68	Promoted to the Third Division
2	Shrewsbury Town	46	26	10	10	80	43	1.860	62
3	Rotherham United	46	22	15	9	71	41	1.732	59
4	Chester	46	23	11	12	64	38	1.684	57
5	Lincoln City	46	21	15	10	79	48	1.646	57
6	Cambridge United	46	20	14	12	62	44	1.409	54
7	Reading	46	21	10	15	63	47	1.340	52
8	Brentford	46	18	13	15	53	45	1.178	49
9	Exeter City	46	19	11	16	60	63	0.952	49
10	Bradford City	46	17	13	16	56	51	1.098	47
11	Southport	46	15	17	14	56	56	1.000	47
12	Newport County	46	19	9	18	68	75	0.907	47
13	Hartlepool	46	16	11	19	52	62	0.839	43
14	Torquay United	46	14	14	18	46	61	0.754	42
15	Barnsley	46	15	11	20	62	65	0.954	41
16	Northampton Town	46	15	11	20	67	73	0.918	41
17	Doncaster Rovers	46	14	12	20	65	79	0.823	40
18	Crewe Alexandra	46	11	18	17	34	47	0.723	40
19	Rochdale	46	13	13	20	59	75	0.787	39
20	Stockport County	46	12	14	20	43	70	0.614	38
21	Darlington	46	13	10	23	54	67	0.806	36	Re-elected
22	Swansea City	46	15	6	25	46	73	0.630	36
23	Workington	46	10	11	25	36	66	0.545	31
24	Scunthorpe United	46	7	15	24	41	78	0.526	29

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal ratio.

Top goalscorers

First Division

• Malcolm Macdonald (Newcastle United) – 21 goals

Second Division

• Brian Little (Aston Villa) – 20 goals

Third Division

• Dixie McNeil (Hereford United) – 31 goals

Fourth Division

• Ray Clarke (Mansfield Town) – 28 goals

Non-league football

Competition	Winners
Isthmian League	Wycombe Wanderers
Northern Premier League	Wigan Athletic
Southern League	Wimbledon
FA Trophy	Matlock Town
FA Vase	Hoddesdon Town

Star players

• Colin Todd added the PFA Players' Player of the Year award to the league championship medal he collected with Derby County.
• 19-year-old West Ham goalkeeper Mervyn Day collected the PFA Young Player of the Year along with an FA Cup winners medal.
• Fulham's experienced midfielder Alan Mullery was voted FWA Footballer of the Year.

Star managers

• Dave Mackay helped Derby County win the league championship in his first full season as manager.
• John Lyall had a fine first season as West Ham United manager by guiding them to FA Cup glory.
• Ron Saunders guided Aston Villa to promotion and League Cup glory.
• Tommy Docherty helped Manchester United regain their First Division status at the first time of asking.
• Bobby Robson continued to raise standards at Ipswich Town – and almost guided them to league championship glory.