1955–56 in English football
# 1955–56 in English football

The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England.

## Overview

Defending league champions Chelsea decided not to compete in the new European Champions Cup, following opposition from the Football League about the participation of English clubs in the competition.

The league title is taken by a Manchester United side with an average age of just 22, which finished an incredible 11 points ahead of their nearest contenders, Blackpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was a Manchester double for trophies, with Manchester City winning the FA Cup, with goalkeeper Bert Trautmann famously playing on despite suffering what was later diagnosed as a broken neck in a collision with a Birmingham City player.

## Honours

| Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
| - | - | - |
| First Division | Manchester United (4) | Blackpool |
| Second Division | Sheffield Wednesday | Leeds United |
| Third Division North | Grimsby Town | Derby County |
| Third Division South | Leyton Orient | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| FA Cup | Manchester City (3) | Birmingham City |
| Charity Shield | Chelsea | Newcastle United |
| Home Championship | Shared by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland | Shared by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland |

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

## Awards

Football Writers' Association

* Footballer of the Year – Bert Trautmann (Manchester City)

Top goalscorer

* Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers), 33

## Football League

### First Division

Manchester United won the First Division title by 11 points, featuring a squad of players with an average age of just 22, with manager Matt Busby's emphasis on youth paying dividends and answering the critics who felt that his policy would not be able to maintain United's place among the game's elite. Second place was occupied by Blackpool, with Stanley Matthews still a dominant presence in the team in his 41st year, while Wolves finished third, FA Cup winners Manchester City finished fourth, and Arsenal completed the top five. Birmingham City finished sixth to record their best ever final position.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Manchester United | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 83 | 51 | 1.627 | 60 | Qualified for the European Cup |
| 2 | Blackpool | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 86 | 62 | 1.387 | 49 | |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 89 | 65 | 1.369 | 49 | |
| 4 | Manchester City | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 69 | 1.188 | 46 | |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 61 | 0.984 | 46 | |
| 6 | Birmingham City | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 75 | 57 | 1.316 | 45 | |
| 7 | Burnley | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 64 | 54 | 1.185 | 44 | |
| 8 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 71 | 58 | 1.224 | 43 | |
| 9 | Sunderland | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 80 | 95 | 0.842 | 43 | |
| 10 | Luton Town | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 66 | 64 | 1.031 | 42 | |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 42 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 85 | 70 | 1.214 | 41 | |
| 12 | Portsmouth | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 78 | 85 | 0.918 | 41 | |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 58 | 70 | 0.829 | 41 | |
| 14 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 75 | 81 | 0.926 | 40 | |
| 15 | Everton | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 55 | 69 | 0.797 | 40 | |
| 16 | Chelsea | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 64 | 77 | 0.831 | 39 | |
| 17 | Cardiff City | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 55 | 69 | 0.797 | 39 | |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 61 | 71 | 0.859 | 37 | |
| 19 | Preston North End | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 73 | 72 | 1.014 | 36 | |
| 20 | Aston Villa | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 52 | 69 | 0.754 | 35 | |
| 21 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 54 | 83 | 0.651 | 35 | Relegated to the Second Division |
| 22 | Sheffield United | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 63 | 77 | 0.818 | 33 | Relegated to the Second Division |

### Second Division

Sheffield Wednesday crossed paths with their cross city rivals to return to the First Division by winning the Second Division title, joined by runners-up Leeds United. Liverpool narrowly missed out on a First Division comeback by finishing third.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 101 | 62 | 1.629 | 55 | Promoted to the First Division |
| 2 | Leeds United | 42 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 80 | 60 | 1.333 | 52 | Promoted to the First Division |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 85 | 63 | 1.349 | 48 | |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 84 | 65 | 1.292 | 48 | |
| 5 | Leicester City | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 94 | 78 | 1.205 | 48 | |
| 6 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 84 | 70 | 1.200 | 48 | |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 68 | 63 | 1.079 | 47 | |
| 8 | Lincoln City | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 79 | 65 | 1.215 | 46 | |
| 9 | Fulham | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 89 | 79 | 1.127 | 46 | |
| 10 | Swansea Town | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 83 | 81 | 1.025 | 46 | |
| 11 | Bristol City | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 80 | 64 | 1.250 | 45 | |
| 12 | Port Vale | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 60 | 58 | 1.034 | 45 | |
| 13 | Stoke City | 42 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 71 | 62 | 1.145 | 44 | |
| 14 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 76 | 78 | 0.974 | 40 | |
| 15 | Bury | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 86 | 90 | 0.956 | 40 | |
| 16 | West Ham United | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 74 | 69 | 1.072 | 39 | |
| 17 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 69 | 96 | 0.719 | 35 | |
| 18 | Barnsley | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 47 | 84 | 0.560 | 34 | |
| 19 | Rotherham United | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 56 | 75 | 0.747 | 33 | |
| 20 | Notts County | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 55 | 82 | 0.671 | 31 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 54 | 87 | 0.621 | 28 | Relegated to the Third Division South |
| 22 | Hull City | 42 | 10 | 6 | 26 | 53 | 97 | 0.546 | 26 | Relegated to the Third Division North |

### Third Division North

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 31 | 6 | 9 | 76 | 29 | 2.621 | 68 | Promoted to the Second Division |
| 2 | Derby County | 46 | 28 | 7 | 11 | 110 | 55 | 2.000 | 63 | |
| 3 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 92 | 57 | 1.614 | 59 | |
| 4 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 26 | 5 | 15 | 81 | 60 | 1.350 | 57 | |
| 5 | Southport | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 66 | 53 | 1.245 | 57 | |
| 6 | Chesterfield | 46 | 25 | 4 | 17 | 94 | 66 | 1.424 | 54 | |
| 7 | Stockport County | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 90 | 61 | 1.475 | 51 | |
| 8 | Bradford City | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 78 | 64 | 1.219 | 49 | |
| 9 | Scunthorpe & Lindsey United | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 75 | 63 | 1.190 | 48 | |
| 10 | Workington | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 75 | 63 | 1.190 | 47 | |
| 11 | York City | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 85 | 72 | 1.181 | 47 | |
| 12 | Rochdale | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 66 | 84 | 0.786 | 47 | |
| 13 | Gateshead | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 77 | 84 | 0.917 | 45 | |
| 14 | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 66 | 73 | 0.904 | 42 | |
| 15 | Darlington | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 60 | 73 | 0.822 | 41 | |
| 16 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 59 | 84 | 0.702 | 41 | |
| 17 | Chester | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 52 | 82 | 0.634 | 40 | |
| 18 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 84 | 81 | 1.037 | 39 | |
| 19 | Halifax Town | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 66 | 76 | 0.868 | 39 | |
| 20 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 76 | 86 | 0.884 | 38 | |
| 21 | Carlisle United | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 71 | 95 | 0.747 | 38 | |
| 22 | Barrow | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 61 | 83 | 0.735 | 33 | |
| 23 | Bradford Park Avenue | 46 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 61 | 122 | 0.500 | 33 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 50 | 105 | 0.476 | 28 | Re-elected |

### Third Division South

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 29 | 8 | 9 | 106 | 49 | 2.163 | 66 | Promoted to the Second Division |
| 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 29 | 7 | 10 | 112 | 50 | 2.240 | 65 | |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 106 | 60 | 1.767 | 64 | |
| 4 | Southend United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 88 | 80 | 1.100 | 53 | |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 86 | 63 | 1.365 | 52 | |
| 6 | Brentford | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 69 | 66 | 1.045 | 52 | |
| 7 | Norwich City | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 86 | 82 | 1.049 | 51 | |
| 8 | Coventry City | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 73 | 60 | 1.217 | 49 | |
| 9 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 63 | 51 | 1.235 | 48 | |
| 10 | Gillingham | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 69 | 71 | 0.972 | 48 | |
| 11 | Northampton Town | 46 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 67 | 71 | 0.944 | 47 | |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 81 | 0.938 | 47 | |
| 13 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 69 | 66 | 1.045 | 46 | |
| 14 | Southampton | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 91 | 81 | 1.123 | 44 | |
| 15 | Aldershot | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 70 | 90 | 0.778 | 40 | |
| 16 | Exeter City | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 58 | 77 | 0.753 | 40 | |
| 17 | Reading | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 70 | 79 | 0.886 | 39 | |
| 18 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 64 | 86 | 0.744 | 39 | |
| 19 | Newport County | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 58 | 79 | 0.734 | 39 | |
| 20 | Walsall | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 68 | 84 | 0.810 | 38 | |
| 21 | Watford | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 52 | 85 | 0.612 | 37 | |
| 22 | Millwall | 46 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 83 | 100 | 0.830 | 36 | |
| 23 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 54 | 83 | 0.651 | 34 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Swindon Town | 46 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 34 | 78 | 0.436 | 30 | Re-elected |

### Top goalscorers

First Division

* Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers) – 32 goals

Second Division

* Willie Gardiner (Leicester City) – 34 goals

Third Division North

* Bob Crosbie (Grimsby Town) – 36 goals

Third Division South

* Sammy Collins (Torquay United) – 40 goals
