1960–61 in English football
# 1960–61 in English football

The 1960–61 season was the 81st season of competitive football in England. This season was a particularly historic one for domestic football in England, as Tottenham Hotspur became the first club in the twentieth century to "do the Double" by winning both the League and the FA Cup competitions in the same season. It also saw the first contesting of the Football League Cup.

## Overview

Tottenham Hotspur sealed the First Division title with a 2–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday on 17 April 1961. Preston North End, who had been the first team to achieve the League and FA Cup "double", was relegated in last place – and to date have not returned to the top flight of English football. 1960–61 still remains the last time Tottenham Hotspur won the League Championship.

Portsmouth became the first former English League champion to be relegated to the Third Division, ten years after winning their second title.

Peterborough United set a Football League record by scoring the most league goals (134) in a season.

## FA Cup

Tottenham Hotspur beat Leicester City 2–0 to win the 1961 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium to become the first team in the 20th Century to win the double.

## League Cup

The 1960–61 was the inaugural staging of the Football League Cup, The tournament was won by Aston Villa, who beat Rotherham United 3–2 on aggregate after extra time. Although Aston Villa are credited as the League Cup Winners in 1960–61, both legs of the Final were held over until after the commencement of the 1961–62 season due to fixture congestion. Villa finally lifted the trophy on 5 September 1961.

## Transfers

In June 1961, Denis Law left Manchester City for Italian side Torino in a £100,000 deal – a record fee involving a British player.

## Honours

| Competition | Winner | Runner-up |
| - | - | - |
| First Division | Tottenham Hotspur (2) | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Second Division | Ipswich Town | Sheffield United |
| Third Division | Bury | Walsall |
| Fourth Division | Peterborough United | Crystal Palace |
| FA Cup | Tottenham Hotspur (3) | Leicester City |
| League Cup | Aston Villa (1) | Rotherham United |
| Charity Shield | Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers (shared) | Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers (shared) |
| Home Championship | England | Wales |

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 – Danny Blanchflower (Tottenham Hotspur)

## Football League

### First Division

Tottenham Hotspur made history by becoming the first team this century to win the double, which in recent seasons had narrowly eluded the likes of Manchester United and Wolves.

Sheffield Wednesday finished runners-up, but an eight-point finishing divide between themselves and the champions meant that they never really looked like claiming the league title which had last been theirs in 1930. Wolves, Everton and defending champions Burnley completed the top five, while FA Cup runners-up Leicester City enjoyed a strong sixth-place finish and Manchester United finished seventh for the second season running.

Aston Villa's failure to mount a title challenge was compensated for by victory in the first-ever edition of the Football League Cup.

Preston North End performed dismally in their first season without retired winger Tom Finney, and went down in bottom place, joined in relegation by Newcastle United.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 115 | 55 | 2.091 | 66 | Qualified for the European Cup |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 78 | 47 | 1.660 | 58 | |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 25 | 7 | 10 | 103 | 75 | 1.373 | 57 | |
| 4 | Burnley | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 102 | 77 | 1.325 | 51 | |
| 5 | Everton | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 87 | 69 | 1.261 | 50 | |
| 6 | Leicester City | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 87 | 70 | 1.243 | 45 | Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup |
| 7 | Manchester United | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 88 | 76 | 1.158 | 45 | |
| 8 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 77 | 76 | 1.013 | 43 | |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 78 | 77 | 1.013 | 43 | |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 18 | 5 | 19 | 67 | 71 | 0.944 | 41 | |
| 11 | Arsenal | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 77 | 85 | 0.906 | 41 | |
| 12 | Chelsea | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 98 | 100 | 0.980 | 37 | |
| 13 | Manchester City | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 79 | 90 | 0.878 | 37 | |
| 14 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 62 | 78 | 0.795 | 37 | |
| 15 | Cardiff City | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 60 | 85 | 0.706 | 37 | |
| 16 | West Ham United | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 77 | 88 | 0.875 | 36 | |
| 17 | Fulham | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 72 | 95 | 0.758 | 36 | |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 73 | 0.795 | 35 | |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 42 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 62 | 84 | 0.738 | 34 | |
| 20 | Blackpool | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 68 | 73 | 0.932 | 33 | |
| 21 | Newcastle United | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 86 | 109 | 0.789 | 32 | Relegated to the Second Division |
| 22 | Preston North End | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 43 | 71 | 0.606 | 30 | Relegated to the Second Division |

* ↑ Leicester City qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup runners-up, as Tottenham Hotspur had won the double.

### Second Division

Alf Ramsey's impressive Ipswich side reached the First Division for the first time in their history by winning the Second Division title – an impressive showing for a club who had been in non-league football 25 years earlier. They were joined in promotion by a more illustrious club in the shape of Sheffield United, who have been no strangers to the elite of English football. Liverpool just missed out on First Division football once again, while Norwich City achieved their best final position yet by finishing fourth.

Lincoln City went down in bottom place and were joined in the Third Division by Portsmouth, league champions just over a decade earlier.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 100 | 55 | 1.818 | 59 | Promoted to the First Division |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 42 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 81 | 51 | 1.588 | 58 | Promoted to the First Division |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 87 | 58 | 1.500 | 52 | |
| 4 | Norwich City | 42 | 20 | 9 | 13 | 70 | 53 | 1.321 | 49 | |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 83 | 74 | 1.122 | 48 | |
| 6 | Sunderland | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 75 | 60 | 1.250 | 47 | |
| 7 | Swansea Town | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 77 | 73 | 1.055 | 47 | |
| 8 | Southampton | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 84 | 81 | 1.037 | 44 | |
| 9 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 69 | 64 | 1.078 | 43 | |
| 10 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 97 | 91 | 1.066 | 43 | |
| 11 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 81 | 82 | 0.988 | 42 | |
| 12 | Derby County | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 80 | 80 | 1.000 | 40 | |
| 13 | Luton Town | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 71 | 79 | 0.899 | 39 | |
| 14 | Leeds United | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 75 | 83 | 0.904 | 38 | |
| 15 | Rotherham United | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 65 | 64 | 1.016 | 37 | |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 61 | 75 | 0.813 | 37 | |
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 73 | 92 | 0.793 | 37 | |
| 18 | Stoke City | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 36 | |
| 19 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 55 | 78 | 0.705 | 36 | |
| 20 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 62 | 71 | 0.873 | 35 | |
| 21 | Portsmouth | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 64 | 91 | 0.703 | 33 | Relegated to the Third Division |
| 22 | Lincoln City | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 48 | 95 | 0.505 | 24 | Relegated to the Third Division |

### Third Division

Bury won promotion to the Second Division as champions of the Third Division and were joined in the higher division by runners-up Walsall.

Chesterfield, Colchester United and Tranmere Rovers, who had all spent most or all of their history in nothing higher than the league's third tier, went down to the Fourth Division, but were relegated along with a Bradford City side who had played in the First Division for a number of seasons until 1922 and were FA Cup winners in 1911.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Bury | 46 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 108 | 45 | 2.400 | 68 | Promoted to the Second Division |
| 2 | Walsall | 46 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 98 | 60 | 1.633 | 62 | Promoted to the Second Division |
| 3 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 93 | 60 | 1.550 | 60 | |
| 4 | Watford | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 85 | 72 | 1.181 | 52 | |
| 5 | Notts County | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 82 | 77 | 1.065 | 51 | |
| 6 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 77 | 69 | 1.116 | 50 | |
| 7 | Port Vale | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 96 | 79 | 1.215 | 49 | |
| 8 | Barnsley | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 83 | 80 | 1.038 | 49 | |
| 9 | Halifax Town | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 71 | 78 | 0.910 | 49 | |
| 10 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 83 | 75 | 1.107 | 46 | |
| 11 | Hull City | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 73 | 73 | 1.000 | 46 | |
| 12 | Torquay United | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 75 | 83 | 0.904 | 45 | |
| 13 | Newport County | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 81 | 90 | 0.900 | 45 | |
| 14 | Bristol City | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 70 | 68 | 1.029 | 44 | |
| 15 | Coventry City | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 80 | 83 | 0.964 | 44 | |
| 16 | Swindon Town | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 62 | 55 | 1.127 | 43 | |
| 17 | Brentford | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 56 | 70 | 0.800 | 43 | |
| 18 | Reading | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 72 | 83 | 0.867 | 40 | |
| 19 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 58 | 76 | 0.763 | 40 | |
| 20 | Southend United | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 60 | 76 | 0.789 | 39 | |
| 21 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 79 | 115 | 0.687 | 38 | Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| 22 | Bradford City | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 65 | 87 | 0.747 | 36 | Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| 23 | Colchester United | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 68 | 101 | 0.673 | 33 | Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| 24 | Chesterfield | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 67 | 87 | 0.770 | 32 | Relegated to the Fourth Division |

### Fourth Division

Peterborough United enjoyed a blistering debut in the Football League, finding the net 134 times (with 52 goals coming from centre-forward Terry Bly) and clinching the Fourth Division title. They were joined in promotion by Crystal Palace, Northampton Town and Bradford Park Avenue.

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Peterborough United | 46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 134 | 65 | 2.062 | 94 | Promoted to the Third Division |
| 2 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 29 | 6 | 11 | 110 | 69 | 1.594 | 93 | Promoted to the Third Division |
| 3 | Northampton Town | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 90 | 62 | 1.452 | 85 | Promoted to the Third Division |
| 4 | Bradford Park Avenue | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 84 | 74 | 1.135 | 86 | Promoted to the Third Division |
| 5 | York City | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 80 | 60 | 1.333 | 72 | |
| 6 | Millwall | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 97 | 86 | 1.128 | 71 | |
| 7 | Darlington | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 78 | 70 | 1.114 | 67 | |
| 8 | Workington | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 74 | 76 | 0.974 | 70 | |
| 9 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 61 | 67 | 0.910 | 69 | |
| 10 | Aldershot | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 79 | 69 | 1.145 | 63 | |
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 76 | 78 | 0.974 | 64 | |
| 12 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 79 | 88 | 0.898 | 64 | |
| 13 | Stockport County | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 57 | 66 | 0.864 | 63 | |
| 14 | Southport | 46 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 69 | 67 | 1.030 | 63 | |
| 15 | Gillingham | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 64 | 66 | 0.970 | 58 | |
| 16 | Wrexham | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 62 | 56 | 1.107 | 59 | |
| 17 | Rochdale | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 60 | 66 | 0.909 | 59 | |
| 18 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 74 | 88 | 0.841 | 56 | |
| 19 | Carlisle United | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 61 | 79 | 0.772 | 52 | |
| 20 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 71 | 78 | 0.910 | 54 | |
| 21 | Exeter City | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 66 | 94 | 0.702 | 52 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Barrow | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 52 | 79 | 0.658 | 50 | Re-elected |
| 23 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 71 | 103 | 0.689 | 44 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Chester | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 61 | 104 | 0.587 | 42 | Re-elected |

### Top goalscorers

First Division

* Jimmy Greaves (Chelsea) – 41 goals

Second Division

* Ray Crawford (Ipswich Town) – 39 goals

Third Division

* Tony Richards (Walsall) – 36 goals

Fourth Division

* Terry Bly (Peterborough United) – 52 goals
