1985–86 Leicester City F.C. season
# 1985–86 Leicester City F.C. season

During the 1985–86 English football season, Leicester City F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, their third consecutive season at this level since promotion. A 19th-place finish in the final table was just enough to secure a fourth successive top flight campaign.

## Season summary

In the summer of 1985, the transfer market was dominated by one deal with Gary Lineker's contract at Filbert Street expiring at the end of the last season: Lineker joined Everton in June for a club record sale of £800,000. Leicester started the 1985–86 season terribly with just 2 wins in their first 14 league games. Their only real highlight of the season was when the Foxes did the double over champions Everton and on the final day of the season, Leicester beat Newcastle United 2–0 at Filbert Street and with Ipswich Town losing at Sheffield Wednesday, it kept the Foxes in the top flight and sent Ipswich down.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 17 | Coventry City | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 48 | 71 | −23 | 43 | |
| 18 | Oxford United | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 62 | 80 | −18 | 42 | Disqualified from the UEFA Cup |
| 19 | Leicester City | 42 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 54 | 76 | −22 | 42 | |
| 20 | Ipswich Town (R) | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 32 | 55 | −23 | 41 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 21 | Birmingham City (R) | 42 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 30 | 73 | −43 | 29 | Relegation to the Second Division |

* ↑ Oxford United would have qualified as League Cup winners.

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| - | GK | ENG | Ian Andrews |
| - | MF | NIR | Paul Ramsey |
| - | DF | SCO | Bobby Smith |
| - | MF | ENG | Rob Kelly |
| - | DF | ENG | Russell Osman |
| - | DF | NIR | John O'Neill |
| - | MF | ENG | Steve Lynex |
| - | FW | ENG | Mark Bright |
| - | FW | ENG | Alan Smith |
| - | MF | SCO | Ian Wilson |
| - | MF | ENG | Ian Banks |
| - | MF | SCO | Ally Mauchlen |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | DF | SCO | Tommy Williams |
| - | FW | ENG | Robert Jones |
| - | DF | ENG | Andy Feeley |
| - | FW | ENG | Tony Sealy |
| - | DF | SCO | David Rennie |
| - | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister |
| - | DF | ENG | Simon Morgan |
| - | GK | ENG | Jerry Roberts |
| - | FW | DEN | Tommy Christensen |
| - | MF | ENG | Laurie Cunningham |
| - | DF | ENG | Mark Venus |
| - | MF | ENG | Paul Reid |

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 15 August 1985 | MF | Gary McAllister | Motherwell | £125,000 | |
| 15 August 1985 | DF | Ally Mauchlen | Motherwell | £125,000 | |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 July 1985 | FW | Gary Lineker | Everton | £800,000 | |
| 17 January 1986 | DF | David Rennie | Leeds United | £50,000 | |

    Transfers in: £250,000
    Transfers out: £850,000
    Total spending: £600,000
