1986-87 IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL

The '1986-87' season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.

Contents

Overview

First Division

Second Division

Third Division

Fourth Division

FA Cup

League Cup

Star Players

Star managers

Diary of the season

Deaths

Honours

League table

Overview

First Division

The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off competition from runners-up Liverpool and third-placed Tottenham. Fourth place in the league went to newly promoted Norwich City, whose manager Ken Brown built a strong squad on a limited budget to achieve a finish which would have been enough to qualify for UEFA Cup had it not been for the ongoing ban on English clubs in European competitions.
Wimbledon finished sixth in the First Division in only their tenth season as a Football League club. Dave Bassett's men had led the league for the first two weeks of September, but sixth place was still much higher than most pundits had tipped them for at the start of the season.
Aston Villa were relegated to the Second Division just five years after they won the European Cup. Chairman Doug Ellis had sensed from the start that 1986-87 would be a tough season for the club, so he axed manager Graham Turner in September and replaced him with Manchester City's Billy McNeill. But McNeill was unable to stop the rot and Villa went down in bottom place. McNeill was subsequently sacked and replaced by Watford's Graham Taylor.
Villa were joined on the way down by Manchester City and Leicester City. In the first season of the relegation/promotion playoffs, Charlton Athletic beat Second Division Leeds United to retain their top flight status.
Manchester United, whose blistering start to the previous seaosn had ended in failure, started the 1986-87 season badly and entered November second from bottom in the league. Manager Ron Atkinson paid for these failings with his job and in came the Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson to replace him. Ferguson rejuvenated United and they climbed up the table to finish in a secure 11th place.

Second Division

Just two clubs were promoted from the Second Division this season. Champions Derby County were promoted for a second successive season; 12 seasons after they were last crowned champions of the First Division. Under the management of Arthur Cox they arrested an alarming slide which had seen them spend their centenary season (1984-85) in the 3rd Division. Runners-up spot went to Portsmouth, who were also automatically promoted.
The three playoff places were occupied by Oldham Athletic, Leeds United and Ipswich Town. Oldham and Ipswich blew their chances in the semi-finals, while Leeds were defeated by Charlton in the final to miss out on promotion - an FA Cup semi-final defeat had ended their chances of success in the cup competitions.
The relegation/promotion playoffs which operated between the Second and Third Divisions saw Sunderland go down to the Third Division for the first time in their history after losing to Gillingham in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Gillingham were subsequently defeated in a play-off final replay that saw Swindon Town promoted to the second tier. Lawrie McMenemy was sacked by the Rokerites at the end of March and Bob Stokoe, manager of the 1973 FA Cup winning team, was brought in as his successor, but was unable to keep Sunderland clear of the drop.

Third Division

The three promotion places in this division were gained by three clubs who were among the least fancied promotion contenders at the start of the season. Champions Bournemouth were promoted to the Second Division for the first time in their history thanks to the efforts of hard working manager Harry Redknapp. Runners-up spot went to Bruce Rioch's Middlesbrough, who had begun the season on the verge of extinction and had been forced to play their first home game of the season at Hartlepool's ground because the official receiver had locked them out of Ayresome Park.
The relegation/promotion playoffs between the Third and Fourth Divisions saw Bolton Wanderers go down to the bottom division for the first time. Carlisle, Darlington and Newport County were also relegated.

Fourth Division

The stars of the Fourth Division during 1986-87 were Graham Carr's runaway champions Northampton Town, with young midfielder Eddie McGoldrick being the key player in his side's season of success.
Down at the bottom end of the division, an injury time winner for Torquay United kept them in the Football League after a police dog had bitten one of their players. The introduction of automatic relegation to the Conference saw Lincoln City lose their league status in favour of Conference champions Scarborough.
1986-87 saw many famous clubs reach their lowest ebb throughout the league. In the Fourth Division it was Burnley - league champions 27 years earlier - who plummeted to new depths. They finished third from bottom in the league and only a win on the last day of the season prevented them from going down to the Conference.

FA Cup

Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur contested the 1987 FA Cup final. Coventry were in the final for the first time, whereas Tottenham had won all seven of their previous appearances. But a 3-2 scoreline surprised all the observers and saw Coventry lift their first-ever major trophy. But the ban on English clubs in Europe prevented them from qualifying for the Cup Winners' Cup. Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence, 39, retired at the end of a long and distinguished playing career after this match.

League Cup

George Graham's return to Arsenal as manager was a success as he guided the North Londoners to glory in the League Cup after an eight-year trophy drought.

Star Players

★ Tottenham striker Clive Allen, who scored 49 goals in all competitions, was voted Player of the Year by both the PFA and FWA - although his prolific goalscoring was not enough to win any trophies for Spurs who had been in the hunt for all three domestic prizes throughout the season.

★ 20-year-old Arsenal defender Tony Adams was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA for contributing to his side's good progress in the league as well as their League Cup triumph.

★ Mick Quinn scored 24 league goals to help Portsmouth win promotion to the First Division, despite missing three games in February while he served a prison sentence for disqualified driving.

Star managers

★ Howard Kendall was voted Manager of the Year for guiding Everton to their second league title in three seasons, but he faced stiff competitions from other managers who enjoyed success during the 1986-87 season.

★ In the First Division, Ken Brown guided Norwich to a top-five finish just one year after winning promotion back to the top flight. Dave Bassett helped Wimbledon achieve a strong sixth-place finish in their first season as a top division club - and only their tenth in the Football League. George Graham ended Arsenal's eight-year trophy drought by bringing them silverware in the shape of the League Cup. And Coventry's John Sillett brought his unfancied club their first-ever major trophy by guiding them to victory over favourites Tottenham in the FA Cup final.

★ In the Second Division, Arthur Cox helped Derby County win the Second Division championship one year after they had won promotion from the Third Division. Portsmouth's Alan Ball guided his side to runners-up spot and helped them win promotion after a long absence from the top flight. Joe Royle continued to take Oldham from strength to strength in the Second Division and they only just missed out on promotion.

★ In the Third Division, Harry Redknapp guided Bournemouth to championship glory and brought them Second Division football for the first time. Bruce Rioch rescued Middlesbrough from financial oblivion to secure the second promotion place to the Second Division. Lou Macari secured Swindon's second successive promotion, this time as playoff winners in the Third Division.

★ In the Fourth Division, Graham Carr built a strong Northampton side which ran away with the championship and gave hope for the future at a club who some years earlier had completed a quick slump from the First Division to the Fourth.

★ Neil Warnock became the first manager to take a Conference side into the Football League after Scarborough won the Conference title and became the first club to gain automatic promotion to the league.

Diary of the season

1 September 1986 - Wimbledon, in the First Division for the first time and Football League members for just 10 seasons, go top of the league with a 1-0 away win over Charlton Athletic.
14 September 1986 - Aston Villa sack manager Graham Turner after just over two years at the helm.
16 October 1986 - Former Everton goalkeeper Ted Sagar dies at the age of 76.
5 November 1986 - Ron Atkinson is sacked after five years as manager of Manchester United, who are second from bottom in the First Division.
6 November 1986 - Manchester United appoint Alex Ferguson from Aberdeen as their new manager.
3 December 1986 - Former Southampton and Republic of Ireland winger Austin Hayes dies of lung cancer at the age of 28, 3 weeks after the illness was diagnosed.
19 January 1987 - Portsmouth striker Micky Quinn is found guilty on a double charge of driving while disqualified and receives a 21-day prison sentence.
2 February 1987 - Micky Quinn is released from prison after serving 14 days of his 21-day sentence.
27 February 1987 - Details are announced of a proposed merger between Crystal Palace and Wimbledon.
27 March 1987 - Lawrie McMenemy, earning 200,000 a year as the manager of Sunderland, is removed from his position with the Wearsiders in real danger of relegation to the Second Division. He is replaced by Bob Stokoe, manager of Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup winning team, who returns to Roker Park on a temporary contract.
28 March 1987 - Liverpool's title bid is hit with a shock 2-1 home defeat against Wimbledon.
2 April 1987 - Former Aston Villa and Wales midfielder Trevor Hockey dies of a heart attack at the age of 43 after collapsing during a charity football match in West Yorkshire.
3 May 1987 - Everton are confirmed champions of the First Division.
10 May 1987 - The First Division campaign ends with Everton as champions, with the remaining top-five places going to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Norwich City respectively, but none of these teams will be competing in Europe next season as a majority vote by UEFA has resulted in the ban on English teams continuing for at least another season.
16 May 1987 - Coventry City win the first major trophy of their history with a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup final. Their opponents, managed by David Pleat, had been unbeaten in all of their previous seven appearances in the final.

Deaths

★ Austin Hayes, 28, died of lung cancer just 3 weeks after the illness was diagnosed. He had been on the losing side for Southampton against Nottingham Forest in the 1979 League Cup final and was capped by Éire in the same year. He later turned out for Millwall and Northampton Town, and just before his death had a brief spell playing in Sweden.

★ Trevor Hockey, 43, died of a heart attack while participating in a five-a-side football tournament for charity. He was a former Welsh international footballer who also played for clubs including Bradford City and Aston Villa.

★ Ted Sagar, 76, was a goalkeeper for Everton from 1929 until 1954. His team-mates included Dixie Dean and Tommy Lawton.

★ Jamie Baker, 9, was mascot for Everton in their fixture against Manchester United on 21st September and died hours later from leukaemia.

★ Barry Salvage, 38, a former QPR and Fulham midfielder, died of a heart attack after collapsing at Eastbourne during a charity run.

Honours

Competition	Winner	Runner-up
First Division	Everton	Liverpool
Second Division	Derby County	Portsmouth
Third Division	Bournemouth	Middlesbrough
Fourth Division	Northampton Town	Preston North End
FA Cup	Coventry City	Tottenham Hotspur
League Cup	Arsenal	Liverpool
Full Members Cup	Blackburn Rovers	Charlton Athletic
Freight Rover Trophy	Mansfield Town	Bristol City
Charity Shield	Everton and Liverpool (shared)

League table

===First Division===

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
'1'	'Everton'	'42'	'26'	'8'	'8'	'76'	'31'	'+45'	'86'
2	Liverpool	42	23	8	11	72	42	+30	77
3	Tottenham Hotspur	42	21	8	13	68	43	+25	71
4	Arsenal	42	20	10	12	58	35	+23	70
5	Norwich City	42	17	17	8	53	51	+2	68
6	Wimbledon	42	19	9	14	57	50	+7	66
7	Luton Town	42	18	12	12	47	45	+2	66
8	Nottingham Forest	42	18	11	13	64	51	+13	65
9	Watford	42	18	9	15	67	54	+13	63
10	Coventry City	42	17	12	13	50	45	+5	63
11	Manchester United	42	14	14	14	52	45	+7	56
12	Southampton	42	14	10	18	69	68	+1	52
13	Sheffield Wednesday	42	13	13	16	58	59	-1	52
14	Chelsea	42	13	13	16	53	64	-11	52
15	West Ham United	42	14	10	18	52	67	-15	52
16	Queen's Park Rangers	42	13	11	18	48	64	-16	50
17	Newcastle United	42	12	11	19	47	65	-18	47
18	Oxford United	42	11	13	18	44	69	-25	46
19	Charlton Athletic	42	11	11	20	45	55	-10	44
20	Leicester City	42	11	9	22	54	76	-22	42
21	Manchester City	42	8	15	19	36	57	-21	39
22	Aston Villa	42	8	12	22	45	79	-34	36

===Second Division===

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
'1'	'Derby County'	'42'	'25'	'9'	'8'	'64'	'38'	'+26'	'84'
2	Portsmouth	42	23	9	10	53	28	+25	78
3	Oldham Athletic	42	22	9	11	65	44	+21	75
4	Leeds United	42	19	11	12	58	44	+14	68
5	Ipswich Town	42	17	13	12	59	43	+16	64
6	Crystal Palace	42	19	5	18	51	53	-2	62
7	Plymouth Argyle	42	16	13	13	62	57	+5	61
8	Stoke City	42	16	10	16	63	53	+10	58
9	Sheffield United	42	15	13	14	50	49	+1	58
10	Bradford City	42	15	10	17	62	62	+0	55
11	Barnsley	42	14	13	15	49	52	-3	55
12	Blackburn Rovers	42	15	10	17	45	55	-10	55
13	Reading	42	14	11	17	52	59	-7	53
14	Hull City	42	13	14	15	41	55	-14	53
15	West Bromwich Albion	42	13	12	17	51	49	+2	51
16	Millwall	42	14	9	19	39	45	-6	51
17	Huddersfield Town	42	13	12	17	54	61	-7	51
18	Shrewsbury Town	42	15	6	21	41	53	-12	51
19	Birmingham City	42	11	17	14	47	59	-12	50
20	Sunderland	42	12	12	18	49	59	-10	48
21	Grimsby Town	42	10	14	18	39	59	-20	44
22	Brighton & Hove Albion	42	9	12	21	37	54	-17	39

===Third Division===

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
'1'	'Bournemouth'	'46'	'29'	'10'	'7'	'76'	'40'	'+36'	'97'
2	Middlesbrough	46	28	10	8	67	30	+37	94
3	Swindon Town	46	25	12	9	77	47	+30	87
4	Wigan Athletic	46	25	10	11	83	60	+23	85
5	Gillingham	46	23	9	14	65	48	+17	78
6	Bristol City	46	21	14	11	63	36	+27	77
7	Notts County	46	21	13	12	77	56	+21	76
8	Walsall	46	22	9	15	80	67	+13	75
9	Blackpool	46	16	16	14	74	59	+15	64
10	Mansfield Town	46	15	16	15	52	55	-3	61
11	Brentford	46	15	15	16	64	66	-2	60
12	Port Vale	46	15	12	19	76	70	+6	57
13	Doncaster Rovers	46	14	15	17	56	62	-6	57
14	Rotherham United	46	15	12	19	48	57	-9	57
15	Chester City	46	13	17	16	61	59	+2	56
16	Bury	46	14	13	19	54	60	-6	55
17	Chesterfield	46	13	15	18	56	69	-13	54
18	Fulham	46	12	17	17	59	77	-18	53
19	Bristol Rovers	46	13	12	21	49	75	-26	51
20	York City	46	12	13	21	55	79	-24	49
21	Bolton Wanderers	46	10	15	21	46	58	-12	45
22	Carlisle United	46	10	8	28	39	78	-39	38
23	Darlington	46	7	16	23	45	77	-32	37
24	Newport County	46	8	13	25	49	86	-37	37

===Fourth Division===

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
'1'	'Northampton Town'	'46'	'30'	'9'	'7'	'103'	'53'	'+50'	'99'
2	Preston North End	46	26	12	8	72	47	+25	90
3	Southend United	46	25	5	16	68	55	+13	80
4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	24	7	15	69	50	+19	79
5	Colchester United	46	21	7	18	64	56	+8	70
6	Aldershot	46	20	10	16	64	57	+7	70
7	Leyton Orient	46	20	9	17	64	61	+3	69
8	Scunthorpe United	46	18	12	16	73	57	+16	66
9	Wrexham	46	15	20	11	70	51	+19	65
10	Peterborough United	46	17	14	15	57	50	+7	65
11	Cambridge United	46	17	11	18	60	62	-2	62
12	Swansea City	46	17	11	18	56	61	-5	62
13	Cardiff City	46	15	16	15	48	50	-2	61
14	Exeter City	46	11	23	12	53	49	+4	56
15	Halifax Town	46	15	10	21	59	74	-15	55
16	Hereford United	46	14	11	21	60	61	-1	53
17	Crewe Alexandra	46	13	14	19	70	72	-2	53
18	Hartlepool United	46	11	18	17	44	65	-21	51
19	Stockport County	46	13	12	21	40	69	-29	51
20	Tranmere Rovers	46	11	17	18	54	72	-18	50
21	Rochdale	46	11	17	18	54	73	-19	50
22	Burnley	46	12	13	21	53	74	-21	49
23	Torquay United	46	10	18	18	56	72	-16	48
24	Lincoln City	46	12	12	22	45	65	-20	48

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points