1989–90 in English football

The 1989–90 season was the 110th season of competitive football in England.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 European competitions 1.2 The Football League 1.2.1 First Division 1.2.2 Second Division 1.2.3 Third Division 1.2.4 Fourth Division 1.3 Cup competitions and Charity Shield 1.4 New stadia 2 League Tables 2.1 First Division 2.2 Second Division 2.3 Third Division 2.4 Fourth Division 3 Successful players 4 Successful managers 5 Famous debutants 6 Top goalscorers 6.1 First Division 6.2 Second Division 6.3 Third Division 6.4 Fourth Division 7 Retirements 8 Diary of the season 9 Deaths 10 References

Overview

European competitions

English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.

The Football League

First Division

Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish's management. To date, this remains their last league title. Gary Lineker's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur saw the North Londoners occupy third place after a season of improvement.

Luton Town stayed up on goal difference at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday's relegation, while Charlton's four-year spell in the First Division came to an end at the beginning of May. Millwall were rooted to the bottom of the division despite briefly topping the league in September.

Second Division

Leeds United finally returned to the top flight after an eight-year exile, as Howard Wilkinson's side lifted the Second Division championship trophy thanks to a superior goal difference over runners-up Sheffield United.

Swindon Town won the Second Division playoff final but Sunderland were promoted instead on away goals after the Swindon board admitted a series of financial irregularities. Swindon were initially relegated to the Third Division and replaced by Tranmere due to financial irregularities before competing in the playoffs, the division's losing Play-Off finalists, but this decision was later reversed on appeal and it allowed Swindon to finish 4th in one division and Tranmere to finish 4th in the other division.

A.F.C. Bournemouth, Stoke City and Bradford City occupied the relegation places.

Third Division

The city of Bristol was celebrating after Rovers were crowned champions and City finished runners-up in the Third Division to gain promotion. The third promotion spot was secured by playoff winners Notts County, who beat Leyland Daf Trophy winners Tranmere Rovers at Wembley.

Walsall suffered a second successive relegation and would be joined in the Fourth Division the following season by Blackpool, Cardiff City and Northampton Town.

Fourth Division

Exeter City were crowned Fourth Division champions and went up to the Third Division along with runners-up Grimsby Town, third-placed Southend United and playoff winners Cambridge United. Newly promoted Maidstone United almost ended their first league season with success, but their promotion hopes were ended by playoff failure.

Colchester United were relegated from the league and replaced by Conference champions Darlington, who regained their league status just one season after losing it.

Cup competitions and Charity Shield

Alex Ferguson silenced the critics who attacked him for a lack of progress in the league by guiding Manchester United to a 1–0 replay victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, which was achieved after a 3–3 draw. The pivotal game in his side's season had been in the televised third round tie at Nottingham Forest, when a Mark Robins goal gave relegation-threatened United a surprise win and triggered improved times for the club. They won the cup despite not playing a home game along the way.

The season produced arguably the most memorable combination of FA Cup semi-finals in history, as Crystal Palace surprisingly beat Liverpool 4–3 just a couple of hours before Manchester United and Oldham Athletic fought out a 3–3 draw, with United going on to win the replay 2–1.

Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest retained their League Cup by beating Oldham Athletic 1–0 at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 1–0 in the final of the Full Members Cup. It was the first of three Wembley finals between the pair in the 1990s.

New stadia

The season marked the beginning of the regular trend for clubs to leave their homes of many years and head for purpose built new stadia, following the bold move to Glanford Park by Scunthorpe United in 1988. Walsall and Chester City brought the curtain down on their many years at Fellows Park and Sealand Road respectively (both with games against Rotherham United). Walsall moved to the Bescot Stadium, while Chester began a groundshare with Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose until their new stadium was completed.

Meanwhile, Football Conference sides Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town relocated to Adams Park and Huish Park respectively.

League Tables

First Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Liverpool (C)	38	23	10	5	78	37	+41	79
2	Aston Villa	38	21	7	10	57	38	+19	70
3	Tottenham Hotspur	38	19	6	13	59	47	+12	63
4	Arsenal	38	18	8	12	54	38	+16	62
5	Chelsea	38	16	12	10	58	50	+8	60
6	Everton	38	17	8	13	57	46	+11	59
7	Southampton	38	15	10	13	71	63	+8	55
8	Wimbledon	38	13	16	9	47	40	+7	55
9	Nottingham Forest	38	15	9	14	55	47	+8	54
10	Norwich City	38	13	14	11	44	42	+2	53
11	Queens Park Rangers	38	13	11	14	45	44	+1	50
12	Coventry City	38	14	7	17	39	59	−20	49
13	Manchester United	38	13	9	16	46	47	−1	48
14	Manchester City	38	12	12	14	43	52	−9	48
15	Crystal Palace	38	13	9	16	42	66	−24	48
16	Derby County	38	13	7	18	43	40	+3	46
17	Luton Town	38	10	13	15	43	57	−14	43
18	Sheffield Wednesday (R)	38	11	10	17	35	51	−16	43	Relegated to Second Division
19	Charlton Athletic (R)	38	7	9	22	31	57	−26	30
20	Millwall (R)	38	5	11	22	39	65	−26	26

Second Division

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Leeds United	46		16	6	1	46	18		8	7	8	33	34		79	52	+ 27	85
2	Sheffield United	46		14	5	4	43	27		10	8	5	35	31		78	58	+ 20	85
3	Newcastle United	46		17	4	2	51	26		5	10	8	29	29		80	55	+ 25	80
4	Swindon Town	46		12	6	5	49	29		8	8	7	30	30		79	59	+ 20	74
5	Blackburn Rovers	46		10	9	4	43	30		9	8	6	31	29		74	60	+ 14	74
6	Sunderland	46		10	8	5	41	32		10	6	7	29	32		70	64	+ 8	74	[1]
7	West Ham United	46		14	5	4	50	22		6	7	10	30	35		80	57	+ 23	72
8	Oldham Athletic	46		15	7	1	50	23		4	7	12	20	34		70	57	+ 13	71
9	Ipswich Town	46		13	7	3	38	22		6	5	12	29	44		67	51	+ 16	69
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46		12	5	6	37	20		6	8	9	30	40		67	50	+ 17	67
11	Port Vale	46		11	9	3	37	20		4	7	12	25	37		62	57	+ 5	61
12	Portsmouth	46		9	8	6	40	34		6	8	9	22	31		62	65	– 3	61
13	Leicester City	46		10	8	5	34	29		5	6	12	33	50		67	79	– 12	59
14	Hull City	46		7	8	8	27	31		7	8	8	31	34		58	65	– 7	58
15	Watford	46		11	6	6	41	28		3	9	11	17	32		58	60	– 2	57
16	Plymouth Argyle	46		9	8	6	30	23		5	5	13	28	40		58	63	– 5	55
17	Oxford United	46		8	7	8	35	31		7	2	14	22	35		57	66	– 9	54
18	Brighton & Hove Albion	46		10	6	7	28	27		5	3	15	28	45		56	72	– 16	54
19	Barnsley	46		7	9	7	22	23		6	6	11	27	48		49	71	– 22	54
20	West Bromwich Albion	46		6	8	9	35	37		6	7	10	32	34		67	71	– 4	51
21	Middlesbrough	46		10	3	10	33	29		3	8	12	19	34		52	63	– 11	50
22	Bournemouth	46		8	6	9	30	31		4	6	13	27	45		57	76	– 19	48
23	Bradford City	46		9	6	8	26	24		0	8	15	18	44		44	68	– 24	41
24	Stoke City	46		4	11	8	20	24		2	8	13	15	39		35	63	– 28	37

Note: Swindon Town Began financial irregularities before competing in the playoffs and lost on away goals

Third Division

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Bristol Rovers	46		15	8	0	43	14		11	7	5	28	21		71	35	+ 36	93
2	Bristol City	46		15	5	3	40	16		12	5	6	36	24		76	40	+ 36	91
3	Notts County	46		17	4	2	40	18		8	8	7	33	35		73	53	+ 20	87	[2]
4	Tranmere Rovers	46		15	5	3	54	22		8	6	9	32	27		86	49	+ 37	80
5	Bury	46		11	7	5	35	19		10	4	9	35	30		70	49	+ 21	74
6	Bolton Wanderers	46		12	7	4	32	19		6	8	9	27	29		59	48	+ 11	69
7	Birmingham City	46		10	7	6	33	19		8	5	10	27	40		60	59	+ 1	66
8	Huddersfield Town	46		11	5	7	30	23		6	9	8	31	39		61	62	– 1	65
9	Rotherham United	46		12	6	5	48	28		5	7	11	23	34		71	62	+ 9	64
10	Reading	46		10	9	4	33	21		5	10	8	24	32		57	53	+ 4	64
11	Shrewsbury Town	46		10	9	4	38	24		6	6	11	21	30		59	54	+ 5	63
12	Crewe Alexandra	46		10	8	5	32	24		5	9	9	24	29		56	54	+ 2	62
13	Brentford	46		11	4	8	41	31		7	3	13	25	35		66	66	± 0	61
14	Leyton Orient	46		9	6	8	28	24		7	4	12	24	32		52	56	– 4	58
15	Mansfield Town	46		13	2	8	34	25		3	5	15	16	40		50	65	– 15	55
16	Chester City	46		11	7	5	30	23		2	8	13	13	32		43	55	– 12	54
17	Swansea City	46		10	6	7	25	27		4	6	13	20	36		45	63	– 18	54
18	Wigan Athletic	46		10	6	7	29	22		3	8	12	19	42		48	64	– 16	53
19	Preston North End	46		10	7	6	42	30		4	3	16	23	49		65	79	– 14	52
20	Fulham	46		8	8	7	33	27		4	7	12	22	39		55	66	– 11	51
21	Cardiff City	46		6	9	8	30	35		6	5	12	21	35		51	70	– 19	50
22	Northampton	46		7	7	9	27	31		4	7	12	24	37		51	68	– 17	47
23	Blackpool	46		8	6	9	29	33		2	10	11	20	40		49	73	– 24	46
24	Walsall	46		6	8	9	23	30		3	6	14	17	42		40	72	– 30	41

Fourth Division

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Exeter City	46		20	3	0	50	14		8	2	13	33	34		83	48	+ 35	89
2	Grimsby Town	46		14	4	5	41	20		8	9	6	29	27		70	47	+ 23	79
3	Southend United	46		15	3	5	35	14		7	6	10	26	34		61	48	+ 13	75
4	Stockport County	46		13	6	4	45	27		8	5	10	23	35		68	62	+ 4	74
5	Maidstone United	46		14	4	5	49	21		8	3	12	28	40		77	61	+ 16	73
6	Cambridge United	46		14	3	6	45	30		7	7	9	31	36		86	66	+ 20	73	[3]
7	Chesterfield	46		12	9	2	41	19		7	5	11	22	31		63	50	+ 13	71
8	Carlisle United	46		15	4	4	38	20		6	4	13	23	40		61	50	+ 11	71
9	Peterborough United	46		10	8	5	35	23		7	9	7	24	23		59	46	+ 13	68
10	Lincoln City	46		11	6	6	30	27		7	8	8	18	21		48	48	± 0	68
11	Scunthorpe United	46		9	9	5	42	25		8	6	9	27	29		69	54	+ 15	66
12	Rochdale	46		11	4	8	28	23		9	2	12	24	32		52	55	– 3	66
13	York City	46		10	5	8	29	24		6	11	6	26	29		55	53	+ 2	64
14	Gillingham	46		9	8	6	28	21		8	3	12	18	27		46	48	– 2	62
15	Torquay United	46		12	2	9	33	29		3	10	10	20	37		53	66	– 13	57
16	Burnley	46		6	10	7	19	18		8	4	11	26	37		45	55	– 10	56
17	Hereford United	46		7	4	12	31	32		8	6	9	25	30		56	62	– 6	55
18	Scarborough	46		10	5	8	35	28		5	5	13	25	45		60	73	– 13	55
19	Hartlepool United	46		12	4	7	45	33		3	6	14	21	55		66	88	– 22	55
20	Doncaster Rovers	46		7	7	9	29	29		7	2	14	24	31		53	60	– 17	51
21	Wrexham	46		8	8	7	28	28		5	4	14	23	39		51	67	– 16	51	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1990–91 First round[4]
22	Aldershot	46		8	7	8	28	26		4	7	12	21	43		49	69	– 20	50
23	Halifax Town	46		5	9	9	31	29		7	4	12	26	36		57	65	– 8	49
24	Colchester United	46		9	3	11	26	25		2	7	14	22	50		48	75	– 27	43

Successful players

• David Platt's frequent goalscoring from the Aston Villa midfield was not quite enough to earn his side the championship trophy, but it was enough for him to win the PFA Player of the Year award.
• Liverpool's John Barnes scored over 20 goals and helped his team win another league title and himself win the FWA Player of the Year award.
• Southampton's highly rated young Guernsey-born striker Matthew Le Tissier was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his exciting performances.
• Manchester United's Mark Hughes had another good season as he helped his side overcome disappointing league form and reach the FA Cup final where he scored twice in the first game before they won the replay.
• Oldham's Andy Ritchie scored 28 goals in all competitions as his side reached the F.A. Cup semi-final and League Cup final. His team-mate Frankie Bunn scored six times in his side's League Cup win over Scarborough.
• Newcastle striker Mick Quinn scored 32 times in the league and 36 in all competitions, but couldn't quite earn his side promotion to the First Division.
• Promising Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson emerged as a competent goalscorer, but his side's relegation to the Second Division saw him wanting top flight football, which he got in the form of a transfer to Spanish side Real Sociedad.
• Wolves striker Steve Bull had another excellent season, highlighted by scoring four goals against Newcastle in the Second Division on New Year's Day and being the only Second Division player to feature in England's World Cup squad.

Successful managers

• Kenny Dalglish brought another championship trophy to Liverpool after fighting off a late challenge from Aston Villa.
• Alex Ferguson finally guided Manchester United to a major trophy after four seasons of trying when they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final replay.
• Graham Taylor took Aston Villa to the brink of championship glory just one season after they had been on the brink of relegation.
• Steve Coppell took Crystal Palace to their first ever FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United in a replay after beating League Champions Liverpool in the semi final.
• Dave Bassett took Sheffield United to a second successive promotion to bring top flight football to Bramall Lane for the first time since the 1970s.
• Howard Wilkinson led Leeds United back into the First Division after an eight-year exile.
• Bobby Campbell guided newly promoted Chelsea to fifth place in the First Division.
• Gerry Francis took Bristol Rovers to the Third Division championship.
• Neil Warnock ended Notts County's five-year spell in the Third Division by guiding them to success in the promotion playoffs.
• Alan Buckley rejuvenated Grimsby Town by guiding them to promotion success in the Fourth Division.
• Brian Little took Darlington back into the Football League at the first attempt by guiding them to the Conference title.
• Joe Royle guided Oldham to the League Cup final (their first ever Wembley appearance) and the F.A. Cup semi-final (their first appearance at that stage of the competition since 1913.
• Denis Smith took Sunderland back to the top flight only 3 seasons after they had been relegated into the third tier for the first (and to date only) time in their history.

Famous debutants

• 19 August 1989: Trevor Sinclair, 16-year-old winger, makes his debut for Blackpool in their opening game of the Third Division campaign – a goalless draw at home to Wigan Athletic.

• 30 April 1990: Mark Bosnich, 18-year-old Australian goalkeeper, keeps a clean sheet on his debut for Manchester United at home to Wimbledon in a First Division goalless draw.

Top goalscorers

First Division

• Gary Lineker (Tottenham Hotspur) – 24 goals

Second Division

• Mick Quinn (Newcastle United) – 32 goals

Third Division

• Bob Taylor (Bristol City) – 27 goals

Fourth Division

• Brett Angell (Stockport County) – 23 goals^[5]

Retirements

• 1 May 1990: Kenny Dalglish, 39-year-old Liverpool player-manager, plays his last game for the club in their 1–0 home win over Derby County.^[6][7]

Diary of the season

1 July 1989 – Midfielder Mike Phelan joins Manchester United in a £750,000 transfer from Norwich City, while Chris Waddle becomes the most expensive British footballer when he leaves Tottenham Hotspur in a £4.5 million move to Olympique Marseille of France.^[8]

5 July 1989 – Lou Macari departs from Swindon Town to succeed John Lyall as manager of West Ham United. He is only the sixth manager to have taken charge of West Ham (recently relegated to the Second Division) since their formation in 1900.

6 July 1989 – After just four months at Glasgow Rangers, Mel Sterland leaves the Scottish league champions and returns to England in a move to Second Division promotion hopefuls Leeds United for £600,000.

7 July 1989 – Tottenham Hotspur accept an offer of £4.5 million from French side Olympique Marseille for winger Chris Waddle – a fee which would make him the most expensively transferred British player and the third most expensive in the world, second only to Diego Maradona of Argentina and Ruud Gullit of Holland.^[9]

8 July 1989 – After a year in France with Bordeaux, Clive Allen returns to England in a £1million move to newly promoted First Division side Manchester City, while Chris Waddle's transfer from Tottenham to Marseille is completed.

10 July 1989 – Scottish striker Mark McGhee returns to Newcastle United on a free transfer from Scottish Cup winners Celtic, as manager Jim Smith revamps his squad in an attempt to reclaim First Division status at the first attempt.

11 July 1989 – Aston Villa sign Kent Nielsen, the Denmark central defender, from Brøndby in a £500,000 deal.

12 July 1989 – Glenn Hysen, the Swedish defender who had been expected to sign for Manchester United, is instead signed by Liverpool. Don Howe, a member of the English coaching staff, resigns as assistant manager of Wimbledon and becomes assistant to Trevor Francis at Queen's Park Rangers.

13 July 1989 – Third Division Notts County reject a £750,000 bid for 22-year-old defender Dean Yates.

15 July 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, who played in Wimbledon's FA Cup final triumph 14 months ago and had a successful spell with West Bromwich Albion in the late 1970s, dies in a car crash in Spain. He was 33 years old and had been playing for Rayo Vallecano at the time of his death.

17 July 1989 – Liverpool sign 18-year-old defender Steve Harkness from Carlisle United for £75,000. Tottenham Hotspur sign midfielder Steve Sedgley from Coventry City for £750,000.

19 July 1989 – Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ossie Ardiles, 37 next month, is appointed player-manager of Swindon Town.

21 July 1989 – A tribunal orders Manchester United to pay £1.5 million to Nottingham Forest for 26-year-old midfielder Neil Webb, who had been valued by Brian Clough at £2.2 million.

23 July 1989 – Arsenal are reported to have bid £1.2 million for the Queen's Park Rangers goalkeeper David Seaman. If the deal goes ahead, Seaman will be British football's first million-pound goalkeeper.

24 July 1989 – Aston Villa sign Manchester United defender Paul McGrath for £400,000.

26 July 1989 – Norman Whiteside moves from Manchester United to Everton for £750,000.

27 July 1989 – Everton pay Leicester City £1.1 million for striker Mike Newell.

28 July 1989 – Maidstone United prepare for their first Football League season with a £10,000 move for 19-year-old Leytonstone defender Warren Barton.

30 July 1989 – George Graham drops his bid to sign David Seaman and Martin Allen from Queen's Park Rangers.

31 July 1989 – Norwich City pay Coventry City £525,000 for Welsh winger David Phillips.

1 August 1989 – Tottenham manager Terry Venables rejects a £650,000 offer from Millwall for midfielder Paul Allen.

3 August 1989 – Nottingham Forest pay Leeds United £650,000 for Republic of Ireland midfielder John Sheridan, while Sheridan's fellow countryman Paul McGrath joins Aston Villa from Manchester United for £400,000.

7 August 1989 – Everton sign Aston Villa defender Martin Keown for £750,000.

14 August 1989 – Adrian Heath returns to English football after less than a year in Spain when he joins Aston Villa from Espanyol for £360,000.^[8]

18 August 1989 – Property tycoon Michael Knighton agrees to buy control of Manchester United in a deal which is believed to be worth around £20 million. Clive Allen returns to England after a year in France with Bordeaux in a £1.1 million transfer to newly promoted Manchester City.

19 August 1989 – Defending First Division champions Arsenal lose 4–1 away to Manchester United, while Second Division promotion favourites Newcastle United and Leeds United clash at St James' Park in a match which ends with the home side winning 5–2 thanks largely to a four-goal scoring spree by new signing Micky Quinn. One of the other promotion favourites, newly relegated West Ham United, have an adverse start to the Second Division campaign when striker Frank McAvennie breaks his leg against Stoke City and is expected to miss most if not all of the rest of the season.^[10]

21 August 1989 – Luton Town pay a club record £650,000 for striker Lars Elstrup from Danish side OB Odense.

22 August 1989 – Tottenham sign defender Pat van den Hauwe from Everton for £650,000.

23 August 1989 – Paul Bracewell, who has missed most of the last three years because of injury, is given the chance of a fresh start – and a promotion challenge – when he joins Sunderland for £250,000.^[8]

24 August 1989 – West Ham United prepare for their Second Division promotion push with a £675,000 move for Queen's Park Rangers midfielder Martin Allen, just weeks after a move to First Division champions Arsenal collapsed.

25 August 1989 – Paul Ince agrees to join Manchester United from West Ham United for a reported £2 million, but the transfer is subject to a medical.

28 August 1989 – Paul Ince's transfer to Manchester United is put on hold as he fails a medical.

29 August 1989 – Gary Pallister becomes Britain's most expensive defender in a £2.3 million move from Middlesbrough to Manchester United.^[8]

31 August 1989 – The first month of the league season ends with Coventry City (yet to win a league title) as First Division leaders. Sheffield Wednesday prop up the table, followed by newly promoted Crystal Palace. Defending champions Arsenal occupy a lowly 15th place, while Manchester United lie 14th after a draw and two defeats followed their impressive 4–1 win over Arsenal on the opening day of the season.^[11] The Second Division promotion race gets underway with West Ham United leading the table level on points with Blackburn Rovers. The playoff places are occupied by Sheffield United (newly promoted), Ipswich Town, Watford and newly relegated Newcastle United.^[12]

1 September 1989 – John Aldridge agrees to leave Liverpool after nearly three years to join Real Sociedad of Spain for £750,000. He won the league title and FA Cup in his time at Anfield, and managed an impressive 64 goals from 106 games.^[13]

6 September 1989 – England draw 0–0 against Sweden in their fifth World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

9 September 1989 – Millwall go top of the First Division in only their second season at this level, five games into the season^[14] by beating Coventry City 4–1 at The Den.^[15]

11 September 1989 – Manchester United's £750,000 bid for Southampton winger Danny Wallace is rejected.

12 September 1989 - Liverpool defeat Crystal Palace 9–0, with eight different players scoring, including John Aldridge, in his last appearance for the club.

14 September 1989 – Manchester United sign midfielder Paul Ince from West Ham United for £1 million, while their improved bid for Southampton's Danny Wallace is accepted.^[8]

15 September 1989 – Queen's Park Rangers pay £175,000 for Oxford United defender David Bardsley, with striker Mark Stein moving to the Manor Ground in exchange.

16 September 1989 – 10 Swansea City fans receive 16-month prison sentences in Athens, Greece, after being convicted of fighting with Panathinaikos fans after a European Cup Winners' Cup tie.^[16]

17 September 1989 – After one draw and three defeat from their last three league games, Manchester United beat Millwall 5–1 at Old Trafford.

18 September 1989 – Manchester United sign winger Danny Wallace from Southampton for £1.2 million.^[8]

23 September 1989 – Manchester United lose 5–1 away to neighbours Manchester City in the first Manchester derby since the 1986–87 season. They remain in the 14th place that they occupied at the end of last month, while Liverpool are now top of the First Division thanks to a 3–1 win at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby, with Ian Rush scoring twice,^[7] and facing unlikely competition from the likes of high-flying Chelsea and Millwall.^[17] In the race to get into the First Division, Sheffield United are top of the Second Division and looking good bets for a second successive promotion, with Blackburn Rovers second in the table and level on points with Newcastle United. Sunderland, Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion complete the top six. Leicester City, often among the pre-season promotion favourites for the last three seasons, prop up the Second Division table sparking fears that they could be relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history.^[18]

28 September 1989 – Despite having already lost four league games this season, Manchester United award a new three-year contract to manager Alex Ferguson.

2 October 1989 – Cyril Knowles, the former Tottenham and England left-back, resigns as manager of Torquay United.

3 October 1989 – Dave Smith^{[disambiguation needed ]}, the former Plymouth Argyle and Dundee United manager, is appointed manager of Torquay United.

6 October 1989 – It is reported in the national media that Michael Knighton's takeover of Manchester United could be about to collapse.

9 October 1989 – Steve Bull, who broke the 50-goal margin in all competitions during the last two seasons with Wolverhampton Wanderers as they rose from the Fourth Division to the Second, is rumoured to be a transfer target for Rangers manager Graeme Souness. However, Wolves manager Graham Turner insists that 24-year-old Bull is not for sale.

11 October 1989 – England draw 0–0 with Poland in Chorzów to secure World Cup qualification.

22 October 1989 – Olympique Marseille, the French champions who added England winger Chris Waddle to their ranks earlier this year, are reported to be in the process of making a bid of £2million for Waddle's England team mate Bryan Robson at Manchester United.

31 October 1989 – October ends with Everton as First Division leaders, though Liverpool have two games in hand and are just two points behind them.^[19] Sheffield United remain top of the Second Division, with Leeds United second and the playoff places occupied by Newcastle United, West Ham United, Sunderland and Plymouth Argyle.^[20]

1 November 1989 – Glasgow Rangers deny media reports that Graeme Souness is to be promoted from manager to chief executive, with Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish being recruited as team manager.

2 November 1989 – Everton sign winger Peter Beagrie from Stoke City for £750,000.^[8]

3 November 1989 – John Sheridan, who played just once for Nottingham Forest after joining them at the start of the season, is sold to Sheffield Wednesday for £500,000.^[8]

7 November 1989 – Mick Mills is sacked after four years as manager of Stoke City, who are winless and bottom of the Second Division.^[21] His successor is Alan Ball, the 1966 World Cup winner and former Portsmouth manager,^[22] who joined Stoke as assistant manager late last month.^[23]

13 November 1989 – Ray Wilkins, former England captain, agrees to join Queen's Park Rangers from Glasgow Rangers on a free transfer at the end of this month.

15 November 1989 – Howard Kendall, the former Everton manager, is dismissed by Spanish side Athletic Bilbao – sparking media reports that he will make an imminent return to English football.

16 November 1989 – Manchester City sign Blackburn Rovers defender Colin Hendry for £700,000. Three Chelsea fans jailed for hooliganism offences in 1987 are freed after their convictions are quashed by the Court of Appeal.

20 November 1989 – Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall denies reports that he is due to leave the club, possibly to join Manchester United.

21 November 1989 – Nigel Martyn, 23, becomes Britain's first £1 million goalkeeper when he joins Crystal Palace from Bristol Rovers.

27 November 1989 – Queen's Park Rangers player-manager Trevor Francis is sacked after just one year in charge.

28 November 1989 – Assistant manager Don Howe succeeds Trevor Francis at Queen's Park Rangers.

30 November 1989 – Nigel Spackman leaves Queen's Park Rangers after nine months to join the English legion at Glasgow Rangers. Spackman's former club Liverpool are bracketed together with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea at the top of the First Division, which is propped up by Manchester City, Queen's Park Rangers and Charlton Athletic. City manager Mel Machin sacked after two and a half years in charge.^[24]

1 December 1989 – Birmingham City, in the Third Division for the first time in their history, are reported to be interested in signing Trevor Francis – more than 10 years after he left them for Nottingham Forest in the first million-pound British transfer. Meanwhile, former Everton manager Howard Kendall expresses an interest in returning to English football as manager of Manchester City.

5 December 1989 – Andy Thorn moves from Newcastle United for Crystal Palace for £650,000.

6 December 1989 – Chelsea bolster their title challenge with a £300,000 move for Bayern Munich and Norway defender Erland Johnsen.^[8] Howard Kendall is confirmed as the new Manchester City manager.

10 December 1989 – Roy Wegerle, Luton Town's American international striker who was born in West Germany but grew up in South Africa, joins Queen's Park Rangers for a club record £1million.

19 December 1989 – 18-year-old Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke signs for Aston Villa.

26 December 1989 – Aston Villa beat Manchester United 3–0 at Villa Park, increasing the pressure on United manager Alex Ferguson, whose side have gone over a month without winning. They are now 15th in the First Division and just two points clear of the relegation zone. The race for the title is being headed by Liverpool, with Arsenal and Aston Villa in close contention. Norwich City and Southampton are emerging as surprise title contenders, while Everton's fine start to the season has fallen away as they now occupy eighth place.^[25]

28 December 1989 – West Ham United sign midfielder Ian Bishop and striker Trevor Morley from Manchester City for £500,000 each. Millwall attempt to arrest their dramatic fall down the First Division by playing a club record £800,000 for Derby County striker Paul Goddard.

29 December 1989 – Liverpool chairman John Smith receives a knighthood. Trevor Francis is offered a playing contract with Luton Town.

31 December 1989 – The year and the decade ends with Liverpool as First Division leaders by a four-point margin and a game in hand. Aston Villa, who narrowly escaped relegation last season, are their prime contenders along with Arsenal, Southampton, Chelsea, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur. Charlton Athletic prop up the table, while Millwall who briefly led the table in September are out of the relegation zone only on goal difference.^[26] Leeds United are top of the Second Division with Sheffield United in second place. Sunderland, Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Newcastle United occupy the playoff zone, while West Ham United's early challenge has fallen away and they now stand 11th in their first season outside the top flight for almost a decade.^[27]

1 January 1990 – Nottingham Forest offer local rivals Leicester City £1 million for 25-year-old Scottish midfielder Gary McAllister.

3 January 1990 – Ray Harford resigns after two and a half years as manager of Luton Town to be succeeded by his assistant Jimmy Ryan.

5 January 1990 – Swindon Town chairman Brian Hillier and former manager Lou Macari (now at West Ham United) are suspected of making an illegal bet against their own club in an FA Cup tie with Newcastle United in January 1988. After just 17 months with Everton, striker Tony Cottee is reported to be wanting a transfer.

7 January 1990 – Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at the City Ground in the Third Round of the FA Cup, taking the pressure off under-fire manager Alex Ferguson. United are 15th in the First Division and for around two months there have been continued calls from fans for Ferguson to be sacked, but United chairman Martin Edwards (back in control after Michael Knighton withdrew his takeover deal) has denied that Ferguson's job is under threat. United's neighbour's City, meanwhile, sign former Everton striker Adrian Heath from Espanyol for £360,000.

9 January 1990 – Leeds United, the Second Division leaders, pay Nottingham Forest £400,000 for striker Lee Chapman.

14 January 1990 – The Football Association announce that they are investigating allegations of financial irregularities at Swindon Town.

17 January 1990 – Derby County replace Paul Goddard with Mick Harford in a £500,000 move from Luton Town.

19 January 1990 – Arsenal sign defender Colin Pates from Brighton & Hove Albion for £500,000.

21 January 1990 – Manchester United's plight in the First Division continues as a 2–0 defeat at Norwich City leaves them just one point and one place above the relegation zone.^[28]

28 January 1990 – Manchester United continue their FA Cup run with a 1–0 away win over Hereford United in the fourth round.

29 January 1990 – The Taylor Report, an inquiry into stadium safety following the Hillsborough disaster nine months ago, recommends that all First and Second Division stadiums are all-seater by 1994 and that the Third and Fourth Divisions follow suit by 1999. On the same day, Coventry City (the first club to have an all-seater stadium in England) pay a club record £900,000 for 23-year-old Dundee United and Scotland striker Kevin Gallacher.

31 January 1990 – Liverpool end January as First Division leaders on goal difference ahead of Aston Villa, but with a game in hand. Manchester United are now just one place above the relegation zone, but have progressed to the FA Cup fifth round to slightly lift the pressure on under-fire manager Alex Ferguson, whose job is very much safe according to club chairman Martin Edwards. Charlton Athletic remain bottom and facing an uphill task to beat the drop after losing all their league games this month.^[28] The race to get into the First Division is headed by Leeds United and Sheffield United, who are further distancing themselves from the rest of the Second Division. Just two points separate the next five clubs – Swindon Town, Oldham Athletic, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Ipswich Town. Meanwhile, eighth placed Wolverhampton Wanderers are just two points short of the playoff zone and are looking like reasonable challengers for a unique third successive promotion.^[29]

22 January 1990 – Almost two months after being sacked as player-manager by Queen's Park Rangers, Trevor Francis signs for Sheffield Wednesday.

30 January 1990 – One of the biggest surprises of the FA Cup so far takes place in the fourth round replay at the Abbey Stadium, where Fourth Division Cambridge United beat First Division Millwall 1–0 three days after the first match at The Den ended in a 1–1 draw.

2 February 1990 – Former Liverpool manager Don Welsh dies aged 78.

8 February 1990 – West Ham United sign Czech goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko from Baník Ostrava for £300,000. Miklosko, 28, has been capped 31 times by the Czech national side.

10 February 1990 – Manchester United end their 11-match winless league run with a 2–1 away win over Millwall, who led the league five months ago but have now slipped into the relegation zone.

12 February 1990 – Brian Hillier and Lou Macari are both fined after being found guilty of placing an illegal bet against Swindon Town. Hillier is also given a 6-month ban from football and is forced to resign as the club's chairman.

13 February 1990 – Millwall, still battling relegation despite having led the First Division five months ago, sack manager John Docherty and his assistant Frank McLintock.

14 February 1990 – Oldham Athletic defeat West Ham United 6–0 at Boundary Park in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final, all but guaranteeing their first ever Wembley appearance. Oldham fans enquiringly sing; "Has Macari had a bet?"

16 February 1990 – Striker Tony Cascarino pledges his future to relegation threatened Millwall despite reports that he is to join Aston Villa or Manchester United.

18 February 1990 –

• • – Lou Macari resigns after seven months as manager of West Ham United.
    • – Manchester United reach the FA Cup quarter finals with a 3–2 fifth round win at Newcastle.

23 February 1990 – West Ham appoint their former player Billy Bonds as manager.

27 February 1990 – Cambridge United reach the FA Cup quarter-finals (a rare performance for a Fourth Division club) after a second replay against Bristol City in the fifth round ended in a 5–1 home win.

28 February 1990 – Aston Villa finish February as First Division leaders in only their second season following promotion. Luton Town, Millwall and Charlton Athletic occupy the bottom three places, with the two Manchester clubs directly above them, but there are growing signs that United could be in for a successful season as they have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals.^[30] Leeds United and Sheffield United continue to lead the way in the Second Division. Swindon Town, Oldham Athletic, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers occupy the playoff zone, while Port Vale are emerging as surprise contenders for a playoff place that could be their key to First Division football for the first time in their history.^[31]

5 March 1990 – Aston Villa are reported to be interested in signing Wolves striker Andy Mutch, who has partnered Steve Bull in the Black Country club's rise from the Fourth Division to the Second.

9 March 1990 – Middlesbrough sack manager Bruce Rioch after four years in charge. He oversaw relegation to the Third Division as the club narrowly avoided going out of business just after he took over in 1986, but then oversaw two successive promotions which took them to the First Division for a season before being relegated 10 months ago. However, Boro are now battling against a second successive relegation. Rioch is replaced by his assistant Colin Todd.

11 March 1990 – Alex Ferguson's hopes of saving his job at Manchester United are further boosted with a 1–0 quarter-final win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.^[32]

12 March 1990 – Bristol City striker Dean Horrix, 28, is killed in a car crash a week after joining the club from Millwall.

14 March 1990 – First Division leaders Aston Villa suffer a shock 3–0 defeat at Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup quarter-final, while Liverpool's double bid remains on course after a 1–0 replay win over Queens Park Rangers. Also in the semi-finals are Manchester United and Crystal Palace, with the latter ending Cambridge United's hopes of become the Fourth Division's first-ever FA Cup semi-finalists. On the same day, Nottingham Forest build for the future with an £80,000 move for Runcorn's 22-year-old Northern Irish winger Ian Woan.

15 March 1990 – Manchester City sign striker Niall Quinn from Arsenal for £700,000.

20 March 1990 – Chester City are taken over by Edinburgh based construction firm Morrison Construction in a deal which will see them leave Sealand Road at the end of this season and move to a new stadium in 1992.

22 March 1990 – David Kelly ends a frustrating 19-month spell at West Ham United and joins their Second Division rivals for £300,000 – half of the fee they paid for him. Meanwhile, David Seaman's proposed £1.3 million move from Queen's Park Rangers to Arsenal is put on hold.

25 March 1990 - Chelsea win the Full Members Cup with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Wembley final. Having already won the cup in 1986, they are the first team to win it twice.^[33]

29 March 1990 – Colne Dynamoes, leaders of the Northern Premier League, unveil plans to build a new 10,000-seat stadium incorporating community facilities as their ambitious owners prepare for a challenge to bring the club into the Football League.

31 March 1990 – Liverpool return to the top of the First Division for the end of the month, but lead the table only on goal difference with a game in hand ahead of Aston Villa. Manchester United are still 16th in the league, but will be in the FA Cup final if they beat Oldham Athletic in the semi-final next weekend.^[34] Leeds United and Sheffield United continue to lead the Second Division, with Wolverhampton Wanderers having leapfrogged Sunderland into the playoff zone where they join Swindon Town, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers.^[35]

1 April 1990 – Millwall's six-week hunt for a new manager ends when they appoint Bruce Rioch.

8 April 1990 – Liverpool's hopes of a unique second double are ended when they lose 4–3 to Crystal Palace, the team they defeated 9–0 earlier in the season, in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Villa Park. It will be the first time that Palace have played in an FA Cup final, while it is the third season running that Liverpool's double hopes have been ended during the final stages of the season. On the same day, Manchester United draw 3–3 with Oldham Athletic in the other semi-final at Maine Road.

11 April 1990 – Manchester United beat Oldham Athletic 2–1 after extra time in the FA Cup semi-final replay, booking them an FA Cup final clash with Crystal Palace (managed by former United winger Steve Coppell) and giving them their first chance of silverware in five years. The game is however marred by controversy after referee Joe Worrall fails to award Oldham an early goal after Nick Henry's shot clearly crosses the line. In the league, Liverpool move closer to their 18th league title with a 4–0 away win over struggling Charlton Athletic, in which on-loan striker Ronny Rosenthal scores a hat-trick.

17 April 1990 – 20-year-old striker Mark Robins, who has been instrumental in Manchester United's FA Cup run this season, scores twice in their 2–0 home league win over Aston Villa – a result which puts the opposition's title hopes into serious doubt.

28 April 1990 – Liverpool seal their 18th top division title with a 2–1 home win over Queen's Park Rangers.^[36] Chester City play the final Football League game at their Sealand Road home of 84 years – a 2–0 win over Rotherham United. They are set to ground-share for the next two seasons, at a location yet to be confirmed, with a new stadium set to be ready by August 1992.

30 April 1990 – The month ends with Liverpool confirmed as First Division champions for the 18th time in their history, while Aston Villa are sure of second place and the next four places are being contested between Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea. Meanwhile, Manchester United have assured their top flight survival and all the excitement is focused on their FA Cup final showdown in less than two weeks. Charlton Athletic and Millwall's relegation has been confirmed, while Luton Town need to win their last game of the season and hope that Sheffield Wednesday lose to avoid losing the top division place that has been theirs since 1982.^[37] The Second Division promotion race is still wide open. Leeds United (top), Sheffield United (second) and Newcastle United (third) are fighting it out for automatic promotion. Swindon Town, Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland complete the top six, but West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and Oldham Athletic still have a mathematical chance of breaking into the playoffs.^[38]

1 May 1990 – Kenny Dalglish makes his final appearance for Liverpool at the age of 39, in their 1–0 home league win over Derby County. However, he fails to score, with the only goal of the game coming from Gary Gillespie.^[39]

5 May 1990 – Sheffield Wednesday are relegated on goal difference behind a Luton Town side who performed the unthinkable and won their final game of the season while the Hillsborough club lost theirs, on the same day that their neighbours Sheffield United sealed promotion back to the First Division after 14 years away. Dave Bassett achieved the sixth promotion of his career with a Blades side who finished level on points with champions Leeds United.^[40] Liverpool's 18th title winning season ends in style with a 6–1 away win over Coventry City, while on-loan Ronny Rosenthal adds a further two goals to his tally.^[7] Leeds United's promotion celebrations are marred when their fans riot in Bournemouth in the aftermath of the promotion clinching game against AFC Bournemouth, who were relegated by the result.^[41]

12 May 1990 – Manchester United and Crystal Palace draw 3–3 in the FA Cup final first match, forcing a replay. Mark Hughes is on the scoresheet twice for United and Bryan Robson once. Substitute Ian Wright scores two of Palace's goals, the other goal coming from Gary O'Reilly.

15 May 1990 – North Wales Police announce their objection to plans for Chester City to ground-share with Wrexham for the next two seasons amid fears of increased incidents of hooliganism between fans of the two teams, who have a long history of rivalry.

17 May 1990 – A Lee Martin goal gives Manchester United the FA Cup and wins them their first major trophy under the management of Alex Ferguson, marking an excellent end to a season which had seen United disappoint in the league and finish 13th. There had been much speculation that Ferguson was to be sacked, but the club's directors insisted that they had never considered removing Ferguson from his position.

18 May 1990 – David Seaman becomes Britain's most expensive goalkeeper when he agrees to join Arsenal in a £1.3 million move from Queen's Park Rangers.

21 May 1990 – 34 Bolton Wanderers hooligans who were convicted of taking part in attacks on police officers and rival supporters are banned from travelling to Italy for the duration of the World Cup by the Italian government.

19 May 1990 – Chelsea sign Irish midfielder Andy Townsend from Norwich City for £1.5 million.

24 May 1990 – Bobby Robson announces that he will step down as England manager after the World Cup to take over as manager of Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.

25 May 1990 – Manchester City manager Howard Kendall rejects the Football Association's approach to talk to him about the England manager's job.

28 May 1990 – Swindon Town win the Second Division playoff final by beating Sunderland 1–0, but their place in the First Division remains in doubt over the alleged tax scandal, over which Colin Calderwood has now been cleared but Lou Macari, Brian Hillier and Vince Farrar have been charged.

31 May 1990 – Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis gives the Football Association permission to interview manager Graham Taylor for the England manager's job. Other names linked to the vacancy included Howard Wilkinson of Leeds United, Terry Venables of Tottenham Hotspur, Howard Kendall of Manchester City and the surprise candidate Joe Royle of Oldham Athletic, who has yet to manage in the top division.^[42]

1 June 1990 – The Football League votes to revert to a 22-club First Division for the 1991–92 season, while the Fourth Division will have 23 clubs in 1991–92 and 24 clubs in 1992–93, with no relegation to the GM Vauxhall Conference for the next two seasons.

5 June 1990 – Leeds United prepare for their First Division comeback with a £1million move for Gary McAllister of Leicester City. Three England fans receive 20-day prison sentences imposed by a court in Sardinia after being found guilty of theft and criminal damage.

6 June 1990 – Manchester United pay Oldham Athletic £625,000 for Irish full-back Denis Irwin.

7 June 1990 – Swindon Town are found guilty on 34 charges of financial irregularities at a Football League hearing. They are relegated to the Third Division as a punishment. On the same day, Wimbledon pay Maidstone United £300,000 for defender Warren Barton.

11 June 1990 – England open their World Cup campaign with a 1–1 draw against Republic of Ireland.

12 June 1990 – Nottingham Forest sign midfielder Roy Keane (19 in August) from Irish club Cobh Ramblers for £10,000.

14 June 1990 – Leeds United prepare for their return to the First Division by signing Arsenal goalkeeper John Lukic for £1 million.^[8]

16 June 1990 – England draw 0–0 with Holland in their second World Cup group game, leaving them needing to win the final group game against Egypt in five days to reach the Second Round.

21 June 1990 – England clinch qualification for the World Cup Second Round by beating Egypt 1–0 in their final group game.

26 June 1990 – England reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a second round 1–0 victory over Belgium.

29 June 1990 – Liverpool make on-loan Israeli striker Ronnie Rosenthal's transfer permanent from Standard Liège of Belgium for £1 million.^[8]

1 July 1990 – England beat Cameroon 3–2 in the World Cup quarter finals, securing qualification to the semi-finals for the first time since the 1966 tournament.

2 July 1990 – Swindon Town win an appeal against their relegation to the Third Division, but miss out on promotion to the First Division and remain in the Second Division. Their place in the First Division goes to Sunderland.

4 July 1990 – England's hopes of World Cup glory are ended after they lose penalties to West Germany in the semi-finals after a 1–1 draw. The game is symbolised when Paul Gascoigne cries after receiving a booking that would have ruled him out of the final had England qualified.

7 July 1990 – England lose 2–1 to host nation Italy in the World Cup third place play-off.

Deaths

• 15 July 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, 33, former England midfielder, was killed in a car crash in Spain. He played as a substitute for Wimbledon when they won the FA Cup in 1988. He also played for clubs including Leyton Orient, West Bromwich Albion, Real Madrid and Leicester City, and had a loan spell at Manchester United during the 1982–83 season.
• 1 September 1989 – Kazimierz Deyna, 41, former Polish international who had a spell with Manchester City in the late 1970s. Died in a car accident.
• 14 November 1989 – Jimmy Murphy, 81, assistant manager at Manchester United during the reign of Matt Busby. Took temporary charge of the team during the four months following the Munich Air Disaster while Busby recovered from his injuries.
• 11 March 1990 – Dean Horrix, 28, Bristol City striker, was killed in a car crash just over a week after he joined the club from Millwall.
• 30 June 1990 – Brian Tiler, 45, who played for Aston Villa during the 1970s and was a director for Bournemouth from the mid 1980s, was killed in a car crash in Italy. Bournemouth manager Harry Redknapp was travelling in the same car as Tiler but survived.

References

v t e Seasons in English football 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95

v t e 1989–90 in English football « 1988–89 1990–91 » FA competitions FA Cup (Qualifying Rounds Final) Charity Shield FA Trophy Football League Football League (First Division Second Division Third Division Fourth Division) League Cup (Final) Play-offs (Second Division Final Third Division Final Fourth Division Final) Lower leagues Football Conference Northern Premier League Southern Football League Isthmian League Related to national team Bobby Robson Rous Cup 1990 FIFA World Cup (qualification - UEFA Group 2) Club seasons First Division Arsenal Aston Villa Charlton Athletic Chelsea Coventry City Crystal Palace Derby County Everton Liverpool Luton Town Manchester City Manchester United Millwall Norwich City Nottingham Forest Queens Park Rangers Sheffield Wednesday Southampton Tottenham Hotspur Wimbledon Second Division Barnsley Blackburn Rovers Bournemouth Bradford City Brighton & Hove Albion Hull City Ipswich Town Leeds United Leicester City Middlesbrough Newcastle United Oldham Athletic Oxford United Plymouth Argyle Port Vale Portsmouth Sheffield United Sunderland Swindon Town Stoke City Watford West Bromwich Albion West Ham United Wolverhampton Wanderers Third Division Birmingham City Blackpool Bolton Wanderers Brentford Bristol City Bristol Rovers Bury Cardiff City Chester City Crewe Alexandra Fulham Huddersfield Town Leyton Orient Mansfield Town Northampton Town Preston North End Notts County Reading Rotherham United Shrewsbury Town Swansea City Tranmere Rovers Walsall Wigan Athletic Fourth Division Aldershot Burnley Cambridge United Carlisle United Chesterfield Colchester United Doncaster Rovers Exeter City Gillingham Grimsby Town Halifax Town Hartlepool United Hereford United Lincoln City Maidstone United Peterborough United Rochdale Scarborough Scunthorpe United Southend United Southport Stockport County Torquay United Wrexham York City Others Newport