The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England.
Contents
- Overview
- Awards
- Honours
- First Division
- Second Division
- Third Division North
- Third Division South
- References
The season ended with success for both Manchester clubs, as City won the FA Cup and Manchester United won the First Division title by an 11-point margin.
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.
Awards
Football Writers' Association
Top goalscorer
Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
First Division
Manchester United won the First Division title by 11 points, featuring a squad of players with an average 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.
Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town finished the season relegated.
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.
Plymouth Argyle and Hull City were relegated.
Third Division North
Grimsby Town clinched the Third Division North title and secured promotion to the Second Division.
Third Division South
Leyton Orient reached the Second Division by finished top of the Third Division South by a single point, one point ahead of Brighton and two points ahead of Ipswich Town.
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points