1979–80 in English football

The 1979-80 season was the 100th season of competitive football (soccer) in England.

Overview

First Division

Bob Paisley's Liverpool retained their league championship trophy after fighting off a determined challenge by Dave Sexton's Manchester United. Nottingham Forest failed to make a serious title challenge but compensated for this by retaining the European Cup.

Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers were relegated after brief and uneventful spells in the First Division, but Derby County's relegation came just five years after they had been league champions.

Kevin Keegan ended his three-year spell with Hamburger SV in Germany and returned to England in a shock £400,000 move to Southampton. Lawrie McMenemy's new signing was the transfer surprise of the season. Keegan was the current European Footballer of the Year and rated as one of the best strikers in the world, while Southampton were still struggling to establish themselves as a First Division side. But this move showed that Southampton had ambition and were determined to compete with the best.

Second Division

Leicester City, Sunderland and Birmingham City ended their relatively short spells in the Second Division and occupied the division's three promotion places. Going down were Fulham, Burnley and Charlton Athletic.

Third Division

Grimsby Town, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday all achieved some long-awaited success by gaining promotion from the Third Division. Bury, Southend United, Mansfield Town and Wimbledon occupied the Third Division's relegation places.

Fourth Division

Fallen giants Huddersfield Town and Portsmouth finally achieved some success by gaining promotion from the Fourth Division. Newport County achieved their first promotion since 1939 and Walsall were also promoted.

FA Cup

Second Division West Ham United, managed by John Lyall, won the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 1-0 with a Trevor Brooking goal. To this day they are the last team to win the FA Cup outside of the top league.

League Cup

Wolverhampton Wanderers overcame the challenge of European champions Nottingham Forest to lift their second League Cup. The match finished 1-0 with a goal by Andy Gray following a mix-up between goalkeeper Peter Shilton and defender David Needham.

European football

Brian Clough's side made up for disappointment in the League by retaining the European Cup and becoming the first team to have won more European Cups than league championships. Arsenal faced Valencia CF of Spain in the Cup Winners Cup final, days after their FA Cup final loss. It finished goalless after extra time, and Arsenal lost the penalty shootout after misses from Liam Brady and Graham Rix.

Star players

Liverpool's Terry McDermott was voted Player of the Year by both the PFA and FWA. Team-mate Kenny Dalglish enjoyed another good season. PFA Young Player of the Year was Tottenham's outstanding young midfielder Glenn Hoddle. Also hitting the headlines were West Bromwich Albion's Cyrille Regis and Bryan Robson.

Star managers

*Bob Paisley yielded another league title triumph for Liverpool.
*Brian Clough retained the European Cup for Nottingham Forest.
*John Barnwell took Wolves to victory in the League Cup.
*John Lyall won the FA Cup for Second Division West Ham.
*Dave Sexton came close to ending Manchester United's long wait for a league title.
*Jock Wallace achieved promotion to the First Division with Second Division champions Leicester City.
*Jim Smith's success in the Second Division with promoted Birmingham City ensured that all four midlands clubs would be playing top flight football in 1980-81.
*Bobby Robson took Ipswich Town into the UEFA Cup after they finished third in the league.
*Terry Neill took Arsenal to runners-up spot in the Cup Winners Cup and the F.A Cup.
*Howard Kendall won promotion to the Second Division with Blackburn Rovers.
*Len Ashurst clinched Newport County's first promotion for 41 years.

Deaths

*Dixie Dean, 73, legendary Everton striker who scored 60 league goals in the 1927-28 season; died on 1 March after suffering a heart attack while watching Everton's game against Liverpool at Goodison Park.
*Sam Lawrie, 44, former Middlesbrough and Charlton Athletic winger.

Honours

=Third Division=

=Fourth Division=

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