First Division Manchester United clinched their second league title in three seasons, finishing four points ahead of Nottingham Forest and FA Cup winners Tottenham. Leeds United and Liverpool completed the top five. A 6-1 signature victory at West Ham United on the penultimate weekend of the season, with the fabled triumvirate of Best, Law and Charlton all on the scoresheet, confirmed what was Matt Busby’s (the Manchester United Manager) fifth and final top flight league title. Manchester United were formally presented with the league title trophy a week later, after their final match of the season (a 0-0 draw at home to Stoke City). It was to be a further 26 years before Manchester United returned to the top of English football, winning the inaugural Premier League title in 1993. Blackpool and Aston Villa dropped into the Second Division.
Second Division Coventry City, under the management of
Jimmy Hill, reached the First Division for the first time in their history as Second Division champions. They would wait 51 years to be promoted from any league again until
2018. Wolves ended their two-year exile from the top flight by securing promotion as runners-up. Carlisle United missed out on First Division football by six points - which would have given them a third promotion in four seasons, the quickest rise from the Fourth Division to the First. Bury went down to the Third Division, as did Northampton Town in a second successive relegation.
Third Division Queens Park Rangers sealed promotion as runaway champions of the Third Division, and also won the League Cup to become the first team at this level to win a major trophy. They were joined in promotion by runners-up Middlesbrough, while Watford missed out on Second Division football by a single point. Workington, Doncaster Rovers, Darlington and Swansea Town were relegated to the Fourth Division.
Fourth Division Stockport County clinched promotion to the Third Division as Fourth Division champions, and went upwards along with Southport, Barrow and Tranmere Rovers. Luton Town recorded the lowest finish to date by finishing 17th, less than a decade after being First Division members and FA Cup finalists.
Top goalscorers First Division •
Ron Davies (
Southampton) – 37 goals
Second Division •
Bobby Gould (
Coventry City) – 24 goals
Fourth Division •
Ernie Phythian (
Hartlepools United) – 23 goals == References ==