Following
the previous season's relegation from
Division 1,
Andy Beattie tried to get Town back into the 1st Division at the first attempt. A mixed start to the season saw Town gain some memorable wins including an opening day 3–2 win at
Anfield over
Liverpool. Beattie resigned in early November and was replaced by his assistant
Bill Shankly, who would then lead
Liverpool to greatness in the 1960s and 1970s. Memorable wins during the season for Town were a 5–0 away win at
Barnsley and a 6–2 win over
West Ham United, where defender
Ken Taylor, playing as an emergency striker, scored 4 goals. This season also marked the debuts of Town's future stalwarts
Kevin McHale and
Les Massie and future British transfer record holder
Denis Law. Law broke the record for the youngest player ever to make a first-team appearance when he came on at the age of 16 years, 303 days, beating McHale's record by 26 days, which he set earlier in the season. Town also had a good run in the
FA Cup, where they reached the 5th round, before bowing out to
Burnley in a 2–1 defeat in front of over 55,000 fans at
Leeds Road. Town finished the league season in 12th position with 44 points, but it would be
nearly 15 years until Town returned to the big time. ==Squad at the end of the season==