1959–60 Burnley F.C. season
| 1959–60 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Bob Lord |
| Manager | Harry Potts |
| First Division | Champions |
| FA Cup | Quarter-finals |
| Top goalscorer | League: John Connelly (20) All: John Connelly (24) |
| Highest home attendance | 52,850 v Bradford City (23 February 1960) |
| Lowest home attendance | 20,327 v Arsenal (19 March 1960) |
| Average home league attendance | 26,869[1] |
The 1959–60 season was the 78th season in Burnley Football Club's existence, and their thirteenth consecutive season in the top flight. Under manager Harry Potts, they were crowned champions of England for the second time, and as of 2020 for the last time. The team also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, in which they were knocked out by local rivals Blackburn Rovers in a replay, preventing a possible historical 20th century double.
Background
In the 1950s, Burnley became one of the most progressive clubs around.[2] Underlying this were the appointments of manager Alan Brown in 1954, and in 1955, chairman Bob Lord, later described as "the Khrushchev of Burnley" as a result of his authoritative attitude.[3] On account of manager Alan Brown and Lord, Burnley became one of the first clubs to construct a purpose-built training centre (Gawthorpe), which opened its doors in July 1955,[4] while most teams trained on public parks or at their own grounds.[2] Gawthorpe was built on the outskirts of the town and as well as using paid labour, manager Brown helped to dig out the ground himself.[5] Brown also "volunteered" several of his players to help out. Further, Burnley became, after foundations were again laid by Lord and Brown,[6] renowned for their youth policy and scouting system, which yielded many young players over the years such as Jimmy Adamson, Jimmy McIlroy, and John Connelly.[7] In his relatively short spell at the club from 1954 to 1957, Brown also introduced short corners and a huge array of free kick routines, which were soon copied across the land.[8] In 1958, former Burnley player Harry Potts was appointed manager. The team became mainly revolved around the midfield duo of one-club man Jimmy Adamson and playmaker Jimmy McIlroy. Potts often employed the, at the time unfashionable, 4–4–2 formation and he introduced Total Football to English football in his first managerial seasons at Burnley.[4][9]
The season
The pinnacle of a strong period in the club's history came this season. Burnley, a young team with several internationals, endured a tense season in which Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers were the other protagonists in the chase for the league title. The team ultimately clinched their second First Division championship on the last day of the season with a 2–1 victory at Manchester City, with goals from Brian Pilkington and Trevor Meredith.[10] Although the team had been in contention all season, Burnley had never led the table until this last match was played out.[11] Potts only used eighteen players throughout the whole season, as John Connelly became Burnley's top scorer with 20 goals.[12] The Lancastrians' title-winning squad only cost £13,000 in transfer fees (a post-war record) — £8,000 on McIlroy in 1950 and £5,000 on left-back Alex Elder in 1959.[13] The other players all came from the Burnley youth academy.[13] The town of Burnley became the smallest to have an English first tier champion, since it counted 80,000 inhabitants.[14] After the season finished, Burnley went to the United States to participate in the inaugural international football tournament in North America, the International Soccer League.[15]
Player details
Source:[16]
| Player | Position | First Division | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jimmy Adamson | MF | 42 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 1 |
| John Angus | DF | 41 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Adam Blacklaw | GK | 41 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| John Connelly | MF | 34 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 42 | 24 |
| Tommy Cummings | DF | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Alex Elder | DF | 34 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Jim Furnell | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gordon Harris | MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ian Lawson | FW | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Billy Marshall | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jimmy McIlroy | MF | 32 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 7 |
| Trevor Meredith | MF | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Brian Miller | DF | 42 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| Brian Pilkington | MF | 41 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 49 | 11 |
| Ray Pointer | FW | 42 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 50 | 23 |
| Jimmy Robson | FW | 38 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 46 | 22 |
| Bobby Seith | DF | 27 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Billy White | FW | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
FW = Forward, MF = Midfielder, GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender
Matches
Source:[17]
Football League First Division
- Key
|
|
- Results
| Date | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 August 1959 | Leeds United (A) | 3–2 | Pilkington  23', Connelly 34', Pointer 84'
|
20,233 |
| 25 August 1959 | Everton (H) | 5–2 | Connelly 14', 87', Pilkington 18', Pointer 20', Robson 72'
|
29,165 |
| 29 August 1959 | West Ham United (H) | 1–3 | Connelly 3'
|
26,756 |
| 2 September 1959 | Everton (A) | 2–1 | Pointer 36', 86'
|
39,416 |
| 5 September 1959 | Chelsea (A) | 1–4 | Connelly 21'
|
36,023 |
| 8 September 1959 | Preston North End (H) | 2–1 | Pointer 71', Robson 84'
|
29,195 |
| 12 September 1959 | West Bromwich Albion (H) | 2–1 | Robson 55', Pilkington 64'
|
23,907 |
| 15 September 1959 | Preston North End (A) | 0–1 | 27,299 | |
| 19 September 1959 | Newcastle United (A) | 3–1 | McIlroy 33', Connelly 47', 85'
|
38,576 |
| 26 September 1959 | Birmingham City (H) | 3–1 | Pointer 9', McIlroy 69', Connelly 89'
|
23,848 |
| 3 October 1959 | Tottenham Hotspur (A) | 1–1 | Miller 87'
|
42,717 |
| 10 October 1959 | Blackpool (H) | 1–4 | Robson 5'
|
28,104 |
| 17 October 1959 | Blackburn Rovers (A) | 2–3 | Pilkington 14', Douglas 48' (o.g.)
|
33,316 |
| 24 October 1959 | Manchester City (H) | 4–3 | Pilkington 15', Pointer 18', White 85', 86'
|
28,653 |
| 31 October 1959 | Luton Town (A) | 1–1 | Pointer 25'
|
15,638 |
| 7 November 1959 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) | 4–1 | Pointer 22', 44', Robson 25', Connelly 72'
|
27,793 |
| 14 November 1959 | Sheffield Wednesday (A) | 1–1 | Robson 14'
|
18,420 |
| 21 November 1959 | Nottingham Forest (H) | 8–0 | Robson 3', 35', 40', 44', 60', Pilkington 13', Pointer 53', 82'
|
24,349 |
| 28 November 1959 | Fulham (A) | 0–1 | 29,582 | |
| 5 December 1959 | Bolton Wanderers (H) | 4–0 | Pointer 22', Connelly 53', McIlroy 74', 89'
|
26,510 |
| 12 December 1959 | Arsenal (A) | 4–2 | Adamson 67' (pen.), Connelly 72', 78', 88'
|
26,056 |
| 19 December 1959 | Leeds United (H) | 0–1 | 17,398 | |
| 26 December 1959 | Manchester United (A) | 2–1 | Robson 22', Lawson 35'
|
62,673 |
| 28 December 1959 | Manchester United (H) | 1–4 | Robson 28'
|
47,696 |
| 2 January 1960 | West Ham United (A) | 5–2 | Lawson 11', 75', Pilkington 32', Connelly 44', 89'
|
25,752 |
| 16 January 1960 | Chelsea (H) | 2–1 | Robson 38', 64'
|
21,916 |
| 23 January 1960 | West Bromwich Albion (A) | 0–0 | 23,512 | |
| 6 February 1960 | Newcastle United (H) | 2–1 | Robson 4', Pointer 67'
|
26,998 |
| 27 February 1960 | Bolton Wanderers (A) | 1–2 | Connelly 10'
|
28,772 |
| 1 March 1960 | Tottenham Hotspur (H) | 2–0 | Pointer 62', Connelly 70'
|
32,992 |
| 5 March 1960 | Blackburn Rovers (H) | 1–0 | Robson 27'
|
32,331 |
| 19 March 1960 | Arsenal (H) | 3–2 | Pointer 7', Miller 54', Connelly 75'
|
20,327 |
| 30 March 1960 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | 1–6 | Pointer 15'
|
33,953 |
| 2 April 1960 | Sheffield Wednesday (H) | 3–3 | Connelly 55', McIlroy 78' (pen.), Miller 88'
|
23,123 |
| 9 April 1960 | Nottingham Forest (A) | 1–0 | Pointer 61'
|
24,640 |
| 15 April 1960 | Leicester City (H) | 1–0 | Connelly 8'
|
23,777 |
| 16 April 1960 | Luton Town (H) | 3–0 | Pointer 16', Robson 33', McIlroy 63' (pen.)
|
20,893 |
| 18 April 1960 | Leicester City (A) | 1–2 | Meredith 74'
|
24,429 |
| 23 April 1960 | Blackpool (A) | 1–1 | Meredith 32'
|
23,753 |
| 27 April 1960 | Birmingham City (A) | 1–0 | Pilkington 81'
|
37,032 |
| 30 April 1960 | Fulham (H) | 0–0 | 30,807 | |
| 2 May 1960 | Manchester City (A) | 2–1 | Pilkington 4', Meredith 31'
|
65,981 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley (C) | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 85 | 61 | 1.393 | 55 | Qualified for the European Cup |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 106 | 67 | 1.582 | 54 | Qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 86 | 50 | 1.720 | 53 | |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 83 | 57 | 1.456 | 49 | |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 80 | 59 | 1.356 | 49 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | Result | Goalscorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 January 1960 | Round 3 | Lincoln City (A) | 1–1 | Pointer 29'
|
21,693 |
| 12 January 1960 | Round 3 Replay | Lincoln City (H) | 2–0 | McIlroy 26' (pen.), Pilkington 37'
|
35,456 |
| 30 January 1960 | Round 4 | Swansea Town (A) | 0–0 | 29,976 | |
| 2 February 1960 | Round 4 replay | Swansea Town (H) | 2–1 | Robson 28', 47'
|
37,040 |
| 20 February 1960 | Round 5 | Bradford City (A) | 2–2 | Connelly 78', 89'
|
26,244 |
| 23 February 1960 | Round 5 replay | Bradford City (H) | 5–0 | Pointer 5', 63', Robson 8', 70', Connelly 64'
|
52,850 |
| 12 March 1960 | Round 6 | Blackburn Rovers (H) | 3–3 | Pilkington 48', Pointer 57', Connelly 61'
|
51,501 |
| 16 March 1960 | Round 6 replay | Blackburn Rovers (A) | 0–2 | 53,892 |
Aftermath
The following season, Burnley played in European competition for the first time, in the European Cup,[18] beating former finalists Reims, before losing to Hamburger SV in the quarter-finals. The club finished fourth in the league, and lost the FA Cup semi-final to Tottenham, who became the first English club in the 20th century to win the double.[19] Burnley finished the 1961–62 season as runners-up (after winning only two of the last thirteen league matches)[20] to newly promoted Ipswich Town and had a run to the FA Cup Final, where a Jimmy Robson goal, the 100th FA Cup Final goal at Wembley,[21] was the only reply to three goals from Tottenham. Jimmy Adamson was, however, named Footballer of the Year in English football after the season ended.[22] Burnley also had, due to their success in this period, several players with international caps, including, for England Ray Pointer, Colin McDonald, and John Connelly, for Northern Ireland Jimmy McIlroy and for Scotland Adam Blacklaw.[23]
Nonetheless, although far from a two-man team, the controversial departure of McIlroy to Stoke City and retirement of Adamson coincided with a decline in fortunes. Even more damaging was the impact of the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961, meaning clubs from small towns, like Burnley, could no longer compete financially with teams from bigger towns and cities.[4][24] The club managed, however, to retain a First Division place throughout the decade finishing third in 1965–66, with Willie Irvine becoming the league's top goal scorer that season.[25]
References
- Specific
- ^ Quelch (2015), p. 266
- ^ a b Godfrey, Mark (20 December 2015). "The Khrushchev of Burnley". The Football Pink. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ Bagchi, Rob (27 May 2009). "Burnley are back – thankfully without caricature chairman Bob Lord". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b c McParlan, Paul (27 February 2018). "Burnley, Total Football and the pioneering title win of 1959/60". These Football Times. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ponting, Ivan (12 March 1996). "Alan Brown". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ York, Gary (24 May 2007). "John Connelly life story: Part 1". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Quelch (2015), pp. 203–204
- ^ Wilson, Jonathan (27 May 2017). "How old-fashioned shadow play has helped Antonio Conte light up Chelsea". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ponting, Ivan (22 January 1996). "Obituary: Harry Potts". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Marshall, Tyrone (20 June 2016). "'We weren't jumping around, we'd only won the league' – Burnley legend on the day the Clarets were crowned Kings of England". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Boden, Chris (29 April 2020). "Burnley legend Jimmy Robson reflects on a famous night at Maine Road when the Clarets were last crowned champions of England". The Clitheroe Advertiser and Times. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Quelch (2015), p. 265
- ^ a b Quelch (2015), pp. 202–203
- ^ Quelch (2015), pp. 199–200
- ^ Posnanski, Joe (14 October 2014). "David and Goliath and Burnley". NBC SportsWorld. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Simpson (2007), p. 295
- ^ Simpson (2007), p. 294
- ^ Ross, James M. (16 July 2015). "European Competitions 1960–61". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "'Back then, we were the teams to watch' - Cliff Jones on our rivalry with Burnley in the early 1960s". Tottenham Hotspur. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Burnley match record: 1962". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Veevers, Nicholas (5 January 2015). "Robson recalls historic Cup Final goal and Spurs rivalry". The Football Association. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Burnley legend Jimmy Adamson dies at 82". BBC Sport. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ "International Honours Board Update". Burnley Football Club. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ Shaw, Phil (18 January 2016). "EFL Official Website Fifty-five years to the day: £20 maximum wage cap abolished by Football League clubs". English Football League. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ross, James M. (20 June 2019). "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
- General
- Quelch, Tim (2015). Never Had It So Good: Burnley's Incredible 1959/60 League Title Triumph. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1909626546.
- Simpson, Ray (2007). The Clarets Chronicles: The Definitive History of Burnley Football Club 1882-2007. Burnley Football Club. ISBN 978-0955746802.