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 13th 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.
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.[2] Although the team had been in contention all season, Burnley had never led the table until this last match was played out.[3] Manager Harry Potts only used eighteen players throughout the whole season, as John Connelly became Burnley's league top scorer with 20 goals.[4] The Lancastrians' title-winning squad only cost £13,000 in transfer fees (a post-war record) — £8,000 on Jimmy McIlroy in 1950 and £5,000 on left-back Alex Elder in 1959.[5] The other players all came from the Burnley youth academy.[5] The town of Burnley became the smallest to have an English first tier champion, since it counted 80,000 inhabitants.[6] After the season finished, the club went to the United States to participate in the inaugural international football tournament in North America, the International Soccer League.[7]
Matches
Source:[8]
Football League First Division
- Key
|
|
- Results
Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 August 1959 | Leeds United | A | W | 3–2 | Pilkington, Connelly, Pointer | 20,233 |
25 August 1959 | Everton | H | W | 5–2 | Connelly (2), Pilkington, Pointer, Robson | 29,165 |
29 August 1959 | West Ham United | H | L | 1–3 | Connelly | 26,756 |
2 September 1959 | Everton | A | W | 2–1 | Pointer (2) | 39,416 |
5 September 1959 | Chelsea | A | L | 1–4 | Connelly | 36,023 |
8 September 1959 | Preston North End | H | W | 2–1 | Pointer, Robson | 29,195 |
12 September 1959 | West Bromwich Albion | H | W | 2–1 | Robson, Pilkington | 23,907 |
15 September 1959 | Preston North End | A | L | 0–1 | 27,299 | |
19 September 1959 | Newcastle United | A | W | 3–1 | McIlroy, Connelly (2) | 38,576 |
26 September 1959 | Birmingham City | H | W | 3–1 | Pointer, McIlroy, Connelly | 23,848 |
3 October 1959 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | D | 1–1 | Miller | 42,717 |
10 October 1959 | Blackpool | H | L | 1–4 | Robson | 28,104 |
17 October 1959 | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 2–3 | Pilkington, Douglas (o.g.) | 33,316 |
24 October 1959 | Manchester City | H | W | 4–3 | Pilkington, Pointer, White (2) | 28,653 |
31 October 1959 | Luton Town | A | D | 1–1 | Pointer | 15,638 |
7 November 1959 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | W | 4–1 | Pointer (2), Robson, Connelly | 27,793 |
14 November 1959 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | D | 1–1 | Robson | 18,420 |
21 November 1959 | Nottingham Forest | H | W | 8–0 | Robson (5), Pilkington, Pointer (2) | 24,349 |
28 November 1959 | Fulham | A | L | 0–1 | 29,582 | |
5 December 1959 | Bolton Wanderers | H | W | 4–0 | Pointer, Connelly, McIlroy (2) | 26,510 |
12 December 1959 | Arsenal | A | W | 4–2 | Adamson (pen.), Connelly (3) | 26,056 |
19 December 1959 | Leeds United | H | L | 0–1 | 17,398 | |
26 December 1959 | Manchester United | A | W | 2–1 | Robson, Lawson | 62,673 |
28 December 1959 | Manchester United | H | L | 1–4 | Robson | 47,696 |
2 January 1960 | West Ham United | A | W | 5–2 | Lawson (2), Pilkington, Connelly (2) | 25,752 |
16 January 1960 | Chelsea | H | W | 2–1 | Robson (2) | 21,916 |
23 January 1960 | West Bromwich Albion | A | D | 0–0 | 23,512 | |
6 February 1960 | Newcastle United | H | W | 2–1 | Robson, Pointer | 26,998 |
27 February 1960 | Bolton Wanderers | A | L | 1–2 | Connelly | 28,772 |
1 March 1960 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | W | 2–0 | Pointer, Connelly | 32,992 |
5 March 1960 | Blackburn Rovers | H | W | 1–0 | Robson | 32,331 |
19 March 1960 | Arsenal | H | W | 3–2 | Pointer, Miller, Connelly | 20,327 |
30 March 1960 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | L | 1–6 | Pointer | 33,953 |
2 April 1960 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | D | 3–3 | Connelly, McIlroy (pen.), Miller | 23,123 |
9 April 1960 | Nottingham Forest | A | W | 1–0 | Pointer | 24,640 |
15 April 1960 | Leicester City | H | W | 1–0 | Connelly | 23,777 |
16 April 1960 | Luton Town | H | W | 3–0 | Pointer, Robson, McIlroy (pen.) | 20,893 |
18 April 1960 | Leicester City | A | L | 1–2 | Meredith | 24,429 |
23 April 1960 | Blackpool | A | D | 1–1 | Meredith | 23,753 |
27 April 1960 | Birmingham City | A | W | 1–0 | Pilkington | 37,032 |
30 April 1960 | Fulham | H | D | 0–0 | 30,807 | |
2 May 1960 | Manchester City | A | W | 2–1 | Pilkington, Meredith | 65,981 |
League table (part)
Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Burnley | 42 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 85 | 61 | 1.39 | 55 |
2nd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 106 | 67 | 1.58 | 54 |
3rd | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 86 | 50 | 1.72 | 53 |
4th | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 83 | 57 | 1.46 | 49 |
5th | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 80 | 59 | 1.36 | 49 |
Key | Pos = League position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points | ||||||||
Source | [9] |
FA Cup
Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Third round | 9 January 1960 | Lincoln City | A | D | 1–1 | Pointer | 21,693 |
Third round replay | 12 January 1960 | Lincoln City | H | W | 2–0 | McIlroy (pen.), Pilkington | 35,456 |
Fourth round | 30 January 1960 | Swansea Town | A | D | 0–0 | 29,976 | |
Fourth round replay | 2 February 1960 | Swansea Town | H | W | 2–1 | Robson (2) | 37,040 |
Fifth round | 20 February 1960 | Bradford City | A | D | 2–2 | Connelly (2) | 26,244 |
Fifth round replay | 23 February 1960 | Bradford City | H | W | 5–0 | Pointer (2), Robson (2), Connelly | 52,850 |
Sixth round | 12 March 1960 | Blackburn Rovers | H | D | 3–3 | Pilkington, Pointer, Connelly | 51,501 |
Sixth round replay | 16 March 1960 | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 0–2 | 53,892 |
Player details
Source:[10]
Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
GK | SCO | Adam Blacklaw | 41 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
GK | ENG | Jim Furnell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
DF | ENG | John Angus | 41 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
DF | ENG | Tommy Cummings | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
DF | NIR | Alex Elder | 34 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
DF | NIR | Billy Marshall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
DF | ENG | Brian Miller | 42 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
DF | SCO | Bobby Seith | 27 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
MF | ENG | Jimmy Adamson | 42 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 1 |
MF | ENG | John Connelly | 34 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 42 | 24 |
MF | ENG | Gordon Harris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
MF | NIR | Jimmy McIlroy | 32 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 7 |
MF | ENG | Trevor Meredith | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
MF | ENG | Brian Pilkington | 41 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 49 | 11 |
FW | ENG | Ian Lawson | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
FW | ENG | Ray Pointer | 42 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 50 | 23 |
FW | ENG | Jimmy Robson | 38 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 46 | 22 |
FW | ENG | Billy White | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
GK = Goalkeeper, DF = Defender, MF = Midfielder, FW = Forward
References
- Specific
- ^ Quelch (2015), p. 266
- ^ 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.
- ^ Simpson (2007), p. 294
- ^ Quelch (2015), p. 197
- ^ Simpson (2007), p. 295
- 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.