The 1963–64 season was the 84th season of competitive football in England, from August 1963 to May 1964.
Diary of the season 17 August 1963 – Reigning league champions Everton won the Charity Shield after a 4–0 win over FA Cup winners Manchester United. 14 September 1963 – George Best, a 17-year-old Northern Irish winger, makes his debut for Manchester United in their 1–0 First Division win over West Bromwich Albion. 23 October 1963 – an England versus Rest of the World XI match is staged to mark the centenary of The Football Association. Against a star-studded opposition team containing Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Denis Law, Lev Yashin and Eusébio, England won 2–1 with goals from Terry Paine and Jimmy Greaves, while Denis Law scored for the Rest of the World. 26 December 1963 – 66 goals were scored in the 10 First Division matches. Fulham were the biggest winners, defeating Ipswich Town 10–1. 5 April 1964 – Tottenham captain Danny Blanchflower, 38, announced his retirement from playing. 8 April 1964 – Blackburn Rovers are announced as England's participant in the 1964 edition of the International Soccer League. 11 April 1964 – Scotland beat England 1–0 in the British Home Championship to leave the two level on four points in the final table. Northern Ireland subsequently defeated Wales to finish level on points with the other two, thus ensuring that the title was shared between three nations. 12 April 1964 – The Sunday People publishes allegations that lead to a betting scandal. It reported that Mansfield Town player Jimmy Gauld had, over several years, systematically engaged in match fixing, and that many other players were involved. 18 April 1964 – Liverpool beat Arsenal 5–0 at Anfield to secure the title. In their penultimate game of the season, Ipswich Town lose 3–1 to Blackburn Rovers, confirming their relegation two years after winning the League championship. 22 April 1964 – Leicester City win the League Cup – their first major trophy – with a 4–3 aggregate victory over Stoke City. 25 April 1964 – On the final day of the Second Division season, Leeds United win 2–0 at Charlton Athletic and Sunderland fail to beat Grimsby Town, meaning Leeds were crowned champions. 2 May 1964 – West Ham United beat Preston North End 3–2 at Wembley to win the FA Cup for the first time. Trailing 2–1 at half time, West Ham scored two second half goals to deny Preston.
Notable debutants 14 September 1963 – George Best, 17-year-old Northern Irish winger, makes his debut for Manchester United against West Bromwich Albion in the First Division.
Notable retirements 5 April 1964 – Danny Blanchflower, 38-year-old Tottenham Hotspur captain.
Honours CompetitionWinnerRunner-upFirst DivisionLiverpool (6)Manchester UnitedSecond DivisionLeeds UnitedSunderlandThird DivisionCoventry CityCrystal PalaceFourth DivisionGillinghamCarlisle UnitedFA CupWest Ham United (1)Preston North EndLeague CupLeicester City (1)Stoke CityCharity ShieldEvertonManchester UnitedHome Championship, ,
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
Awards Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year – Bobby Moore (West Ham United) Top goalscorer Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur), 35
Football League
First Division Liverpool clinched the First Division title just two seasons after winning promotion, finishing four points ahead of runners-up Manchester United while defending champions Everton finished third.
Tottenham Hotspur managed to finish fourth despite not winning any silverware and being without many key players for much of the season due to injury, while captain Danny Blanchflower announced his retirement from playing just before the season's end. Tragedy then struck the club after the season was over, when forward John White was struck by lightning and killed on a North London golf course.
Chelsea enjoyed a strong return to the First Division by finishing fifth, while Leicester City finally got their hands on a major trophy by winning the League Cup.
With Alf Ramsey having now left Ipswich Town to manage the England team, Ipswich Town struggled badly under his successor Jackie Milburn, and went down in bottom place having conceded 121 goals just two seasons after being league champions. Bolton Wanderers, who had gradually faded away since the retirement of centre-forward Nat Lofthouse in 1960, also went down.
Fulham's 10-1 win over Ipswich Town on Boxing Day remains the most recent time a team has score 10 or more goals in a single game in top-flight English football.
Second Division Leeds United returned to the First Division after seven years away by clinching the Second Division title under ambitious manager Don Revie, while Sunderland's six-year exile from the First Division was ended by promotion as Second Division runners-up.
Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United slipped into the Third Division.
Third Division Coventry City made the breakthrough into the Second Division as champions of the Third Division, finishing level on points at the top of the league with Crystal Palace.
Notts County, Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra and Millwall were all relegated to the Fourth Division.
Fourth Division Gillingham finished champions of the Fourth Division, ahead of runners-up Carlisle United on goal average. They enjoyed a narrow lead over third placed Workington and fourth placed Exeter City. Bradford City bounced back from having to apply for re-election to just missing out on promotion in the space of a season.
Top goalscorers
First Division Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur) – 35 goals
Second Division Ron Saunders (Portsmouth) – 33 goals
Third Division Alfie Biggs (Bristol Rovers) – 30 goals
Fourth Division Hughie McIlmoyle (Carlisle United) – 39 goals
European club competitions European Champions' Cup Everton – Preliminary round
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Manchester United – Quarter-finals Tottenham Hotspur – Second round
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Arsenal – Second round Sheffield Wednesday – Second round
National team The England national football team had an eventful season with a shared victory in the 1964 British Home Championship, another success against a Rest of the World XI in one of the most famous matches ever played at Wembley and a tour of the Americas upon the season's conclusion which culminated in a dire performance in Brazil during the 1964 Taça de Nações.
American tour
Taça das Nações
Other matches DateOppositionVenueCompetitionResultScore12 October 1963Ninian Park, CardiffBritish ChampionshipWon4–023 October 1963Rest of the World XIWembleyFriendlyWon2–120 November 1963WembleyBritish ChampionshipWon8–311 April 1964Hampden Park, GlasgowBritish ChampionshipLost0–16 May 1964WembleyFriendlyWon2–117 May 1964Estádio Nacional, LisbonFriendlyWon4–324 May 1964Dalymount Park, DublinFriendlyWon3–1
References