The 1989-90 season was the 110th season of competitive football in England.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 European competitions 1.2 The Football League 1.2.1 First Division 1.2.2 Second Division 1.2.3 Third Division 1.2.4 Fourth Division 1.3 Cup competitions and Charity Shield 1.4 New stadia 2 League Tables 2.1 First Division 2.2 Second Division 2.3 Third Division 2.4 Fourth Division 3 Successful players 4 Successful managers 5 Famous debutants 6 Diary of the season 7 Deaths 8 References

[edit] Overview

[edit] European competitions

English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.

[edit] The Football League

[edit] First Division

Liverpool overhauled a greatly improved Aston Villa side to win their 18th league championship trophy and their fifth major trophy in as many seasons under Kenny Dalglish's management. To date, this remains their last league title. Gary Lineker's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur saw the North Londoners occupy third place after a season of improvement.

Luton Town stayed up on goal difference at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday, while Charlton's four-year spell in the First Division came to an end at the beginning of May. Millwall were rooted to the bottom of the division despite briefly topping the league in September.

[edit] Second Division

Leeds United finally returned to the top flight after an eight-year exile, as Howard Wilkinson's side lifted the Second Division championship trophy thanks to a superior goal difference over runners-up Sheffield United.

Swindon Town won the Second Division playoff final but Sunderland were promoted instead after the Swindon board admitted a series of financial irregularities. Swindon were initially demoted to the Third Division and replaced by Tranmere, the division's losing Play-Off finalists, but this decision was later reversed on appeal.

A.F.C. Bournemouth, Stoke City and Bradford City occupied the relegation places. Bournemouth have not returned to the top two division since.

[edit] Third Division

The city of Bristol was celebrating after Rovers were crowned champions and City finished runners-up in the Third Division to gain promotion. The third promotion spot was secured by playoff winners Notts County, who beat Leyland Daf Trophy winners Tranmere Rovers at Wembley.

Walsall suffered a second successive relegation and would be joined in the Fourth Division the following season by Blackpool, Cardiff City and Northampton Town.

[edit] Fourth Division

Exeter City were crowned Fourth Division champions and went up to the Third Division along with runners-up Grimsby Town, third-placed Southend United and playoff winners Cambridge United. Newly promoted Maidstone United almost ended their first league season with success, but their promotion hopes were ended by playoff failure.

Colchester United were relegated from the league and replaced by Conference champions Darlington, who regained their league status just one season after losing it.

[edit] Cup competitions and Charity Shield

Alex Ferguson silenced the critics who attacked him for a lack of progress in the league by guiding Manchester United to a 1-0 replay victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, which was achieved after a 3-3 draw. The pivotal game in his side's season had been in the televised third round tie at Nottingham Forest, when a Mark Robins goal gave relegation-threatened United a surprise win and triggered improved times for the club. They won the cup despite not playing a home game along the way.

The season produced arguably the most memorable combination of FA Cup semi-finals in history, as Crystal Palace surprisingly beat Liverpool 4-3 just a couple of hours before Manchester United and Oldham Athletic fought out a 3-3 draw, with United going on to win the replay 2-1.

Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest retained their League Cup by beating Oldham Athletic 1-0 at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the final of the Full Members Cup. It was the first of three Wembley finals between the pair in the 1990s.

[edit] New stadia

The season marked the beginning of the regular trend for clubs to leave their homes of many years and head for purpose built new stadia, following the bold move to Glanford Park by Scunthorpe United in 1988. Walsall and Chester City brought the curtain down on their many years at Fellows Park and Sealand Road respectively (both with games against Rotherham United). Walsall moved to the Bescot Stadium, while Chester began a groundshare with Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose until their new stadium was completed.

Meanwhile, Football Conference sides Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town relocated to Adams Park and Huish Park respectively.

[edit] League Tables

[edit] First Division

P	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Liverpool  (C)	38	23	10	5	78	37	+41	79
2	Aston Villa	38	21	7	10	57	38	+19	70
3	Tottenham Hotspur	38	19	6	13	59	47	+12	63
4	Arsenal	38	18	8	12	54	38	+16	62
5	Chelsea	38	16	12	10	58	50	+8	60
6	Everton	38	17	8	13	57	46	+11	59
7	Southampton	38	15	10	13	71	63	+8	55
8	Wimbledon	38	13	16	9	47	40	+7	55
9	Nottingham Forest	38	15	9	14	55	47	+8	54
10	Norwich City	38	13	14	11	44	42	+2	53
11	Queens Park Rangers	38	13	11	14	45	44	+1	50
12	Coventry City	38	14	7	17	39	59	−20	49
13	Manchester United	38	13	9	16	46	47	−1	48
14	Manchester City	38	12	12	14	43	52	−9	48
15	Crystal Palace	38	13	9	16	42	66	−24	48
16	Derby County	38	13	7	18	43	40	+3	46
17	Luton Town	38	10	13	15	43	57	−14	43
18	Sheffield Wednesday  (R)	38	11	10	17	35	51	−16	43	Relegated to Second Division
19	Charlton Athletic  (R)	38	7	9	22	31	57	−26	30
20	Millwall  (R)	38	5	11	22	39	65	−26	26

[edit] Second Division

                              P   W  D  L   F   A   W  D  L   F   A Pts  1. LEEDS UNITED (P)        46  16  6  1  46  18   8  7  8  33  34  85  2. SHEFFIELD UNITED (P)    46  14  5  4  43  27  10  8  5  35  31  85  3. Newcastle United        46  17  4  2  51  26   5 10  8  29  29  80  4. Swindon Town            46  12  6  5  49  29   8  8  7  30  30  74  5. Blackburn Rovers        46  10  9  4  43  30   9  8  6  31  29  74  6. SUNDERLAND (P)          46  10  8  5  41  32  10  6  7  29  32  74  7. West Ham United         46  14  5  4  50  22   6  7 10  30  35  72  8. Oldham Athletic         46  15  7  1  50  23   4  7 12  20  34  71  9. Ipswich Town            46  13  7  3  38  22   6  5 12  29  44  69 10. Wolverhampton Wanderers 46  12  5  6  37  20   6  8  9  30  40  67 11. Port Vale               46  11  9  3  37  20   4  7 12  25  37  61 12. Portsmouth              46   9  8  6  40  34   6  8  9  22  31  61 13. Leicester City          46  10  8  5  34  29   5  6 12  33  50  59 14. Hull City               46   7  8  8  27  31   7  8  8  31  34  58 15. Watford                 46  11  6  6  41  28   3  9 11  17  32  57 16. Plymouth Argyle         46   9  8  6  30  23   5  5 13  28  40  55 17. Oxford United           46   8  7  8  35  31   7  2 14  22  35  54 18. Brighton & Hove Albion  46  10  6  7  28  27   5  3 15  28  45  54 19. Barnsley                46   7  9  7  22  23   6  6 11  27  48  54 20. West Bromwich Albion    46   6  8  9  35  37   6  7 10  32  34  51 21. Middlesbrough           46  10  3 10  33  29   3  8 12  19  34  50 22. BOURNEMOUTH (R)         46   8  6  9  30  31   4  6 13  27  45  48 23. BRADFORD CITY (R)       46   9  6  8  26  24   0  8 15  18  44  41 24. STOKE CITY (R)          46   4 11  8  20  24   2  8 13  15  39  37 

[edit] Third Division

                              P   W  D  L   F   A   W  D  L   F   A Pts  1. BRISTOL ROVERS (P)      46  15  8  0  43  14  11  7  5  28  21  93  2. BRISTOL CITY (P)        46  15  5  3  40  16  12  5  6  36  24  91  3. NOTTS COUNTY (P)        46  17  4  2  40  18   8  8  7  33  35  87  4. Tranmere Rovers         46  15  5  3  54  22   8  6  9  32  27  80  5. Bury                    46  11  7  5  35  19  10  4  9  35  30  74  6. Bolton Wanderers        46  12  7  4  32  19   6  8  9  27  29  69  7. Birmingham City         46  10  7  6  33  19   8  5 10  27  40  66  8. Huddersfield Town       46  11  5  7  30  23   6  9  8  31  39  65  9. Rotherham United        46  12  6  5  48  28   5  7 11  23  34  64 10. Reading                 46  10  9  4  33  21   5 10  8  24  32  64 11. Shrewsbury Town         46  10  9  4  38  24   6  6 11  21  30  63 12. Crewe Alexandra         46  10  8  5  32  24   5  9  9  24  29  62 13. Brentford               46  11  4  8  41  31   7  3 13  25  35  61 14. Leyton Orient           46   9  6  8  28  24   7  4 12  24  32  58 15. Mansfield Town          46  13  2  8  34  25   3  5 15  16  40  55 16. Chester City            46  11  7  5  30  23   2  8 13  13  32  54 17. Swansea City            46  10  6  7  25  27   4  6 13  20  36  54 18. Wigan Athletic          46  10  6  7  29  22   3  8 12  19  42  53 19. Preston North End       46  10  7  6  42  30   4  3 16  23  49  52 20. Fulham                  46   8  8  7  33  27   4  7 12  22  39  51 21. CARDIFF CITY (R)        46   6  9  8  30  35   6  5 12  21  35  50 22. NORTHAMPTON (R)         46   7  7  9  27  31   4  7 12  24  37  47 23. BLACKPOOL (R)           46   8  6  9  29  33   2 10 11  20  40  46 24. WALSALL (R)             46   6  8  9  23  30   3  6 14  17  42  41 

[edit] Fourth Division

                             P   W  D  L   F   A   W  D  L   F   A  Pts  1. EXETER CITY (P)         46  20  3  0  50  14   8  2 13  33  34  89  2. GRIMSBY TOWN (P)        46  14  4  5  41  20   8  9  6  29  27  79  3. SOUTHEND UNITED (P)     46  15  3  5  35  14   7  6 10  26  34  75  4. Stockport County        46  13  6  4  45  27   8  5 10  23  35  74  5. Maidstone United        46  14  4  5  49  21   8  3 12  28  40  73  6. CAMBRIDGE UNITED (P)    46  14  3  6  45  30   7  7  9  31  36  73  7. Chesterfield            46  12  9  2  41  19   7  5 11  22  31  71  8. Carlisle United         46  15  4  4  38  20   6  4 13  23  40  71  9. Peterborough United     46  10  8  5  35  23   7  9  7  24  23  68 10. Lincoln City            46  11  6  6  30  27   7  8  8  18  21  68 11. Scunthorpe United       46   9  9  5  42  25   8  6  9  27  29  66 12. Rochdale                46  11  4  8  28  23   9  2 12  24  32  66 13. York City               46  10  5  8  29  24   6 11  6  26  29  64 14. Gillingham              46   9  8  6  28  21   8  3 12  18  27  62 15. Torquay United          46  12  2  9  33  29   3 10 10  20  37  57 16. Burnley                 46   6 10  7  19  18   8  4 11  26  37  56 17. Hereford United         46   7  4 12  31  32   8  6  9  25  30  55 18. Scarborough             46  10  5  8  35  28   5  5 13  25  45  55 19. Hartlepool United       46  12  4  7  45  33   3  6 14  21  55  55 20. Doncaster Rovers        46   7  7  9  29  29   7  2 14  24  31  51 21. Wrexham                 46   8  8  7  28  28   5  4 14  23  39  51 22. Aldershot               46   8  7  8  28  26   4  7 12  21  43  50 23. Halifax Town            46   5  9  9  31  29   7  4 12  26  36  49 24. COLCHESTER UNITED (R)   46   9  3 11  26  25   2  7 14  22  50  43 

[edit] Successful players

• David Platt's frequent goalscoring from the Aston Villa midfield was not quite enough to earn his side the championship trophy, but it was enough for him to win the PFA Player of the Year award.
• Liverpool's John Barnes scored over 20 goals and helped his team win another league title and himself win the FWA Player of the Year award.
• Southampton's highly rated young Guernsey-born striker Matthew Le Tissier was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his exciting performances.
• Manchester United's Mark Hughes had another good season as he helped his side overcome disappointing league form and reach the FA Cup final where he scored twice in the first game before they won the replay.
• Oldham's Andy Ritchie scored 28 goals in all competitions as his side reached the F.A. Cup semi-final and League Cup final. His team-mate Frankie Bunn scored six times in his side's League Cup win over Scarborough.
• Newcastle striker Mick Quinn scored 32 times in the league and 36 in all competitions, but couldn't quite earn his side promotion to the First Division.
• Promising Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson emerged as a competent goalscorer, but his side's relegation to the Second Division saw him wanting top flight football, which he got in the form of a transfer to Spanish side Real Sociedad.
• Wolves striker Steve Bull had another excellent season, highlighted by scoring four goals against Newcastle in the Second Division on New Year's Day and being the only Second Division player to feature in England's World Cup squad.

[edit] Successful managers

• Kenny Dalglish brought another championship trophy to Liverpool after fighting off a late challenge from Aston Villa.
• Alex Ferguson finally guided Manchester United to a major trophy after four seasons of trying when they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final replay.
• Graham Taylor took Aston Villa to the brink of championship glory just one season after they had been on the brink of relegation.
• Steve Coppell took Crystal Palace to their first ever FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United in a replay after beating League Champions Liverpool in the semi final.
• Dave Bassett took Sheffield United to a second successive promotion to bring top flight football to Bramall Lane for the first time since the 1970s.
• Howard Wilkinson led Leeds United back into the First Division after an eight-year exile.
• Bobby Campbell guided newly promoted Chelsea to fifth place in the First Division.
• Gerry Francis took Bristol Rovers to the Third Division championship.
• Neil Warnock ended Notts County's five-year spell in the Third Division by guiding them to success in the promotion playoffs.
• Alan Buckley rejuvenated Grimsby Town by guiding them to promotion success in the Fourth Division.
• Brian Little took Darlington back into the Football League at the first attempt by guiding them to the Conference title.
• Joe Royle guided Oldham to the League Cup final (their first ever Wembley appearance) and the F.A. Cup semi-final (their first appearance at that stage of the competition since 1913.

[edit] Famous debutants

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (May 2009)

• 19 August 1989: Trevor Sinclair, 16-year-old winger, makes his debut for Blackpool in their opening game of the Third Division campaign - a goalless draw at home to Wigan Athletic.

• 30 April 1990: Mark Bosnich, 18-year-old Australian goalkeeper, keeps a clean sheet on his debut for Manchester United at home to Wimbledon in a First Division goalless draw.

[edit] Diary of the season

1 July 1989 - Midfielder Mike Phelan joins Manchester United in a £750,000 transfer from Norwich City.

5 July 1989 - Lou Macari departs from Swindon Town to succeed John Lyall as manager of West Ham United. He is only the sixth manager to have taken charge of West Ham (recently relegated to the Second Division) since their formation in 1900.

11 July 1989 - Aston Villa sign Kent Nielsen, the Denmark central defender, from Brondby in a £500,000 deal.

12 July 1989 - Glenn Hysen, the Swedish defender who had been expected to sign for Manchester United, is instead signed by Liverpool.

15 July 1989 - Laurie Cunningham, who played in Wimbledon's FA Cup final triumph 14 months ago and had a successful spell with West Bromwich Albion in the late 1970s, dies in a car crash in Spain. He was 33 years old and had been playing for Rayo Vallecano at the time of his death.

17 July 1989 - Liverpool sign 18-year-old defender Steve Harkness from Carlisle United for £75,000.

21 July 1989 - A tribunal orders Manchester United to pay £1.5million to Nottingham Forest for 26-year-old midfielder Neil Webb, who had been valued by Brian Clough at £2.2million - a fee that would have made him the most expensive signing by an English club.

27 July 1989 - Everton pay Leicester City £1.1million for striker Mike Newell.

28 July 1989 - Maidstone United prepare for their first Football League season with a £10,000 move for 19-year-old Leytonstone defender Warren Barton.

31 July 1989 - Norwich City pay Coventry City £525,000 for Welsh winger David Phillips.

3 August 1989 - Nottingham Forest pay Leeds United £650,000 for Republic of Ireland midfielder John Sheridan, while Sheridan's fellow countryman Paul McGrath joins Aston Villa from Manchester United for £400,000.

7 August 1989 - Everton sign Aston Villa defender Martin Keown for £750,000.

18 August 1989 - Property tycoon Michael Knighton agrees to buy control of Manchester United in a deal which is believed to be worth around £20million. Clive Allen returns to England after a year in France with Bordeaux in a £1.1million transfer to newly promoted Manchester City.

19 August 1989 - Defending First Division champions Arsenal lose 4-1 away to Manchester United, while Second Division promotion favourites Newcastle United and Leeds United clash at St James's Park in a match which ends with the home side winning 5-2 thanks largely to a four-goal scoring spree by new signing Micky Quinn.

21 August 1989 - Luton Town pay a club record £650,000 for striker Lars Elstrup from Danish side OB Odense.

24 August 1989 - West Ham United prepare for their Second Division promotion push with a £675,000 move for Queen's Park Rangers midfielder Martin Allen.

28 August 1989 - The British transfer record is broken for the third time in just over a year, when Manchester United sign Middlesbrough defender Gary Pallister for £2.3million.

31 August 1989 - The first month of the league season ends with Coventry City (yet to win a league title) as First Division leaders. Sheffield Wednesday prop up the table, followed by newly promoted Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday. Defending champions Arsenal occupy a lowly 15th place, while Manchester United lie 14th after a draw and two defeats followed their impressive 4-1 win over Arsenal on the opening day of the season. [1] The Second Division promotion race gets underway with West Ham United leading the table level on points with Blackburn Rovers. The playoff places are occupied by Sheffield United (newly promoted), Ipswich Town, Watford and newly relegated Newcastle United. ^[1]

6 September 1989 - England draw 0-0 against Sweden in their fifth World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

15 September 1989 - Queen's Park Rangers pay £500,000 for Oxford United defender David Bardsley.

23 September 1989 - Manchester United lose 5-1 away to neighbours Manchester City in the first Manchester derby since the 1986-87 season. They remain in the 14th place that they occupied at the end of last month, while Liverpool are now top of the First Division and facing unlikely competition from the likes of high-flying Chelsea and Millwall. [2] In the race to get into the First Division, Sheffield United are top of the Second Division and looking good bets for a second successive promotion, with Blackburn Rovers second in the table and level on points with Newcastle United. Sunderland, Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion complete the top six. Leicester City, often among the pre-season promotion favourites for the last three seasons, prop up the Second Division table sparking fears that they could be relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history. [3]

6 October 1989 - It is reported in the national media that Michael Knighton's takeover of Manchester United could be about to collapse.

11 October 1989 - England draw 0-0 with Poland in Chorzow to secure World Cup qualification.

31 October 1989 - October ends with Everton as First Division leaders, though Liverpool have two games in hand and are just two points behind them. [4] Sheffield United remain top of the Second Division, with Leeds United second and the playoff places occupied by Newcastle United, West Ham United, Sunderland and Plymouth Argyle. [5]

16 November 1989 - Manchester City sign Blackburn Rovers defender Colin Hendry for £700,000.

21 November 1989 - Nigel Martyn, 23, becomes Britain's first £1million goalkeeper when he joins Crystal Palace from Bristol Rovers.

30 November 1989 - Nigel Spackman leaves Queen's Park Rangers after nine months to join the English legion at Glasgow Rangers. Spackman's former club Liverpool are bracketed together with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea at the top of the First Division, which is propped up by Manchester City, Queen's Park Rangers and Charlton Athletic. [6]

2 December 1989 - Trevor Francis, 35, is sacked after one year as player-manager of Queens Park Rangers. Coach Don Howe takes over, and his first signing is expected to be 33-year-old midfielder Ray Wilkins.

19 December 1989 - 18-year-old Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke signs for Aston Villa.

28 December 1989 - West Ham United sign midfielder Ian Bishop and striker Trevor Morley from Manchester City for £500,000 each.

29 December 1989 - Liverpool chairman John Smith receives a knighthood.

31 December 1989 - The year and the decade ends with Liverpool as First Division leaders by a four-point margin and a game in hand. Aston Villa, who narrowly escaped relegation last season, are their prime contenders along with Arsenal, Southampton, Chelsea, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur. Charlton Athletic prop up the table, while Millwall who briefly led the table in September are out of the relegation zone only on goal difference. [7] Leeds United are top of the Second Division with Sheffield United in second place. Sunderland, Oldham Athletic, Ipswich Town and Newcastle United occupy the playoff zone, while West Ham United's early challenge has fallen away and they now stand 11th in their first season outside the top flight for almost a decade. [8]

5 January 1990 - Swindon Town chairman Brian Hillier and former manager Lou Macari (now at West Ham United) are suspected of making an illegal bet against their own club in an FA Cup tie with Newcastle United in January 1988.

8 January 1990 - Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground in the Third Round of the FA Cup, taking the pressure off under-fire manager Alex Ferguson. United are 15th in the First Division and for around two months there have been continued calls from fans for Ferguson to be sacked, but United chairman Martin Edwards (back in control after Michael Knighton withdrew his takeover deal) has denied that Ferguson's job is under threat.

9 January 1990 - Leeds United, the Second Division leaders, pay Nottingham Forest £400,000 for striker Lee Chapman.

14 January 1990 - The Football Association announce that they are investigating allegations of financial irregularities at Swindon Town.

29 January 1990 - The Taylor Report, an inquiry into stadium safety following the Hillsborough disaster nine months ago, recommends that all First and Second Division stadiums are all-seater by 1994 and that the Third and Fourth Divisions follow suit by 1999. On the same day, Coventry City (the first club to have an all-seater stadium in England) pay a club record £900,000 for 23-year-old Dundee United and Scotland striker Kevin Gallacher.

31 January 1990 - Liverpool end January as First Division leaders on goal difference ahead of Aston Villa, but with a game in hand. Manchester United are now just one place above the relegation zone, but have progressed to the FA Cup fifth round to slightly lift the pressure on under-fire manager Alex Ferguson, whose job is very much safe according to club chairman Martin Edwards. Charlton Athletic remain bottom and facing an uphill task to beat the drop after losing all their league games this month. [9] The race to get into the First Division is headed by Leeds United and Sheffield United, who are further distancing themselves from the rest of the Second Division. Just two points separate the next five clubs - Swindon Town, Oldham Athletic, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Ipswich Town. Meanwhile, eighth placed Wolverhampton Wanderers are just two points short of the playoff zone and are looking like reasonable challengers for a unique third successive promotion. [10]

22 January 1990 - Almost two months after being sacked as player-manager by Queen's Park Rangers, Trevor Francis signs for Sheffield Wednesday.

30 January 1990 - One of the biggest surprises of the FA Cup so far takes place in the fourth round replay at the Abbey Stadium, where Fourth Division Cambridge United beat First Division Millwall 1-0 three days after the first match at The Den ended in a 1-1 draw.

2 February 1990 - Former Liverpool manager Don Welsh dies aged 78.

12 February 1990 - Brian Hillier and Lou Macari are both fined after being found guilty of placing an illegal bet against Swindon Town. Hillier is also given a 6-month ban from football and is forced to resign as the club's chairman, while Macari steps down as West Ham United manager and is replaced by former player Billy Bonds.

14 February 1990 - Oldham Athletic defeat West Ham United 6-0 at Boundary Park in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final, all but guaranteeing their first ever Wembley appearance. Oldham fans enquiringly sing; "Has Macari had a bet?"

27 February 1990 - Cambridge United reach the FA Cup quarter-finals (a rare performance for a Fourth Division club) after a second replay against Bristol City in the fifth round ended in a 5-1 home win.

28 February 1990 - Aston Villa finish February as First Division leaders in only their second season following promotion. Luton Town, Millwall and Charlton Athletic occupy the bottom three places, with the two Manchester clubs directly above them, but there are growing signs that United could be in for a successful season as they have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals. [11] Leeds United and Sheffield United continue to lead the way in the Second Division. Swindon Town, Oldham Athletic, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers occupy the playoff zone, while Port Vale are emerging as surprise contenders for a playoff place that could be their key to First Division football for the first time in their history. [12]

12 March 1990 - Bristol City striker Dean Horrix, 28, is killed in a car crash a week after joining the club from Millwall.

14 March 1990 - First Division leaders Aston Villa suffer a shock 3-0 defeat at Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup quarter-final, while Liverpool's double bid remains on course after a 1-0 replay win over Queens Park Rangers. Also in the semi-finals are Manchester United and Crystal Palace, with the latter ending Cambridge United's hopes of become the Fourth Division's first-ever FA Cup semi-finalists. On the same day, Nottingham Forest build for the future with an £80,000 move for Runcorn's 22-year-old Northern Irish winger Ian Woan.

20 March 1990 - Chester City are taken over by Edinburgh based construction firm Morrison Construction in a deal which will see them leave Sealand Road at the end of this season and move to a new stadium in 1992.

22 March 1990 - David Kelly ends a frustrating 19-month spell at West Ham United and joins their Second Division rivals for £300,000 - half of the fee they paid for him.

29 March 1990 - Colne Dynamoes, leaders of the Northern Premier League, unveil plans to build a new 10,000-seat stadium incorporating community facilities as their ambitious owners prepare for a challenge to bring the club into the Football League.

31 March 1990 - Liverpool return to the top of the First Division for the end of the month, but lead the table only on goal difference with a game in hand ahead of Aston Villa. Manchester United are still 16th in the league, but will be in the FA Cup final if they beat Oldham Athletic in the semi-final next weekend. [13] Leeds United and Sheffield United continue to lead the Second Division, with Wolverhampton Wanderers having leapfrogged Sunderland into the playoff zone where they join Swindon Town, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. [14]

8 April 1990 - Liverpool's hopes of a unique second double are ended when they lose 4-3 to Crystal Palace, the team they defeated 9-0 earlier in the season, in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Villa Park. It will be the first time that Palace have played in an FA Cup final, while it is the third season running that Liverpool's double hopes have been ended during the final stages of the season. On the same day, Manchester United draw 3-3 with Oldham Athletic in the other semi-final at Maine Road.

11 April 1990 - Manchester United beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 after extra time in the FA Cup semi-final replay, booking them an FA Cup final clash with Crystal Palace (managed by former United winger Steve Coppell) and giving them their first chance of silverware in five years. The game is however marred by controversy after referee Joe Worrall fails to award Oldham an early goal after Nick Henry's shot clearly crosses the line.

28 April 1990 - Chester City play the final Football League game at their Sealand Road home of 84 years - a 2-0 win over Rotherham United.

30 April 1990 - The month ends with Liverpool confirmed as First Division champions for the 18th time in their history, while Aston Villa are sure of second place and the next four places are being contested between Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea. Meanwhile, Manchester United have assured their top flight survival and all the excitement is focused on their FA Cup final showdown in less than two weeks. Charlton Athletic and Millwall's relegation has been confirmed, while Luton Town need to win their last game of the season and hope that Sheffield Wednesday lose to avoid losing the top division place that has been theirs since 1982. [15] The Second Division promotion race is still wide open. Leeds United (top), Sheffield United (second) and Newcastle United (third) are fighting it out for automatic promotion. Swindon Town, Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland complete the top six, but West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and Oldham Athletic still have a mathematical chance of breaking into the playoffs. [16]

5 May 1990 - Sheffield Wednesday are relegated on goal difference behind a Luton Town side who performed the unthinkable and won their final game of the season while the Hillsborough club lost theirs, on the same day that their neighbours Sheffield United sealed promotion back to the First Division after 14 years away. Dave Bassett achieved the sixth promotion of his career with a Blades side who finished level on points with champions Leeds United. [17]

12 May 1990 - Manchester United and Crystal Palace draw 3-3 in the FA Cup final first match, forcing a replay.

17 May 1990 - A Lee Martin goal gives Manchester United the FA Cup and wins them their first major trophy under the management of Alex Ferguson, marking an excellent end to a season which had seen United disappoint in the league and finish 13th. There had been much speculation that Ferguson was to be sacked, but the club's directors insisted that they had never considered removing Ferguson from his position.

18 May 1990 - David Seaman becomes Britain's most expensive goalkeeper when he agrees to join Arsenal in a £1.3million move from Queen's Park Rangers.

1 May 1990 - Lou Macari and Brian Hillier are re-arrested after allegations of Inland Revenue offences. Swindon Town's chief accountant Vince Farrar and club captain Colin Calderwood are also arrested. Calderwood is quickly cleared of any involvement in the offences, while Macari, Hillier and Farrar are charged with tax offences and released on bail.

28 May 1990 - Swindon Town win the Second Division playoff final by beating Sunderland 1-0, but their place in the First Division remains in doubt over the alleged tax scandal.

1 June 1990 - The Football League votes to revert to a 22-club First Division for the 1991-92 season, while the Fourth Division will expand to 23 clubs in 1991-92 and 24 clubs in 1992-93, with no relegation to the GM Vauxhall Conference for the next two seasons.

6 June 1990 - Manchester United pay Oldham Athletic £625,000 for Irish full-back Denis Irwin.

7 June 1990 - Swindon Town are found guilty on 34 charges of financial irregularities at a Football League hearing. They are relegated to the Third Division as a punishment. On the same day, Wimbledon pay Maidstone United £300,000 for defender Warren Barton.

11 June 1990 - England open their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Republic of Ireland.

12 June 1990 - Nottingham Forest sign midfielder Roy Keane (19 in August) from Irish club Cobh Ramblers for £10,000.

16 June 1990 - England draw 0-0 with Holland in their second World Cup group game, leaving them needing to win the final group game against Egypt in five days to reach the Second Round.

21 June 1990 - England clinch qualification for the World Cup Second Round by beating Egypt 1-0 in their final group game.

26 June 1990 - England reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a second round 1-0 victory over Belgium.

1 July 1990 - England beat Cameroon 3-2 in the World Cup quarter finals, securing qualification to the semi-finals for the first time since the 1970 tournament.

2 July 1990 - Swindon Town win an appeal against their relegation to the Third Division, but miss out on promotion to the First Division and remain in the Second Division. Their place in the First Division goes to Sunderland.

4 July 1990 - England's hopes of World Cup glory are ended after they lose penalties to West Germany in the semi-finals after a 1-1 draw. The game is symbolised when Paul Gascoigne cries after receiving a booking that would have ruled him out of the final had England qualified.

7 July 1990 - England lose 2-1 to host nation Italy in the World Cup third place play-off.

[edit] Deaths

• 15 July 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, 33, former England midfielder, was killed in a car crash in Spain. He played as a substitute for Wimbledon when they won the FA Cup in 1988. He also played for clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Real Madrid and Leicester City, and had a loan spell at Manchester United during the 1982-83 season.
• 1 September 1989 – Kazimierz Deyna, 41, former Polish international who had a spell with Manchester City in the late 1970s. Died in a car accident.
• 14 November 1989 – Jimmy Murphy, 81, assistant manager at Manchester United during the reign of Matt Busby. Took temporary charge of the team during the four months following the Munich Air Disaster while Busby recovered from his injuries.
• 11 March 1990 – Dean Horrix, 28, Bristol City striker, was killed in a car crash just over a week after he joined the club from Millwall.
• 30 June 1990 – Brian Tiler, 45, who played for Aston Villa during the 1970s and was a director for Bournemouth from the mid 1980s, was killed in a car crash in Italy. Bournemouth manager Harry Redknapp was travelling in the same car as Tiler but survived.

[edit] References

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