1989–90 in English football

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

Overview

European competitions

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

The Football League

Main article: The Football League 1989-90

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's relegation, 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.

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 on away goals after the Swindon board admitted a series of financial irregularities. Swindon were initially relegated to the Third Division and replaced by Tranmere because Swindon began financial irregularities before competing in the playoffs, the division's losing Play-Off finalists, but this decision was later reversed on appeal and it allowed Swindon to finish 4th in one division and Tranmere to finish 4th in the other division.

A.F.C. Bournemouth, Stoke City and Bradford City occupied the relegation places.

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 Associate Members Cup 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.

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.

Cup competitions and Charity Shield

Main articles: FA Cup 1989–90, 1989–90 Football League Cup, Full Members Cup 1989–90, Football League Trophy 1989–90, and 1989 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, and was Ferguson's first major trophy as United's manager.

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.

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.

League Tables

First Division

Liverpool secured their 18th First Division title, finishing nine points ahead of Aston Villa. Tottenham Hotspur, defending champions Arsenal and newly promoted Chelsea completed the top five.

Nottingham Forest retained the Football League Cup to match the record of four wins in the competition set by Liverpool, while Manchester United finally won some silverware at the fourth attempt under Alex Ferguson by lifting the FA Cup to match the record of seven wins in the competition set by Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

Millwall, who had briefly topped the First Division in September, ended the season relegated in bottom place with a mere four wins to their name all season. Charlton Athletic's luck finally ran out after four seasons as they became the next team to go down. The last relegation place went to Sheffield Wednesday, who went down on goal difference after a late escape act by Luton Town.

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Liverpool	38		13	5	1	38	15		10	5	4	40	22		78	37	+41	79	Excluded from the 1990–91 European Cup
2	Aston Villa	38		13	3	3	36	20		8	4	7	21	18		57	38	+19	70	UEFA Cup 1990–91 First round
3	Tottenham Hotspur	38		12	1	6	35	24		7	5	7	24	23		59	47	+12	63
4	Arsenal	38		14	3	2	38	11		4	5	10	16	27		54	38	+16	62
5	Chelsea	38		8	7	4	31	24		8	5	6	27	26		58	50	+8	60
6	Everton	38		14	3	2	40	16		3	5	11	17	30		57	46	+11	59
7	Southampton	38		10	5	4	40	27		5	5	9	31	36		71	63	+8	55
8	Wimbledon	38		5	8	6	22	23		8	8	3	25	17		47	40	+7	55
9	Nottingham Forest	38		9	4	6	31	21		6	5	8	24	26		55	47	+8	54
10	Norwich City	38		7	10	2	24	14		6	4	9	20	28		44	42	+2	53
11	Queens Park Rangers	38		9	4	6	27	22		4	7	8	18	22		45	44	+1	50
12	Coventry City	38		11	2	6	24	25		3	5	11	15	34		39	59	-20	49
13	Manchester United	38		8	6	5	26	14		5	3	11	20	33		46	47	–1	48	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1990–91 First round
14	Manchester City	38		9	4	6	26	21		3	8	8	17	31		43	52	–9	48
15	Crystal Palace	38		8	7	4	27	23		5	2	12	15	43		42	66	–24	48
16	Derby County	38		9	1	9	29	21		4	6	9	14	19		43	40	+3	46
17	Luton Town	38		8	8	3	24	18		2	5	12	19	39		43	57	–14	43
18	Sheffield Wednesday	38		8	6	5	21	17		3	4	12	14	34		35	51	–16	43
19	Charlton Athletic	38		4	6	9	18	25		3	3	13	13	32		31	57	–26	30
20	Millwall	38		4	6	9	23	25		1	5	13	16	40		39	65	–26	26

Second Division

Leeds United finally made it back to the First Division after eight years away by winning the Second Division title. They were joined by Sheffield United, who won a second successive promotion under manager Dave Bassett, who won his sixth promotion in 10 seasons. Swindon Town did beat Sunderland in the playoff final, but their opponents were then promoted instead after Swindon admitted to 36 charges of financial irregularities.

Stoke City's decline continued as they fell into the Third Division, along with a Bradford City side who had almost won promotion to the First Division two years earlier, while Bournemouth's late season slump cost them their Second Division status and helped save Middlesbrough from a second successive relegation, as well as keeping West Bromwich clear of Third Division football for the first time.

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Leeds United	46		16	6	1	46	18		8	7	8	33	34		79	52	+ 27	85
2	Sheffield United	46		14	5	4	43	27		10	8	5	35	31		78	58	+ 20	85
3	Newcastle United	46		17	4	2	51	26		5	10	8	29	29		80	55	+ 25	80
4	Swindon Town	46		12	6	5	49	29		8	8	7	30	30		79	59	+ 20	74
5	Blackburn Rovers	46		10	9	4	43	30		9	8	6	31	29		74	60	+ 14	74
6	Sunderland	46		10	8	5	41	32		10	6	7	29	32		70	64	+ 8	74
7	West Ham United	46		14	5	4	50	22		6	7	10	30	35		80	57	+ 23	72
8	Oldham Athletic	46		15	7	1	50	23		4	7	12	20	34		70	57	+ 13	71
9	Ipswich Town	46		13	7	3	38	22		6	5	12	29	44		67	51	+ 16	69
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46		12	5	6	37	20		6	8	9	30	40		67	50	+ 17	67
11	Port Vale	46		11	9	3	37	20		4	7	12	25	37		62	57	+ 5	61
12	Portsmouth	46		9	8	6	40	34		6	8	9	22	31		62	65	– 3	61
13	Leicester City	46		10	8	5	34	29		5	6	12	33	50		67	79	– 12	59
14	Hull City	46		7	8	8	27	31		7	8	8	31	34		58	65	– 7	58
15	Watford	46		11	6	6	41	28		3	9	11	17	32		58	60	– 2	57
16	Plymouth Argyle	46		9	8	6	30	23		5	5	13	28	40		58	63	– 5	55
17	Oxford United	46		8	7	8	35	31		7	2	14	22	35		57	66	– 9	54
18	Brighton & Hove Albion	46		10	6	7	28	27		5	3	15	28	45		56	72	– 16	54
19	Barnsley	46		7	9	7	22	23		6	6	11	27	48		49	71	– 22	54
20	West Bromwich Albion	46		6	8	9	35	37		6	7	10	32	34		67	71	– 4	51
21	Middlesbrough	46		10	3	10	33	29		3	8	12	19	34		52	63	– 11	50
22	Bournemouth	46		8	6	9	30	31		4	6	13	27	45		57	76	– 19	48
23	Bradford City	46		9	6	8	26	24		0	8	15	18	44		44	68	– 24	41
24	Stoke City	46		4	11	8	20	24		2	8	13	15	39		35	63	– 28	37

Note: Swindon Town were denied promotion due to beginning their financial irregularities. They were also initially relegated to the Third Division for the following season, but this was overturned on appeal.

Third Division

Former England international Gerry Francis guided Bristol Rovers into the Second Division at the third attempt as they won the Third Division title, with local rivals Bristol City joining them as runners-up, and Neil Warnock's Notts County triumphing in the playoffs.

Walsall, Blackpool, Northampton Town and Cardiff City were all relegated to the Fourth Division.

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Bristol Rovers	46		15	8	0	43	14		11	7	5	28	21		71	35	+ 36	93
2	Bristol City	46		15	5	3	40	16		12	5	6	36	24		76	40	+ 36	91
3	Notts County	46		17	4	2	40	18		8	8	7	33	35		73	53	+ 20	87
4	Tranmere Rovers	46		15	5	3	54	22		8	6	9	32	27		86	49	+ 37	80
5	Bury	46		11	7	5	35	19		10	4	9	35	30		70	49	+ 21	74
6	Bolton Wanderers	46		12	7	4	32	19		6	8	9	27	29		59	48	+ 11	69
7	Birmingham City	46		10	7	6	33	19		8	5	10	27	40		60	59	+ 1	66
8	Huddersfield Town	46		11	5	7	30	23		6	9	8	31	39		61	62	– 1	65
9	Rotherham United	46		12	6	5	48	28		5	7	11	23	34		71	62	+ 9	64
10	Reading	46		10	9	4	33	21		5	10	8	24	32		57	53	+ 4	64
11	Shrewsbury Town	46		10	9	4	38	24		6	6	11	21	30		59	54	+ 5	63
12	Crewe Alexandra	46		10	8	5	32	24		5	9	9	24	29		56	54	+ 2	62
13	Brentford	46		11	4	8	41	31		7	3	13	25	35		66	66	± 0	61
14	Leyton Orient	46		9	6	8	28	24		7	4	12	24	32		52	56	– 4	58
15	Mansfield Town	46		13	2	8	34	25		3	5	15	16	40		50	65	– 15	55
16	Chester City	46		11	7	5	30	23		2	8	13	13	32		43	55	– 12	54
17	Swansea City	46		10	6	7	25	27		4	6	13	20	36		45	63	– 18	54
18	Wigan Athletic	46		10	6	7	29	22		3	8	12	19	42		48	64	– 16	53
19	Preston North End	46		10	7	6	42	30		4	3	16	23	49		65	79	– 14	52
20	Fulham	46		8	8	7	33	27		4	7	12	22	39		55	66	– 11	51
21	Cardiff City	46		6	9	8	30	35		6	5	12	21	35		51	70	– 19	50
22	Northampton	46		7	7	9	27	31		4	7	12	24	37		51	68	– 17	47
23	Blackpool	46		8	6	9	29	33		2	10	11	20	40		49	73	– 24	46
24	Walsall	46		6	8	9	23	30		3	6	14	17	42		40	72	– 30	41

Fourth Division

Exeter City were promoted as Fourth Division champions, joined in the automatic promotion places by Southend United and a rejuvenated Grimsby Town who were on the comeback trail from near closure two years earlier. New manager John Beck kicked off his managerial career with playoff glory at Cambridge United, while Colchester United's 40-year stay in the Football League ended in relegation.

Pos	Team	Pld		W	D	L	GF	GA		W	D	L	GF	GA		GF	GA	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Exeter City	46		20	3	0	50	14		8	2	13	33	34		83	48	+ 35	89
2	Grimsby Town	46		14	4	5	41	20		8	9	6	29	27		70	47	+ 23	79
3	Southend United	46		15	3	5	35	14		7	6	10	26	34		61	48	+ 13	75
4	Stockport County	46		13	6	4	45	27		8	5	10	23	35		68	62	+ 4	74
5	Maidstone United	46		14	4	5	49	21		8	3	12	28	40		77	61	+ 16	73
6	Cambridge United	46		14	3	6	45	30		7	7	9	31	36		86	66	+ 20	73
7	Chesterfield	46		12	9	2	41	19		7	5	11	22	31		63	50	+ 13	71
8	Carlisle United	46		15	4	4	38	20		6	4	13	23	40		61	50	+ 11	71
9	Peterborough United	46		10	8	5	35	23		7	9	7	24	23		59	46	+ 13	68
10	Lincoln City	46		11	6	6	30	27		7	8	8	18	21		48	48	± 0	68
11	Scunthorpe United	46		9	9	5	42	25		8	6	9	27	29		69	54	+ 15	66
12	Rochdale	46		11	4	8	28	23		9	2	12	24	32		52	55	– 3	66
13	York City	46		10	5	8	29	24		6	11	6	26	29		55	53	+ 2	64
14	Gillingham	46		9	8	6	28	21		8	3	12	18	27		46	48	– 2	62
15	Torquay United	46		12	2	9	33	29		3	10	10	20	37		53	66	– 13	57
16	Burnley	46		6	10	7	19	18		8	4	11	26	37		45	55	– 10	56
17	Hereford United	46		7	4	12	31	32		8	6	9	25	30		56	62	– 6	55
18	Scarborough	46		10	5	8	35	28		5	5	13	25	45		60	73	– 13	55
19	Hartlepool United	46		12	4	7	45	33		3	6	14	21	55		66	88	– 22	55
20	Doncaster Rovers	46		7	7	9	29	29		7	2	14	24	31		53	60	– 17	51
21	Wrexham	46		8	8	7	28	28		5	4	14	23	39		51	67	– 16	51	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1990–91 First round
22	Aldershot	46		8	7	8	28	26		4	7	12	21	43		49	69	– 20	50
23	Halifax Town	46		5	9	9	31	29		7	4	12	26	36		57	65	– 8	49
24	Colchester United	46		9	3	11	26	25		2	7	14	22	50		48	75	– 27	43

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 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.

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.
• Denis Smith took Sunderland back to the top flight only 3 seasons after they had been relegated into the third tier for the first (and to date only) time in their history.

Famous debutants

• 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.

Top goalscorers

First Division

• Gary Lineker (Tottenham Hotspur) – 24 goals

Second Division

• Micky Quinn (Newcastle United) – 32 goals

Third Division

• Bob Taylor (Bristol City) – 27 goals

Fourth Division

• Brett Angell (Stockport County) – 23 goals

Retirements

• 1 May 1990: Kenny Dalglish, 39-year-old Liverpool player-manager, plays his last game for the club in their 1–0 home win over Derby County.

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 since their formation in 1900.

6 July 1989 – After just four months at Glasgow Rangers, Mel Sterland leaves the Scottish league champions and returns to England in a move to Second Division Leeds United for £600,000.

8 July 1989 – Olympique Marseille pay Tottenham Hotspur £4.5 million for winger Chris Waddle, a fee that makes him the most expensive British player. After a year in France with Bordeaux, Clive Allen returns to England in a £1million move to newly promoted Manchester City.

10 July 1989 – Scottish striker Mark McGhee returns to Newcastle United on a free transfer from Scottish Cup winners Celtic.

11 July 1989 – Aston Villa sign Kent Nielsen, the Denmark central defender, from Brøndby 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. Don Howe, a member of the English coaching staff, resigns as assistant manager of Wimbledon and becomes assistant to Trevor Francis at Queens Park Rangers.

13 July 1989 – Third Division Notts County reject a £750,000 bid for 22–year–old defender Dean Yates.

15 July 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, who played in Wimbledon's FA Cup 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. Tottenham Hotspur sign midfielder Steve Sedgley from Coventry City for £750,000.

19 July 1989 – Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ossie Ardiles, 37 next month, is appointed player–manager of Swindon Town.

21 July 1989 – A tribunal orders Manchester United to pay £1.5 million to Nottingham Forest for 26–year–old midfielder Neil Webb.

24 July 1989 – Aston Villa sign Manchester United defender Paul McGrath for £400,000.

26 July 1989 – Norman Whiteside moves from Manchester United to Everton for £750,000.

27 July 1989 – Everton pay Leicester City £1.1 million 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.

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

14 August 1989 – Adrian Heath returns to English football after less than a year in Spain when he joins Aston Villa from Espanyol for £360,000.

18 August 1989 – Property tycoon Michael Knighton agrees to buy control of Manchester United in a deal which is believed to be worth around £20 million.

19 August 1989 – On the first day of the First Division season, champions Arsenal lose 4–1 away to Manchester United, while Liverpool beat Manchester City 3–1. Second Division promotion favourites Newcastle United and Leeds United clash at St James' 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. West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie breaks his leg against Stoke City and is expected to miss most if not all of the rest of the season.

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

22 August 1989 – Tottenham Hotspur sign defender Pat van den Hauwe from Everton for £650,000.

23 August 1989 – Paul Bracewell, who has missed most of the last three years because of injury, joins Sunderland for £250,000.

24 August 1989 – West Ham United prepare for their Second Division promotion push with a £675,000 move for Queens Park Rangers midfielder Martin Allen, just weeks after a move to First Division champions Arsenal collapsed.

29 August 1989 – Gary Pallister becomes Britain's most expensive defender in a £2.3 million move from Middlesbrough to Manchester United.

31 August 1989 – The first month of the league season ends with Coventry City as First Division leaders after three wins from four games. Sheffield Wednesday prop up the table, followed by newly promoted Manchester City and Crystal Palace. Defending champions Arsenal occupy a lowly 15th place. 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 September 1989 – John Aldridge agrees to leave Liverpool after nearly three years to join Real Sociedad of Spain for £750,000.

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

9 September 1989 – Millwall beat Coventry City 4–1 at The Den to go top of the First Division in only their second season at this level.

12 September 1989 – Liverpool defeat Crystal Palace 9–0, with eight different players scoring, including John Aldridge, in his last appearance for the club.

14 September 1989 – Manchester United sign midfielder Paul Ince from West Ham United for £1 million.

15 September 1989 – Queens Park Rangers pay £175,000 for Oxford United defender David Bardsley, with striker Mark Stein moving to the Manor Ground in exchange.

16 September 1989 – Ten Swansea City fans receive 16–month prison sentences in Athens after being convicted of fighting with Panathinaikos fans after a European Cup Winners' Cup tie.

18 September 1989 – Manchester United sign winger Danny Wallace from Southampton for £1.2 million.

23 September 1989 – Manchester City thrash neighbours United 5–1 in the first Manchester derby since the 1986–87 season. Liverpool win 3–1 at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby, with Ian Rush scoring twice. 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.

30 September 1989 – Liverpool and Chelsea are level on points at the top of the First Division at the end of the month. Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic and Manchester United languish in the relegation zone.

2 October 1989 – Cyril Knowles, the former Tottenham Hotspur and England left–back, resigns as manager of Torquay United.

3 October 1989 – Dave Smith, the former Plymouth Argyle and Dundee United manager, is appointed manager of Torquay United.

11 October 1989 – England draw 0–0 with Poland in Chorzów to secure World Cup qualification.

21 October 1989 – The last two unbeaten records in the First Division end when Liverpool and Norwich City both lose 4–1 away from home, to Southampton and Luton Town respectively.

31 October 1989 – October ends with Liverpool as First Division leaders, one point ahead of Everton with a game in hand. 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.

2 November 1989 – Everton sign winger Peter Beagrie from Stoke City for £750,000.

3 November 1989 – John Sheridan, who played just once for Nottingham Forest after joining them at the start of the season, is sold to Sheffield Wednesday for £500,000.

4 November 1989 – Chelsea move to the top of the First Division after they beat Millwall 4–0 and Liverpool lose 1–0 at home to Coventry City.

5 November 1989 – Aston Villa record their fifth consecutive League victory with a 6–2 thrashing of Everton at Villa Park.

7 November 1989 – Mick Mills is sacked after four years as manager of Stoke City, who are winless and bottom of the Second Division. His successor is Alan Ball, the 1966 World Cup winner and former Portsmouth manager, who joined Stoke as assistant manager late last month.

13 November 1989 – Former England captain Ray Wilkins agrees to join Queens Park Rangers from Glasgow Rangers on a free transfer at the end of this month.

15 November 1989 – Howard Kendall, the former Everton manager, is dismissed by Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.

16 November 1989 – Manchester City sign Blackburn Rovers defender Colin Hendry for £700,000. Three Chelsea fans jailed for hooliganism offences in 1987 are freed after their convictions are quashed by the Court of Appeal.

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

27 November 1989 – Queens Park Rangers player–manager Trevor Francis is sacked after just one year in charge.

28 November 1989 – Assistant manager Don Howe succeeds Trevor Francis at Queens Park Rangers.

30 November 1989 – Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea are locked together at the top of the First Division at the end of the month. Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers and Charlton Athletic are level on points at the bottom. Nigel Spackman leaves Queens Park Rangers after nine months to join Rangers.

5 December 1989 – Andy Thorn moves from Newcastle United for Crystal Palace for £650,000.

6 December 1989 – Chelsea bolster their title challenge with a £300,000 move for Bayern Munich and Norway defender Erland Johnsen. Howard Kendall is confirmed as the new Manchester City manager.

10 December 1989 – Roy Wegerle, the American international striker, joins Queens Park Rangers from Luton Town for a club record £1million.

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. Millwall attempt to arrest their dramatic fall down the First Division by playing a club record £800,000 for Derby County striker Paul Goddard.

29 December 1989 – Liverpool chairman John Smith receives a knighthood. Trevor Francis is offered a playing contract with Luton Town.

31 December 1989 – The year and the decade ends with Liverpool as First Division leaders by four points from Aston Villa. Arsenal are a point further adrift. Charlton Athletic prop up the table, behind Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday, while out–of–form Millwall are out of the relegation zone only on goal difference. 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.

3 January 1990 – Ray Harford resigns after two and a half years as manager of Luton Town to be succeeded by his assistant Jimmy Ryan.

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

6 January 1990 – Third Division Northampton Town cause the shock of the FA Cup third round by beating 1988 winners Coventry City 1–0. Liverpool are held 0–0 by Swansea City.

7 January 1990 – Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at the City Ground in the third round of the FA Cup.

9 January 1990 – Liverpool thrash Swansea City 8–0 in their FA Cup third round replay. Second Division leaders Leeds United pay Nottingham Forest £400,000 for striker Lee Chapman.

17 January 1990 – Derby County replace Paul Goddard with Mick Harford in a £500,000 move from Luton Town.

19 January 1990 – Arsenal sign defender Colin Pates from Brighton & Hove Albion for £500,000.

21 January 1990 – Manchester United's plight in the First Division continues as a 2–0 defeat at Norwich City leaves them just one point and one place above the relegation zone.

22 January 1990 – Almost two months after being sacked as player–manager by Queens Park Rangers, Trevor Francis signs for Sheffield Wednesday.

27 January 1990 – Chelsea are beaten 3–1 by Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round. West Bromwich Albion beat First Division opposition for the second round running, winning 1–0 against Charlton Athletic.

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. Coventry City pay a club record £900,000 for 23–year–old Dundee United and Scotland striker Kevin Gallacher.

30 January 1990 – In their FA Cup fourth round replay at the Abbey Stadium, Fourth Division Cambridge United spring a major surprise by beating First Division Millwall 1–0.

31 January 1990 – Queens Park Rangers beat Arsenal 2–0 in an FA Cup fourth round replay. Liverpool end January as First Division leaders on goal difference ahead of Aston Villa, who have a game in hand. Manchester United are still just one place above the relegation zone, occupied by Charlton Athletic, Luton Town and Millwall. 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.

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

8 February 1990 – West Ham United sign Czech goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko from Baník Ostrava for £300,000. Miklosko, 28, has been capped 31 times by the Czech national side.

10 February 1990 – Manchester United end their 11–match winless league run with a 2–1 away win over Millwall, who led the league five months ago but have now slipped into the relegation zone.

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.

13 February 1990 – Millwall, still battling relegation despite having led the First Division five months ago, sack manager John Docherty and his assistant Frank McLintock.

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.

16 February 1990 – Striker Tony Cascarino pledges his future to relegation threatened Millwall despite reports that he is to join Aston Villa or Manchester United.

18 February 1990 – Lou Macari resigns after seven months as manager of West Ham United. Manchester United reach the FA Cup quarter finals with a 3–2 fifth round win at Newcastle United.

21 February 1990 – Aston Villa move to the top of the First Division with a 2–0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur.

23 February 1990 – West Ham United appoint their former player Billy Bonds as manager.

25 February 1990 – Nottingham Forest reach the League Cup final for the second season running by completing a 2–1 aggregate semi–final victory over Coventry City.

27 February 1990 – Fourth Division Cambridge United reach the FA Cup quarter–finals after a 5–1 second replay victory against Bristol City.

28 February 1990 – Aston Villa finish February as First Division leaders by two points from Liverpool in only their second season following promotion. Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Luton Town occupy the bottom three places, with the two Manchester clubs directly above them. 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.

9 March 1990 – Middlesbrough sack manager Bruce Rioch after four years in charge. Rioch is replaced by his assistant Colin Todd.

10 March 1990 – Second Division Oldham Athletic reach the FA Cup quarter–finals after defeating Everton 2–1 after extra time in their fifth round second replay. Cambridge United's cup run is ended by Crystal Palace in the sixth round.

11 March 1990 – Manchester United achieve a 1–0 FA Cup quarter–final win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

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–finals, while Liverpool's double bid remains on course after a 1–0 replay win over Queens Park Rangers. Nottingham Forest build for the future with an £80,000 move for Runcorn's 22–year–old Northern Irish winger Ian Woan.

15 March 1990 – Manchester City sign striker Niall Quinn from Arsenal for £700,000.

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.

25 March 1990 – Chelsea win the Full Members Cup with a 1–0 win over Middlesbrough in the Wembley final. Having already won the cup in 1986, they are the first team to win it twice.

28 March 1990 – England beat Brazil 1–0 at Wembley with a goal from Gary Lineker.

31 March 1990 – Liverpool return to the top of the First Division at the end of the month, leading the table on goal difference with a game in hand ahead of Aston Villa. Millwall are eight points from safety at the bottom, and are joined in the relegation zone by Charlton Athletic and Manchester City. 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.

1 April 1990 – Millwall's six–week hunt for a new manager ends when they appoint Bruce Rioch.

8 April 1990 – Liverpool's hopes of a unique second double are ended when they lose 4–3 after extra time to Crystal Palace in the semi–finals of the FA Cup at Villa Park. 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. 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. In the league, Liverpool move closer to their 18th league title with a 4–0 away win over struggling Charlton Athletic, in which on–loan striker Ronny Rosenthal scores a hat–trick. Aston Villa keep up their challenge by winning 1–0 away to Arsenal.

14 April 1990 – Millwall are relegated to the Second Division after losing 2–0 at Derby County.

17 April 1990 – 20–year–old striker Mark Robins scores twice in Manchester United's 2–0 home league win over Aston Villa – a result which puts the opposition's title hopes into serious doubt. Charlton Athletic lose 2–1 at home to Wimbledon and are relegated.

28 April 1990 – Liverpool seal their 18th top division title with a 2–1 home win over Queens Park Rangers as Aston Villa draw 3–3 at home to Norwich City. Chester City play the final Football League game at their Sealand Road home of 84 years – a 2–0 win over Rotherham United.

29 April 1990 – Nottingham Forest retain the League Cup with a 1–0 win over Oldham Athletic in the final.

30 April 1990 – The month ends with Liverpool confirmed as First Division, and Aston Villa sure of second place. Luton Town trail Sheffield Wednesday by three points with one game remaining in the fight to avoid the last relegation place. 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.

1 May 1990 – Kenny Dalglish makes his final appearance for Liverpool at the age of 39, in their 1–0 home league win over Derby County. The only goal of the game comes from Gary Gillespie.

5 May 1990 – Sheffield Wednesday are relegated on goal difference behind Luton Town, who win their final game of the season 3–2 at Derby County while the Hillsborough club lose 3–0 at home to Nottingham Forest. Liverpool's season ends in style with a 6–1 away win over Coventry City, and Tottenham Hotspur pip Arsenal to third place by one point. Sheffield United seal promotion back to the First Division after 14 years away. Dave Bassett achieves the sixth promotion of his career with a Blades side who finished level on points with champions Leeds United. Leeds United's promotion celebrations are marred when their fans riot in Bournemouth in the aftermath of the promotion clinching game against AFC Bournemouth, who were relegated by the result.

12 May 1990 – Manchester United and Crystal Palace draw 3–3 in the FA Cup final, forcing a replay. Mark Hughes is on the scoresheet twice for United and Bryan Robson once. Substitute Ian Wright scores two of Palace's goals, the other goal coming from Gary O'Reilly.

17 May 1990 – A Lee Martin goal gives Manchester United the FA Cup in a 1–0 replay victory over Crystal Palace.

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

21 May 1990 – 34 Bolton Wanderers hooligans who were convicted of taking part in attacks on police officers and rival supporters are banned from travelling to Italy for the duration of the World Cup by the Italian government.

19 May 1990 – Chelsea sign Irish midfielder Andy Townsend from Norwich City for £1.5 million.

24 May 1990 – Bobby Robson announces that he will step down as England manager after the World Cup to take over as manager of Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.

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, over which Colin Calderwood has now been cleared but Lou Macari, Brian Hillier and Vince Farrar have been charged.

31 May 1990 – Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis gives the Football Association permission to interview manager Graham Taylor for the England manager's job. Other names linked to the vacancy included Howard Wilkinson of Leeds United, Terry Venables of Tottenham Hotspur, Howard Kendall of Manchester City and the surprise candidate Joe Royle of Oldham Athletic, who has yet to manage in the top division.

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 have 23 clubs in 1991–92 and 24 clubs in 1992–93, with no relegation to the GM Vauxhall Conference for the next two seasons.

2 June 1990 – England struggle to a 1–1 draw against Tunisia in Tunis in their final World Cup warm–up match.

5 June 1990 – Leeds United prepare for their First Division comeback with a £1million move for Gary McAllister of Leicester City. Three England fans receive 20–day prison sentences imposed by a court in Sardinia after being found guilty of theft and criminal damage.

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. 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.

14 June 1990 – Leeds United prepare for their return to the First Division by signing Arsenal goalkeeper John Lukic for £1 million.

16 June 1990 – England draw 0–0 with the Netherlands 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.

29 June 1990 – Liverpool complete the permanent transfer of Israeli striker Ronnie Rosenthal from Standard Liège for £1 million.

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 1966 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.

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

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 Leyton Orient, West Bromwich Albion, Real Madrid and Leicester City, and had a loan spell at Manchester United during the 1982–83 season.
• 26 July 1989 - Arthur Caldwell, 76, played 92 league games as a left-winger for Port Vale in the four years leading up to the outbreak of World War II. The war effectively ended his playing career after the age of 26.
• 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.
• 27 October 1989 - Con Moulson, 83, former Irish national who played for Lincoln City and Notts County during the 1930s and 1940s, before managing Lincoln for a few months in 1965.
• 30 October 1989 - Frank Allen, 88, was an inside-forward during the interwar years for clubs including Barnsley, Southport and Barrow. He completed his career in France with Le Havre as one of the first British players to play for an overseas club side.
• 14 November 1989 – Jimmy Murphy, 79, assistant manager/chief coach at Manchester United during the reign of Matt Busby. Was also a long-time scout and reserve team manager for the club. Took temporary charge of the Manchester United first team during the five months following the Munich air disaster while Busby recovered from his injuries. Also managed the Welsh national side from 1956 to 1964, and during his playing days turned out for West Bromwich Albion and Swindon Town as a wing-half.
• 9 December - Basil Hayward, 61, played 349 league games as a centre-half, left-back and centre-forward for Port Vale between 1946 and 1958, scoring 55 goals, completing his league career at Portsmouth before spending four years at non-league Yeovil Town as player-manager. He managed Gillingham in the Football League from 1966 to 1971.
• 10 December 1989 -
  • - George Edmonds, 96, one of the oldest surviving Football League players and one of the last to have played before World War I, played at centre-forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1921 FA Cup Final and also scored 57 league goals during two spells at Watford.
  • - Frank Baker, 71, played 162 league games as an outside-left for Stoke City between 1936 and 1949.
  • - Sam Barkas, 79, was left-back in Manchester City's title winning side of 1937 and was capped five times for England on top of his 176 league appearances for the Maine Road side and a further 202 for his first club Bradford City.
• 15 January 1990 - Oscar Fox, 69, played 44 league games at wing-half for Sheffield Wednesday in the four immediate postwar seasons before a more active seven-year spell at Mansfield Town, where he played 248 league games and scored 30 goals.
• 6 March 1990 - Albert Dunlop, 57, kept goal 231 times in the league for Everton between 1956 and 1963, winning the league title in his final season at the club.
• 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.
• 5 May 1990 - George Hannah, 61, played 372 league games as a forward for Newcastle United, Lincoln City, Manchester City, Notts County and Bradford City between 1949 and 1966.
• 7 May 1990 - Charlie Walker, 78, played 118 games as full-back for West Ham United during a career which was interrupted by World War II.
• 30 June 1990 – Brian Tiler, 47, 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.