The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England.
Overview Defending league champions Chelsea decided not to compete in the new European Champions Cup, following opposition from the Football League about the participation of English clubs in the competition.
The league title is taken by a Manchester United side with an average age of just 22, which finished 11 points ahead of their nearest contenders, Blackpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was a Manchester double for trophies, with Manchester City winning the FA Cup, with goalkeeper Bert Trautmann famously playing on despite suffering what was later diagnosed as a broken neck in a collision with a Birmingham City player.
Honours CompetitionWinnerRunner-upFirst DivisionManchester United (4)BlackpoolSecond DivisionSheffield WednesdayLeeds UnitedThird Division NorthGrimsby TownDerby CountyThird Division SouthLeyton OrientBrighton & Hove AlbionFA CupManchester City (3)Birmingham CityCharity ShieldChelseaNewcastle UnitedHome ChampionshipShared by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
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 – Bert Trautmann (Manchester City) Top goalscorer Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers), 33
Football League
First Division Manchester United won the First Division title by 11 points, featuring a squad of players with an average age of just 22, with manager Matt Busby's emphasis on youth paying dividends and answering the critics who felt that his policy would not be able to maintain United's place among the game's elite. Second place was occupied by Blackpool, with Stanley Matthews still a dominant presence in the team in his 41st year, while Wolves finished third, FA Cup winners Manchester City finished fourth, and Arsenal completed the top five. Birmingham City finished sixth to record their best ever final position.
Second Division Sheffield Wednesday swapped divisions with their cross city rivals to return to the First Division by winning the Second Division title, joined by runners-up Leeds United. Liverpool narrowly missed out on a First Division comeback by finishing third.
Third Division North
Third Division South
Top goalscorers
First Division Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers) – 32 goals
Second Division Willie Gardiner (Leicester City) – 34 goals
Third Division North Bob Crosbie (Grimsby Town) – 36 goals
Third Division South Sammy Collins (Torquay United) – 40 goals
References