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1959–60 Burnley F.C. season

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Burnley
1959–60 season
ChairmanBob Lord
ManagerHarry Potts
StadiumTurf Moor
Football League First Division1st
FA CupSixth round
Top goalscorerLeague: John Connelly (20)
All: John Connelly (24)
Highest home attendance52,850 vs. Bradford City (FA Cup fifth round replay, 23 February 1960)
Lowest home attendance17,398 vs. Leeds United (First Division, 19 December 1959)
Average home league attendance26,869
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The 1959–60 season was Burnley's 61st season in the Football League, and their 13th consecutive campaign in the First Division. Managed by Harry Potts, the team endured a tense season, in which Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers were the other contenders for the league title. Burnley won their second First Division championship, and their first since 1920–21, on the last matchday with a 2–1 victory at Manchester City; they had not topped the table until the last match was played out.[a] Only two players—Jimmy McIlroy and Alex Elder—had cost a transfer fee, while the others were recruited from Burnley’s youth academy. With 80,000 inhabitants, the town of Burnley became one of the smallest to have an English first-tier champion. In the FA Cup, Burnley reached the sixth round before being defeated by main rivals Blackburn Rovers after a replay. The team won the local Lancashire Cup for the fifth time in their history after defeating Manchester United in the final.

During the season, 18 players made at least one appearance for the club, with Brian Miller, Jimmy Adamson and Ray Pointer present in all 50 competitive matches. Their top goalscorer was John Connelly with 24 competitive goals, including 20 in the league. The highest attendance recorded at Turf Moor was 52,850 for the FA Cup fifth round replay match against Bradford City; the lowest was 17,398 for the league game against Leeds United. The average attendance during the season was 26,869; about 33 per cent of the town's population, the highest percentage in the top flight. After the regular season ended, the Burnley squad travelled to the United States to participate in the International Soccer League, the first modern international American football tournament.

Background and pre-season[]

The 1959–60 campaign was Burnley's 13th consecutive season in the Football League First Division, since promotion from the Football League Second Division in 1946–47. The team had finished the previous season in seventh place and had reached the sixth round of the FA Cup.[2] They ended the season with 8 wins out of 13 in the league,[3] and approached the new season with confidence.[4] Burnley's chairman, Bob Lord, was elected to the position in 1955. He only appointed managers with a previous playing career at the club; he selected Harry Potts for the post in February 1958.[5] Burnley had become one of the most progressive clubs under Lord,[6][7] who was described by Arthur Hopcraft as "the Khrushchev of Burnley" as a result of his authoritative attitude.[5][8] They were one of the first to set up a purpose-built training centre (at Gawthorpe in 1955),[5][9] which included a medical room, a gymnasium, three full-size pitches and an all-weather surface.[10] Burnley also became renowned for their youth policy and scouting system. Their scouts—including Jack Hixon—were particularly based in North East England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.[6][11]

A headshot of a former footballer
Jimmy Greaves (2007 photograph) was an admirer of Burnley's playing style.

During matches, Potts often employed the then unfashionable 4–4–2 formation and he implemented a total football playing style.[5][12] Billy Wright of Wolverhampton Wanderers described Burnley's playing style as "progressing [from defense to attack] by nicely controlled patterns with every man searching hungrily for space".[13] Jimmy Greaves labelled their style of play as "smooth, skilled football that was a warming advertisement for all that was best about British football".[5] Potts' team mainly revolved around the duo of captain Jimmy Adamson and Jimmy McIlroy, the team's playmaker,[14] while his squad consisted mostly of players who were recruited from the club's youth academy—only McIlroy and left-back Alex Elder had cost a transfer fee. Both players were bought from Northern Irish club Glentoran; McIlroy transferred to Burnley for £8,000 in 1950, while Elder cost the club £5,000 in January 1959.[6][15]

Potts made no major additions to the squad during pre-season,[16][17] while Ken Bracewell (to Tranmere Rovers),[18] Albert Cheesebrough (to Leicester City for £20,000), Doug Newlands (to Stoke City for £12,000) and Les Shannon (retired) left the club.[15][17] On 17 August, the team played a pre-season friendly against Glentoran, which was organised as part of Elder's transfer. Burnley defeated their opponents 8–1, with Jimmy Robson scoring four times.[19] Their kit remained unchanged from the previous seasons—a claret jersey with light blue sleeves, a light blue stripe around the collar, and white shorts along with claret and light blue socks.[20]

First Division[]

August to December[]

The club's First Division campaign began with a 3–2 win over Leeds United at Elland Road on 22 August, with goals from Brian Pilkington, John Connelly and forward Ray Pointer.[21] Tommy Cummings played the game in an unfamiliar left-back role, where he would remain the following six matches before being reinstated at centre-back.[15] Ahead of Burnley's first home match of the season against Everton at Turf Moor, Potts wrote in the club's matchday programme: "We pride ourselves on being a footballing team and no club can be more eager to meet the demand for better play. That being so strongly ingrained in our intentions we confidently anticipate providing you with good displays".[22] The team defeated Everton 5–2, with two goals from Connelly, and one each from Pilkington, Pointer and Robson. A 3–1 defeat at home against West Ham United followed, despite taking the lead through Connelly, before Everton were beaten 2–1 in the reverse fixture after being 1–0 down. Burnley's form remained inconsistent: a 4–1 away loss against Chelsea was followed by two 2–1 wins at home against Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion, after coming from behind on both occasions.[21] McIlroy picked up an injury against West Brom, after he landed on his shoulder following a hard challenge from Maurice Setters.[23] Potts had selected the same starting line-up for the first seven matches, but he made several changes to his side before the reverse fixture against local rivals Preston on 15 September: McIlroy was replaced by Billy White, while Bobby Seith had contacted giant urticaria and was replaced by Cummings, leaving the left-back position open for the 18-year old Elder to make his debut.[16][23] Burnley lost the fixture 1–0 but Elder played well against his opponent Tom Finney and remained in the starting line-up.[15]

They ended September by beating Newcastle United and Birmingham City, both by a scoreline of 3–1, to go into the top four and a point behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur, who were Burnley's next opponents at White Hart Lane on 3 October.[15][24] Both teams missed key players—Spurs missed midfielders Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, the latter due to international duty, while McIlroy was absent for Burnley. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with defender Brian Miller equalising in the 87th minute. Burnley then faced Lancashire rivals Blackpool at home; the team took the lead through Robson but the visitors scored four goals to win 4–1.[25] Before the East Lancashire derby at Blackburn Rovers on 17 October, Potts received criticism from the supporters who objected his "confusing" playing style, such as the defenders switching positions during matches, and the occasional errors the back line made.[26] Against Blackburn, the team equalised twice, but the hosts scored a third goal ten minutes before time to win 3–2;[21] goalkeeper Adam Blacklaw was at fault for two Rovers' goals including the winner.[27] McIlroy was back to full fitness for the match against Manchester City and inspired the team to a 4–3 victory. They ended October with a 1–1 draw at Luton Town, after being 1–0 down. Potts pointed to Kenilworth Road's small pitch dimensions as one of the reasons for the point loss.[28]

Burnley's next match at Turf Moor saw them face Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were the First Division champions of the previous two seasons.[15] Burnley won 4–1, with two goals from Pointer, and one each from Robson and Connelly, to go into the top five of the table.[16][21] The team then drew 1–1 against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, before beating last season's FA Cup winners Nottingham Forest 8–0 at Turf Moor.[21][29] It was Burnley's biggest post-war league win; Robson scored five times, while Pointer found the net twice and Pilkington once.[15] Burnley kept their first clean sheet of the season,[21] and Robson, who was previously criticised for his "weak ball control",[30] became the club's first player in over 30 years to score five goals in one match.[15] It was followed by a 1–0 loss against newly-promoted Fulham on 28 November.[15]

Bolton Wanderers were the next opponents and were comfortably beaten 4–0, before Burnley defeated Arsenal 4–2 at Highbury on 12 December.[21] Arsenal led 2–0 after the first half; during half-time Potts instructed McIlroy to adopt a deeper midfield role, while Miller was also pushed forward. The team turned the match around: Adamson scored a penalty kick halfway through the second half and Connelly completed his hat-trick inside 16 minutes. McIlroy received many plaudits for his performance, even though he had picked up a groin strain injury early during the game. With McIlroy absent, Burnley hosted last-place Leeds United in front of a season-lowest crowd of 17,398. Leeds won 1–0 and Burnley slipped down from third to fourth place in the table, three points behind leaders Tottenham.[31] A 2–1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day followed, with forward Ian Lawson coming back into the side after three years and scoring the winner.[15][21] In the return fixture against United two days later, Burnley lost 4–1 in front of 47,696 spectators—the biggest home league crowd of the season. McIlroy returned in the starting line-up, but was unfit and contributed little in attack.[32]

January to May[]

On 2 January, Burnley defeated title contenders West Ham 5–2 with McIlroy absent; Lawson and Connelly both scored twice, while Pilkington added a further goal. The Sunday Pictorial concluded: "If they go on playing like this they'll soon have nobody above them".[33] A 2–1 victory against Chelsea on a snowy Turf Moor pitch followed,[34] before Burnley were held to a 0–0 draw at The Hawthorns by West Bromwich Albion to end January in second place in the table.[21] The team started February well by beating Newcastle United 2–1, the scorers being Robson with a 30-yard strike and Pointer with an "exquisite" lob. Their match against Birmingham City on 13 February was postponed due to poor weather.[35] Burnley lost their following league game, against Bolton Wanderers, by two goals to one, which sent them down to fourth place in the table.[16][24] On 1 March, Burnley hosted league leaders Tottenham at Turf Moor. Pointer and Connelly both scored to give Burnley a 2–0 win and to close the gap to three points but with two games in hand on Spurs.[15][21] The team also beat Blackburn Rovers 1–0 and Arsenal 3–2 to win three league matches in a row.[24] On 30 March, they travelled to second-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers; Burnley were overwhelmed by "Wolves' fast, direct power play" and were defeated 6–1.[36]

The following game, at home against Sheffield Wednesday on 2 April, ended in a 3–3 draw after an equaliser from Miller in the 88th minute.[21] It was Seith's last match for the club; he read in the Burnley Express that he would not play against Nottingham Forest and was aggrieved at not being told directly by Potts. A dispute followed, after which he was put on the transfer list.[37][38] Adamson was moved to the centre-half position to partner Cummings, while Miller was placed in midfield.[37] This resulted in three consecutive wins: Forest and Leicester City were both defeated 1–0, while Burnley beat Luton 3–0 despite only having 10 men for most of the game.[24][39] Connelly scored the winning goal against Leicester, his 20th league goal of the season, but picked up a cartilage injury during the match and was out for the remainder of the season; he was replaced by Trevor Meredith.[37][39] On 18 April, Meredith scored his first goal in a 2–1 loss in the return game at Leicester, with former Burnley player Cheesebrough netting the winner for the home team.[39]

A photograph of the inside of a football stadium
Burnley won their second First Division championship on the last matchday with a 2–1 victory at Maine Road (1975 photograph).

On 23 April, Burnley made the trip to Bloomfield Road to play Blackpool. The "jittery" Jim Furnell replaced the injured Blacklaw and made his debut for the club. Burnley went ahead through Meredith but the hosts equalised with six minutes remaining. The team's main rivals for the league title, Tottenham and Wolves, met on the same day at Molineux; Spurs won 3–1 to leave the title race open. This was the penultimate match for both sides, while Burnley still had three games to play.[40] Burnley's next opponents were Birmingham City. Blacklaw returned in goal, while Cummings, McIlroy and Miller also played despite carrying knocks; the team won 1–0 after a late goal from Pilkington.[40] The team moved up to second place behind Wolves on goal average and one point ahead of Tottenham. Fulham were the visitors at Turf Moor for Burnley's final home game of the season but it ended in a goalless draw. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham both won their final games; Burnley needed to win their last match at Manchester City to win the league title.[37] On 2 May, in front of almost 66,000 spectators at Maine Road—including Wolves manager Stan Cullis and several of his players—Burnley went ahead after four minutes when Pilkington's shot deflected off City's Bert Trautmann into the net. The hosts soon equalised through Joe Hayes but Meredith's volley put the team back in front after half an hour. Blacklaw made several saves and the team held on to the lead.[41] Burnley were crowned First Division champions for the second time; their first top flight title in 39 years.[2] They had not led the table until the last match was played out.[42][a] The Daily Mirror noted: "Burnley, the team of quiet men—five of them are part-timers and the whole outfit cost less than £15,000—snatched the First Division Championship from the teeth of the famous Wolves".[41]

Burnley's population had reduced by around 20 per cent since they last won the First Division in 1921; with 80,000 inhabitants in 1960, the town became one of the smallest to have an English first-tier champion.[6] During the season, Turf Moor attracted an average crowd of 26,869; about 33 per cent of the town's population, the highest percentage in the top flight.[43] The team won the title with one of the lowest post-war point tallies (55), one of the smallest goal differences (+24), and one of the highest numbers of goals conceded (61).[44] Burnley's title-winning squad cost only £13,000 in transfer fees—£8,000 on McIlroy and £5,000 on Elder—while the other players came from their youth academy; they set the record for being the "cheapest post-war champions".[6]

Match results[]

Key
Results
Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
22 August 1959 Leeds United (A) 3–2 Pilkington, Connelly, Pointer 20,233
25 August 1959 Everton (H) 5–2 Connelly (2), Pilkington, Pointer, Robson 29,165
29 August 1959 West Ham United (H) 1–3 Connelly 26,756
2 September 1959 Everton (A) 2–1 Pointer (2) 39,416
5 September 1959 Chelsea (A) 1–4 Connelly 36,023
8 September 1959 Preston North End (H) 2–1 Pointer, Robson 29,195
12 September 1959 West Bromwich Albion (H) 2–1 Robson, Pilkington 23,907
15 September 1959 Preston North End (A) 0–1 27,299
19 September 1959 Newcastle United (A) 3–1 McIlroy, Connelly (2) 38,576
26 September 1959 Birmingham City (H) 3–1 Pointer, McIlroy, Connelly 23,848
3 October 1959 Tottenham Hotspur (A) 1–1 Miller 42,717
10 October 1959 Blackpool (H) 1–4 Robson 28,104
17 October 1959 Blackburn Rovers (A) 2–3 Pilkington, Douglas (o.g.) 33,316
24 October 1959 Manchester City (H) 4–3 Pilkington, Pointer, White (2) 28,653
31 October 1959 Luton Town (A) 1–1 Pointer 15,638
7 November 1959 Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) 4–1 Pointer (2), Robson, Connelly 27,793
14 November 1959 Sheffield Wednesday (A) 1–1 Robson 18,420
21 November 1959 Nottingham Forest (H) 8–0 Robson (5), Pilkington, Pointer (2) 24,349
28 November 1959 Fulham (A) 0–1 29,582
5 December 1959 Bolton Wanderers (H) 4–0 Pointer, Connelly, McIlroy (2) 26,510
12 December 1959 Arsenal (A) 4–2 Adamson (pen.), Connelly (3) 26,056
19 December 1959 Leeds United (H) 0–1 17,398
26 December 1959 Manchester United (A) 2–1 Robson, Lawson 62,673
28 December 1959 Manchester United (H) 1–4 Robson 47,696
2 January 1960 West Ham United (A) 5–2 Lawson (2), Pilkington, Connelly (2) 25,752
16 January 1960 Chelsea (H) 2–1 Robson (2) 21,916
23 January 1960 West Bromwich Albion (A) 0–0 23,512
6 February 1960 Newcastle United (H) 2–1 Robson, Pointer 26,998
27 February 1960 Bolton Wanderers (A) 1–2 Connelly 28,772
1 March 1960 Tottenham Hotspur (H) 2–0 Pointer, Connelly 32,992
5 March 1960 Blackburn Rovers (H) 1–0 Robson 32,331
19 March 1960 Arsenal (H) 3–2 Pointer, Miller, Connelly 20,327
30 March 1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) 1–6 Pointer 33,953
2 April 1960 Sheffield Wednesday (H) 3–3 Connelly, McIlroy (pen.), Miller 23,123
9 April 1960 Nottingham Forest (A) 1–0 Pointer 24,640
15 April 1960 Leicester City (H) 1–0 Connelly 23,777
16 April 1960 Luton Town (H) 3–0 Pointer, Robson, McIlroy (pen.) 20,893
18 April 1960 Leicester City (A) 1–2 Meredith 24,429
23 April 1960 Blackpool (A) 1–1 Meredith 23,753
27 April 1960 Birmingham City (A) 1–0 Pilkington 37,032
30 April 1960 Fulham (H) 0–0 30,807
2 May 1960 Manchester City (A) 2–1 Pilkington, Meredith 65,981

Source:[21][24]

Partial league table[]

Main article: 1959–60 Football League § First Division
Final First Division 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 [45]

FA Cup[]

Burnley entered the season's FA Cup in the third round where they were drawn away on 9 January against Second Division side Lincoln City. Without the ill McIlroy, Pointer opened the scoring midway through the first half. Lincoln began to push forward in the second half and equalised through Ron Harbertson in the 65th minute to send the tie to a replay. Three days later, although not fully fit, McIlroy returned in the starting line-up and opened the scoring from the penalty spot. He provided the assist for Pilkington's headed goal to lead Burnley to a 2–0 victory and qualification for the fourth round.[34] On 30 January, the team faced mid-table Second Division side Swansea Town at Vetch Field. The home side took the lead in the 65th minute through Reg Davies but the goal was disallowed for offside. The tie ended in a 0–0 draw; the Swansea manager Trevor Morris was confident and stated: "We'll win the replay".[46] Burnley were again without the services of McIlroy in the replay, who continued to struggle against injury. Robson scored twice to put the team 2–0 ahead, before Swansea's Mel Nurse halved the lead in the 83rd minute. They held on to the lead to set up a fifth-round tie with Yorkshire club Bradford City.[47]

A photograph of the inside of a football stadium
Burnley drew 2–2 with Bradford City at a very muddy Valley Parade pitch (2008 photograph).

On 20 February, Burnley travelled to Valley Parade to play Third Division side Bradford City, who were undefeated in 18 matches and had beaten Everton 3–0 in the third round.[48] The Valley Parade pitch was very muddy; Potts wore Wellington boots to inspect the field before the game. As a result of the state of the pitch, Burnley were hindered in their passing game, and City took a 2–0 lead through Bobby Webb and Derek Stokes. With ten minutes remaining, Connelly dribbled through the Bradford defense and put the ball past their goalkeeper. He scored his second goal in injury time to salvage a replay for Burnley, following a scramble in City's penalty area. The second clash between the clubs took place three days later at Turf Moor, in front of an official attendance of 52,850; some of the gates were broken down, however, and many uncounted fans poured into the ground. Due to the traffic, the road from Bradford over the Moss at Colne was closed; the Bradford City supporters and numerous Burnley fans were excluded by the local police, while Connelly had to abandon his car and run to the ground. On an icey Turf Moor pitch, Burnley ran out 5–0 winners to advance to the sixth round, with Pointer and Robson both scoring braces and Connelly adding a further goal.[48]

Burnley were drawn at home for the first time in the FA Cup campaign.[24] On 12 March, they faced arch-rivals Blackburn Rovers in front of 51,501 spectators at Turf Moor. Burnley quickly went 2–0 up after the first half had remained goalless: McIlroy set up both goals, with Pilkington and then Pointer finding the net. Connelly added a third in the 61st minute before Blackburn pulled one back from the penalty spot with 15 minutes remaining after a handball from Elder. Peter Dobing and Mick McGrath added further goals for Rovers in the following ten minutes to force a replay. Although the team had thrown away a three-goal lead, the Burnley players were optimistic they could win the replay. On 16 March, Burnley travelled to Ewood Park; after a goalless 90 minutes, the replay went into extra time during which Rovers scored twice through Dobing and Ally MacLeod to eliminate their rivals from the competition. Robson had played while being ill; McIlroy was again not fully fit and concluded: "I had probably my poorest ever game in a Burnley shirt". It also meant Burnley were deprived of becoming the first English club in the 20th century to achieve the First Division and FA Cup double.[49] Blackburn advanced to the final where they lost 3–0 to Wolves.[50]

Match results[]

Key
Results
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
9 January 1960 Third Lincoln City (A) 1–1 Pointer 21,693
12 January 1960 Third (replay) Lincoln City (H) 2–0 McIlroy (pen.), Pilkington 35,456
30 January 1960 Fourth Swansea Town (A) 0–0 29,976
2 February 1960 Fourth (replay) Swansea Town (H) 2–1 Robson (2) 37,040
20 February 1960 Fifth Bradford City (A) 2–2 Connelly (2) 26,244
23 February 1960 Fifth (replay) Bradford City (H) 5–0 Pointer (2), Robson (2), Connelly 52,850
12 March 1960 Sixth Blackburn Rovers (H) 3–3 Pilkington, Pointer, Connelly 51,501
16 March 1960 Sixth (replay) Blackburn Rovers (A) 0–2 53,892

Source:[21][24]

Minor competitions[]

Lancashire Cup[]

Burnley also participated in the Lancashire Cup, although their line-ups consisted primarily of reserve and youth players.[19] Their first game, in the group stage against Manchester City on 23 November, ended in a 5–1 victory with five different goalscorers for the club—White, Ron Fenton, Ian Towers, Andy Lochhead and Gordon Harris. The team's second and final group stage match at Chester ended in a 3–1 win and progression to the semi-final, with Meredith and Harris (2) both on the scoresheet. In the semi-final, they were drawn away against Preston North End. Burnley's side ultimately proved too strong for Preston as it ended 3–0 with Lochhead, Peter Simpson and Harris scoring. Manchester United were their opponents in the final on 12 April as Burnley secured their fifth Lancashire Cup title after winning 4–2 at Turf Moor. Walter Joyce and Harris each scored one goal, while Lochhead netted a brace.[19]

Match results[]

Key
Results
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers
23 November 1959 Group stage Manchester City (H) 5–1 White, Fenton, Towers, Lochhead, Harris
13 January 1960 Group stage Chester (A) 3–1 Meredith, Harris (2)
22 March 1960 Semi-final Preston North End (A) 3–0 Lochhead, Simpson, Harris
12 April 1960 Final Manchester United (H) 4–2 Joyce, Lochhead (2), Harris

Source:[19]

International Soccer League[]

After the regular season ended, the Burnley squad travelled to the United States to represent England in the initial edition of the International Soccer League, the first modern international American football competition. The team entered the first group, together with five other clubs from Europe or North America.[51][52] Their first opponents were Bayern Munich on 28 May; the Germans were beaten 3–0 through goals from Pointer, Pilkington and Miller.[19] On 1 June, Burnley faced Kilmarnock, the 1959–60 Scottish Football League runners-up, and lost 2–0.[19][53] The team then drew 3–3 with home side New York Americans before winning 6–2 against Northern Irish club Glenavon. In the latter game, Pilkington scored a hat-trick, while Miller netted a brace and Harris added a further goal. Their final group match on 19 June saw them face French club Nice, who had won four Ligue 1 titles during the 1950s, and most recently in 1958–59.[19][54] Burnley proved too strong for Nice; they won 4–0 with two goals from Lawson and one each from Pilkington and Robson.[19] Burnley finished runners-up in the group behind Kilmarnock, who advanced to the final but lost against Brazilian side Bangu.[52] Although the team faced strong opponents, the players found it hard to take the tournament seriously. The stadium announcer often misinterpreted the referee's decisions, the crowd showed little interest in the games, and every match would end with a countdown "worthy of a space-rocket launching".[55]

Match results[]

Key
Results
Date Round Opponents Result Goalscorers
28 May 1960 Group stage Bayern Munich (N; in New York) 3–0 Pointer, Pilkington, Miller
1 June 1960 Group stage Kilmarnock (N; in New York) 0–2
4 June 1960 Group stage New York Americans (A) 3–3 Pointer, Robson (2)
11 June 1960 Group stage Glenavon (N; in New York) 6–2 Pilkington (3), Miller (2), Harris
19 June 1960 Group stage Nice (N; in Jersey City) 4–0 Pilkington, Lawson (2), Robson

Source:[19][52]

Player details[]

Potts used only 18 different players in the First Division and FA Cup during the season, the lowest number in the division;[44] ten players scored at least one goal and one opposition player scored an own goal.[16] The team played in a 4–4–2 formation throughout the season, with four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. Miller, Adamson and Pointer featured in all 50 league and cup games; Blacklaw, John Angus and Pilkington each missed one First Division match and made 49 appearances for the club.[16] Angus would go on to set a club record for appearances for outfield players with 521.[56] Harris made just two appearances for Burnley in the First Division, while Billy Marshall and Furnell featured in only one match during the campaign. Connelly was the top goalscorer for Burnley with 24 competitive goals, including 20 in the league. With a tally of 23 goals, Pointer was the second-highest scorer, followed by Robson with 22; both players also scored four goals in the FA Cup.[16] Connelly, Pointer and Robson scored two-thirds of the club's 85 league goals.[44]

Players having played at least one first-team match
Pos. Nat. Name First Division 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  ENG Ian Lawson 8 3 1 0 9 3
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 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

Source:[16]

Aftermath[]

Seith, who had been put on the transfer list by the club,[37] was sold to Dundee in the summer for £7,500.[57] Although he had made 27 First Division appearances during the season,[16] Seith was not awarded a championship medal, although he would finally receive one in 1999.[57] He would go on to win the 1961–62 Scottish Division One and reach the semi-finals of the 1962–63 European Cup with Dundee.[58][59] The championship-winning team remained intact going into the 1960–61 season and was strengthened with reserve and youth players such as Joyce and Lochhead.[60] Burnley would go on to compete in six different competitions the following season—the First Division, the FA Cup, the newly created Football League Cup, the FA Charity Shield, the European Cup and the Lancashire Cup.[19][58]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b Burnley topped the league table between 25 and 26 August after their second game but fell down to third place after the other teams completed their second fixtures.[1]

References[]

Specific
  1. ^ Quelch (2015), pp. 72–76
  2. ^ a b Rundle, Richard. "Burnley". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Burnley match record: 1959". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ^ Quelch (2015), p. 211
  5. ^ a b c d e McParlan, Paul (27 February 2018). "Burnley, Total Football and the pioneering title win of 1959/60". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e Quelch (2015), pp. 199–206
  7. ^ York, Gary (24 May 2007). "John Connelly life story: Part 1". Lancashire Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  8. ^ Bagchi, Rob (27 May 2009). "Burnley are back – thankfully without caricature chairman Bob Lord". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. ^ Marshall, Tyrone (24 March 2017). "Training ground move a sign of our ambition, says Burnley captain Tom Heaton as Clarets move into their new home". Lancashire Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. ^ Quelch (2015), p. 253
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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.

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