1965–66 in English football

Diary of the season

7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place. Cardiff City play Coventry City and the match is broadcast to a crowd of 10,000 at Coventry's ground Highfield Road.

11 December 1965: Victory for Liverpool over Arsenal sees the Kopites open up a three-point gap over Burnley in second at the top of the Football League, while West Bromwich Albion – formerly in third – slide down the table after Leeds United hit them for four. Leeds are not the only beneficiaries of WBA's defeat: Tottenham Hotspur's London derby win over Chelsea and Sheffield United's point against Nottingham Forest are enough for both to go above the Albion. Leeds, Tottenham, and Sheffield United have all gained 25 points, though the South Yorkshire side have played one more match than the other two. In the third tier, Walsall forward George Kirby is attacked by pitch-invading Millwall supporters.

12 February 1966: Division Three table-toppers Hull City beat top-flight Nottingham Forest at Boothferry Park in the FA Cup fourth round. 16 April 1966: Liverpool seal the First Division title for the seventh time in their history with a 2–0 home win over Stoke City.

5 May 1966: Liverpool are beaten 2–1 (a.e.t.) by West German side Borussia Dortmund in the 1966 final of the European Cup Winners' Cup at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland.

14 May 1966: Everton win the FA Cup with a 3–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the final at Wembley Stadium, despite going 2–0 down in the 57th minute.

England national team

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was held in England in July 1966. Four months prior to the start of the tournament, the Jules Rimet Trophy, the prize for winning the FIFA World Cup, was stolen from an exhibition at Central Hall, Westminster, where it was on show in the run-up to the tournament. It was recovered a week later by Pickles, a mongrel dog, in South London.

As the host nation, England began their World Cup campaign with a goalless draw against Uruguay at Wembley Stadium. This was followed by a 2–0 win over Mexico, with Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt scoring the goals. England qualified for the knockout stage of the competition with a 2–0 win against France in their final group game. Roger Hunt scored both of England's goals.

England beat Argentina 1–0 in the quarter-final, thanks to a goal by Geoff Hurst. In the semi-final, Bobby Charlton scored both of England's goals as they overcame Portugal by a 2–1 scoreline. Facing West Germany in the final, England won 4–2 in extra time to win the World Cup for the first time. Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick, with Martin Peters scoring the other goal.

Honours

References

1. Davies, Eddie. (15 December 1965). "Short Shots on Soccer". Schenectady Gazette.
2. Smart, Andy. (26 January 2018). "Nottingham Forest fans suffered 'despair, disappointment and resentment' the last time Reds faced Hull City in FA Cup". Nottingham Post.
3. Entertainment & Sports Agency Limited. "Results – Liverpool FC – LFC Online".
4. (20 March 1966). "1966: Football's World Cup stolen". BBC News.
5. "English League Leading Goalscorers".
6. "English League Leading Goalscorers".