Club: | Manchester United |
Season: | 1956–57 |
Manager: | Matt Busby |
Chairman: | Harold Hardman |
League: | First Division |
League Result: | 1st |
Cup1: | FA Cup |
Cup1 Result: | Runners-up |
Cup2: | European Cup |
Cup2 Result: | Semi-finals |
Cup3: | Charity Shield |
Cup3 Result: | Winners |
League Topscorer: | Billy Whelan (26) |
Season Topscorer: | Tommy Taylor (34) |
Highest Attendance: | 75,598 vs Borussia Dortmund (17 October 1956) |
Lowest Attendance: | 20,357 vs West Bromwich Albion (29 April 1957) |
Average Attendance: | 48,679 |
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Prevseason: | 1955–56 |
Nextseason: | 1957–58 |
The 1956–1957 season was Manchester United's 55th season in the Football League, and their 12th consecutive season in the top division of English football.[1]
United retained their league title this season, which was also notable for being the breakthrough season of forward Bobby Charlton, who made his debut on 6 October 1956 in the league match against Charlton Athletic a few days before his 19th birthday and scored twice, making 17 appearances and scoring 12 goals that season and collecting a league title medal, his appearances mostly coming at the expense of Dennis Viollet.[2] As Old Trafford didn't have floodlights installed at the time, United's first three European home games were played at Maine Road instead.[3] United reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, where they were beaten by eventual winners Real Madrid. They also reached the FA Cup final, where they lost 2–1 to Aston Villa in a game where they were handicapped by an injury to goalkeeper Ray Wood, meaning Jackie Blanchflower had to stand in for him in goal.
See main article: 1956 FA Charity Shield.
Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 August 1956 | Birmingham City | H | 2–2 | Viollet (2) | 32,752 | |
20 August 1956 | Preston North End | A | 3–1 | Taylor (2), Whelan | 32,569 | |
25 August 1956 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3–2 | Taylor, Viollet, Whelan | 26,387 | |
29 August 1956 | Preston North End | H | 3–2 | Viollet (3) | 32,515 | |
1 September 1956 | Portsmouth | H | 3–0 | Berry, Pegg, Viollet | 40,369 | |
5 September 1956 | Chelsea | A | 2–1 | Taylor, Whelan | 29,082 | |
8 September 1956 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | Whelan | 50,130 | |
15 September 1956 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 4–1 | Berry, Taylor, Viollet, Whelan | 48,078 | |
22 September 1956 | Manchester City | H | 2–0 | Viollet, Whelan | 53,525 | |
29 September 1956 | Arsenal | A | 2–1 | Berry, Whelan | 62,479 | |
6 October 1956 | Charlton Athletic | H | 4–2 | Charlton (2), Berry, Whelan | 41,439 | |
13 October 1956 | Sunderland | A | 3–1 | Viollet, Whelan, own goal | 49,487 | |
20 October 1956 | Everton | H | 2–5 | Charlton, Whelan | 43,151 | |
27 October 1956 | Blackpool | A | 2–2 | Taylor (2) | 32,632 | |
3 November 1956 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | Pegg, Taylor, Whelan | 59,835 | |
10 November 1956 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | 39,922 | ||
17 November 1956 | Leeds United | H | 3–2 | Whelan (2), Charlton | 51,131 | |
24 November 1956 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–2 | Berry, Colman | 57,724 | |
1 December 1956 | Luton Town | H | 3–1 | Edwards, Pegg, Taylor | 34,736 | |
8 December 1956 | Aston Villa | A | 3–1 | Taylor (2), Viollet | 42,530 | |
15 December 1956 | Birmingham City | A | 1–3 | Whelan | 36,146 | |
26 December 1956 | Cardiff City | H | 3–1 | Taylor, Viollet, Whelan | 28,607 | |
29 December 1956 | Portsmouth | A | 3–1 | Edwards, Pegg, Viollet | 32,147 | |
1 January 1957 | Chelsea | H | 3–0 | Taylor (2), Whelan | 42,116 | |
12 January 1957 | Newcastle United | H | 6–1 | Pegg (2), Viollet (2), Whelan (2) | 44,911 | |
19 January 1957 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1–2 | Taylor | 51,068 | |
2 February 1957 | Manchester City | A | 4–2 | Edwards, Taylor, Viollet, Whelan | 63,872 | |
9 February 1957 | Arsenal | H | 6–2 | Berry (2), Whelan (2), Edwards, Taylor | 60,384 | |
18 February 1957 | Charlton Athletic | A | 5–1 | Charlton (3), Taylor (2) | 16,308 | |
23 February 1957 | Blackpool | H | 0–2 | 42,602 | ||
6 March 1957 | Everton | A | 2–1 | Webster (2) | 34,029 | |
9 March 1957 | Aston Villa | A | 1–1 | Charlton | 55,484 | |
16 March 1957 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | Charlton | 53,228 | |
25 March 1957 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–2 | 60,862 | ||
30 March 1957 | Leeds United | A | 2–1 | Berry, Charlton | 47,216 | |
6 April 1957 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | 60,349 | ||
13 April 1957 | Luton Town | A | 2–0 | Taylor (2) | 21,227 | |
19 April 1957 | Burnley | A | 3–1 | Whelan (3) | 41,321 | |
20 April 1957 | Sunderland | H | 4–0 | Whelan (2), Edwards, Taylor | 58,725 | |
22 April 1957 | Burnley | H | 2–0 | Dawson, Webster | 41,321 | |
27 April 1957 | Cardiff City | A | 3–2 | Scanlon (2), Dawson | 17,708 | |
29 April 1957 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–1 | Dawson | 20,357 |
Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 January 1957 | Round 3 | Hartlepool United | A | 4–3 | Whelan (2), Berry, Taylor | 17,264 | |
26 January 1957 | Round 4 | Wrexham | A | 5–0 | Taylor (2), Whelan (2), Byrne | 34,445 | |
16 February 1957 | Round 5 | Everton | H | 1–0 | Edwards | 61,803 | |
2 March 1957 | Round 6 | Bournemouth | A | 2–1 | Berry (2) | 28,799 | |
23 March 1957 | Semi-final | Birmingham City | N | 2–0 | Berry, Charlton | 65,107 | |
4 May 1957 | Final | Aston Villa | N | 1–2 | Taylor | 100,000 |
Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 September 1956 | Preliminary round First leg | Anderlecht | A | 2–0 | Taylor, Viollet | 35,000 | |
26 September 1956 | Preliminary round Second leg | Anderlecht | H | 10–0 | Viollet (4), Taylor (3), Whelan (2), Berry | 40,000 | |
17 October 1956 | First round First leg | Borussia Dortmund | H | 3–2 | Viollet (2), Pegg | 75,598 | |
21 November 1956 | First round Second leg | Borussia Dortmund | A | 0–0 | 44,570 | ||
16 January 1957 | Quarter-final First leg | Athletic Bilbao | A | 3–5 | Taylor, Viollet, Whelan | 60,000 | |
6 February 1957 | Quarter-final Second leg | Athletic Bilbao | H | 3–0 | Berry, Taylor, Viollet | 70,000 | |
11 April 1957 | Semi-final First leg | Real Madrid | A | 1–3 | Taylor | 135,000 | |
25 April 1957 | Semi-final Second leg | Real Madrid | H | 2–2 | Charlton, Taylor | 65,000 |
Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | European Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
GK | Gordon Clayton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
GK | Tony Hawksworth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
GK | Ray Wood | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |
FB | Geoff Bent | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
FB | Roger Byrne | 36 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
FB | Bill Foulkes | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |
FB | Ian Greaves | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
HB | Jackie Blanchflower | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
HB | Eddie Colman | 36 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
HB | Ronnie Cope | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
HB | Duncan Edwards | 34 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 6 | |
HB | Freddie Goodwin | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
HB | Mark Jones | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
HB | Wilf McGuinness | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
FW | Johnny Berry | 40 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 14 | |
FW | Bobby Charlton | 14 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 12 | |
FW | Alex Dawson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
FW | John Doherty | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
FW | David Pegg | 37 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 7 | |
FW | Albert Scanlon | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
FW | Tommy Taylor | 32 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 34 | |
FW | Dennis Viollet | 27 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 26 | |
FW | Colin Webster | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | |
FW | Billy Whelan | 39 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 33 | |
– | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 |