1986–87 Middlesbrough F.C. season explained

Club:Middlesbrough
Season:1986-87
Manager:Bruce Rioch
Chairman:Colin Henderson
League:Football League Third Division
League Result:2nd
League Topscorer:Bernie Slaven (17)
Season Topscorer:Bernie Slaven (21)
Highest Attendance:18,523 v Wigan Athletic
Away: 13,835 v AFC Bournemouth
Lowest Attendance:3,690 v Port Vale[1]
Away: 2,788 v Newport County
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:3rd round
Cup2:League Cup
Cup2 Result:2nd round
Prevseason:1985–86
Nextseason:1987–88

During the 1986–87 season, Middlesbrough participated in the Football League Third Division following their relegation the previous season. They were promoted back to the Second Division at the end of the season having finished second in the league.

Team kit and sponsors

During the 1986 - 87 season, Middlesbrough maintained the white band on their home kit from the previous two seasons and were sponsored by Dickens.[2]

Season review

Pre-season panic

See main article: Middlesbrough F.C. survival from liquidation. The financial problems that had been plaguing the club since the early 1980s almost led the club into extinction following their relegation the previous season.

After Alf Duffield's resignation near the end of the previous season, Boro had been operating without a chairman. On 21 May 1986, the worst fears of Middlesbrough fans were realised. Debts believed to be in the region of £2 million meant the club were forced to call in the provisional liquidator. Late in July, the Inland Revenue took the club to court, claiming that it was owed £115,156 in tax arrears and so the judge issued a winding up order. On the second of August, Bruce Rioch and twenty-nine other non-playing staff were sacked by the Official Receiver and the gates of Ayresome Park were padlocked. Some players chose to remain and train under Rioch and coach Colin Todd, while others chose to leave.

Steve Gibson approached the local council, ICI and Graham Fordy of Scottish & Newcastle for help. An advert was placed in The Times for help, and Henry Moszkowicz was one of those who replied. Gibson reached an agreement with former chairman Alf Duffield, who was owed £500,000, that he would wind up the company. Clubs in less serious situations had previously used liquidation to get out of problems, but when it came to Middlesbrough's turn, the Football League showed a lack of support.

The council was unable to meet its £200,000 share of the pot to help the club, meaning Gibson and Moszkowicz had to raise their inputs. Three days before the start of the season, the league introduced a ruling meaning the club had to have £350,000 in working capital and show it could pay all creditors 100 pence in the pound. The death of the club was then announced on Tyne Tees Television.

A meeting with the Football League took place on Friday 22 August. Notes were passed from room to room between the league's representatives and the consortium. Colin Henderson agreed a deal with ICI for a bond, meaning that they would pick up a major part of any subsequent debt, and the consortium put in their £825,000. With ten minutes to spare before the registration deadline, the documents were signed by Graham Fordy, Reg Corbridge and Henry Moszkowicz. In recognition of Henderson's achievements in delivering the bond in a format acceptable to everyone, he was named chairman of Middlesbrough Football & Athletic Company (1986) Ltd., the new company formed by the purchase of Blackplay Ltd., a dead company, off the shelf. Gibson, Fordy, Corbridge and Moszkowicz formed the board. The club had been saved and the deal was announced to the public at the town hall.

Football League Third Division

Results

GameDateVenueOpponentResult
F - A
AttendanceBoro Goalscorers
123 August 1986HPort Vale2 - 23,690Stephens (2)
230 August 1986AWigan2 - 02,904Turnbull, Mowbray
36 September 1986HBury3 - 16,499Stephens (2), Slaven
413 September 1986AGillingham0 - 04,888
517 September 1986ABristol Rovers2 - 13,768Slaven (2)
620 September 1986HChesterfield2 - 07,633Mowbray, Laws
727 September 1986AFulham2 - 23,852Laws, Hamilton
830 September 1986HSwindon1 - 09,221Laws
94 October 1986ARotherham4 - 14,321Stephens (2), Laws (2)
1011 October 1986HBlackpool1 - 311,470Stephens
1118 October 1986HWalsall3 - 18,349Stephens (2), Laws
1221 October 1986ANotts County0 - 14,405
1325 October 1986ABristol City2 - 28,800Slaven, Laws
141 November 1986HAFC Bournemouth4 - 010,702Stephens, Slaven, Hamilton, Ripley
154 November 1986HBolton0 - 010,092
168 November 1986ADarlington1 - 09,947Stephens
1722 November 1986ANewport County1 - 02,788Mowbray
1829 November 1986HChester City1 - 29,376Slaven
1913 December 1986HDoncaster1 - 08,100Mowbray
2021 December 1986ABrentford1 - 05,504Slaven
2126 December 1986HCarlisle1 - 014,216Gill
2227 December 1986AMansfield1 - 15,042Proudlock
231 January 1987AYork City1 - 38,611Mowbray
243 January 1987HNewport County2 - 09,595Gill, Stephens
2524 January 1987ABury2 - 03,485Slaven (2), Laws (pen)
267 February 1987HBristol Rovers1 - 09,610Ripley
2714 February 1987AChesterfield1 - 24,085Slaven
2817 February 1987APort Vale0 - 03,263
2921 February 1987HFulham3 - 09,361Slaven, Hamilton
3028 February 1987ASwindon0 - 111,341
313 March 1987AAFC Bournemouth1 - 313,835Slaven
327 March 1987HBristol City1 - 010,220Mowbray
3314 March 1987AWalsall0 - 17,332
3417 March 1987HNotts County2 - 09,845Stephens, Slaven
3521 March 1987ABlackpool1 - 07,132Stephens
3628 March 1987HRotherham0 - 09,569
375 April 1987HDarlington1 - 111,969Slaven
3811 April 1987ABolton1 - 05,858Slaven
3918 April 1987HYork City3 - 110,546Ripley, Stephens, Turnbull
4020 April 1987ACarlisle1 - 05,993Pallister
4125 April 1987HBrentford2 - 09,942Slaven, Turnbull
4228 April 1987HGillingham3 - 011,937Stephens, Slaven, Turnbull
432 May 1987AChester City2 - 13,788Mowbray, Hamilton
444 May 1987HMansfield1 - 013,543Hamilton (pen)
456 May 1987HWigan0 - 018,523
469 May 1987ADoncaster2 - 03,556Hamilton, Ripley

League table

Cup Reviews

League Cup

RoundDateVenueOpponentResult
F - A
AttendanceBoro Goalscorers
1R 1st LegAHartlepool1 - 12,356Slaven
1R 2nd LegHHartlepool2 - 0 (3 - 1 agg)7,735Ripley, Hamilton
2R 1st LegHBirmingham2 - 29,412Stephens, Ripley
2R 2nd LegABirmingham2 - 3 (4 - 5 agg)4,987Laws (2) (1 pen)

FA Cup

RoundDateVenueOpponentResult
F - A
AttendanceBoro Goalscorers
1R15 November 1986HBlackpool3 - 011,205Bernie Slaven (3)
2R7 December 1986ANotts County1 - 07,415Hamilton
310 January 1987HPreston0 - 115,458

Squad

Senior squad

The following are all the players who were involved the Middlesbrough F.C. first team at some point during the 1986-87 season.[3]

Coaching staff

Transfers

Players Out

Mitch Cook to Scarborough free

Gary Rowell to Brighton and Hove Albion free

David Currie to Darlington free

Peter Beagrie to Sheffield United £37,500 (tribunal)

Tony McAndrew to Darlington free

David Mills to Darlington free

Don O'Riordan to Grimsby Town free

Tony Hall released

Irving Nattrass retired

Players In

Paul Proudlock from South Bank £2,000

Paul Kerr from Aston Villa £35,000

Ronnie Coyle from Celtic loan

David Hodgson from Norwich City loan

Steve Spriggs from Cambridge United loan

Kevin Carr from Newcastle non contract

Notes and References

  1. Game was played at Victoria Park, Hartlepool due to Ayresome Park's gates being locked.
  2. Web site: Middlesbrough . historicalkits.co.uk . 2007-09-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20071001124917/http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Middlesbrough/Middlesbrough.htm. 1 October 2007 . live.
  3. http://www.allfootballers.com/screen4.php<!-- Bot generated title -->