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2014–15 in English football

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Football in England
Season2014–15
Men's football
Premier LeagueChelsea
ChampionshipAFC Bournemouth
League OneBristol City
League TwoBurton Albion
Conference PremierBarnet
FA CupArsenal
League CupChelsea
Community ShieldArsenal
← 2013–14 England 2015–16 →

The 2014–15 season was the 135th season of competitive association football in England.

Promotion and relegation

[edit]

Pre-season

[edit]
League Promoted to league Rise Relegated from league Fall[1]
Premier League
Championship
League One
League Two

National teams

[edit]

England national football team

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification England Switzerland Slovenia Estonia Lithuania San Marino
1  England 10 10 0 0 31 3 +28 30 Qualify for final tournament 2–0 3–1 2–0 4–0 5–0
2   Switzerland 10 7 0 3 24 8 +16 21 0–2 3–2 3–0 4–0 7–0
3  Slovenia 10 5 1 4 18 11 +7 16 Advance to play-offs 2–3 1–0 1–0 1–1 6–0
4  Estonia 10 3 1 6 4 9 −5 10[a] 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0
5  Lithuania 10 3 1 6 7 18 −11 10[a] 0–3 1–2 0–2 1–0 2–1
6  San Marino 10 0 1 9 1 36 −35 1 0–6 0–4 0–2 0–0 0–2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
8 September 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E   Switzerland 0–2  England[2] Basel
19:45 BST Report Welbeck 58', 90+4' Stadium: St. Jakob-Park
Attendance: 35,500
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (Turkey)
9 October 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E  England 5–0  San Marino Wembley, London
19:45 BST Jagielka 25'
Milner Yellow card 38'
Rooney 43' (pen.)
Welbeck 49'
Townsend 72'
Della Valle 78' (o.g.)
Summary Selva Yellow card 43'
Rinaldi Yellow card 90'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 55,990
Referee: Marcin Borski (Poland)
12 October 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E  Estonia 0–1  England[2] Tallinn
17:00 BST Klavan Yellow card 29' Yellow-red card 48' Summary Baines Yellow card 45+1'
Henderson Yellow card 53'
Rooney 73'
Wilshere Yellow card 87'
Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena
Attendance: 10,195
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (Croatia)
15 November 2014 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E  England 3–1  Slovenia Wembley, London
17:00 GMT Gibbs Yellow card 52'
Rooney 59' (pen.)
Welbeck 66', 72'
Clyne Yellow card 79'
Sterling Yellow card 82'
Jagielka Yellow card 88'
Summary Henderson 58' (o.g.)
Cesar Yellow card 58'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 82,305
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)
27 March 2015 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E  England 4–0  Lithuania[2] Wembley, London
19:45 GMT Rooney 7'
Welbeck 45'
Sterling 58' Yellow card 80'
Kane 73'
Report Žaliūkas Yellow card 41'
Kazlauskas Yellow card 90+1'
Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 83,671
Referee: Pavel Královec (Czech Republic)
3 September 2014 Friendly  England 1–0  Norway Wembley, London
20:00 BST Rooney 68' (pen.) Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 40,181
Referee: Jorge Sousa
18 November 2014 Friendly  Scotland 1–3  England Glasgow, Scotland
20:00 BST Robertson 83' Report Oxlade-Chamberlain 32'
Rooney 47', 85'
Stadium: Celtic Park
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Jonas Eriksson
31 March 2015 Friendly  Italy 1–1  England Turin, Italy
19:45 BST Pellè 29' Report Townsend 79' Stadium: Juventus Stadium
Attendance: 31,138
Referee: Felix Brych

England women's national football team

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 10 10 0 0 52 1 +51 30 Women's World Cup 4–0 2–0 8–0 6–0 9–0
2  Ukraine 10 7 1 2 34 9 +25 22 Play-offs 1–2 1–0 8–0 8–0 7–0
3  Wales 10 6 1 3 18 9 +9 19 0–4 1–1 1–0 1–0 4–0
4  Turkey 10 4 0 6 12 31 −19 12 0–4 0–1 1–5 3–0 3–1
5  Belarus 10 2 0 8 12 31 −19 6 0–3 1–3 0–3 1–2 3–1
6  Montenegro 10 0 0 10 6 53 −47 0 0–10 1–4 0–3 2–3 1–7
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
14 June 2014 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification  Belarus 0–3  England[3] Minsk, Belarus
15:00 BST Avkhimovich Yellow card 88' Report Aluko 31'
Houghton 36'
Dowie Yellow card 66'
Bronze 90+5'
Stadium: Traktar Stadium
Attendance: 350
Referee: Czech Republic Jana Adamkova
19 June 2014 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification  Ukraine 1–2  England Lviv, Ukraine
19:00 BST Vasylyuk Yellow card 59'
Olha Ovdiychuk 63'
Report Stoney 11'
Aluko 14'
Bronze Yellow card 53'
Bassett Yellow card 62'
Stadium: Arena Lviv
Attendance: 3,757
Referee: Romania Cristina Dorcioman
21 August 2014 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification  Wales 0–4  England[3] Cardiff
19 BST Summary Carney 16'
Aluko 39'
Bassett 44'
Sanderson 45'
Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Referee: Greece Efthalia Mitsi
17 September 2014 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification  Montenegro 0–10  England[3] Petrovac, Budva
19:00 BST Armisa Kuć Yellow card 80'
Irena Bjelica Yellow card 84' Red card 86'
Summary Aluko 8', 31', 64'
Carney 22', 51'
Bronze 37'
Scott Yellow card 52'
Duggan 56', 90+4'
Williams Yellow card 79'
Greenwood 90'
Potter 90+3'
Stadium: Stadion Pod Malim Brdom
Attendance: 300
Referee: Slovakia Petra Chuda

UEFA competitions

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2014–15 UEFA Champions League

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Play-off Round

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Beşiktaş Turkey 0–1 England Arsenal 0–0 0–1

Group stage

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Group B
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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification RMA BSL LIV LUD
1 Spain Real Madrid 6 6 0 0 16 2 +14 18 Advance to knockout phase 5–1 1–0 4–0
2 Switzerland Basel 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 0–1 1–0 4–0
3 England Liverpool 6 1 2 3 5 9 −4 5 Transfer to Europa League 0–3 1–1 2–1
4 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 6 1 1 4 5 14 −9 4 1–2 1–0 2–2
Source: UEFA
Group D
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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DOR ARS AND GAL
1 Germany Borussia Dortmund 6 4 1 1 14 4 +10 13 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 1–1 4–1
2 England Arsenal 6 4 1 1 15 8 +7 13 2–0 3–3 4–1
3 Belgium Anderlecht 6 1 3 2 8 10 −2 6 Transfer to Europa League 0–3 1–2 2–0
4 Turkey Galatasaray 6 0 1 5 4 19 −15 1 0–4 1–4 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group E
[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAY MCI ROM CSKA
1 Germany Bayern Munich 6 5 0 1 16 4 +12 15 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 2–0 3–0
2 England Manchester City 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 8 3–2 1–1 1–2
3 Italy Roma 6 1 2 3 8 14 −6 5 Transfer to Europa League 1–7 0–2 5–1
4 Russia CSKA Moscow 6 1 2 3 6 13 −7 5 0–1 2–2 1–1
Source: UEFA
Group G
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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CHE SCH SPO MRB
1 England Chelsea 6 4 2 0 17 3 +14 14 Advance to knockout phase 1–1 3–1 6–0
2 Germany Schalke 04 6 2 2 2 9 14 −5 8 0–5 4–3 1–1
3 Portugal Sporting CP 6 2 1 3 12 12 0 7 Transfer to Europa League 0–1 4–2 3–1
4 Slovenia Maribor 6 0 3 3 4 13 −9 3 1–1 0–1 1–1
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase

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Round of 16
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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Paris Saint-Germain France 3–3 (a) England Chelsea 1–1 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Manchester City England 1–3 Spain Barcelona 1–2 0–1
Bayer Leverkusen Germany 1–1 (2–3 p) Spain Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Juventus Italy 5–1 Germany Borussia Dortmund 2–1 3–0
Schalke 04 Germany 4–5 Spain Real Madrid 0–2 4–3
Shakhtar Donetsk Ukraine 0–7 Germany Bayern Munich 0–0 0–7
Arsenal England 3–3 (a) France Monaco 1–3 2–0
Basel Switzerland 1–5 Portugal Porto 1–1 0–4
Quarter-finals
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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Paris Saint-Germain France 1–5 Spain Barcelona 1–3 0–2
Atlético Madrid Spain 0–1 Spain Real Madrid 0–0 0–1
Porto Portugal 4–7 Germany Bayern Munich 3–1 1–6
Juventus Italy 1–0 France Monaco 1–0 0–0
Semi-finals
[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Barcelona Spain 5–3 Germany Bayern Munich 3–0 2–3
Juventus Italy 3–2 Spain Real Madrid 2–1 1–1

2014–15 UEFA Europa League

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Qualifying rounds

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Braga Portugal 1–6 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 1–2 0–4
Villarreal Spain 6–3 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 2–1 4–2
Athletic Bilbao Spain 3–3 (4–5 p) Spain Sevilla 1–2 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Borussia Dortmund Germany 4–5 England Liverpool 1–1 3–4

League season

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Premier League

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Chelsea regained the Premier League title after five years, in José Mourinho's first season back at the club. The Blues also won the League Cup, completing a Premier League and League Cup double that they had also achieved in their first season under Mourinho in 2004–05. Manchester City were unsuccessful in defending their title and finished as runners-up. Arsenal were third and retained the FA Cup. Manchester United took the final spot for the Champions League, securing a return to the competition in Louis van Gaal's first season as manager.

Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Southampton, along with West Ham, all gained Europa League spots. Tottenham failed to qualify for the Champions League in their first season under Mauricio Pochettino, finishing in 5th place. Liverpool were 12th in late November with just fourteen points but rallied after New Year's Day to finish 6th and also reached the semi-finals of both cup competitions. In Ronald Koeman's first season as manager, Southampton challenged for the Champions League places into April, but eventually finished 7th. They qualified for the Europa League because of Arsenal's FA Cup win. Swansea secured their best Premier League points total in Garry Monk's first full season, whilst Stoke finished 9th, also with their best points total in the Premier League.

Rounding out the top ten were Crystal Palace, whose manager Tony Pulis departed just two days before the start of the season; former boss Neil Warnock returned for a second spell, but only lasted four months before being sacked with the club facing another relegation battle. The managerial appointment of former player Alan Pardew saw the Eagles climb to mid-table and ultimately survive, securing their highest ever Premier League finish. Pre-season relegation favourites Leicester City fell to the bottom of the table in November but secured 22 points from their last nine games to become the only promoted team to avoid the drop.

West Ham United, despite being in the top four at Christmas, won just three more games after that, finishing in 12th. Sam Allardyce was dismissed as manager after four years, although the club did qualify for the Europa League via the Fair Play rankings, ensuring that their last season at the Boleyn Ground would feature European football. Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation for the second year in a row, even though they only spent two match days in the bottom three. A run of eleven points from their last six matches under new manager Dick Advocaat confirmed their survival. Their 17 draws were the most of any team in the division. Aston Villa finished 17th, their worst finish in the 20-team Premier League era, though they did reach the FA Cup final.

Queens Park Rangers' return to the Premier League ended in immediate relegation; the club failed to earn an away point until mid-February. Burnley finished second-bottom and were the lowest goalscorers in the league. Hull City filled the last relegation spot, while Newcastle United, who lost form following the departure of Alan Pardew, survived on the last day.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Chelsea (C) 38 26 9 3 73 32 +41 87 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Manchester City 38 24 7 7 83 38 +45 79
3 Arsenal 38 22 9 7 71 36 +35 75
4 Manchester United 38 20 10 8 62 37 +25 70 Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
5 Tottenham Hotspur 38 19 7 12 58 53 +5 64 Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a]
6 Liverpool 38 18 8 12 52 48 +4 62
7 Southampton 38 18 6 14 54 33 +21 60 Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[a]
8 Swansea City 38 16 8 14 46 49 −3 56
9 Stoke City 38 15 9 14 48 45 +3 54
10 Crystal Palace 38 13 9 16 47 51 −4 48
11 Everton 38 12 11 15 48 50 −2 47
12 West Ham United 38 12 11 15 44 47 −3 47 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[b]
13 West Bromwich Albion 38 11 11 16 38 51 −13 44
14 Leicester City 38 11 8 19 46 55 −9 41
15 Newcastle United 38 10 9 19 40 63 −23 39
16 Sunderland 38 7 17 14 31 53 −22 38
17 Aston Villa 38 10 8 20 31 57 −26 38
18 Hull City (R) 38 8 11 19 33 51 −18 35 Relegation to Football League Championship
19 Burnley (R) 38 7 12 19 28 53 −25 33
20 Queens Park Rangers (R) 38 8 6 24 42 73 −31 30
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).[7]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Since winners of the 2014–15 FA Cup, Arsenal, and winners of the 2014–15 Football League Cup, Chelsea, qualified for the Champions League based on league position, the spot awarded to the FA Cup winners (Europa League group stage) was passed to the sixth-placed team, Liverpool, and the spot awarded to the League Cup winners (Europa League third qualifying round) was passed to the seventh-placed team, Southampton, since those teams were the first teams in the table not already qualified for any European competition.
  2. ^ England was given an extra qualification berth for the Europa League first qualifying round as one of the top three associations in UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking.[4] The spot was given to West Ham United after finishing on top of the Premier League Fair Play table.[5][6]

Football League Championship

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In a Championship season marked with constant changes among the top six, AFC Bournemouth completed a turnaround from being within five minutes of liquidation in 2008, to reaching the Premier League for the first time in their history. They remained top for around half the season and snatched the title on the last day to win promotion as champions. This meant that Eddie Howe had achieved the rare feat of taking a club from the fourth tier to the top flight for the first time, an achievement for which he was named the Football League Manager of the Decade.

Despite a spell in which they changed managers four times in 35 days between August and October, Watford found stability under Serbian Slaviša Jokanović and took advantage of slip-ups by other teams to win automatic promotion to the Premier League after an eight-year absence. Securing an immediate return to the Premier League through the play-offs were Norwich City, who beat Middlesbrough in the final; they had topped the standings early on in the season, only to fall to mid-table after a poor run of form within the winter period. Manager Neil Adams ultimately resigned in January, before the appointment of Hamilton boss Alex Neil in January re-invigorated the Canaries' campaign.

Reading endured a season of ups and downs, having first sacked Nigel Adkins in mid-December. This led to former West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Clarke taking over the reins and despite there being an outside chance of relegation going into the last few games, the Royals beat the drop and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals, losing to Arsenal in extra-time. Rotherham United came perilously close to being dropped into the relegation zone in the final weeks after they were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player, though they ultimately stayed up after the teams below them failed to capitalise on the situation.

Blackpool finished in bottom place (having stayed in that place since September until the end of the season), posting the joint-worst points total for a club in a 24-team second tier, failing to win away once and conceding 91 goals overall. Relegation was not helped by fan protests against owner Owen Oyston's running of the club (eventually culminating in an on-field protest that forced their final game of the season to be abandoned), as well as the fact that they had only eight players two weeks before the season started. Wigan Athletic were also relegated, just two years after they had won the FA Cup and played in the Premier League. During the season, they went through three managers and failed to win a home game between September and April as the extra games from the previous season appeared to take its toll on the Latics. Millwall filled the final relegation spot, having sacked Ian Holloway in March and appointed Neil Harris as his replacement, but he could not save them from the drop to the third tier.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Bournemouth (C, P) 46 26 12 8 98 45 +53 90 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Watford (P) 46 27 8 11 91 50 +41 89
3 Norwich City (O, P) 46 25 11 10 88 48 +40 86 Qualification for Championship play-offs[a]
4 Middlesbrough 46 25 10 11 68 37 +31 85
5 Brentford 46 23 9 14 78 59 +19 78
6 Ipswich Town 46 22 12 12 72 54 +18 78
7 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 22 12 12 70 56 +14 78
8 Derby County 46 21 14 11 85 56 +29 77
9 Blackburn Rovers 46 17 16 13 66 59 +7 67
10 Birmingham City 46 16 15 15 54 64 −10 63
11 Cardiff City 46 16 14 16 57 61 −4 62
12 Charlton Athletic 46 14 18 14 54 60 −6 60
13 Sheffield Wednesday 46 14 18 14 43 49 −6 60
14 Nottingham Forest 46 15 14 17 71 69 +2 59
15 Leeds United 46 15 11 20 50 61 −11 56
16 Huddersfield Town 46 13 16 17 58 75 −17 55
17 Fulham 46 14 10 22 62 83 −21 52
18 Bolton Wanderers 46 13 12 21 54 67 −13 51
19 Reading 46 13 11 22 48 69 −21 50
20 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 10 17 19 44 54 −10 47
21 Rotherham United 46 11 16 19 46 67 −21 46[b]
22 Millwall (R) 46 9 14 23 42 76 −34 41 Relegation to Football League One
23 Wigan Athletic (R) 46 9 12 25 39 64 −25 39
24 Blackpool (R) 46 4 14 28 36 91 −55 26
Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2015. Source: Sky Sports
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the Premier League.
  2. ^ Rotherham United were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player.[8]

Football League One

[edit]

Bristol City ended their two-year absence from the Championship, topping the division for virtually the entire season and becoming the first club in the country to win promotion. Milton Keynes Dons, the top scorers in any of the four divisions, snatched automatic promotion from under the noses of Preston North End on the final day, winning promotion to the Championship for the first time as the current incarnation of the club; they also enjoyed a famous Football League Cup upset over Manchester United in their first ever meeting. Preston made amends for their last-day slip-up by thrashing Swindon Town in the play-off final to end a five-year absence from the second tier, and in the process finally winning a play-off tournament after nine unsuccessful tries.

Despite being hotly tipped to make an immediate return to the Championship, Yeovil Town spent most of the season rooted to the bottom of the table (and in fact, they were glued to the bottom from February) and they suffered their second successive relegation, finding themselves back in League Two for the first time in a decade after only recording ten wins in the whole season. Similarly, Leyton Orient were also among the promotion favourites after their play-off final appearance the previous year but struggled all season after going through four managers and they ultimately finished second bottom. Crawley Town were relegated back to League Two after three years at this level; they had appeared to be well out of the reach of relegation but following manager John Gregory stepping down for heart surgery, their form collapsed under Dean Saunders. Notts County filled the final relegation spot, ultimately being cost dear by a disastrous second half of the season after some promising early form.

Crewe Alexandra survived a second relegation battle in a row despite more heavy thrashings in the season, whilst Colchester United's final day win to deny Preston automatic promotion confirmed their survival having been cut adrift for most of the season.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Bristol City (C, P) 46 29 12 5 96 38 +58 99 Promotion to Football League Championship
2 Milton Keynes Dons (P) 46 27 10 9 101 44 +57 91
3 Preston North End (O, P) 46 25 14 7 79 40 +39 89 Qualification for League One play-offs[a]
4 Swindon Town 46 23 10 13 76 57 +19 79
5 Sheffield United 46 19 14 13 66 53 +13 71
6 Chesterfield 46 19 12 15 68 55 +13 69
7 Bradford City 46 17 14 15 55 55 0 65
8 Rochdale 46 19 6 21 72 66 +6 63
9 Peterborough United 46 18 9 19 53 56 −3 63
10 Fleetwood Town 46 17 12 17 49 52 −3 63
11 Barnsley 46 17 11 18 62 61 +1 62
12 Gillingham 46 16 14 16 65 66 −1 62
13 Doncaster Rovers 46 16 13 17 58 62 −4 61
14 Walsall 46 14 17 15 50 54 −4 59
15 Oldham Athletic 46 14 15 17 54 67 −13 57
16 Scunthorpe United 46 14 14 18 62 75 −13 56
17 Coventry City 46 13 16 17 49 60 −11 55
18 Port Vale 46 15 9 22 55 65 −10 54
19 Colchester United 46 14 10 22 58 77 −19 52
20 Crewe Alexandra 46 14 10 22 43 75 −32 52
21 Notts County (R) 46 12 14 20 45 63 −18 50 Relegation to Football League Two
22 Crawley Town (R) 46 13 11 22 53 79 −26 50
23 Leyton Orient (R) 46 12 13 21 59 69 −10 49
24 Yeovil Town (R) 46 10 10 26 36 75 −39 40
Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2015. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League Championship.

Football League Two

[edit]

Just six years after their first ever promotion to the Football League and just missing out on promotion a year earlier, Burton Albion were promoted as champions. While manager Gary Rowett departed for Birmingham City early in the season, his replacement in top-flight legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink guided the club into the top six and then finally promotion. Shrewsbury Town went up in second, securing an instant return to League One; they had actually led the table for much of the season but were made to pay for slip-ups that Burton took advantage of. Taking the third automatic slot in dramatic fashion were Bury, who almost slipped out of the race, but a last-day win over Tranmere Rovers saw the club also promoted. Southend United were forced all the way to extra time and penalties by Wycombe Wanderers, but ultimately scraped past their opponents to take the last promotion spot and secure their place in League One.

Luton Town, on their return to the Football League after five years, just missed out on a playoff place by virtue of Plymouth Argyle's victory over Shrewsbury whilst Portsmouth suffered an even lower league finish than the previous year, finishing in 16th with the club failing to make anything similar to a promotion challenge, but some good run of forms prevented them from being in another relegation battle.

Falling out of the Football League were Tranmere Rovers, who suffered a second relegation in a row and dropped into the Football Conference after 94 years. Cheltenham Town filled the second relegation spot, falling out of the Football League after sixteen years; they had started the season reasonably well with 23 points from 14 games, but imploded disastrously after long-serving manager Mark Yates was sacked in favor of Paul Buckle, with not even the late-season arrival of veteran manager Gary Johnson saving them. Hartlepool United had been in the relegation zone for good chunks of the season, but an impressive March saw the club fight their way to safety.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Burton Albion (C, P) 46 28 10 8 69 39 +30 94 Promotion to Football League One
2 Shrewsbury Town (P) 46 27 8 11 67 31 +36 89
3 Bury (P) 46 26 7 13 60 40 +20 85
4 Wycombe Wanderers 46 23 15 8 67 45 +22 84 Qualification for League Two play-offs[a]
5 Southend United (O, P) 46 24 12 10 54 38 +16 84
6 Stevenage 46 20 12 14 62 54 +8 72
7 Plymouth Argyle 46 20 11 15 55 37 +18 71
8 Luton Town 46 19 11 16 54 44 +10 68
9 Newport County 46 18 11 17 51 54 −3 65
10 Exeter City 46 17 13 16 61 65 −4 64
11 Morecambe 46 17 12 17 53 52 +1 63
12 Northampton Town 46 18 7 21 67 62 +5 61
13 Oxford United 46 15 16 15 50 49 +1 61
14 Dagenham & Redbridge 46 17 8 21 58 59 −1 59
15 AFC Wimbledon 46 14 16 16 54 60 −6 58
16 Portsmouth 46 14 15 17 52 54 −2 57
17 Accrington Stanley 46 15 11 20 58 77 −19 56
18 York City 46 11 19 16 46 51 −5 52
19 Cambridge United 46 13 12 21 61 66 −5 51
20 Carlisle United 46 14 8 24 56 74 −18 50
21 Mansfield Town 46 13 9 24 38 62 −24 48
22 Hartlepool United 46 12 9 25 39 70 −31 45
23 Cheltenham Town (R) 46 9 14 23 40 67 −27 41 Relegation to the National League
24 Tranmere Rovers (R) 46 9 12 25 45 67 −22 39
Updated to match(es) played on 23 May 2015. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to Football League One.

Conference Premier

[edit]

A close title race saw Barnet return to the Football League after a two-year absence, which also made them the first club to win promotion to the Football League three times. Pushing them all the way and then winning in the playoffs were Bristol Rovers who secured an immediate return to the Football League, despite being pushed themselves all the way to penalties by Grimsby.

Following the departure of manager Kevin Wilkin late in the previous season, Nuneaton were relegated in bottom place. AFC Telford United were immediately relegated back to the Conference North after being in bottom place for most of the season. Dartford finished third-bottom and experienced the relegation that they only avoided the previous season thanks to the demise of Salisbury City. Alfreton Town filled the final relegation spot and went down on goal difference; they were ultimately cost dear by having the worst defensive record in the division, eventually culminating in a 7–0 thrashing by Bristol Rovers on the final day of the season, when a draw would have been sufficient to prevent relegation.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Barnet (C, P) 46 28 8 10 94 46 +48 92 Promotion to League Two
2 Bristol Rovers (O, P) 46 25 16 5 73 34 +39 91 Qualification for Conference Premier play-offs[a]
3 Grimsby Town 46 25 11 10 74 40 +34 86
4 Eastleigh 46 24 10 12 87 61 +26 82
5 Forest Green Rovers[b] 46 22 16 8 80 54 +26 79
6 Macclesfield Town 46 21 15 10 60 46 +14 78
7 Woking 46 21 13 12 77 52 +25 76
8 Dover Athletic 46 19 11 16 69 58 +11 68
9 FC Halifax Town 46 17 15 14 60 54 +6 66
10 Gateshead 46 17 15 14 66 62 +4 66
11 Wrexham 46 17 15 14 56 52 +4 66
12 Chester 46 19 6 21 64 76 −12 63
13 Torquay United 46 16 13 17 64 60 +4 61
14 Braintree Town 46 18 5 23 56 57 −1 59
15 Lincoln City 46 16 10 20 62 71 −9 58
16 Kidderminster Harriers 46 15 12 19 51 60 −9 57
17 Altrincham 46 16 8 22 54 73 −19 56
18 Aldershot Town 46 14 11 21 51 61 −10 53
19 Southport 46 13 12 21 47 72 −25 51
20 Welling United 46 11 12 23 52 73 −21 45
21 Alfreton Town (R) 46 12 9 25 49 90 −41 45 Relegation to National League North
22 Dartford (R) 46 8 15 23 44 74 −30 39 Relegation to National League South
23 AFC Telford United[c] (R) 46 10 9 27 58 84 −26 36 Relegation to National League North
24 Nuneaton Town[d] (R) 46 10 9 27 38 76 −38 36
Updated to match(es) played on 17 May 2015. Source: Football Conference
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Four teams play for one spot and promotion to League Two.
  2. ^ Forest Green were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Southport on 9 August 2014.[9]
  3. ^ Telford were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Lincoln City on 11 April 2015.[10]
  4. ^ Nuneaton were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Welling United on 28 February 2015.[11]

Cup competitions

[edit]

FA Cup

[edit]
Arsenal4–0Aston Villa
Walcott 40'
Sánchez 50'
Mertesacker 62'
Giroud 90'
Report
Attendance: 89,283

League Cup

[edit]
Chelsea2–0Tottenham Hotspur
Terry 45'
Costa 56'
Report
Attendance: 89,294

Community Shield

[edit]
Arsenal3–0Manchester City
Cazorla 22'
Ramsey 43'
Giroud 62'
Report

Football League Trophy

[edit]
Walsall0–2Bristol City
Report Flint 15'
Little 51'
Attendance: 72,315

Women's football

[edit]

FA Women's Cup

[edit]

Women's Super League

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Liverpool (C) 14 7 5 2 19 10 +9 26 Qualification to Champions League
2 Chelsea 14 8 2 4 23 16 +7 26
3 Birmingham City 14 7 4 3 20 14 +6 25
4 Arsenal 14 6 3 5 24 21 +3 21
5 Manchester City 14 6 1 7 13 16 −3 19
6 Notts County 14 4 6 4 12 8 +4 18
7 Bristol Academy 14 5 1 8 18 24 −6 16
8 Everton 14 0 4 10 10 30 −20 4 Relegation to FA WSL 2
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions

Women's Super League 2

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 Sunderland (C) 18 15 2 1 47 15 +32 47 Promotion to FA WSL 1
2 Doncaster Rovers Belles 18 14 3 1 56 14 +42 45
3 Reading 18 13 2 3 60 21 +39 41
4 Aston Villa 18 9 3 6 25 26 −1 30
5 Yeovil Town 18 6 4 8 27 26 +1 22
6 Durham 18 5 3 10 19 32 −13 18
7 Watford 18 5 3 10 22 37 −15 18
8 Millwall Lionesses 18 4 3 11 20 36 −16 15
9 Oxford United 18 3 3 12 16 44 −28 12
10 London Bees 18 2 2 14 16 57 −41 8
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions

Managerial changes

[edit]

This is a list of changes of managers within English league football:

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment Position in table
at time of appointment
Blackpool Paul Ince Sacked 21 January 2014[14] 14th (2013–14 season) José Riga 11 June 2014[15] Pre-season
Nottingham Forest Billy Davies Sacked 24 March 2014[16] 5th (2013–14 season) Stuart Pearce 1 July 2014[a][17]
Tranmere Rovers Ronnie Moore Sacked 9 April 2014[b][18] 19th (2013–14 season) Robert Edwards 27 May 2014[19]
West Bromwich Albion Pepe Mel Mutual consent[20] 12 May 2014[21] Pre-season Alan Irvine 14 June 2014[22]
Shrewsbury Town Michael Jackson Appointed as assistant manager 12 May 2014[23] Micky Mellon 12 May 2014[23]
Brighton & Hove Albion Óscar García Junyent Resigned 12 May 2014[24] Sami Hyypiä 6 June 2014[25]
Tottenham Hotspur Tim Sherwood Sacked[26] 13 May 2014[21] Mauricio Pochettino 27 May 2014[27]
Charlton Athletic José Riga End of contract 27 May 2014[28] Bob Peeters 27 May 2014[29]
Southampton Mauricio Pochettino Signed by Tottenham Hotspur 27 May 2014[27] Ronald Koeman 16 June 2014[30]
Leeds United Brian McDermott Mutual Consent 31 May 2014[31] Dave Hockaday 19 June 2014[32]
Oxford United Gary Waddock Sacked 4 July 2014[33] Michael Appleton 4 July 2014[33]
Huddersfield Town Mark Robins Sacked 10 August 2014[34] 24th Chris Powell 3 September 2014[35] 21st
Crystal Palace Tony Pulis Mutual Consent 14 August 2014[36] Pre-season Neil Warnock 27 August 2014[37] 18th
Leeds United Dave Hockaday Sacked 28 August 2014[38] 21st Darko Milanic 24 September 2014[39] 12th
Watford Giuseppe Sannino Resigned 31 August 2014[40] 2nd Óscar García Junyent 2 September 2014[41] 2nd
Colchester United Joe Dunne Mutual Consent 1 September 2014[42] 23rd Tony Humes 1 September 2014 23rd
Carlisle United Graham Kavanagh Sacked 1 September 2014[43] 22nd Keith Curle 19 September 2014[44] 24th
Accrington Stanley James Beattie Mutual consent 12 September 2014[45] 21st John Coleman 18 September 2014[46] 20th
Port Vale Micky Adams Resigned 18 September 2014[47] 23rd Rob Page 18 September 2014[48][49] 23rd
Cardiff City Ole Gunnar Solskjær Mutual consent 18 September 2014[50] 17th Russell Slade 6 October 2014[51] 15th
Fulham Felix Magath Sacked 18 September 2014[52] 24th Kit Symons 29 October 2014 20th
Leyton Orient Russell Slade Resigned 24 September 2014[53] 17th Mauro Milanese 26 October 2014 18th
Watford Óscar García Junyent Resigned 29 September 2014[54] 4th Billy McKinlay 29 September 2014 4th
Bolton Wanderers Dougie Freedman Mutual consent 3 October 2014[55] 23rd Neil Lennon 12 October 2014[56] 24th
Hartlepool United Colin Cooper Resigned 4 October 2014[57] 24th Paul Murray 23 October 2014[58] 23rd
Watford Billy McKinlay Sacked 6 October 2014[59] 3rd Slavisa Jokanovic 7 October 2014[60] 3rd
Scunthorpe United Russ Wilcox Sacked 8 October 2014[61] 23rd Mark Robins 13 October 2014[62] 23rd
York City Nigel Worthington Resigned 13 October 2014[63] 22nd Russ Wilcox 15 October 2014[64] 22nd
Tranmere Rovers Robert Edwards Sacked 13 October 2014[65] 24th Micky Adams 16 October 2014[66] 24th
Birmingham City Lee Clark Sacked 20 October 2014[67] 21st Gary Rowett 27 October [68] 23rd
Leeds United Darko Milanic Sacked 25 October 2014[69] 18th Neil Redfearn 1 November 2014 [70] 18th
Burton Albion Gary Rowett Signed by Birmingham City 27 October 2014 [68] 3rd Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank 13 November 2014 [71] 5th
Blackpool José Riga Sacked 28 October 2014[72] 24th Lee Clark 30 October 2014 [73] 24th
Wigan Athletic Uwe Rösler Sacked 13 November 2014 [74] 22nd Malky Mackay 19 November 2014 [75] 22nd
Mansfield Town Paul Cox Mutual consent 21 November 2014[76] 19th Adam Murray 5 December 2014[77]
Cheltenham Town Mark Yates Sacked 25 November 2014 [78] 18th Paul Buckle 26 November 2014 [79] 18th
Reading Nigel Adkins Sacked 15 December 2014 [80] 16th Steve Clarke 16 December 2014 [81] 16th
Brighton & Hove Albion Sami Hyypiä Resigned 22 December 2014 [82] 22nd Chris Hughton 31 December 2014 [83] 21st
Crystal Palace Neil Warnock Sacked 27 December 2014 [84] 18th Alan Pardew 2 January 2015 [85] 18th
West Bromwich Albion Scotland Alan Irvine Sacked 29 December 2014[86] 16th Wales Tony Pulis 1 January 2015[87]
Newcastle United England Alan Pardew Signed by Crystal Palace 2 January 2015[85] 10th England John Carver 26 January 2015[88]
Gillingham Peter Taylor Sacked 31 December 2014 [89] 19th Justin Edinburgh 7 February 2015 [90] 17th
Norwich City Neil Adams Resigned 5 January 2015 [91] 7th Alex Neil 9 January 2015 [92] 7th
Charlton Athletic Bob Peeters Sacked 11 January 2015 [93] 14th Guy Luzon 14 January 2015 [94] 14th
Nottingham Forest England Stuart Pearce Sacked 1 February 2015[95] 12th Scotland Dougie Freedman 1 February 2015[96] 12th
Queens Park Rangers Harry Redknapp Resigned 3 February 2015 [97] 19th Chris Ramsey 4 February 2015 [98] 19th
Yeovil Town Gary Johnson Sacked 4 February 2015 [99] 24th Paul Sturrock 9 April 2015 [100] 24th
Newport County Justin Edinburgh Signed by Gillingham 7 February 2015 [90] 6th Terry Butcher 30 April 2015 [101] 8th
Aston Villa Paul Lambert Sacked 11 February 2015[102] 18th Tim Sherwood 14 February 2015[103] 18th
Barnsley Danny Wilson Sacked 12 February 2015[104] 17th Lee Johnson 25 February 2015[105]
Cheltenham Town Paul Buckle Mutual consent 13 February 2015[106] 22nd Gary Johnson 30 March 2015[107]
Peterborough United Darren Ferguson Sacked 22 February 2015[108] 15th Dave Robertson 22 May 2015[109] 9th
Coventry City Steven Pressley Sacked 22 February 2015[110] 21st Tony Mowbray 3 March 2015[111]
Oldham Athletic Lee Johnson Signed by Barnsley 25 February 2015[105] 9th
Millwall England Ian Holloway Sacked 10 March 2015[112] 23rd England Neil Harris 29 April 2015[113]
Sunderland Uruguay Gus Poyet Sacked 16 March 2015[114] 17th Netherlands Dick Advocaat 17 March 2015[115]
Notts County Shaun Derry Sacked 23 March 2015 20th Ricardo Moniz 7 April 2015
Wigan Athletic Scotland Malky Mackay Sacked 6 April 2015[116] 23rd Scotland Gary Caldwell 7 April 2015[117]
Portsmouth Andy Awford Mutual Consent 13 April 2015[118] 14th Paul Cook 12 May 2015[119]
Tranmere Rovers Micky Adams Mutual Consent 19 April 2015[120] 24th Gary Brabin 5 May 2015[121]

Diary of the season

[edit]
  • 8 August: Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City play out a 1–1 draw in the opening game of the season, with Kenwyne Jones getting the season's first goal.[122]
  • 16 August: The Premier League's first fixture sees Swansea defeat Manchester United 2–1. Swansea end the day joint-top with Arsenal, who won their own game against Crystal Palace by the same margin.[123]
  • 21 August: Crystal Palace sporting director Iain Moody is forced to resign from his position after a team investigating accusations of fraud made by his previous club Cardiff City discover numerous e-mails containing apparently racist, homophobic and anti-semitic insults, sent to and from former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay. The discovery also causes Crystal Palace to confirm that they will not appoint Mackay as their new manager, the position having been vacant since the resignation of Tony Pulis a week prior.[124] Coventry City confirm that they will return to their former Ricoh Arena ground starting with their home game against Gillingham on 5 September, ending a spell of a little over a year playing at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium due to a rent dispute.[125]
  • 26 August: In the League Cup second round, Manchester United lose 4–0 to League One side Milton Keynes Dons. Three other Premier League sides fall to lower-league opposition, as Burnley are knocked out by Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City by Shrewsbury Town, and West Ham by Sheffield United.[126]
  • 28 August: Wayne Rooney is confirmed as the new England captain, following Steven Gerrard's decision to retire from international football.[127]
  • 31 August: The first month of the Premier League ends with Chelsea leading the table and Swansea and Aston Villa in second and third respectively. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top six. Newly promoted Burnley, stand at the bottom of the table with one point, behind Crystal Palace due to goals scored and one point behind West Bromwich Albion. Nottingham Forest lead the Championship, a point ahead of Watford and newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. The other three play-off spots are occupied by Norwich City, Millwall and Charlton Athletic. The relegation zone is occupied by Bolton Wanderers, Fulham and Blackpool.
  • 8 September: England's European Championship qualifying campaign begins with a 2–0 away win over Switzerland, with new Arsenal signing Danny Welbeck scoring both goals.
  • 20 September: Arsenal score three goals inside four minutes to defeat Aston Villa, with new £16 million striker Danny Welbeck getting his first goal for the club. Newcastle Utd, whose manager Alan Pardew faced a barrage of protests from fans wanting him out of the club, recover from 2–0 down to claim a point against Hull, with Papiss Cissé coming off the bench to score twice in the final 15 minutes. In the evening game, West Ham score twice in the opening seven minutes on their way to defeating Liverpool 3–1. In the Championship, Nottingham Forest remain unbeaten at the top after a 0–0 draw with Millwall. Leeds United, who have now claimed 10 points out of a possible 12 under caretaker manager Neil Redfearn, beat local rivals Huddersfield Town 3–0 at Elland Road. Newly promoted Wolves are now just a point behind Forest after another home win, their third in a row, this time 1–0 over Bolton.
  • 21 September: West Bromwich Albion secure their first win under Alan Irvine, defeating Tottenham 1–0 at White Hart Lane. Leicester, trailing 3–1 with 20 minutes remaining, defeat Manchester United 5–3 in front of a full house at the King Power stadium. Crystal Palace defeat Everton at Goodison Park 3–2, after falling behind 1–0 inside the opening 15 minutes. Frank Lampard, now on loan at Manchester City, scores an 84th-minute equaliser against his former club, to give ten-men City a point against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
  • 30 September: The month ends with Chelsea continuing to lead the Premier League, three points ahead of Southampton. Defending champions Manchester City are a further two points behind Southampton, and a point ahead of a clutch of sides including Arsenal, Swansea and Aston Villa. Burnley and Newcastle United, both of whom are without a single win this season, sit bottom of the table, with Newcastle ahead on goals scored alone. Queens Park Rangers make up the bottom three. In the Championship, Norwich have taken over the top of the table, though Nottingham Forest are unbeaten and behind on goal difference. Wolves, Watford, Ipswich and Derby occupy the play-off spots. The bottom three remains unchanged from the previous month, with Blackpool bottom and still winless, and Fulham and Bolton Wanderers ahead of them by only one and two points respectively.
  • 31 October: October ends with Chelsea still leading the Premier League, four points ahead of Southampton. Manchester City remain in third, while West Ham United stand in fourth. Arsenal, Swansea and Liverpool are behind in the European chase. Newcastle United have moved above QPR and out of the relegation zone, at the expense of their northern rivals Sunderland. Winless Burnley remain at the bottom of the table. Derby County have moved to the top of the Championship, though only goal difference is separating them Watford, Norwich and Wolves. AFC Bournemouth and Middlesbrough are two points behind in fifth and sixth. Blackpool remain bottom of the Championship. Birmingham City have moved below Bolton, while Fulham has escaped the relegation zone under new manager Kit Symons.
  • 12 November: The news that Ched Evans, who was convicted of rape in 2012 and given a five-year prison sentence, is being allowed to train with his former club Sheffield United results in TV presenter Charlie Webster resigning as a club ambassador,[128] and sponsors DBL Logistics threatening to terminate their deal with immediate effect should Evans be offered any form of contract by the club.[129]
  • 30 November: At the end of November, Chelsea continue to lead the Premier League, now six points ahead of second place, which is occupied by Manchester City. Southampton are a point behind in third, while Manchester United take fourth place, with West Ham, Arsenal and Spurs not far behind. Burnley have edged above Leicester to rise off the bottom of the table, and QPR remain in the relegation zone. With the exception of leaders Derby, the Championship's top six has changed since the end of October: Ipswich and Brentford have risen to joint second (Ipswich leading on goal difference), AFC Bournemouth and Middlesbrough have each risen a place, and Blackburn have moved into sixth place. Although Bolton and Birmingham have escaped the relegation zone, Blackpool have had no such luck and remain bottom, now joined by two teams that reached the play-offs last season, Wigan (23rd) and Brighton.
  • 10 December: Hereford United, currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division, are suspended "from all football activity" with immediate effect by The Football Association following failure to respond to questions from an Independent Regulatory Commission.[130]
  • 11 December: The suspension of Hereford United from all footballing activities is lifted.
  • 19 December: Hereford United go out of business and are forced to resign from the Southern League. The club had been in existence for 90 years, played in the Football League from 1972 to 1997 and again between 2006 and 2012.
  • 31 December: As the year closes, Manchester City have begun to whittle away at Chelsea's lead at the top of the table and are now three points behind. A losing streak has seen Southampton drop behind Manchester United into fourth. Arsenal have climbed above West Ham, but the top seven remains unchanged, as is the relegation zone, except for Crystal Palace replacing QPR in 18th. In the Championship, Derby have slipped behind leaders AFC Bournemouth and second-placed Ipswich, and Blackburn has been replaced in the top six by Watford, who have knocked Brentford down to sixth. Millwall have replaced Brighton in the relegation zone, but it otherwise remains unchanged from the end of November.
  • 23 January: Cambridge United, newly promoted back to the Football League for this season, manage to hold Manchester United to a 0–0 draw in the fourth round of the FA Cup, forcing a replay at Old Trafford.
  • 24 January: The FA Cup sees Chelsea eliminated by League One side Bradford City, Manchester City knocked out by Championship side Middlesbrough, Southampton eliminated by Premier League side Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur eliminated by the top-flight's basement side Leicester City, and Swansea knocked out by Championship team Blackburn Rovers. Liverpool and Sunderland are also held to goal-less draws by Championship sides Bolton Wanderers and Fulham respectively.
  • 31 January: By the end of January Chelsea have restored their five-point lead over Manchester City. The top four remains unchanged, while West Ham dropped out of the top seven, to be replaced by Liverpool. Burnley stand in 17th, ahead of Hull, QPR and Leicester. In the Championship, Derby have returned to second place, a point ahead of Middlesbrough and separated from AFC Bournemouth by goal difference. In the promotion race, Ipswich, Brentford and Watford are a few points behind. Millwall, Wigan and Blackpool remain in the bottom three.
  • 28 February: February ends with Chelsea five points ahead of Manchester City. Manchester United remain third, while Southampton have slipped behind Arsenal in fifth. Liverpool and Spurs also remain in the top seven. Leicester remain stuck to the foot of the table, but Hull and QPR have climbed clear at the expense of Burnley and Aston Villa. The Championship promotion race has eight points separating leaders Derby and eighth-placed Wolves. AFC Bournemouth have slumped in recent weeks to slip behind Middlesbrough and Watford, while both Ipswich and Norwich can overtake the South Coast side if they win their games in hand. Brentford have fallen to seventh. The bottom three remains unchanged from the end of January.
  • 1 March: Chelsea defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 at Wembley Stadium in the League Cup Final, winning the first major trophy of the season. It is their fifth League Cup trophy, and the first trophy won by the club since José Mourinho returned as manager in 2013.
  • 22 March: Bristol City defeat Walsall 2–0 at Wembley Stadium in the League Trophy Final, winning it for a record third time.
  • 31 March: Chelsea ended the month still top of the Premier League table, 6 points ahead of Manchester City with a game in hand. Manchester City's shock defeat to Burnley coupled with Arsenal's good run of form saw them trail City by only a single point and also a point ahead of Manchester United in fourth. Liverpool, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur occupy the top seven. Although Burnley defeated Manchester City earlier in the month, they stay in the bottom three with QPR and Leicester, who are still rock bottom. AFC Bournemouth reoccupy top spot in the Championship and followed closely by Watford in second. Middlesbrough, Norwich, Derby, and Ipswich complete the top six. Brentford and Wolves are still in the hunt for a playoff spot as only 8 points separate first to eighth. Wigan move above Millwall in the bottom three and Blackpool still rooted to the bottom, 17 points adrift with only 7 games left.
  • 6 April: Blackpool's relegation to League One is confirmed by Rotherham United's victory over Brighton & Hove Albion,[131] while Wigan Athletic sack manager Malky Mackay.[132][133]
  • 25 April: Watford confirm promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 2007 after a 2–0 away victory at Brighton, followed by Middlesbrough's 3–4 loss at Fulham and Norwich's failure to win at Rotherham.
  • 27 April: AFC Bournemouth confirm their first ever promotion to the Premier League with a 3–0 home win over Bolton. However, Middlesbrough can still draw level on points, but, as Charlton Athletic's Twitter feed pithily points out, AFC Bournemouth would need to lose 19–0 at Charlton in the final round for Middlesbrough to be able to overcome their superior goal difference.
  • 30 April: A poor run of form from Manchester City has not been enough for them to concede second place, but their hopes of retaining the title are over with Chelsea only needing one more win from their last four matches to avoid being caught by third-placed Arsenal, who are behind City only on goal difference and a whopping 13 points behind Chelsea despite their game in hand. Manchester United, despite inconsistent form, appear to have fourth place secured with their nearest rivals Liverpool and Tottenham seven points behind. Southampton's push for European football continues as they are only a point behind Liverpool and Spurs with a superior goal difference to either. At the bottom, Leicester have gone on a four-match winning streak to escape the relegation zone and looked poised to become only the third team in Premier League history to avoid relegation after being bottom on Christmas Day, despite 18th-placed Sunderland having a game in hand. Salvation for Sunderland and the other teams avoiding relegation may yet appear in the form of Newcastle, who are five points ahead of Sunderland but have lost their past six league matches. It appears to be too late for Burnley (now bottom) and QPR, however, and it is almost certain that both will be returning to the Championship next season. With one game left in the Championship, the automatic promotion spots have been all but decided and Middlesbrough and Norwich have confirmed their places in the play-offs. The only remaining question is whether Ipswich and Derby will slip up to let Brentford and Wolves into the last two play-off places. Despite Rotherham's point deduction, Millwall and Wigan have failed to capitalise and both will join Blackpool in the third tier next season.
  • 2 May: AFC Bournemouth win 3–0 at Charlton to pip Watford to the Championship title following the latter letting slip their lead in the last minute at home to Sheffield Wednesday. Derby's capitulation concludes with a 3–0 home defeat by Reading allowing Brentford and Ipswich to claim the final two play-off places ahead of the Rams, who finish eighth.
  • 9 May: Leicester, Sunderland, and Aston Villa won their games, while Newcastle ended their eight-match losing run after they drew against West Brom. All these results combined to relegate Burnley to the Championship despite their 1–0 win against Hull City.
  • 10 May: QPR's relegation to the Championship is confirmed after a 6–0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.
  • 16 May: Following Middlesbrough's victory over Brentford in their play-off semi-final the previous evening, Norwich are confirmed as Boro's opponents at Wembley after they beat local rivals Ipswich in the other semi-final.
  • 24 May: In the final day of this Premier League season, Hull City suffer relegation after they can only draw 0–0 against Manchester United. Ultimately though, even a win would not be enough for the Tigers because Newcastle's 2–0 win against West Ham was enough to confirm their Premier League status for another season. Meanwhile, Tottenham pushed their way to fifth place and Europa League group stage qualification with a 1–0 win away to Everton, combined with Stoke's 6–1 win over Liverpool, their worst defeat since 1963.
  • 23 May: In the League 2 play-off final Southend score an injury-time equaliser and then beat Wycombe on penalties to earn promotion to League 1 after 5 years in the basement tier.[134]
  • 24 May: Preston thrash Swindon 4–0 in the League 1 play-off final and return to the Championship after a four-year absence.[135]
  • 25 May: Norwich secure an instant return to the Premier League following a comfortable 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final.[136]
  • 26 May: West Ham's final season at the Boleyn Ground will feature European football as the Londoners will play in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League after qualifying through the UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking initiative.[137]
  • 29 May: F.C. United of Manchester open their new Broadhurst Park ground with a match against Benfica. The Portuguese club run out 1–0 winners.[138]
  • 30 May: Arsenal put four without reply past Aston Villa in the 2015 FA Cup Final at Wembley. This result has significance in Hampshire, as Arsenal's victory, combined with the Gunners' league finish of third, sees Southampton qualify for Europe for the first time since 2003. The Saints will enter the 2015–16 Europa League at the third qualifying round.[139]

Clubs dissolved

[edit]
Club League Date of Dissolution
Salisbury City None (last in 2013–14 Conference Premier) 4 December 2014
Hereford United Southern League Premier Division 19 December 2014

Deaths

[edit]

Retirements

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Although Pearce was announced on as new manager on 3 April, his official tenure began on 1 July
  2. ^ Moore was suspended from his duties for gambling-related offences on 17 February, before being formally dismissed on 9 April. John McMahon managed Tranmere from Moore's suspension until the end of the season.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Premier League and Football League: Ups and downs". BBC Sport. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "England Fixtures". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Fixtures – Women's Seniors". The FA. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Netherlands, England, Ireland get Fair Play bonus". UEFA. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  5. ^ "West Ham get UEFA Europa League place after topping Fair Play Table". Premier League. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  6. ^ "West Ham qualify for Europa League through Fair Play system". BBC Sport. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Premier League – Handbook Season 2014/15" (PDF). Premier League. pp. 96–97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Rotherham United deducted three points for ineligible player". BBC Sport. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Forest Green deducted three points for fielding ineligible player". BBC Sport. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Telford United: Relegated Conference club docked points". BBC Sport. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Nuneaton Town docked points for fielding ineligible player". BBC Sport. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  12. ^ Callow, James (21 April 2015). "Jon Moss will referee the 2015 FA Cup Final at Wembley". The FA. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Anthony Taylor to referee Capital One Cup Final". capitalonecup.co.uk. The Football League. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Paul Ince: Blackpool boss sacked after less than a year in charge". BBC Sport. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  15. ^ "Jose Riga: Blackpool confirm ex-Charlton Athletic boss as manager". BBC Sport. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  16. ^ "Billy Davies: Nottingham Forest sack manager". BBC Sport. 24 March 2014.
  17. ^ "Stuart Pearce: Nottingham Forest confirm Reds legend as boss". BBC Sport. 3 April 2014.
  18. ^ "Ronnie Moore: Tranmere Rovers sack manager after betting breach". BBC Sport. 9 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Tranmere Rovers appoint Rob Edwards as new manager". BBC Sport. 27 May 2014.
  20. ^ "West Bromwich Albion part company with Pepe Mel by mutual consent". Sky Sports. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Pepe Mel: West Bromwich Albion part company with manager". BBC Sport. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  22. ^ "Alan Irvine appointed West Bromwich Albion head coach". BBC Sport. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Shrewsbury Town: Micky Mellon is appointed as new manager". BBC Sport. 12 May 2014.
  24. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Oscar Garcia resigns". BBC Sport. 12 May 2014.
  25. ^ "Sami Hyypia appointed Brighton & Hove Albion manager". BBC Sport. 6 June 2014.
  26. ^ "Tim Sherwood sacked as Tottenham manager". BBC Sport. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  27. ^ a b "Mauricio Pochettino: Tottenham appoint Southampton boss". BBC Sport. 27 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Bob Peeters has been appointed as Head Coach of Charlton Athletic, the club announced on Tuesday evening". Charlton Athletic. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  29. ^ "Charlton Athletic appoint Belgian Bob Peeters as manager". BBC. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  30. ^ "Ronald Koeman: Southampton confirm Dutchman as new manager". BBC. 16 June 2014.
  31. ^ "Brian McDermott leaves Leeds United by mutual consent". BBC Sport. 31 May 2014.
  32. ^ "Leeds United name Dave Hockaday as head coach". BBC Sport. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  33. ^ a b "Michael Appleton named Oxford United head coach in shake-up". BBC Sport. 4 July 2014.
  34. ^ "Huddersfield Town part company with manager Mark Robins". BBC Sport. 10 August 2014.
  35. ^ "Huddersfield Town appoint Chris Powell as manager". BBC Sport. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  36. ^ "Crystal Palace and Tony Pulis part company". BBC Sport. 14 August 2014.
  37. ^ "Neil Warnock named as new Crystal Palace manager". BBC Sport. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  38. ^ "Dave Hockaday sacked by Leeds United after six games". BBC Sport. 28 August 2014.
  39. ^ "Leeds United appoint Darko Milanic as head coach". BBC Sport. 24 September 2014.
  40. ^ "Watford boss Beppe Sannino resigns with club second in league". BBC Sport. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  41. ^ "Watford name ex-Brighton boss Oscar Garcia as head coach". BBC Sport. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  42. ^ "Colchester United: Joe Dunne replaced by Tony Humes as boss". BBC Sport. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  43. ^ "Carlisle United dismiss manager Graham Kavanagh". BBC Sport. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
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