1959–60 Liverpool F.C. season

Liverpool

1959–60 season
Manager	Bill Shankly (from 1 December 1959) Phil Taylor (to 17 November 1959)
Second Division	3rd
FA Cup	Fourth Round
Top goalscorer	League: Roger Hunt (21) All: Roger Hunt (23)
Highest home attendance	56,736 (v Manchester United, FA Cup, 30 Jan)
Lowest home attendance	19,411 (v Derby County, League, 6 Apr)
Average home league attendance	31,859
Home colours Away colours
← 1958–59 1960–61 →

The 1959–60 season was the 68th season in Liverpool F.C.'s existence, and was their 5th consecutive year in the Second Division, and covers the period from 1959-08-22 to 1960-04-30.

Pre-season

On 12 June, having spent three years at Liverpool and missing only six matches, 29-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Younger was allowed to leave to take on a player-manager role at Scottish Second Division side Falkirk. In exchange, Liverpool signed Falkirk's 23-year-old goalkeeper Bert Slater. Slater had made 134 appearances for Falkirk, winning a Scottish Cup winners medal in the process, before the club were relegated at the end of the 1958-59 season. Slater was small for a goalkeeper standing at just and was nicknamed 'Shorty' but he was immediately put into the Liverpool goal upon his arrival.

There were promotions to the first-team for local-born 22-year-old defender John Nicholson and 18-year-old inside forward Willie Carlin - the latter a promising youngster who had represented his country at schoolboy and youth levels; 19-year-old full back Alan Jones, a Welsh schoolboy international who had signed professional forms for Liverpool two years earlier; Wrexham-born forward Reginald Blore who had risen through the junior ranks at Anfield; 17-year-old midfielder Ian Callaghan from Toxteth, considered by Liverpool legend Billy Liddell to be his successor; and 20-year-old striker Roger Hunt, signed a year earlier by Phil Taylor when he was brought to his attention playing for Stockton Heath.

Taylor resigned as manager on 17 November and was succeeded by Bill Shankly on 14 December.

Squad

Goalkeepers

• Doug Rudham
• Bert Slater

Defenders

• Gerry Byrne
• Alan Jones
• John Molyneux
• Ronnie Moran
• John Nicholson
• Geoff Twentyman
• Dick White

Midfielders

• Alan A'Court
• Reginald Blore
• Ian Callaghan
• Bobby Campbell
• Jimmy Harrower
• Tommy Leishman
• Billy Liddell
• Jimmy Melia
• Fred Morris
• Johnny Morrissey
• Johnny Wheeler
• Barry Wilkinson

Forwards

• Alan Arnell
• Alan Banks
• Louis Bimpson
• Willie Carlin
• Dave Hickson
• Roger Hunt
• Bobby Murdoch

Results

Second Division

Main article: 1959–60 Football League § Second Division

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Report 1	Report 2
22-Aug-59	Cardiff City	A	2–3	Own Goal  38', 42'	34,000	Report	Report
26-Aug-59	Bristol City	H	4–2	Liddell  4', 30' Melia  53 pen' A'Court  65'	33,071	Report	Report
29-Aug-59	Hull City	H	5–3	Harrower  52' Melia  58' Moran  65' A'Court  80' Liddell  85'	35,520	Report	Report
01-Sep-59	Bristol City	A	0–1		22,528	Report	Report
05-Sep-59	Sheffield United	A	1–2	Morrissey  62'	25,073	Report	Report
09-Sep-59	Scunthorpe United	H	2–0	Melia  25' Hunt  64'	31,713	Report	Report
12-Sep-59	Middlesbrough	H	1–2	Liddell  7'	39,000	Report	Report
17-Sep-59	Scunthorpe United	A	1–1	Melia  21'	18,851	Report	Report
19-Sep-59	Derby County	A	2–1	A'Court  30' Hunt  58'	11,822	Report	Report
26-Sep-59	Plymouth Argyle	H	4–1	Melia  12' A'Court  43' Hunt  56' Moran  78'	29,278	Report	Report
03-Oct-59	Swansea Town	A	4–5	Own Goal  8' Melia  pen 28' Hunt  32' Moran  70'	16,500	Report	Report
10-Oct-59	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	2–2	A'Court  20' Melia  39'	30,366	Report	Report
17-Oct-59	Stoke City	A	1–1	Harrower  53'	17,000	Report	Report
24-Oct-59	Portsmouth	H	1–1	Moran  5'	21,075	Report	Report
31-Oct-59	Sunderland	A	1–1	Hunt  80'	30,208	Report	Report
07-Nov-59	Aston Villa	H	2–1	Hickson  54', 82'	49,981	Report	Report
14-Nov-59	Lincoln City	A	2–4	Hickson  28' Hunt  84'	10,801	Report	Report
21-Nov-59	Leyton Orient	H	4–3	Morris  15', 81' Melia  32' Hickson  50'	34,321	Report	Report
28-Nov-59	Huddersfield Town	A	0–1		16,185	Report	Report
05-Dec-59	Ipswich Town	H	3–1	Hunt  33', 39' Hickson  44'	24,843	Report	Report
12-Dec-59	Bristol Rovers	A	2–0	Melia  9', 85'	15,615	Report	Report
19-Dec-59	Cardiff City	H	0–4		27,291	Report	Report
26-Dec-59	Charlton Athletic	A	0–3		15,491	Report	Report
28-Dec-59	Charlton Athletic	H	2–0	A'Court  58' Hunt  63'	25,658	Report	Report
02-Jan-60	Hull City	A	1–0	Melia  31'	18,681	Report	Report
16-Jan-60	Sheffield United	H	3–0	Melia  9' Hunt  15', 68'	33,297	Report	Report
23-Jan-60	Middlesbrough	A	3–3	Own goal  10' Hickson  35' Hunt  40'	28,550	Report	Report
13-Feb-60	Plymouth Argyle	A	1–1	Hickson  32'	16,996	Report	Report
20-Feb-60	Swansea Town	H	4–1	Hickson  11', 44' Hunt  58', 89'	31,663	Report	Report
27-Feb-60	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–1	Hickson  40', 60'	21,118	Report	Report
05-Mar-60	Stoke City	H	5–1	Hunt  14' Harrower  19', 58' Liddell  39' Hickson  51'	35,101	Report	Report
12-Mar-60	Portsmouth	A	1–2	Harrower  13'	14,622	Report	Report
19-Mar-60	Huddersfield Town	H	2–2	Hickson  13' Wheeler  16'	30,009	Report	Report
30-Mar-60	Aston Villa	A	4–4	Hunt  20' Hickson  25', 60' Molyneux  44'	27,000	Report	Report
02-Apr-60	Lincoln City	H	1–3	Moran  pen 30'	24,081	Report	Report
06-Apr-60	Derby County	H	4–1	Hunt  59' A'Court  63' Wheeler  68' Hickson  75'	19,411	Report	Report
09-Apr-60	Leyton Orient	A	0–2		13,007	Report	Report
16-Apr-60	Bristol Rovers	H	4–0	Melia  21' A'Court  56' Campbell  59' Hunt  67'	27,317	Report	Report
18-Apr-60	Rotherham United	H	3–0	Hunt  35' Hickson  65', 82'	26,776	Report	Report
19-Apr-60	Rotherham United	A	2–2	Hickson  51' Hunt  73'	10,123	Report	Report
23-Apr-60	Ipswich Town	A	1–0	Hickson  5'	12,048	Report	Report
30-Apr-60	Sunderland	H	3–0	Hickson  8' Hunt  47' Melia  85'	25,916	Report	Report

FA Cup

Main article: 1959–60 FA Cup

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Report 1	Report 2
09-Jan-60	Leyton Orient	H	2–1	Hunt  1', 90'	40,343	Report	Report
30-Jan-60	Manchester United	H	1–3	Wheeler  36'	56,736	Report	Report

References

• LFC History.net – 1959–60 season
• Liverweb - 1959–60 Season