1945–46 Manchester United F.C. season
| 1945–46 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | James W. Gibson | ||
| Manager | Matt Busby (unofficial until 1 October 1945, and officially since) | ||
| Stadium | Maine Road | ||
| War League North Regional League | 4th | ||
| FA Cup | Fourth Round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: n/a All: Jimmy Hanlon (2) Jack Rowley (2) Billy Wrigglesworth (2) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 36,237 vs Preston North End (26 January 1946) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 15,339 vs Accrington Stanley (9 January 1946) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 25,788 | ||
| | |||
The 1945–46 season was Manchester United's seventh and last season in the non-competitive War League during the Second World War.[1][2][3] With the ending of the war, the FA Cup returned in January 1946, with Manchester United losing 3–2 on aggregate to Preston North End in the Fourth Round.[4]
Matt Busby had been appointed as the successor to Walter Crickmer as manager in February 1945, and officially took over the position on 1 October, following his demobilisation from the British Army. He was joined by head coach Jimmy Murphy in early 1946.
War League North Regional League
[edit]| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 August 1945 | Huddersfield Town | A | 2–3 | Smith (2) | |
| 1 September 1945 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–3 | Koffman, Rowley | |
| 8 September 1945 | Chesterfield | H | 0–2 | ||
| 12 September 1945 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–2 | Davie | |
| 15 September 1945 | Chesterfield | A | 1–1 | Bryant | |
| 20 September 1945 | Stoke City | A | 2–1 | Hullett, Reid | |
| 22 September 1945 | Barnsley | A | 2–2 | Cockburn, Hullett | |
| 29 September 1945 | Barnsley | H | 1–1 | Smith | |
| 6 October 1945 | Everton | H | 0–0 | ||
| 13 October 1945 | Everton | A | 0–3 | ||
| 20 October 1945 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | Wrigglesworth | |
| 27 October 1945 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | Carey, Worrall | |
| 3 November 1945 | Preston North End | H | 6–1 | Rowley (2), Smith, Warner, Worrall | |
| 10 November 1945 | Preston North End | A | 2–2 | Bainbridge, Smith | |
| 17 November 1945 | Leeds United | A | 3–3 | Hanlon (2), Buckle | |
| 24 November 1945 | Leeds United | H | 6–1 | Buckle (2), Wrigglesworth (2), Hanlon, Rowley | |
| 1 December 1945 | Burnley | H | 3–3 | Hullett (3) | |
| 8 December 1945 | Burnley | A | 2–2 | Hanlon, Smith | |
| 15 December 1945 | Sunderland | H | 2–1 | Smith (2) | |
| 22 December 1945 | Sunderland | A | 2–4 | Smith, Wrigglesworth | |
| 25 December 1945 | Sheffield United | A | 0–1 | ||
| 26 December 1945 | Sheffield United | H | 2–3 | Carey, Hullett | |
| 29 December 1945 | Middlesbrough | H | 4–1 | Rowley (2), Smith (2) | |
| 12 January 1946 | Grimsby Town | H | 5–0 | Rowley (3), Bainbridge, Smith | |
| 19 January 1946 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–1 | ||
| 2 February 1946 | Blackpool | H | 4–2 | Rowley (2), Bainbridge, Wrigglesworth | |
| 9 February 1946 | Liverpool | H | 2–1 | Smith (2) | |
| 16 February 1946 | Liverpool | A | 5–0 | Hanlon (2), Rowley (2), Wrigglesworth | |
| 23 February 1946 | Bury | A | 1–1 | Hanlon | |
| 2 March 1946 | Bury | H | 1–1 | Hanlon | |
| 9 March 1946 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 6–2 | Rowley (3), Hanlon (2), Delaney | |
| 16 March 1946 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 3–1 | Smith (2), Pearson | |
| 23 March 1946 | Bradford | A | 1–2 | Carey | |
| 27 March 1946 | Blackpool | A | 5–1 | Pearson (3), Carey, Wrigglesworth | |
| 30 March 1946 | Bradford | H | 4–0 | Aston, Delaney, Rowley, Wrigglesworth | |
| 6 April 1946 | Manchester City | H | 1–4 | Aston | |
| 13 April 1946 | Manchester City | A | 3–1 | Hanlon, Pearson, Rowley | |
| 19 April 1946 | Newcastle United | A | 1–0 | Pearson | |
| 20 April 1946 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 4–0 | Pearson (2), Delaney, Rowley | |
| 22 April 1946 | Newcastle United | H | 4–1 | Delaney, Mitten, Rowley, Wrigglesworth | |
| 27 April 1946 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–1 | ||
| 4 May 1946 | Stoke City | H | 2–1 | Buckle, Pearson |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Everton | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 88 | 54 | 1.630 | 55 |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 67 | 45 | 1.489 | 51 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 98 | 62 | 1.581 | 49 |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 67 | 60 | 1.117 | 48 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 106 | 70 | 1.514 | 47 |
Source: rsssf.com
FA Cup
[edit]| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 January 1946 | Round 3 First leg | Accrington Stanley | A | 2–2 | Smith, Wrigglesworth | 9,968 |
| 9 January 1946 | Round 3 Second leg | Accrington Stanley | H | 5–1 | Rowley (2), Bainbridge, Wrigglesworth, own goal | 15,339 |
| 26 January 1946 | Round 4 First leg | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | Hanlon | 36,237 |
| 30 January 1946 | Round 4 Second leg | Preston North End | A | 1–3 | Hanlon | 21,000 |
Squad statistics
[edit]| Pos. | Name | FA Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | ||
| GK |  Jack Crompton | 4 | 0 |
| FB |  Johnny Carey | 4 | 0 |
| FB | John Roach | 2 | 0 |
| FB | Joe Walton | 2 | 0 |
| HB | Allenby Chilton | 3 | 0 |
| HB | Henry Cockburn | 4 | 0 |
| HB |  Jack Warner | 4 | 0 |
| HB | Bert Whalley | 4 | 0 |
| FW | Bill Bainbridge | 1 | 1 |
| FW | Jimmy Hanlon | 4 | 2 |
| FW | Jack Rowley | 4 | 2 |
| FW | Jack Smith | 4 | 1 |
| FW | Billy Wrigglesworth | 4 | 2 |
| – | Own goals | – | 1 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Manchester United In War League 1945/46". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer at War: 1939 - 45. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7553-1431-7.
- ^ "England 1945/46". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "Manchester United Season 1945–46". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2012.