2009–10 in English football

The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.

The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League. The season finished on 2 May 2010 for the Football League Championship, and 9 May 2010 for the other three Divisions.^[1][2]

Promotion and relegation (pre-season)

Teams promoted to 2009–10 Premier League

• Wolverhampton Wanderers
• Birmingham City
• Burnley

Teams relegated from 2008–09 Premier League

• Newcastle United
• Middlesbrough
• West Bromwich Albion

Teams promoted to 2009–10 Football League Championship

• Leicester City
• Peterborough United
• Scunthorpe United

Teams relegated from 2008–09 Football League Championship

• Norwich City
• Southampton (started on −10 points for administration entrance)
• Charlton Athletic

Teams promoted to 2009–10 Football League One

• Brentford
• Exeter City
• Wycombe Wanderers
• Gillingham

Teams relegated from 2008–09 Football League One

• Northampton Town
• Crewe Alexandra
• Cheltenham Town
• Hereford United

Teams promoted to 2009–10 Football League Two

• Burton Albion
• Torquay United

Teams relegated from 2008–09 Football League Two

• Chester City (started on −25 points and expelled from the Football Conference 10 March 2010)
• Luton Town

Managerial changes

Name	Club	Date of departure	Replacement	Date of appointment
Bryan Gunn	Norwich City	14 August 2009[3]	Paul Lambert	18 August 2009[4]
Paul Lambert	Colchester United	18 August 2009[4]	Aidy Boothroyd	2 September 2009[5]
Simon Davey	Barnsley	29 August 2009[6]	Mark Robins	9 September 2009[7]
Peter Jackson	Lincoln City	2 September 2009[8]	Chris Sutton	28 September 2009[9]
Stuart Gray	Northampton Town	8 September 2009[10]	Ian Sampson1	5 October 2009[11]
Mark Robins	Rotherham United	9 September 2009[12]	Ronnie Moore	24 September 2009[13]
Colin Todd	Darlington	26 September 2009[14]	Steve Staunton	5 October 2009[15]
Gudjon Thordarson	Crewe Alexandra	2 October 2009[16]	Dario Gradi	2 October 2009[17]
John Barnes	Tranmere Rovers	9 October 2009[18]	Les Parry	16 December 2009[19]
Peter Taylor	Wycombe Wanderers	9 October 2009[20]	Gary Waddock	13 October 2009[21]
Ian McParland	Notts County	12 October 2009[22]	Hans Backe	27 October 2009[23]
Gary Waddock	Aldershot Town	13 October 2009[21]	Kevin Dillon	9 November 2009[24]
Mike Newell	Grimsby Town	18 October 2009[25]	Neil Woods	23 November 2009[26]
Gareth Southgate	Middlesbrough	21 October 2009[27]	Gordon Strachan	26 October 2009[28]
Russell Slade	Brighton & Hove Albion	1 November 2009[29]	Gustavo Poyet	10 November 2009[30]
Darren Ferguson	Peterborough United	9 November 2009[31]	Mark Cooper	14 November 2009[32][33]
Paul Hart	Portsmouth	24 November 2009[34]	Avram Grant	26 November 2009[35]
Paul Sturrock	Plymouth Argyle	10 December 2009[36]	Paul Mariner	10 December 2009[36]
Martin Allen	Cheltenham Town	11 December 2009[37]	Mark Yates	22 December 2009[38]
Brian Laws	Sheffield Wednesday	13 December 2009[39]	Alan Irvine	8 January 2010[40]
Hans Backe	Notts County	15 December 2009[41]	Steve Cotterill	23 February 2010[42]
Jim Magilton	Queens Park Rangers	16 December 2009[43]	Paul Hart	17 December 2009[44]
Brendan Rodgers	Reading	17 December 2009[45]	Brian McDermott2	27 January 2010[46]
Mark Hughes	Manchester City	19 December 2009[47]	Roberto Mancini	21 December 2009[48]
Alan Irvine	Preston North End	29 December 2009[49]	Darren Ferguson	6 January 2010[50]
Gary Megson	Bolton Wanderers	30 December 2009[51]	Owen Coyle	8 January 2010[52]
Owen Coyle	Burnley	8 January 2010[52]	Brian Laws	13 January 2010[53]
Paul Hart	Queens Park Rangers	15 January 2010[54]	Neil Warnock	1 March 2010[55]
Mark Cooper	Peterborough United	1 February 2010[56]	Jim Gannon	2 February 2010 [57]
Stuart McCall	Bradford City	8 February 2010[58]	Peter Taylor	17 February 2010[59]
Neil Warnock	Crystal Palace	1 March 2010[55]	Paul Hart	2 March 2010[60]
Keith Alexander	Macclesfield Town	3 March 2010[61]	Gary Simpson3	14 April 2010[62]
John Trewick	Hereford United	8 March 2010	Graham Turner	8 March 2010[63]
Phil Brown	Hull City	15 March 2010[64]	Iain Dowie	17 March 2010
Gary Johnson	Bristol City	18 March 2010[65]	Steve Coppell4	19 April 2010
Steve Staunton	Darlington	21 March 2010[66]	Simon Davey	1 April 2010[67]
Geraint Williams	Leyton Orient	3 April 2010[68]	Russell Slade	5 April 2010[69]
Jim Gannon	Peterborough United	6 April 2010[70]	Gary Johnson	6 April 2010[71]
Ian Hendon	Barnet	28 April 2010	Mark Stimson	1 June 2010[72]
Paul Simpson	Shrewsbury Town	30 April 2010	Graham Turner	11 June 2010[73]
Chris Coleman	Coventry City	4 May 2010[74]	Aidy Boothroyd	20 May 2010
Dave Penney	Oldham Athletic	6 May 2010	Paul Dickov	9 June 2010[75]
Paul Mariner	Plymouth Argyle	6 May 2010	Peter Reid	24 June 2010[76]
Mark Stimson	Gillingham	10 May 2010[77]	Andy Hessenthaler	21 May 2010
Paul Ince	MK Dons	10 May 2010[78]	Karl Robinson	10 May 2010
Gianfranco Zola	West Ham United	11 May 2010[79]	Avram Grant	3 June 2010[80]
Aidy Boothroyd	Colchester United	20 May 2010	John Ward	31 May 2010[81]
Avram Grant	Portsmouth	31 May 2010	Steve Cotterill	17 June 2010[82]
Steve Cotterill	Notts County	27 May 2010	Craig Short	4 June 2010[83]
Rafael Benítez	Liverpool	3 June 2010[84]	Roy Hodgson	1 July 2010

Notes

• ¹ Sampson was named caretaker manager following Gray's departure on 8 September, and appointed full-time on 5 October.
• ² McDermott was named caretaker manager following Rogers' departure on 17 December, and was appointed full-time on 27 January.
• ³ Simpson was named caretaker manager on 3 March, and appointed full-time on 14 April.
• ⁴ Keith Millen will remain caretaker manager until the end of the season when Coppell will take charge.

Diary of the season

July

1 July 2009: Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo completes his world record £80 million move from Manchester United to Real Madrid. English defender Glen Johnson switches from Portsmouth to Liverpool for £18 million – one of the highest fees ever paid for a defender. English midfielder Gareth Barry ends 11 years at Aston Villa and signs for Manchester City for £12 million.

6 July 2009: Chelsea sign Russian winger Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow for £18 million.

26 July 2009: An England XI defeats a Germany XI 3–2 at St James' Park, Newcastle, in a charity match raising money for the cancer charity of former England manager Sir Bobby Robson. Sir Bobby, who has fought the illness since 1992 and gone into remission four times, attends the match in a wheelchair.

27 July 2009: English striker Peter Crouch, who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur as an apprentice but left without playing for them, returns to White Hart Lane in a £9 million move from Portsmouth.

31 July 2009: Sir Bobby Robson dies, aged 76.

August

5 August 2009: Sunderland pay a club record £10 million for England and Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent. Liverpool sell Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid for £30 million.

12 August 2009: England come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Netherlands in Amsterdam thanks to 2 goals from Jermain Defoe.

14 August 2009: Bryan Gunn becomes the first managerial casualty of the season when his contract is terminated by Norwich City of League One.^[85]

15 August 2009: The new Premier League season kicks off, with the highlight of the opening day coming at Goodison Park where Arsenal trounce Everton 6–1 in the biggest opening day victory at this level for 15 years. Burnley's return to the top flight after 33 years away begins on a low note when an own goal by Stephen Jordan contributes to a 2–0 defeat against Stoke City.

19 August 2009: Burnley achieve a shock 1–0 home win over Manchester United, with the only goal of the game coming from veteran striker Robbie Blake.

23 August 2009: The highlight of the second weekend of the Premier League season comes when Burnley achieve another shock 1–0 win, this time over Everton, after French striker Louis Saha missesd a penalty.

25 August 2009: Some of the worst scenes of football hooliganism in years are witnessed in West Ham United's 3–1 home win over Millwall in the Football League Cup second round. Fans invaded the pitch twice and there was widespread violence in the stands^[86] and the streets surrounding Upton Park, including one incident in which a man suffered stab wounds. Manchester City pay £22 million for Everton and England defender Joleon Lescott.

27 August 2009: Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp suggests that West Ham and Millwall should never be allowed to play each other in a cup competition again.^[87]

31 August 2009: The first month of the Premier League season ends with Chelsea as leaders, level on 12 points with second placed Tottenham Hotspur. Defending champions Manchester United are third, with underdogs Stoke City standing fourth after a strong start to the season.^[88]

September

1 September 2009: Everton sign Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga from Atlético Madrid for £6 million.

9 September 2009: England secure qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup after a 5–1 win over Croatia at Wembley Stadium.

20 September 2009: The Manchester derby at Old Trafford produces one of the most thrilling games of the season as United beat City 4–3 thanks to a stoppage time winner by Michael Owen.^[89]

30 September 2009: Manchester United and Chelsea are level on 18 points at the top of the Premier League, three points ahead of their nearest rivals Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal and Manchester City complete the top six. Portsmouth are bottom of the table after starting the season with a record seven consecutive defeats, joined in the relegation zone by West Ham and Hull City.^[90]

October

2 October 2009: Sheffield United striker Jordan Robertson is jailed for 32 months on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving in relation to a fatal car crash on the M1 motorway in December 2008.^[91]

17 October 2009: Sunderland defeat Liverpool 1-0 at the Stadium of Light after Darren Bent's shot is deflected in off a beachball.^[92]

21 October 2009: Gareth Southgate's contract as manager of Middlesbrough is terminated, despite them standing fourth in the Football League Championship a season after relegation from the Premier League.^[93] 26 October 2009: Gordon Strachan is appointed as Middlesbrough's new manager, five months after quitting Celtic.^[94][95]

29 October 2009: Wigan Athletic striker Marlon King has his contract terminated by the club after receiving an 18-month prison sentence for assaulting a woman in a nightclub. It is the second time that King has been in convicted and sent to prison,^[96] having also received an 18-month prison sentence in 2002, when convicted of driving a stolen car.^[97]

31 October 2009: October draws to a close with Chelsea now two points ahead of Manchester United, with the rest of the top four unchanged from the end of last month. Portsmouth remain bottom, but have now gained their first seven points of the season, while West Ham and Hull City complete the bottom three once again.^[98]

November

30 November 2009: November ends with Chelsea two points ahead of Manchester United and with a game in hand, while the only change to the rest of the top six is that Aston Villa have displaced Liverpool, who are now seventh. Portsmouth remain bottom, now joined in the relegation zone by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers.^[99]

December

13 December 2009: Brian Laws leaves Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday after three years as manager.^[100]

15 December 2009: Brendan Rodgers is sacked after six months as manager of Reading, who are battling relegation from the Championship just months after almost being promoted under his predecessor Steve Coppell.^[101]

16 December 2009: The 11 venues for England's 2018 World Cup bid are announced. Three stadiums in London will feature – Wembley (national team), Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) and either the Olympic Stadium or a rebuilt White Hart Lane (Tottenham Hotspur). Birmingham (Aston Villa's Villa Park), Bristol (a proposed new stadium for Bristol City), Leeds (Leeds United's Elland Road), Liverpool (the current Anfield stadium or its replacement), Milton Keynes (Stadium:mk, home of Milton Keynes Dons), Nottingham (new Nottingham Forest stadium), Manchester (Old Trafford and the City of Manchester Stadium), Newcastle (St James' Park), Plymouth (Home Park), Sheffield (Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough) and Sunderland (Stadium of Light) have also been selected as venues if England are accepted as hosts.^[102]

20 December 2009: Despite being sixth in the Premier League and being on course for their highest league finish in nearly 20 years, Manchester City sack manager Mark Hughes and appoint Italian Robert Mancini as his successor.^[103]

22 December 2009: Albert Scanlon, former Manchester United winger who survived the Munich air disaster in 1958, dies at the age of 74 after a two-month illness. There are now just four players who survived the crash still alive.^[104]

30 December 2009: Premier League strugglers Bolton Wanderers sack manager Gary Megson after two years in charge, while Alan Irvine is sacked after the same length of time in charge of Championship side Preston North End.^[105][106]

31 December 2009: The decade draws to a close with Chelsea two points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League. Arsenal are two points behind United in third place, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool completing the top seven. A surprise challenge for Europe place is coming from newly promoted Birmingham City, who have collected 32 points from their opening 20 games. Portsmouth are bottom of the Premier League, with Hull City and Bolton completing the relegation zone.^[107]

January

3 January 2010: Manchester United suffer a shock exit at home to League One leaders Leeds United in the FA Cup third round, their 1–0 defeat being their first defeat at the entry stage of the competition in 26 years.^[108]

5 January 2010: The first managerial change of the decade takes place when Owen Coyle leaves Burnley to take over as manager of local rivals Bolton Wanderers.^[109]

6 January 2010: Darren Ferguson is appointed manager of Preston North End and declares his ambition to take them into the Premier League and play against his father Sir Alex's Manchester United side.^[110]

8 January 2010: Alan Irvine is appointed manager of Sheffield Wednesday.^[111]

9 January 2010: Seven of the Premier League fixtures this weekend are postponed due to heavy snow across Britain.^[112] Four fixtures survive in the Championship and two will be played in League One, but the whole League Two programme is postponed.^[113]

13 January 2010: Another shock in the FA Cup third round takes place at Anfield, where Liverpool lose 2–1 to Championship strugglers Reading in the replay, casting further doubt on the position of manager Rafael Benítez whose job has reportedly been on the line for weeks due to sub-standard form by his team.^[114] Burnley appoint Brian Laws as their new manager.^[115]

18 January 2010: Championship leaders Newcastle United announce a new four-year sponsorship deal with Northern Rock, the bank which has been nationalised for two years after almost collapsing due to the credit crunch which brought on the current recession.^[116]

31 January 2010: January draws to a close with Chelsea a point ahead of nearest challengers Manchester United in the Premier League, with a game in hand. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City complete the top six. Burnley, Hull City and Portsmouth occupy the bottom three.^[117]

February

19 February 2010: Chester City, bottom of the Conference Premier with minus 3 points due to a 25-point deduction imposed upon them for financial problems, are suspended from their league until further notice for breach of league rules. A takeover deal is still in the pipeline for the club, who last season were relegated from the Football League for the second time in a decade.^[118]

23 February 2010: Portsmouth, bottom of the Premier League, are reported to be within 72 hours of receivership.^[119]

26 February 2010: Portsmouth go into administration – the first Premier League club to do so. They are set to be deducted nine points and are already bottom of the table with 16 points. The points deduction would leave with just seven points and make relegation almost certain.^[120] Chester City, bottom of the Conference National with −3 points after a 25-point deduction for similar financial problems, are expelled from the Conference a year after being relegated from the Football League and were wound-up shortly after. Their expulsion made them the first team at this level to fold mid-season since Newport County in February 1989.^[121]

28 February 2010: Manchester United steal the first major silverware of the season by beating Aston Villa 2–1 in the Football League Cup final at Wembley, retaining the trophy. It is the fourth time they have won the trophy – all of the wins have been under the management of Alex Ferguson.^[122] In the Premier League, United are still looking strong contenders for the title as they stand one point behind leaders Chelsea. Arsenal's good form has seen them occupy third place with just two points less than United and a nine-point gap outside their nearest contenders Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.^[107]

March

3 March 2010: Keith Alexander, manager of League Two strugglers Macclesfield Town, dies suddenly at the age of 53. Alexander had been manager of the Cheshire club since February 2008 and also been in charge of Lincoln City (twice), Peterborough United and non-league sides Ilkeston Town and Northwich Victoria in a managerial career which began in 1993. He had suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm in November 2003 during his second spell as Lincoln City manager.^[123]

8 March 2010: Chester City's expulsion from the Conference Premier is confirmed and their record for this season is expunged, sparking a revised league table which sees Oxford United taking over from Stevenage Borough as leaders, while York City drop out of the playoff zone and Cambridge United move dangerously closer to the relegation zone.^[124]

14 March 2010: England captain David Beckham suffers an Achilles tendon injury during a Serie A game for AC Milan (where he is on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy) and is expected to miss this summer's World Cup.^[125]

15 March 2010: Newport County, the former Football League club who reformed in 1989 after going bankrupt and being expelled from the Conference, achieve an early promotion back to the highest division outside the Football League as Conference South champions.^[126]

17 March 2010: Portsmouth's nine-point deduction for going into administration is confirmed, making relegation from the Premier League almost certain as they remain bottom of the table but are now 17 points adrift of safety with nine games left to play.^[127]

18 March 2010: Fulham defeat Italian giants Juventus 4–1 on the night, and 5–4 on aggregate to progress to the quarter finals of the UEFA Europa League.

28 March 2010: Southampton beat Carlisle 1–4 at Wembley Stadium to win the Football League Trophy.

April

5 April 2010: The first of the promotions and relegations in the Football League are confirmed when Newcastle United seal promotion from the Championship to the Premier League after one season away, while the division's bottom club Peterborough United (in their last game under the management of Jim Gannon before the appointment of Gary Johnson) are relegated back to League One after just one season.^[128][129]

6 April 2010: Arsenal's dreams of a first European Cup triumph are ended when they are eliminated by FC Barcelona in the quarter finals.^[130]

7 April 2010: Manchester United's hopes of winning the European Cup are ended when they are eliminated in the quarter finals by Bayern Munich on away goals.^[131]

8 April 2010: Fulham reach the UEFA Europa League semi finals with a 3–1 aggregate win over Wolfsburg in the quarter finals.^[132] Liverpool also reach the semi finals by eliminating Benfica.^[133]

10 April 2010: Portsmouth become the first Premier League club to be relegated this season when fellow relegation side West Ham United beat Sunderland 1–0, while West Bromwich Albion are promoted to the Premier League for the fourth time in nine seasons.^[134] Chelsea's double hopes are given a massive boost when they defeat Aston Villa 3–0 in the FA Cup semi-final.^[135]

11 April 2010: 24 hours after being relegated without kicking a ball, Portsmouth reach the FA Cup final with a surprise 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in extra-time in the semi-final.^[136] Manchester United's hopes of a unique fourth successive top division title are dealt a major blow when mid table Blackburn Rovers hold them to a goalless draw at Ewood Park.^[137]

13 April 2010: Chelsea establish a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League by defeating Bolton 1–0 at Stamford Bridge with a Nicolas Anelka penalty against his former club being the only goal of the game.^[138]

17 April 2010: The gap between leaders Chelsea and second placed Manchester United is narrowed down to a single point when a Paul Scholes goal gives United a 1–0 win over Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium,^[139] while Chelsea suffer a 2–1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The two results also see Tottenham Hotspur take the fourth and final Champions League off Manchester City with three games to go.^[140] In the Championship, Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City are now certain of a playoff place, with Leicester City and Swansea City completing the top six and Blackpool being the only team able to get into the playoff zone. Plymouth Argyle now need a run of very good results to avoid joining Peterborough in the drop to League One, while QPR, Scunthorpe United, Watford, Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday are the teams also battling to avoid the drop.^[141] Norwich City seal promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking with a 1–0 away win over fellow promotion contenders Charlton Athletic, and could be joined by any one of the five teams Leeds United, Millwall, Swindon Town, Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town. Colchester United and Southampton are the only two teams now capable of creeping into the playoffs.^[142] Notts County seal promotion from the league's bottom tier after six years there, while Rochdale have gained promotion after a record 36 successive seasons at this level. Bournemouth now need only two points from their final three games to be sure of promotion. In contrast, Grimsby Town now need a miracle to avoid relegation from the Football League and the only teams they could leapfrog are Cheltenham Town, Lincoln City and Barnet.^[143] Stevenage Borough seal the Conference Premier title to seal promotion to the Football League 14 years after they last won the title but were denied promotion because their stadium did not meet capacity requirements. Luton Town and Oxford – arguably the biggest clubs outside the Football League – have comfortably secured playoff qualification along with fellow former Football League members Rushden & Diamonds and York City.^[144]

19 April 2010: Newcastle United take the Championship title with a 2–0 win against Plymouth Argyle, which consigns Plymouth to relegation to League One after 6 years in the Championship.

24 April 2010: Manchester United go top of the Premier League with a 3–1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur (in which 36-year-old Ryan Giggs scores his first two league penalties for them), although Chelsea will regain their lead tomorrow if they beat Stoke City at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, a 1–0 home defeat to Sunderland by Hull City means that the East Yorkshire club will need to record two comprehensive victories from their final two league games and hope that West Ham United are heavily beaten in both of theirs in order to achieve survival.^[145] In the Championship, Watford's survival is confirmed and it is now down to Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday to fight it out and try and avoid joining Plymouth Argyle and Peterborough United in the drop to League One.^[141] In League One, Norwich City (already promoted) seal the division title with a 2–0 home win against relegation threatened Gillingham. Southend United are relegated after being held to a 2–2 draw by Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park. Although nobody can now muscle in on the top six for a playoff place, second placed Leeds United's automatic promotion hopes are still under threat from Millwall, Swindon Town and Charlton Athletic, while Huddersfield Town have achieved a playoff place at this level for the first time since their relegation from Division One (now the Championship) in 2001, thanks a 6–0 win at relegated Stockport County. Southampton would now be second if it hadn't been for their hefty points deduction at the start of the season, but as a result they have now been left unable to achieve even a playoff place.^[142] In League Two, Bournemouth are promoted after two seasons in the division with a 2–0 win at Burton Albion. Grimsby Town's 2–0 away win over already relegated Darlington keeps their hopes of survival alive, though the only teams they are capable of leapfrogging are Barnet and Cheltenham Town.^[143] In the Conference Premier, Stevenage Borough have already been confirmed champions, leaving four former Football League members (Luton Town, Oxford United, Rushden & Diamonds and York City) to contest the playoffs for the second promotion place, while Forest Green Rovers and Ebbsfleet United are relegated to the Conference South.^[144] Forest Green Rovers was later reprieved following the demotion of Salisbury City due to a breach of Conference rules.^[146]

25 April 2010: Chelsea return to the top of the Premier League with a 7–0 win over mid table Stoke City, giving themselves a one-point advantage over Manchester United as well as a considerably greater goal difference.^[147] Burnley's first season back in the top flight for more than 30 years ends in relegation when they are beaten 4–0 at home by a Liverpool side who are now almost certain of Europa League qualification and still have a Champions League place in their sights.^[148]

27 April 2010: Notts County take the League Two title with a 5–0 win against relegated Darlington.^[149]

29 April 2010: Five men are found guilty of public order offences in connection to violent clashes at a game between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion in West Bromwich town centre 15 months ago.^[150]

May

1 May 2010: Tom Huddlestone scores the only goal of the game as Tottenham Hotspur defeat Bolton Wanderers 1–0 at White Hart Lane, meaning that a draw at Manchester City and a win on the final day of the season will end their 20-year wait for a top four finish and put themselves beyond the reach of Liverpool, who for the last four seasons have held a "big four" dominance with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.^[151] Aston Villa, meanwhile, are left with no hope of Champions League qualification after they are beaten 3–1 by a Manchester City side still in the hunt for a place in the top four.^[152] In League One, Leeds United remain in second place and needing a win from their final game of the season to guarantee automatic promotion despite losing 1–0 to a Charlton Athletic side who still have hope of automatic promotion thanks to this win.^[153] Millwall blow the chance of creeping into the top two by losing 2–0 to relegation threatened Tranmere Rovers.^[154] Swindon Town's 3–2 home win over Brentford keeps the West Country club in the hunt for an automatic return to the league's second tier after a decade away.^[155] Huddersfield Town have an outside chance of automatic promotion thanks to an injury time winner by Lee Novak against Colchester United.^[156] Wycombe Wanderers are relegated back to League Two after one season in League one after a 2–0 defeat by a Leyton Orient side who are now almost certainly safe.^[157] Exeter City^[158] and Gillingham are still at risk of relegation.^[159] Grimsby Town defeat Barnet 2–0 to ensure that the battle against relegation for both clubs will go down to the last game of the season^[160] Cheltenham Town are trounched 5–0 by champions Notts County and as a result are still at risk of losing their Football League status after 11 years, as well as suffering a second successive relegation.^[161]

2 May 2010: Chelsea's 2–0 win at Liverpool leaves them needing only a win against Wigan Athletic in a week's time to confirm themselves as Premier League champions, and today's result also confirms the end of the "big four" which has dominated the top of the Premier League for the last four seasons – Liverpool will now finish sixth or seventh, while Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester City will seal the final Champions League place.^[162] West Ham United's 3–2 defeat at Fulham means that they will go into the final game of the season knowing that a heavy defeat at home to Manchester City and a heavy win for Hull City at home to Liverpool could see them slide out of the Premier League on goal difference.^[163] In the Championship relegation crunch, Sheffield Wednesday go down after only managing a 2–2 draw at home to Crystal Palace, whose safety is confirmed.^[164] Blackpool, who last played in the top flight in 1971, qualify for the playoffs.^[165] Newcastle United finish the season with 102 points (the highest points tally in their history) by beating mid table QPR 1–0 at Loftus Road.^[166] Back in the Premier League, Chelsea could have sealed the title today but Manchester United's 1–0 win at Sunderland ensures that the title race will go down to the wire.^[167]

3 May 2010: Hull City's relegation from the Premier League is confirmed after they are held to a 2–2 draw by Wigan Athletic. It is only the third time in 18 seasons of the Premier League that all of the relegation places have been confirmed before the last game of the season.^[168] York City^[169] and Oxford United reach the Conference Premier playoff final to compete for the second promotion place to the Football League.^[170]

5 May 2010: Tottenham Hotspur win 1–0 at Manchester City to seal a Champions League place and take Liverpool's place in the "big four". It is Tottenham's highest finish in 20 years and they will be their first European Cup campaign for 49 years and only their second since the competition's inception.^[171]

6 May 2010: Hartlepool United are deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Brighton on 5 April, meaning they can still be relegated from League One.^[172]

8 May 2010: During a topsy-turvy final day, in which changing scores have Millwall, Charlton, Huddersfield and Swindon all in the automatic promotion places at one point, Leeds United seal promotion from League One after three years by winning their final game of the season 2–1 at home to Bristol Rovers, despite going down to 10 men and conceding the first goal.^[173] Gillingham are relegated from League One when losing 3–0 at already relegated Wycombe Wanderers.^[174] Grimsby Town are relegated from the Football League after 99 years.^[175]

9 May 2010: Chelsea win the Premier League title with an 8–0 demolition of Wigan Athletic, meaning that Manchester United's hopes of a unique fourth successive title are ended despite a 4–0 home win over Stoke City.^[176][177] Meanwhile, Liverpool finish in their lowest position for 11 years (seventh), though this season it is enough to achieve UEFA Europa League qualification due to second placed Manchester United being League Cup holders and champions Chelsea being FA Cup finalists.^[178] Burnley, already relegated, bow out of the Premier League in style with a 4–2 home win over fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur.^[179]

11 May 2010: Gianfranco Zola is sacked after less than two years as manager of West Ham United.^[180] However, Steve McClaren, the former Middlesbrough and England manager whose name had been linked with the West Ham job amid previous speculation about Zola's future, is ruled out as a successor after ending his two-year spell at FC Twente of the Netherlands and accepting an offer to manage German side VfL Wolfsburg.^[181] A London-based manager makes the headlines for the right reasons as the League Managers Association votes Fulham's Roy Hodgson as manager of the year.^[182]

12 May 2010: Fulham lose 2–1 to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Europa League final at the Nordbank Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Diego Forlán, the former Manchester United striker, had put the Spaniards ahead in the 32nd minute, only for Fulham midfielder Simon Davies to equalise five minutes later. With the scores still level after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time and Forlan won the trophy with his second goal in the 116th minute.^[183]

14 May 2010: Wayne Brown, the Leicester City defender, is forced to apologise to his team mates after revealing to them that he voted for the far right British National Party in last week's general election.^[184]

15 May 2010: Chelsea beat Portsmouth 1–0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Didier Drogba scored the game's only goal from a second-half free kick, as Kevin-Prince Boateng and Frank Lampard missed penalties for Portsmouth and Chelsea, respectively. Chelsea's victory in the 2009–10 FA Cup secured the club's first league and cup double, as well as their third FA Cup victory in four years.

16 May 2010: Oxford United beat York City 3–1 in the Conference Premier playoff final at Wembley Stadium to secure a return to the Football League after four years away.^[185]

21 May 2010: Avram Grant resigns as manager of Portsmouth.^[186]

22 May 2010: Blackpool beat Cardiff City 3–2 in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium to seal promotion to the Premier League, ending their 39-year exile from the top division of English football.^[187]

24 May 2010: England beat Mexico 3–1 in a friendly at Wembley, with goals coming from Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson.^[188]

26 May 2010: Following promotion to the Premier League, Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston announces that a new stand will be built at the Bloomfield Road stadium in order to achieve a 16,000 all-seated capacity.^[189]

27 May 2010: Steve Cotterill resigns as manager of Notts County despite having led them to promotion from League Two, amid speculation that he is about to replace Avram Grant as manager of Portsmouth.^[190]

29 May 2010: A Paul Robinson goal gives Millwall promotion to the Championship as they defeat Swindon Town in the League One playoff final.^[191]

30 May 2010: Jon Nurse grabs the winner as Dagenham & Redbridge clinch promotion to League One following a 3-2 win over Rotherham United in the League Two playoff final.^[192] England beat Japan

June

1 June 2010: England's 23-man World Cup squad is announced with Theo Walcott (who appeared in the 2006 squad despite being only 17) being the most notable exclusion.^[193] Crystal Palace are saved from liquidaton by a last minute takeover deal.^[194]

3 June 2010: Rafael Benítez resigns from Liverpool after six seasons as manager, during which time the Reds won the European Cup and the FA Cup, but failed to clinch the league title which has eluded them since 1990.^[195] Meanwhile, Avram Grant is confirmed as manager of West Ham United.^[196]

4 June 2010: England captain Rio Ferdinand is ruled out of the World Cup by a knee injury sustained during training.^[197]

8 June 2010: Philippe Senderos leaves Arsenal after seven years and joins Fulham on a three-year contract.^[198]

9 June 2010: Chelsea give free transfers to out of contract players Joe Cole and Michael Ballack.^[199]

10 June 2010: Cardiff City pay off £1.9m debt with HM Revenue and Customs, removing any threat of club's existence from the High Court.^[200] Swindon Town teenager, Alex Henshall joins Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.^[201]

13 June 2010: England's World Cup campaign begins with a 1-1 draw against the USA.^[202]

18 June 2010: England's World Cup hopes are thrown into doubt when they are held to a goalless draw with Algeria in their second group game.^[203]

23 June 2010: England reach the last 16 of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Slovenia in their final group game.^[204]

27 June 2010: England go out of the World Cup in a 4-1 defeat by Germany.^[205]

Retirements

22 October 2009: Marc Edworthy, a 36-year old right-back who last played for Burton Albion retired after playing over 500 senior appearances in 18-year career. He played for 8 clubs in his career which included spells in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, Coventry City, Norwich City and Derby County.^[206][207]

8 December 2009: Linvoy Primus, 36-year-old Portsmouth defender, after failing to overcome a serious knee injury but now work ambassadorial role for Portsmouth. He Previously played for Charlton Athletic, Barnet and Reading.

11 December 2009: Dean Ashton, 26-year-old West Ham United striker, after failing to make a full recovery from an ankle injury suffered when training with the England team in August 2006.^[208]

17 December 2009: Riccardo Scimeca, 34-year-old Cardiff City midfielder formerly of Aston Villa F.C., Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.^[209]

6 January 2010: Neil Clement, 31-year-old West Bromwich Albion defender and club's longest serving player after 10 years there, after failing to make a full recovery from a knee injury suffered in August 2008.^[210]

6 January 2010: Patrik Berger, 36-year-old Czech midfielder who had spells in England with Liverpool, Portsmouth and Aston Villa before returning to Sparta Prague.^[211]

Notable debutants

• 21 March 2010 - Phil Jones, 18-year-old defender, made his debut for Blackburn Rovers in their 1–1 home Premier League draw to Chelsea.^[212]

National team

The home team is on the left column; the away team is on the right column.

Friendly matches^[213]

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World Cup qualifiers

England were in Group 6 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification process.^[214]

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Honours

Trophy & League Champions

Competition	Winner	Details	At	Match Report
FA Cup	Chelsea	2009–10 FA Cup beat Portsmouth 1–0	Wembley	Report
League Cup	Manchester United	2009–10 Football League Cup beat Aston Villa 2–1	Wembley	Report
Premier League	Chelsea	2009–10 Premier League	Stamford Bridge	Report
Football League Championship	Newcastle United	2009–10 Football League Championship	Home Park	Report
Football League One	Norwich City	2009–10 Football League One	Carrow Road	Report
Football League Two	Notts County	2009–10 Football League Two	The Darlington Arena	Report
FA Community Shield	Chelsea	2009 FA Community Shield beat Manchester United 4–1 on penalties (2–2 final score)	Wembley	Report
Football League Trophy	Southampton	2009–10 Football League Trophy beat Carlisle United 4–1	Wembley	Report
FA Trophy	Barrow	2009–10 FA Trophy beat Stevenage Borough 2–1	Wembley	Report

Playoff Winners

Competition	Winner	Details
Football League Championship	Blackpool	2009–10 Football League Championship Beat Cardiff 3–2
Football League One	Millwall	2009–10 Football League One Beat Swindon Town 1–0
Football League Two	Dagenham & Redbridge	2009–10 Football League Two Beat Rotherham 3–2
Conference National	Oxford United	2009–10 Conference National Beat York 3–1
Conference North	Fleetwood Town	2009–10 Conference North Beat Alfreton 2–1
Conference South	Bath City	2009–10 Conference South Beat Woking 1–0

League Tables

Premier League

In one of the most closely fought title races in recent history, Chelsea were crowned Premier League Champions for the third time in five years, breaking the goal-scoring record with a whopping 103 goals. Despite disappointment in the Champions League, the club managed to retain the FA Cup, recording their first domestic double under Carlo Ancelotti. The £80m departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in the summer meant that Manchester United narrowly missed out on the title, though they managed to retain the League Cup. Arsenal took third place and once again qualified for Europe's elite competition, while Tottenham Hotspur took the final spot for the Champions League by finishing 4th, with manager Harry Redknapp winning the coveted Premier League Manager of the Year award.

3 teams took the Europa League spots; taking 5th place were Manchester City, whose controversial gamble of sacking Mark Hughes at Christmas and replacing him with Roberto Mancini paid off as they finished in their best position in years. Finishing 6th once again were Aston Villa, who again looked like breaking into the top 4, but ultimately fell short. Taking 7th place, astonishingly, were Liverpool, who were nearly champions the year before, but suffered from losing key players, such as Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, Sami Hyypiä to Bayer Leverkusen and Fernando Torres several times to injury throughout the season; these factors resulted in indifferent form in all of their competitions, meaning they only took a Europa League spot after the FA Cup finalists were refused a UEFA licence and finished in their lowest position for 11 years.

Fulham built on last season's finish of 7th place as they came close to Europa League glory in Hamburg, losing 2–1 in extra time to Atlético Madrid with ex-Manchester United striker Diego Forlán scoring the winning goal. However, critics universally praised manager Roy Hodgson for guiding a club threatened with relegation 2 seasons previously to the Europa League final. By a wide margin, he won the LMA Manager of the Year award. Birmingham finished 9th in their best position in the top-flight in years, (even going unbeaten for 13 games at one point), whilst fellow promo-tees Wolverhampton Wanderers flirted with relegation several times, but ultimately finished in a respectable 15th place.

Portsmouth endured a season of financial worries, a 9-point deduction and four different owners that effectively ended their 7-year stay in the top flight. Hull City failed to emulate their previous season's success and were also relegated. After the departure of promotion-winning manager Owen Coyle at the turn of the year, Burnley's league form under Brian Laws declined rapidly and they were relegated to the Championship after just one season.

Rules for classification:

1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
¹ Portsmouth were docked nine points for entering administration.^[215]
2 Originally Portsmouth should qualify for the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League as 2009–10 FA Cup runners-up to Champions League-qualified Chelsea however they failed to apply for a UEFA licence therefore Liverpool took their place.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Leading goalscorer: Didier Drogba (Chelsea) - 29

Football League Championship

Newcastle United put last season's relegation behind them as they returned to the Premier League at the first attempt, staying top for the majority of the season and losing just four games under the management of Chris Hughton. Roberto Di Matteo's first season in charge of West Bromwich Albion ended in automatic promotion for the Baggies for the 3rd time in eight years. They were joined by Blackpool, who were tipped by many as relegation favourites at the beginning of the season. Ian Holloway masterminded the Lancashire club's promotion with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Cardiff City in the play-off final, returning to the top flight for the first time since 1971.

Peterborough United went straight back down to League One, employing four different managers and propping up the table for the majority of the season. They were soon joined by Plymouth Argyle, who ended a six-year spell in the second tier. Crystal Palace, who had been on the brink of the play-offs before being penalised 10 points for entering administration, faced Sheffield Wednesday in the final match of the season as they both fought for survival. The game finished 2–2, which meant Palace survived and Wednesday were relegated to League One.

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Newcastle United (C) (P)	46	30	12	4	90	35	+55	102
2	West Bromwich Albion (P)	46	26	13	7	89	48	+41	91
3	Nottingham Forest	46	22	13	11	65	40	+25	79
4	Cardiff City	46	22	10	14	73	54	+19	76
5	Leicester City	46	21	13	12	61	45	+16	76
6	Blackpool (P)	46	19	13	14	74	58	+16	70
7	Swansea City	46	17	18	11	40	37	+3	69
8	Sheffield United	46	17	14	15	61	54	+7	65
9	Reading	46	17	12	17	68	63	+5	63
10	Bristol City	46	15	18	13	56	65	−9	63
11	Middlesbrough	46	16	14	16	58	50	+8	62
12	Doncaster Rovers	46	15	15	16	59	58	+1	60
13	Queens Park Rangers	46	14	15	17	58	65	−7	57
14	Derby County	46	15	11	20	53	63	−10	56
15	Ipswich Town	46	12	20	14	50	61	−11	56
16	Watford	46	14	12	20	61	68	−7	54
17	Preston North End	46	13	15	18	58	73	−15	54
18	Barnsley	46	14	12	20	53	69	−16	54
19	Coventry City	46	13	15	18	47	64	−17	54
20	Scunthorpe United	46	14	10	22	62	84	−22	52
21	Crystal Palace	46	14	17	15	50	53	−3	49 A
22	Sheffield Wednesday	46	11	14	21	49	69	−20	47
23	Plymouth Argyle	46	11	8	27	43	68	−25	41
24	Peterborough United	46	8	10	28	46	80	−34	34

A – Crystal Palace deducted 10 points for entering administration

Leading goalscorers: Nicky Maynard (Bristol City) - 20, and Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City) - 20

Football League One

After recovering from an embarrassing 7–1 defeat to Colchester on the first day of the season, a turnaround under new manager Paul Lambert and the 24 goals from free-scoring striker Grant Holt saw Norwich City make an immediate return to the Championship. Leeds United secured automatic promotion in the runners-up spot; their season almost falling apart disastrously after they lead the table by eight points at the turn of the year and also knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup. They rebounded in the final weeks of the season and a last day 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers saw the Yorkshire side end their three-year spell in League One.

Millwall – who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion by just 1 point – beat Swindon in the play-off final, returning to the Championship after a 4-year absence.

Despite being deducted 10 points and missing out on the play-offs, Southampton managed to win the Football League Trophy and prolific striker Rickie Lambert was the league's top marksman with 31 goals.

Stockport spent the entire season in administration and were subsequently relegated. Southend were faced with financial problems, and were also relegated. Wycombe's first season at this level for six years proved a disappointment, and they were immediately relegated back to League Two. Gillingham also suffered an immediate relegation after their play-off victory the previous year, their inability to win an away fixture all season proved to be their downfall.

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Norwich City (C) (P)	46	29	8	9	89	47	+42	95
2	Leeds United (P)	46	25	11	10	77	44	+33	86
3	Millwall (P)	46	24	13	9	76	44	+32	85
4	Charlton Athletic	46	23	15	8	71	48	+23	84
5	Swindon Town	46	22	16	8	73	57	+16	82
6	Huddersfield Town	46	23	11	12	82	56	+26	80
7	Southampton	46	23	14	9	85	47	+38	73 A
8	Colchester United	46	20	12	14	64	52	+12	72
9	Brentford	46	14	20	12	55	52	+3	62
10	Walsall	46	16	14	16	60	63	−3	62
11	Bristol Rovers	46	19	5	22	59	70	−11	62
12	Milton Keynes Dons	46	17	9	20	60	68	−8	60
13	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	15	14	17	56	60	−4	59
14	Carlisle United	46	15	13	18	63	66	−3	58
15	Yeovil Town	46	13	14	19	55	59	−4	53
16	Oldham Athletic	46	13	13	20	39	57	−18	52
17	Leyton Orient	46	13	12	21	53	63	−10	51
18	Exeter City	46	11	18	17	48	60	−12	51
19	Tranmere Rovers	46	14	9	23	45	72	−27	51
20	Hartlepool United	46	14	11	21	59	67	−8	50*
21	Gillingham (R)	46	12	14	20	48	64	−16	50
22	Wycombe Wanderers (R)	46	10	15	21	56	76	−20	45
23	Southend United (R)	46	10	13	23	51	72	−21	43
24	Stockport County (R)	46	5	10	31	35	95	−60	25

A – Southampton deducted 10 points for administration entrance.

* – Hartlepool deducted 3 points for fielding an ineligible player.

Leading goalscorer: Rickie Lambert (Southampton) - 31

Football League Two

Notts County's season mostly made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, as they were involved in an abortive high-spending takeover by a consortium who bought in Sven-Göran Eriksson as Director of Football, and got through four managers during the course of the season. However, they managed to shake off their off-field problems and won the title. Bournemouth continued their revival under Eddie Howe and won promotion in the runners-up spot. The last automatic promotion spot was won by Rochdale, who were promoted for the first time since 1969

Dagenham and Redbridge won the play-offs, reaching the 2nd tier of the Football League for the first time in their 18-year history.

Darlington were unable to recover from losing many of their players during their spell in administration at the end of the previous season, and were relegated in bottom place, becoming only the third club (after Halifax Town and Chester City) to be relegated to the Football Conference on two separate occasions. Grimsby suffered the relegation that they only avoided the previous year due to Luton Town's points deduction; their form improved significantly in the final weeks of the season, but they were ultimately undone by an earlier run of nearly five months without a win, and were relegated to the Conference Premier after losing on the final day.

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Notts County (C) (P)	46	27	12	7	96	31	+65	93
2	Bournemouth (P)	46	25	8	13	61	44	+17	83
3	Rochdale (P)	46	25	7	14	82	48	+34	82
4	Morecambe	46	20	13	13	73	64	+9	73
5	Rotherham United	46	21	10	15	55	52	+3	73
6	Aldershot Town	46	20	12	14	69	56	+13	72
7	Dagenham & Redbridge (P)	46	20	12	14	69	58	+11	72
8	Chesterfield	46	21	7	18	61	62	−1	70
9	Bury	46	19	12	15	54	59	−5	69
10	Port Vale	46	17	17	12	61	50	+11	68
11	Northampton Town	46	18	13	15	62	53	+9	67
12	Shrewsbury Town	46	17	12	17	55	54	+1	63
13	Burton Albion	46	17	11	18	71	70	+1	62
14	Bradford City	46	16	14	16	59	62	−3	62
15	Accrington Stanley	46	18	7	21	62	74	−12	61
16	Hereford United	46	17	8	21	54	65	−11	59
17	Torquay United	46	14	15	17	64	55	+9	57
18	Crewe Alexandra	46	15	10	21	68	73	−5	55
19	Macclesfield Town	46	12	18	16	49	58	−9	54
20	Lincoln City	46	13	11	22	42	65	−23	50
21	Barnet	46	12	12	22	47	63	−16	48
22	Cheltenham Town	46	10	18	18	54	71	−17	48
23	Grimsby Town (R)	46	9	17	20	45	72	−27	44
24	Darlington (R)	46	8	6	32	33	87	−54	30

Leading goalscorer: Lee Hughes (Notts County) - 30

Clubs that folded

Club	League	Date of Dissolution
Newcastle Blue Star	Northern Premier League Premier Division	June 2009
King's Lynn	Northern Premier League Premier Division	25 November 2009
Chester City	Conference National	10 March 2010[216]
Farsley Celtic	Conference North	10 March 2010[217]

Deaths

• 12 July 2009 – Tommy Cummings, 80, former defender who made 479 appearances for Burnley, and was a member of the Clarets' side that won the league championship in 1959–60. Later became player-manager of Mansfield Town, and also had a short spell as Aston Villa manager.^[218]
• 21 July 2009 – Dai Lawrence, 62, former full-back who played four seasons for Swansea City in the late 1960s.^[219]
• 31 July 2009 – Sir Bobby Robson, 76, former inside-forward and manager. As a player, he played for Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, and won 20 caps for England. As manager, he reached even greater heights, being appointed to Ipswich Town in 1969 and over the next 13 years taking them to FA Cup and UEFA Cup glory (also finishing second in the league in his final two seasons as manager), before leaving in 1982 to manage England for eight years during which they reached the quarter-final of the World Cup in 1986 and to the semi-final in 1990, only losing on penalties. He later managed PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, F.C. Porto of Portugal and FC Barcelona of Spain, before returning home to manage his boyhood favourites Newcastle United from 1999 to 2004, during which time they qualified for Europe on three occasions. He was knighted for his services to football in 2002. His death came after a 17-year battle against cancer which had gone into remission four times.^[220]
• 2 August 2009 – Joe Livingstone, 67, former striker who scored 42 goals in 82 appearances for Carlisle United, and also played for Middlesbrough and Hartlepool United.^[221]
• 9 August 2009 – Tommy Clinton, 83, former defender who spent eight seasons at Everton, and was capped three times by the Republic of Ireland. Also played briefly for Blackburn Rovers and Tranmere Rovers.^[222]
• 19 August 2009 – Bobby Thomson, 65, full-back capped eight times by England. He played 278 league games for Wolverhampton Wanderers, 110 for Luton Town and also played for Birmingham City, Walsall, Port Vale, and in the United States.^[223]
• 13 September 2009 – Paul Shirtliff, 46, former defender who played in The Football League for Sheffield Wednesday and Northampton Town, and also had a long career at non-league level.^[224]
• 24 September 2009 – Terry Bly, 73, former striker who most notably holds the post-war single-season goalscoring record in The Football League, having scored 52 goals for Peterborough United in 1960–61. Also played for Norwich City, Coventry City and Notts County.^[225]
• 26 September 2009 – Geoff Barrowcliffe, 77, former Derby County full-back who spent 16 seasons with the Rams, playing more than 500 first-team games. He also played for several non-league clubs including Ilkeston Town and Boston United.^[226]
• 5 October 2009 – Tommy Capel, 87, former inside-forward who most notably played five seasons for Nottingham Forest, where he scored 72 goals in 162 appearances. Also played for Manchester City, Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Coventry City and Halifax Town.^[227]
• 8 October 2009 – Alex McCrae, 89, former inside-forward who scored 49 goals in a five-year spell with Middlesbrough in the early 1950s. Also played for Charlton Athletic, and for Hearts and Falkirk in his native Scotland.^[228]
• 12 October 2009 – Stan Palk, 87, former inside-forward who played for Liverpool and Port Vale in the immediate post-war years.^[229]
• 17 October 2009 – David Burnside, 69, former midfielder who played for a number of clubs, but is probably best remembered from his five-year spell with West Bromwich Albion. Some of his other clubs include Southampton, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle.^[230]
• 21 October 2009 – John Jarman, 78, former Barnsley and Walsall wing-half, who later worked as a coach for Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Mansfield Town and Derby County.^[231]
• 22 October 2009 – Ray Lambert, 87, former Wales international full-back who played more than 300 games for Liverpool, where he won the 1946–47 league title.^[232]
• 2 November 2009 – Keith Kettleborough, 74, former inside-forward who spent the majority of his career with Rotherham United and Sheffield United, and also had a spell as player-manager at Doncaster Rovers.^[233]
• 7 November 2009 – Billy Ingham, 57, former Burnley midfielder who spent eleven years with the Clarets, playing more than 250 games for the club before finishing his career with a spell at Bradford City.^[234]
• 15 November 2009 – Ray Charnley, 74, former Blackpool striker who is one of the Seasiders' most prolific scorers of all time, with 222 goals in 407 appearances for the club. He won one England cap while at Blackpool, and also played for Morecambe, Wrexham and Bradford Park Avenue.^[235]
• 15 November 2009 – Don Martin, 65, former striker who scored more than 100 goals in a 16-year career with Northampton Town and Blackburn Rovers.^[236]
• 23 November 2009 – Tony Parry, 64, former central defender who spent the majority of his nine-year professional career with Hartlepool United, and also had a brief spell with Derby County before dropping down to non-league football.^[237]
• 25 November 2009 – Mike Tiddy, 80, former winger who began his career at Torquay United before making over 100 appearances with Cardiff City and Brighton & Hove Albion as well as making over 50 appearances for Arsenal.^[238][239]
• 29 November 2009 – George Cummins, 78, former inside-forward who began his career at Everton, but spent the majority of his 12-year professional career with Luton Town. He also had a brief spell at Hull City, and was capped 19 times for the Republic of Ireland.^[240]
• 1 December 2009 – Neil Dougall, 88, inside-forward or wing-half who played nearly 100 games for Birmingham City and more than 300 for Plymouth Argyle, a club he later managed. Capped once for Scotland.^[241]
• 14 December 2009 – Alan A'Court, 75, former Liverpool winger who spent 13 seasons with the Reds, playing 382 games, before finishing his career at Tranmere Rovers. He was also capped five times by England, and played for his country in the 1958 World Cup.^[242]
• 16 December 2009 – Dennis Herod, 86, former Stoke City goalkeeper who was a member of the team that came within two points of winning the league title in 1946–47, and famously scored a goal for the club in 1952 against Aston Villa. Also played for Stockport County.^[243]
• 20 December 2009 – Jack Brownsword, 86, former left-back who spent nearly his entire career with Scunthorpe United, playing a club-record 597 league appearances for the Iron between 1950 and 1964. Also had a brief spell with Hull City prior to joining Scunthorpe.^[244]
• 22 December 2009 – Albert Scanlon, 74, former Manchester United winger and Busby Babe who survived the Munich Air Disaster. Played 115 league games for the Red Devils, and was a member of the 1955–56 and 1956–57 championship-winning sides. Later played for Newcastle United, Lincoln City and Mansfield Town.^[245]
• 7 January 2010 – Alex Parker, 74, former full-back who was a member of Everton's 1962–63 championship-winning side, and played for Scotland in the 1958 World Cup. Also played for Falkirk and Southport.^[246]
• 20 January 2010 – Jack Parry, 86, former goalkeeper who played for Swansea Town and Ipswich Town, and was capped once by Wales in 1951.^[247]
• 30 January 2010 – Jackie Newton, 84, former wing-half who spent 12 years with Hartlepool United, making 361 first-team appearances. Began his career at Newcastle United, but failed to make an appearance for the Magpies.^[248]
• 3 February 2010 – Gil Merrick, 88, former Birmingham City goalkeeper and manager who served the club for more than 25 years. As a player, he appeared in 485 league games for the Blues, and was also capped 23 times by England, playing in the 1954 World Cup. As manager, he won the 1963 League Cup, beating arch-rivals Aston Villa in the final.^[249]
• 11 February 2010 – Petar Borota, 56, Serbian goalkeeper who played for Chelsea between 1979 and 1982, and whose other clubs include Partizan Belgrade and F.C. Porto. Won four caps for the former Yugoslavia.^[250]
• 11 February 2010 – Brian Godfrey, 69, former striker who played for six clubs, most notably Scunthorpe United, Preston North End and Aston Villa, where he played in the 1971 League Cup final. He also won three caps for Wales, and was manager at Exeter City and several non-league clubs.^[251]
• 22 February 2010 – Bobby Smith, 56, former midfielder who spent eight seasons at Leicester City between 1978 and 1986, and also had a long career in his native Scotland, mostly with Hibernian and Dunfermline Athletic.^[252]
• 27 February 2010 – Charlie Crowe, 85, former Newcastle United defender who was a member of the Magpies' 1951 FA Cup winning side. Also played for Mansfield Town at the tail end of his career.^[253]
• 28 February 2010 – Adam Blacklaw, 72, former Burnley goalkeeper who played more than 300 games for the Clarets, and was a member of Burnley's 1959–60 championship-winning squad. Also played for Blackburn Rovers, and Scotland at international level.^[254]
• 3 March 2010 – Keith Alexander, 53, manager and former striker who was manager of Macclesfield Town at the time of his death, and had also managed Lincoln City and Peterborough United earlier in his career. As player, he was a journeyman striker who spent most of his career in non-league football, but also had a few spells in the Football League, primarily with Grimsby Town and Lincoln City.^[255]
• 4 March 2010 – Tony Richards, 75, former striker who is Walsall's second-leading scorer of all time with 185 league goals for the Saddlers between 1954 and 1963. Also spent three seasons with Port Vale.^[256]
• 15 March 2010 – Charlie Ashcroft, 83, former goalkeeper who spent nine years at Liverpool, mostly as the team's second-choice 'keeper, and also had spells at Ipswich Town and Coventry City late in his career.^[257]
• 19 March 2010 – Bob Curtis, 60, former right-back who made more than 350 appearances for Charlton Athletic during an 11-year spell at The Valley. Also played for Mansfield Town and Kettering Town.^[258]
• 24 March 2010 – George Luke, 76, former left-winger who spent his entire career in the North East, playing almost 200 games for Hartlepools United before joining Newcastle United, where he stayed just over a year before finishing his career with Darlington.^[259]
• 6 April 2010 – Sid Storey, 90, former inside-forward who spent nine years at York City, where he played more than 350 games and scored 42 goals. Also had short spells with Barnsley and Accrington Stanley.^[260]
• 8 April 2010 – Stan Smith, 79, former inside-forward who spent most of his career with Port Vale, and also played for Crewe Alexandra and Oldham Athletic.^[261]
• 11 April 2010 – John Batchelor, 51, controversial former owner and chairman of York City.^[262]
• 13 April 2010 – Charlie Timmins, 87, former Coventry City full-back who spent his entire ten-year professional career at Highfield Road.^[263]
• 21 April 2010 – Tony Ingham, 85, former full-back who spent most of his career at Queens Park Rangers, where he made a club-record 514 league appearances between 1950 and 1963, and later spent many years as QPR's commercial director after retiring as a player. Began his career at Leeds United.^[264]
• 25 April 2010 – Ian Lawther, 70, former Northern Ireland international striker who played 17 seasons in The Football League for six different clubs, most notably Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers. Capped four times for Northern Ireland.^[265]
• 11 May 2010 – Brian Gibson, 82, former Huddersfield Town full-back who played 171 first-team games for the Terriers, his only club at professional level.^[266]
• 15 May 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, 22, Swansea City striker who died from a heart attack while visiting his family in Austria. He had played three games for the Swans during the 2009–10 season, and was previously on the books of Liverpool, with loan spells at Luton Town and Crystal Palace. He was also a former Austria under-21 international.^[267]

References