1991–92 Watford F.C. season, Season summary
In the 1991–92 season, Watford had a poor first half of the campaign and by Christmas were only above the relegation places on goal difference with their home form dragging them down the league with 7 defeats from the first 12 league matches at home. By the middle of March, the Hornets were still near the relegation zone and at that point one of the big contenders by many to go down but an amazing run of one defeat from their final 13 league games which included 8 wins, secured safety and finished in a satisfying 10th place.


1991–92 Watford F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1991–92 Welsh Alliance League
The 1991–92 Welsh Alliance League is the 8th season of the Welsh Alliance League, which is in the third level of the Welsh football pyramid.


1991–92 Wessex Football League
The 1991–92 Wessex Football League was the sixth season of the Wessex Football League. The league champions for the first time were Wimborne Town. There was no promotion or relegation this season.


1991–92 Wessex Football League
For sponsorship reasons, the league was known as the Jewson Wessex League.


1991–92 Wessex Football League, League table
The league consisted of one division of 19 clubs, reduced from 20 the previous season after Havant Town joined the Southern League. No new clubs joined.


1991–92 West Ham United F.C. season
During the 1991–92 English football season, West Ham United F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.


1991–92 West Ham United F.C. season, Season summary
1991–92 was West Ham United's first season back in the First Division following promotion, ending a two-year absence from the top flight.


1991–92 West Ham United F.C. season, Season summary
However, their return to the First Division lasted just one season and they were relegated in bottom place, missing out on a place in the new FA Premier League, which would be created for the 1992-93 season. Their chances of survival were not helped by the fact that key players Trevor Morley and Julian Dicks missed large stretches of the season due to injury and off-field issues, such as the infamous Bond Scheme, which exacerbated the club’s poor league form.


1991–92 West Ham United F.C. season, Season summary
The few bright spots of the season came in the final stages – after relegation was confirmed – in the shape of a 1–0 win over Manchester United which effectively ended the opposition's title hopes, and then came a 3–0 demolition of eighth-placed Nottingham Forest in which striker Frank McAvennie ended his second spell at Upton Park by scoring a hat-trick. The season could have ended very differently for the Hammers had they been able to show such fine form on a more regular basis.


1991–92 West Ham United F.C. season, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1991–92 West Midlands (Regional) League
The 1991–92 West Midlands (Regional) League season was the 92nd in the history of the West Midlands (Regional) League, an English association football competition for semi-professional and amateur teams based in the West Midlands county, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and southern Staffordshire.


1991–92 West Midlands (Regional) League, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with two new clubs:


1991–92 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team
The 1991–92 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University as a member of the Atlantic-10 Conference during the 1991-92 season. The team played their home games at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. Led by 14th-year head coach Gale Catlett, the Mountaineers received an at-large bid to the 1992 NCAA Tournament as the No. 12 seed in the East region.


1991–92 Western Football League
The 1991–92 season was the 90th in the history of the Western Football League.


1991–92 Western Football League
The league champions for the first time in their history were Weston-super-Mare, who were promoted to the Southern League. The champions of Division One were Westbury United.


1991–92 Western Football League, Final tables, Premier Division
The Premier Division remained at 21 clubs after Barnstaple Town and Radstock Town were relegated to the First Division. Two clubs joined:


1991–92 Western Football League, Final tables, First Division
The First Division was increased from 21 clubs to 22, after Minehead and Elmore were promoted to the Premier Division, and Yeovil Town Reserves left the league. Four new clubs joined:


1991–92 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team
The 1991–92 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 1991–92 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by coach Ralph Willard and All-Sun Belt Conference player Jack Jennings. The team received a bid to the 1992 National Invitation Tournament.


1991–92 Wills Trophy
The 1991–92 Wills Trophy was a triangular one-day international cricket tournament held at Sharjah between 17 October and 25 October 1991. It involved the national cricket teams of Pakistan, West Indies and India. Pakistan won the tournament after beating India in the final on 25 October.


1991–92 Wills Trophy, Group Stage
Pre -tournament favourites Pakistan won despite losing their first two matches and their position looked helpless until the West Indies failed to score two runs off three balls in the third.


1991–92 Wills Trophy, Group Stage, 2nd ODI
Vinod Kambli and Javagal Srinath made their ODI debuts for India.


1991–92 Wills Trophy, Final
Sanjay Manjrekar of India won the Player of the Series Award


1991–92 Wimbledon F.C. season
During the 1991–92 English football season, Wimbledon competed in the Football League First Division. They finished the season 13th in the First Division and secured a place in the new FA Premier League for the 1992–93 season.


1991–92 Wimbledon F.C. season, Season summary
Wimbledon had three different managers during this season. The season began with Ray Harford as manager, but Harford resigned on 7 October 1991. He was succeeded by Peter Withe, who was in charge for just over three months before being replaced by Joe Kinnear on 19 January 1992.


1991–92 Wimbledon F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season
The 1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season was the Jets' 20th season, their 13th in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Jets placed fourth in the Smythe Division and qualified for the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they lost the Division Semi-final to the Vancouver Canucks, four games to three.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Offseason
On June 17, 1991, the Jets introduced John Paddock as the new head coach of the team, as Bob Murdoch was not brought back after Winnipeg failed to qualify for the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs. This would be Paddock's first head coaching job in the NHL, although he had six years of head coaching experience in the American Hockey League (AHL) and had led the Hershey Bears to the 1988 Calder Cup. Paddock was the head coach of the Binghamton Rangers in the 1990–91 season, leading the team to a 44–30–6 record.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Offseason
With the fifth overall pick at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft held on June 22, 1991, the Jets selected defenceman Aaron Ward from the University of Michigan. In 46 games, Ward had 8 goals and 19 points. Some other notable picks that Winnipeg made were Juha Ylönen in the fifth round and Igor Ulanov in the tenth round.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Offseason
On July 22, 1991, the Jets acquired Troy Murray and Warren Rychel from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Bryan Marchment and Chris Norton. Murray was coming off a 14-goal, 37-point season in 75 games with the Blackhawks in 1990–91, and would be named the captain of the Jets for 1991–92. Rychel spent the 1990–91 season with the Indianapolis Ice of the AHL, recording 33 goals and 63 points in 68 games, as well as 338 penalty minutes.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Offseason
The Smythe Division added a sixth team for the 1991–92 season, as the expansion team San Jose Sharks joined the division.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Offseason
Troy Murray was named captain, replacing Randy Carlyle and Thomas Steen.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Regular season
The Jets finished the regular season third in goaltending, allowing only 244 goals. They also tied the Montreal Canadiens for the most shutouts, with 7.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Regular season, Final standings
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe bold – Qualified for playoffs


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Playoffs
The Jets lost to the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, in the Division semi-finals.


1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season, Draft picks
Winnipeg's draft picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft held at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.


1991–92 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
The 1991–92 season was the 93rd season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They played in the second tier of the English football system, the Football League Second Division, in the final season before the introduction of the Premier League.


1991–92 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
The team finished in 11th place, having occupied a mid-table position for the majority of the campaign. During the season Steve Bull became the club's all-time leading goalscorer when he surpassed John Richards' total of 194 goals.


1991–92 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Results, Football League Second Division
A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League Second Division in the 1991–92 season. Each team played every other team twice: once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats.


1991–92 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Players
Key:  ‡ On loan from another club   * First appearance(s) for the club


1991–92 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Players
Correct as of end of season. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.


1991–92 Women's European Cup (handball)
The 1991–92 Women's European Champions Cup was the 31st edition of Europe's competition for national champions women's handball clubs, taking place between September 1991 and 18 April 1992. Hypo Niederösterreich defeated defending champion TV Giessen-Lützellinden in a rematch of the previous edition's final to win its third title.


1991–92 YUBA League
The 1991–92 YUBA League was a transitional season of Yugoslav Basketball League, top level yugoslav basketball competition, first under newly formed Yugoslav Basketball Association (YUBA), and the last that started in SFR Yugoslavia.


1991–92 YUBA League, Teams
YUBA was founded to promote professional basketball in Yugoslavia independent of political situation and when the draw was held in June 1991, following 12 clubs were supposed to contest the league: Pop 84, Partizan, Cibona, Zadar, Vojvodina, IMT,  Smelt Olimpija, Bosna, Crvena Zvezda, Sloboda Dita, Oveco Zagreb and Rabotnički.


1991–92 YUBA League, Teams
Later, due to Yugoslav Wars, all teams from Slovenia and Croatia abandoned the competition and were replaced with new clubs from the Yugoslav 1. B Federal Basketball League.


1991–92 Yemeni League
The 1991–92 Yemeni League was the 2nd season of top-flight football in the Yemen.


1991–92 Yemeni League
The season was played from November 1991 till September 1992 and featured 16 clubs, but unlike the previous season, the league winners Al-Ahli (San'a') would not take part in any continental competition.


1991–92 Yemeni League, Continental Competition, Asian Club Championship
Defending champions Al-Tilal came 2nd and also featured in the 1991-92 Asian Club Championship. They defeated Bahraini league champions West Riffa in the first round before coming up against Iranian Qods League winners Esteghlal whom went on to reach the final.


1991–92 Yemeni League, Continental Competition, Asian Cup Winners Cup
Al-Ahli (San'a') entered the 1992 Asian Cup Winners Cup where they were given a bye in the first round before coming up against Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia in the 2nd round and beaten 2-0 over two games.


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup
The 1991–92 Yorkshire Cup was the eighty-fourth occasion on which the  Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup
Cup holders, Castleford, retained the trophy by beating Bradford Northern by the score of 28-6


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup
The match was played at Elland Road,  Leeds, now in West Yorkshire. The attendance was 8,916 and receipts were £?


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup
This was the eighth time in the incredible eleven-year period in which Castleford. previously only once winners in 1977–78, had made eight appearances in the Yorkshire Cup final, winning on four and ending as runner-up on four occasions. It was also the second year in succession that Castleford had won the trophy. within that eleven-year period.


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Background
This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part, no "leavers" but one new entrant in the  form of Scarborough Pirates and so the total of entries increased by one from  last season, to a total of nineteen.


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Background
This in turn resulted in the necessity to continue with a preliminary round to reduce the  number of clubs entering the first round to sixteen.


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and Results, Final, Teams and Scorers
Scoring - Try = four (4) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = one (1) point


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
1 * The first match to be played in the Yorkshire Cup by newly elected to the league Scarborough Pirates (this was also the  club's very first match to be played)


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
2 * The second (and last) Yorkshire Cup match to be played by Scarborough Pirates, who folded after just one season after reputedly losing over £100,000


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
3 * The first match to be played by Hull Kingston Rovers since moving into their new purpose built stadium


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
4 * The first Yorkshire Cup match to be played by Keighley Cougars after the re-branding of the club and the stadium with the Cougars suffix


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
5 * The first Yorkshire Cup match to be played by Sheffield Eagles since moving into their new home at Don Valley Stadium


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
6 * Elland Road,  Leeds,  is the home ground of Leeds United A.F.C. with a capacity of 37,914 (The record attendance was 57,892 set on 15 March 1967 for a cup match Leeds v Sunderland). The ground was originally established in 1897 by Holbeck RLFC who played there until their demise after the conclusion of the 1903-04 season


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The Rugby League Yorkshire Cup competition was a knock-out competition between (mainly professional) rugby league clubs from  the  county of Yorkshire. The actual area was at times increased to encompass other teams from  outside the  county such as Newcastle, Mansfield, Coventry, and even London (in the form of Acton & Willesden).


1991–92 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in (or just before) December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused during, and immediately after, the two World Wars)


1991–92 Yugoslav Cup
The 1991–92 Football Cup of Yugoslavia was the national knock-out football competition in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was held during the breakup of the state.


1991–92 Yugoslav Cup
The republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence on June 25, 1991, during the football off-season. By the Brioni Agreement, the two republics delayed the implementation of independence until October 8. While the two countries were nominally still part of Yugoslavia, their clubs withdrew from the Yugoslav football system. Over the course of the competition, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence on September 8, 1991, and March 5, 1992, respectively. On April 28, 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was constituted by Montenegro and Serbia.


1991–92 Yugoslav Cup
Prior to this season, the cup had borne the name Marshal Tito Cup. This was discontinued as the previous year's champion Hajduk Split had failed to return the Marshal Tito Trophy to the Football Association of Yugoslavia, which no longer had jurisdiction over the club.


1991–92 Yugoslav Cup, Final, Second Leg
On May 23, 1992; after the Cup final, the manager of the winning side; FK Partizan, Ivica Osim resigned from his managerial duties with the club.


1991–92 Yugoslav First League
The First League of Yugoslavia's 1991/1992 season was the 64th edition of the Yugoslav First League, the premier football club competition of SFR Yugoslavia. It was the last edition in which professional football teams from SR Bosnia and Herzegovina (with one exception) and SR Macedonia participated, as well as the last of the SFR Yugoslavia in general as the First League of FR Yugoslavia was established the following season. Red Star Belgrade won the competition.


1991–92 Yugoslav First League
Before the start of the season, Croatia and Slovenia were already in the process of seeking independence from Yugoslavia. Teams from Croatia and Slovenia that qualified for the competition left it before the season started. Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, NK Osijek, NK Rijeka and (newly promoted) NK Zagreb left to join newly created Croatian championship, while Olimpija Ljubljana left to join newly created Slovenian championship. Thus, this season was competed only by teams from SR Serbia, SR Montenegro, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina and SR Macedonia.


1991–92 Yugoslav First League
During the course of the season, first Macedonia, and then Bosnia and Herzegovina also declared independence from Yugoslavia, and the Bosnian War started. Because of that, Željezničar Sarajevo missed the second half of the season, and three more Bosnian teams (Sarajevo, Sloboda Tuzla, and Velež Mostar) left the competition six rounds before its completion. Remaining Bosnian team (Borac Banja Luka) and two Macedonian teams played the whole season.


1991–92 Yugoslav First League
After the season was concluded, Macedonian teams left the competition to join the newly created Macedonian First League. Three ethnic football leagues were created in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the next season: first, the Croats formed the First League of Herzeg-Bosnia, then the Bosniaks formed the Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina which later became the UEFA recognized competition. Lastly, the Serbs formed the First League of the Republika Srpska.


1991–92 Yugoslav First League
Thus, the following 1992–93 season of the Yugoslav First League was played by teams from SR Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and one Bosnian team – Borac Banja Luka which played its home games in Belgrade. Because of the large numbers of teams leaving the league, seven new teams were promoted to the first league for 1992–93 season, all from Serbia and Montenegro: Napredak Kruševac, Hajduk Kula, Bečej, Mogren Budva, Kikinda, Radnički Novi Beograd, and FK Pristina.


1991–92 Yugoslav Second League
The Second League of Yugoslavia's 1991/1992 season was the last in which teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia participated, as well as the last of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in general as the Second League of FR Yugoslavia was established the following season. In 1992 these republics declared their independence from Yugoslavia. The clubs from Croatia and Slovenia were already playing their first seasons as separate nations.


1991–92 Yugoslav Second League, Season overview
FK Bečej was the league champion with 49 points, and together with FK Hajduk Kula, FK Radnički Beograd, FK Mogren, OFK Kikinda, FK Priština and FK Napredak Kruševac getting the promotion to the 1992–93 First League of FR Yugoslavia.


1991–92 Yugoslav Second League, Season overview
FK Sloboda Užice, FK Radnički Kragujevac, FK Mačva Šabac, FK Borac Čačak, FK Vrbas, FK Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje and FK Bor booked their places in next seasons 1992–93 Second League of FR Yugoslavia.


1991–92 Yugoslav Second League, Season overview
FK Teteks, that finished 12 and would eventually have maintained their status, along with eventually relegated FK Balkan Skopje, became members of the 1992–93 First Macedonian Football League in next season. The rest of the clubs that would eventually be relegated were all from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all left the Yugoslav league system.


1991–92 ice hockey Bundesliga season
The 1991–92 ice hockey Bundesliga season was the 34th season of the Ice hockey Bundesliga, the top level of ice hockey in Germany. 12 teams participated in the league, and Düsseldorfer EG won the championship.


1991–92 in Argentine football
The 1991–1992 season in Argentina saw River Plate win the Apertura championship and Newell's Old Boys win the Clausura championship. In the international competitions Newell's were runners up in the Copa Libertadores and River Plate were runners up in the Supercopa Sudamericana.


1991–92 in Argentine football, Qualification for Copa Libertadores 1993, Octagonal tournament
Teams highlighted in light blue qualified for the Octagonal tournament.


1991–92 in English football
The 1991–92 season was the 112th season of competitive football in England.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, First Division
The last league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed, Gary McAllister and Eric Cantona. After runners-up Manchester United came newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, First Division
Defending champions Arsenal slipped to fourth place and were never a serious threat to retain their title. The previous season's runners-up Liverpool dropped to sixth, below Manchester City, in their first full season under the management of Graeme Souness. It was Liverpool's first finish outside the top two since 1981.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, First Division
Newly promoted West Ham United were relegated in bottom place, with another newly promoted side – Notts County – following days later. The last day of the season saw Luton Town lose their top flight status after ten seasons.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, Second Division
John Lyall took Ipswich Town back to the First Division after a six-year absence. The Suffolk club were followed by runners-up Middlesbrough, but it was play-off winners Blackburn Rovers whose promotion made the biggest headlines. Bankrolled by millionaire chairman Jack Walker and managed by former Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish, Rovers beat Leicester City 1–0 in the play-off final to end a 26-year absence from the top flight.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, Second Division
The Second Division relegation places were occupied by Port Vale, Plymouth Argyle and Brighton & Hove Albion. Brighton had been losing finalists in the play-offs just twelve months before going down, but their fortunes had been ruined by financial problems and the loss of striker Mike Small to West Ham United in the 1991 close season.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, Third Division
New manager Phil Holder guided Brentford to a surprise Third Division championship success, while Terry Cooper's Birmingham City occupied the runners-up spot. The play-offs were won by Chris Turner's Peterborough United.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, Third Division
The Third Division relegation zone was occupied by Shrewsbury Town, Bury, Torquay United and Darlington.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, Fourth Division
Burnley won the Fourth Division title and became the second team, after Wolverhampton Wanderers, to have been the champions of all four divisions of the Football League. Also going up were Rotherham United, Mansfield Town and play-off winners Blackpool.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, Fourth Division
On 25 March 1992, Aldershot were declared bankrupt and obliged to resign from the Football League following a long battle to stay afloat – their record was expunged. Carlisle United finished bottom, but there was no relegation from the league in the 1991-92 season. Conference champions Colchester United returned to the league after a two-year absence.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, FA Cup
Liverpool's Graeme Souness compensated for a disappointing season in the league by winning the FA Cup. They beat Second Division underdogs Sunderland 2–0 in the final.


1991–92 in English football, Overview, League Cup
Manchester United missed out on the league title but achieved success in the League Cup with a 1–0 triumph against Nottingham Forest in the final.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
This was the last season of the Football League First Division as the top division of English football before the creation of the FA Premier League.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
Leeds United and Manchester United fought a fierce duel for the title, with the leadership changing several times, before Leeds finally clinched the title. A key factor in their success was the new year arrival of French forward Eric Cantona, while a key factor in United's downfall was a shortage of goals in the second half of the season where they dropped points against several teams they had been widely expected to beat. Consolation for the unsuccessful title challenge at Old Trafford came in the shape of Football League Cup glory.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
Sheffield Wednesday's third-place finish was their highest for decades, while defending champions Arsenal finished fourth and suffered an early exit in the European Cup as well as a shock first hurdle exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Wrexham. Manchester City finished fifth for the second season in a row. Liverpool finished sixth but compensated for a disappointing league season by winning the FA Cup in their first full season under the management of Graeme Souness.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
Two young players who made a major impact in the First Division were Ryan Giggs of Manchester United (voted PFA Young Player of the Year) and Steve McManaman of Liverpool.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
FA Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur endured a disappointing season, finishing a lowly 15th in the league, their chances of further success not helped by the season-long absence of Paul Gascoigne through injury. Gascoigne's projected move to Lazio in Italy was finally confirmed at the season's end, when top scorer Gary Lineker followed Gascoigne out of the White Hart Lane exit door to finish his playing days in Japan.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
Newly promoted West Ham United and Notts County went straight back down, joined by a Luton Town side who had enjoyed a memorable 10-year run in the top flight. Coventry City narrowly avoided relegation after a decline in form during the final four months of the season after Terry Butcher was controversially sacked as manager in favour of Don Howe, who himself left in the close season to be replaced by Bobby Gould.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, First Division
Oldham Athletic survived in their first top flight season for nearly 70 years.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Second Division
The Second Division promotion race was an exciting one throughout the season, with the promise of extra wealth for the promoted clubs after the creation of the lucrative new FA Premier League was confirmed. The first team to secure promotion were champions Ipswich Town, who ended their six-year exile from the top flight. The second team to go up were Middlesbrough, who clinched runners-up spot on the final day.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Second Division
The final promotion place went to Blackburn Rovers, who had thrived since the takeover of the club by local millionaire Jack Walker the previous season, his masterstroke coming in the autumn of 1991 when he appointed Kenny Dalglish as manager and allowed him to spend millions on building a promotion winning team. Blackburn had entered the new year looking all set to go up automatically, but a run of bad results meant that they had to win their final game of the season to qualify for the playoffs. They finally won promotion with a Wembley win over Leicester City, who had now played at the famous stadium five times and lost each time.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Second Division
The Second Division promotion race had also seen a few unlikely contenders. Swindon Town, under the management of former England star Glenn Hoddle, had gone top of the table for the first time in their history in October, but an eighth-place finish was not enough for even a place in the playoffs. Southend United, playing at this level for the first time, briefly topped the table on Boxing Day, but eventually wallowed away to a mid table finish.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Second Division
Their brief lead of the table was at the expense of Cambridge United, another side hopeful of a unique third successive promotion, and unlike Southend the East Anglian side remained in the hunt right up to the end of the season, finishing fifth and qualifying for the playoffs, but a heavy defeat to Leicester City in the semi-finals ended their dreams of playing in the new Premier League.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Second Division
Sunderland failed to finish anywhere near the top of the Second Division but enjoyed a remarkable run to the final of the FA Cup, where they lost to Liverpool.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Third Division
Brentford, who had played in the Third and Fourth Divisions for most of the postwar era, clinched the Third Division title to secure a place in the new Division One. They were joined by runners-up Birmingham City, who finally escaped from this division at the third attempt, and playoff winners Peterborough United, who won a second successive promotion to secure second tier football for the very first time.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Third Division
West Bromwich Albion, playing in the Third Division for the first time, were in the promotion race throughout the season but eventually finished seventh to miss out on the playoffs. Bolton Wanderers, who had only missed out on promotion on goal difference a year earlier, could only manage a mid table finish and sacked manager Phil Neal after nearly seven years in charge.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Third Division
Newly promoted Darlington and Torquay United both suffered an instant relegation back to the league's basement division. They went down with Bury, who had been in the playoffs a year earlier, and a Shrewsbury Town side who had been in the Second Division three years earlier.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Fourth Division
Burnley sealed the Fourth Division title to end their seven-year spell in the league's basement division and become only the second team to win all four divisions of the English league. They were joined by newly relegated Rotherham United, Mansfield Town and playoff winners Blackpool.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Fourth Division
After spending several years struggling to stay afloat, Aldershot were declared bankrupt and obliged to resign from the league on 25 March 1992, having played 36 games in the Fourth Division - their record was expunged. Carlisle United finished bottom of the Fourth Division, but there was no relegation from the league this season due to the continued expansion of the Football League, although Colchester United's return to the league after two years would make them its 93rd member rather than its 94th due to the demise of Aldershot.


1991–92 in English football, League tables, Fourth Division
However, there were doubts about the future of Maidstone United, who were struggling with huge debts and low crowds, after they were refused planning permission to build a new stadium on land they had bought in Maidstone. There were also problems with their tenancy of the Watling Street stadium in Dartford, which left them with the threat of being without a stadium for the 1992-93 season.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Premier League gets go-ahead
1991–92 was the last season of the four-division Football League. For 1992–93, the First Division would become the breakaway FA Premier League, and the Football League would contain just three divisions. The new league was seen as the last chance to maintain interest in a sport which had been blighted in recent years by numerous incidents of hooliganism and images of decay at football grounds which had contributed to the Bradford Fire Disaster and the Hillsborough Disaster.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Leeds grab title a decade after relegation
Leeds United won the last-ever league championship after a decade of relegation and before the creation of the FA Premier League, two years after returning to the top flight. Driving force in the title triumph was experienced midfielder Gordon Strachan, who helped Leeds overtake Strachan's former club Manchester United in the title race.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Dalglish makes comeback to deliver promised land to Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers, managed by former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, won promotion to the new F.A Premier League to end a 26-year exile from the top flight of English football. Their triumph was sealed with a 1–0 win over Leicester City in the playoff final, thanks to a penalty from Mike Newell – a former Leicester striker.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Aldershot go bust
Aldershot, who had been plagued with financial problems for two years, finally went out of business on 25 March. Their Fourth Division record was expunged and their place in the Football League was taken over by Colchester United for the 1992–93 season. A new club Aldershot Town was formed almost immediately, and joined the Third Division of the Isthmian League for the following season.


1991–92 in English football, Events, League Cup win at last for United
Manchester United won the League Cup for the first time in their history after Brian McClair scored the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest at Wembley. It was some consolation for their failed title challenge.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Souness delivers Cup glory for Reds
Liverpool won the FA Cup for the fifth time in their first full season under the management of Graeme Souness, beating Second Division underdogs Sunderland 2–0 in the final at Wembley. Ian Rush set a new record for scoring in FA Cup Finals at Wembley with his 5th goal.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Burnley enter the history books
Burnley won the last Fourth Division championship to join Wolves as only the second English team to have been champions of all four divisions of the English league. It was Burnley's first successful season after a period of misery which had almost seen them relegated to the Conference in 1987.


1991–92 in English football, Events, The Owls make an impressive comeback
Newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday finished third in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup, confounding suggestions that 37-year-old player-manager Trevor Francis was too inexperienced to keep the Owls in the top flight.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Euro final returns to Wembley
Wembley hosted the European Cup final for the first time in 14 years. Barcelona of Spain beat Sampdoria of Italy 1–0.


1991–92 in English football, Events, Keegan rescues Newcastle
Newcastle United sacked manager Ossie Ardiles, just 36 hours after he was told by chairman John Hall that his job was safe. Hall appointed former striker Kevin Keegan as manager in hope of staving off relegation from the Second Division – and he succeeded.


1991–92 in English football, Awards
In his last season at Tottenham Hotspur before joining Nagoya Grampus Eight of Japan, Gary Lineker was voted FWA Footballer of the Year after scoring 35 goals in all competitions during the 1991–92 season.


1991–92 in English football, Awards
The PFA Players' Player of the Year award went to Manchester United's central defender Gary Pallister.


1991–92 in English football, Awards
The PFA voted Manchester United's 18-year-old winger Ryan Giggs as Young Player of the Year, ahead of Steve McManaman, Nick Barmby and Giggs' United teammate, Lee Sharpe. Like Pallister, Giggs also picked up a League Cup winner's medal, but just missed out on the league title.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson brought the league championship trophy to Elland Road just two seasons after they gained promotion to the First Division.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Manchester United's Alex Ferguson added another trophy to the Old Trafford boardroom, this time the club's first-ever League Cup.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Graeme Souness marked his first full season as Liverpool manager with an FA Cup triumph.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Trevor Francis had a successful first season as player-manager of Sheffield Wednesday, who finished third in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup to end a 28-year absence from European competitions.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
John Lyall brought First Division football back to Ipswich Town for the first time since 1985–86.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Kenny Dalglish put together an impressive squad to win promotion to the new FA Premier League for fallen giant Blackburn Rovers.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Brian Little transformed Leicester City from relegation candidates the previous season into promotion contenders, reaching the play-off final in his first season in charge.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Phil Holder had a successful first season in management by winning the Third Division title with Brentford.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Chris Turner guided Peterborough United to a second successive promotion as they won the Third Division playoffs to claim a place in the second tier of the English league for the first time in their history.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Jimmy Mullen won the last-ever Fourth Division title with Burnley, who joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in the distinction of having been champions of all four divisions of the English league.


1991–92 in English football, Successful managers
Roy McDonough steered Colchester United to title success in the Conference to return the club to the Football League after a two-year exile.


1991–92 in English football, Famous debutants
29 January 1992: Ray Parlour, 18-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Arsenal in their 2–0 league defeat against Liverpool.


1991–92 in English football, Famous debutants
2 May 1992: Eddie Newton, 20-year-old midfielder, comes on and scores as a substitute on his debut for Chelsea in the final game of the league season as they lose 2–1 to Everton.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
3 July 1991 - After a year in Spain with Real Sociedad, former Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson returns to England in a £1.6million move to Aston Villa. Mike Milligan ends his year-long spell at Everton and returns to Oldham Athletic for £600,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
8 July 1991 - Chelsea pay Celtic £1.4million for defender Paul Elliott.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
9 July 1991 - Leeds United sign striker Rod Wallace from Southampton for £1.6million and defender Tony Dorigo from Chelsea for £1.3million.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
10 July 1991 - Lennie Lawrence ends nine years as manager of Charlton Athletic to become the new manager of Middlesbrough in place of Colin Todd. Charlton in turn announce that coaches Alan Curbishley and Steve Gritt will replace Lawrence as a co-managerial team. Everton striker Graeme Sharp ends 11 years at the club to sign for Oldham Athletic in a £500,000 deal, with Paul Warhurst heading out of Boundary Park in a £750,000 move to Sheffield Wednesday.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 July 1991 – Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge returns to England in a £250,000 move to Tranmere Rovers, becoming their record signing after spending two years in Spain with Real Sociedad.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
12 July 1991 – Ron Atkinson looks to the future when he signs 18-year-old defender Ugo Ehiogu for Aston Villa from West Bromwich Albion for £40,000. Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Peter Shreeves leaves Watford to return to White Hart Lane as a coach, having worked at Vicarage Road on the coaching staff of former Tottenham player Steve Perryman.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
15 July 1991 – Mark Wright moves from Derby County to Liverpool for £2.2million. Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel joins Manchester United for £550,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
19 July 1991 – Liverpool break the national transfer record by paying Derby County £2.9million for striker Dean Saunders.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
20 July 1991 – Aston Villa sell David Platt to A.S. Bari of Italy for £6.5million – the most expensive fee for a British player, and more than double the latest record paid by a British club.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
23 July 1991 – Nottingham Forest pay a club record £2million for Millwall striker Teddy Sheringham, who was the Football League's top goalscorer last season. Amstrad computer tycoon Alan Sugar joins forces with Tottenham Hotspur manager Terry Venables to take the club over; Venables becomes chief executive and hands over management of the first team to Peter Shreeves, who only returned to the club as a coach eleven days ago.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
25 July 1991 – 37-year-old midfielder Jimmy Case moves from Southampton on a free transfer to AFC Bournemouth, who sell defender Shaun Teale to Aston Villa for £300,000. Second Division Middlesbrough sign striker Paul Wilkinson from Watford for £500,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
26 July 1991 - Joe Royle further boosts Oldham Athletic's squad, ready for their first top flight season in almost 70 years, with a £400,000 move for Coventry City captain Brian Kilcline.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
30 July 1991 - The Football Association wins High Court approval, ahead of the Football League, to launch the new Premier League from next season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
31 July 1991 – Coventry City pay £130,000 for 22-year-old striker Paul Furlong from Isthmian League side Enfield.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
1 August 1991 – Liverpool sell Peter Beardsley to Everton for £1million. Tottenham Hotspur defender Mitchell Thomas moves to West Ham for £500,000, and announce that injured midfielder Paul Gascoigne is set to move to Italian club Lazio at the end of the season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
6 August 1991 – Keith Curle becomes the most expensive defender in Britain when he joins Manchester City from Wimbledon for £2.5million. Kevin Richardson becomes the third player to leave Real Sociedad for an English club this summer when he is sold to Aston Villa for £450,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 August 1991 – Liverpool sell Steve Staunton to Aston Villa for £1.1million. Terry Cooper resigns as manager of Third Division club Exeter City and is replaced by Alan Ball.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
9 August 1991 - Within 48 hours of leaving Exeter City, Terry Cooper is named as the new Birmingham City manager.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
10 August 1991 - League champions Arsenal and FA Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur share the FA Charity Shield with a goalless draw at Wembley.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
13 August 1991 – Mark Walters follows his former Rangers manager Graeme Souness to Liverpool in a £1.25million deal. Don Howe's brief return to Wimbledon's coaching staff ends when he announces his decision to leave the club with immediate effect, in response to manager Ray Harford's decision to resign from the club within the next six months. West Ham United prepare for their First Division comeback by signing striker Mike Small from Brighton & Hove Albion for £400,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
15 August 1991 – Sheffield Wednesday pay a club record £1.2million for Rangers and England goalkeeper Chris Woods, while Liverpool sell defender Gary Gillespie to Celtic for £925,000 and Everton's Stuart McCall heads to Rangers for £1.2million. England winger Trevor Steven, formerly of Everton, becomes the most expensive English footballer in a £5million move to French league champions Marseille, where he will play alongside fellow England international Chris Waddle.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
16 August 1991 – Tottenham Hotspur pay a club record £2.2million for Chelsea and Scotland striker Gordon Durie, while Coventry City pay a tiny fraction of that fee when signing Zimbabwean striker Peter Ndlovu from Highlanders for £10,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
17 August 1991 – The Football League season begins. Arsenal begin their defence of the First Division title with a 1–1 home draw against Queens Park Rangers. Manchester United beat newly promoted Notts County 2–0 at Old Trafford. New Aston Villa Ron Atkinson begins his spell in charge at Villa Park with a 3-2 away win over his old club Sheffield Wednesday. Tottenham Hotspur's new head coach Peter Shreeves begins his second spell in charge with a 3-2 win at Southampton. Oldham Athletic lose 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield in their first top flight game for 68 years.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Barnet begin their Football League career with a 7-4 home defeat by Crewe Alexandra in the Fourth Division.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
19 August 1991 – Cardiff City pay a Fourth Division record fee of £100,000 for Chester City striker Carl Dale.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
21 August 1991 – 19-year-old midfielder Steve McManaman scores his first goal for Liverpool in a 2–1 defeat against Manchester City at Maine Road.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
22 August 1991 - Charlton Athletic announce that they will stay at Upton Park until at least January owing to delays on the renovation of The Valley, where they last played in September 1985.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
28 August 1991 – Leeds United win 4–0 at Southampton in the league, with Gary Speed and Gordon Strachan both scoring twice from midfield.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
29 August 1991 - Ian Porterfield boosts the Chelsea midfield with a £575,000 move for Sheffield United's Vinnie Jones.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
30 August 1991 – Former Tottenham Hotspur full-back Cyril Knowles dies of cancer aged 47. Three months ago he retired as manager of Hartlepool United shortly after taking them to promotion to the Third Division.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
31 August 1991 – August draws to a close with Manchester United top of the First Division with 11 points from their first five games. Liverpool, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur occupy the next four places, while winless Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town occupy the bottom three places in the top flight. Carlton Palmer becomes the unlikely first scorer of a hat-trick in this season's First Division, finding the net three times in a 4-1 home win for Sheffield Wednesday over QPR. Ipswich Town lead the way in the Second Division, with Bristol City second. The playoff zone is occupied by Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City. Nottingham Forest sign winger Kingsley Black from Luton Town for £1.5million.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
2 September 1991 – Don Mackay becomes the first managerial casualty of the season when he is sacked by Blackburn Rovers after more than four years in charge. Coach Tony Parkes is appointed caretaker manager. Within hours of his dismissal, Graham Carr resigns from Fourth Division side Maidstone United (deep in debt and reportedly at threat of closure in only their third season as a Football League club) after eight months at the helm, with the club's general manager, Bill Williams taking over as first-team manager for the third time in his career.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 September 1991 – 17-year-old winger Ryan Giggs scores his first league goal of the season in Manchester United's 3–0 home win over Norwich City. A mere 3,231 fans watch Wimbledon's home game against Luton Town - the lowest postwar attendance at a First Division game.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 September 1991 - A year into his reign as England manager, Graham Taylor sees the national side lose for the first time when they go down 1-0 to a reunified Germany side in a friendly at Wembley.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
14 September 1991 – Arsenal beat a Crystal Palace side containing their transfer target Ian Wright 4–1 in the league at Selhurst Park. Kevin Campbell scores twice.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
16 September 1991 - Nigel Jemson, the striker whose goal won the League Cup for Nottingham Forest 17 months ago, moves to Sheffield Wednesday for £800,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
18 September 1991 – Dean Saunders becomes the first player to score four goals in a European game for Liverpool as they defeat Kuusysi Lahti 6–1 at Anfield in the UEFA Cup first round first leg. Alan Smith of Arsenal also scores four in a 6-1 European win - at home to Austria Vienna in the European Cup first round first leg. There is misery for Liverpool, however, as John Barnes suffers an achilles injury and is ruled out until the new year.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
20 September 1991 – Tottenham Hotspur defender Terry Fenwick, 31, is sentenced to four months in prison for drink-driving.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
21 September 1991 - First Division leaders Manchester United beat struggling Luton Town 5-0 at Old Trafford, with Brian McClair and Mark Hughes both scoring twice. Peter Beardsley scores a hat-trick in Everton's 3-0 home win over Coventry, and Gary Lineker scores four goals in Tottenham's 5-3 away win over Wimbledon.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
23 September 1991 – Arsenal pay a club record £2.5million for Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright. Palace manager Steve Coppell uses the windfall from the transfer to pay Palace's record fee of £1.8million for Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
25 September 1981 - Ian Wright scores on his Arsenal debut in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Filbert Street in the second round first leg of the Football League Cup.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
28 September 1991 - Ian Wright scores a hat-trick on his league debut for Arsenal in a 4-0 win at Southampton.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
30 September 1991 – Manchester United lead the First Division by six points from Leeds United at the end of September. Sheffield United are bottom of the table, with only one league win from eleven games. The Second Division is being led by a thriving Middlesbrough side in their first season under the management of Lennie Lawrence. Ipswich Town occupy second place. Swindon Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Cambridge United occupy the playoff zone.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
1 October 1991 - Leeds United suffer their first league defeat of the season when they are beaten 1–0 at Selhurst Park by Crystal Palace.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
3 October 1991 - John McGrath, the former Preston North End manager, becomes Halifax Town's 23rd manager in 45 years as successor to Jim McCalliog.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 October 1991 – Liverpool sign 19-year-old Welsh-born right back Rob Jones from Fourth Division Crewe Alexandra for £300,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
5 October 1991 – Leeds United get their title challenge back on track with a 4–3 home win over struggling Sheffield United, although they are still three points behind leaders Manchester United, who have two games in hand. Steve Hodge and Mel Sterland both score twice. Luton Town's struggles continue when they lost 4-0 at Aston Villa in a welcome victory for Ron Atkinson's team after a slow start to his first season in charge. Sheffield Wednesday move fourth with a 4-1 home win over Crystal Palace.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Terry Butcher, at 32 the youngest manager in the league, has got off to a good start to his second season as manager of Coventry City, who occupy fifth place after a 1-0 win at West Ham.Tony Cottee becomes Everton's second hat-trick scorer of the league campaign, scoring all three goals in a 3-1 home win over Tottenham.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
6 October 1991 - Rob Jones makes his debut for Liverpool in a goalless draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mark Hughes is sent off for the hosts and Gary Ablett is sent off for the visitors.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 October 1991 – Ray Harford leaves Wimbledon and is replaced by Aston Villa's reserve team coach Peter Withe.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
8 October 1991 – John Impey, who won promotion to the Third Division with Torquay United just weeks after his appointment as manager last season, is sacked after six months in the job after his side lost seven out of eight games in the league. 28-year-old player Wes Saunders is appointed caretaker manager – making him the youngest manager in the Football League. Winger Jimmy Carter moves from Liverpool to Arsenal for £500,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
12 October 1991 – Kenny Dalglish, who has recently returned to management with Second Division Blackburn Rovers, eight months after leaving Liverpool, has a dream start with his new team, who crush struggling Plymouth Argyle 5–2 and stand fourth in the league. Middlesbrough remain top despite being held to a goalless draw at home by seventh-placed Wolves. Ipswich, second in the table, are held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton at the Goldstone Ground. Cambridge United are third after an impressive 3-0 home win over Sunderland.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
16 October 1991 – England beat Turkey 1–0 at Wembley in their penultimate 1992 European Championship qualifying game. Wales lose 4-1 to Germany in a game in which Dean Saunders is sent off and Ryan Giggs, still not 18 until the end of next month, becomes their youngest full international.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
17 October 1991 – Everton buy 20-year-old defender Matt Jackson from Luton Town for £600,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
19 October 1991 – Arsenal's four-match winning run in the league ends with a 1–1 draw against leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford. Second placed Leeds cut the gap at the top to two points with a 4-2 win at Notts County, although Alex Ferguson's men still have a game in hand. Liverpool's relatively short start to the season continues with a 2-2 draw at Chelsea and they still only occupy 10th place, although they have played fewer games than any of the teams above them. Sheffield United remain bottom despite a 4-2 home win over Nottingham Forest, only their second win in the league this season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
21 October 1991 - Fourth Division strugglers York City dismiss manager John Bird after winning just 2 of their first 11 games.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
24 October 1991 – Justin Fashanu signs a trial contract with Newcastle United, who are battling against relegation from the Second Division. Kenny Dalglish makes his first signing for Blackburn Rovers, signing defender Alan Wright from Blackpool F.C. for £500,000 - a record fee for a Fourth Division player.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
26 October 1991 – The last unbeaten start in the First Division ends when Manchester United lose their 13th game of the season 3–2 at Sheffield Wednesday. They also surrender their leadership of the First Division, which is taken by Leeds United after their 1-0 win over Oldham Athletic - the first time that Leeds have led the English league since they won the league title in Don Revie's last season as manager in 1974.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Arsenal keep their hopes of retaining the league title on track with a 2-0 home win over Notts County, who are now just one place above the relegation zone after their fine start to the season gave way to a run of bad results. Manchester City are third in the league and four points off the top of the table after a 3-2 home win over Sheffield United.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
29 October 1991 - York City appoint John Ward as their new manager. The club had initially been set to appoint Billy McEwan as successor to John Bird, but a dispute over wages and the personal recommendation of England manager Graham Taylor resulted in outgoing City chairman Michael Sinclair appointing Ward in his last major decision before handing his own role over to Douglas Craig.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
31 October 1991 – The Second Division promotion race is still led by Middlesbrough, but second place is now occupied by a Cambridge United side in the hunt for a unique third successive promotion. The play-off zone is occupied by Charlton Athletic, Swindon Town, Ipswich Town and Derby County.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
2 November 1991 – Billy Bremner is sacked as manager of Fourth Division strugglers Doncaster Rovers, who are kept off the bottom of the Football League only by an Aldershot side in massive financial turmoil. The club's youth coach, Steve Beaglehole replaces Bremner as manager. Manchester United regain their lead of the First Division with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United, who are still bottom of the table. Leeds are held to a goalless draw by Wimbledon, which means that Alex Ferguson's team are now leading the league by a single point and having a game in hand. Liverpool's erratic form continues with a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, while Manchester City maintain their title push with a 3-0 away win over struggling Southampton, whose 21-year-old striker Alan Shearer is now being strongly linked with a move to the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 November 1991 - Bryan Robson announces his retirement from international football after 90 full caps for England since 1980.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
5 November 1991 – Benfica, the Portuguese champions, join the race to sign Paul Gascoigne and table a £6million bid for him.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
6 November 1991 - Arsenal's European Cup quest is ended by Benfica. Manchester United's defence of the European Cup Winners' Cup ends with defeat by Atlético Madrid.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
8 November 1991 – Kenny Dalglish's spending spree at Blackburn Rovers begins with a £700,000 move to bring defender Colin Hendry back to the club from Manchester City.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
9 November 1991 – Cambridge United move to the top of the Second Division for the first time in their history after beating Ipswich Town 2-1, putting themselves on course for a unique third successive promotion.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 November 1991 - Aldershot manager Brian Talbot resigns with the club well adrift at the bottom of the Fourth Division. With the club in no position to pay for a new manager, team captain Ian McDonald is appointed as player-manager for the rest of the season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
12 November 1991 – First Division strugglers Notts County pay a club record £750,000 for Sheffield United striker Tony Agana.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
13 November 1991 – England secure qualification for the European Championship Finals by drawing 1–1 with Poland in Poznań.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
14 November 1991 - Blackburn Rovers pay a club record £1.1million for Everton striker Mike Newell. The Football Association confirms that the Premier League will open next season with 22 clubs.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
16 November 1991 – The Manchester derby ends in a goalless draw at Maine Road. Leeds go top of the First division with a 2-0 home win over QPR. Aston Villa move into fourth place with a 1-0 home win over Notts County.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
17 November 1991 – Gary Lineker announces that he will retire from international football after the European Championships. The first top flight Steel City derby for almost a quarter of a century sees Sheffield United beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at Bramall Lane.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
18 November 1991 – Everton sign Rangers striker Mo Johnston for £1.5million.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
20 November 1991 – Gary Lineker agrees to join Nagoya Grampus Eight of Japan for £1million on a two-year contract at the end of the season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
23 November 1991 – Justin Fashanu signs for Torquay United as manager Wes Saunders looks to boost his side's hopes of Third Division survival. In the First Division, Manchester United regain their lead with a 2-1 home win over West Ham United. Manchester City's title hopes are dented with a 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Luton Town, who have won just two of their first 17 league games.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
24 November 1991 - Leeds regain their lead of the First Division with a 4-1 away win over Aston Villa.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
26 November 1991 - The first penalty shoot-out in FA Cup history sees Rotherham United eliminate Scunthorpe United after both Fourth Division clubs draw 3–3 in their first round replay.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
28 November 1991 – Gordon Cowans leaves Aston Villa for the second time, this time signing for Blackburn Rovers in a £200,000 deal. His place in the Villa midfield is filled by Garry Parker from Nottingham Forest for £650,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
30 November 1991 – Leeds United remain First Division leaders, with Manchester United still one point behind and with a game in hand. Third-placed Manchester City are eight points adrift of top place. Sheffield United, meanwhile, have climbed away from bottom place, and are now just one place and two points adrift of safety, ahead of Luton Town and Southampton. Cambridge United remain top of the Second Division, with Middlesbrough in second place. Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Leicester City occupy the play-off places.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Both of the top two First Division side win today, Leeds beating Everton 1-0 at home at Manchester United beating Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park. Down in the Second Division, Cambridge United are still top after three weeks, one point ahead of second placed Middlesbrough and third placed Derby County. Middlesbrough missed the chance to go top with their 2-1 defeat at fourth placed Blackburn. Leicester City have broken into the Second Division playoff zone after a 2-1 win over Derby at the Baseball Ground. Newcastle United, among the pre-season promotion favourites, have made a dismal start to the season and are now 17th in the Second Division, having lost 3-0 at Barnsley.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
3 December 1991 – Liverpool suffer a shock fourth round exit from the League Cup to Third Division Peterborough United, who beat them 1–0 at London Road.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 December 1991 – Ossie Ardiles pays Leicester City £250,000 to bring Irish international striker David Kelly to Newcastle United.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
5 December 1991 - Sunderland pay a club record £900,000 for West Bromwich Albion striker Don Goodman.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
6 December 1991 – Chelsea sign striker Clive Allen from Manchester City for £250,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 December 1991 - Leeds retain their lead of the First Division with a 2-0 win at Luton, with Manchester United keeping up the pressure with a 4-0 home win over Coventry City, who have slumped to 15th place in the table. Sheffield Wednesday climb into third place with a 3-0 home win over Chelsea. Manchester City's title challenge is fading fast with a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa. Liverpool's frustrating season continues with a 1-1 draw at Southampton, restricting them to 10th place.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
9 December 1991 - Bill Fox, president of the Football League and chairman of Blackburn Rovers, dies after a short illness at the age of 63. Former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Frank Stapleton moves into management as player-manager of Third Division side Bradford City.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 December 1991 – Millwall receive the go-ahead to relocate to a new 20,000-seat stadium at Bermondsey. Construction work is expected to begin within the next few months and chairman Reg Burr is hoping to have his team playing in their new stadium for the 1993–94 season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
13 December 1991 - Liverpool pay Arsenal £1.5million for midfielder Michael Thomas, the player whose last minute goal deprived them of the league title in 1989.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
14 December 1991 - Leeds drop two points in the league when Tottenham hold them to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road. Former Everton player Joe Royle hosts his former club for the first time as Oldham manager, and the newly promoted Latics hold their opponents to a 2-2 draw at Boundary Park. Blackburn go top of the Second Division for the first time this season with a 3-0 home win over Bristol Rovers.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
15 December 1991 - In the only Football League action of the day, Manchester United return to the top of the First Division with a 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
18 December 1991 - Liverpool climb into fourth place in the league with a 2-1 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
20 December 1991 - Luton Town achieve only their third league win of the season by beating Coventry 1-0 at Kenilworth Road. Southampton, second from bottom in the First Division, manage a 1-1 draw at home to Notts County, who have now fallen into the relegation zone. Newcastle United's woes continue with a 2-0 defeat at Plymouth Argyle, who climb out of the Second Division drop zone.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
21 December 1991 – Ian Wright scores all four of Arsenal's goals as they beat Everton 4–2 in the league at Highbury. Chelsea defeat Oldham Athletic by the same scoreline at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool and Manchester City draw 2-2 at Anfield. QPR's upturn continues with a 1-0 at Norwich lifting them four positions into 13th place. Sheffield Wednesday keep up the pressure on the top two with a 2-0 home win over Wimbledon. Down in the Second Division, an exciting encounter at the Goldstone Ground sees Millwall beat Brighton 4-3, with the home side now battling against relegation just months after being in the playoff final and on the brink of the First Division. Wolves are just two points above the relegation zone.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
22 December 1991 - Cambridge United miss out on the chance to regain their surprise lead of the Second Division when they are held to a 1-1 draw at Southend United, who occupy an impressive fifth place in the league halfway through their first season in the Second Division.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
23 December 1991 – Manchester City pay Liverpool £900,000 for Steve McMahon.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
26 December 1991 – Southend United take over at the top of the Second Division in their first season at this level, but within hours are displaced by Blackburn Rovers. In the First Division, Manchester United defeat Oldham Athletic 6–3 at Boundary Park, Leeds United are held 3–3 at home by Southampton, and Arsenal lose 1–0 at struggling Luton Town. Other exciting Boxing Day action includes a 3-1 home win for Aston Villa over West Ham United and Coventry's 3-0 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. In the Second Division, Watford climb clear of the relegation zone with an impressive 4-0 win at Millwall.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
28 December 1991 - The Merseyside derby ends in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park. Luton Town's survival hopes are given a major boost when they beat Chelsea 2-0 at Kenilworth Road. Defending champions Arsenal are now seventh in the league and 15 points behind leaders Manchester United after they lose 1-0 to Manchester City at Maine Road. Notts County move clear of the drop zone with a 3-0 win over West Ham, which pushes the East Londoners into the bottom three. Blackburn fall off the top of the Second Division with a 2-1 defeat at third place Ipswich. Portsmouth close in on the playoff places by beating Middlesbrough 4-0 at Fratton Park. Bottom club Oxford United boost their survival hopes with a 3-0 home win over Sunderland.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
29 December 1991 – Manchester United remain top of the First Division with a 1–1 draw at home to their nearest rivals Leeds United, who have now drawn four league games in a row.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
30 December 1991 – Denis Smith is sacked after nearly five years at Sunderland. Malcolm Crosby takes over as caretaker manager.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
31 December 1991 – The year draws to a close with Manchester United top of the table by two points and with two games in hand over second-placed Leeds United. Their closest challengers, Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City, are nine points behind the leaders. The relegation zone is occupied by Southampton, West Ham United and Luton Town. In the Second Division, Cambridge United have restored their lead at the top, level on points with Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough. Southend United and Leicester City, just one point behind them, complete the top six.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
1 January 1992 – Manchester United suffer a shock 4–1 home defeat by Queens Park Rangers, with Dennis Bailey scoring a hat-trick. Leeds United overtake them at the top of the First Division with a 3–1 away win over relegation-threatened West Ham United. The Second Division promotion race sees Blackburn regain their lead with a 2-1 home win over Cambridge United, who drop to sixth in the league.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Southend maintain their promotion challenge with a 4-0 home win over Newcastle, who are now just one point clear of the drop zone and faced with the prospect of third tier football for the first time in their history. Wolves continue their climb up the table with a 2-0 win at Grimsby, while Portsmouth's promotion hopes are hit by a 3-2 defeat at Plymouth, whose three points help them stay clear of the drop zone. Gary Lineker receives an OBE and Tom Finney an MBE in the New Year's Honours.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
2 January 1992 - Maidstone United manager Bill Williams admits defeat in his attempt to revive the club's fortunes and reverts to his previous position as general manager. Williams' assistant Clive Walker is left with the task of turning things around for the club, who are kept off the foot of the table only by the shockingly awful seasons being experienced by Aldershot and Doncaster Rovers.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 January 1992 – Arsenal, defending league champions, lose 2–1 at Wrexham, who finished bottom of the Fourth Division last season, in the FA Cup third round. Non -league Farnborough Town hold West Ham United to a 1-1 draw at Upton Park, while Crystal Palace are beaten 1-0 by Leicester City.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
6 January 1992 – Terry Butcher, at 33 the youngest manager in the First Division, is sacked by Coventry City and replaced by his 56-year-old assistant Don Howe.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
10 January 1992 – Notts County sell Paul Rideout to Rangers for £500,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 January 1992 - Defender Gary Ablett makes the move across Stanley Park to join Everton from Liverpool for £750,000, on the same day that his new club loses 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford, with an Andrei Kanchelskis goal taking Alex Ferguson's team back to the top of the league. Liverpool's improvement continues as a 2-1 home win over Luton Town takes them into third place, sending the visitors back into the relegation zone, while Sheffield United climb out with a 4-2 away win over bottom club Southampton.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Coventry draw 2-2 at home with QPR in their first match under the management of Don Howe. Second Division leaders Blackburn beat Bristol City 4-0 at Ewood Park. Brighton keep their survival bid on track with a 3-1 home win over Barnsley. A mid-table clash at Roker Park sees Sunderland beat Millwall 6-2 with Don Goodman scoring a hat-trick. Newcastle have fallen into the relegation zone after being held to a 2-2 draw by Watford at Vicarage Road.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
12 January 1992 – Lee Chapman takes Leeds back to the top of the First Division with a hat-trick against his old club Sheffield Wednesday in a 6–1 win at Hillsborough.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
14 January 1992 - Holders Tottenham Hotspur are knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa in a third round replay. West Ham United struggle to a 1-0 win in their replay against Farnborough Town.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
15 January 1992 - Manchester United defeat Leeds United 1-0 in the FA Cup third round showdown between the leading two teams in the First Division.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
18 January 1992 - Leeds United and Manchester United both drop points, with Crystal Palace holding the hosts to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road and Manchester United being held to a 1-1 draw by Notts County at Meadow Lane. Liverpool continue to recover their league form with a 3-2 win over Oldham at Boundary Park. Newcastle's Second Division campaign continues to go from bad to worse with a 4-3 home defeat to Charlton Athletic, who remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff place, as do a resurgent Wolves with a 3-0 home win over Watford.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
19 January 1992 – Wimbledon sack Peter Withe after three months as manager and replace him with reserve team manager Joe Kinnear.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
22 January 1992 – Bolton Wanderers sign 19-year-old midfielder Jason McAteer from Northern Premier League side Marine. Manchester United regain their lead of the First Division when a Mark Hughes goal gives them a 1-0 home win over Aston Villa.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
25 January 1992 - Aston Villa beat Derby County 4-3 in the FA Cup fourth round at the Baseball Ground. Wrexham hold First Division West Ham United to a 2-2 draw at Upton Park.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
30 January 1992 - Derby County pay a club record £1.2million for striker Marco Gabbiadini, just four months after he joined Crystal Palace.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
31 January 1992 – Manchester United are still top of the First Division as January ends, with a two-point lead over Leeds United and a game in hand. After four straight league wins, Liverpool are third, but remain eight points off top place. Luton Town, Southampton and West Ham United occupy the bottom three places. The Second Division promotion race is being led by Blackburn Rovers, while Southend United's unlikely promotion challenge continues as they occupy second place. Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Cambridge United lie in the play-off zone. French striker Eric Cantona rejects the offer of a contract with Sheffield Wednesday after a trial period.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
1 February 1992 - Frenchman Eric Cantona agrees to join Leeds United on the same day that his new club return to the top of the First Division with a 3-0 home win over Notts County, while Manchester United are held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal at Highbury. Chelsea climb into sixth place with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield. Sheffield United climb into 17th place with a 5-2 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Blackburn remain top of the Second Division with a 2-1 home win over Swindon Town. Southend remain second with a 1-0 home win over Watford, with Ipswich still level on points with them after beating Millwall 3-2 away from home. Wolves beat Leicester 1-0 at home to move within three points on the playoffs.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 February 1992 - Wrexham's FA Cup run ends with a 1–0 defeat at home to West Ham United in their fourth round replay. Manchester United sell out-of-favour goalkeeper Jim Leighton, who has played for the first team just once in the last 18 months, to Dundee for £250,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
5 February 1992 – Swansea City winger Alan Davies, 30, is found dead in his car near his home in South Wales. Davies played for Manchester United in the 1983 FA Cup final, and later played for Newcastle United and Bradford City. Southampton knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup on penalties in a fourth round replay. Teddy Sheringham scores a hat-trick for Nottingham Forest as they beat Crystal Palace 4–2 in the League Cup quarter-final at the City Ground.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
6 February 1992 – Newcastle United, second from bottom in the Second Division, sack manager Ossie Ardiles after 11 months in charge and replace him with former striker Kevin Keegan. Eric Cantona signs for Leeds United from Nîmes Olympique in a £900,000 deal after turning down a contract with Sheffield Wednesday.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 February 1992 – Former Liverpool and England midfielder Terry McDermott is appointed as Kevin Keegan's assistant. Liverpool legend Bob Paisley resigns from the club's board of directors due to ill health, ending a 53-year association with the club.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
8 February 1992 – Kevin Keegan starts his managerial career on a high note as Newcastle beat Bristol City 3–0 at home. Arsenal end a seven-match winless run in the league with a 1–0 win at Notts County, but Leeds United's title bid takes a blow when they suffer a 2–0 defeat at Oldham Athletic, with Manchester United's 1-1 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday being enough to keep them on top. Sheffield United's upturn continues with a 4-2 home win over Manchester City.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Wimbledon beat Aston Villa 2-0 to ensure that they stay clear of the relegation zone and begin their recovery from dismal mid-season form. Blackburn's 3-2 win over Grimsby at Blundell Park ensures that their remain one point ahead at the top of the Second Division, despite second-placed Ipswich's 5-2 home win over Portsmouth. Swindon climb into fourth place with a 2-1 home win over Brighton. Down in the Third Division, a clash between local rivals sees West Bromwich Albion retain their lead of the table with a 3-0 away win over Birmingham City, who stand fourth in the table during their third season at this level.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
9 February 1992 – With the club slipping back into the relegation zone after an initial run of good form under caretaker manager Wes Saunders, Third Division strugglers Torquay United take the bold move of appointing Yugoslav manager Ivan Golac until the end of the season.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
13 February 1992 – Second Division strugglers Plymouth Argyle sack manager David Kemp.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
15 February 1992 – Nottingham Forest thrash Bristol City 4–1 at the City Ground in the FA Cup fifth round. Chelsea beat Sheffield United 1-0 in a match in which Vinnie Jones is booked inside the first ten seconds of play. In the league, Arsenal keep their fading title hopes alive with a 7–1 home win over fellow outsiders Sheffield Wednesday at Highbury.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
19 February 1992 - Alan Shearer scores on his full England debut in a 2-0 friendly win over France at Wembley. Also making his debut are Liverpool's Rob Jones and Everton's Martin Keown.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
20 February 1992 - The Football Association confirms that it will launch the new FA Premier League for next season, contested between the 19 highest-placed teams in this season's final First Division table and the champions, runners-up and playoff winners in the Second Division.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
21 February 1992 - Aston Villa pay a club record £1.7million for Oldham Athletic defender Earl Barrett.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
22 February 1992 - Manchester United open up a four-point lead at the top of the First Division by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 at Old Trafford, with Mark Hughes scoring twice and Peter Schmeichel making a spectacular save from a Simon Rodger shot. Liverpool fall to a 3-0 defeat to Norwich City at Carrow Road.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
23 February 1992 - Leeds are held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at Goodison Park, which means they are still three points behind Manchester United, who have a game in hand.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
26 February 1992 – In a set of high-scoring FA Cup fifth round replays, Southampton beat Bolton Wanderers 3–2 at The Dell, Sunderland beat West Ham United 3–2 at Upton Park, Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 3–2 at Anfield and Portsmouth beat Middlesbrough 4–2 at Ayresome Park.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
28 February 1992 – 20-year-old Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich joins Aston Villa after seven months back in his homeland following his departure from Manchester United. He joins Les Sealey, who joined Villa from Old Trafford last summer, at Villa Park. After a loan spell, Norwich City midfielder Tim Sherwood makes his move to Blackburn Rovers permanent for £500,000. The only league action of the day sees Cambridge United beat Bristol Rovers 6-1 in the Second Division at the Abbey Stadium.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
29 February 1992 – February ends with Manchester United holding a two-point advantage over second placed Leeds United. Southampton, West Ham United and Luton Town remain in the bottom three. Blackburn Rovers still lead the race for a place in the new Premier League, while Ipswich Town are second . The play-off zone is occupied by Cambridge United, Southend United, Middlesbrough and Derby County. In the Third Division, referee Roger Wiseman is assaulted by a spectator during the Birmingham City–Stoke City promotion clash at St Andrew's, which ends in a 1-1 draw and sees Stoke top the Third Division.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
2 March 1992 – Peter Shilton, at 42 the oldest player in the Football League, departs from Derby County after nearly five years to become player-manager of Plymouth Argyle. Birmingham City chairman Samesh Kumar vows to impose life bans on anyone convicted of taking part in the pitch invasion against Stoke City.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 March 1992 - Welsh international midfielder Joey Jones, who plays for Wrexham at club level and turned out for Liverpool earlier in his career, announces his retirement as a player on his 37th birthday.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 March 1992 – Nottingham Forest's hopes of a cup double are ended as they are beaten 1–0 by Portsmouth at Fratton Park in the FA Cup sixth round. In the league, Leeds go top of the First Division with a 3-1 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane, which sends the hosts down to 17th place. Luton climb out of the relegation zone with a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace. QPR beat Manchester City 4-0 at Loftus Road. Wimbledon's resurgence continues with a 2-0 home win over Notts County, who fall into the relegation zone.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
In the Second Division, Blackburn suffer a shock 3-0 away defeat to Bristol Rovers, allowing Ipswich Town to draw level on points with them by beating Watford 1-0 at Vicarage Road. Oxford climb out of the Second Division relegation zone with a dramatic 5-3 win over local rivals Swindon Town at the Manor Ground.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
8 March 1992 - Liverpool's bid for a fifth FA Cup triumph remains on track as they beat Aston Villa 1–0 at Anfield.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
9 March 1992 - Caretaker manager Joe Kinnear is placed in charge of Wimbledon on a permanent basis.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
10 March 1992 - Sunderland hold Chelsea to a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup sixth round. In the top-flight, Arsenal beat Oldham 2–1 while Steve Cherry is Notts' hero at home to Villa: the County custodian saves Steve Staunton's penalty kick in a goalless draw that sees the Nottingham club pull out of the bottom three. In Second Division action, league leaders Blackburn Rovers draw 2–2 with play-off hopefuls Southend United, while Newcastle United win away at high-flying Cambridge United.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 March 1992 – Queens Park Rangers inflict another 4–1 defeat on a title-chasing side, this time Leeds United at Loftus Road. Derby County spend £1.3million on Leicester City striker Paul Kitson, while Manchester City sign Dutch defender Michel Vonk from HVV for £500,000.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
12 March 1992 – Derby County spend another £1.3million on another striker – Tommy Johnson from Notts County - while Arsenal sell 20-year-old striker Andy Cole to Bristol City for £500,000 after a loan spell.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
14 March 1992 – Lee Chapman scores his second hat-trick in just months as Leeds win 5–1 at home to Wimbledon, with Eric Cantona scoring twice to keep the leaders on top. Manchester United beat Sheffield United 2–1 at Bramall Lane, but are two points behind the leaders and have three games in hand. Luton keep out of the drop zone by holding Everton to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Oldham head closer to securing a place in the new Premier League with a 4-3 home win over Notts County, who remain in the drop zone when a victory would have lifted them out of it. Sheffield Wednesday keep their faint title hopes alive with a 2-0 away win over Tottenham, who now occupy a dismal 18th place in the league and are just five points clear of the relegation zone. West Ham remain bottom after losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Blackburn remain top of the Second Division with a 3-0 win over Brighton at the Goldstone Ground, while Newcastle take a big step towards survival with a 3-1 home win over second-placed Ipswich. Cambridge United keep their automatic promotions hopes alive with a 2-1 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate. Portsmouth keep on track for a playoff place with a 6-1 home win over Millwall.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
15 March 1992 - The only league action of the day sees Southampton climb out the drop zone by beating Manchester City 1-0 at Maine Road, with Iain Dowie scoring the only goal of the game.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
18 March 1992 – The FA Cup quarter-final replays see Norwich City beat Southampton 2–1 and Sunderland beat Chelsea 2–1. Bruce Rioch resigns after two years as Millwall manager to be replaced in the manager's seat by 35-year-old defender Mick McCarthy. In the Fourth Division, bottom club Aldershot are wound up in the High Court with debts in excess of £1million, but are given seven days to appeal against the verdict and have been allowed to continue in the Football League. Liverpool's UEFA Cup run ends in a 4–0 aggregate semi-final defeat by Genoa of Italy, who beat them 2–0 in both legs.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
20 March 1992 - Derby County break their transfer record again by signing Notts County striker Tommy Johnson for £1.3million after a loan spell.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
21 March 1992 - Chelsea player Vinnie Jones sets a Football League record by receiving a yellow card after only three seconds of the game against Sheffield United. The game ends in a 2-1 win for the Blades at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham are now 19th in the First Division after a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, although they are four points clear of 20th-placed Luton and have three games in hand. The bottom three of Luton, Notts County and West Ham all drop points.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Darren Beckford scores a hat-trick for Norwich in a 4-3 win over Everton at Carrow Road. Blackburn remain top of the Second Division despite a 2-0 home defeat at home to Charlton Athletic, who climb three places to fifth. Middlesbrough's promotion hopes are boosted by a 4-0 home win over Brighton, who are still in the relegation zone.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
22 March 1992 - In the only league action of the day, leaders Leeds draw 1-1 with Arsenal at Highbury. They currently have a two-point lead over Manchester United, but their nearest rivals still have two games in hand.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
23 March 1992 - Kenny Dalglish takes his Blackburn Rovers spending to £5million in five months with a £750,000 move for Swindon Town striker Duncan Shearer.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
25 March 1992 – Aldershot go out of business and are forced to resign from the Football League. Their resignation disrupts the League's plans to expand to 94 clubs for the following season, and it is announced that rather than promoting a second club from the Football Conference (or relegating the bottom-placed Fourth Division club to restore the League to 92 members), the following two seasons will proceed with a 93-club Football League, with further discussions on league reconstruction to take place for the 1994-95 season. Aldershot's resignation seemingly condemns Doncaster Rovers to the humiliation of finishing in bottom place, as they are now nine points adrift of second-bottom Carlisle United.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
27 March 1992 – Clive Allen's three-month spell at Chelsea ends with a £275,000 move to relegation-threatened West Ham United.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
28 March 1992 - Leeds drop two vital points when they are a held to a goalless draw by bottom club West Ham at Elland Road, but Manchester United also drop points when they are held to a goalless draw at QPR. Gordon Durie scores a hat-trick for Tottenham in their 4-3 home win over Coventry. West Ham are now eight points adrift of safety with nine games left to play. Notts County's survival hopes suffer a major blow with a 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace. Blackburn surrender their lead of the Second Division with a 2-1 defeat at Barnsley, with Ipswich going top as they beat Derby County 2-1.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
29 March 1992 – Newcastle United's Second Division survival bid is given a major boost when they beat local rivals Sunderland 1–0 at home. In the last-ever Full Members Cup final, Nottingham Forest beat Southampton 3-2 after extra time at Wembley, but lose defender Stuart Pearce for the rest of the season with a knee injury.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
31 March 1992 – The month ends with Manchester United still top of the league, now one point ahead of Leeds United and with a game in hand after two Paul Ince goals help them beat Norwich City 3–1 at Carrow Road. Luton Town and West Ham United remain in the relegation zone, and have been joined by Notts County. Four successive wins in March have seen Southampton move five points clear of danger.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
Ipswich Town have displaced Blackburn Rovers at the top of the Second Division, with the play-off zone occupied by Cambridge United, Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Charlton Athletic. Liverpool maintain fourth place in the First Division with a 4-0 home win over Notts County, who are now six points adrift of safety and having play more games than all the other teams in the bottom seven.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
1 April 1992 - Southampton make it five league wins in a row by beating Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. West Ham are now 11 points adrift of safety after losing 3-0 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane, with Gary Lineker scoring a hat-trick. A Second Division promotion crunch game at Filbert Street sees Leicester beat Middlesbrough 2-1.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
2 April 1992 - Wimbledon beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 at Selhurst Park, meaning that they now only need five points from their final six games to be sure of survival and a place in the Premier League.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
3 April 1992 - Northampton Town go into receivership with debts of £1million; the club's administrators sack manager Theo Foley.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
4 April 1992 – Leeds United's title challenge suffers another blow as they lose 4–0 to Manchester City at Maine Road. Luton keep their survival hopes alive with a 2-1 home win over Wimbledon, cutting the gap between themselves and 19th-placed Coventry to five points. Aston Villa manage an impressive 5-2 away win over Tottenham. West Ham are pushed closer to relegation with a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea. Southampton beat QPR 2-1 to make it six league wins a row. Cambridge move back into the Second Division automatic promotion places at the expense of Blackburn by beating Millwall 1-0 at home.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
5 April 1992 – Sunderland beat Norwich City 1–0 to reach their first FA Cup final since 1973, while Portsmouth draw 1–1 after extra time with Liverpool, whose manager Graeme Souness is rushed to hospital just hours after the game to undergo an emergency heart operation.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
7 April 1992 – Ryan Giggs scores against Manchester City in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford for the second season running, but this time United fail to take all the points as their neighbours hold them to a 1–1 draw. With six games left to play, United now have a two-point lead over Leeds and a game in hand. Notts County slide closer to relegation with a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
8 April 1992 - Sheffield Wednesday's title bid is effectively ended when they are held to a goalless draw at Coventry, whose two dropped points are a gift to 20th-placed Luton, who are now six points adrift of Don Howe's team and have a game in hand. Wimbledon climb four places to 10th with a 3-2 win over Liverpool at Anfield, Arsenal win 3-1 over Norwich at Carrow Road, and Southampton's six-match winning run ends with a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. Leicester reach fifth place in the race for places in the new Premier League by beating Sunderland 3-2 at Filbert Street - a result which leaves the FA Cup finalists on the brink of the relegation zone, although they have games in hand over all of the bottom three teams.


1991–92 in English football, Diary of the season
11 April 1992 – Paul Merson scores a hat-trick in Arsenal's 4–1 home win over Crystal Palace. Leeds United beat Chelsea 3–0 to move one point ahead of Manchester United at the top of the league, although Alex Ferguson's men still have two games in hand. Notts County beat Coventry 1-0 to keep their survival hopes alive, but still need at least seven points from their final four games to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.