1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
The 1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1995-96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was head coach Dick Bennett's first season leading the Badgers. The team played its home games in Madison, Wisconsin at the UW Field House. Wisconsin finished the season 17–15, 8–10 in Big Ten play to finish in eighth place. The Badgers returned to the postseason by accepting a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, in which they beat Manhattan before falling to Illinois State in the second round.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Offseason
Head coach Stan Van Gundy was fired on March 14, 1995, after one season that ended in a disappointing 13–14 record. The university announced the hiring of Dick Bennett as the 13th head coach in program history on March 31, 1995. Bennett had compiled a 361-188 (.658) record over 19 collegiate seasons at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Green Bay. Just prior to taking his "dream job" in Madison, Bennett had led UW-Green Bay to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances out of the Mid-Continent Conference and Midwestern Collegiate Conference.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Offseason
Though 6-foot-7 Sam Okey had verbally committed to Van Gundy the previous year, the McDonald's All-American honored his commitment to play in-state for the Badgers. Okey was regarded across the country as a top 15 recruit despite hailing from tiny Cassville (pop. 1,025) in southwest Wisconsin.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary
Wisconsin started the Bennett-era with losses to a pair of top teams at the Maui Invitational, No. 3 Villanova and defending national champion UCLA (No. 4). In the midst of attrition, the Badgers still put together two separate four-game winning streaks during non-conference play, including a home defeat of Temple, 57–54, in overtime.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary
Incumbent point guard Darnell Hoskins started the first nine games, then transferred to his hometown University of Dayton in mid-December with the team's record at 5–4. Freshman Duany Duany suffered a season-ending injury to his right foot during practice the weekend of Thanksgiving and played only two games before taking a medical redshirt. Sophomore guard Sean Mason also suffered a season-ending right knee injury late in a win over No. 21 Michigan, 51–46. In that game, the Badgers held the Wolverines to three second-half field goals to make Bennett the first Wisconsin coach to win his Big Ten opener since Walter "Doc" Meanwell in 1912.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary
The benefits of Bennett's defense-first mentality were evident on other occasions. Wisconsin finished the season 10–1 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points. The Badgers also held Michigan State scoreless for the first 9:38 of the teams' game in Madison.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary
Wisconsin managed to go above .500 in conference play (3–2) for the first time after consecutive wins with only seven scholarship players available. First the Badgers beat No. 11 Iowa, 80–71, on January 13, 1996, behind 23 points from Okey. It was the third of 12 sellouts the team took part in away from Maui. The next game, defense and Mosezell Peterson's 23–11 double-double spurred Wisconsin to the aforementioned 61–48 win over visiting Michigan State.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary
Beyond Okey's all-around brilliance, the emergence of freshman guard Hennssy Auriental eased the loss of Hoskins. After scoring in double figures in nine of 11 contests earlier in the year, Auriental made a game-tying three-pointer with under a minute left to help Wisconsin outlast Minnesota in overtime on January 24, 1996. The Montreal native also hit the game-winning jumper with seven seconds left at Illinois on February 3 to propel the Badgers to a 57–56 win.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary
On February 21, 1996, Northwestern completed a season sweep of the Badgers at the Field House when Geno Carlisle hit for 39 points in a game televised by ESPN. The loss was part of a 2–5 closing stretch that put an NCAA Tournament bid out of reach, despite a buzzer-beater by sophomore Sean Daugherty to beat No. 16 Penn State on March 6. Wisconsin settled for an NIT bid.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary, Postseason
The team hosted a first-round NIT game against Manhattan at the UW Field House. The Badgers held the Jaspers without a field goal for the final 11:28 of the game to pull out a 55–42 win. However, Peterson, the team's second-leading scorer, dislocated his left knee cap in the victory, an injury that would ultimately end the sophomore's career.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Season summary, Postseason
Wisconsin hosted Illinois State in the second round. Despite 28 points from Okey, a career-high to that point, the Redbirds advanced with a convincing 77–62 win.


1995–96 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, Records & trivia
Okey became the first player in Big Ten history to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots over a full season.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
The 1995–96 season was the 97th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They played the season in the second tier of the English football system, the Football League First Division.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
Although the season began with Graham Taylor as manager, he resigned sixteen games into their league campaign under fan pressure due to the team's poor results. Despite being tipped by many to be one of the promotion favourites - following on from having reached the play-offs in the previous season - the side sat in 18th place at the time of Taylor's exit.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
After a period under caretaker manager Bobby Downes, Mark McGhee resigned from Leicester City to become Wolves' new manager in December. Despite a slow upturn in results under McGhee that put the team within three points of a play-off place at the start of April, their form again collapsed and they took just four points from the final 24 available.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
The club eventually finished the season in 20th place, only confirming their safety from relegation in their final home game. This represented their lowest finish in the football pyramid since returning to the second level in 1989–90.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Results, Football League First Division
A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League First Division in the 1995–96 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. Teams finishing level on points were firstly divided by the number of goals scored rather than goal difference.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Results, Football League First Division
The provisional fixture list was released on 20 June 1995, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage or police concerns.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Players
Key:  ‡ On loan from another club   * First appearance(s) for the club


1995–96 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.


1995–96 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Kit
The season saw a new home shirt introduced featuring an embroidered crest and new collar design. The all-white away kit of the previous season was retained. Both were manufactured by Nutmeg Clothing and featured sponsor name of Goodyear.


1995–96 Women's EHF Cup
The 1995–96 Women's EHF Cup was the 15th edition of the competition, running from 7 October 1994 to 12 May 1996. Defending champion Debreceni VSC defeated Larvik HK in the final, again on away goals, to become the first club to win the competition twice. CB Amadeo Tortajada and Istochnik Rostov also reached the semifinals.


1995–96 in Argentine football
1995-1996 was the first season in which the Argentine Primera implemented the 3-points-for-a-win system. Vélez Sársfield were double champions, winning both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. In international club football River Plate won the Copa Libertadores 1996 and Rosario Central won Copa CONMEBOL 1995.


1995–96 in Armenian football
1995–96 in Armenian football was the fourth season of independent football after the split-up from the Soviet Union. It was the first of two seasons in Armenia that were different from the others. Including the 1996–97 season these were the only winter competitions, while all other Armenian seasons were summer competitions. The Armenian Premier League for 1995–96 consisted of 12 teams of which the lowest ranked team would relegate to the Armenian First League. The eleventh ranked team would face the second ranked team from the First League in a promotion/relegation play-off.


1995–96 in Dutch football
The 1995–96 season in Dutch football saw holders Ajax Amsterdam winning the title in the Eredivisie once again, while PSV Eindhoven won the Dutch National Cup. Starting from this season a victory yields three points instead of two.


1995–96 in English football
The 1995–96 season was the 116th season of competitive football in England.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Premiership
Newcastle United were at one stage twelve points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title. Manchester United were England's entrants for the Champions League, while Newcastle United were joined in the UEFA Cup by Liverpool, the League Cup winners Aston Villa and Arsenal.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Premiership
The teams relegated were Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Division One
Sunderland and Derby County returned to the Premiership after a five-year exile, joined by Division One play-off winners Leicester City.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Division One
Watford and Luton Town, who had both been established top division sides a decade earlier, were relegated to the league's third tier. On the last day of the season they were joined by Millwall, who had been top of the division five months earlier but slumped dramatically after Mick McCarthy's departure for the Republic of Ireland manager's job.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Division Two
Swindon Town returned to Division One at the first attempt after lifting the Division Two championship trophy. They were joined by runners-up Oxford United, who were enjoying their first successful season since the mid-1980s, and playoff winners Bradford City.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Division Two
Going down were Carlisle United, Swansea City (who got through five managers in a season), Brighton & Hove Albion (sinking further into a financial crisis) and Hull City.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Division Three
Preston North End, Gillingham, Bury and playoff winners Plymouth Argyle won promotion to Division Two. Preston's win made them the third club to win all four top tiers of English football, next to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley.


1995–96 in English football, Overview, Division Three
Torquay United finished at the bottom of Division Three, having won just five games all season, but were saved from demotion because Conference champions Stevenage Borough did not meet the league's required minimum stadium capacity.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Alex Ferguson guided Manchester United to a unique second double of the league title and FA Cup.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Brian Little guided Aston Villa to victory in the League Cup as well as a fourth-place finish in the Premiership.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Peter Reid brought some long-awaited success to Sunderland as they finished champions of Division One and won promotion to the Premiership.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Experienced manager Jim Smith achieved another managerial success by winning promotion to the Premiership with Derby County.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Martin O'Neill achieved his third promotion in four seasons by winning promotion to the Premiership with Leicester City.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Steve McMahon succeeded in getting Swindon Town back into Division One at the first attempt as they were crowned champions of Division Two.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Denis Smith built on the success he achieved earlier in his career (with York City and later Sunderland) by gaining promotion to Division One with Oxford United.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Gary Peters had a dream start to his reign as Preston North End manager as they were crowned champions of Division Three.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Stan Ternent finally enjoyed some success in his long management and coaching career by winning promotion to Division Two with Bury.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Neil Warnock achieved the fifth promotion of his managerial career (and his fourth via the playoffs) by winning the Division Three playoffs with Plymouth Argyle.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Chris Kamara got Bradford City promoted via the Division 2 play offs just 6 months after taking over as manager. The feat was all the more amazing considering they lost 0–2 at home to Blackpool in the 1st leg of the play off semi final. A 3–0 victory in the 2nd leg saw Bradford City reach Wembley for the first ever time defeating Notts County 2–0 in the final with goals from 19-year-old local boy Des Hamilton and Kamara's first signing Mark Stallard.


1995–96 in English football, Successful managers
Tony Pulis guided Gillingham F.C.out of Division Three and was named the Manager of the Season.


1995–96 in English football, Successful players
Alan Shearer topped the Premiership scoring charts with 31 goals, the highest number of goals in the league charted at the time. Shearer was followed closely by Robbie Fowler on 28, Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand, who won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.


1995–96 in English football, Successful players
Steve McManaman led the assists chart with 25 assists this season, also a new record for the league.


1995–96 in English football, Successful players
Eric Cantona was awarded the FWA Footballer of the Year for his comeback and galvanising influence over a successful young Manchester United side.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Double delight for United
Manchester United made history as the first English club to win the double of the league title and FA Cup twice. They did so despite having sold key players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis before the start of the season. Manager Alex Ferguson selected young players like Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Phil Neville, alongside more experienced players Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Eric Cantona. Cantona, who returned from his suspension to spearhead United's chase for trophies, was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Double delight for United
At Christmas, United trailed Newcastle United by 12 points. On 27 December they beat Newcastle 2–0 to cut the gap to seven points, and a 1–0 win at St. James' Park on 4 March cut the gap to a single point. A 1–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on 24 March put United on top of the Premiership and they remained in that position for the rest of the season. On the final day of the season they confirmed their status as Premiership champions for the third time in four seasons thanks to a 3–0 away win over Middlesbrough, who were managed by former United captain Bryan Robson.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Double delight for United
On 11 May, United faced Liverpool in the FA Cup final at Wembley. A late goal from Cantona saw United make history and lift the FA Cup as England's first 'double double' winners.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Venables out, Hoddle in
Terry Venables announced in January that he would not be continuing as England manager after the 1996 European Championships, so the FA began their hunt for his successor. The likes of Alex Ferguson, Howard Kendall, Steve Coppell, Gerry Francis and Kevin Keegan were all linked with the job, but all quickly ruled themselves out either because of club commitments or a lack of experience.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Venables out, Hoddle in
In the end, the 39-year-old Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle agreed to take charge of the England team on a four-year contract. Hoddle's successor at Chelsea was the 33-year-old Dutch legend Ruud Gullit.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Euro '96: So close for England
In 1996 England hosted the European Championships for the first time. They went through to the quarter-finals after drawing with Switzerland and beating Scotland and the Netherlands in the group stages. They drew 0–0 with Spain in the quarter finals but England went through on penalties. A goal by Alan Shearer gave them an early lead over Germany in the semi-finals, but the Germans forced extra-time and England lost the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Germany went on to beat Czech Republic 2–1 in the final.


1995–96 in English football, Events, European competitions
English clubs endured a tough time in European competition during the 1995–96 season. Manchester United, Liverpool and Leeds United suffered early exits from the UEFA Cup, while Blackburn Rovers were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stages and Everton were dumped out of the Cup Winners Cup in the Second Round. That left Nottingham Forest as the only English club still in Europe after Christmas.


1995–96 in English football, Events, European competitions
Forest took on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals and lost 2–1 away in the first leg. Jürgen Klinsmann scored twice as the German side defeated Forest 5–1 at the City ground and went on to win the competition.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Bosman ruling
A legal challenge in the European Court of Human Rights by the Belgian midfielder Jean-Marc Bosman gave out-of-contract players aged 23 or above the right to become free agents and move to other clubs for no fee. There was widespread controversy following the announcement, as many clubs feared that they would lose expensively signed players for nothing. The Bosman ruling also saw an end to the three foreigner rule which restricted teams to fielding a maximum of three players born outside the country that they were employed in.


1995–96 in English football, Events, Bosman ruling
In the Premiership, the limit of three foreigners in a match squad had covered Welsh, Scottish and Northern and Southern Irish players. The Bosman ruling allowed clubs in EU countries to field an unlimited number of players who were of EU nationalities, although they were still restricted to fielding 3 players of non-EU nationalities.


1995–96 in English football, English national team
As England was hosting the 1996 UEFA European Football Championship the English national team did not play any competitive fixtures up until the championships themselves but played a number of friendlies this season.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
Manchester United were Premiership champions for the third time in four seasons, after Newcastle United led for most of the season, the Tyneside club's lead having peaked at 10 points just before Christmas. United also won the FA Cup to complete the double.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
The star of their season was undoubtedly striker Eric Cantona, who returned from his eight-month suspension at the beginning of October to spearhead United's attack with 19 goals in all competitions, several of them in crucial late season games as they took the initiative in the title race, and the last being the winning goal in the FA Cup final.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
Liverpool continued to show signs of a return to their former glory by finishing third and ending the season as runners-up in the FA Cup final. Aston Villa, enjoying a revival with a reshaped squad under Brian Little, finished fourth and won the Football League Cup. Arsenal built the foundations for a revival under new manager Bruce Rioch by finishing fifth and coming within a goal of reaching the League Cup final. However, Rioch was gone by the start of the following season after a dispute with the club's directors.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
FA Cup holders Everton failed to retain the cup and finished in sixth place in the league one place outside of a UEFA Cup place.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
Blackburn Rovers failed to retain their league title and finished seventh in the league, with Alan Shearer finding the net more than 30 times for the third season in a row.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
Nottingham Forest finished ninth in the league and were the only English side to progress to the quarter-finals of any of the European competitions, doing so in reaching the quarter-final UEFA Cup. 1995-96 was one of the worst seasons ever for English clubs in European competitions.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Premiership
Bolton Wanderers were relegated in bottom place, having won just twice before New Year's Day, with not even an improvement under caretaker manager Colin Todd helping them. Queens Park Rangers were unable to recover from the sale of star striker Les Ferdinand to Newcastle and finished second bottom, ending 13 seasons in the top division. Manchester City were the last team to be relegated, eventually undone by their failure to win in their first 11 matches, but they did manage to take the fight to the last day of the season. Coventry City and Southampton stayed up on goal difference.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division One
Sunderland gave their best performance in years by clinching the Division One title, and were joined among the elite by runners-up Derby County and play-off winners Leicester City. Crystal Palace conceded a last-minute Leicester winner at Wembley, and would have gone up automatically had it not been for their dismal first half of the season.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division One
Luton Town, Watford and Millwall, who had all played in the top flight at some stage in the last nine seasons, went down to Division Two. Millwall had been top of the league five months before going down on the final day of the season before a 6–0 defeat at Sunderland signaled a dramatic decline in their fortunes.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division One
Oldham Athletic narrowly avoided a second relegation in three seasons, while Wolverhampton Wanderers finished 20th and the last safe place was secured by Portsmouth. Norwich City and Birmingham City finished in the bottom half of the table after both enjoying spells at the top during the first half of the season. West Bromwich Albion finished 12th after a dramatic season where they had looked like promotion contenders in the autumn, before enduring a 14-match winless run where they picked up just one point and dropped into the relegation zone.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division Two
Swindon Town secured an immediate return to Division One by winning the Division Two title. They were joined by local rivals and runners-up Oxford United, while the final promotion place went to playoff winners Bradford City whose Wembley glory gave Chris Kamara a dream start in management.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division Two
Blackpool, who missed out on automatic promotion by one place, attained their highest league finish for more than 20 years but a playoff semi-final failure cost them a place in Division One and cost Sam Allardyce his job. Crewe Alexandra were defeated in the playoffs for the second season running, while beaten finalists Notts County had been relegated the season before.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division Two
Carlisle United, Swansea City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Hull City were relegated to Division Three. York City, who made headlines by knocking Manchester United out of the League Cup early in the season, avoided relegation by three points after beating Brighton in their delayed final fixture of the season, sending Carlisle down.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division Three
Preston North End got on the right path towards better days by sealing the Division Three title. Joining them in Division Two were runners-up Gillingham (after seven years in the league's basement division), third placed Bury and playoff winners Plymouth Argyle.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division Three
Torquay United finished at the bottom of the league by quite a margin, but avoided relegation because Conference champions Stevenage Borough did not meet the required Football League stadium capacity standards. Scarborough endured another torrid season, finishing second from bottom in the league for the second season in succession.


1995–96 in English football, League tables, Division Three
Lincoln City climbed up to 18th place under John Beck, who took over in October after the club had propped up the Football League. Fulham suffered the lowest finish of their history by finishing 17th, and weeks before the end of the season they appointed Micky Adams as player-manager in hope that the former Coventry and Southampton defender could revive the club after a decade of decline. Cambridge United finished 16th in the table, a mere four years after narrowly missing out on promotion to the inaugural Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
1 July 1995: Nottingham Forest paid a club-record £2.5 million for Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Chris Bart-Williams, the day after they sold striker Stan Collymore to Liverpool for a national-record £8.5 million. Collymore's successor is Kevin Campbell, a £2.8million signing from Arsenal.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
3 July 1995: Alan Ball is appointed the new manager of Manchester City after 18 months as manager of Southampton.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
5 July 1995: Aston Villa sign Leicester City midfielder Mark Draper for £3.25 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
6 July 1995: Newcastle United sign French winger David Ginola from Paris St Germain for £2.5 million and striker Les Ferdinand from Queens Park Rangers for a club record fee of £6 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 July 1995: England midfielder Paul Gascoigne returns to Britain after three years in Italy with Lazio a £4.3-million move to Glasgow club Rangers.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
12 July 1995: George Graham is banned from football worldwide for a year for accepting illegal payments, which had resulted in his sacking as Arsenal manager five months ago.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
14 July 1995: Arsenal sign England captain David Platt from Sampdoria for £4.75million. Platt is now the world's costliest players, with his career transfer fees now totalling more than £22million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
17 July 1995: Mike Naylor, chairman and founder of the sponsors of the Football League, Endsleigh Insurance, dies in a car crash in France.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
19 July 1995: Sheffield Wednesday sign Belgian midfielder Marc Degryse from Anderlecht for £1.5 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 July 1995: Southampton goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, Wimbledon goalkeeper Hans Segers and former Wimbledon and Aston Villa striker John Fashanu are charged with match-fixing and bribery.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
26 July 1995: Queens Park Rangers sign Australia national football team captain Ned Zelic from Borussia Dortmund of Germany for £1.25million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
1 August 1995: Everton sign Derby County defender Craig Short for £2.4 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
3 August 1995: Coventry City sign winger John Salako from Crystal Palace for £1.5 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
5 August 1995: Middlesbrough pay a club-record £5.25 million for Tottenham forward Nick Barmby.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
8 August 1995: Eric Cantona announces his intention to leave English football, but Manchester United refused to terminate his contract.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 August 1995: Cantona announces his intention to stay with Manchester United after a discussion with Alex Ferguson in Paris. Newcastle United sign Reading goalkeeper Shaka Hislop for £1.575 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
12 August 1995: The Football League season begins. Relegated Crystal Palace begin their bid for an immediate return to the Premier League with a dramatic 4–3 home win over Barnsley. Oldham, who went down a year earlier, start the season well with a 3–0 home win over newly promoted Huddersfield. Portsmouth beat Southend 4–2 at Fratton Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
13 August 1995: A Vinny Samways goal gives Everton a 1–0 win over Blackburn in the FA Charity Shield. Norwich City begin their quest for an immediate return to the Premier League by beating Luton Town 3–1 at Kenilworth Road.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
16 August 1995: Andrea Silenzi becomes first Italian to play for a Premier League side when he joins Nottingham Forest in a £1.8million move from Torino.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
19 August 1995: The FA Premier League season begins with Manchester United defeated 3–1 at Aston Villa, which sparks immediate criticism throughout the media due to the number of young players in the team as well as the fact that United have sold three key players this summer and not made any major signings, Alan Hansen is known for coining the phrase "you can't win anything with kids",having made the remark following Manchester United's 3–1 defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 1995–96 FA Premier League season.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
Blackburn Rovers begin their defence of the Premier League title with a 1–0 win at home against Queens Park Rangers. Matt Le Tissier scores a hat-trick for Southampton at The Dell but they lost 4–3 to Nottingham Forest. Newcastle United beat Coventry City 3–0 at home, with record signing Les Ferdinand scoring on his debut. Bolton Wanderers lose 3–2 to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park in their first top flight game since May 1980.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 August 1995: Middlesbrough's Nick Barmby scores on his debut, a 1–1 draw against Arsenal at Highbury.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
23 August 995: Manchester United bounce back from their opening day defeat with a 2–1 home win over West Ham United.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 August 1995: Everton complete their club record £5 million signing of Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis, more than a month after their offer for Kanchelskis was first accepted.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
26 August 1995: Middlesbrough defeat Chelsea 2–0 in their first game at the new Riverside Stadium, with Craig Hignett scoring the stadium's first goal. Manchester United beat Wimbledon 3–1 at Old Trafford. Leeds are top of the league for the first time since their 1992 title triumph after a 2–0 home win over Aston Villa.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
27 August 1995: Newcastle United go top of the Premier League with a 2–0 win at Sheffield Wednesday.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
28 August 1995: Manchester United defeat Blackburn Rovers 2–1, despite being reduced to 10 men after Roy Keane was sent off for two bookable offences.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
30 August 1995: Newcastle are the month-end leaders in the Premier League with a 1–0 home win over Middlesbrough, with second-placed Leeds being held to a 1–1 draw at Southampton.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
2 September 1995: The upcoming international fixtures mean that there is no action in the Premier League this weekend, but it is business as usual in the Football League. Newly-promoted Birmingham City win 5–0 at Barnsley in Division One. Millwall go top of the table with a 1–0 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Sheffield United's 3–1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion leaves them bottom of the table and still looking for their first point of the season after five games.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
9 September 1995: In their first meeting since the FA Cup Final, Manchester United defeat Everton 3–2. Lee Sharpe scored twice, and former United player Andrei Kanchelskis is taken off with a dislocated shoulder. United are now level on points with leaders Newcastle, who lose 1–0 at Southampton. Wimbledon go third with a 1–0 home win over Liverpool. In Division One, Sheffield United pick up their first points of the season with a 2–1 home win over Norwich City.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
11 September 1995: A London derby at Upton Park sees Chelsea beat West Ham 3–1.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
16 September 1995: Newcastle United and Manchester United remain level on points at the top of the Premier League after both managing home victories. Aston Villa move into third place with a 2–0 home win over Wimbledon.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 September 1995: York City defeat Manchester United 3–0 in the League Cup second-round first leg at Old Trafford.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
23 September 1995: Manchester United go top of the Premier League after drawing 0–0 at Sheffield Wednesday. Defending champions Blackburn snap out of a recent run of dismal form and defeat Coventry City 5–1 at Ewood Park with Alan Shearer scoring a hat-trick. Liverpool remain third after a 5–2 home win over Bolton. Tony Yeboah scored a hat-trick for Leeds in a 4–2 win at Wimbledon. Manchester City are bottom of the table with one point from their first seven games, losing 1–0 at home to Middlesbrough today.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 September 1995: Newcastle go back to the top of the Premier League with a 2–0 home win over Chelsea.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
26 September 1995: Manchester United are knocked out of the UEFA Cup on away goals after drawing 2–2 at home to Russian side Rotor Volgograd in the first round second leg, but still maintain their 39-year unbeaten run in European competitions following a late equaliser by goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel - the club's first goalkeeper to score a goal in any competitions since Alex Stepney in 1973.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
30 September 1995: Manchester City's terrible start to the season continues with a 3–0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, which makes it one point from their first eight league games. Aston Villa go second with a 3–0 away win over their former manager Ron Atkinson's new club Coventry City.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
1 October 1995: Eric Cantona returns from his eight-month suspension to score a late equaliser from the penalty spot in a 2–2 home draw with Liverpool. Newcastle extend their lead to four points with a 3–1 win at Everton.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
3 October 1995: York City eliminate Manchester United from the League Cup despite their Premier League opponents winning 3–1 in the second round second leg at Bootham Crescent.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
11 October 1995: Everton striker Duncan Ferguson is sentenced to three months' imprisonment for assault for his headbutt of Raith Rovers player John McStay 18 months ago, making him the first British professional footballer to be imprisoned for an on-field offence.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
14 October 1995: 20-year-old striker Paul Scholes scores the only goal of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, aiding United's title challenge and pushing City further into relegation trouble. Newcastle remain four points ahead at the top with a 3–2 win at QPR. Arsenal go third by beating Leeds 3–0 at Elland Road.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
15 October 1995: Middlesbrough sign 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder Juninho in a £4.75million deal.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
21 October 1995: Les Ferdinand scores a hat-trick in Newcastle's 6–1 home league win against Wimbledon, and Manchester United remain in second place with a 4–1 away victory over Chelsea. The gap remains four points wide. Middlesbrough fine start to life back in the Premier League continues with a 1–0 home win over QPR keeping their hold on fourth place. Down in Division One, West Bromwich go second with a 2–1 home win over Portsmouth, sparking hope at The Hawthorns that Albion are close to ending their decade-long absence from the top flight.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
28 October 1995: The Football Association announces that the 72 Football League clubs would receive an additional £21 million in television revenue after they failed to agree on an initial sum of nearly £120 million. Liverpool's Ian Rush scores twice in a 6–0 home league win against Manchester City, who are still without a win after 11 games, and Leeds United captain Gary McAllister scores a hat-trick in a 3–1 home league win over Coventry City. Millwall knock Leicester off the top of Division One with a 2–1 win over West Bromwich Albion, while Leicester lose 3–2 at home to Crystal Palace.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
30 October 1995: Striker John McGinlay scores for struggling Bolton Wanderers in a surprise 1–0 home win against Arsenal.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
4 November 1995: Manchester United lose 1–0 at Arsenal with an early goal from Dennis Bergkamp, their first Premier League defeat since the opening day of the season, and Newcastle extended their lead to five points with a 2–1 home win over Liverpool, with Steve Howey scoring a late winner. Manchester City finally win a Premier League at the 12th attempt, being Bolton 1–0 at Maine Road. In Division One, Sheffield United climb off the bottom of the table and out of the bottom three with a 4–1 home win over Portsmouth. Tranmere beat Derby 5-1 and Stoke beat Luton 5–0.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
6 November 1995: Nottingham Forest go third in the Premier League with a 4–1 win over Wimbledon, who remain fourth from bottom.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
8 November 1995: Chelsea sign Romanian defender Dan Petrescu from Sheffield Wednesday for a club record fee of £2.3million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 November 1995: The FA withdraws its £118.5-million television deal with Football League clubs after they failed to meet a deadline.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
11 November 1995: In the FA Cup's first round, Shrewsbury Town defeat Northern Premier League side Marine by a club-record 11-2 and Division Two crisis club Swansea City lose 7–0 to Division Three side Fulham. Division Two's Bradford City are made to work hard for a 4–3 win over non-league Burton Albion. Hitchin Town, another non-league side, eliminate Bristol Rovers with a 2–1 win. Dorchester Town lose 9–1 to Oxford United.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
13 November 1995: Former England manager Graham Taylor resigns after 20 months managing Wolverhampton Wanderers, who began the season as Division One promotion favourites but have fallen to 17th.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
17 November 1995: Kenny Dalglish, director of football at Blackburn Rovers since June after guiding them to the Premier League title, is reported to be in the running to be the new Wolves manager.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
18 November 1995: Alan Shearer scores a hat-trick for Blackburn in their 7–0 home win over Nottingham Forest, while leaders Newcastle are held to a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa, enabling Manchester United to cut the gap at the top to six points (and having the advantage of a game in hand) with their 4–1 home win over Southampton.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
22 November 1995: Manchester United beat Coventry City 4–0 at Highfield Road to cut the gap at the top to three points and sent their opponents to the bottom of the Premier League table. Bolton miss the chance to climb out of the bottom three as they lose 3–2 at Chelsea. Manchester City's slow improvement continues with a 1–0 win over Wimbledon at Maine Road.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 November 1995: Leeds United pay a club record £4.5million for Parma's Swedish striker Tomas Brolin.. Everton striker Duncan Ferguson was released from prison after serving 44 days of his three-month sentence for assault.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
25 November 1995: 34-year-old defender Steve Nicol returns to the Premier League less than a year after leaving Liverpool for a Notts County side now in Division Two, signing for Sheffield Wednesday. Newcastle United remain in the driving seat at the top of the Premier League with a 2–1 home win over Leeds. Coventry and Wimbledon both grind out a point in the battle for Premier League survival with a thrilling 3–3 draw at Highfield Road.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
27 November 1995: The Football League signs a five-year television-coverage deal worth £125 million with BSkyB. Manchester United are held to a 1–1 draw with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, with Eric Cantona converting a penalty to equalise in the second half after the home side took the lead. They have now played as many games as leaders Newcastle but are still five points behind.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
2 December 1995: Alan Shearer scores a hat-trick in Blackburn's 4–2 home win against West Ham United, and Manchester United are held to a 1–1 home draw by Chelsea, meaning that Newcastle could be on the verge of a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
3 December 1995: Newcastle are held to a 3–3 draw at Wimbledon, limiting their lead at the top of the table to five points. Sunderland overtake Millwall at the top of Division One with a 1–0 win over Crystal Palace at Roker Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
4 December 1995: Coventry striker Dion Dublin finds himself in the situation of scoring a hat-trick for the losing side when the Sky Blues lose 4–3 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the Premier League. Coventry are bottom of the table, having won just one of their first 16 Premier League games.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
7 December 1995: Mark McGhee leaves Division One promotion challengers Leicester City after a year in charge to become manager of Wolves.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
9 December 1995: Defending Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers are beaten 5–0 at Coventry, and in Division One Sunderland beat Millall 6–0 to maintain their lead of the table with a 6–0 win at Roker Park. Manchester United drop two points when they are held to a 2–2 draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday in the Premier League, but leaders Newcastle drop all three points when they lose 1–0 at Chelsea, meaning that their lead is cut to four points when a victory would have put them seven points ahead.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 December 1995: Having fallen into the bottom three yesterday when other results went against him, Wolves climb three places in Division One when a 3–2 win at Luton ends their six-match winless run in the league.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
12 December 1995: Dave Bassett, the fifth-longest-serving manager in the English league, resigns as manager of Division One's Sheffield United after nearly eight years in charge. Walsall beat Torquay United 8–4 in the FA Cup second-round replay at Bescot Stadium which followed a 1–1 draw in the first match at Plainmoor 10 days ago.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
13 December 1995: Former Everton manager Howard Kendall is named the new manager of Sheffield United.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
15 December 1995: QPR sell Ned Zelic to Eintracht Frankfurt for £1million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
16 December 1995: Blackburn Rovers left back Graeme Le Saux fractures his ankle in a 1–0 home win against Middlesbrough in the FA Premier League, an injury which is set to rule him out of action until next season. Newcastle United go seven points ahead in the Premier League with a 1–0 victory over Everton, and Aston Villa striker Savo Milosevic scores a hat-trick in Villa's 4–1 home win against Coventry City. Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United clash at Hillsborough, with the hosts winning a thrilling match 6–2. Bolton remain bottom of the table after losing 2–1 at QPR, who climb out of the bottom three.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
17 December 1995: Manchester United remained seven points behind Newcastle after losing 2–0 at Liverpool, with Robbie Fowler scoring both of Liverpool's goals.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
21 December 1995: Martin O'Neill resigns after six months as Norwich manager to take over at Leicester City, and Division One bottom club Luton Town replace Terry Westley with Bradford City's Lennie Lawrence. England World Cup winner Jack Charlton resigns after nearly 10 years as manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
22 December 1995: Bolton Wanderers, the bottom club in the Premier League, pay a club-record £1.2 million for Sheffield United striker Nathan Blake.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
23 December 1995: Coventry City defeat Everton 2–1 at home. Robbie Fowler scores a hat-trick for Liverpool at home against Arsenal for the second season running in a 3–1 win. Newcastle United extend their lead to 10 points with a 3–1 win over Nottingham Forest. Middlesbrough go fifth with a 4–2 home win over West Ham. Derby go top of Division One with a 2–1 home win over Sunderland, who fall into second place.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 December 1995: Newcastle remain 10 points ahead as their nearest rivals, Manchester United, lose 3–1 at Leeds United. The top two will meet in three days time for a showdown at Old Trafford.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
26 December 1995: A Boxing Day London derby at Highbury sees Arsenal beat QPR 3–0 to send the hosts fifth in the Premier League and leave the hosts fourth from bottom.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
27 December 1995: Manchester United cut the lead in the FA Premier League to seven points with a 2–0 home win against Newcastle with goals from Andy Cole and Roy Keane. The only other league action of the day sees Leeds keep their bid for a second successive UEFA Cup campaign on track with a 2–0 win over Bolton at Burnden Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
30 December 1995: Manchester United reduce Newcastle's lead to four points with a 2–1 win against struggling Queens Park Rangers. Alan Shearer scores his 100th goal for Backburn in a 2–1 home win against Tottenham.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
1 January 1996: Manchester United suffer their heaviest Premier League defeat yet when they lose 4–1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane. They are still four points behind Newcastle, but Kevin Keegan's team have two games in hand. Liverpool muscle in on the top two with a 4–2 home win over Nottingham Forest. Bolton remain rooted to the bottom of the table with a 4–2 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
2 January 1996: Roy McFarland is was sacked as co-manager of Bolton Wanderers, with Colin Todd being put in sole charge.. Newcastle United regain a seven-point by defeating Arsenal 2–0 at home.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
6 January 1996: Ian Rush breaks Denis Law's FA Cup goal-scoring record with two goals for Liverpool in their 7–0 win over Rochdale in the third round. An 80th-minute goal by Eric Cantona forces a 2–2 draw for Manchester United against Sunderland at Old Trafford, taking the tie to a replay at Roker Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 January 1996: Terry Venables announces that he will resign as England manager after Euro 96 to concentrate on clearing his name in a legal dispute with Alan Sugar over his June 1993 dismissal from Tottenham Hotspur.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
13 January 1996: Manchester United's title hopes are hit hard when they drop two points at home to Aston Villa, who hold them to a goalless draw. Their neighbours City are pushed deeper into relegation trouble with a 1–0 defeat at Tottenham, who move into third place. Down in Division One, Huddersfield boost their hopes of a second successive promotion with a 1–0 win at struggling Watford lifting them into second place. The Black Country derby ends in a goalless draw at the Hawthorns, with both Wolves and Albion on the brink of the relegation zone.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
14 January 1996: Newcastle are now nine points ahead with a game in hand at the top of the Premier League with a 1–0 win at Coventry. Charlton go second in Division One with a thrilling 4–3 away win over Birmingham, whose own promotion hopes are hit hard as a result.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
15 January 1996: Bryan Robson, Middlesbrough manager and England assistant manager, is reportedly in line to succeed Terry Venables as England manager after Euro 96.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
16 January 1996: Sunderland take the lead against Manchester United in the FA Cup third round replay at Roker Park before Nicky Butt equalises and Andy Cole scores a late winner to give Alex Ferguson's team a 2–1 win and a fourth round clash with Reading at Elm Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
17 January 1996: In the FA Cup third round, Sheffield United eliminated Arsenal with a 1-0 replay win at Bramall Lane in which Carl Veart scored the winning goal.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 January 1996: Neil Ruddock and Robbie Fowler score twice each in Liverpool's 5–0 home win over Leeds United. Newcastle United beat Bolton Wanderers 2–1 to go 12 points clear at the top of the table, ahead of Liverpool and Manchester United.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
22 January 1996: Despite being reduced to 10 men after Nicky Butt was sent off, Manchester United still manage a 1–0 win over West Ham at Upton Park (where they last won seven years ago) thanks to an Eric Cantona goal which cuts Newcastle's lead to nine points, although the Tynesiders still have a game in hand.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
23 January 1996: Blackburn Rovers block a move by the Irish Football Association to appoint their director of football, Kenny Dalglish, as the national coach.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 January 1996: Out-of-favour Liverpool striker Nigel Clough is sold to Manchester City for £1.5 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
27 January 1996: Manchester United defeat Reading 3–0 in the FA Cup fourth round at Elm Park on a weekend where most league and cup fixtures are cancelled due to heavy snow.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
31 January 1996: Newcastle United led Manchester United by nine points, with a game in hand. Manchester United signed Manchester City goalkeeper Tony Coton for £500,000 as cover for Peter Schmeichel. Derby County led Division One, with Charlton Athletic second. West Bromwich Albion approached relegation, a goal away from the bottom three.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
3 February 1996: Eric Cantona returned to Selhurst Park for the first time since his flying kick the previous year, scoring twice as United defeated Wimbledon 4–2 to keep Manchester United's title hopes alive. Newcastle are still nine points ahead with a game in hand, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 at home. Liverpool are confined to third place after a goalless draw at home to Tottenham. Aston Villa go fourth win a 3–0 home win over Leeds.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
4 February 1996: Gavin Peacock scores a hat-trick in Chelsea's 5–0 win against Middlesbrough.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
5 February 1996: Millwall manager Mick McCarthy is appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland team.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
6 February 1996: Wolverhampton Wanderers reserve midfielder Jimmy Kelly, 22, is jailed for five years for manslaughter following his part in a fight outside a Liverpool hotel in September 1994, in which a 26-year-old man died.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
8 February 1996: The Department of Employment denies work permits to Marc Hottiger (who agreed to move from Newcastle United to Everton) and Ilie Dumitrescu (who agreed to move from Tottenham Hotspur to West Ham). Both clubs are set to appeal the decisions. Crystal Palace, 16th in Division One, appoint Dave Bassett manager, ending Steve Coppell's brief second spell as manager.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 February 1996: Newcastle United pay a club record £6.7million for Parma and Colombia striker Faustino Asprilla, on the same day that they beat Middlesbrough 2–1 at the Riverside Stadium. Manchester United keep up the pressure with a goal from Lee Sharpe and a series of spectacular saves from Peter Schmeichel giving them a 1–0 home win over Blackburn.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
14 February 1996: Former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley dies at 77 after several years of suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Everton surrender their defence of the FA Cup with a fourth-round replay defeat by Port Vale.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
17 February 1996: Middlesbrough lose 4–1 at home to a resurgent Bolton Wanderers, while QPR also give their survival hopes a boost with a 3–1 win at Sheffield Wednesday. In Division One, new Crystal Palace manager Dave Bassett oversees a 4–0 home win over bottom club Watford which gives his side's hopes of reaching the playoffs a major boost.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 February 1996: Glenn Roeder is sacked after nearly three years as manager of Watford. Away from the Division One relegation battle, Crystal Palace home in on the playoff places with a 3–2 win at Tranmere, who are now in the bottom half of the table after spending much of the first half of the season in the top six.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
21 February 1996: The title race takes an unexpected turn when Newcastle lose 2–0 at West Ham, allowing Manchester United to cut their lead to six points with a 2–0 home win over Everton, although Kevin Keegan's men still have a game in hand.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
22 February 1996: Former Wolves and England manager Graham Taylor is appointed manager of Watford for the second time.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 February 1996: Manchester City hold Newcastle United to a 3–3 draw at Maine Road, meaning that the Premier League leaders still have a seven-point lead over Manchester United but no longer have the advantage of a game in hand. Liverpool remain in contention for the title, beating Blackburn 3–2 at Ewood Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
25 February 1996: Newcastle's lead is cut to four points when Manchester United beat Bolton Wanderers 6–0 at Burnden Park.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
28 February 1996: Swindon Town and Huddersfield Town, the last remaining non-Premier League teams in the FA Cup, are defeated in fifth-round replays.>


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
2 March 1996: A much-changed Nottingham Forest team find their first away win since October with victory over Sheffield Wednesday. At the lower reaches of the table, Manchester City climb out of the relegation zone at the expense of Southampton, and bottom club Bolton win at Leeds to keep their survival hopes alive.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
4 March 1996: Manchester United cut Newcastle United's lead to one point with a goal by Eric Cantona goal giving them a 1–0 win on Tyneside, following a series of thrilling saves by Peter Schmeichel.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
5 March 1996: Arsenal's bid for a UEFA Cup place was is bolstered with a 3–1 win over Manchester City at Highbury.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
7 March 1996: Marc Hottiger and Ilie Dumitrescu receive work permits to complete their long-awaited transfers.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
9 March 1996: Aston Villa boost their chances of making a late run to the title with a 4–2 home win over QPR, which deprives the visitors of vital points needed in their battle to avoid relegation.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
11 March 1996: Manchester United remain in contention for a unique second double by defeating Southampton 2–0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
13 March 1996: Liverpool drop two points in their push for the title when they are held to a 2–2 draw at home to Wimbledon.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
16 March 1996: Manchester United go top of the Premier League on goal difference, with a 1–1 away draw against Queens Park Rangers, Eric Cantona equalising after Denis Irwin scored an own goal.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
18 March 1996: Newcastle regain their lead with a 3–0 home win against West Ham.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 March 1996: An Eric Cantona goal from 25 yards puts Manchester United level on points at the top as they beat Arsenal 1–0 at Old Trafford.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
23 March 1996: Arsenal aid Manchester United's title bid by defeating Newcastle United 2–0 at Highbury, sending Alex Ferguson's team back to the top on goal difference.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 March 1996: Aston Villa beat Leeds United 3–0 in the League Cup final to equal Liverpool's record of five victories in the competition. Manchester United defeat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 for a three-point lead over Newcastle. Eric Cantona scores the only goal of the game.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
25 March 1996: To celebrate England's hosting of the European Championships, an edition of stamps commemorating five legends of the English game is released. After a public poll, Dixie Dean, Bobby Moore, Duncan Edwards, Billy Wright and Danny Blanchflower were selected.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
28 March 1996: Manchester City sign Georgian striker Mikhail Kavelashvili from Alania Vladikavkaz for £1.4 million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
30 March 1996: Queens Park Rangers beat Southampton 3–0 at Loftus Road to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive. In the race for a UEFA Cup place, Andrei Kanchelskis scores twice as Everton beat Blackburn 3–0.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
3 April 1996: Liverpool defeat Newcastle United 4–3 in a thrilling game where Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore both scored twice for the hosts, helping keep Newcastle in second and boosting Manchester United's title bid.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
5 April 1996: Middlesbrough move closer to survival and mid-table security with a 3–1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday, who are still in a precarious position.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
6 April 1996: Manchester United retained their lead in the Premier League with a 3–2 win over City in the Manchester derby at Maine Road, putting the hosts deeper into relegation trouble.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
8 April 1996: Coventry City defender David Busst sustains a compound leg fracture in the 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford. Busst is expected to be out of action for at least a year and may never be fully fit to play professional football again. United moved closer to the title with Newcastle's 2–1 defeat by Blackburn. Queens Park Rangers kept their survival bid alive by defeating Everton 3–1. Bolton Wanderers also kept their survival hopes alive by defeating Chelsea, 2–1.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
12 April 1996: John Aldridge is appointed player-manager of Tranmere Rovers, succeeding John King, who steps down as manager after nine years.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
13 April 1996: Mark Hughes scores his first hat-trick for Chelsea as they defeated Leeds United 4–1 at Stamford Bridge. His old club Manchester United lose 3–1 at Southampton but still have a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, while the win is a big boost to Southampton's survival bid.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
14 April 1996: Newcastle kept their title challenge alive by defeating Aston Villa 1–0, cutting Manchester United's lead to three points.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
16 April 1996: The Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ended in a 1–1 draw, with Andrei Kanchelskis scoring for Everton and Robbie Fowler for Liverpool.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
17 April 1996: Manchester United and Newcastle United won 1–0 at home (against Leeds United and Southampton, respectively), keeping Manchester's lead at three points. Roy Keane scores the only goal of the game.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 April 1996: Sunderland won promotion to the Premier League, playing Middlesbrough and Newcastle United for the first time since the 1970s.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
22 April 1996: England midfielder Paul Gascoigne publicly asks Terry Venables to remain as national team manager.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
25 April 1996: Bryan Robson agreed to remain as manager of Middlesbrough until at least the end of the 1999–2000 season, effectively ending speculation that he will take over as the England manager if Terry Venables follows through with his intention to resign this summer.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
27 April 1996: Bolton Wanderers are relegated after one season in the Premier League, losing 1–0 at home to Southampton. Although Queens Park Rangers defeat West Ham United 3–0, it is too late to save their 13-year tenure in the top flight. Manchester City boost their survival bid with a 1–0 win over Aston Villa, as do Coventry City with a 2–0 win over Wimbledon.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
28 April 1996: A 5–0 home win against Nottingham Forest moves Manchester United closer to their third league title in four seasons.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
29 April 1996: The Football Association offer Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle the England manager's job. Hoddle, in management since taking over at Swindon Town five years ago, took his first club into the Premier League in 1993 before taking over at Chelsea, guiding them to an FA Cup final and a European semi-final. Newcastle United defeat Leeds 1–0, with Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan ranting on live television against his opposite number at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
2 May 1996: Chelsea boss Glenn Hoddle agreed to a four-year contract as England manager after the European Football Championships. Former Manchester City chairman Peter Swales dies of a heart attack at 63. Newcastle United are held to a 1–1 draw at Nottingham Forest.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
5 May 1996: Manchester United clinched the Premier League title with a 3–0 away win against Middlesbrough on the season's final day, also clinching a place in the European Cup. Runners-up Newcastle, who have gone without winning a league title since 1927 and had a 12-point lead in January, are held to a 1–1 draw at Tottenham, who finish eighth and miss out on a UEFA Cup place. Liverpool finish third and draw 2–2 at Maine Road with Manchester City, who are relegated on goal difference, while Coventry and Southampton avoid the drop, both finishing the season with goalless draws.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
Liverpool will compete in next season's Cup Winners' Cup, while fourth placed Aston Villa and fifth placed Arsenal will join Newcastle in the UEFA Cup. Down in Division One, Millwall are relegated five months after being top of the table, going down on the final day with Watford, while Luton's relegation was confirmed before the final game. Champions Sunderland and runners-up Derby have already secured automatic promotion, while Crystal Palace, Stoke, Leicester and Charlton will contest the playoffs.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
10 May 1996: Ruud Gullit accepted Chelsea's offer to become their player-manager, replacing Glenn Hoddle. Gullit, 33, is set become the youngest manager in the Premier League and one of the first foreign managers in the English game.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
11 May 1996: Manchester United become the first English team to repeat the "double" when a late Eric Cantona goal gives them a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup final.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
14 May 1996: Middlesbrough agree to sign FC Porto's Brazilian midfielder Emerson for £4million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
18 May 1996: England beat Hungary 3–0 in a friendly witnessed by incoming Three Lions manager Glenn Hoddle and his second-in-command John Gorman. A Darren Anderton goal in each half coming either side of David Platt's 27th international goal.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
19 May 1996: Ian Rush agrees to sign for Leeds United on a free transfer on 1 June, after spending 15 of the last 16 years with Liverpool.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
20 May 1996: Glenn Hoddle agrees to play for Chelsea in a posthumous testimonial match for the former Swindon Town physio Kevin Morris.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
24 May 1996: Gianluca Vialli agrees to sign for Chelsea on a free transfer from Juventus, who won the European Cup two days ago. Gary Speed agrees to join Everton from Leeds United for £3.5million.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
27 May 1996: Although England's 22-man squad for Euro 96 has yet to be confirmed, it is reported that 35-year-old Newcastle United forward Peter Beardsley is no longer being considered for a place in the squad.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
28 May 1996: Leicester City win promotion back to the Premier League with a 2–1 win against Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium, with Steve Claridge scoring the winner during the final minute of extra time. England's Euro 96 squad is announced, but does not include Peter Beardsley, Ugo Ehiogu, Dennis Wise, Robert Lee and Jason Wilcox. Stuart Pearce, who is the oldest player in the England squad at 34, signs a three-year contract with Nottingham Forest.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
8 June 1996: FIFA mandates licensing for all football agents involved in transfers. The Premier League announces that teams would be able to select five substitutes on the match squad (increased from three), although only three could be used, for the 1996–97 season.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
26 June 1996: England bow out of Euro 96 in the semi-final when a Gareth Southgate penalty miss put them out after a 1–1 draw with Germany. Alan Shearer had put England ahead in the third minute before Stefan Kuntz equalised, and a German goal in extra time was disallowed before the whistle blew for 120 minutes. The defeat sparks a night of rioting in British towns and cities including London, Birmingham, Swindon, Bedford, Dunstable, Bradford and Solihull.


1995–96 in English football, Diary of the season
30 June 1996: Euro 96 is won by Germany, who defeat the Czech Republic 2–1 at Wembley despite the Czechs taking an early lead through a Patrik Berger penalty. Oliver Bierhoff scores both of Germany's goals.


1995–96 in English football, Notable debutants
26 August 1995: Michael Brown, 18-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Manchester City in a 1–0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road in the Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Notable debutants
13 January 1996: Ian Harte, 18-year-old left-back, makes his debut as a substitute in a 2–0 home win for Leeds United against West Ham United in the Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Notable debutants
31 January 1996: Frank Lampard, 17-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for West Ham United—where his father Frank Lampard made over 650 appearances—in their 3–2 home win over Coventry City in the Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Notable debutants
30 March 1996: Harry Kewell, 18-year-old Australian winger, makes his debut for Leeds United against Middlesbrough in the Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Notable debutants
5 May 1996: Rio Ferdinand, 18-year-old central defender, makes his debut for West Ham United in their 1–1 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the Premier League season.


1995–96 in English football, Retirements
19 July 1995: Alan Smith, 32-year-old Arsenal striker who helped them win five major trophies since joining them in 1987, retires after failing to recover from an ankle injury.


1995–96 in English football, Retirements
10 October 1995: Clive Allen, 34-year-old striker, retires after being given a free transfer by Carlisle United after playing just three games for them in Division Two. His best days came at Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored 49 goals in all competitions in the 1986–87 season and was voted PFA Player of the Year.


1995–96 in English football, Retirements
16 October 1995: David O'Leary, 37-year-old Leeds United defender, retires due to an achilles injury after 18 months out of action.


1995–96 in English football, Retirements
11 November 1995: Jimmy Case, 41-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion player-manager, announces his retirement from playing. Case, who is best known for his time at Liverpool and Southampton, was the oldest outfield player registered in the English Football League or Premier League.


1995–96 in English football, Retirements
11 November 1995: Simon Webster, 31-year-old West Ham United defender, retires after failing to recover from a broken leg suffered in a training ground collision with Julian Dicks.


1995–96 in English football, Retirements
4 January 1996: Paul Lake, 27-year-old Manchester City midfielder, retired after failing to recover from a succession of knee injuries which had seen him out of action for more than three years and play just six times in as many seasons. He underwent numerous operations to try and regain full fitness, but was unsuccessful.


1995–96 in German football
The 1995–96 season was the 86th season of competitive football in Germany.


1995–96 in Scottish football
The 1995–96 season was the 99th season of competitive football in Scotland.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Rangers won the Premier Division with a record 87 points, finishing four ahead of rivals Celtic. Aberdeen were third with 55 points (on goal difference).


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Falkirk were relegated after finishing bottom. Partick Thistle were relegated via the play-offs, losing 3–2 on aggregate to Dundee United, who returned to the Premier Division at the first attempt. This was the only occasion on which this short-lived play-off system relegated a team from the Premier Division.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Rangers qualified for the European Cup, with Celtic and Aberdeen making it into the UEFA Cup. All three clubs entered at the qualifying round stage.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Celtic's Pierre van Hooijdonk was the top scorer with 26 goals, ahead of the Rangers trio of Gordon Durie (17), Ally McCoist (16) and Paul Gascoigne (14).


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Rangers recorded the biggest win of the campaign with a 7–0 home win over Hibernian, with Gordon Durie scoring four times. Incredibly, Hibs had won 1–0 at Ibrox just three months earlier, and Hearts won 3–0 there just three weeks after the 7–0 match.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Celtic went 31 games unbeaten, from 4 October to the end of the season. Motherwell had the best winning run with five consecutive successes, while Falkirk lost eight in a row.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scottish Premier Division, Summary
Meadowbank Thistle, who had been relegated from the Second Division, were renamed Livingston to reflect their relocation from Edinburgh to Livingston for this season. The renamed club ended the season as Third Division champions.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Other honours, Cup honours
Rangers won the Scottish Cup, beating Hearts 5–1 in the final, with Gordon Durie scoring a second half hat-trick.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Other honours, Cup honours
The Coca-Cola Cup went to Aberdeen, who beat Dundee 2–0 to win the trophy for the sixth time.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Other honours, Cup honours
The Challenge Cup was won by Stenhousemuir, who beat Dundee United on penalties after a 0–0 draw. United never conceded a goal in the competition.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scotland national team
Scotland recorded home wins over Greece, Finland and San Marino between August and November in the European Championship qualifiers to secure qualification, keeping a clean sheet in each match. The final three friendly matches before Euro 96 were lost, including two just two weeks before the first match.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scotland national team
In the competition, Scotland battled to a 0–0 draw in the opener against the Netherlands at Villa Park. They were then beaten 2–0 at Wembley by hosts England in the second group match. During this match Gary McAllister had a penalty kick saved by David Seaman when the score was 1–0 to England. Moments later, Paul Gascoigne scored one of the great Wembley goals to make the score 2–0 and effectively win the match.


1995–96 in Scottish football, Scotland national team
Going into the final match at Villa Park, Scotland had to beat Switzerland and hope that England beat the Netherlands, while also needing a five-goal swing in their favour. A goal by Ally McCoist put Scotland on their way to a 1–0 victory and with England leading 4–0 against the Dutch, Scotland were going through. But Patrick Kluivert scored a 78th-minute goal against England, which was enough to send Craig Brown's squad out of the tournament on goals scored (goal difference was tied).


1995–96 snooker season
The 1995–96 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between August 1995 and May 1996. The following table outlines the results for the ranking and the invitational events.


1995–96 snooker season, Official rankings
The top 16 of the world rankings, these players automatically played in the final rounds of the world ranking events and were invited for the Masters.


1995–96 Élite Ligue season
The 1995–96 Élite Ligue season was the 75th season of the Élite Ligue, the top level of ice hockey in France. Eight teams participated in the league, and Albatros de Brest won their first league title.


1995–96 Úrvalsdeild kvenna (basketball)
The 1995–1996 Úrvalsdeild kvenna was the 39th season of the top-tier women's basketball league in Iceland. The season started on 6 October 1995 and ended on 13 March 1996. Keflavík won its 7th title by defeating KR 3–1 in the Finals.


1995–96 Úrvalsdeild kvenna (basketball), Competition format
The participating teams first played a conventional round-robin schedule with every team playing each opponent once "home" and once "away" for a total of 18 games. The top four teams qualified for the championship playoffs while the bottom team was relegated to the second-tier Division I.


1996
1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1996th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 996th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 96th  year of the 20th century, and the  7th   year of the 1990s decade.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup
The 1996 "M" Electronika Cup was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Bol in Croatia that was part of Tier IV of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from 29 April until 5 May 1996. Unseeded Gloria Pizzichini won the singles title.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup, Finals, Doubles
Laura Montalvo /  Paola Suárez defeated  Alexia Dechaume-Balleret /  Alexandra Fusai 6–7, 6–3, 6–4


1996 "M" Electronika Cup – Doubles
Mercedes Paz and Rene Simpson were the defending champions but did not compete that year.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup – Doubles
Laura Montalvo and Paola Suárez won in the final 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 against Alexia Dechaume-Balleret and Alexandra Fusai.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup – Singles
Sabine Appelmans was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup – Singles
Gloria Pizzichini won in the final 6–0, 6–2 against Silvija Talaja.


1996 "M" Electronika Cup – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1996 'Friendship' Cup
The 1996 'Friendship Cup' , also known as the 1996 Sahara 'Friendship Cup'  for sponsorship reasons was a One Day International cricket series which took place between 14–23 September 1996. The tournament was held in Canada, which was seen as perfect neutral territory for India and Pakistan to play each other. The tournament was won by Pakistan, who won the series 3-2. This was the first edition of the annual event.


1996 (Merle Haggard album)
1996 is the forty-ninth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 1996. It was his last studio album on the Curb Records label, and was considered something of a return to form for Haggard despite poor sales.


1996 (Merle Haggard album), Background
Despite good reviews, 1996 was the first studio album in Haggard's career not to chart. Curb's indifference to the release is commonly cited as a major factor in the LP's commercial failure, with country music critic, journalist and historian Michael McCall summarizing the situation in his AllMusic review of the album: "His record company didn't send promotional copies to reviewers until the album had been out for nearly a month, and no advertising or promotion has been devoted to the music.


1996 (Merle Haggard album), Background
The album artwork and cover reflect this lack of care: the title, 1996, is boxed on the cover like a tomb, exactly like Hag's last set, 1994." In his 2013 Haggard biography The Running Kind David Cantwell adds, "To be a singer and a writer with next to zero chance of being heard was maddening enough. That 1996 boasted several strong new originals only compounded the frustration." On "Beer Can Hill," a song that celebrates his Bakersfield roots, Haggard is joined by Dwight Yoakam and fellow country legend Buck Owens. 1996 also features contributions from John Anderson, Iris Dement, and Johnny Paycheck.


1996 (Merle Haggard album), Reception
Michael McCall of AllMusic writes, "Recorded in Bakersfield, Haggard's album takes a jaunty yet melancholy look at a middle-aged man's concerns... The album's standout is a cover of Iris Dement's great 'No Time to Cry,' which Haggard fills with aged, tired wisdom."


1996 (Royal Hunt album)
1996 is the first live album by the Danish progressive metal band Royal Hunt with singer D.C. Cooper. It was recorded during Royal Hunt tour in Japan promoting the album Moving Target and came out together with a VHS video of the show. The Japanese version of the album comes with three Royal Hunt guitar picks inside it.


1996 (Ryuichi Sakamoto album)
1996 is a 1996 album by Japanese composer and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto. It contains a selection of Sakamoto's most popular compositions plus two new compositions, all arranged for a standard piano trio. The arrangement of "Bibo no Aozora" that appears on this album has appeared in several film and television projects; one notable example is the film Babel, whose soundtrack features both the 1996 version and the /04 version of the song.


1996 (Ryuichi Sakamoto album), Track listing
The CD releases on the Milan label in the U.S. and Brazil have only tracks 1-12. The Milan CD release in the UK has only tracks 1-15.


1996 (song)
"1996" is a song by Liverpudlian indie band, The Wombats. It was the sixth and final single released from their second album This Modern Glitch. The title of this album is also taken from a line in '1996'.


1996 1. deild, Overview
It was contested by 10 teams, and GÍ Gøta won the championship.


1996 1. deild, Results
The schedule consisted of a total of 18 games. Each team played two games against every opponent in no particular order. One of the games was at home and one was away.


1996 1. deild karla
The 1996 season of 1. deild karla was the 42nd season of second-tier football in Iceland.


1996 12 Hours of Sebring
The 44th Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Aurora was an endurance racing sports car event held at Sebring International Raceway from March 13–16, 1996. The race served as the second round of the 1996 IMSA GT Championship.


1996 2. deild karla
The 1996 season of 2. deild karla was the 31st season of third-tier football in Iceland.


1996 2. divisjon
The 1996 2. divisjon, the third highest association football league for men in Norway.


1996 2. divisjon
22 games were played in 6 groups, with 3 points given for wins and 1 for draws. Sarpsborg and Runar were promoted to the First Division through playoffs against the other 3 group winners as well as two teams (who both survived) from the First Division. Number eleven and twelve were relegated to the 3. divisjon. The winning teams from each of the 19 groups in the 3. divisjon, plus many number-two teams, were promoted to the 2. divisjon (this was possible because of an enlargement of the 2. divisjon from 6 to 8 groups).


1996 24 Hours of Daytona
The 1996 Rolex 24 at Daytona was a 24-hour endurance sports car race held on February 3–4, 1996 at the Daytona International Speedway road course. The race served as the opening round of the 1996 IMSA GT Championship.


1996 24 Hours of Daytona
Victory overall and in the WSC class went to the No. 4 Doyle Racing Riley & Scott Mk III driven by Wayne Taylor, Scott Sharp, and Jim Pace. Victory in the GTS-1 class went to the No. 01 Brix Racing Oldsmobile Aurora driven by Rob Morgan, Charles Morgan, Joe Pezza, Jon Gooding, and Irv Hoerr. The GTS-2 class was won by the No. 55 Stadler Motorsport Porsche 911 Carrera RSR driven by Enzo Calderari, Lilian Bryner, and Ulli Richter.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 64th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 15 and 16 June 1996. It was won by a Tom Walkinshaw-Porsche prototype run by Joest Racing with drivers Davy Jones, Manuel Reuter and Le Mans rookie Alexander Wurz completing 354 laps. While not being the fastest car on track, it hit the front in the first hour and aside from several pit-stop overlaps, was never headed as other teams hit mechanical troubles during the race. This was Reuter's second Le Mans victory, and the first for Jones (after finishing as runner-up in 1991 with Jaguar) and Wurz, who, at 22 years old, became the youngest ever Le Mans overall winner.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
Still very satisfied with its equivalency formulae between the prototypes and GTs, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) made only slight adjustments to its regulations, by including engine volume and turbo boost into its calculations. LMP1 and P2 got closer to the IMSA-WSC category with new, updated, bodywork dimensions.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
In GT1, major engine modifications were now allowed while GT2 still had to use series-production engines.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
This year the ACO halved the number of automatic entries from 20 to 10. They received an initial 107 applications and accepted 66 for pre-Qualifying in April on top of the automatic-10, to pare down to 53 for race week (48 starters + 5 reserves).


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
Still with no co-ordinated European sports car series after the demise of the World Sportscar Championship after the 1992 season, there were only 14 prototypes, albeit of a high quality. As expected, the bulk of the field was in GT: 27 cars in GT1 plus 12 in GT2. Many teams came from the thriving BPR Global series.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
In prototypes, Kremer and Courage returned, this time challenged by a new Porsche prototype developed by Joest Racing in conjunction with TWR Motorsport. The TWR-Porsche WSC-95 was born from the shell of a TWR-designed Jaguar XJR-14 racing car, modified to an open top design by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, and fitted with the Porsche 962 engine.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
Three IMSA-WSC cars turned up: two Ferrari 333 SP's run by Scandia Racing versus the much-improved Riley & Scott (winner of the Daytona and Sebring enduros). In another small LM P2 field of four cars, Welter and Bonnet were joined by a Kudzu-Mazda stepping across from WSC and now run directly by the Mazdaspeed works team.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
In GT1, defending champions McLaren-BMW had updated 1996-spec cars, with tighter air restrictors dropping the power output slightly. This time they included a pair run as a BMW works team (through their Italian partners Bigazzi). The McLarens were joined again by Nissan, Toyota and Lister (now sponsored by Newcastle United Football Club). Chrysler-Dodge returned with a quartet of Vipers with their big rumbling 8-litre engines; one pair run by ORECA in the BPR and the second pair by Canaska-Southwind in the North American series.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Regulations and Entries
But, perhaps as might be expected, the big news was with Porsche and the new 911 GT1 - yet again courting controversy. This was, quite literally, virtually a Porsche 911 in name only, with the visual similarity of a squashed, lengthened 911. This was Porsche's first ever mid-engined car, using a purpose-designed 3.2L flat-six, twin-turbo, water-cooled (another first for Porsche) engine. The first chassis was ready in March, and with only two road-going cars it got EU GT1 homologation (again, like the Dauer-Porsche of '94, using the "promised-production" clause).


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualification
The fastest practice times this year were being done by the prototypes. In the first instance Eric van der Poele, this year in the Scandia Ferrari, set the initial pace. But it was Pierluigi Martini (just out of F1) who set the pole in his Joest TWR-Porsche, just a tenth of a second ahead of the Courage of Jérôme Policand. Van der Poele was third ahead of the 911 GT1s of Wendlinger and Wollek, and Taylor in the Riley & Scott.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualification
In a novel change this year the ACO decided to line up the first dozen cars on the grid with the six fastest cars from each category two-by-two - prototypes on the left and GT cars on the right. With only a second between the first five cars this was not as skewed as might have seemed, giving further credence to the equivalency regulations. The first McLaren was Bigazzi's Steve Soper in 8th place (but starting 6th as the 3rd-fastest GT1 car).


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualification
In LMP2 the WRs would be here for the last time (the ACO regulations for 1997 demanded 2-seater vehicles). They could not repeat the heroics of 1995, when they started on the front row of the grid. This year Gonin was 12th fastest, more than four seconds off last year's pole time. David in the other WR was a further 3 seconds slower. But their opposition fared worse - the new Kudzu was 23rd on the grid and the Debora, after electronics problems in Qualifying, then blew its engine on the morning warm-up and would not take the start.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualification
In GT2, the predictable crowd of privateer Porsche 911s (in the current 993 GT2 version) were up against the Kunimitsu Honda NSX, back to defend its win last year. There was only a single Callaway (from Agusta) and a new Marcos from the small English company. Fastest was the Porsche of Roock Racing, a new team coming from the German GT series, setting the pace in the BPR series this year. It had a comfortable margin over the Callaway and the Porsche of the PARR Motorsport team from New Zealand (here celebrating 30 years since the three NZ drivers Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon and Denny Hulme finished first and second for Ford's first Le Mans win).


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
The start was brought forward to 3pm to accommodate the thousands of British fans on site to watch the England-Scotland football match at the Euro championships. Unlike last year's heavy rain, the race started in sunshine. Dalmas and Wollek in the works Porsche GT1s raced into the lead for the first four laps until overtaken in turn by the two Joest TWR-Porsches of Jones & Theys. With wider tyres,  lower weights and better aerodynamics the TWRs were able to make a break on the field while others had their problems: Boutsen and Dalmas both fell off the track, losing minutes.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Cottaz, in the fastest Courage, had kept up with the top four initially, but lost time in the second hour with electronics issues. Likewise the best Kremer was well in the top ten. Both cars in the Gulf and Bigazzi McLaren teams filled out the lower half of the top ten.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
The Joest cars maintained a comfortable 1–2 lead going into the night. The veteran team of Wollek/Stuck/Boutsen kept in touch in the Porsche GT1 and finally took back second place at half-race distance from Theys' pole-sitting TWR. After its delays, the Cottaz/Alliot/Policand Courage had quickly moved back up through the field and was fourth and fifth, until Alliot crashed the Courage at Tertre Rouge just after dawn. The remaining Ferrari prototype (sponsored by a charity of 1001 Belgian royalty, celebrities and citizens) had tyre problems at the start, but like the Courage it had steadily made up places to be fifth.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
The Riley & Scott, American enduro-champ, had run well during the day despite being excessively thirsty, but after several offs it slipped down the board and at 2.30am it broke down marooning Pace on the Mulsanne.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
At 4.30 Duez, running 7th, bought the first Bigazzi McLaren into the pits stuck in gear. After two gearbox changes during the next day, they eventually finished 11th. The Ferrari F40s were never as competitive as the previous year and by dawn all four cars had retired, including a short, sudden, spectacular fuel-fire in the pits for the Ratel entry.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning
A charging triple stint by Stuck almost got the Porsche GT1 to the front, but the leaders always had enough in hand. At 9.20 Martini dropped the second TWR in the gravel at the first Mulsanne chicane, and the time spent doing repairs dropped them to fourth, behind Ray Bellm's Gulf McLaren. But then the McLaren was stopped for a gearbox change at midday, taking 90 minutes, and dropping them in turn down to 10th.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning
After several offs by Wendlinger and Goodyear in the night, the second Porsche GT1 had fallen down to 12th, but by early-morning had recovered back to fifth. The other Bigazzi McLaren of F1 champion Nelson Piquet, just like its sister car, was in 7th place when it too was stopped for an hour with a gearbox change. With race attrition they were able to get back to 8th by the finish, just ahead of Bellm's Gulf McLaren.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning
Just after dawn, the Ferrari needed a gearbox change, taking half an hour, dropping it to 10th. Van der Poele then took off, setting the race's fastest lap several times then at 7am, when back into fifth, Éric Bachelart crashed out at the Esses.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning
In GT2, the leading Roock Racing Porsche had to replace its driveshaft at midday, but had enough in hand to keep its lead.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
The Jones/Reuter/Wurz car never missed a beat, and was never headed on the scoring charts. In the end they won by a lap from the Porsche GT1, yet again Bob Wollek was beaten back to second place (and yet again, stymied by time lost to off-track excursions). At just 22 years of age, Alexander Wurz became the youngest ever Le Mans winner, starting an F1 career exactly a year later to the day, with Benetton at the Canadian Grand Prix. Reinhold Joest's deal with Porsche said that he could keep the car if it was a race-winner, and it was to reappear again for the 1997 race.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
With only 40 minutes remaining, the driveshaft broke on the second TWR, stranding the unlucky Martini out on the circuit at Arnage. Third place fell into the lap of the other Porsche GT1, finishing a distant 13 laps behind the winners. McLarens took the next three places: the two troubled DPR-team cars and the second car from Gulf Racing.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
These included Derek Bell, finally drawing the curtain on an illustrious Le Mans career at the age of 54; a career of over 25 years, it included five outright victories and a pair of 2nd-places, as well as winning the Daytona 24 hours three times and twice winning the World Sportscar Championship, thus marking him as one of the all-time great sports car drivers.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
Seventh was the Pescarolo/Lagorce/Collard Courage of the La Filière team (a motorsport academy at the Le Mans circuit), and the second prototype home. Down 27 laps they lost an hour replacing a clutch during the night.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
The Roock Racing Porsche easily won the GT2 class finishing 12th overall and four laps ahead of the PARR Motorsport Porsche. The Kiwi Porsche had a trouble-free race, spending the least time in the pits of any car except for the winning TWR-Porsche. The Japanese GTs were uncompetitive against the Porsches and McLarens, and those that did finish were well down the board. The Kudzu-Mazda was the only LMP2 finisher, coming in at the back of the field nearly 100 laps behind the winners.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
After Le Mans, the Porsche works team entered their GT1s in three races of the BPR Global series, winning all three. In the new year, they sold further cars to customer teams, usurping McLaren to become the new dominant force in GT racing.


1996 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish and Post-race
Andy Evans, owner of the Scandia Team running the Ferrari prototypes, along with Roberto Muller (ex-CEO of Reebok) bought control of the American IMSA organisation, and the changes led to the resignation of a number of the board members and the formation of a breakaway series by the USRRC.


1996 3 Nations Cup
The 1996 3 Nations Cup was a women's ice hockey tournament held various locations of Ontario and Canton, New York, from October 20–27, 1996. It was the first edition of the 3 Nations Cup.


1996 3 Nations Cup, Statistics, Scoring leaders
Only the top ten skaters, sorted by points, then goals, are included in this list.


1996 3 Nations Cup, Statistics, Scoring leaders, Goaltending leaders
The four goaltenders, based on goals against average, who played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.


1996 3 Nations Cup rosters
The 1996 3 Nations Cup rosters consisted of 73 players from three women's national ice hockey teams.


1996 3 Nations Cup rosters, Canada
On October 18, 1996, Hockey Canada named its final 27-woman roster for the tournament. Laura Leslie and Marianne Grnak, two members of the gold medal winning Canadian team at the 1994 IIHF Women's World Championship, were among the final cuts. Forwards Danielle Goyette and Stacy Wilson remained on the roster despite being injured with separated shoulders throughout the tournament. Canada was led by two coaches at the tournament—head coach Shannon Miller and assistant coach Danièle Sauvageau. A third coach, Melody Davidson, was with the team during the evaluation camp but was not named to the final tournament coaching staff.


1996 3 Nations Cup rosters, Finland
Finland entered the tournament with a 24-woman roster. Finland was led by two coaches at the tournament—head coach Rauno Korpi and assistant coach Jorma Kurjenmäki.