1995–96 in English football Bolton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City were relegated, while Coventry City and Southampton stayed up on goal difference. Leading goalscorer: Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) - 31 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. Luton Town, Watford and Millwall, who had all played in the top flight at some stage in
Duncan Shearer scoring on his debut, he only played six games for Rovers under his boyhood hero, manager Kenny Dalglish, helping the club reach the playoffs where they were ultimately promoted, before he returned to Scotland at the end of the season, to be replaced at Rovers by his namesake Alan. Although officially signed due to an injury to Mike Newell (who coincidentally also later played for Aberdeen), it has been suggested that Rovers only purchased Shearer to weaken Swindon's team in their league battle. The powerfully-built forward signed for Aberdeen in 1992 for £500,000, aged 29. After scoring twice on his