After Everton’s 1963 championship, three clubs dominated the domestic game: Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester United. Liverpool had had a miserable time of things in the 1950s, much of it spent in the Second Division. Manager Phil Taylor was sacked in November 1959 and a month later a new messiah arrived. 46-year-old Bill Shankly was persuaded to leave Huddersfield and take over the reins at Anfield on a ?2500 salary. Over the next three years he let some players go, revitalised the careers of others and made some key signings. These included Ron Yeats from Dundee United, Ian St John from Motherwell and Gordon Milne from Preston. The Reds stormed to the Second Division championship in 1961-62 and after just one year of consohdation in the top flight became champions in 1964. After a slow start that season, Liverpool took 47 points from 30 games to secure their 6th championship. Defensive football was on the way, yet Liverpool were in irresistible goalscoring form, particularly at Anfield. They banged in 60 goals in front of their home fans, an average of nearly three per game. Roger Hunt was again the goalscoring hero, hitting 31 of the team’s 92 league goals.
First FA Cup win for Liverpool
The following season Liverpool suffered a reaction in their league form, slipping to 7 th, but the club had two memorable Cup runs. They finally got their name on the FA Cup, thanks to a 2-1 win over a Leeds side which had just finished as runners-up in the league. After a cagey 90 minutes in which defences were on top, Liverpool scored through Hunt. Bremner hit an equaliser, then St John confirmed his status as an Anfield legend by heading in an Ian Callaghan cross. However, the hero of the hour was Gerry Byrne, who played for most of the match with a broken collarbone following an early clash with Bobby Collins. The use of substitutes was finally allowed the following season, initially just for injuries and then for tactical purposes too. After all the debilitating injuries that had dogged Wembley finals in recent years it was a decision that was long overdue.
Above: The Cup is held aloft by Liverpool skipper Ron Yeats and Gordon Milne, who had to stand down from the team because of injury, in the lap of honour at Wembley in 1965. Others are (l-r) Hunt who scored Liverpool’s first goal. Smith and Stevenson. Shankly’s team triumphed over Leeds by 2-1, all three goals being scored in extra-time. Right: Ron Yeats and Ian St John at Euston Station, taking the Cup back to Anfield for the first time in Liverpool’s 73-year history. Opposite: Liverpool pose in 1965 with the FA Cup and the Charity Shield. However, having started the 1964-5 season as reigning champions, the club’s performance in the league was less impressive. Liverpool finished in 7th place and Manchester United, the previous year’s runners-up took the title, with Leeds hot on their heels.
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