Professional football returned to England on August 31, 1946, following a seven-year suspension due to the Second World War. The excitement of having the nation's top players back safely resulted in an unprecedented turn-out, with nearly a million people passing through the turnstiles that Saturday. This historic return is captured in sports journalist Brian Halford's book 'Kicking Off Again'.
The opening day of the 1946-47 season featured 43 Football League matches and saw stellar performances from numerous future legends. Wilf Mannion scored for Middlesbrough, while Tommy Lawton and Nat Lofthouse each netted twice for Chelsea in front of the day's highest crowd of 61,464 at Stamford Bridge. Tom Finney also scored for Preston North End alongside teammate Bill Shankly.
Meanwhile, newly appointed manager Matt Busby's Manchester United played their home games at Manchester City's ground, Maine Road, due to wartime bomb damage at Old Trafford. Wolves kicked off their campaign impressively by defeating Arsenal 6-1 in front of more than 50,000 fans at Molineux.
The dramatic season concluded on May 31, 1947, when Liverpool claimed the league title by a single point. They edged out Manchester United and Wolves, the latter having blown their chance on the final day by losing to the eventual champions.
