# 1985–86 AFC Bournemouth season

During the 1985–86 English football season, AFC Bournemouth competed in the Football League Third Division.

## Final league table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 13 | Darlington | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 61 | 78 | −17 | 58 |
| 14 | Rotherham United | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 61 | 59 | +2 | 57 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 65 | 72 | −7 | 54 |
| 16 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 51 | 75 | −24 | 54 |
| 17 | Chesterfield | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 61 | 64 | −3 | 53 |

## Results

Bournemouth's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Third Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 17 August 1985 | Derby County | A | 0–3 | 11,324 |
| 24 August 1985 | Bristol City | H | 5–0 | 4,969 |
| 26 August 1985 | Brentford | A | 0–1 | 4,283 |
| 31 August 1985 | Newport County | H | 0–1 | 3,387 |
| 7 September 1985 | Chesterfield | H | 1–0 | 3,207 |
| 14 September 1985 | Notts County | A | 0–0 | 4,235 |
| 17 September 1985 | Blackpool | H | 1–4 | 3,039 |
| 21 September 1985 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0–3 | 3,057 |
| 28 September 1985 | Darlington | H | 4–2 | 2,775 |
| 2 October 1985 | Lincoln City | A | 2–3 | 1,962 |
| 5 October 1985 | Cardiff City | A | 1–0 | 2,156 |
| 12 October 1985 | Bury | H | 2–1 | 3,122 |
| 19 October 1985 | Gillingham | H | 2–3 | 3,561 |
| 22 October 1985 | York City | A | 1–2 | 4,194 |
| 26 October 1985 | Bristol Rovers | H | 6–1 | 3,798 |
| 2 November 1985 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 3,800 |
| 5 November 1985 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–2 | 6,816 |
| 9 November 1985 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 3–2 | 4,126 |
| 23 November 1985 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1–1 | 2,390 |
| 14 December 1985 | Walsall | A | 2–4 | 4,460 |
| 17 December 1985 | Rotherham United | H | 1–2 | 2,489 |
| 21 December 1985 | Bristol City | A | 3–1 | 5,691 |
| 26 December 1985 | Reading | H | 0–1 | 6,105 |
| 28 December 1985 | Brentford | H | 0–0 | 4,006 |
| 1 January 1986 | Swansea City | A | 1–1 | 6,989 |
| 11 January 1986 | Newport County | A | 1–2 | 2,333 |
| 18 January 1986 | Derby County | H | 1–1 | 4,223 |
| 31 January 1986 | Chesterfield | H | 3–2 | 2,347 |
| 4 February 1986 | York City | H | 2–0 | 2,476 |
| 8 February 1986 | Gillingham | A | 0–2 | 3,895 |
| 22 February 1986 | Wigan Athletic | H | 0–2 | 2,949 |
| 1 March 1986 | Darlington | A | 0–0 | 2,576 |
| 4 March 1986 | Lincoln City | H | 2–2 | 1,873 |
| 8 March 1986 | Cardiff City | H | 1–1 | 2,707 |
| 15 March 1986 | Bury | A | 0–3 | 2,097 |
| 18 March 1986 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | 2,063 |
| 22 March 1986 | Bristol Rovers | A | 3–2 | 3,296 |
| 29 March 1986 | Swansea City | H | 4–0 | 3,325 |
| 31 March 1986 | Reading | A | 2–1 | 7,342 |
| 5 April 1986 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1–3 | 5,351 |
| 12 April 1986 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–0 | 3,382 |
| 15 April 1986 | Notts County | A | 1–3 | 2,423 |
| 19 April 1986 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–1 | 2,799 |
| 26 April 1986 | Rotherham United | A | 1–4 | 2,107 |
| 29 April 1986 | Blackpool | A | 0–2 | 2,259 |
| 3 May 1986 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 3,047 |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| R1 | 16 November 1985 | Dartford | H | 0–0 |
| R1R | 19 November 1985 | Dartford | A | 2–0 |
| R2 | 7 December 1985 | Dagenham | H | 4–1 |
| R3 | 4 January 1986 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0–3 |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Notes |
| R1 1st Leg | 21 August 1985 | Reading | A | 3–1 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1985 | Reading | H | 2–0 | Bournemouth won 5–1 on aggregate |
| R2 1st Leg | 25 September 1985 | Everton | A | 2–3 | |
| R2 2nd Leg | 7 October 1985 | Everton | H | 0–2 | Everton won 5–2 on aggregate |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| PR | 14 January 1986 | Leyton Orient | A | 1–3 | 947 |
| PR | 21 January 1986 | Reading | H | 5–0 | 1,974 |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Ian Leigh |
| — | GK | ENG | John Smeulders |
| — | DF | ENG | Roger Brown |
| — | DF | ENG | Mark Newson |
| — | DF | ENG | Tony White |
| — | DF | ENG | Mark Nightingale |
| — | DF | ENG | Billy Clark |
| — | DF | ENG | David Coleman |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Morrell |
| — | DF | ENG | Tom Heffernan |
| — | DF | ENG | Chris Sulley |
| — | MF | IRL | Gary Howlett |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | IRL | Tommy Keane |
| — | MF | ENG | Morgan Lewis |
| — | MF | IRL | Mark O'Connor |
| — | MF | ENG | Adrian Randall |
| — | MF | ENG | Robbie Savage |
| — | MF | ENG | Keith Williams |
| — | MF | IRL | Sean O'Driscoll |
| — | MF | ENG | Chris Shaw |
| — | FW | NIR | Colin Clarke |
| — | FW | ENG | Steve Claridge |
| — | FW | ENG | Colin Russell |
| — | FW | ENG | Ian Thompson |