During the 1980–81 English football season, Ipswich Town F.C. competed in the Football League First Division. In one of the most successful seasons in the club's history, they finished as runners-up in the league championship, were semi-finalists in the FA Cup and won the UEFA Cup. In all, Ipswich played a total of 66 competitive games during the season, winning 37, drawing 13 and losing 16. The season began with an unbeaten run in the club's opening 15 league matches, and by the middle of March they were strong title contenders with only two defeats in thirty-two. However, a 2–1 defeat at Manchester United triggered a slump which handed the initiative to eventual champions Aston Villa, although Ipswich did win at Villa Park during the run-in. Finishing as runners-up was the second-best finish Ipswich had achieved in their history, bettered only by the 1961–62 championship-winning season. The dip in form, losing seven of the last ten league games, was due in no small part to fixture congestion, as the club was progressing in cup competitions. The club lost in the fourth round of the League Cup to Birmingham but reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, losing in extra time to Manchester City. This was eclipsed by reaching – and then winning – the final of the UEFA Cup, where a 5–4 aggregate victory over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar clinched the club's first (and, to date, only) European trophy. Top scorer for the season was 23-year-old John Wark, who scored 36 goals in all competitions, 14 of which came in the UEFA Cup, including one in each leg of the final. This equalled José Altafini's record of 14 goals for Milan in the 1962–63 European Cup. Wark's goalscoring form saw him win the European Young Player of the Year and PFA Player of the Year awards. The Dutch midfielder Frans Thijssen was named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. Previous season Ipswich had ended the previous First Division campaign in third place. That season included an unbeaten run of 23 matches stretching from the beginning of December to the final Saturday of the League, when they lost at Manchester City. Ipswich exited the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage, losing 2–1 against Everton, and lost out to Coventry City in the second round of the League Cup. In European football, Ipswich were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in