Going through the past year month by month, you would surely come across some important events that happened on and off the field in British football. The following are the most significant news stories that occurred in 2013.

January

• The total amount spent in the January transfer window was £120 million which is double the spending of the previous year.

• Gordon Strachan fills the vacant post as manager of Scotland.

• Underdogs Bradford City eliminate Aston Villa 4-3 on aggregate to reach the League Cup final.

• Swansea City claim a League Cup final berth for the first time in their history after a two-legged 2-0 win over Chelsea.

February

• Chelsea defender Ashley Cole chalks up his 100th cap for the national team in England’s 2-1 win over Brazil at Wembley.

• Steven Gerrard, of Liverpool, is named England’s player of the year for the second time.

• In the first leg of the last 16 Champions League match, Manchester United earn a 1-1 draw at Real Madrid.

• At Wembley, Swansea lift the League Cup for the first time in their history, defeating League Two side Bradford City 5-0 (Dyer 2, Michu, de Guzman 2, 1 pen). Manager Michael Laudrup celebrates the greatest feat of his coaching career.

March

• Alex Ferguson pays tribute to Ryan Giggs in the home defeat to Real after the veteran winger played the 1,000th senior game of his career.

• Despite a 2-0 away win against Bayern Munich, Arsenal go out on the away goals rule after a 3-3 aggregate draw in the last 16 of the Champions League.

• At Hampden Park, St Mirren defeat Hearts 3-2 (Goncalves, Thompson, Newton − Stevenson 2) to lift the Scottish League Cup for the first time in the club’s history.

• West Ham United will be the Olympic Stadium tenants after the UK government decided to in-crease its funding by £25 million to about £60 million.

April

• At Wembley, Crewe beat Southend 2-0 to lift the Johnstone Paints trophy.

• In the second legs of the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Chelsea reach the last four despite a 3-2 away loss to Rubin Kazan, advancing 5-4 on aggregate. English sides Tottenham and Newcastle bow out.

• The Premier League vote to introduce goal-line technology from the 2013-14 season.

• At Old Trafford, Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-0 to claim a record 20th English title.

May

• Chelsea see off Basel 3-1 on aggregate to reach the ultimate showdown of the Europa League.

In the same month, in Amsterdam, Chelsea topple Benfica to lift the Europa League, 2-1 (Torres, Ivanovic).

• Tottenham’s Gareth Bale is named Football Writers’ Player of the Year.

• Alex Ferguson calls it a day at Manchester United.

• Wigan shock Manchester City 1-0 to lift the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

June

• In a friendly, in Rio, England draw 2-2 with Brazil.

• Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge for his second spell as Chelsea manager.

• Stuart Pearce loses his job as manager of the England Under-21 side.

• Hearts are docked 15 points after going into administration.

July

• Celtic reach play-off in Champions League after aggregate win over Cliftonville.

• In the FIFA rankings England fall to 15th place.

• Former Man. City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann dies aged 89.

• Hibernian suffer a heavy 9-0 elimination over two legs against Malmo in the Europa League qualifiers.

August

• Football finance experts record an all-time high £630m spent by English clubs in transfer fees. The amount shows an increase of 29 per cent on the same period last year.

• After the record transfer of Tottenham’s Bale to Real Madrid for €100m (£86m), manager Andre Villas-Boas takes the Spurs’ summer spending to an incredible £110.5m.

• At Wembley, Manchester United topple Wigan 2-0 to carry the Community Shield, the season opener.

• In Prague, Chelsea lose the Super Cup to Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out following a 2-2 draw.

September

• England earn a useful point in Ukraine after a 0-0 draw to improve their chances of qualifying for the World Cup finals.

• Paolo di Canio becomes the first Premier League casualty after being sacked by Sunderland.

• Morton shock Celtic in a Scottish League Cup third round tie with a 1-0 win at Parkhead.

• Chesterfield’s Ritchie Humphrey is elected chairman of the FA.

October

• After winning their last two home qualifiers, against Montenegro and Poland, England secure a place in the 2014 Brazil World Cup finals.

• England rise to no.10 in the FIFA world rankings but will not be one of the eight seeded teams at the World Cup draw.

• England manager Roy Hodgson and former team captain Rio Ferdinand are named on the FA’s commission to improve the national side.

• Arsenal suffer third successive home defeat to German teams in the Champions League after going down to Borussia Dortmund 1-2.

The other two Arsenal upsets to Bundesliga teams were vs Schalke 0-2 and Bayern Munich 1-3.

November

• Hibernian manager Pat Fenlon quits as the Edinburgh side seek their 10th manager in 16 years.

• Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane team up to take charge of the Republic of Ireland.

• At Greenhouse Meadow, Shrewsbury, England U-21 claim a record 9-0 (Keane, Sterling 2, Ings 2, Ward-Prowse, Ince, Jenkinson, Hughes) triumph over San Marino in a European Cham-pionship encounter.

• Chelsea and Man. United join Man. City in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

December

• Manchester City’s Yaya Toure is named 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year.

• At Anfield, Luis Suarez scores four goals in Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Norwich. He becomes the only Premier League striker to score hat-tricks (two) this season.

• England pitted in a World Cup ‘group of death’ along with Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica.

• Four Premier League managers get the sack this month − Martin Jol at Fulham, Steve Clarke at West Brom, Andre Villas-Boas at Tottenham and Malky Mackay at Cardiff.