1896-97 in English football
Encyclopedia
The 1896–97 season was the 26th season of competitive football
in England
.
became the second team (after Preston North End
) to complete "the Double
" of winning the Football League Championship
and the FA Cup
. No other team would complete the double for 64 years.
The Cup Final
was played on 10 April 1897 between Aston Villa and Everton
. At the start of the day, the top of the league table looked thus:
Consequently, with a total of 30 league games to play in the season, only Derby County had any "mathematical" possibility of overtaking Aston Villa to take the title. To do so, they would have needed to take at least seven points from their remaining four games, with Aston Villa losing their remaining three games. In the event, Derby lost 1–0 at Bury
and Aston Villa were thus confirmed as League Champions on the same day that they went on to win the Cup. As a result, Villa became the first, and so far, only team to date to achieve the league and cup "double
" on the same day.
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
was won by Aston Villa
.
won the Second Division
and were elected to the First Division after winning a Test Match against Burnley
. Following the failure of Rotherham Town
, Burslem Port Vale
and Crewe Alexandra
to be re-elected into the Football League, Blackpool
and Gainsborough Trinity
joined the Second Division. Walsall
(formerly Walsall Town Swifts) also returned after a season away.
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Overview
Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
became the second team (after Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
) to complete "the Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
" of winning the Football League Championship
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. No other team would complete the double for 64 years.
1897 FA Cup Final
The 1897 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and Everton at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 3–2, with goals by John Campbell, Fred Wheldon and Jimmy Crabtree. Everton's goals came from Jack Bell and Dickie Boyle....
was played on 10 April 1897 between Aston Villa and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
. At the start of the day, the top of the league table looked thus:
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
27 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 64 | 38 | 1.684 | 41 |
| 2 | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 66 | 43 | 1.535 | 34 |
| 3 | Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
28 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 40 | 27 | 1.481 | 34 |
| 4 | Preston North End Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One... |
26 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 55 | 37 | 1.486 | 32 |
| 5 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
29 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 46 | 38 | 1.211 | 32 |
Consequently, with a total of 30 league games to play in the season, only Derby County had any "mathematical" possibility of overtaking Aston Villa to take the title. To do so, they would have needed to take at least seven points from their remaining four games, with Aston Villa losing their remaining three games. In the event, Derby lost 1–0 at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
and Aston Villa were thus confirmed as League Champions on the same day that they went on to win the Cup. As a result, Villa became the first, and so far, only team to date to achieve the league and cup "double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
" on the same day.
Honours
| Competition | First Division Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... (3*) |
|---|---|---|
| Second Division Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
|
| FA Cup 1897 FA Cup Final The 1897 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and Everton at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 3–2, with goals by John Campbell, Fred Wheldon and Jimmy Crabtree. Everton's goals came from Jack Bell and Dickie Boyle.... |
Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... (3) |
|
| Home Championship 1897 British Home Championship The 1897 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. It was won by Scotland after a late goal at The Crystal Palace which beat England to the trophy despite England's dominance of the competition up to that point... |
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
First Division
The First DivisionFootball League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
was won by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 73 | 38 | 1.921 | 47 |
| 2 | Sheffield United Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production... |
30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 29 | 1.448 | 36 |
| 3 | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 70 | 50 | 1.400 | 36 |
| 4 | Preston North End Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One... |
30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 55 | 40 | 1.375 | 34 |
| 5 | Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 46 | 38 | 1.211 | 33 |
| 6 | The Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 37 | 1.135 | 31 |
| 7 | Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
30 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 62 | 57 | 1.088 | 31 |
| 8 | Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... |
30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 40 | 43 | 0.930 | 30 |
| 9 | Bury Bury F.C. Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the... |
30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | 44 | 0.886 | 30 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 45 | 41 | 1.098 | 28 |
| 11 | Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 44 | 49 | 0.898 | 26 |
| 12 | West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 33 | 56 | 0.589 | 26 |
| 13 | Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 48 | 59 | 0.814 | 25 |
| 14 | Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.... |
30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 35 | 62 | 0.565 | 25 |
| 15 | Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 34 | 47 | 0.723 | 23 |
| 16 | Burnley Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888... |
30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 43 | 61 | 0.705 | 19 |
Second Division
Notts CountyNotts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
won the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
and were elected to the First Division after winning a Test Match against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. Following the failure of Rotherham Town
Rotherham Town F.C.
Rotherham Town Football Club was the name of two English football clubs from Rotherham, Yorkshire. The first briefly played in the Football League, while the second became part of another Football League club, Rotherham United, who are still members of the League today...
, Burslem Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
and Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
to be re-elected into the Football League, Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
joined the Second Division. Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
(formerly Walsall Town Swifts) also returned after a season away.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
30 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 92 | 43 | 2.140 | 42 |
| 2 | Newton Heath Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 56 | 34 | 1.647 | 39 |
| 3 | Grimsby Town Grimsby Town F.C. Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town... |
30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 66 | 45 | 1.467 | 38 |
| 4 | Small Heath Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 69 | 47 | 1.468 | 37 |
| 5 | Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
30 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 56 | 52 | 1.077 | 35 |
| 6 | Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 58 | 50 | 1.160 | 32 |
| 7 | Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity F.C. Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304... |
30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 50 | 47 | 1.064 | 31 |
| 8 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 59 | 56 | 1.054 | 31 |
| 9 | Leicester Fosse Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 56 | 1.054 | 30 |
| 10 | Woolwich Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 68 | 70 | 0.971 | 30 |
| 11 | Darwen Darwen F.C. A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:... |
30 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 67 | 61 | 1.098 | 28 |
| 12 | Walsall Walsall F.C. Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second... |
30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 53 | 69 | 0.768 | 26 |
| 13 | Loughborough Loughborough F.C. Loughborough Athletic and Football Club were an English football club based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, that played in The Football League at the end of the 19th century.-History:... |
30 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 50 | 64 | 0.781 | 25 |
| 14 | Burton Swifts Burton Swifts F.C. Burton Swifts were an English football club from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club ceased to exist in 1901 when they merged with Burton Wanderers to form Burton United.-History:... |
30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 46 | 61 | 0.754 | 24 |
| 15 | Burton Wanderers Burton Wanderers F.C. Burton Wanderers were a football club from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England that spent three seasons in The Football League. In 1901, the club merged with Burton Swifts and formed a new club, Burton United.-History:... |
30 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 31 | 67 | 0.463 | 20 |
| 16 | Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
30 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 27 | 85 | 0.318 | 12 |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points