1895–96 Football League

The 18951896 season was the eighth season of The Football League.

Final league tables

The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at the The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website[1] and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79,[2] with home and away statistics separated.

Beginning with the season 1894–95, clubs finishing level on points were separated according to goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded), or more properly put, goal ratio. In case one or more teams had the same goal difference, this system favoured those teams who had scored fewer goals. The goal average system was eventually scrapped beginning with the 1976–77 season.

Since the goal average was used for this purpose for such a long time, it is presented in the tables below even for the seasons prior to 1894–95, and since the goal difference is a more informative piece of information for a modern reader than the goal average, the goal difference is added in this presentation after the goal average.

During the first five seasons of the league, that is until the season, 1893–94, re-election process concerned the clubs which finished in the bottom four of the league. From the 1894–95 season and until the 1920–21 season the re-election process was required of the clubs which finished in the bottom three of the league.[2]

First Division

First Division
Season 1895–96
Champions Aston Villa
(2nd English title)
Relegated Small Heath
Matches played 240
Goals scored 807 (3.36 per match)
Top goalscorer John Campbell (Aston Villa)
Steve Bloomer (Derby County), 22
Biggest home win Derby CountySmall Heath 8–0 (30 Nov 1895)
Sheffield UnitedBury 8–0 (6 Apr 1896)
Biggest away win The WednesdayDerby County 0–4 (28 Dec 1895)
Highest scoring Aston VillaSmall Heath 7–3 (7 Sept 1895)
Longest winning run 9 matches
Everton (2 Nov 1895 – 11 Jan 1896)
Longest unbeaten run 14 matches
Everton (19 Oct 1895 – 18 Feb 1896)
Longest losing run 6 matches
Small Heath (2 Sep 1895 – 12 Oct 1895)
Burnley (22 Nov 1895 – 21 Dec 1895)
Highest attendance 30.000
Everton - Aston Villa (21 Dec 1895)
Lowest attendance 560
West Bromwich Albion - Blackburn Rovers (29 Apr 1896)
Average attendance 7.682
Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GA GD Pts
1Aston Villa3014104717645312878451.733+3345
2Derby County3012214213555262268351.943+3341
3Everton3010414017636262666431.535+2339
4Bolton Wanderers3012213414438152349371.324+1237
5Sunderland3010503614528162752411.268+1137
6Stoke30120343113012133656471.191+930
7The Wednesday30102331182310133544530.830–929
8Blackburn Rovers3010142618249143240500.800–1029
9Preston North End3085231183111133044480.917–428
10Burnley3085233112211153348441.091+427
11Bury307173224528183050540.926–427
12Sheffield United3094228121212123840500.800–1026
13Nottingham Forest3011133416021384142570.737–1525
14Wolverhampton Wanderers30100543180114184761650.938–421
15Small Heath[3]3072622241212175539790.494–4020
16West Bromwich Albion3054618221311123730590.508–2919

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;
GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Key
League Champions
FA Cup Winners
Into test matches

First Division results

Home ╲ Away AST BLB BOLBURBRYDEREVENOTPNESHUSMHSTKSUNWEDWBAWOL
Aston Villa 31 20 51 20 41 43 31 10 22 73 52 21 21 10 41
Blackburn Rovers 11 32 10 02 02 23 20 30 10 21 31 24 21 10 31
Bolton Wanderers 22 11 10 24 21 31 21 10 41 41 31 10 20 21 40
Burnley 34 60 12 30 22 11 00 10 50 11 20 00 20 30 31
Bury 53 20 03 34 12 11 10 12 10 45 01 12 61 30 30
Derby County 22 00 21 51 21 21 40 10 02 80 21 20 31 41 52
Everton 20 02 11 21 32 22 62 32 50 30 72 10 22 11 20
Nottingham Forest 02 42 00 21 50 25 21 01 31 30 40 31 10 20 32
Preston North End 43 11 10 11 11 10 11 60 43 32 01 41 01 00 43
Sheffield United 21 11 10 11 80 11 12 21 21 20 10 12 11 20 21
Small Heath 14 21 12 10 10 13 03 10 52 21 12 01 11 22 32
Stoke City 12 30 20 21 02 21 12 10 40 40 61 50 50 31 41
Sunderland 21 21 10 31 00 22 30 11 41 11 21 41 21 71 22
The Wednesday 13 30 11 10 13 04 31 30 11 10 30 21 30 53 31
West Bromwich Albion 11 32 23 02 13 00 03 31 12 10 00 10 11 23 21
Wolverhampton Wanderers 12 12 50 51 10 20 23 61 21 41 72 10 13 40 12

Source:
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Test Matches 1896

The test matches were a kind of play-offs, in which the bottom 1st Division teams faced the top 2nd Division teams. The 1st Division teams, if coming out as winners, would retain their places in the division. If a 2nd Division team won, it would be considered for 1st Division membership through an election process. Losing 2nd Division teams would stay in the 2nd Division.

Test Matches, First Round

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
(2nd Div. Champions) Liverpool 4–0 Small Heath (1st Div. 15th) 4–0
Sat 18 Apr
0–0
Mon 20 Apr
(2nd Div. 2nd) Manchester City 2–7 West Bromwich Albion (1st Div. 16th) 1–1
Sat 18 Apr
1–6
Mon 20 Apr

Test Matches, Second Round

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
(2nd Div. Champions) Liverpool 2–2 West Bromwich Albion (1st Div. 16th) 2–0
Sat 25 Apr
0–2
Mon 27 Apr
(2nd Div. 2nd) Manchester City 3–8 Small Heath (1st Div. 15th) 3–0
Sat 25 Apr
0–8
Mon 27 Apr

Test Match Summary

Reference works, such Encyclopedia of British Football[4] and Association Football,[5] present the following table with the heading given above.

Pos Team Pld W D L F A GD Pts
1Liverpool421162+45
2West Bromwich Albion421194+55
3Small Heath411287+13
4Manchester City4112515–103
Key
Elected to play in First Division
Invited to play in Second Division

Test Match Consequences

It is likely that the league decided on re-election to the First Division and on promotion and relegation on the basis of the summary table above. It is not clear why all the four teams did not play each other, since it would only have required two more matches for each of them. It seems those teams who had lost in the first round hardly had any chance of ending up among the top teams in this system, and the election outcome effectively seems to have confirmed the first round results.

Second Division

Second Division
Season 1895–96
Champions Liverpool (2nd title)
Promoted Liverpool
Failed re-election Crewe Alexandra
Burslem Port Vale
Rotherham Town
Matches played 240
Goals scored 943 (3.93 per match)
Top goalscorer George Allan (Liverpool), 26
Biggest home win LiverpoolRotherham 10–1 (18 Feb 1896)
Biggest away win Burton SwiftsLiverpool 0–7 (29 Feb 1896)
Crewe AlexandraLiverpool 0–7 (28 Mar 1896)
Highest scoring DarwenRotherham 10–2 (13 Jan 1896)
Longest winning run 10 matches
Liverpool F.C. (7 Dec 1895 – 7 Mar 1896)
Longest unbeaten run 10 matches
Burton Wanderers (19 Oct 1895 – 4 Jan 1896)
Liverpool F.C. (7 Dec 1895 – 7 Mar 1896)
Longest losing run 6 matches
Lincoln City F.C. (21 Sep 1895 – 26 Oct 1895)
Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GA GD Pts
1Liverpool[6]30141065118164121106323.313+7446
2Manchester City301230379915262963381.658+2546
3Grimsby Town301410519618312982382.158+4442
4Burton Wanderers3012124315735262569401.725+2942
5Newcastle United30140157142211163673501.460+2334
6Newton Heath30122148153111184266571.158+933
7Woolwich Arsenal3011134211339163159421.405+1732
8Leicester Fosse3010054016447172857441.295+1332
9Darwen3094255223210174572671.075+530
10Notts County3081641224110163257541.056+326
11Burton Swifts3072624263210154339690.565–3024
12Loughborough307353225221184140670.597–2723
13Lincoln City3071736242310175153750.707–2222
14Burslem Port Vale3064525241014185443780.551–3518
15Rotherham Town307262726011477134970.351–6317
16Crewe Alexandra305282228011486730950.316–6513

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;
GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Key
Division Champions, into test matches
Into test matches
New club in the league
Re-elected (none)
Failed re-election or resigned

Second Division results

Home ╲ Away BPV BRS BRWCREDRWGRILEILINLIVLOUMCINEWNWHNTCROTWOO
Burslem Port Vale 10 22 21 33 14 11 01 54 11 01 20 30 04 40 02
Burton Swifts 21 02 11 12 21 02 40 07 12 14 31 41 00 20 32
Burton Wanderers 21 21 40 30 21 00 41 21 40 41 03 51 13 61 41
Crewe Alexandra 32 13 01 31 01 11 22 07 12 02 30 02 51 32 01
Darwen 82 30 30 61 33 41 50 04 11 23 44 30 20 102 11
Grimsby Town 61 30 21 20 50 71 42 10 20 50 21 42 30 40 11
Leicester Fosse 50 21 13 41 23 12 13 20 50 12 20 30 21 80 10
Lincoln City 42 12 12 62 10 25 23 01 41 12 40 20 23 50 11
Liverpool 51 61 41 61 00 31 31 61 10 31 51 71 30 101 30
Loughborough 30 22 11 41 41 01 14 30 24 24 10 33 13 30 21
Manchester City 10 11 11 40 41 21 20 40 11 51 52 21 20 20 10
Newcastle United 42 50 40 60 72 15 10 50 10 30 41 21 51 61 31
Newton Heath 21 50 12 50 40 32 20 55 52 20 11 21 30 30 51
Notts County 72 50 14 60 41 53 12 20 23 20 30 01 02 00 34
Rotherham Town 02 14 16 40 30 10 20 22 05 40 23 11 23 10 30
Woolwich Arsenal 21 50 30 70 13 31 11 40 02 60 01 21 21 20 50

Source: Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

See also

References

  1. "England 1895–96". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  2. 1 2 Ian Laschke: Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79. Macdonald and Jane’s, London & Sydney, 1980.
  3. Not re-elected due to test match results. Invited to join Second Division
  4. Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin: Encyclopedia of British Football, Willow Books, London. Fourth, updated and revised edition, 1984, p. 167.
  5. A. H. Fabian & Green, Geoffrey: Association Football, Volume Two, p. 235. The Caxton Publishing Company Ltd., London, 1960.
  6. Elected to First Division on the basis of test matches results.

External links

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