Football League First Division 1897/98

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Football League First Division 1897/98
Football League logo until 1988
master Sheffield United
Cup winners Nottingham Forest
Relegated none
Teams 16
Games 240
Gates 724  (ø 3.02 per game)
Top scorer Fred Wheldon ( Aston Villa )
← Football League First Division 1896/97

The Football League First Division 1897/98 was the tenth season of the highest English football league . It began on September 1, 1897 and ended on April 30, 1898.

Sheffield United won the English championship for the first time in the club's history, five points ahead of Sunderland . Due to the league expansion from 16 to 18 teams in the following season 1898/99, no club had to relegate. Burnley FC and Newcastle United, both promoted to the second division, should also be added .

A total of 371 players were used, with The Wednesday with 19 the fewest and Liverpool FC with 29 the most players in league games. 158 newcomers opposed 108 footballers, who last came into play in the 1897/98 season. 21 players were able to play all 30 league games of their club.

Closing table

Pl. society Sp. S. U N Gates Quota Points EgS
 1. Sheffield United  30th  17th  8th  5 056:310 1.81 42:18 23
 2. Sunderland AFC  30th  16  5  9 043:300 1.43 37:23 20th
 3. Wolverhampton Wanderers  30th  14th  7th  9 057:410 1.39 35:25 22nd
 4th Everton FC  30th  13  9  8th 048:390 1.23 35:25 22nd
 5. The Wednesday  30th  15th  3  12 051:420 1.21 33:27 19th
 6th Aston Villa (M, P)  30th  14th  5  11 061:510 1.20 33:27 24
 7th West Bromwich Albion  30th  11  10  9 044:450 0.98 32:28 21st
 8th. Nottingham Forest  30th  11  9  10 047:490 0.96 31:29 24
 9. Liverpool FC  30th  11  6th  13 048:450 1.07 28:32 29
10. Derby County  30th  11  6th  13 057:610 0.93 28:32 22nd
11. Bolton Wanderers  30th  11  4th  15th 028:410 0.68 26:34 25th
12. Preston North End  30th  8th  8th  14th 035:430 0.81 24:36 26th
13. Notts County (N)  30th  8th  8th  14th 036:460 0.78 24:36 25th
14th Bury FC  30th  8th  8th  14th 039:510 0.76 24:36 23
15th Blackburn Rovers  30th  7th  10  13 039:540 0.72 24:36 28
16. FC Stoke  30th  8th  8th  14th 035:550 0.64 24:36 25th
  • English master
    • (M) English master 1896/97
    (P) FA Cup winner 1896/97
    (N) Newcomers from the Football League Second Division 1896/97
    EgS used players

    Results table

    The home teams are listed in the left column.

    AST BLA BOL BUY OF THE EVE LIV NOF NOC PNE SHU STO SUN WED WBA WOL
    Aston Villa 5: 1 3: 2 3: 1 4: 1 3-0 3: 1 2-0 4: 2 4-0 1: 2 1: 1 4: 3 5: 2 4: 3 1: 2
    Blackburn Rovers 4: 3 1: 3 1: 1 1: 1 1: 1 2: 1 1: 1 0: 1 1-0 1: 1 1: 1 2: 1 1: 1 1: 3 2: 3
    Bolton Wanderers 2-0 1: 2 0-0 3: 3 1-0 0: 2 2-0 1-0 1-0 0: 1 2: 1 1-0 0: 3 2-0 2: 1
    Bury FC 1: 2 1-0 2: 1 4-0 0: 1 0: 2 2: 2 0-0 1-0 2: 5 3: 3 1-0 3-0 3: 2 2: 1
    Derby County 3: 1 3: 1 1-0 2: 2 5: 1 3: 1 5-0 1: 2 3: 1 1: 1 4: 1 2: 2 1: 2 3: 2 3: 2
    Everton FC 2: 1 1: 1 2: 1 4: 2 3-0 3-0 2-0 1-0 1: 1 1: 4 1: 1 2-0 1-0 6: 1 3-0
    Liverpool FC 4-0 0: 1 1: 1 2: 2 4: 2 3: 1 1: 2 2-0 0-0 0: 4 4-0 0: 2 4-0 1: 1 1-0
    Nottingham Forest 3: 1 3: 1 2-0 3: 1 3: 4 2: 2 2: 3 1: 1 4: 1 1: 1 3: 1 1: 1 1-0 0: 1 1: 1
    Notts County 2: 3 0-0 1: 2 2: 1 1: 1 3: 2 3: 2 1: 3 1: 1 1: 3 4-0 0: 1 0-0 2: 2 2: 2
    Preston North End 3: 1 1: 4 0-0 2: 1 5-0 1: 1 1: 1 3-0 3: 1 1: 3 0-0 2-0 2-0 1: 1 1: 2
    Sheffield United 1-0 5: 2 4-0 1: 1 2: 1 0-0 1: 2 1: 1 0: 1 2: 1 4: 3 1-0 1: 1 2-0 2: 1
    FC Stoke 0-0 2: 1 2-0 3: 1 2: 1 2-0 2: 2 1: 2 2-0 1: 2 2: 1 0: 1 2: 1 0-0 0: 2
    Sunderland AFC 0-0 2: 1 2-0 2: 1 2: 1 0-0 1-0 4-0 2-0 1-0 3: 1 4-0 1-0 0: 2 3: 2
    The Wednesday 3-0 4: 1 3-0 3-0 3: 1 2: 1 4: 2 3: 6 3: 1 2: 1 0: 1 4-0 0: 1 3-0 2-0
    West Bromwich Albion 1: 1 1: 1 2-0 1-0 3: 1 2: 2 2: 1 2-0 0: 3 3: 1 2-0 2-0 2: 2 0: 2 2: 2
    Wolverhampton Wanderers 1: 1 3: 2 2-0 3-0 2-0 2: 3 2: 1 0-0 3: 1 3-0 1: 1 4: 2 4: 2 5-0 1: 1

    List of goalscorers

    player society Gates Games
    1 EnglandEngland Fred Wheldon Aston Villa 23 26th
    2 EnglandEngland Fred Spiksley The Wednesday 17th 31
    3 EnglandEngland Steve Bloomer Derby County 15th 23
    4th ScotlandScotland Laurie Bell Everton FC 12 23
    = EnglandEngland Walter Bennett Sheffield United = 26th
    = EnglandEngland Jimmy Settle Bury FC = 26th
    7th EnglandEngland Ben Garfield West Bromwich Albion 12 27

    The Sheffield United championship team

    The following list lists all the players who played in a league game for Sheffield United during the 1897/98 season. It must be noted that in English football a minimum number of games is usually required in order to receive the official championship medal. Since there was uncertainty about the specific regulation before the introduction of the Premier League, all players who presumably did not receive a championship medal due to their low contribution were marked with an asterisk (*). The number of missions and the goals scored are given in brackets.

    1. Sheffield United
    Sheffield United.svg

    Jack Almond (20/7) | Walter Bennett (26/12) | John Blair * (1/0) | Albert Bradshaw * (1/0) | Bob Cain (30/0) | John Cunningham (24/7) | William Henry Foulke (29/0) | Archibald French * (1/0) | Ralph Gaudie * (6/2) | George Hedley * (2/0) | Harry Howard * (3/0) | Raby Howell (24/0) | Thomas Jenkinson * (2/0) | Harry Johnson (10/2) | Neil Logan * (5/4) | Kenny McKay (25/5) | Tom Morren (26/2) | David Morton * (2/0) | Ernest Needham (29/8) | Fred Priest (28/4) | Harry Thickett (29/0) | Henry White * (6/0) | Mick Whitham * (1/0).

    "Test matches"

    Before the automatic promotion and relegation rule between the first-class First Division and the second-rate Second Division, which first came into effect at the end of the 1898/99 season, potential promoters from the Second Division had to prove themselves in play-off- like “test games”. Also in the 1897/98 season there were initially test matches between the two first division clubs Blackburn Rovers and FC Stoke and the second division clubs Burnley FC and Newcastle United. Since it was clear in the last clash between Stoke and Burnley that a draw would suffice for both of them to participate in the first division, the game turned into a farce and ended in a goalless draw. For this reason, it was decided in a subsequent league meeting to replace the "test matches" with an automatic relegation regulation and expand both leagues to 18 teams, so that Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers could also play the following season in the First Division.

    Pl. society Sp. S. U N Gates Quota Points
     1. FC Stoke  4th  2  1  1 004: 200 2.00 05: 30
     2. Burnley FC  4th  2  1  1 005: 300 1.67 05: 30
     3. Newcastle United  4th  2  0  2 009: 600 1.50 04: 40
     4th Blackburn Rovers  4th  1  0  3 005:120 0.42 02: 60
    date Result
    April 20, 1898 Newcastle United 2: 1 FC Stoke
    April 21, 1898 Blackburn Rovers 1: 3 Blackburn Rovers
    April 23, 1898 Burnley FC 2-0 Blackburn Rovers
    April 23, 1898 FC Stoke 1-0 Newcastle United
    April 26, 1898 Burnley FC 0: 2 FC Stoke
    April 28, 1898 Blackburn Rovers 4: 3 Newcastle United
    April 30, 1898 Newcastle United 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
    April 30, 1898 FC Stoke 0-0 BlackFC Burnley

    Change of players during the season

    player from club Games to club Games
    Alex Raisbeck FC Stoke 4th Liverpool FC 1
    Jimmy McGeachan Bolton Wanderers 2 FC Stoke 4th
    John Leonard Derby County 1 Notts County 1
    John Miller Derby County 4th Bolton Wanderers 8th
    Rab Howell Sheffield United 240 Liverpool FC 2
    Tom Bradshaw Sunderland FC 14th0 Nottingham Forest 2
    Tom Wilkes Aston Villa 5 FC Stoke 5

    Tom Wilkes only moved to Stoke on loan before he was signed for Stoke FC the following season.

    literature

    • Michael Joyce: Football League Players' Records, 1888 to 1939. SoccerData, Beeston 2002, ISBN 1-899468-63-3 .
    • Denis Clarebrough, Andrew Kirkham: Complete Record of Sheffield United 1889-1999. Sheffield United Football Club, Sheffield 1999, ISBN 0-9508588-2-X .

    References and footnotes

    1. ^ Cross table of the English Football League First Division 1897/1898 (Fussballdaten.de)