Football League
1888-1915
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1889-90

Football League 1890-91

1891-92
  
Final League Table
Teams in a silver box denotes a player representing England in 1890-91
Team P Home Away
W D L F A W D L F A
Everton 22 9 0 2 39 12 5 1 5 24 17 29
Preston North End 22 7 3 1 30 5 5 0 6 14 18 27
Notts County 22 9 1 1 33 11 2 3 6 19 24 26
Wolverhampton Wanderers 22 8 1 2 23 8 4 1 6 16 42 26
Bolton Wanderers 22 9 0 2 36 14 3 1 7 11 20 25
Blackburn Rovers 22 7 1 3 29 19 4 1 6 23 24 24
Sunderland 22 7
 
2
 
2
 
31
 
13
 
3
3
5
20
18
23
deducted two points fielding an unregistered player
Burnley 22 7 1 3 33 24 2 2 7 19 39 21
Aston Villa 22 5 4 2 29 18 2 0 9 16 40 18
Accrington 22 5 1 5 19 19 1 3 7 9 31 16
Derby County 22 6 1 4 38 28 1 0 10 9 53 15
West Bromwich Albion 22 3 1 7 17 26 2 1 8 17 31 12

Everton won their first five games:
West Brom (a) 4-1, Wolves (h) 5-0, Bolton (a) 5-0, Accrington (a) 2-1, Derby (h) 7-0, before drawing 2-2 at Aston Villa on 11 October 1890.


 
How The League Was Won 1890-91 Season
Timeline
19 consecutive Saturdays from 6 September 1890 to 10 January 1891, plus Boxing Day (Friday, 26 December 1890)
Rearranged games were played on Mondays, plus one on a Thursday and two on New Year's Day. In January, February and March 1891, remaining games were also played on Saturdays (plus two on a Tuesday and one on a Thursday in February, and two on a Monday and one on a Wednesday in March). The FA Cup took precedence on Saturdays from the first round on 17 January 1891 to the final on 21 March 1891 (a week earlier than the previous season, possibly to avoid Easter). Rounds were played each fortnight with replays on the Saturday in-between, and a second replay on a Wednesday, with a spare third week before the final. A semi-final replay was played on a Wednesday, due to the internationals taking place on the preceding Saturday. The last league game was played on Easter Saturday, 28 March 1891 (Bolton 2-0 Blackburn).
 
Monday, 9 March 1891
Aston Villa 0 Preston North End 1
  
Wellington Road, Handsworth (5,000)
McKennie
Preston reduced Everton's lead to two points, with one game remaining for each. Blackburn's defeat at West Brom put them out of contention. Preston had a slightly inferior goal average (2.2 to Everton's 2.3), and they needed Everton to lose and concede more than one goal if they achieved a single-goal victory in their game. Everton had played their penultimate league match more than two months earlier in losing at home to Preston, who had been thirteen points behind them, but with six games in hand.
 
Top Two 9 March 1891
Team P
Everton 21 29
Preston North End 21 27

Saturday, 14 March 1891
Burnley 3 Everton 2
   Turf Moor, Burnley (10,000)
Haresnape, Bowes, Stewart ~ Geary (2)
Both games were played in appalling conditions, with snow, sleet and driving rain. Everton were leading with five minutes left and the two late goals left them vulnerable to losing the title by a slim margin if Preston had managed to win. It was not until their train arrived back in Liverpool that they were greeted with the news that they had hoped for.

Everton won the League Championship by two points from the defending champions, Preston.
Sunderland 3 Preston North End 0
   Newcastle Road, Sunderland (6,000)
Scott, Campbell (2)

 
The Elite League 1890-91 Season (games between the top four)
Team P Home Away
W D L F A W D L F A
Preston North End 6 2 1 0 7 1 1 0 2 2 4 7
Notts County 6 2 1 0 6 3 0 2 1 3 5 7
Everton 6 2 0 1 9 3 1 0 2 2 5 6
Wolverhampton Wanderers 6 1 1 1 3 2 0 1 2 2 11 4
Preston's achievement in being the best in the top-four clashes for three years in succession has never been equalled in the history of the English leagues, despite the hat-tricks of titles won by Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United (twice). Notts County replaced Blackburn Rovers in the only change to the previous season's top four.

Games played between the top two:-
 
Saturday, 22 November 1890
Preston North End 2 Everton 0
   Deepdale, Preston (12,000)

Gallacher, G.Drummond
Saturday, 10 January 1891
Everton 0 Preston North End 1
   Anfield, Liverpool (16,000)
McKennie

Though Everton won the league and Preston were the best in the top-four clashes, neither of them were the best when it came to local derbies in their native Lancashire. 
Lancashire Derbies League Top Four 1890-91 Season
Team P
Blackburn Rovers 10 13
Everton 10 12
Bolton Wanderers 10 12
Preston North End 10 11

 
The Continuous League 1888-91 (first three seasons)
Team P Wins
Preston North End 66 45 100
Everton 66 37 80
Wolverhampton Wanderers 66 34 79
Blackburn Rovers 66 33 77
Preston maintained their twenty-point lead, but this was the last of the 22-game seasons, so comparisons with future years have little relevance.

 
Champions: Everton
Manager: Dick Molyneux
1890-91 Most Appearances
by England Players
Name Played Goals
Edgar Chadwick 22 10
Fred Geary 22 20
Alf Milward 22 12
Johnny Holt 21 1
1890-91 Most Goals
by England Players
Name Played Goals
Fred Geary 22 20
Alf Milward 22 12
Edgar Chadwick 22 10
Blackburn's Jack Southworth was top scorer, with 26.

 
England and the Football League 1890-91 Season
England's impact on the Football League
Of the 22 playing positions used during the active 1890-91 season, Football League players provided thirteen of them, and of the ten goals scored, Le ague players scored six of them.
Six of the twelve Football League clubs were represented.
Two Football League games had a direct impact on two of England's games, both on 7 March.
As a result, England took Blackburn's Jack Southworth, and West Brom were without Billy Bassett, Jem Bayliss and Charlie Perry.
 
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