Historic
McGregor's Twelve
The first season of the Football League, the world's first professional football championship: twelve clubs from Lancashire and the Midlands, twenty-two rounds, no goal nets and no penalty kicks.
The backgroundHow the League was born
In the 1880s English clubs lived on friendlies and the FA Cup: uncertain fixtures, cancelled matches, unpredictable gate money. William McGregor, a Scottish draper in Birmingham and a director of Aston Villa, proposed a fixed programme of home-and-away matches between the strongest clubs, so that everyone would have a regular income and could therefore pay their players openly.
The foundersThe twelve clubs
The shirts drawn here are the ones given by the sources for the 1888-89 season. The number next to each name is the club's final league position.
Accrington 7th
Known as "Th' Owd Reds". Not to be confused with Accrington Stanley: in 1893 they chose to leave the League rather than be relegated, and in 1896 the club folded. It is the only one of the twelve founders that no longer exists.
Aston Villa 2nd
McGregor's own club. They recorded the biggest win of the season, 9‑1 against Notts County, and finished second, eleven points behind Preston.
Blackburn Rovers 4th
They arrived in the League as an FA Cup powerhouse. A spectacular debut: 5‑5 against Accrington.
Bolton Wanderers 5th
After two minutes against Derby, Kenny Davenport scored what is now regarded as the first goal in Football League history. Bolton still lost 3‑6.
Burnley 9th
The only club with a badge on the shirt: the kit commemorated the Prince of Wales's visit to Turf Moor in 1886. In January 1889 they played in black in memory of a player who had died on the pitch the week before.
Derby County 10th
Founded as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club to boost its finances. They won on the opening day away from home: 6‑3 at Bolton.
Everton 8th
Yes, Everton played at Anfield. In 1892, after a row over the rent, they moved to Goodison Park, and Liverpool FC was born in the empty stadium. Royal blue only arrived in 1901.
Notts County 11th
The oldest of the twelve. The famous black and white stripes only arrived in 1890, and in the early 1900s they ended up on Juventus's shirts.
Preston North End 1st · Champions
Major William Sudell's "Invincibles": 18 wins, 4 draws, no defeats. They also won the FA Cup without conceding a goal, beating Wolverhampton 3‑0 in the final. John Goodall was the league's top scorer with 21 goals.
Stoke 12th
Bottom of the table, and bottom again the following season: in 1890 they lost their League place to Sunderland. Their first ever league win was 3‑0 against Notts County.
West Bromwich Albion 6th
Top of the table after the first round: the first league leaders in history, even though no newspaper published a table back then. Preston overtook them in the second round.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3rd
The red faded so badly that newspapers described the shirts as "dirty pink". Old gold and black only came in 1891, Molineux in 1889.
The rules of the dayHow the game was played in 1888
- No penalties. The penalty kick only entered the Laws of the Game in 1891.
- No goal nets. John Brodie's nets also reached the League in 1891: there were frequent arguments over whether the ball had gone inside or outside the post.
- The goalkeeper could handle the ball anywhere in his own half. He dressed like his team-mates and was distinguished only by his cap.
- Two points for a win, one for a draw. The system was agreed after the season had already started and lasted until 1981.
- The ball was made of stitched leather and soaked up water: in the mud it became incredibly heavy.
For your tablesHow to play it with Subbuteo
The 1888-89 season
Twelve teams, home and away: 22 rounds, 132 matches. Suitable for a club league played over a season, or for Solo Subbuteo.
Single round
Twelve teams, playing each other once: 11 rounds, 66 matches. A month of club nights.
The Anderton's night
Two groups of six (single round, 5 rounds), then crossed semi-finals and a final. It fits into one long evening.
How it really wentFinal table 1888-89
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preston North End | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 74 | 15 | 40 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 61 | 43 | 29 |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 50 | 37 | 28 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 66 | 45 | 26 |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 63 | 59 | 22 |
| 6 | West Bromwich Albion | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 40 | 46 | 22 |
| 7 | Accrington | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 48 | 48 | 20 |
| 8 | Everton | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 20 |
| 9 | Burnley | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 42 | 62 | 17 |
| 10 | Derby County | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 41 | 61 | 16 |
| 11 | Notts County | 22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 40 | 73 | 12 |
| 12 | Stoke | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 26 | 51 | 12 |
586 goals in 132 matches, an average of more than 4.4 per game. Only two matches ended 0‑0.
Further readingSources
- 1888–89 Football League and 1888–89 in English football (Wikipedia)
- Football League 1888/89, footballsite.co.uk: table and statistics
- Historical Football Kits: the season's kits and the individual club pages
- The 1888 Letter: kits, balls and rules of the first season
- In print: Mark Metcalf, The Origins of the Football League: The First Season 1888/89