Royce Franklin, a life member of the Association of Football Statisticians, digs up yet more fascinating facts about football
To correct the Saddleworth Independent’s slip in last month’s paper, Accrington Stanley were not founder members of the Football League – that team was Accrington who, when they finished bottom but one after five years, were told they must play in the newly-formed Division Two in 1892, they decided to leave the league.
The different club Accrington Stanley did not appear in the Football League until 1921/22 when the Third Division North was formed.
Stoke’s name was also incorrectly changed to Stoke City but, although the same club as today, the suffix City was not introduced until 1925.
Last month I looked at the start of the Football League in season 1888/89 when there were just 12 clubs.
If we count the 20 Premier League teams today as part of the 92 clubs, the number has not changed since 1950/51 when Scunthorpe and Shrewsbury were admitted to Division Three North with Gillingham and Colchester joining the Southern Section.
The first increase from the inaugural season was in 1891/92 when two additional teams joined. The first season with a Division Two was 1892/93. By 1894/95 there were a total of 32 clubs in the two divisions; 1898/99-36; 1905/06-40; 1919/20-45.
The Third Division was formed in 1920, making a total of 66 clubs. When the two sections of the Third Division started in 1921/22 it was 86 with only 20 in the Northern Section as opposed to 22 in the South. 1923/24 saw two additional clubs join making the total 88; this number remained until 1950/51.
Let’s look at the names of some clubs in the league up to 1921/22 who never appeared in league football again. Darwen 1891/99; Bootle 1892/93 only; Middlesbrough Ironopolis1893/94 only; Northwich Victoria 1892/94; Burton Swifts 1892/1901; Burton Wanderers 1894/97; from 1901/02 the two Burton sides amalgamated to form Burton United who remained in the league until 1907; Loughborough Town 1895/1900; Gainsborough Trinity 1896/1912; Glossop North End (from 1899 just Glossop) 1898/1915.
It is worth noting Glossop were in the First Division for 1899/1900. Bootle and Middlesbrough Ironopolis are the only teams to have been in the Football League for one season only.
In 1894/95 Burton Swifts and Burton Wanderers were the first and last two sides to meet from the same town with the name of that town within the title.
All others – Manchester, Bradford, Sheffield and Bristol – are cities. Sheffield United and Wednesday were the first from the same city when they met in 1893/94.
Lincoln were the first team with the suffix City to play in the Football League in 1892/93, the first season of Division Two.
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