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1888–89 Stoke F.C. season

Field	Value
club	Stoke
season	1888–89
manager	Harry Lockett
chairman	Mr S.Barker
stadium	Victoria Ground
league	Football League
league result	12th (12 Points)
cup1	FA Cup
cup1 result	First Qualifying Round
league topscorer	Bob McSkimming
(6)
season topscorer	Bob McSkimming
(6)
highest attendance	5,000 vs Blackburn Rovers
(1 December 1888)
lowest attendance	1,500 vs Everton
(15 December 1888)
average attendance	3,450
prevseason	1887–88
nextseason	1889–90
pattern_la1	_red_stripes_2
pattern_b1	_stoke_88_89
pattern_ra1	_red_stripes_2
shorts1	FFFFFF
socks1	000000

(6) (6) (1 December 1888) (15 December 1888)

The 1888–89 season was Stoke's first season in the Football League, Stoke becoming one of the 12 founder members.

There was a major change to English football in 1888–89 following the formation of the Football League. Stoke successfully joined the league along with 11 other professional football clubs. Managed by Harry Lockett Stoke struggled throughout the season and ended up finishing bottom of the table after managing just four victories.

Season review

League

Prior to the 1888–89 season clubs played in friendlies, Staffordshire Senior Cup and in the FA Cup which Stoke entered for the first time in 1883. However once a team has been knocked out of the cup there was little excitement for players and supporters and so a league format was advocated by the chairman of Aston Villa, William McGregor and in the spring of 1888 the Football League was formed with McGregor as its first president. Harry Lockett represented Stoke at the meeting in Anderton's Hall Hotel, London and was successful as three weeks later Stoke joined the league and Lockett was appointed as the league's first secretary which he went on to occupy from 1888 to 1902. Stoke's first league match was at the Victoria Ground against midlands rivals and FA Cup holders West Bromwich Albion. A crowd in excess of 4,500 attended the contest which was won 2–0 by the visitors thanks to late goals from Joe Wilson and George Woodhall which meant that the "Baggies" were the first side to be top of the table.

Stoke had the misfortune to finish bottom of the table, albeit on goal-average at the end of the first league season after only winning 4 of their 22 matches. These were 3–0 both home and away over Notts County the team who finished level on points with Stoke, 4–3 v Burnley and 2–1 against Blackburn Rovers. Frank Staton had the honour of scoring the club's first league goal which came in a 5–1 loss at Aston Villa. Stoke's first win was against Notts County on 22 September with two goals from Billy Tunncliffe and a strike from the clubs first Scottish player Bob McSkimming who went on be the leading goalscorer with six. Stoke's heaviest defeat was a 7–0 loss away at the eventual winners of both League and cup Preston North End. Two Stoke players failed to board the train on the morning of that game at Deepdale and so Preston agreed to loan two of their reserves (Bill Smalley and Alfred Dempsey) to make up the numbers. Alf Underwood and Bob McSkimming were Stoke's only ever-presents and Bill Rowley only missed one game. Stoke successfully applied for re-election to along with Burnley, Derby County and Notts County.

FA Cup

On the same day as the first qualifying round Stoke's first team had an away match against Preston North End so Stoke's reserve side, the Stoke Swifts played the FA Cup tie against Warwick County which they lost 2–1.

Final league table

Results

Stoke's score comes first

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

Football League

Main article: 1888–89 Football League

Match	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
1	8 September 1888	West Bromwich Albion	H	0–2	4,524
2	15 September 1888	Aston Villa	A	1–5	3,000	Staton
3	22 September 1888	Notts County	H	3–0	3,000	Tunnicliffe (2), McSkimming
4	29 September 1888	Accrington	H	2–4	5,000	Staton, McSkimming
5	6 October 1888	Preston North End	A	0–7	3,500
6	13 October 1888	Bolton Wanderers	A	1–2	3,000	Slater
7	20 October 1888	Burnley	H	4–3	4,500	Sloane, Tunnicliffe (2), Lawton
8	27 October 1888	Blackburn Rovers	A	2–5	3,000	McSkimming (2)
9	3 November 1888	Aston Villa	H	1–1	4,000	Shutt
10	12 November 1888	Preston North End	H	0–3	4,500
11	17 November 1888	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	0–1	2,500
12	24 November 1888	Notts County	A	3–0	2,500	McSkimming, Milarvie (2)
13	1 December 1888	Blackburn Rovers	H	2–1	5,000	McSkimming, Edge
14	8 December 1888	Burnley	A	1–2	3,000	Edge
15	15 December 1888	Everton	H	0–0	1,500
16	22 December 1888	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	1–4	2,500	Sloane
17	29 December 1888	West Bromwich Albion	A	0–2	4,900
18	12 January 1889	Everton	A	1–2	7,000	Milarvie
19	19 January 1889	Bolton Wanderers	H	2–2	4,000	Milarvie (2)
20	26 January 1889	Derby County	A	1–2	3,000	Edge
21	6 April 1889	Derby County	H	1–1	4,000	Sayer
22	20 April 1889	Accrington	A	0–2	2,000

FA Cup

Main article: 1888–89 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
	QR1	6 October 1888	Warwick County	H	1–2	1,500	Wainwright

Squad statistics

Pos.	Name	League	FA Cup	Total	Apps	Goals	Apps
GK	ENG Charlie Hassall	0	0	1	0	1	0
GK	ENG Wilf Merritt	1	0	0	0	1	0
GK	ENG Bill Rowley	21	0	0	0	21	0
FB	ENG George Bateman	0	0	0	0	0	0
FB	ENG Albert Bourne	0	0	1	0	1	0
FB	ENG Tommy Clare	21	0	0	0	21	0
FB	WAL Edgar Montford	0	0	1	0	1	0
FB	ENG Alf Underwood	22	0	0	0	22	0
HB	ENG Albert Farmer	0	0	1	0	1	0
HB	SCO Billy Hendry	2	0	0	0	2	0
HB	ENG Will Holford	0	0	1	0	1	0
HB	ENG Bob Ramsay	21	0	0	0	21	0
HB	ENG George Shutt	21	1	0	0	21	1
HB	ENG Elijah Smith	21	0	0	0	21	0
FW	ENG Charlie Baker	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	SCO Bob Barr	3	0	0	0	3	0
FW	ENG Alfred Dempsey	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	ENG Alf Edge	19	3	1	0	20	3
FW	ENG Tom Forrester	0	0	1	0	1	0
FW	ENG Freddie Gee	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	ENG Billy Hutchinson	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	ENG George Lawton	13	1	0	0	13	1
FW	SCO Bob McSkimming	22	6	0	0	22	6
FW	SCO Bob Milarvie	15	5	0	0	15	5
FW	ENG Harry Montford	1	0	1	0	2	0
FW	SCO Thomas Moore	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	ENG Jimmy Sayer	7	1	1	0	8	1
FW	ENG George Slater	2	1	0	0	2	1
FW	SCO Jimmy Sloane	11	2	0	0	11	2
FW	ENG Bill Smalley	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	ENG Frank Staton	4	2	0	0	4	2
FW	ENG Billy Tunnicliffe	8	4	1	0	9	4
FW	ENG Tom Wainwright	1	0	1	1	2	1

References

Matthews, Tony. (1994). "The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City". Lion Press.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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