Imagine the speculation over the relative merits of various clubs before the existence of leagues.
Cricket had come to terms (to some extent) of deciding which was Champion County, but in football the only honours available were cups decided on the knock out basis. (The challenge aspect of the Football Association Challenge Cup was short lived- Wanderers received a bye to the 1873 final).
On March 7th 1885, The Preston Chronicle published a League table.
The selection is broad: There are 34 teams: 8 of the original 12 League clubs (no West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, Everton, Derby County); The Universities; 6 Scottish clubs; 4 'Old Boys' clubs. 13 of the teams came from Lancashire.
Ingeniously the compiler devised a system ('average to 1') of goal ratio by which to rate the teams. So a stingy defence was rewarded.
One big name from this era not included was Corinthian FC. Granted, Corinth was still a relatively new outfit. I looked at their fixtures from September 1884 to March 1885. The figures were not impressive:
The success of the team had an impact on the sporting culture of the Universities. On 5.3.85 at the Cambridge Union Society's Debate it was agreed to promote Football to a 'full blue' (elevating the game to the same exalted level as athletics, cricket and rowing).
I've scoured the newspaper archives in order to try and identify the 20 matches that the compiler had drawn Cambridge's record from ('up to the end of February 1885').
I could only find the following :
These results compute as:
Which would still place Cambridge at the top of the table.
Cricket had come to terms (to some extent) of deciding which was Champion County, but in football the only honours available were cups decided on the knock out basis. (The challenge aspect of the Football Association Challenge Cup was short lived- Wanderers received a bye to the 1873 final).
On March 7th 1885, The Preston Chronicle published a League table.
The selection is broad: There are 34 teams: 8 of the original 12 League clubs (no West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, Everton, Derby County); The Universities; 6 Scottish clubs; 4 'Old Boys' clubs. 13 of the teams came from Lancashire.
Ingeniously the compiler devised a system ('average to 1') of goal ratio by which to rate the teams. So a stingy defence was rewarded.
P | W | D | L | F | A | ave | |
Cambridge University | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 15 | 6.20 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 103 | 18 | 5.72 |
Walsall | 24 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 110 | 23 | 4.78 |
Preston North End | 37 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 137 | 40 | 3.42 |
Hibernians | 25 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 119 | 37 | 3.21 |
Oxford University | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 58 | 19 | 3.05 |
Bolton Wanderers | 41 | 31 | 2 | 8 | 165 | 55 | 3.00 |
Great Lever | 34 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 135 | 45 | 3.00 |
Queen’s Park | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 80 | 29 | 2.75 |
Blackburn Olympic | 32 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 142 | 52 | 2.73 |
Notts Club (County) | 29 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 90 | 34 | 2.61 |
Accrington | 28 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 82 | 33 | 2.48 |
Blackburn Rovers | 37 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 128 | 55 | 2.32 |
Upton Park | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 65 | 29 | 2.27 |
Vale of Leven | 23 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 61 | 28 | 2.17 |
Glasgow Rangers | 26 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 90 | 44 | 2.05 |
Church | 27 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 80 | 45 | 1.97 |
Burnley | 44 | 25 | 6 | 13 | 105 | 62 | 1.89 |
Walsall Swifts | 29 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 70 | 44 | 1.89 |
Nottingham Forest | 23 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 63 | 40 | 1.57 |
Old Foresters | 25 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 66 | 42 | 1.57 |
Aston Villa | 32 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 87 | 60 | 1.45 |
Darwen | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 68 | 48 | 1.41 |
Wednesbury Old Athletic | 24 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 71 | 51 | 1.39 |
Halliwell | 31 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 87 | 65 | 1.33 |
Pollockshields Athletic | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 45 | 34 | 1.32 |
Padiham | 29 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 74 | 53 | 1.32 |
Old Carthusians | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 28 | 1.21 |
Old Westminsters | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 51 | 53 | 1.0 |
Wednesday | 28 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 55 | 59 | 0.93 |
Blackburn Park Road | 23 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 44 | 50 | 0.88 |
Witton | 28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 51 | 59 | 0.86 |
3rd Lanark RV | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 48 | 0.77 |
Old Etonians | 17 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 36 | 51 | 0.70 |
One big name from this era not included was Corinthian FC. Granted, Corinth was still a relatively new outfit. I looked at their fixtures from September 1884 to March 1885. The figures were not impressive:
Corinthian FC | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 34 | 0.70 |
I have redone the table using a points system (3 for a win and 1 for a draw) and determined what percentage of the points available each team obtained. Cambridge still come out clear winners, but there are significant differences in the placements of some of the other teams.
% | |
91.66 | Cambridge University |
83.33 | Accrington |
81.33 | Hibernians |
78.66 | Queen’s Park |
77.23 | Bolton Wanderers |
76 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
73.87 | Preston North End |
73.56 | Notts Club (County) |
73.52 | Great Lever |
71.66 | Upton Park |
70 | Pollockshields Athletic |
69.44 | Walsall |
68.51 | Oxford University |
68.46 | Blackburn Rovers |
66.66 | Old Carthusians |
65.38 | Glasgow Rangers |
64.58 | Blackburn Olympic |
64.19 | Church |
63.76 | Vale of Leven |
63.76 | Nottingham Forest |
63.21 | Padiham |
61.36 | Burnley |
59.37 | Aston Villa |
58.33 | Wednesbury Old Athletic |
56.32 | Walsall Swifts |
56 | Old Foresters |
53.62 | Old Westminsters |
48.80 | Wednesday |
48.38 | Halliwell |
44.44 | 3rd Lanark RV |
44.04 | Witton |
41.11 | Darwen |
40.57 | Blackburn Park Road |
35.29 | Old Etonians |
The success of the team had an impact on the sporting culture of the Universities. On 5.3.85 at the Cambridge Union Society's Debate it was agreed to promote Football to a 'full blue' (elevating the game to the same exalted level as athletics, cricket and rowing).
This is the Cambridge team for the 1885 Varsity Match:
GK | M.J Rendall |
FB | A.M Walters |
9 England appearances (1885-90) | |
FB | H. Buckley |
HB | A. Amos |
2 England appearances (1885-86) | |
HB | T.W Blenkiron |
HB | F.E Saunders |
1 England cap (1888) when playing for Swifts | |
F | B.W Spilsbury |
3 England caps, 5 goals (1885-86) | |
F | T.H Marsh |
F | T.Lindley |
Later played for Nottingham Forest and won 13 England caps (1886-91) scoring 14 goals. England’s top scorer before Bloomer. | |
F | W.N Cobbold |
Also of Old Carthusians- 9 England caps (1883-87) scoring 6 goals. | |
F | F Marchant |
I've scoured the newspaper archives in order to try and identify the 20 matches that the compiler had drawn Cambridge's record from ('up to the end of February 1885').
I could only find the following :
01.11.84 | Cambridge University | 13 | 0 | Swifts |
??.11.84 | Cambridge University | 2 | 0 | Old Foresters |
15.11.84 | Cambridge University | 6 | 2 | Sussex |
19.11.84 | Cambridge University | 5 | 0 | Corinthian FC |
22.11.84 | Brentwood | 0 | 2 | Cambridge University |
29.11.84 | Cambridge University | 12 | 1 | Carthusians |
11.12.84 | Cambridge University | 4 | 0 | Middlesex |
13.12.84 | Aston Villa | 3 | 1 | Cambridge University |
??.12.84 | Cambridge University | 5 | 2 | Nottingham |
04.01.85 | Stoke | 1 | 2 | Cambridge University |
08.01.85 | Liverpool Ramblers | 2 | 2 | Cambridge University |
12.02.85 | Cambridge University | 9 | 0 | Brentwood |
14.02.85 | London | 0 | 4 | Cambridge University |
16.02.85 | Cambridge University | 1 | 1 | Aston Villa |
21.02.85 | Cambridge University | 4 | 0 | Clapham Rovers |
25.02.85 | Cambridge University | 1 | 0 | Oxford University |
These results compute as:
P | W | D | L | F | A | ave | Points % |
16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 72 | 13 | 5.53 | 85.41 |
Which would still place Cambridge at the top of the table.