Season 1896-97
| Cup Competition | ||||||||
| FA Cup Final 1897 | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D 1 | Aston Villa | 3 | 2 | Everton | D 1 | The Crystal Palace, London | 65,891 | |
| Campbell, Wheldon, Crabtree | Bell, Boyle | |||||||
| FA Cup Semi-Finals 1897 | Venue | Gate | Notes | |||||
| D 1 | Aston Villa | 3 | 0 | Liverpool | D 1 | Bramall Lane, Sheffield | 30,000 | |
| Cowan John 2, Athersmith | ||||||||
| D 1 | Everton | 3 | 2 | Derby County | D 1 | Victoria Ground, Stoke-on-Trent | 25,000 | |
| Chadwick, Hartley, Milward | Goodall A, Goodall J | |||||||
| Test Matches | ||||||||
| D 2 | Notts County | 1 | 0 | Sunderland | D 1 | Town Ground, Nottingham | 7,000 | |
| Langham | ||||||||
| D 1 | Burnley | 2 | 0 | Newton Heath | D 2 | Turf Moor, Burnley | 10,000 | |
| Bowes, Ferguson | ||||||||
| D 1 | Sunderland | 0 | 0 | Notts County | D 2 | Newcastle Road, Sunderland | 10,000 | |
| D 2 | Newton Heath | 2 | 0 | Burnley | D 1 | Bank Street, Manchester | 7,000 | |
| Boyd, Jenkins | ||||||||
| D 2 | Newton Heath | 1 | 1 | Sunderland | D 1 | Bank Street, Manchester | 20,000 | |
| Boyd | Morgan | |||||||
| D 2 | Notts County | 1 | 1 | Burnley | D 1 | Town Ground, Nottingham | 15,000 | |
| Boucher (p) | Brown D | |||||||
| D 1 | Burnley | 0 | 1 | Notts County | D 2 | Turf Moor, Burnley | 11,000 | |
| Brierley | ||||||||
| D 1 | Sunderland | 2 | 0 | Newton Heath | D 2 | Newcastle Road, Sunderland | 8,000 | |
| Gillespie 2 | ||||||||
Final Table for Season 1896-97
| First Division | ||||||||||||||||
| Home | Away | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn |  | First Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | FA Cup |
| 1 | 0 | Aston Villa | 30 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 22 | 1.921 | 47 | Win |
| 2 | 10 | Sheffield United | 30 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 13 | 1.448 | 36 | Rd 1 |
| 3 | -1 | Derby County | 30 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 45 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 28 | 1.400 | 36 | SF |
| 4 | 5 | Preston North End | 30 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 19 | 1.375 | 34 | Rd 3 |
| 5 | D 2 | Liverpool | 30 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 1.211 | 33 | SF |
| 6 | 1 | The Wednesday | 30 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 26 | 1.135 | 31 | Rd 1 |
| 7 | -4 | Everton | 30 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 42 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 28 | 1.088 | 31 | Final |
| 8 | -4 | Bolton Wanderers | 30 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 0.930 | 30 | Rd 2 |
| 9 | 2 | Bury | 30 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 25 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 0.886 | 30 | Rd 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 1.098 | 28 | Rd 2 |
| 11 | 2 | Nottingham Forest | 30 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 33 | 0.898 | 26 | Rd 3 |
| 12 | 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 30 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 40 | 0.589 | 26 | Rd 2 |
| 13 | -7 | Stoke | 30 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 41 | 0.814 | 25 | Rd 2 |
| 14 | -6 | Blackburn Rovers | 30 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 27 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 37 | 0.565 | 25 | Rd 3 |
| 15 | -10 | Sunderland | 30 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 26 | 0.723 | 23 | Rd 2 |
| 16 | -6 | Burnley | 30 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 36 | 0.705 | 19 | Rd 1 |
| Second Division | ||||||||||||||||
| Home | Away | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ptn | | Second Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | FA Cup |
| 1 | 9 | Notts County | 30 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 60 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 32 | 25 | 2.140 | 42 | Rd 2 |
| 2 | 4 | Newton Heath | 30 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 24 | 1.647 | 39 | Rd 3 |
| 3 | 0 | Grimsby Town | 30 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 1.467 | 38 | Rd 1 |
| 4 | D 1 | Small Heath | 30 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 24 | 1.468 | 37 | Rd 1 |
| 5 | 0 | Newcastle United | 30 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 14 | 39 | 1.077 | 35 | Rd 1 |
| 6 | -4 | Manchester City | 30 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 35 | 1.160 | 32 | Rd 1 |
| 7 | ML | Gainsborough Trinity | 30 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 1.064 | 31 | Q3 |
| 8 | Lan | Blackpool | 30 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 20 | 40 | 1.054 | 31 | Q5 |
| 9 | -1 | Leicester Fosse | 30 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 15 | 37 | 1.035 | 30 | Q5 |
| 10 | -3 | Woolwich Arsenal | 30 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 42 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 50 | 0.971 | 30 | Q5 |
| 11 | -2 | Darwen | 30 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 45 | 1.098 | 28 | Q3 |
| 12 | ML | Walsall | 30 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 37 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 17 | 44 | 0.783 | 26 | Q4 |
| 13 | -1 | Loughborough | 30 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 50 | 0.781 | 25 | Q3 |
| 14 | -3 | Burton Swifts | 30 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 41 | 0.754 | 24 | Rd 1 |
| 15 | -11 | Burton Wanderers | 30 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 45 | 0.463 | 20 | Rd 1 |
| 16 | -3 | Lincoln City | 30 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 58 | 0.318 | 12 | Q5 |
| Southern League Division 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home | Away | |||||||||||||||
| Ptn | | Second Division | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | G Ave | Pts | FA Cup |
| 1 | 2 | Southampton St. Mary's | 20 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 7 | 3.5 | 35 | Rd 2 |
| 2 | -1 | Millwall Athletic | 20 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 15 | 2.63 | 31 | Rd 1 |
| 3 | 2 | Chatham | 20 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 14 | 1.86 | 27 | Q4 |
| 4 | SAL | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 1.48 | 22 | Q5 |
| 5 | KtL | Gravesend United | 20 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 1.03 | 22 | Q2 |
| 6 | 1 | Swindon Town | 20 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 0.89 | 19 | Q5 |
| 7 | -3 | Reading | 20 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 0.63 | 19 | Q4 |
| 8 | -2 | New Brompton | 20 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 28 | 0.76 | 16 | Q3 |
| 9 | KtL | Northfleet | 20 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 27 | 0.52 | 14 | Q4 |
| 10 | SL 2 | Sheppey United | 20 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 31 | 0.72 | 11 | Q3 |
| 11 | SL 2 | Wolverton L&NWR | 20 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 52 | 0.23 | 4 | Q1 |
| 12 | -3 | Royal Ordnance Factories | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 0.17 | 0 | Q3 |
| 1897 Re-election to the Second Division of the Football League | |||||
| League | Clubs | Ave Gate | FA Cup | Ballot | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D 2 | Lincoln City | 1,737 | Q5 | 21 | Re-Elected |
| D 2 | Burton Swifts | 2,100 | Rd 1 | 15 | Re-Elected |
| UCL | Luton Town | Rd 1 | 13 | Elected | |
| ML | Burslem Port Vale | Q5 | 11 | Failed | |
| D 2 | Burton Wanderers | 2,480 | Rd 1 | 9 | Not Re-elected |
| Lan | Nelson | Q4 | 7 | Failed | |
| ML | Glossop North End | Rd 1 | 5 | Failed | |
| Lan | Fairfield | Q5 | 3 | Failed | |
| TCm | Crewe Alexandra | Q4 | 2 | Failed | |
| SL | Millwall Athletic | 3,185 | Rd 1 | 1 | Failed |
