HOME
WOOLWICH ARSENAL   1892/93   playing record

Woolwich Arsenal did not play in a League competition prior to becoming the first southern side to be elected to the Football League for the start of the 1893/94 season. In fact at the time they had also been expelled from all cup competitions, other than the FA Cup, as they had adopted professionalism a couple of years previously. They had also been expelled from the London F.A. and most southern sides declined to play friendlies against them. It did not mean that their fixture list in their final season outside the Football League was a quiet one. They had a punishing schedule of friendlies against mainly northern and midland sides - punishing both for the players and doubtless the pockets of regular home supporters!

At the end of the 1892/93 season - the first season that the League had comprised of two divisions - the League decided that the Second Division would be extended from 12 to 16 clubs. At The AGM of the Football League Lincoln City, Crewe Alexandra, Burslem Port Vale and Walsall Town Swifts were all re-elected to the Second Division. Newcastle United and Rotherham Town were elected to the League but it was decided to advertise for clubs to fill the other two places. Applications were soon received from Doncaster Rovers, Liverpool, Loughborough, Middlesbrough Ironopolis and Woolwich Arsenal. The week after the AGM the Football League announced that they had decided that Liverpool and Arsenal should fill the remaining two places. Accrington had lost their place in the First Division after the Test series but declined a Second Division spot and were replaced by Middlesbrough Ironopolis. Bootle resigned in August and were not replaced leaving 15 clubs in the Second Division for the 1893/94 season. Voting figures have not survived the passage of time - unless you can help!

Woolwich Arsenal's playing record in their last season outside the Football League was, with League opposition being marked with an * , as follows -

Thu Sep 1 Friendly 1st Highland Light Infantry Home Won 8-0
Sat Sep 3 Friendly Gainsborough Trinity Home Won 4-2
Thu Sep 8 Friendly 2nd Scots Guards Home Won 5-1
Sat Sep 10 Friendly Casuals Home Lost 2-4
Mon Sep 12 Friendly Sheffield United* Away Lost 0-1
Sat Sep 17 Friendly Darlington Home Won 3-2
Sat Sep 24 Friendly Crusaders Home Won 4-0
Sat Oct 1 Friendly Marlow Home Won 4-0
Thu Oct 6 Friendly West Kent Regiment Home Won 3-0
Sat Oct 8 Friendly Clapton Home Won 4-1
Sat Oct 15 FAC 1 Qual 1st Highland Light Infantry Home Won 3-0
Thu Oct 20 Friendly Sheffield United* Home Won 1-0
Sat Oct 22 Friendly Staffordshire Regiment Home Won 1-0
Sat Oct 29 FAC 2 Qual City Rambers Home Won 10-1
Thu Oct 27 Friendly Oxford University Home Lost 0-4
Sat Nov 5 Friendly Lincoln City* Home Won 4-0
Mon Nov 7 Friendly Fleetwood Rangers Home Lost 1-2
Sat Nov 12 Friendly Cambridge University Home Drew 6-6
Sat Nov 19 FAC 3 Qual Millwall Athletic Home Won 3-2
Mon Nov 14 Friendly Sunderland* Home Lost 0-4
Wed Nov 23 Friendly Ipswich Town Away Won 5-0
Thu Nov 24 Friendly Norfolk County Away Won 4-1
Sat Nov 26 Friendly Clapton Away Won 5-0
Sat Dec 3 Friendly West Bromwich Albion Home Lost 2-4
Sat Dec 10 FAC 4 Qual Clapton Home Won 3-0

  see note
Mon Dec 12 Friendly F.G. Armitage's XI Home Won 3-1
Sat Dec 17 Friendly Nottingham Forest* Home Lost 2-3
Sat Dec 24 Friendly Burslem Port Vale* Home Lost 1-3
Mon Dec 26 Friendly Stockton Home Won 4-3
Tue Dec 27 Friendly Blackpool Home Drew 1-1
Sat Dec 31 Friendly Leith Athletic Home Drew 1-1
Mon Jan 2 Friendly Glasgow Thistle Home Lost 1-2
Sat Jan 7 Friendly Middlesbrough Ironopolis Home Lost 0-2
Wed Jan 11 Friendly Sussex Martlets Away Won 2-0
Sat Jan 14 Friendly Wolverhampton W.* Home Lost 1-3
Sat Jan 21 FAC 1 Sunderland* Away Lost 0-6
Wed Jan 25 Friendly Oxford University Away Lost 0-1
Sat Jan 28 Friendly Chatham Away Lost 1-3
Mon Jan 30 Friendly Sherwood Forresters Away Won 3-0
Sat Feb 4 Friendly Casuals Away Won 4-2
Mon Feb 6 Friendly Royal Lancaster Regiment Home Won 2-0
Thu Feb 9 Friendly Cambridge University Away Lost 2-4
Sat Feb 11 Friendly Small Heath* Home Won 3-1
Mon Feb 13 Friendly Third Lanark Home Won 2-1
Sat Feb 18 Friendly Millwall Athletic Home Won 5-0
Sat Feb 25 Friendly Walsall Town Swifts* Home Won 2-0
Mon Feb 27 Friendly Notts Greenhaigh Home Lost 1-3
Sat Mar 4 Friendly Middlesbrough Away Lost 0-2
Sat Mar 11 Friendly Dumbarton Home Won 3-1
Mon Mar 13 Friendly Aston Villa* Home Lost 0-1
Sat Mar 18 Friendly Middlesbrough Ironopolis Home Won 3-0
Sat Mar 25 Friendly Millwall Athletic Away Won 1-0
Fri Mar 31 Friendly Middlesbrough Home Won 4-1
Sat Apr 1 Friendly Accrington* Home Won 3-1
Mon Apr 3 Friendly Grimsby Town* Home Lost 3-5
Sat Apr 8 Friendly Crusaders Away Won 2-0
Sat Apr 15 Friendly Casuals Home Won 3-0
Sat Apr 22 Friendly Derby County* Home Drew 0-0
Mon Apr 24 Friendly London Welsh Home Won 4-2
Wed Apr 26 Friendly Sevenoaks Away Won 11-0
Sat Apr 29 Friendly Stoke* Home Lost 0-1
Note:   Clapton were drawn at home but the venue was changed by mutual agreement

 

Did You Know.....
 Manchester United once thought that selling replica shirts of those used in their first European Cup final victory, against Benfica in 1968, would make them some money. So they started selling the red shirts - but withdrew them from sale when someone reminded them that United played in blue in that final!

More classic football mistakes ...Whoops!
Google
Web footballsite.co.uk