Walter Bennett

It was a different world...

Footballers were paid decently enough, but for most working class pros the end of their playing days  meant a return to industry. Some made it as coaches and others were set up as publicans, but they were in the minority. In April 1908 Cocky Bennett was killed at  Denaby Main Colliery. 18 months earlier he had been playing for Bristol City in the First Division. 

 He scored 22 goals in 49 matches for Bristol City, helping them to win the Second Division title in 1905-06. 

Bennett had joined Bristol City from Sheffield United. He made 234 appearances for The Blades, scoring 72 goals. During this period United were a consistently strong side, as witnessed by the achievements shown here:

	League	FA Cup
1896–97	Runners up
1897–98	Champions
1898–99
1899–1900	Runners up	Winners
1900–01		Runners up
1901–02		Winners*

*Bennett played in the first match but missed the replay due to injury

Bennett represented England twice in 1901.

Luton Town

Luton Town are currently in the 5th tier of the English pyramid. They were in the Football League from 1920- 2009.  This was their second spell as a league club. they originally joined the League in 1897.
The club was formed in 1885 as a merger of Luton Town Wanderers and Excelsior.
Luton Town claim to have been the first professional club in Southern England (August 1891). When Luton entered the League in 1897 only Woolwich Arsenal lay further south.
During their first period in the League they played their home games at Dunstable Road.
Financial limitations led to a rapid return to Southern League football.

	League	FA Cup
1897-98	Div.2  8th	R1
1898-99	Div.2 15th	Q5
1899-1900	Div.2 17th	Q5

During this period Luton wore irregular striped jerseys of cochineal, black and white. 

Gone but not forgotten - Loughborough Athletic and Football Club

Loughborough Athletic and Football Club, frequently, erroneously, referred to as Loughborough Town, graduated to the League from The Midland League.
Their 5 seasons in the League were undistinguished, other than by the fact that they were punished with ground closure for crowd trouble 3 times!  The grand finale came in 1899-1900- 18 goals for and 100 against, 1 win, 6 draws and 27 defeats (including all of their away games) giving a total of 8 points out of a possible 68. This is the joint lowest ever points total.  

Season	League	FA Cup
1895-96	Div.2 12th	Q3
1896-97	Div.2 13th	Q3
1897-98	Div.2 16th	Q3
1898-99	Div.2 17th	Q4
1899-1900	Div.2 18th	Q3

The club colours were black and white stripes.

Accounts of the final season tell of financial worries and public indifference, the background against which they enjoyed a 2-1 win over Burton Swifts on January 6th. 

Derby Daily Telegraph 19.03.1900

Between the home game from which the complaint arose and the  ground closure being announced Loughborough had played the return match with Woolwich Arsenal at the Manor Ground and lost 12-0.

Gone but not forgotten- Middlesbrough Ironopolis

Ironopolis - City of Iron- was how Middlesbrough was known during the great  age of industry in the 19th century. 
 Middlesbrough Ironopolis Football Club came about following a desire by some members of amateur Middlesbrough Football Club to establish a professional side . Whereas Ironopolis was formed as a splinter group from Boro, the 2 sides actually made their professional debuts within weeks of each other.   Ironopolis' players were 'bought to order' (all in the space of 3 days reportedly). 
The Nops were very successful in the Northern League- they joined in 1890-91 and promptly won the title 3 seasons in succession. 
In 1892 there was a brief union as Middlesbrough and Ironopolis Football and Athletic Club submitted a joint application to the Football League. When this was unsuccesful the partnership was soon dissolved. 
Ironopolis were elected to the League in 1893 and added Middlesbrough to their name. 
They had entered the FA Cup every year since their formation and in 1893 reached the quarter finals. 

                

Season	League	FA Cup
1893-94	Div.2 11	R2

Ironopolis resigned from the League after a season and wound up shortly afterwards. The club had become financially unsustainable. 

They were entered for the preliminary round of the FA Cup in September 1894 and the remnants of the workforce played friendlies as Middlesbrough Strollers. 

Goal Average

Since the 1976-77 season the Football League has used goal difference to separate teams that have an equal number of points.It's delightfully simple- goals scored minus goals conceded equals goal difference. 
So:
Team A: for: 71 against: 48 goal difference =+23
Team B: for: 69 against: 61 goal difference =+8

But what about this?
Team A: for: 60 against: 33 goal average=1.818
Team B: for: 61 against: 34 goal average= 1.794

Goal average? Surely 60 goals scored in 42 games (what Team A above achieved) would be calculated as 60 ÷ 42 = 1.428.

1.818 is actually the product of 60 ÷ 33 (goals for ÷ goals against)- more of a ratio. 

Anyhow, until 1976-77 that was the method the Football League used to separate teams equal on points. I'm sure that the cloth capped spectators of yore must have enjoyed hours of calculations over chewed pencil stubs- the right wing press is always grieving over the days of super- numeracy when even four year olds could do 945 ÷ 278 in their heads (and god help them if they couldn't). 
There were faults; for example 1-0 win produces a better goal average than a 10-1 win.
The system was introduced at  the first sub-committee meeting of the Football League on 11.1.1889 (John Bentley in the chair). Point 10 reads:
Averages for the Championship shall be taken from wins and draws (not from the number of goals scored) to be counted as follows: two points for a win and one for a draw. in the event of two or more clubs being equal in points, the best goal average to count. 

In the the second season of the Football League goal average should have been used to decide a very important matter-  but was waived in what might have been an act of gratitude to the founder William McGregor-  his Aston Villa finished level with Bolton Wanderers on 19 points- whichever club finished lower of the two would have to apply for re election. The goal average computed as:
Bolton Wanderers 0.84375 
Aston Villa 0.84314 
The League decided to allow both sides to share 8th place, neither facing re election. It would have been the smallest mathematical margin in the history of League football. 
At the end of the 1907-08 season 3 second division clubs were on 30 points- Barnsley, Glossop and Grimsby Town- whichever finished lowest would face re election.  Goal average pointed to Grimsby- but, they protested, we're only in the danger zone on goal average - remember what happened to Aston Villa? The League (in the person of Mr John Lewis ) was having none of it. Grimsby were, however, successfully re elected. 
The most famous goal average based decision must be Huddersfield Town's League Championship win at the expense of Cardiff City (1.818 over 1.794) at the end of the 1923–24 season, Cardiff missing a penalty in the final league game. 

Let's take a look at goal averages in the top division from 1888-89 to 1936-37.

Season	Champions	F	A	G A	Best?
12 teams
1888-89	Preston North End	74	15	4.933	Yes
1889-90	Preston North End	71	30	2.367	Yes
1890-91	Everton	69	29	2.172	Yes
14 teams
1891-92	Sunderland	93	36	2.583	Yes
16 teams
1892-93	Sunderland	100	36	2.778	Yes
1893-94	Aston Villa	84	42	2.000	Yes
1894-95	Sunderland	80	37	2.162	Yes
1895-96	Aston Villa	78	45	1.733	No	Derby County (2) 1.943 (68:35)
1896-97	Aston Villa	73	38	1.921	Yes
1897-98	Sheffield United	56	31	1.806	Yes
18 teams
1898-99	Aston Villa	76	40	1.900	Yes
1899-1900	Aston Villa	77	35	2.200	Yes
1900-01	Liverpool	59	35	1.686	No	Sunderland (2)  2.192 (57:26)
1901-02	Sunderland	50	35	1.429	No	Everton (2)  1.514 (53:35)
1902-03	The Wednesday	54	36	1.500	No	Aston Villa (2)  1.525 (61:40)
1903-04	The Wednesday	48	28	1.714	No	Everton (3)  1.844 (59:32)
1904-05	Newcastle United	72	33	2.182	Yes
20 teams
1905-06	Liverpool	79	46	1.717	Yes
1906-07	Newcastle United	74	46	1.609	Yes
1907-08	Manchester United	81	48	1.688	Yes
1908-09	Newcastle United	65	41	1.585	Yes
1909-10	Aston Villa	84	42	2.000	Yes
1910-11	Manchester United	72	40	1.800	Yes
1911-12	Blackburn Rovers	60	43	1.395	No	The Wednesday (5) 1.408 (69:49)
1912-13	Sunderland	86	43	2.000	Yes
1913-14	Blackburn Rovers	78	42	1.857	Yes
1914-15	Everton	76	47	1.617	Yes
22 teams
1919-1	West Bromwich Albion	104	47	2.213	Yes
1920-21	Burnley	79	36	2.194	Yes
1921-22	Liverpool	63	36	1.750	Yes
1922-23	Liverpool	70	31	2.258	Yes
1923-24	Huddersfield Town	60	33	1.818	No	Bolton Wanderers (4) 2.000 (68:34)
1924-25	Huddersfield Town	69	28	2.464	Yes
1925-26	Huddersfield Town	92	60	1.533	Yes
1926-27	Newcastle United	96	58	1.655	Yes
1927-28	Everton	102	66	1.545	Yes
1928-29	The Wednesday	86	62	1.387	No	Leicester City (2) 1.433 (97:67), Liverpool (5) 1.406 (90:64)
1929-30	Sheffield Wednesday	105	57	1.842	Yes
1930-31	Arsenal	127	59	2.153	Yes
1931-32	Everton	116	64	1.813	No	Arsenal (2) 1.875 (90:48)
1932-33	Arsenal	118	61	1.934	Yes
1933-34	Arsenal	75	47	1.596	Yes
1934-35	Arsenal	115	46	2.500	Yes
1935-36	Sunderland	109	74	1.473	No	Arsenal (6) 1.625 (78:48)
1936-37	Manchester City	107	61	1.754	Yes

So, what then, about the actual averages? The actual goals scored per game? Goals conceded per game? Which teams have been the most regular scorers? Who has had the best defence? Is it possible that the team conceding least goals all season could finish in bottom place? 

Season	Champions	F	A	Best average  For		Best average Against
1888-89	Preston North End	3.36	0.68
1889-90	Preston North End	3.22	1.36
1890-91	Everton	2.86	1.31			Preston North End	1.04
1891-92	Sunderland	3.57	1.38			Preston North End	1.19
1892-93	Sunderland	3.33	1.20
1893-94	Aston Villa	2.80	1.40	Everton	3.00
1894-95	Sunderland	2.66	1.23	Everton, Aston Villa	2.73
1895-96	Aston Villa	2.60	1.50			Derby County	1.16
1896-97	Aston Villa	2.43	1.26			Sheffield United	0.96
1897-98	Sheffield United	1.86	1.03	Aston Villa	2.03	Sunderland	1.00
1898-99	Aston Villa	2.35	1.17			Liverpool	0.97
1899-1900	Aston Villa	2.26	1.02			Sheffield United	0.97
1900-01	Liverpool	1.73	1.02			Sunderland	0.76
1901-02	Sunderland	1.47	1.02	Everton, Sheffield United	1.55	Newcastle United	1.00
1902-03	The Wednesday	1.58	1.05	Liverpool	2.00
1903-04	The Wednesday	1.41	0.82	Manchester City	2.08
1904-05	Newcastle United	2.11	0.97
1905-06	Liverpool	2.07	1.21	Bolton Wanderers	2.13	Preston North End	1.02
1906-07	Newcastle United	1.94	1.21	Aston Villa	2.05
1907-08	Manchester United	2.13	1.26			Middlesbrough	1.18
1908-09	Newcastle United	1.71	1.07	Everton	2.15
1909-10	Aston Villa	2.21	1.10			Sheffield United	1.07
1910-11	Manchester United	1.89	1.05			Everton	0.94
1911-12	Blackburn Rovers	1.57	1.13	Aston Villa	2.00	Everton	1.10
1912-13	Sunderland	2.26	1.13			Manchester City	0.97
1913-14	Blackburn Rovers	2.05	1.10			Bradford City	1.05
1914-15	Everton	2.00	1.23	Blackburn Rovers	2.18	Manchester City	1.02
1919- 20	West Bromwich Albion	2.47	1.11			Newcastle United	0.92
1920-21	Burnley	1.88	0.85			Liverpool	0.83
1921-22	Liverpool	1.50	0.85	Middlesbrough	1.88
1922-23	Liverpool	1.66	0.73	Cardiff City	1.73
1923-24	Huddersfield Town	1.42	0.78	Sunderland	1.69
1924-25	Huddersfield Town	1.64	0.66	Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City	1.80
1925-26	Huddersfield Town	2.19	1.42	Sheffield United	2.42
1926-27	Newcastle United	2.28	1.38	Sunderland	2.33
1927-28	Everton	2.42	1.57
1928-29	The Wednesday	2.04	1.47	Aston Villa	2.33	Cardiff City *	1.40
1929-30	Sheffield Wednesday	2.50	1.35
1930-31	Arsenal	3.02	1.40	Aston Villa	3.04
1.1931-32	Everton	2.76	1.52			Arsenal	1.14
1932-33	Arsenal	2.80	1.45			Huddersfield Town	1.26
1933-34	Arsenal	1.78	1.11	Huddersfield Town	2.14
1934-35	Arsenal	2.73	1.09
1935-36	Sunderland	2.59	1.76			Arsenal	1.14
1936-37	Manchester City	2.54	1.45			Charlton Athletic, Arsenal	1.16

·        * Bizarrely Cardiff City finished bottom 

Most prolific scorers:

Sunderland (1891-92) 3.57 (93 goals in 26 games)

Responsible for a third of Sunderland's goals in 1891-92 -Johnny Campbell

Tightest defence:

Huddersfield Town (1924-25)  0.66 (28 goals in 42 games)- Billy Mercer conceded just 16 in 27 games, Ted Taylor 5 goals in 10 games  and Len Boot 7 goals in 5 games .

Billy Mercer