The Oval, 1869-70 season

Having secured the use of the Surrey County Cricket ground at Kennington Oval The Wanderers put it to good use for the 1869-70 season.
Contemporary reports reveal that the Association game was still very much in its infancy. More than one of these fixtures was played between unevenly matched teams who failed to field eleven players.
Of the 19 known matches to have taken place at The Oval that season Wanderers featured in 15. They won 9 of these games and scored 29 goals.
The Wanderers had not yet reached their zenith. During the following 2 years football would undergo significant advances with the introduction of the FA Cup and international matches. The Oval would then assume the mantle of England's premier football venue.
Let's take a look at the first season:

09.10.69	Wanderers	0	2	West Kent
23.10.69	Wanderers	0	2	Old Etonians
27.10.69	Wanderers	3	0	Rochester
06.11.69	Wanderers	2	1	Upton Park
10.11.69	Wanderers	2	1	Royal Engineers
13.11.69	Civil Service	0	1	West Kent
20.11.69	Wanderers	0	0	Gitanos
01.12.69	Wanderers	4	2	Civil Service
04.12.69	Wanderers	2	0	Hampstead Heathens
11.12.69	Wanderers	1	2	Crusaders
14.12.69	Wanderers	1	2	Desperadoes
18.12.69	Civil Service	1	2	Old Harrovians
15.01.70	Wanderers	1	1	Gitanos
19.01.70	Wanderers	1	0	Harrow Pilgrims
22.01.70	Wanderers	3	0	Civil Service
29.01.70	Civil Service	0	2	West Kent
26.02.70	Wanderers	7	0	Forest
05.03.70	English	1	1	Scotch
	This was the first 'Alcock International'
19.03.70	Wanderers	2	1	Hampstead Heathens

Postponements/ cancellations:

24.11.69	Wanderers	P	P	Crystal Palace
05.02.70	Civil Service played a scratch team instead of the advertised match with Old Etonians
12.02.70	Civil Service	P	P	Old Harrovians
	English v Scotch was arranged for this date…
12.02.70	English	P	P	Scotch
	Postponed due to frost.
19.02.70	Wanderers	P	P	West Kent

Result or whether played unknown:

18.12.69	Gitanos	?	?	Harrow Pilgrims
05.03.70	Civil Service	?	?	Crusaders
14.03.70	Civil Service	?	?	Royal Engineers

Advertised but not played:

21.12.69	Gitanos	v	Bedouins
	Played at Blackheath.
08.01.70	Wanderers	v	Brixton
12.01.70	Wanderers	v	Bedouins

The Oval

In the 1860s London's football was played in public parks such as Clapham Common and Battersea Park. There were no enclosed football grounds.
A significant change occurred on Saturday October 9th 1869, when The Wanderers v West Kent was played at the Kennington Oval, the home of Surrey Cricket Club. This was the first football match to be played at the famous venue.
The cricket ground had been laid out in 1845.
Charles Alcock had good connections in the cricket world. He played for Middlesex and would, in 1872, become secretary of Surrey. He was able to persuade the current Surrey secretary, William Burrup, that allowing the footballers to use the outfield in the winter months was a good thing.
The orientation of pitch was east to west.

Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle - 13.10.69

Charles Nepean, scorer of the 1st goals at The Oval 

Over the following 23 seasons The Oval was England's leading football venue, hosting 22 FA Cup Finals (including 2 replays) and 10 internationals (8 v Scotland, 2 v Wales). It was also used as a venue for Rugby.

In 1892 Surrey County Cricket Club made it known that they wouldn’t be allowing any football to be played at The Oval until the end of October.Then, in January 1893, it was announced that because the square had been relaid there would be no football at The Oval that season.