Sheffield and England in the 19th Century...

The City of Sheffield was a major centre of footballing development , and its influence on the evolution of the Association game cannot be overlooked.  There were Sheffield men present in the England XI right from the very start. Charlie Clegg played in the 5th 'Alcock International' and also in the first official international in 1872. Clegg, who went on to be a massively influential administrator, later complained about the snooty attitude of his southern teammates. 
During the 19th century 7 Sheffield based clubs had players capped by England:

Reverend John Robert Blayney Owen

Jack Hunter - in the 7 internationals in which he played England won only once and conceded 31 goals! He went on to lead Blackburn Olympic to FA Cup victory, being largely responsible for the professional approach they took to the game. 

Billy Mosforth-The Little Wonder, often described as England's first working class player (more on this matter in the near future) and the first player to represent both Wednesday and Sheffield United.

United's first international- Harry Lilley

 Michael Whitham

Raby Howell- the first Roma to play for England.

England's most famous 1 cap wonder? Billy Foulke

The Wednesday
Charles Clegg	Forward	1 cap	1872
William Clegg	Half Back	1 cap	1873
Billy Mosforth	Outside Left	5 caps	1877-82
Teddy Brayshaw	Centre Half	1 cap	1887
Billy Betts	Centre Half	1 cap	1889
Fred Spiksley	Outside Left	7 caps	1893-98
Tom Crawshaw	Centre Half	10 caps	1895-1904
Sheffield FC
John Owen	Forward	1 cap	1874
John Hudson	Half Back	1 cap	1883
Owlerton
William Carr	Goalkeeper	1 cap	1875
Heeley
Jack Hunter	Half Back	7 caps	1878-1882
Sheffield Albion
William Clegg	Forward	1 cap	1879
Billy Mosforth	Outside Left	4 caps	1879-80
Thursday Wanderers
Thomas Heathcote Sorby	Forward	1 cap	1879
Sheffield United
Harry Lilley	Left Back	1 Cap	1892
Michael Whitham	Right Back	1 Cap	1892
Ernest Needham	Half Back	16 Caps	1894-1902
Raby Howell	Right Half	1 Cap	1895
Billy Foulke	Goalkeeper	1 Cap	1897
Tommy Morren	Centre Half	1 Cap	1898
Harry Thickett	Right Back	2 Caps	1899

A fair mix up in goal

Looking at this illustration made me think of some comments on the modern game: All that pushing and shoving at corners is a disgrace... If you so much as touch the goalie it's a foul... A fair mix up in goal , which shows the first round FA Cup tie played at the Manor Ground on January 27th 1894, looks like something from Twickenham. Fair play to the Wednesday keeper, Bill Allan,  for getting a punch in.
Wednesday won 2-1 thanks to 2 goals from Fred Spiksley, Elliot getting Arsenal's goal. 
Interesting to see the use of Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. One a contraction and the other an elaboration. The Wednesday only added Sheffield in 1929 whilst Arsenal were known as Woolwich Arsenal until 1914 and The Arsenal up to 1919.

Glossop (North End)

Glossop North End currently play in the North West Counties League Premier Division. founded in 1886, they played in the Combination and Midlands League before joining the Football League in 1898–99. 
They were promoted to Division One after just one season, but lasted just one season in the top flight.
On being promoted they dropped the North End from their name. Glossop is the smallest town ever to boast a league club. A remarkable statistic is that the population of the town in the 1910s was about 21,000- and in 1914 10,700 turned up at North Road to see an FA cup tie against Preston North End. 
The club were financed by local cotton magnate and Member of Parliament, Samuel Hill-Wood.



Among the big names to turn out for the club were John Goodall (34 games 1900-03) , Fred Spiksley (5 games 1904-05), Archie Goodall (30 games 1904-05) and Bob Jack (64 games, 1902-03).

season	League	FA Cup
1898-99	Div.2 2nd	R1	Promoted as runners up
1899-1900	Div.1 18th	Q3	Finished bottom, 9 points adrift, with only 4 wins
1900-01	Div.2 5th	IR
1901-02	Div.2 8th	R1
1902-03	Div.2 11th	R1
1903-04	Div.2 17th
1904-05	Div.2 12th	Q4
1905-06	Div.2 16th	Q4
1906-07	Div.2 15th	R1
1907-08	Div.2 17th	R4
1908-09	Div.2 8th	R4
1909-10	Div.2 6th	R1
1910-11	Div.2  14th	R1
1911-12	Div.2 18th	R1
1912-13	Div.2 18th	R1
1913-14	Div.2  17th	R2
1914-15	Div.2  20th	R1	A goal difference of -56 and just 6 wins saw Glossop finish bottom and fail to be re elected.

Here are the club colours...

World Team of the decade - 1890s

Just a bit of fun to stimulate some debate. I'm going to select a team for every decade from the 1880s to the 1930s. The inspiration? In November 1905 The Daily Mail chose a World XI to challenge another planet at football.
Please note that I have limited each player to one decade only, hence the absence of greats such as  Needham (1900s) , Bassett (1880s) from this selection. 

The 1890s was the decade of the great professional clubs and the growth of  league football. England and  Scotland were still the dominant forces in the World game.

	Player	Team	Country
GK	Ned Doig	Sunderland	Scotland
Jack Robinson the England goalkeeper also developed the skills associated with modern  goalkeeping.
RB	Nicol Smith	Rangers	Scotland
Smith, a strong brave player with an accurate pass, was an early example of an attacking fullback who liked to get forward. He won 5 league titles and 3 Scottish cups with Rangers.
LB	William John Oakley	Corinthian FC	England
An amateur who made 16 international appearances.
RH	Jack Reynolds	Aston Villa/ West Bromwich Albion	Ireland/England
Jack Reynolds was capped by both  England and Ireland. His contemporaries describe him as being remarkably skillful, fast, a good header of the ball and a formidable defender.
CH	Johnny Holt	Everton	England
For a small man to occupy the role of centre half, the pivotal player in the team, required very high levels of skill.
LH	Jimmy  Crabtree	Aston Villa	England
One of England's greatest players. Shone in any position. Great as a half-back, but greater, possibly, as a back, kicking cleanly and with rare precision. A keen, skilful tackler, clever at close quarters and equally reliable in the open; cool, resourceful, and brainy. Excelled in the finer points of the game, and one of the most versatile players England has boasted. For many seasons unrivalled in his position. The Villa News and Record  September 1906
OR	Charlie Athersmith	Aston Villa	England
The speediest forward in England is said to be Athersmith, of Aston Villa, one of the most dangerous men to tackle...he is one of the very best forwards at outside-right. His speed often gets him through where a slower man would have but little chance. Ernest Needham, Association Football (1901)
IR	Steve Bloomer	Derby County	England
A legendary goal machine who would challenge for a place in a selection from the entire history of the game.
CF	Johnny Campbell	Sunderland	Scotland
Popular opinion dictates that GO Smith was the finest centre forward of the era, but Campbell’s phenomenal goalscoring in the League cannot be overlooked. Johnny Campbell of Celtic, Aston Villa and Scotland is also worthy of mention.
IL	'Diamond' Freddy Wheldon	Aston Villa	England
When at his best, he was undoubtedly the finest inside left forward England possessed. His command of the ball, his adaptability to prevailing conditions, combined with his dodging, his swerving, and his deadly shooting, made him a great player in the highest company. Brilliant with head and foot alike, he has always been an ornament to the game.  The Villa News and Record  September 1906
OL	Fred Spiksley	The Wednesday	England
A skilful player, technically adept, relying on close control.

Alternative selections are welcomed!