BigSoccer's Players of the Season: 1890-91

Additions in green.


Scottish Cup 1st round, Celtic-Rangers 1-1, 6.9.1890, Glasgow, Attendance:
goals: ?
best players: ?

Football League, Preston North End-Blackburn Rovers 1-2, 4.10.1890, Preston, Attendance: 10,000
goals: scrimmage / Southworth, Walton
best players: / Pennington (gk)

Football League, Blackburn Rovers-Preston North End 1-0, 25.10.1890, Blackburn, Attendance: 20,000
goals: Southworth Walton
best players: Walton / Trainer (gk)

Football League, Notts County-Everton 3-1, 1.11.1890, Nottingham, Attendance: 13,000
goals: Daft, og, McInnes / Geary
best players: McInnes

Football League, Blackburn Rovers- Everton 2-1, 8.11.1890, Blackburn, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Southworth 2 / Chadwick
best players: Southworth, Townley / Chadwick

Football League, Preston North End-Notts County 0-0, 8.11.1890, Preston, Attendance: ?
goals: ?
best players: Trainer (gk)

Football League, Notts County-Blackburn Rovers 1-2, 15.11.1890, Nottingham, Attendance: 11,000
goals: Oswald / og, Southworth
best players: Southworth

Football League, Preston North End-Everton 2-0, 22.11.1890, Preston, Attendance: 15,000
goals: scrimmage, G Drummond
best players: N Ross / Angus (gk)

Football League, Everton-Blackburn Rovers 3-1, 29.11.1890, Liverpool, Attendance: 12,000
goals: Geary 2, scrimmage / Southworth
best players: Milward

Football League, Notts County-Preston North End 2-1, 6.12.1890, Nottingham, Attendance: 10,000
goals: Oswald, Locker / Gallacher
best players: Oswald

Preston North End- Corinthians 1-1, 27.12.1890, Preston, Attendance: ?
goals: Gallacher / Cotterill
best players: N Ross, Holmes / Moon (gk)

Queen's Park-Corinthians 3-1, 1.1.1891, Glasgow, Hampden Park, Attendance: 10,000
goals: Robertson, Hamilton ? / Henfrey
best players: Hamilton, Sellar / Wilkinson (gk)

Heart of Midlothian-Blackburn Rovers 1-1, 2-2 1.1.1891, Edinburgh, Attendance: 3,000
Goals: Boyd, og / Hall 2
best players: ?

Football League, Everton-Notts County 4-2, 3.1.1891, Liverpool, Attendance: ?
goals: Chadwick 2, Geary, Milward / scrimmage, Daft
best players: Robertson

Football League, Everton-Preston North End 0-1, 10.1.1891, Liverpool, Attendance: 16,000
goals: Crossens
best players: / Stewart, N Ross, Holmes

Scottish Cup Quarter-final, 3rd Lanark- Queen's Park 1-1, 10.1.1891, Glasgow,Attendance: 10,000
goals: ?
best players: ?

North-South (International Trial) 3-0, 12.1.1891, Nottingham, Attendance: 4,000
Goals: 1-0 Geary (15 min.), 2-0 Chadwick, 3-0 Geary.
best players: Chadwick, Geary, Townley / Wilkinson (gk)

FA Cup 1st round, Stoke-Preston North End 3-0, 17.1.1891, Stoke, Attendance: 7,000
goals: Turner, Ballham, Cooper
best players: Cooper

FA Cup 1st round, Sunderland-Everton 1-0, 17.1.1891, Sunderland, Attendance: 20,000
goals: Campbell
best players: Campbell

Scottish Cup Quarter-final replay, Queen's Park-3rd Lanark 2-2, 17.1.1891, Glasgow,Attendance: 10,000
goals: Sellar, ? / ??
best players: Arnott, Sillars, Gillespie / Burke, Johnstone

Corinthians-Everton 1-3, 24.1.1891, London, The Oval, Attendance: 3,000
goals: Lindley / Robertson, Milward 2
best players: Milward

Scottish Cup Quarter-final 2nd replay, Queen's Park-3rd Lanark 1-4, 24.1.1891, Glasgow, Attendance: 8,000
goals: Gulliland / Burke, Johnstone, ?, scrimmage
best players: Johnstone

Scottish Cup Semi-final, 3rd Lanark-Heart of Midlothian 1-4, 31.1.1891, Glasgow,Attendance: ?
Goals: og / McPherson, Scott, Russell. scrimmage
best players: / Baird, Russell, Scott

Scottish Cup Final, Heart of Midlothian-Dumbarton 1-0, 7.2.1891, Hampden Park, Glasgow, Attendance: 14,000
goals: Willie Mason 15'
best players: Russell, Baird, Adams / Keir, McNaught
Dumbarton were strong favourites.

Corinthians-Queen's Park 0-1, 14.2.1891, London, The Oval, Attendance: ?
goals: Paul
best players: ?

Corinthians-Notts County 2-1, 21.2.1891, London, The Oval, Attendance: ?
goals: Henfrey, Lindley / McInnes
best players: Lindley, Currey, Sandilands / Daft

FA Cup Semi-final, Notts County-Sunderland 3-3, 28.2.1891, Sheffield, Attendance: ?
goals: McInnes, McGregor, Oswald / Harvie, Scott, Campbell
best players: Hendry, Thraves (gk), McInnes / Porteous, Wilson, Harvie

FA Cup Semi-final, Blackburn Rovers-West Bromwich Albion 3-2, 28.2.1891, Stoke, Attendance: ?
goals: Southworth, Hall, Lofthouse / Groves, Pearson
best players: Pennington (gk) / Perry

Corinthians-Preston North End 1-2, 2.3.1891, Richmond, Attendance: 3,000
goals: Henfrey / Gallacher, Crossens
best players: / Holmes, Howarth

British Home Championship, ENG-IRL 6-1, 7.3.1891, Wolverhampton, Molineux Stadium, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Cotterill 15', Henfry 17', Daft 35', Lindley 60’, Bassett 63’, Lindley 83’ / T Whiteside 61’
best players: Bassett, Cotterill
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1890-91/M0041Ire1891.html
One of two games played by England on the same day.

British Home Championship, ENG-WAL 4-1, 7.3.1891, Sunderland, Newcastle Road, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Goodall 30', Southworth 30', Chadwick 40', Milward 43' / E Howell 81’
best players: Southworth, Holt, Chadwick
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1890-91/M0041Wal1891.html
One of two games played by England on the same day.

FA Cup Semi-final replay, Notts County-Sunderland 2-0, 11.3.1891, Sheffield, Attendance: ?
goals: Oswald 2
best players: McGregor, Daft, McInnes / Porteous

Football League, Blackburn Rovers-Notts County 1-7, 14.3.1891, Blackburn, Attendance: 8,000
goals: Walton / McGregor 2, Daft 2, Locker, Oswald 2
best players: / Thraves (gk), Oswald, Daft
Blackburn were saving themselves for the FA Cup final against the same team.

FA Cup Final, Blackburn Rovers-Notts County 3-1, 21.3.1891, The Oval, Attendance: 23,000
goals: Dewar, Southworth, Townley / Oswald
best players: Brandon, Forbes, Dewar, Townley / Calderhead, Shelton

British Home Championship, WAL-SCO 3-4, 21.3.1891, The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Attendance: 4,000
goals: 0-1 Logan (5), 1-1 Bowdler (12), 2-1 Owen (45), 2-2 Buchanan (51), 2-3 Boyd (59), 3-3 Turner (n/a), 3-4 Boyd (80)
best players: / Gulliland

Everton-Corinthians 3-0, 28.3.1891, Liverpool, Attendance: ?
Goals: og, Geary, scrimmage
best players: Milward, Hannah, Doyle / Seton (gk)

British Home Championship, SCO-IRL 2-1, 28.3.1891, Celtic Park, Glasgow, Attendance: 8,000
goals: 1-0 Low (6), 2-0 Waddell (60), 2-1 Crawford (70)
best players: Gillespie (gk) /

British Home Championship, ENG-SCO 2-1, 6.4.1891, Blackburn, Edwood Park, Attendance: 10,000
goals: Goodall 20', Chadwick 30' /Watt 85'
best players: Holt, Chadwick, Milward, Holmes, Howarth / Arnott, Watt, Smellie
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1890-91/M0043Sco1891.html
The Selection Committee named the three sides for Scotland's three matches on Tuesday, 10 March in Glasgow, reserves not named. The team is as that which was selected, three and a half weeks earlier.

Everton-Queen's Park 1-1, 13.4.1891, Liverpool, Attendance: ?
goals: Chadwick / Hamilton
best players: Chadwick / Arnott, Smellie, Baird

Football League- Football Alliance 1-1, 20.4.1891, Sheffield, Olive Grove Ground, Attendance: 6,000
goals: Chadwick / Davis
best players: Chadwick, N Ross / Roberts (gk)

Celtic-Preston North End 4-0, 21.4.1890, Glasgow, Attendance: 5,000
goals: McMahon 2, og, Dowds
best players: Campbell, McMahon, Reynolds, McKeown, Maley / G Drummond (centre-half), Trainer (gk)

Charity Cup Final, Queen's Park-Northern 1-1, 25.4.1891, Glasgow, Hampden Park, Attendance: 2,000
goals: 1-0 Hamilton, 1-1 Watson.
best players: ?

Charity Cup Final replay, Queen's Park-Northern 9-1, 2.5.1891, Glasgow, Hampden Park, Attendance: 1,000
goals: 1-0 Lambie, 2-0 Waddell, 3-0 Gulliland, 4-0 Waddell, 5-0 Arnott, 6-0 Gulliand, 7-0 Lambie, 8-0 Lambie, 9-0 Lambie, 9-1 Cunningham.
best players: Lambie

Scottish League, play-off match for the title, Dumbarton-Rangers 2-2, 21.5.1891, Cathkin Park, Glasgow, Attendance: ?
Goals: Bell, scrimmage / Hislop 2
best players: Hislop


Newspaper sources: London Daily News, Morning Post, Sporting Life, Athletic News, Birminghgam Daily Post, Derby Daily Telegraph, Lancashire Evening Post, Liverpool Mercury, Manchester Courier, Preston Herald, Sheffield Evening Telegraph, Sheffield Independent, South Wales Daily News, York Herald, Yorkshire Evening Press, Yorkshire Post, Dundee Advertiser, Dundee Courier, Dundee Evening Telegraph, Glasgow Evening Post, Glasgow Herald, Scottish Referee.

Sources are from the British Newspaper Archive, managed by the British Library Board.

 

Suggested best XI 1890-91 (2-3-5):

Trainer - Arnott, N Ross - Kelso, Holt, Shelton - Bassett, Goodall, Southworth, Chadwick, Milward.

The team of the season is not straightforward. As usual the selection for the annual England v Scotland encounter was taken seriously with trial matches followed by formal meetings involving a number of selectors. England chose four men from league champions Everton.

Only six points separated the top seven league clubs. Blackburn in sixth place won the FA Cup for the second year running but had none of their players picked despite the international being played at their home ground. This was bound to result in fewer spectators.

Particularly controversial was the choice of Everton centre-forward Fred Geary ahead of Blackburn's Jack Southworth, league topscorer, and considered by the press to be the best in his position in the country. The selectors were swayed by Geary's fruitful partnership with club teammates Chadwick and Milward, who were both called up.

Scotland's selectors drew the opposite conclusion from their domestic competitions. The first Scottish league championship was shared by Dumbarton and Rangers who finished eight points clear of the rest. No player from either club was picked for any of Scotland's three internationals this season.

Cup winners Hearts from Edinburgh had four men in the team to face England despite losing most of their league matches. The west of Scotland press did not rate Hearts players. There were also four representatives from Queen's Park, who did not enter the league and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the cup. Many did not want Queen's Park to win the cup as they felt it would devalue the league.

England established international supremacy over Scotland during the first half of the decade, leading the Scots reluctantly to select Anglo Scots from 1896.

None of the Anglo Scots had an outstanding season in 1890-91. Nick Ross, reverting to full-back, was the best. His Preston teammate Jimmy Trainer, from Wales, was again named the league's leading goalkeeper. Preston were runners-up this year and were knocked out in the first round of the FA Cup by Stoke, who had not been re-elected to the league.

 

Looks like a good selection.

 

How about Doyle and Hannah the everton fullbacks?

 

Both had decent seasons. They would probably be behind the five full-backs nominated in the 23, four of whom were selected for the England v Scotland match (Ross was not eligible).

The four Everton men in the Top 23 were also chosen for England against Scotland. Chadwick was the key man in Everton's league title win, forming a particularly effective left-wing partnership with Milward.

 

An interesting case this season is Olphie Stanfield, goalscorer in the BHC.

@peterhrt what do you think about him?

 

Stanfield is another prolific goalscorer playing at a standard below the top level at the time. 178 goals in 181 matches for Irish club Distillery between 1886 and 1898.

All four of his goals in the 1891 Home Internationals were against Wales.

Stanfield's international career for Ireland ran from 1887 until 1897. In matches against England and Scotland during that time, Ireland played 22, losing 20 and drawing 2. They scored 21 goals and conceded 109, an average scoreline of 1-5.

It seems that Stanfield was a skilful all-round forward. The question is to what extent the level he was playing at should be taken into account.

 

In retrospect, Stanfield could be the best Irish player in the 1890s, even some countrymen get a nomination.

Maybe, in a weaker season?

 

There was also Jack Reynolds who made the lists when playing for England, having previously appeared in five matches for Ireland.

 

I understand that Stanfield was a sort of "big fish in an Aquarium", but when playing in the NT, he still was viewed as the most valued player?

Even playing alongside England based players? I mean, comparing him with his countrymen (A.Goodall, Kirwan, etc.)

I didn't find too much info, about these questions. Thanks

 

Ireland only allowed Irish-based players to represent the country until 1899, by which time Stanfield had stopped playing. Archie Goodall made his international debut in 1899 aged 34. Jack Kirwan first played for Ireland a year later when in his early twenties.

According to match reports Stanfield did not make much of an impression against England or Scotland. Most of the games were one-sided so he probably did not get many opportunities. He scored one goal against each of these opponents in 21 matches combined, and England claimed that his goal against them did not cross the line. These were really his only appearances in top-level football at the time.