The City Ground

TEST MATCHES

The current Playoff system between the top teams just outside of the automatic promotion spots was introduced in 1986. Prior to that, for 6 seasons in 1890s there were Test-Matches which, in the language of the kids in the 1890's was just another word for...playoffs.

History of the early Football League and the Test-Matches
After its foundation in 1888, the Football League was, for the first four years, made up just one division of 12 teams.
In 1893, following the dissolution of the short-lived Football Alliance (which Forest competed in for its three-year lifespan), those 12 Alliance teams were invited to join the Football League, which was expanded to a top flight of 16 teams and the Second division increased from 12 to 16 in the next two seasons.

The question then was what to do at the end of the season? Well, play more football, obviously, so the concept of Test Matches was born.

It was almost the same as it is now, except that the bottom two (or three) teams in the First Division were invited to play the top two (or three) teams in the Second Divison for the privilege of either staying in the First Division or (politely) being invited to join the Second Division..

SUMMARY
The Test Matches lasted for 6 seasons, from 1892/93 to 1897/98, (before being replaced by automatic promotion and relegation) and, during that time, 17 of the 41 league teams took part in them. Notts County and Newton Heath (Manchester United) were involved in four of the six seasons with Newton Heath and Burnley playing most games (8 games each).

Here's a summary of how each of the Test Match teams did each season.

Club	#	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	1892-93	1893-94	1894-95	1895-96	1896-97	1897-98*
Newton Heath	4	8	2	2	4	9	13	-4	Stayed in Div 1	Relegated	Stayed in Div 2		Stayed in Div 2
Notts County	4	7	2	2	3	6	10	-4	Relegated	Stayed in Div 2	Stayed in Div 2		Promoted
Small Heath	3	7	1	1	4	6	22	-16	Stayed in Div 2	Promoted		Relegated
Liverpool	3	6	3	1	2	8	3	5		Promoted	Relegated	Promoted
Burnley	2	8	3	3	3	8	7	1					Relegated	Promoted
Stoke	2	5	3	3	1	7	2	5			Stayed in Div 1			Stayed in Div 1
Darwen	2	2	1	1	1	4	5	-1	Promoted	Relegated
Blackburn Rovers	1	4	1	1	3	5	12	-7						Relegated
Manchester City	1	4	2	2	1	13	7	6				Stayed in Div 2
Newcastle United	1	4	2	2	2	9	6	3						Stayed in Div 2
Sunderland	1	4	1	1	1	3	2	1					Stayed in Div 1
West Browich Albion	1	4	2	2	1	9	4	5				Stayed in Div 1
Accrington	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	Relegated
Bury	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	1			Promoted
Derby County	1	1	1	1	0	2	1	1			Stayed in Div 1
Preston North End	1	1	1	1	0	4	0	4		Stayed in Div 1
Sheffield United	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	Promoted

*1897-98 - All four teams ended up in Division One after the league was expanded

ALL THE RESULTS

Here's the full set of Test Match results over the six seasons that they were played in.

1892-93

The first season, 1892-93, saw a one-off set of games between the bottom three teams of the First Division and the top three of the Second Division.

Second-division teams Darwen and Sheffield United beat First-division Notts County and Accrington respectively to gain promotion, and cause Accrington to resign from the league.
In the third game, Birmingham City (now Birmingham City) drew with Manchester United (now Manchester United). The replay was won by Newton Heath to keep their top-flight status and keep Small Heath in Division 2.

END OF SEASON TABLES

FIRST DIVISION (Tier 1) - 1892-93

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away								Results
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result	Home	Away
1	Sunderland	30	22	4	4	100	36	13	2	0	58	17	9	2	4	42	19	2.778	48	Champions	0-5	0-1
2	Preston North End	30	17	3	10	57	39	11	2	2	34	10	6	1	8	23	29	1.462	37		1-2	0-1
3	Everton	30	16	4	10	74	51	9	3	3	44	17	7	1	7	30	34	1.451	36		2-1	2-2
4	Aston Villa	30	16	3	11	73	62	12	1	2	50	24	4	2	9	23	38	1.177	35		4-5	0-1
5	Bolton Wanderers	30	13	6	11	56	55	12	1	2	43	21	1	5	9	13	34	1.018	32		2-0	1-3
6	Burnley	30	13	4	13	51	44	10	2	3	37	15	3	2	10	14	29	1.159	30		2-2	1-1
7	Stoke	30	12	5	13	58	48	8	2	5	33	16	4	3	8	25	32	1.208	29		3-4	0-3
8	West Bromwich Albion	30	12	5	13	58	69	9	2	4	35	17	3	3	9	23	52	.841	29		3-4	2-2
9	Blackburn Rovers	30	8	13	9	47	56	5	8	2	29	24	3	5	7	18	32	.839	29		0-1	1-0
10	Nottingham Forest	30	10	8	12	48	52	7	2	6	30	27	3	6	6	18	25	.923	28
11	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30	12	4	14	47	68	11	2	2	32	17	1	2	12	15	51	.691	28	FA Cup Winners	3-1	2-2
12	The Wednesday	30	12	3	15	55	65	8	2	5	34	28	4	1	10	21	37	.846	27		2-0	2-2
13	Derby County	30	9	9	12	52	64	5	6	4	30	28	4	3	8	22	36	.813	27		1-0	3-2
14	Notts County	30	10	4	16	53	61	8	3	4	34	15	2	1	12	19	46	.869	24	Relegated after test-match playoffs	3-1	0-3
15	Accrington Stanley	30	6	11	13	57	81	5	5	5	29	34	1	6	8	28	47	.704	23	Resigned from League	3-0	1-1
16	Newton Heath	30	6	6	18	50	85	6	3	6	39	35	0	3	12	11	50	.588	18	Remained in 1st Div after test-match playoffs	1-1	3-1

Points per win: 2

SECOND DIVISION (Tier 2) - 1892-93

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result
1	Small Heath	22	17	2	3	90	35	10	1	0	57	16	7	1	3	33	19	2.571	36	Lost in playoffs
2	Sheffield United	22	16	3	3	62	19	10	1	0	35	8	6	2	3	27	11	3.263	35	Promoted after test-match playoffs
3	Darwen	22	14	2	6	60	36	10	0	1	43	15	4	2	5	17	21	1.667	30	Promoted after test-match playoffs
4	Grimsby Town	22	11	1	10	42	41	8	1	2	25	7	3	0	8	17	34	1.024	23
5	Ardwick	22	9	3	10	45	40	6	3	2	27	14	3	0	8	18	26	1.125	21
6	Burton Swifts	22	9	2	11	47	47	7	1	3	30	18	2	1	8	17	29	1.000	20
7	Northwich Victoria	22	9	2	11	42	58	7	0	4	25	26	2	2	7	17	32	.724	20
8	Bootle	22	8	3	11	49	63	8	1	2	35	20	0	2	9	14	43	.778	19	Disbanded at end of season
9	Lincoln City	22	7	3	12	45	51	6	2	3	30	18	1	1	9	15	33	.882	17
10	Crewe Alexandra	22	6	3	13	42	69	6	1	4	30	24	0	2	9	12	45	.609	15
11	Burslem Port Vale	22	6	3	13	30	57	4	1	6	16	23	2	2	7	14	34	.526	15
12	Walsall Town Swifts	22	5	3	14	37	75	4	3	4	25	24	1	0	10	12	51	.493	13

Points per win: 2

TEST-MATCH GAMES

Date	Team (Division)	Score	Team (Division)
Sat Apr 22, 1893	Darwen (2)	3-2	Notts County (1)
Sat Apr 22, 1893	Sheffield United (2)	1-0	Accrington Stanley (1)
Sat Apr 22, 1893	Small Heath (2)	1-1	Newton Heath (1)
Replay
Thu Apr 27, 1893	Newton Heath (1)	5-2	Small Heath (2)

1893-94

1893-94 again had a one-off set of games between the bottom teams of First Division and the top three of the Second Division.
Second Division champions Liverpool beat Newton Heath (Manchester United) while Small Heath (now Birmingham City) beat First Division Darwen to give them both promotion to the top tier. First Division Preston North End won their test-match against Notts County to stay in the top flight for another year.

END OF SEASON TABLES

FIRST DIVISION (Tier 1) - 1893-94

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away								Results
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result	Home	Away
1	Aston Villa	30	19	6	5	84	42	12	2	1	49	13	7	4	4	35	29	2.000	44	Champions	1-2	1-3
2	Sunderland	30	17	4	9	72	44	11	3	1	46	14	6	1	8	26	30	1.636	38		1-2	0-2
3	Derby County	30	16	4	10	73	62	9	2	4	47	32	7	2	6	26	30	1.177	36		4-2	4-3
4	Blackburn Rovers	30	16	2	12	69	53	13	0	2	48	15	3	2	10	21	38	1.302	34		0-0	1-6
5	Burnley	30	15	4	11	61	51	13	0	2	43	17	2	4	9	18	34	1.196	34		5-0	1-3
6	Everton	30	15	3	12	90	57	11	1	3	63	23	4	2	9	27	34	1.579	33		3-2	0-4
7	Nottingham Forest	30	14	4	12	57	48	10	2	3	38	16	4	2	9	19	32	1.188	32
8	West Bromwich Albion	30	14	4	12	66	59	8	4	3	35	23	6	0	9	31	36	1.119	32		2-3	0-3
9	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30	14	3	13	52	63	11	1	3	34	24	3	2	10	18	39	.825	31		7-1	1-3
10	Sheffield United	30	13	5	12	47	61	8	3	4	26	22	5	2	8	21	39	.770	31		1-1	2-0
11	Stoke	30	13	3	14	65	79	13	1	1	45	17	0	2	13	20	62	.823	29		2-0	1-2
12	The Wednesday	30	9	8	13	48	57	7	3	5	32	21	2	5	8	16	36	.842	26		1-0	0-1
13	Bolton Wanderers	30	10	4	16	38	52	7	3	5	18	14	3	1	11	20	38	.731	24		1-0	1-1
14	Preston North End	30	10	3	17	44	56	7	1	7	25	24	3	2	10	19	32	.786	23	Remained after test-match playoffs	4-2	2-0
15	Darwen	30	7	5	18	37	83	6	4	5	25	28	1	1	13	12	55	.446	19	Relegated after test-match playoffs	4-1	4-0
16	Newton Heath	30	6	2	22	36	72	5	2	8	29	33	1	0	14	7	39	.500	14	Relegated after test-match playoffs	2-0	1-1

Points per win: 2

SECOND DIVISION (Tier 2) - 1893-94

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result
1	Liverpool	28	22	6	0	77	18	14	0	0	46	6	8	6	0	31	12	4.278	50	Promoted after test-match playoffs
2	Small Heath	28	21	0	7	103	44	12	0	2	68	19	9	0	5	35	25	2.341	42	Promoted after test-match playoffs
3	Notts County	28	18	3	7	70	31	12	1	1	55	14	6	2	6	15	17	2.258	39	Remained in second division after test-match playoffs
4	Newcastle United	28	15	6	7	66	39	12	1	1	44	10	3	5	6	22	29	1.692	36
5	Grimsby Town	28	15	2	11	71	58	11	1	2	47	16	4	1	9	24	42	1.224	32
6	Burton Swifts	28	14	3	11	79	61	9	1	4	52	26	5	2	7	27	35	1.295	31
7	Burslem Port Vale	28	13	4	11	66	64	10	2	2	43	20	3	2	9	23	44	1.031	30
8	Lincoln City	28	11	6	11	59	58	5	4	5	31	22	6	2	6	28	36	1.017	28
9	Woolwich Arsenal	28	12	4	12	52	55	9	1	4	33	19	3	3	8	19	36	.945	28
10	Walsall Town Swifts	28	10	3	15	51	61	8	1	5	36	23	2	2	10	15	38	.836	23
11	Middlesbrough Ironopolis	28	8	4	16	37	72	7	4	3	27	20	1	0	13	10	52	.514	20	Folded at the end of the season for financial reasons
12	Crewe Alexandra	28	6	7	15	42	73	3	7	4	22	22	3	0	11	20	51	.575	19
13	Manchester City	28	8	2	18	47	71	6	1	7	32	20	2	1	11	15	51	.662	18
14	Rotherham Town	28	6	3	19	44	91	5	1	8	28	42	1	2	11	16	49	.484	15
15	Northwich Victoria	28	3	3	22	30	98	3	3	8	17	34	0	0	14	13	64	.306	9	Resigned from the Football League to play regional football

Points per win: 2

TEST-MATCH GAMES

Date	Team (Division)	Score	Team (Division)
Sat Apr 28, 1894	Liverpool (2)	2-0	Newton Heath (1)
Sat Apr 28, 1894	Preston North End (1)	4-0	Notts County (2)
Sat Apr 28, 1894	Small Heath (2)	3-1	Darwen (1)

1894-95

1894-95 again (but for the final time) had a one-off set of games between the bottom three teams of First Division and the top three of the Second Division.
Second Division champions Bury beat Liverpool to gain a promotion. Both Derby County and Stoke (of the First Division) won their games to remain in the top flight.

END OF SEASON TABLES

FIRST DIVISION (Tier 1) - 1894-95

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away								Results
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result	Home	Away
1	Sunderland	30	21	5	4	80	37	13	2	0	51	14	8	3	4	29	23	2.162	47	Champions	2-1	2-2
2	Everton	30	18	6	6	82	50	12	2	1	47	18	6	4	5	35	32	1.640	42		2-3	1-6
3	Aston Villa	30	17	5	8	82	43	12	2	1	51	12	5	3	7	31	31	1.907	39		2-1	1-4
4	Preston North End	30	15	5	10	62	46	9	3	3	32	14	6	2	7	30	32	1.348	35		0-2	1-3
5	Blackburn Rovers	30	11	10	9	59	49	9	5	1	40	15	2	5	8	19	34	1.204	32		2-3	0-0
6	Sheffield United	30	14	4	12	57	55	10	2	3	33	17	4	2	9	24	38	1.036	32		3-0	2-3
7	Nottingham Forest	30	13	5	12	50	56	10	1	4	33	22	3	4	8	17	34	.893	31
8	The Wednesday	30	12	4	14	50	55	10	2	3	36	19	2	2	11	14	36	.909	28		2-1	0-0
9	Burnley	30	11	4	15	44	56	8	2	5	28	24	3	2	10	16	32	.786	26		2-1	1-0
10	Bolton Wanderers	30	9	7	14	61	62	8	3	4	45	23	1	4	10	16	39	.984	25		3-3	1-4
11	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30	9	7	14	43	63	7	4	4	24	25	2	3	10	19	38	.683	25		0-2	1-1
12	Small Heath	30	9	7	14	50	74	6	6	3	35	28	3	1	11	15	46	.676	25		2-0	2-1
13	West Bromwich Albion	30	10	4	16	51	66	9	2	4	38	21	1	2	12	13	45	.773	24		5-3	0-1
14	Stoke	30	9	6	15	50	67	7	3	5	35	25	2	3	10	15	42	.746	24	Remained after test-match playoffs	3-1	3-0
15	Derby County	30	7	9	14	45	68	4	5	6	23	23	3	4	8	22	45	.662	23	Remained after test-match playoffs	2-1	2-4
16	Liverpool	30	7	8	15	51	70	6	4	5	38	28	1	4	10	13	42	.729	22	Relegated after test-match playoffs	3-0	0-5

Points per win: 2

SECOND DIVISION (Tier 2) - 1894-95

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result
1	Bury	30	23	2	5	78	33	15	0	0	48	11	8	2	5	30	22	2.364	48	Promoted after test-match playoffs
2	Notts County	30	17	5	8	75	45	12	2	1	50	15	5	3	7	25	30	1.667	39	Lost in playoffs
3	Newton Heath	30	15	8	7	78	44	9	6	0	52	18	6	2	7	26	26	1.773	38	Lost in playoffs
4	Leicester Fosse	30	15	8	7	72	53	11	2	2	45	20	4	6	5	27	33	1.358	38
5	Grimsby Town	30	18	1	11	79	52	14	0	1	51	16	4	1	10	28	36	1.519	37
6	Darwen	30	16	4	10	74	43	13	1	1	53	10	3	3	9	21	33	1.721	36
7	Burton Wanderers	30	14	7	9	67	39	10	3	2	49	9	4	4	7	18	30	1.718	35
8	Woolwich Arsenal	30	14	6	10	75	58	11	3	1	54	20	3	3	9	21	38	1.293	34
9	Manchester City	30	14	3	13	82	72	9	3	3	56	28	5	0	10	26	44	1.139	31
10	Newcastle United	30	12	3	15	72	84	11	1	3	51	28	1	2	12	21	56	.857	27
11	Burton Swifts	30	11	3	16	52	74	9	2	4	34	20	2	1	12	18	54	.703	25
12	Rotherham Town	30	11	2	17	55	62	10	0	5	37	22	1	2	12	18	40	.887	24
13	Lincoln City	30	10	0	20	52	92	8	0	7	32	27	2	0	13	20	65	.565	20
14	Walsall Town Swifts	30	10	0	20	47	92	8	0	7	35	25	2	0	13	12	67	.511	20	Failed re-election and resigned from Football League
15	Burslem Port Vale	30	7	4	19	39	77	6	3	6	30	23	1	1	13	9	54	.506	18
16	Crewe Alexandra	30	3	4	23	26	103	3	4	8	20	34	0	0	15	6	69	.252	10

Points per win: 2

TEST-MATCH GAMES

Date	Team (Division)	Score	Team (Division)
Sat Apr 27, 1895	Bury (2)	1-0	Liverpool (1)
Sat Apr 27, 1895	Derby County (1)	2-1	Notts County (2)
Sat Apr 27, 1895	Stoke (1)	3-0	Newton Heath (2)

1895-96

1895-96 was the first year of teams playing in a Test Match league. Two teams from each division made the playoffs, with the two First Division teams playing both of the Second Division teams over two-legs (home and away). The final table decied the lucky winners and this season saw Liverpool gain promotion up from the lower tier and West Bromwich Albion stay where they were. Small Heath were relegated, and Manchester City failed to get out of Division Two.

END OF SEASON TABLES

FIRST DIVISION (Tier 1) - 1895-96

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away								Results
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result	Home	Away
1	Aston Villa	30	20	5	5	78	45	14	1	0	47	17	6	4	5	31	28	1.733	45	Champions	0-2	1-3
2	Derby County	30	17	7	6	68	35	12	2	1	42	13	5	5	5	26	22	1.943	41		2-5	0-4
3	Everton	30	16	7	7	66	43	10	4	1	40	17	6	3	6	26	26	1.535	39		2-1	2-6
4	Bolton Wanderers	30	16	5	9	49	37	12	2	1	34	14	4	3	8	15	23	1.324	37		0-0	1-2
5	Sunderland	30	15	7	8	52	41	10	5	0	36	14	5	2	8	16	27	1.268	37		3-1	1-1
6	Stoke	30	15	0	15	56	47	12	0	3	43	11	3	0	12	13	36	1.191	30		4-0	0-1
7	The Wednesday	30	12	5	13	44	53	10	2	3	31	18	2	3	10	13	35	.830	29		1-0	0-3
8	Blackburn Rovers	30	12	5	13	40	50	10	1	4	26	18	2	4	9	14	32	.800	29		4-2	0-2
9	Preston North End	30	11	6	13	44	48	8	5	2	31	18	3	1	11	13	30	.917	28		0-1	0-6
10	Burnley	30	10	7	13	48	44	8	5	2	33	11	2	2	11	15	33	1.091	27		2-1	0-0
11	Bury	30	12	3	15	50	54	7	1	7	32	24	5	2	8	18	30	.926	27		5-0	0-1
12	Sheffield United	30	10	6	14	40	50	9	4	2	28	12	1	2	12	12	38	.800	26		3-1	1-2
13	Nottingham Forest	30	11	3	16	42	57	11	1	3	34	16	0	2	13	8	41	.737	25
14	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30	10	1	19	61	65	10	0	5	43	18	0	1	14	18	47	.938	21		3-2	1-6
15	Small Heath	30	8	4	18	39	79	7	2	6	22	24	1	2	12	17	55	.494	20	Relegated after playoffs	3-0	0-1
16	West Bromwich Albion	30	6	7	17	30	59	5	4	6	18	22	1	3	11	12	37	.508	19	Remained in 1st Div after playoffs	2-0	1-3

Points per win: 2

SECOND DIVISION (Tier 2) - 1895-96

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result
1	Liverpool	30	22	2	6	106	32	14	1	0	65	11	8	1	6	41	21	3.313	46	Promoted after playoffs
2	Manchester City	30	21	4	5	63	38	12	3	0	37	9	9	1	5	26	29	1.658	46	Lost in playoffs
3	Grimsby Town	30	20	2	8	82	38	14	1	0	51	9	6	1	8	31	29	2.158	42
4	Burton Wanderers	30	19	4	7	69	40	12	1	2	43	15	7	3	5	26	25	1.725	42
5	Newcastle United	30	16	2	12	73	50	14	0	1	57	14	2	2	11	16	36	1.460	34
6	Newton Heath	30	15	3	12	66	57	12	2	1	48	15	3	1	11	18	42	1.158	33
7	Woolwich Arsenal	30	14	4	12	58	42	11	1	3	42	11	3	3	9	16	31	1.381	32
8	Leicester Fosse	30	14	4	12	57	44	10	0	5	40	16	4	4	7	17	28	1.295	32
9	Darwen	30	12	6	12	72	67	9	4	2	55	22	3	2	10	17	45	1.075	30
10	Notts County	30	12	2	16	57	54	8	1	6	41	22	4	1	10	16	32	1.056	26
11	Burton Swifts	30	10	4	16	39	69	7	2	6	24	26	3	2	10	15	43	.565	24
12	Loughborough	30	9	5	16	40	66	7	3	5	32	25	2	2	11	8	41	.606	23
13	Lincoln City	30	9	4	17	53	75	7	1	7	36	24	2	3	10	17	51	.707	22
14	Burslem Port Vale	30	7	4	19	43	78	6	4	5	25	24	1	0	14	18	54	.551	18	Failed re-election
15	Rotherham Town	30	7	3	20	34	97	7	2	6	27	26	0	1	14	7	71	.351	17	Failed re-election
16	Crewe Alexandra	30	5	3	22	30	95	5	2	8	22	28	0	1	14	8	67	.316	13	Failed re-election

Points per win: 2

TEST-MATCH GAMES

Date	Leg	Team (Division)	Score	Team (Division)
First Round
Sat Apr 18, 1896	1	Liverpool (2)	4-0	Small Heath (1)
Sat Apr 18, 1896	1	Manchester City (2)	1-1	West Bromwich Albion (1)
Mon Apr 20, 1896	2	Small Heath (1)	0-0	Liverpool (2)
Mon Apr 20, 1896	2	West Bromwich Albion (1)	6-1	Manchester City (2)
Second Round
Sat Apr 25, 1896	1	Liverpool (2)	2-0	West Bromwich Albion (1)
Sat Apr 25, 1896	1	Manchester City (2)	3-0	Small Heath (1)
Mon Apr 27, 1896	2	Small Heath (1)	0-8	Manchester City (2)
Mon Apr 27, 1896	2	West Bromwich Albion (1)	2-0	Liverpool (2)

Final table

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Liverpool	4	2	1	1	6	2	4	5	Promoted to Division One
2	West Bromwich Albion	4	2	1	1	9	4	5	5	Remained in Division One
3	Small Heath	4	1	1	2	8	7	1	3	Relegated to Division Two
4	Manchester City	4	1	1	2	5	15	-10	3	Remained in Division Two

1896-97

1895-96 again saw four teams playing in a Test Match league. Two teams from each division made the playoffs, with the two First Division teams playing both of the Second Division teams over two-legs (home and away). The final table decided the lucky winners and this season saw Notts County gain promotion up from the lower tier and Sunderland stay where they were. Burnley were relegated, and Newton Heath failed to get out of Division Two.

END OF SEASON TABLES

FIRST DIVISION (Tier 1) - 1896-97

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away								Results
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result	Home	Away
1	Aston Villa	30	21	5	4	73	38	10	3	2	36	16	11	2	2	37	22	1.921	47	Champions	2-4	2-3
2	Sheffield United	30	13	10	7	42	29	6	4	5	22	16	7	6	2	20	13	1.448	36		2-2	3-0
3	Derby County	30	16	4	10	70	50	10	2	3	45	22	6	2	7	25	28	1.400	36		1-2	1-1
4	Preston North End	30	11	12	7	55	40	8	4	3	35	21	3	8	4	20	19	1.375	34		0-0	2-3
5	Liverpool	30	12	9	9	46	38	7	6	2	25	10	5	3	7	21	28	1.211	33		2-0	0-3
6	The Wednesday	30	10	11	9	42	37	9	4	2	29	11	1	7	7	13	26	1.135	31		2-2	0-3
7	Everton	30	14	3	13	62	57	8	1	6	42	29	6	2	7	20	28	1.088	31		3-0	1-3
8	Bolton Wanderers	30	12	6	12	40	43	7	3	5	22	18	5	3	7	18	25	.930	30		2-0	0-0
9	Bury	30	10	10	10	39	44	7	5	3	25	15	3	5	7	14	29	.886	30		3-0	0-2
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30	11	6	13	45	41	6	4	5	26	14	5	2	8	19	27	1.098	28		1-2	1-4
11	Nottingham Forest	30	9	8	13	44	49	8	3	4	30	16	1	5	9	14	33	.898	26
12	West Bromwich Albion	30	10	6	14	33	56	7	2	6	18	16	3	4	8	15	40	.589	26		0-1	0-4
13	Stoke	30	11	3	16	48	59	8	3	4	30	18	3	0	12	18	41	.814	25		4-0	0-3
14	Blackburn Rovers	30	11	3	16	35	62	8	1	6	27	25	3	2	10	8	37	.565	25		2-1	0-0
15	Sunderland	30	7	9	14	34	47	4	6	5	21	21	3	3	9	13	26	.723	23	Remained in 1st Div after playoffs	2-1	2-2
16	Burnley	30	6	7	17	43	61	4	5	6	25	25	2	2	11	18	36	.705	19	Relegated after playoffs	4-1	2-2

Points per win: 2

SECOND DIVISION (Tier 2) - 1896-97

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result
1	Notts County	30	19	4	7	92	43	12	1	2	60	18	7	3	5	32	25	2.140	42	Promoted after playoffs
2	Newton Heath	30	17	5	8	56	34	11	4	0	37	10	6	1	8	19	24	1.647	39	Lost in playoffs
3	Grimsby Town	30	17	4	9	66	45	12	2	1	44	15	5	2	8	22	30	1.467	38
4	Small Heath	30	16	5	9	69	47	8	3	4	36	23	8	2	5	33	24	1.468	37
5	Newcastle United	30	17	1	12	56	52	13	1	1	42	13	4	0	11	14	39	1.077	35
6	Manchester City	30	12	8	10	58	50	10	3	2	39	15	2	5	8	19	35	1.160	32
7	Gainsborough Trinity	30	12	7	11	50	47	10	2	3	35	16	2	5	8	15	31	1.064	31
8	Blackpool	30	13	5	12	59	56	11	3	1	39	16	2	2	11	20	40	1.054	31
9	Leicester Fosse	30	13	4	13	59	57	11	2	2	44	20	2	2	11	15	37	1.035	30
10	Woolwich Arsenal	30	13	4	13	68	70	10	1	4	42	20	3	3	9	26	50	.971	30
11	Darwen	30	14	0	16	67	61	13	0	2	54	16	1	0	14	13	45	1.098	28
12	Walsall	30	11	4	15	54	69	8	2	5	37	25	3	2	10	17	44	.783	26
13	Loughborough	30	12	1	17	50	64	10	0	5	37	14	2	1	12	13	50	.781	25
14	Burton Swifts	30	9	6	15	46	61	7	4	4	33	20	2	2	11	13	41	.754	24	Re-elected
15	Burton Wanderers	30	9	2	19	31	67	8	1	6	22	22	1	1	13	9	45	.463	20	Failed re-election
16	Lincoln City	30	5	2	23	27	85	4	2	9	17	27	1	0	14	10	58	.318	12	Re-elected

Points per win: 2

TEST-MATCH GAMES

Date	Leg	Team (Division)	Score	Team (Division)
First Round
Sat Apr 17, 1897	1	Notts County (2)	1-0	Sunderland (1)
Mon Apr 19, 1897	1	Burnley (1)	2-0	Newton Heath (2)
Mon Apr 19, 1897	2	Sunderland (1)	0-0	Notts County (2)
Wed Apr 21, 1897	2	Newton Heath (2)	2-0	Burnley (1)
Second Round
Sat Apr 24, 1897	1	Burnley (1)	0-1	Notts County (2)
Sat Apr 24, 1897	1	Newton Heath (2)	1-1	Sunderland (1)
Mon Apr 26, 1897	2	Notts County (2)	1-1	Burnley (1)
Mon Apr 26, 1897	2	Sunderland (1)	2-0	Newton Heath (2)

Final table

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Notts County	4	2	2	0	3	1	2	6	Promoted to Division One
2	Sunderland	4	1	2	1	3	2	1	4	Remained in Division One
3	Burnley	4	1	1	2	3	4	-1	3	Relegated to Division Two
4	Newton Heath	4	1	1	2	3	5	-2	3	Remained in Division Two

1897-98

1897-98 was the final year of the Test Matches and again saw four teams playing in a Test Match league. Two teams from each division made the playoffs, with the two First Division teams playing both of the Second Division teams over two-legs (home and away). This season saw all four teams end up in Division 1 after the decision to expand the top flight from 12 to 18 teams. Initially Stoke kept their place in Division One and Burnely won poromtion while Blackburn Rovers were relegated to Division to join Newcastle United, but this was all for nothing after the league decided to add more teams.

END OF SEASON TABLES

FIRST DIVISION (Tier 1) - 1897-98

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away								Results
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result	Home	Away
1	Sheffield United	30	17	8	5	56	31	9	4	2	27	14	8	4	3	29	17	1.806	42	Champions	1-1	1-1
2	Sunderland	30	16	5	9	43	30	12	2	1	27	8	4	3	8	16	22	1.433	37		1-1	0-4
3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	30	14	7	9	57	41	10	4	1	36	14	4	3	8	21	27	1.390	35		1-1	0-0
4	Everton	30	13	9	8	48	39	11	3	1	33	12	2	6	7	15	27	1.231	35		2-2	0-2
5	The Wednesday	30	15	3	12	51	42	12	0	3	39	15	3	3	9	12	27	1.214	33		1-0	6-3
6	Aston Villa	30	14	5	11	61	51	12	1	2	47	21	2	4	9	14	30	1.196	33		3-1	0-2
7	West Bromwich Albion	30	11	10	9	44	45	8	5	2	25	16	3	5	7	19	29	.978	32		0-1	0-2
8	Nottingham Forest	30	11	9	10	47	49	7	5	3	30	19	4	4	7	17	30	.959	31
9	Liverpool	30	11	6	13	48	45	7	4	4	27	16	4	2	9	21	29	1.067	28		2-3	2-1
10	Derby County	30	11	6	13	57	61	10	3	2	40	19	1	3	11	17	42	.934	28		3-4	0-5
11	Bolton Wanderers	30	11	4	15	28	41	9	2	4	18	13	2	2	11	10	28	.683	26		2-0	0-2
12	Preston North End	30	8	8	14	35	43	7	5	3	26	15	1	3	11	9	28	.814	24		4-1	0-3
13	Notts County	30	8	8	14	36	46	4	6	5	23	23	4	2	9	13	23	.783	24		1-1	3-1
14	Bury	30	8	8	14	39	51	8	3	4	25	19	0	5	10	14	32	.765	24		3-1	2-2
15	Blackburn Rovers	30	7	10	13	39	54	4	7	4	20	22	3	3	9	19	32	.722	24	Remained in 1st Div after league expansion	3-1	1-1
16	Stoke	30	8	8	14	35	55	8	3	4	21	14	0	5	10	14	41	.636	24	Remained in 1st Div after playoffs	3-1	2-1

Points per win: 2

SECOND DIVISION (Tier 2) - 1897-98

SEASON END TABLE								Home					Away
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts	Result
1	Burnley	30	20	8	2	80	24	14	1	0	64	13	6	7	2	16	11	3.333	48	Promoted after playoffs
2	Newcastle United	30	21	3	6	64	32	14	0	1	43	10	7	3	5	21	22	2.000	45	Promoted to 1st Div after league expansion
3	Manchester City	30	15	9	6	66	36	10	4	1	45	15	5	5	5	21	21	1.833	39
4	Newton Heath	30	16	6	8	64	35	11	2	2	42	10	5	4	6	22	25	1.829	38
5	Woolwich Arsenal	30	16	5	9	69	49	10	4	1	41	14	6	1	8	28	35	1.408	37
6	Small Heath	30	16	4	10	58	50	11	1	3	37	18	5	3	7	21	32	1.160	36
7	Leicester Fosse	30	13	7	10	46	35	8	5	2	26	11	5	2	8	20	24	1.314	33
8	Luton Town	30	13	4	13	68	50	10	2	3	50	13	3	2	10	18	37	1.360	30
9	Gainsborough Trinity	30	12	6	12	50	54	10	4	1	30	12	2	2	11	20	42	.926	30
10	Walsall	30	12	5	13	58	58	9	3	3	42	15	3	2	10	16	43	1.000	29
11	Blackpool	30	10	5	15	49	61	8	4	3	32	15	2	1	12	17	46	.803	25
12	Grimsby Town	30	10	4	16	52	62	9	1	5	44	24	1	3	11	8	38	.839	24
13	Burton Swifts	30	8	5	17	38	69	7	3	5	25	21	1	2	12	13	48	.551	21
14	Lincoln City	30	6	5	19	43	82	6	3	6	27	27	0	2	13	16	55	.524	17	Re-elected
15	Darwen	30	6	2	22	31	76	4	1	10	21	32	2	1	12	10	44	.408	14	Re-elected
16	Loughborough	30	6	2	22	24	87	5	2	8	15	26	1	0	14	9	61	.276	14	Re-elected

Points per win: 2

TEST-MATCH GAMES

Date	Leg	Team (Division)	Score	Team (Division)
First Round
Thu Apr 20, 1989	1	Newcastle United (2)	2-1	Stoke (1)
Fri Apr 21, 1989	1	Blackburn Rovers (1)	1-3	Burnley (2)
Sun Apr 23, 1989	2	Burnley (2)	2-0	Blackburn Rovers (1)
Sun Apr 23, 1989	2	Stoke (1)	1-0	Newcastle United (2)
Second Round
Wed Apr 26, 1989	1	Burnley (2)	0-2	Stoke (1)
Fri Apr 28, 1989	1	Blackburn Rovers (1)	4-3	Newcastle United (2)
Sun Apr 30, 1989	2	Newcastle United (2)	4-0	Blackburn Rovers (1)
Sun Apr 30, 1989	2	Stoke (1)	0-0	Burnley (2)

Final table (and initial results that were made irrelevant after expansion)

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Notes
1	Stoke City	4	2	1	1	4	2	2	5	Remained in Division One
2	Burnley	4	2	1	1	5	3	2	5	Promoted to Division One
3	Newcastle United	4	2	0	2	9	6	3	4	Remained in Division Two
4	Blackburn Rovers	4	1	0	3	5	12	-7	2	Relegated to Division Two