| Season | 1899–1900 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's football | ||||
| First Division | Aston Villa | |||
| Second Division | The Wednesday | |||
| Southern League | Tottenham Hotspur | |||
| Northern League | Darlington | |||
| The Combination | Chirk AAA | |||
| Western League | Bristol Rovers | |||
| FA Cup | Bury | |||
| Sheriff of London Charity Shield | Shared between Aston Villa andQueen's Park | |||
| ||||
The1899–1900 season was the 29th season of competitivefootball in England.
Chesterfield andMiddlesbrough replacedBlackpool andDarwen in the Football League.[citation needed]
Glossop debuted in the First Division, becoming the smallest town ever to compete in the highest English football division. The team finished in bottom place and was relegated, becoming the first of six clubs that so far have only completed one season in the top flight.[note 1]
| Competition | Winner |
|---|---|
| First Division | Aston Villa (5*) |
| Second Division | The Wednesday |
| FA Cup | Bury (1) |
| Home Championship |  Scotland |
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aston Villa(C) | 34 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 77 | 35 | 2.200 | 50 | |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 34 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 63 | 33 | 1.909 | 48 | |
| 3 | Sunderland | 34 | 19 | 3 | 12 | 50 | 35 | 1.429 | 41 | |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 48 | 37 | 1.297 | 39 | |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 53 | 43 | 1.233 | 36 | |
| 6 | Derby County | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 43 | 1.047 | 36 | |
| 7 | Manchester City | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 50 | 44 | 1.136 | 34 | |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 56 | 55 | 1.018 | 34 | |
| 9 | Stoke | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 37 | 45 | 0.822 | 34 | |
| 10 | Liverpool | 34 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 49 | 45 | 1.089 | 33 | |
| 11 | Everton | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 49 | 0.959 | 33 | |
| 12 | Bury | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 40 | 44 | 0.909 | 32 | |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 43 | 51 | 0.843 | 30 | |
| 14 | Blackburn Rovers | 34 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 49 | 61 | 0.803 | 30 | |
| 15 | Notts County | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 46 | 60 | 0.767 | 29 | |
| 16 | Preston North End | 34 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 38 | 48 | 0.792 | 28 | |
| 17 | Burnley(R) | 34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 34 | 54 | 0.630 | 27 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 18 | Glossop(R) | 34 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 31 | 74 | 0.419 | 18 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wednesday(C, P) | 34 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 84 | 22 | 3.818 | 54 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Bolton Wanderers(P) | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 79 | 25 | 3.160 | 52 | |
| 3 | Small Heath | 34 | 20 | 6 | 8 | 78 | 38 | 2.053 | 46 | |
| 4 | Newton Heath | 34 | 20 | 4 | 10 | 63 | 27 | 2.333 | 44 | |
| 5 | Leicester Fosse | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 53 | 36 | 1.472 | 43 | |
| 6 | Grimsby Town | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 67 | 46 | 1.457 | 40 | |
| 7 | Chesterfield Town | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 65 | 60 | 1.083 | 38 | |
| 8 | Woolwich Arsenal | 34 | 16 | 4 | 14 | 61 | 43 | 1.419 | 36 | |
| 9 | Lincoln City | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 46 | 43 | 1.070 | 36 | |
| 10 | New Brighton Tower | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 66 | 58 | 1.138 | 35 | |
| 11 | Burslem Port Vale | 34 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 39 | 49 | 0.796 | 34 | |
| 12 | Walsall | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 50 | 55 | 0.909 | 32 | |
| 13 | Gainsborough Trinity | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 47 | 75 | 0.627 | 25 | |
| 14 | Middlesbrough | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 39 | 69 | 0.565 | 24 | |
| 15 | Burton Swifts | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 43 | 84 | 0.512 | 24 | |
| 16 | Barnsley | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 46 | 79 | 0.582 | 23 | Re-elected |
| 17 | Luton Town(R) | 34 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 40 | 75 | 0.533 | 18 | Failed re-election and demoted to theSouthern League |
| 18 | Loughborough | 34 | 1 | 6 | 27 | 18 | 100 | 0.180 | 8 | Failed re-election and folded |
For the last round of international matches in theVictorian era, theEngland national football team played all three matches in the1900 British Home Championship away from home.
For the match againstIreland, played atLansdowne Road,Dublin on 17 March 1900, the England team were confidently expecting an easy win after five successive victories, including winning 13–2 the previous year.[1] The England selectors chose five debutantes, including four of the five forwards.Dan Cunliffe ofSouthern LeaguePortsmouth, made his solitary England appearance atinside right, with his Portsmouth teammateMatt Reilly in goal for the Irish. Another Southern League player,Archie Turner ofSouthampton played the first of his two internationals atoutside right, while on the left wereCharlie Sagar ofBury andFred Priest ofSheffield United, with the experiencedGilbert Smith in the centre. Priest's Sheffield United colleague,Harry Johnson played the first of his six internationals atRight-half.
In the event, the game was far more difficult than expected, with England only managing a 2–0 victory,[1] with goals from debutantes Johnson and Sagar.[2]
Nine days later, the England team travelled toCardiff to compete againstWales with four new players.Arthur Chadwick ofSouthampton represented the Southern League, playing the first of his two internationals atcentre half. The other three debutantes were up front, withCorinthiansGeoffrey Plumpton Wilson andTip Foster, lining up alongside their club captain,G. O. Smith, andAlf Spouncer ofNottingham Forest making his only England appearance on the left wing.
While the visitors were expected to win with ease, the Welsh "fought magnificently"[1] to hold the English to a draw withBilly Meredith's 55th-minute strike cancelling out Wilson's third-minute goal.[3]
As Scotland had defeated both the Welsh and Irish by large scores, England needed a victory atCeltic Park if they were to retain theBritish Home Championship. They made only three changes from the side that had defeated the Welsh, bringing inJack Plant ofBury to replace Alf Spouncer on the left, and recallingErnest Needham (replacingHoward Spencer in defence) andSteve Bloomer in place of Tip Foster.
Scotland were "determined to succeed against the visitors"[1] following defeats in the two previous meetings. In front of a world record crowd of 63,000, the Scots did not disappoint their supporters withRobert McCollscoring ahat trick (his third for Scotland), with Bloomer scoring England's consolation.[4] Scotland thus defeated all three of their competitors, enabling them to take the championship.
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score* | Comp | England scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 March 1900 | Lansdowne Road,Dublin (A) |  Ireland | 2–0[2] | BHC | Harry Johnson (Sheffield United) (12 mins),Charlie Sagar (Bury) (16 mins) |
| 26 March 1900 | Cardiff Arms Park,Cardiff (A) |  Wales | 1–1[3] | BHC | Geoffrey Wilson (Corinthian) (3 mins) |
| 7 April 1900 | Celtic Park,Glasgow (A) | Scotland | 1–4[4] | BHC | Steve Bloomer (Derby County) (35 mins) |
* England score given first
Key
