1890-91 English Division One
Fixtures
| Date | Opponents | Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep | 6 | H | Burnley | D | 1 - 1 |
| 13 | A | Blackburn | D | 0 - 0 | |
| 20 | A | Notts Co | L | 5 - 0 | |
| 27 | H | Everton | L | 1 - 2 | |
| Oct | 4 | A | Wolves | L | 3 - 0 |
| 11 | H | Preston | L | 1 - 3 | |
| 18 | A | Sunderland | D | 2 - 2 | |
| 25 | H | Notts Co | W | 3 - 2 | |
| Nov | 1 | A | Preston | D | 1 - 1 |
| 8 | H | Derby | W | 4 - 0 | |
| 15 | A | Aston Villa | L | 3 - 1 | |
| 22 | H | Sunderland | W | 4 - 1 | |
| 29 | A | Burnley | L | 2 - 0 | |
| Dec | 6 | A | Derby | W | 1 - 2 |
| 13 | A | Bolton | L | 6 - 0 | |
| 26 | A | Everton | L | 3 - 2 | |
| Jan | 1 | H | Wolves | L | 1 - 2 |
| 10 | H | Bolton | W | 2 - 1 | |
| 17 | H | Bolton | D | 2 - 2 | |
| 24 | H | Bolton | W | 5 - 1 | |
| 31 | H | Wolves | L | 2 - 3 | |
| Mar | 4 | H | Blackburn | L | 0 - 4 |
| 7 | A | West Brom | L | 5 - 1 | |
| 21 | H | Aston Villa | L | 1 - 3 | |
| Apr | 18 | H | West Brom | W | 1 - 0 |
Final League Table 1890-91
| H | A | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Everton | 22 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 17 | +34 | 29 (C) |
| 2 | Preston | 22 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 18 | +21 | 27 |
| 3 | Notts Co | 22 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 24 | +17 | 26 |
| 4 | Wolves | 22 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 42 | -11 | 26 |
| 5 | Bolton | 22 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 20 | +13 | 25 |
| 6 | Blackburn | 22 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 24 | +9 | 24 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 22 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 18 | +20 | 23 * |
| 8 | Burnley | 22 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 39 | -11 | 21 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 22 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 40 | -13 | 18 |
| 10 | Accrington | 22 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 31 | -22 | 16 |
| 11 | Derby | 22 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 53 | -34 | 15 |
| 12 | West Brom | 22 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 31 | -23 | 12 |
Sunderland deducted 2 points
Bottom four teams all re-elected
Blackburn Rovers won the FA Cup
Bottom four teams all re-elected
Accrington in 1890–91: Storm Clouds Gather
The 1890–91 season marked Accrington’s third campaign in the Football League and one that would expose the club’s growing limitations, both on and off the field. After two mid-table finishes, there had been hopes that the club could push on, but instead, the season revealed a team struggling to keep pace with the rapidly improving standards of the professional game.
A Faltering Start
From the outset, Accrington’s campaign was riddled with inconsistency. While the team retained a handful of experienced and capable players, there was a noticeable lack of depth in quality compared to the likes of Preston North End, Everton, or Aston Villa—clubs with stronger financial backing and larger crowds.
Accrington started the season with some promise, including a solid 2–2 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion and a morale-boosting 3–0 victory over Derby County, but these highs were few and far between. As the season progressed, defeats mounted, and confidence waned.
Crushing Defeats and Defensive Woes
One of the season’s low points came on 20 December 1890, when Accrington suffered a 0–8 defeat away to Derby County—still one of the heaviest losses in the club’s League history. That result typified a broader problem: while the team could occasionally threaten going forward, their defence was alarmingly porous.
Over the course of the season, Accrington conceded 63 goals—the joint-worst defensive record in the division, alongside Notts County. Their inability to shut down games meant that even strong performances often ended in disappointment. Close contests turned to defeats, and the club slipped further down the table.
The League Table Tells the Tale
By the end of the 22-game season, Accrington’s record stood at:
- 6 wins
- 4 draws
- 12 defeats
They scored 48 goals but, crucially, conceded 63, finishing in 10th place out of 12, narrowly avoiding the dreaded bottom two.
The bottom two teams—Stoke and Burnley—were forced into test matches (early promotion/relegation play-offs) against the best teams from the Football Alliance, which had become a significant rival to the Football League by now. Accrington’s narrow escape from this new pressure only masked the deeper structural issues beginning to surface within the club.
Cup Frustrations Continue
The FA Cup again offered little respite. Accrington exited early, falling in the First Round to Sunderland, a rising powerhouse from the North East who would soon become one of the top clubs in England. The loss underlined just how far Accrington had fallen behind the game’s emerging elite.
Growing Financial Pressures
Behind the scenes, the situation was becoming increasingly dire. Attendance figures were dwindling, with only the visits of major clubs like Aston Villa and Blackburn drawing respectable gates. The club’s ongoing dispute with the Cricket Club over the shared use of Thornyholme Road continued to be a source of friction, and there was little money available for strengthening the squad.
In contrast, other Football League clubs were becoming better organized and better funded. The professional era was taking shape at speed, and Accrington—once a pioneer—was being left behind.
A Season of Survival, but Only Just
The 1890–91 season was, in many ways, a season of survival for Accrington. The club had avoided finishing in the bottom two, but only marginally so, and the writing was on the wall. While still clinging to their Football League status, the gap between them and the leading clubs was widening fast—on the pitch, in the bank accounts, and in the grandstands.
It would prove to be a critical moment in the club’s history, setting the stage for an even more tumultuous 1891–92 season, when the club’s very future in top-flight football would come under threat.