1892
editFirst Division
editFor 1892, the Football League decided to increase the number of clubs in the First Division from 14 to 16, and to create a Second Division. West Bromwich Albion were excused from having to seek re-election as they had just won the FA Cup[1], leaving 3 Football League sides (Accrington, Stoke and Darwen) to compete with new applicants for 5 places in the First Division.
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Wednesday | Football Alliance | 10 | elected to Division One |
| Nottingham Forest | Football Alliance | 9 | elected to Division One |
| Accrington | Football League | 7 | re-elected to Division One |
| Stoke | Football League | 7 | re-elected to Division One |
| Newton HeathA | Football Alliance | 6 | elected to Division One |
| Darwen | Football League | 4 | not re-elected |
| Newcastle East End | Northern League | - | votes not recorded |
| Middlesbrough/Middlesbrough Ironopolis | Northern League | - | |
| Liverpool | - | - | application rejected |
Liverpool's application was rejected because "they did not comply with regulations"[1].
Second Division
editFollowing the completion of elections to the First Division, elections were undertook for places in the new Second Division. Darwen, who had failed re-election to Division One, joined the applicants for a place in the Second Division. The Middlesbrough proposal did not apply for election, and there is no known record of the names of any other applicants, or how many votes were received by each team.[1]
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwen | Football League | elected to Division Two | |
| Burton Swifts | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Grimsby Town | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Bootle | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Walsall Town Swifts | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Small Heath AllianceB | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Crewe Alexandra | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Lincoln City | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| ArdwickC | Football Alliance | elected to Division Two | |
| Burslem Port Vale | Midland League | elected to Division Two | |
| Sheffield United | Midland League | elected to Division Two | |
| Northwich Victoria | The Combination | elected to Division Two |
- A.^ Newton Heath would change their name to Manchester United in 1902.
- B.^ Small Heath Alliance would change their name to Birmingham F.C. in 1905, and then again to Birmingham City F.C. in 1943.
- C.^ Ardwick would change their name to Manchester City in 1894.
1893
editDivision Two was expanded from 12 to 14 clubs for 1893. 4 teams faced re-election, along with 2 new applicants, meaning all 6 teams were successful, and no voting figures were recorded
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln City | Football League | re-elected to Division Two | |
| Crewe Alexandra | Football League | re-elected to Division Two | |
| Burslem Port Vale | Football League | re-elected to Division Two | |
| Walsall Town Swifts | Football League | re-elected to Division Two | |
| Rotherham Town | Midland League | elected to Division Two | |
| Newcastle United | Northern League | elected to Division Two |
Shortly after this vote, it was agreed to advertise for two more clubs to ensure that both divisions would have an equal number - 16 clubs. The successful applicants were chosen by the Management Committee "on the following Wednesday".[1]
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolwich Arsenal | - | elected to Division Two | |
| Liverpool | Lancashire League | elected to Division Two | |
| Middlesbrough Ironopolis | Northern League | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | Midland League | ||
| Loughborough Town | Midland League |
This vote was a turning point for the Football League - prior to this second vote, the furthest south the League stretched was Birmingham and the Midlands (represented by Small Heath, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers). By electing Woolwich Arsenal, the Football League took its first foray into the South, admitting a team from London. This was also a lifeline for Woolwich Arsenal, who were facing a bleak future - many of the amateur clubs in the South frowned upon their move to professionalism, resulting in a ban from local competition by the London Football Association.[2]
Liverpool also saw success at entry into the Football League at the second hurdle. The team were formed after a split within Everton F.C.[3],and after failing election in 1892, entered the Lancashire League, fielding a team predominately made up of Scottish players. With the increased number of vacancies caused by the creation of the Second Division, Liverpool were elected for the 1893-94 season.
In August of 1893, Accrington resigned from the League, and were replaced. Bootle also resigned shortly after, but weren't replaced.[1]
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough Ironopolis | Northern League | elected to Division Two |
1947
editWith the first election since the end of the Second World War, a dearth of clubs saw the opportunity to enter the League at the first opening since 1939. 27 applicants challenged the 4 incumbents for a record 31 candidates for just 4 league positions. The League Secretary pointed out that the two clubs being relegated into Division 3 were both southern, and that if "geographically unsuitable" clubs were elected, it would create an even greater imbalance in Division Three, which was split into North and South divisions. He suggested that the four incumbent sides should be re-elected en bloc, and no vote took place.
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield Town | Football League | re-elected to Division Three (South) | |
| Norwich City | Football League | re-elected to Division Three (South) | |
| Halifax Town | Football League | re-elected to Division Three (North) | |
| Southport | Football League | re-elected to Division Three (North) | |
| Ashington | North Eastern League | ||
| Gillingham | Southern League | ||
| Merthyr Tydfil | Southern League | ||
| Nelson | Lancashire Combination | ||
| Northwich Victoria | Cheshire League | ||
| Bath City | Southern League | ||
| Guildford City | Southern League | ||
| Llanelly | Welsh National League (South) | ||
| Peterborough United | Midland League | ||
| Scunthorpe United | Midland League | ||
| Shrewsbury Town | Midland League | ||
| South Liverpool | Cheshire League | ||
| Wigan Athletic | Cheshire League | ||
| Annfield Plain | Wearside League | ||
| Ashton United | Cheshire League | ||
| Bangor City | Lancashire Combination | ||
| Barry Town | Southern League | ||
| Chelmsford City | Southern League | ||
| Colchester United | Southern League | ||
| Consett | North Eastern League | ||
| Dudley Town | Birmingham Combination | ||
| Gravesend & Northfleet | Southern League | ||
| North Shields | North Eastern League | ||
| Stockton | North Eastern League | ||
| Worcester City | Southern League | ||
| Workington | North Eastern League | ||
| Yeovil Town | Southern League |
1950
editIn 1950, the Football League took the decision to increase its numbers from 88 to 92 clubs. As a result, no re-election was needed for the four sides who finished bottom of the Third Division (Halifax Town and York City in the Third Division North; Newport County & Millwall in the Third Division South). The ballot was subsequently divided into Northern and Southern regions, with 2 clubs being elected to each regional Third Division.
North
editIn the Northern region, Shrewsbury Town were comfortably elected. However, a tie (between Wigan Athletic and Workington) forced a second round of votes. These two sides, along with Scunthorpe United and Nelson (the only other sides to gain more than 1 vote) saw a second vote produce another tie, this time between Scunthorpe United and Wigan Athletic. Despite getting more first-ballot votes than Scunthorpe, Workington were eliminated from the process, with a head-to-head resulting in Scunthorpe United being elected at the 7th attempt.
| Team | League | Votes | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury Town | Midland League | 30 | - | - | elected to Division Three (North) |
| Scunthorpe United | Midland League | 17 | 15 | 30 | elected to Division Three (North) |
| Wigan Athletic | Lancashire Combination | 19 | 15 | 18 | lost on the third ballot |
| Workington | North Eastern League | 19 | 14 | - | lost on the second ballot |
| Nelson | Lancashire Combination | 11 | 5 | - | lost on the second ballot |
| Northwich Victoria | Cheshire League | 1 | |||
| South Liverpool | Cheshire League | 1 | |||
| Ashington | North Eastern League | 0 | |||
| North Shields | North Eastern League | 0 | |||
| Bangor City | Lancashire Combination | - | withdraw before the vote | ||
South
editThe Southern vote was much simpler, requiring only one round of votes.
| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gillingham | Southern League | 44 | elected to Division Three (South) |
| Colchester United | Southern League | 28 | elected to Division Three (South) |
| Worcester City | Southern League | 11 | |
| Chelmsford City | Southern League | 8 | |
| Peterborough United | Midland League | 5 | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Southern League | 1 | |
| Yeovil Town | Southern League | 1 | |
| Llanelly | Welsh National League (South) | 0 | |
| Cradley Heath | Birmingham & District League | 0 | |
| Nuneaton Borough | Birmingham Combination | 0 |
1951
edit| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watford | Football League | 48 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Accrington Stanley | Football League | 46 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Crystal Palace | Football League | 45 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Workington | North Eastern League | 28 | elected to Division Three (North) |
| New Brighton | Football League | 18 | not re-elected |
| Wigan Athletic | Lancashire Combination | 4 | |
| Nelson | Lancashire Combination | 1 | |
| North Shields | North Eastern League | 1 | |
| Worcester City | Southern League | 1 | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Southern League | 1 | |
| Bath City | Southern League | 1 | |
| Northwich Victoria | Cheshire League | 0 | |
| South Liverpool | Cheshire League | 0 | |
| Chelmsford City | Southern League | 0 | |
| Hereford United | Southern League | 0 | |
| Peterborough United | Southern League | 0 | |
| Llanelly | Welsh National League (South) | 0 |
1952
edit| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington | Football League | 49 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Exeter City | Football League | 47 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Walsall | Football League | 45 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Workington | Football League | 40 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Wigan Athletic | Lancashire Combination | 9 | |
| Worcester City | Southern League | 3 | |
| Bath City | Southern League | 1 | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Southern League | 1 | |
| Peterborough United | Midland League | 1 | |
| Nelson | Lancashire Combination | 0 | |
| North Shields | North Eastern League | 0 | |
| Headington United | Southern League | 0 | |
| Yeovil Town | Southern League | 0 | |
| New Brighton | Lancashire Combination | 0 |
1953
edit| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury Town | Football League | 46 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Accrington Stanley | Football League | 45 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Walsall | Football League | 41 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Workington | Football League | 36 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Wigan Athletic | Lancashire Combination | 17 | |
| Peterborough United | Midland League | 6 | |
| Yeovil Town | Southern League | 2 | |
| Bath City | Southern League | 2 | |
| Hereford United | Southern League | 1 | |
| Nelson | Lancashire Combination | 0 | |
| New Brighton | Lancashire Combination | 0 | |
| North Shields | North Eastern League | 0 | |
| Headington United | Southern League | 0 | |
| Worcester City | Southern League | 0 |
1954
edit| Team | League | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | Football League | 48 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Colchester United | Football League | 45 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Walsall | Football League | 32 | re-elected to Division Three (South) |
| Halifax Town | Football League | 28 | re-elected to Division Three (North) |
| Wigan Athletic | Lancashire Combination | 19 | |
| Peterborough United | Midland League | 18 | |
| Nelson | Lancashire Combination | 3 | |
| Worcester City | Southern League | 2 | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Southern League | 1 | |
| North Shields | North Eastern League | 0 | |
| Yeovil Town | Southern League | 0 | |
| Bath City | Southern League | 0 |
- ^ a b c d e www.nonleaguematters.co.uk http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=3506. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Soar & Tyler (2005). The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal. p. 26.
- ^ Pead, Brian (1986). Liverpool: A Complete Record 1892-1986. Breedon Books. p. 9. ISBN 0-907969-15-1.