Blackpool F.C. season 1903-04
Encyclopedia
| Season 1903-04 1903-04 in English football The 1903–04 season was the 33rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:For the first time ever, a London team, Woolwich Arsenal, is promoted to the First Division and makes the League's reach nationwide... |
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|---|---|
| League | Division Two Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
| Manager | None |
| League position | 15th |
| Top goalscorer | Charles Bennett Charles Bennett (footballer) Charles R. Bennett was an English footballer. He played professionally for Blackpool and Bradford City in what was a short career.... (9) |
| Highest home attendance | 7,000 (v. Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... ) |
| Lowest home attendance | 200 (v. Grimsby Town Grimsby Town F.C. Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town... ) |
| Previous season | ← 1902-03 Blackpool F.C. season 1902-03 The 1902-03 season was Blackpool F.C.s sixth season in the Football League. They competed in the eighteen-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing fourteenth.... |
| Next season | 1904-05 Blackpool F.C. season 1904-05 The 1904-05 season was Blackpool F.C.s eighth season in the Football League. They competed in the eighteen-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing fifteenth.... → |
The 1903-04
1903-04 in English football
The 1903–04 season was the 33rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:For the first time ever, a London team, Woolwich Arsenal, is promoted to the First Division and makes the League's reach nationwide...
season was Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
's seventh season (fourth consecutive) in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. They competed in the eighteen-team Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, then the second tier of English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
, finishing fifteenth.
New signings included forwards Charles Bennett
Charles Bennett (footballer)
Charles R. Bennett was an English footballer. He played professionally for Blackpool and Bradford City in what was a short career....
and Fred Pentland and midfielder John Rooke. Out during the close season had gone Jack Birchall, Walter Cookson
Walter Cookson
Walter S. Cookson was an English professional footballer. He played for Nelson, Bristol City, Blackpool, Wellingborough, Brentford and Portsmouth.-Blackpool:...
, Harold Hardman
Harold Hardman
Harold Payne Hardman was an English footballer and later football chairman.-Football career:Born in Newton Heath, Manchester, he was discovered by Blackpool as a schoolboy and thrown into the first team during their season in exile from the Football League in 1899-1900...
, Harry Stirzaker
Harry Stirzaker
Henry "Harry" Stirzaker was an English professional footballer. He played as a defender and spent his entire professional career with Blackpool....
, Henry Parr, and Lorenzo Evans.
Charles Bennett was the club's top scorer, with nine goals.
Season review
The season began with a 3–0 defeat at Woolwich Arsenal on 5 September in front of a crowd of 12,000.Another defeat followed seven days later, 0–2 at home to Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
.
Blackpool picked up their first point of the season on 19 September, in a goalless draw at Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, and the following week chalked up their first victory: 4–1 against Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
. Fred Pentland, John Rooke, Jack Scott
Jack Scott (footballer)
Jack "John" A. Scott was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven years at Blackpool in the late 1890s and early 1900s, making over 300 Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender...
and Jack Parkinson
Jack Parkinson (footballer born 1869)
John "Jack" Parkinson was an English professional football player. He played as a forward.-Career:Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Parkinson, with fifteen goals, he was top scorer for his hometown club in 1896-97, their first-ever season in the Football League; indeed, he played in the club's first...
scored the hosts' goals.
Two consecutive defeats ensued — 1–2 at Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
on 3 October, and 1–4 at home to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
on 10 October. Pentland scored the Seasiders goal in each game.
Pentland made it five goals in four games when he netted twice in a 4–1 victory at Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on 17 October. Geordie Anderson and Edward Threlfall
Edward Threlfall
Edward Threlfall was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven years at Blackpool in the early 1900s, making over three hundred Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender.-Career:...
were the other Blackpool scorers.
Four consecutive defeats followed — 0–3 at home to Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the first West Lancashire derby
West Lancashire derby
The West Lancashire derby is a local derby in English football, between Lancashire neighbours Blackpool F.C. and Preston North End F.C. The derby has taken place across all four tiers of the Football League, but not yet in the Premier League...
of the season, 1–2 at home to Leicester Fosse (Carthy getting Blackpool's goal), 1–3 at Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
(William Anderton
William Anderton
William Anderton was an English professional footballer. He spent six years at Blackpool in the 1900s, making over 100 Football League appearances for the club. He played in midfield....
), and 0–5 at Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
.
Back-to-back victories over Glossop North End followed: 1–0 (Bennett) and 3–2 (Anderson twice, Bennett) on Christmas Day.
The next day, Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
visited Bloomfield Road, and the Bantams returned to Yorkshire with both points after a single-goal victory.
Another defeat followed on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, 0–3 at Bolton Wanderers.
On 2 January, Woolwich Arsenal travelled to Lancashire and were held to a 2–2 draw. A Jackson own-goal and Marshall McEwan (with his first and only goal for the club) were the Seasiders scorers.
A week later, Blackpool met Barnsley at Oakwell, and that match also finished 2–2. Bennett scored both for Blackpool.
Blackpool obtained their first victory in five games at home to Lincoln City on 16 January. Scott and Parkinson found the net for the hosts.
Stockport County avenged their 4–1 defeat at Bloomfield Road back in September with a 2–1 victory in the reverse fixture on 23 January. Birkett netted his first of the season for the visitors.
A goalless draw at home to Chesterfield at the end of the month was followed two weeks later by a 5–0 home defeat at the hands of Burnley.
Blackpool licked their wounds and returned to winning ways in the following game — a 4–1 victory at home to Burton United. Geordie Anderson scored a hat-trick, and Bennett scored the other, his fifth of the campaign.
A second consecutive victory occurred when Grimsby Town visited Bloomfield Road seven days later. Two penalties (one from Birkett; the other, Scott) and Bennett gave Pool both points.
A thirteenth defeat for Blackpool in their 24 games followed — 1–5 at Leicester Fosse, Bennett again finding the net for Blackpool.
Bennett made it four in four in the next game, a 2–1 victory over Manchester United at Bloomfield Road. Rooke, with his second strike of the season, was the other Blackpool scorer.
Remaining consistently inconsistent, Blackpool endured another heavy defeat on 12 March — 0–5 at Burslem Port Vale.
Seven days later, Blackpool hosted Gainsborough Trinity and edged a three-goal game. Bennett and Threlfall got the Seasiders goals.
A visit to Burton United on 26 March saw the spoils shared in a 1–1 draw. Rooke scored Blackpool's goal.
Blackpool made it three games unbeaten (tying their season record) with a single-goal victory over Burslem Port Vale at Bloomfield Road, Geordie Anderson finding the net.
Three defeats followed — 0–1 at home to Bristol City and, two days later, 0–4 at Grimsby Town and 1–3 at Manchester United. Stanley Spencer scored Blackpool's goal in the latter game, in what was his only appearance for the club.
A 23 April visit to Bradford City proved fruitful, as Blackpool won 2–0, with Rooke getting bot goals.
The season was rounded off with the return leg of the West Lancashire derby against Preston North End. In front of their own fans, Preston won by a single goal, giving them the Division Two championship in the process.
Table
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GA | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preston North End Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One... |
34 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 62 | 24 | 2.583 | 50 |
| 2 | Woolwich Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 91 | 22 | 4.136 | 49 |
| 3 | Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 65 | 33 | 1.970 | 48 |
| 4 | Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 73 | 41 | 1.780 | 42 |
| 5 | Burnley Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888... |
34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 50 | 55 | 0.909 | 39 |
| 6 | Grimsby Town Grimsby Town F.C. Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town... |
34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 50 | 49 | 1.020 | 36 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers F.C. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001.... |
34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 59 | 41 | 1.439 | 34 |
| 8 | Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 38 | 57 | 0.667 | 32 |
| 9 | Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity F.C. Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304... |
34 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 53 | 60 | 0.883 | 31 |
| 10 | Bradford City | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 45 | 59 | 0.763 | 31 |
| 11 | Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 37 | 45 | 0.822 | 30 |
| 12 | Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 41 | 58 | 0.707 | 30 |
| 13 | Burslem Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 54 | 52 | 1.038 | 29 |
| 14 | Burton United Burton United F.C. Burton United Football Club was an English football club from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire that played in The Football League between 1901 and 1907, before folding in 1910.-History:... |
34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 45 | 61 | 0.738 | 29 |
| 15 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 40 | 67 | 0.597 | 27 |
| 16 | Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 40 | 72 | 0.556 | 27 |
| 17 | Glossop North End | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 57 | 64 | 0.891 | 26 |
| 18 | Leicester Fosse Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 42 | 82 | 0.512 | 22 |
P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points
Appearances
- William AndertonWilliam AndertonWilliam Anderton was an English professional footballer. He spent six years at Blackpool in the 1900s, making over 100 Football League appearances for the club. He played in midfield....
– 33 - Jack ScottJack Scott (footballer)Jack "John" A. Scott was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven years at Blackpool in the late 1890s and early 1900s, making over 300 Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender...
– 33 - Bob BirkettBob BirkettRobert Kirkham "Bob" Birket was an English professional footballer who spent his entire ten-year football league career with Blackpool after signing from Fleetwood Rangers....
– 32 - Arthur HullArthur Hull (footballer)Arthur Hull was an English football goalkeeper. He made over 100 Football League appearances for Blackpool in four years in the early 20th century. In season 1902–03, he made one appearance as a midfielder.-References:...
– 31 - Charles BennettCharles Bennett (footballer)Charles R. Bennett was an English footballer. He played professionally for Blackpool and Bradford City in what was a short career....
– 30 - Edward ThrelfallEdward ThrelfallEdward Threlfall was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven years at Blackpool in the early 1900s, making over three hundred Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender.-Career:...
– 30 - Tom Wolstenholme – 29
- Jack ParkinsonJack Parkinson (footballer born 1869)John "Jack" Parkinson was an English professional football player. He played as a forward.-Career:Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Parkinson, with fifteen goals, he was top scorer for his hometown club in 1896-97, their first-ever season in the Football League; indeed, he played in the club's first...
– 29 - John Rooke – 23
- Geordie Anderson – 21
- Marshall McEwan – 21
- John Jones – 17 (including one as goalkeeper)
- S. Carthy – 16
- Fred Pentland – 8
- Ted KilleanTed KilleanEdward "Ted" Killean was an English professional footballer who played as a half-back around the turn of the 20th century, spending the largest part of his career with Blackburn Rovers.-Football career:...
– 5 - Harry Whittle – 4
- P. Miller – 3
- James Hodgson – 2
- T. Anderson – 2
- Percy Pickford – 1
- Jack Davies – 1
- David Hughes – 1
- Lewis Swarbrick – 1
- Stanley Spencer – 1
Players used: 24
No appearances: Joe Dorrington and Fred Heywood.
Goals
- Charles BennettCharles Bennett (footballer)Charles R. Bennett was an English footballer. He played professionally for Blackpool and Bradford City in what was a short career....
– 9 - Geordie Anderson – 7
- Fred Pentland – 5
- John Rooke – 5
- Jack ScottJack Scott (footballer)Jack "John" A. Scott was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven years at Blackpool in the late 1890s and early 1900s, making over 300 Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender...
– 3 - Bob Birkett – 2
- Jack ParkinsonJack Parkinson (footballer born 1869)John "Jack" Parkinson was an English professional football player. He played as a forward.-Career:Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Parkinson, with fifteen goals, he was top scorer for his hometown club in 1896-97, their first-ever season in the Football League; indeed, he played in the club's first...
– 2 - Edward ThrelfallEdward ThrelfallEdward Threlfall was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven years at Blackpool in the early 1900s, making over three hundred Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender.-Career:...
– 2 - William AndertonWilliam AndertonWilliam Anderton was an English professional footballer. He spent six years at Blackpool in the 1900s, making over 100 Football League appearances for the club. He played in midfield....
– 1 - S. Carthy – 1
- Marshall McEwan – 1
- Stanley Spencer – 1
Goals scored: 39 (plus one own-goal)
In
{| border="0" width="100%"|-
|bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top" align="left" width="100%"|
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|- bgcolor=AAD0FF
!width=20% |Date
!width=25% |Player
!width=30% |From
!width=15% |Fee
|-
|1903
|Charles Bennett
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|John Rooke
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|John Jones
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|S. Carthy
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Fred Pentland
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Marshall McEwan
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Ted Killean
|New Brompton
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Harry Whittle
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|P. Miller
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|James Hodgson
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|T. Anderson
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Percy Pickford
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Jack Davies
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|David Hughes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Lewis Swarbrick
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Stanley Spencer
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}
Out
The following players left after the final game of the previous season:{| border="0" width="100%"
|-
|bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top" align="left" width="100%"|
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|- bgcolor=AAD0FF
!width=20% |Date
!width=25% |Player
!width=30% |To
!width=15% |Fee
|-
|1903
|Teddy Duckworth
Teddy Duckworth
Thomas Crook "Teddy" Duckworth was an English professional football player and manager. As a player, he was an outside right. He played in the Football League and the Southern League for Blackpool, West Ham United and Blackburn Rovers.-Playing career:Born in Blackpool, Duckworth began his career...
|West Ham United
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Jack Birchall
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Walter Cookson
Walter Cookson
Walter S. Cookson was an English professional footballer. He played for Nelson, Bristol City, Blackpool, Wellingborough, Brentford and Portsmouth.-Blackpool:...
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Harold Hardman
Harold Hardman
Harold Payne Hardman was an English footballer and later football chairman.-Football career:Born in Newton Heath, Manchester, he was discovered by Blackpool as a schoolboy and thrown into the first team during their season in exile from the Football League in 1899-1900...
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Harry Stirzaker
Harry Stirzaker
Henry "Harry" Stirzaker was an English professional footballer. He played as a defender and spent his entire professional career with Blackpool....
|Retirement
|
|-
|1903
|J.W. Wright
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Henry Parr
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|1903
|Lorenzo Evans
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}