Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

football tournament held in the early weeks of 1988-89

1988-89 in English football

The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...

to celebrate the 100th birthday of 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...

.

The competition was played on a knockout basis between the top eight sides from the Football League First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

the previous season, with the final between 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...

and 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...

at neutral Villa Park

Villa Park

Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...

on 9 October 1988. Goals from Paul Davis

Paul Davis (footballer)

Paul Vincent Davis is an English former footballer.Born in Dulwich, London, Davis signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following year...

and Michael Thomas gave Arsenal a 2–1 victory, with Clayton Blackmore

Clayton Blackmore

Clayton Graham Blackmore is a former Welsh international footballer. He was a combative player known for his attacking free kicks and a utility player who excelled at full back and in central defence but could play equally well in midfield or as an emergency forward.-Career:Blackmore once had...

the scorer for United.

It was the second competition staged to celebrate the centenary of the Football League, following the Football League Centenary Tournament

Football League Centenary Tournament

The Football League Centenary Tournament was held from April 16 to April 17, 1988 at Wembley Stadium to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Football League...

between 16 clubs at Wembley Stadium in April 1988. Despite most of the country's leading clubs being involved, crowds for the Centenary Trophy were generally disappointing and only the semi–final match between Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

and Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

attracted more than 25,000.

The Competition

Qualifiers
Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

, Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

, Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

, Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

, Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

, Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest F.C.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

, Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

, Wimbledon

Wimbledon F.C.

Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...

Quarter–finals

Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

4 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest F.C.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

1 (Attendance: 20,141)

Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

1 Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

0 (16,439)

Newcastle United

Newcastle United F.C.

1 Wimbledon

Wimbledon F.C.

0 (17,141)

Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

0 Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

2 (10,019)

Semi–finals

Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

2 Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.