Final League Table 
      
	  Teams in a silver box denotes a player 
			  representing England in 1888-89 | 
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
    Team | 
    
    P | 
    
    Home | 
          
		  
		  	
    
    Away | 
          	
			  
			  
			  
		  
    
			  
			  
			  
			  
    		  ₧
			   
          
		  
		  	 | 
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
    W | 
    
    D | 
    
    L | 
    
    F | 
          
		  
    
    A | 
    
    W | 
    
    D | 
    
    L | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    F | 
    
    A | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
	
	Preston North End | 
    
	22 | 
    
	10 | 
    
	1 | 
    
	0 | 
    
	39 | 
          
		  
    
	7 | 
    
	8 | 
    
	3 | 
    
	0 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
	35 | 
    
	8 | 
    
	40 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
	
	Aston Villa | 
    
	22 | 
    
	10 | 
    
	0 | 
    
	1 | 
    
	44 | 
          
		  
    
	16 | 
    
	2 | 
    
	5 | 
    
	4 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
	17 | 
    
	27 | 
          
		  
			  
			  
    
	29 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
	
	Wolverhampton Wanderers | 
    
    22 | 
    
    8 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    30 | 
          
		  
    
    14 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    5 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    20 | 
    
    23 | 
    
    28 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
	
	Blackburn Rovers | 
    
    22 | 
    
    7 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    44 | 
          
		  
    
    22 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    6 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    22 | 
    
    23 | 
    
    26 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
			  
			  
			  
	
	Bolton Wanderers | 
    
    22 | 
    
    6 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    5 | 
    
    35 | 
          
		  
    
    30 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    5 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    28 | 
    
    29 | 
    
    22 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
			  
			  
			  
	
	West Bromwich Albion | 
    
    22 | 
    
    6 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    25 | 
          
		  
    
    24 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    7 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    15 | 
    
    22 | 
    
    22 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
	
	Accrington | 
          
    
    22 | 
    
    5 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    26 | 
          
		  
    
    17 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    5 | 
    
    5 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    22 | 
    
    31 | 
          
		  
			  
			  
    
    20 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
	
	Everton | 
          
    
    22 | 
    
    8 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    24 | 
          
		  
    
    17 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    8 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    11 | 
    
    29 | 
    
    20 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
			  
			  
			  
	
	Burnley | 
    
    22 | 
    
    6 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    21 | 
          
		  
    
    19 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    10 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    21 | 
    
    43 | 
          
		  
			  
			  
    
    17 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
			  
			  
			  
	
	Derby County | 
    
    22 | 
    
    5 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    5 | 
    
    22 | 
          
		  
    
    20 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    8 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    19 | 
    
    41 | 
          
		  
			  
			  
    
    16 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
			  
			  
			  
	
	Notts County | 
    
    22 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    2 | 
    
    5 | 
    
    25 | 
          
		  
    
    32 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    10 | 
			  
			  
			  
			  
    
    15 | 
    
    41 | 
          
		  
			  
			  
    
    12 | 
          
		  
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  
    | 
    
	Stoke | 
    
    22 | 
    
    3 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    4 | 
    
    15 | 
          
		  
    
    18 | 
    
    1 | 
    
    0 | 
    
    10 | 
    
    11 | 
    
    33 | 
          	
    
    12 | 
          	
		   
		  
    | 
     
	In 
	addition to going through the entire season of 22 games undefeated, Preston 
	won their first six games:  
	
	Burnley (h) 5-2, Wolves (a) 4-0, Bolton (h) 3-1, Derby (a) 3-2, Stoke (h) 
	7-0, West Brom. (h) 3-0, before drawing 0-0 at Accrington on 20 October 
	1888.  | 
		   
	   
	   
	
		
			| 
			How The League Was Won 1888-89 Season | 
		 
		
			| 
			Timeline | 
		 
		
			
			
	  	  	21 
			consecutive Saturdays from 8 September 1888 to 26 January 1889, plus 
			Boxing Day (Wednesday, 26 December 1888) 
			  
	  
			Two 
			rearranged games were played on consecutive Mondays in November 1888 
			and the rest were played in February, March and April 1889, though 
			two were played on Mondays and one on a Tuesday, as the FA Cup took 
			precedence each Saturday from the first round on 2 February 1889 to 
			the final on 30 March 1889 (rounds were played each fortnight with 
			replays on the Saturday in-between and a second replay on a 
			Thursday). The last league game was played on Easter Saturday, 20 April 1889 
			(Accrington 2-0 Stoke). 
			 
 
		  
			  | 
			  Saturday, 29 December 1888 | 
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  Preston North End 1 Blackburn 
			  Rovers 0 
			     Deepdale, Preston
			  
			  (9,000) 
				Goodall | 
			  
			  Preston maintain a nine-point lead over Aston Villa. 
			  Preston's win ended Blackburn's chance of winning the League, 
			  whilst Wolves' defeat at Bolton put them out of contention, 
			  leaving only Villa able to catch Preston, with six games left, as 
			  opposed to Preston's four. | 
		   
		  
			  
			  
			  
			  Aston Villa 4 Derby County 2 
			     Wellington Road, Handsworth
			  
			  (4,000) 
	  Green 
				(2), Allen, Goodall  
			~ Spilsbury, Bakewell | 
		   
	   
	  	    
	  
	  	     
			
		  
			  | 
			  Saturday, 5 January 1889 | 
		   
		  
			  
			  2.30pm GMT
			  
	  Preston North End 4 
			  Notts County 1 
			     Deepdale, Preston
			  
			  
			  (4,000) Goodall (2), 
			  Edwards (2) ~ Daft | 
			  
			  Preston won the League Championship by opening up an 
			  eleven-point gap between them and Villa, who now had five games 
			  left. They stayed unbeaten for the entire season, with forty 
			  points, to Villa's 29. | 
		   
		  
			  
			  3.05pm GMT 
			  Burnley 4 Aston Villa 0 
			     Turf Moor, Burnley
			  
			  
			  (6,000) Yates (2), 
			  Gallocher, A.Brady 
			  The game kicked off 35 minutes late 
			  as three Villa players had missed a train connection. They thus 
			  started with eight players, with two of them arriving after ten 
			  minutes' play. The third latecomer arrived at half-time, but the 
			  referee would not allow him to take part. | 
		   
	   
	   | 
		 
	 
	 
	
		
			| 
			The Elite League 1888-89 Season 
			(games between the top four) | 
		 
		
			
			
	  
	  	  
	  	   Games played between the top two:-
		  
			  | 
			  
	  	  	Saturday, 10 November 1888 | 
		  	
			  
			   | 
		  	
			  
			  
			  Saturday, 9 February 1889 | 
		   
		  	  
		  
			  
				
			  
			  Preston North End 1 Aston Villa 1 
			     Deepdale, Preston
			  
			  (2,000) 
				Goodall ~ Green | 
			  
				  | 
			  
				
			  
			  Aston Villa 0 Preston North End 2 
			     Wellington Road, Handsworth
			  
			  (12,000) 
			  
			  Dewhurst (2) | 
		   
	  		   
			
	  	  	 | 
		 
	 
	 
	 
  
    | 
    Champions: 
	Preston North End | 
     
  
    | 
    
    Manager: William 
    Sudell | 
     
   
         
	  
		
			| 
        	 | 
			
        Other significant scorers this 
season included Preston's Jimmy Ross, a Scottish international, scoring 19 in 21 
matches. 
	Third on the list was Villa's Albert 
Allen (18). Jack Southworth of Blackburn scored 17. 
        	 | 
		 
	 
	    
		  
			| 
			England and the Football 
			League 1888-89 Season | 
		   
		  
			| 
			England's impact on the Football League | 
		   
		  
			
			Of the 22 playing positions used 
			during the active 1888-89 season, Football League players provided 
			fifteen of them, and of the ten goals scored, League players scored 
			them all. Nine of the twelve Football League clubs were 
			represented. Three Football League games had a direct impact on 
			two of England's games, on 23 February and 2 March. As a result, 
			on 23 February, England took West Brom's Billy Bassett and 
	  
	  
	  
	  	  Wolves 
			  were without Jack Brodie, Albert Fletcher and Arthur Lowder. On 2 March, Burnley were 
			without Jack Yates.   | 
		   
		  
			| 
			The Football League's impact on England | 
		   
		  
			| 
			
	  	  	On 23 February, Alf Shelton played for 
			Notts County after withdrawing from the England team. 
	  	   | 
		   
	 
	    
       |