The season in numbers
·
Total games: 36
·
Games won: 20
·
Games drawn: 7
·
Games lost: 9
·
Clean sheets - league: 14
·
Clean sheets - overall:
15
·
Total goals: 60
·
Average attendance at
home - league: 15,647
·
Average attendance at
home - overall: 15,647
·
Average goals per game -
League: 2.12
·
Average goals per game -
Overall: 2.12
Just eight years after
entering the Football League, Liverpool Football Club rose to the pinnacle of
the English game with a title triumph that set the tone for future generations
at Anfield.
The seeds of this success
were sown in 1896 when the legendary Tom Watson was recruited to take charge of
team affairs. The impact he was to have on the club cannot be over-estimated.
One of his first major signings was the inspirational Alex Raisbeck two years
later and it was around him that Liverpool's first team of champions was
constructed.
With Raisbeck leading by
example from the back, the dependable Bill Perkins between the sticks, Scotland
international Billy Dunlop at full-back, flying winger Jack Cox and promising
goal-poacher Sam Raybould in their ranks, the Liverpool team that kicked off
the 1900-01 season was considered to be their most formidable yet.
This was the era of the
handlebar moustache, when Liverpool players changed in the nearby Sandon public
house and travelled to away games by train or horse-drawn wagonette. Anfield
held just 20,000 and during the week goats grazed on the grass-covered terraces,
while the Boer War in South Africa and the impending end of Queen Victoria's
reign dominated the newspapers.
The Team
Player
|
Position
|
Bill Perkins
|
Goalkeeper
|
Billy Dunlop
|
Defender
|
Maurice Parry
|
Defender
|
Alex Raisbeck
|
Defender
|
Charlie Wilson
|
Defender
|
William Goldie
|
Defender
|
John Glover
|
Defender
|
John Thomas Robertson
|
Defender
|
Thomas John Hunter
|
Defender
|
Raby Howell
|
Defender
|
Jack Cox
|
Midfielder
|
Sam Raybould
|
Striker
|
Andy McGuigan
|
Striker
|
John Walker
|
Striker
|
John Hunter
|
Striker
|
Charles Satterthwaite
|
Striker
|
John Davies
|
Striker
|
Tom Robertson
|
Right-winger
|
Goals from Robertson,
Satterthwaite and Raybould got Liverpool's season off to a perfect start when
Blackburn Rovers were defeated 3-0 at Anfield on the opening day before a crowd
of 20,000. The Reds were to set the early pace and following a 2-1 victory at
Stoke City, West Brom were emphatically beaten 5-0 to make it three wins out of
three for Tom Watson's men, although Aston Villa, by virtue of having played
more games, topped the table.
Centre-forward Sam
Raybould, along with Tommy Robertson, had scored in each of the first three matches
and he netted again in front of a packed Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby.
His 46th minute strike cancelled out a first-half Everton opener but there was
to be no further goals and Liverpool's 100 per cent record came to an end.
The following week title
favourites Sunderland inflicted on the Reds a first defeat of the season when
they triumphed 2-1 at Anfield, thus ending the unbeaten start. For manager
Watson, losing to his former club was a bitter pill to swallow but it was he
who would have the last laugh come the end of the season. Notts County and
Wolves were to repeat the feat of the Wearsiders as Liverpool temporarily
slipped out of the chasing pack at the top, but an impressive 5-1 hammering of
fellow title challengers Aston Villa restored faith around Anfield.
Despite that encouraging
performance, though, inconsistency plagued the Reds around this time and
further setbacks against Sheffield clubs Wednesday and United were suffered
before a confidence-boosting 4-3 victory in a thrilling clash with Manchester
City, Andy McGuigan snatching the all-important final goal after the home side
had gone in at half-time 3-2 ahead.
By the turn of the year,
however, even the most optimistic of Liverpudlians would have thought the title
was out of reach, and although the new century began with a 3-1 home win over
Stoke, successive league defeats at home to Everton and away to Bolton
seemingly killed off any last lingering hopes.
By mid-February Liverpool
languished in eighth place, nine points adrift of leaders Nottingham Forest.
But, with what was to become a trademark of Championship-winning Liverpool
teams in the future, an impressive late surge saw them emerge from the
wilderness to gatecrash the title race.
On 23 February, Watson
took his team to his old stomping ground of Roker Park and no doubt returned
home with a wry smile of satisfaction on his face after a lone Jack Cox goal
secured a crucial 1-0 win that was to prove the catalyst for a formidable
unbeaten run.
Wolves, Villa and
Newcastle were then all defeated as the Reds slowly made their way back up the
table and Raybould's 75th minute winner against second-placed Notts County at
Anfield on 8 April was crucial. It moved them to within five points of new
league leaders Sunderland and with three games in hand, the title pendulum was
swinging ominously towards the red half of Merseyside.
Victory over Sheffield
United, thanks to another goal from leading marksman Raybould, on Easter Monday
saw Liverpool draw level with the Rokerites at the top as the season boiled
down to an exciting climax.
Also still vying for the
leadership was Nottingham Forest, but when they visited Anfield on the last
Saturday of the campaign, goals from Cox and Goldie ended their title ambitions
and maintained the Reds' pursuit of the crown.
Three days earlier
Sunderland had completed their program with a 2-0 win over north-east rivals
Newcastle and still topped the table courtesy of a slightly better goal
average, so the destiny of the 1900-01 championship hung on the outcome of
Liverpool's final game away to West Brom on Monday, 29 April.
Just one point would be
sufficient for the Reds against the already relegated Albion. The doomed
Baggies were expected to roll over and hand Liverpool the title on a plate but
that could not have been further from the truth.
Straight from the first
whistle they fought as if their lives depended on it and Liverpool were
relieved to go in at the interval one ahead, the vital goal coming via Walker
after a Raybould shot had been parried by the Baggies keeper. The second half
saw the home side bombard Bill Perkins in the Liverpool goal but the Reds held
out to clinch the points and more importantly their first Division One title.
It was a deserved triumph
and a perfect riposte to those who had written off Liverpool's chances earlier
in the season. Perkins, Goldie and Robertson were ever-presents, Raybould
topped the scoring charts with 16 goals and Raisbeck led by example as the
inspirational skipper of the side.
In summing up the season,
the Liverpool Echo wrote: "It was a tussle between Liverpool and
Sunderland up to the last day of the season, but the Anfield men never
faltered. Since the beginning of the year they have only twice gone under. The
Liverpool men are the only team to have scored more goals on opponents' grounds
(23 to 22) than the home side. This is a great achievement.
Goals
Name
|
League
|
FA
|
Total
|
Sam Raybould
|
17
|
1
|
18
|
Jack Cox
|
10
|
0
|
10
|
Tom Robertson
|
9
|
0
|
9
|
John Walker
|
6
|
0
|
6
|
Charles Satterthwaite
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
Andy McGuigan
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
John Hunter
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
William Goldie
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
Alex Raisbeck
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Charlie Wilson
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
"In away games they
won seven times and drew five times, which secured them 19 points out of 34,
more than half on opponents' territory. Their goals at home were nearly 3-1
against the opposition, when they won 12 times and drew twice. The facts mentioned
point to the all-round excellence of the Liverpool team, their defense having
the best record of the whole division. Liverpool are also credited with the
most goals, 59 to Sunderland's 57."
After the win at West
Brom, the newly crowned champions returned to Central station later that
evening where thousands of fans were waiting to greet them. Raisbeck was
carried shoulder high through the crowded streets, while a drum and fife band
provided the perfect soundtrack to the moment with a rousing rendition of 'The
Conquering Hero'.
The players and directors
eventually made their way back to Anfield by horse-drawn carriage and the
League Championship was proudly placed in the trophy cabinet for the first, but
by no means the last, time.
The League Table
#
|
Team
|
P
|
Home
|
Away
|
G.Avg
|
Pts
|
||||||||
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
|||||
1
|
Liverpool FC
|
34
|
12
|
2
|
3
|
36
|
13
|
7
|
5
|
5
|
23
|
22
|
1.69
|
45
|
2
|
Sunderland
|
34
|
12
|
3
|
2
|
43
|
11
|
3
|
10
|
4
|
14
|
15
|
2.19
|
43
|
3
|
Notts County
|
34
|
13
|
2
|
2
|
39
|
18
|
5
|
2
|
10
|
15
|
28
|
1.17
|
40
|
4
|
Nottingham Forest
|
34
|
10
|
4
|
3
|
32
|
14
|
6
|
3
|
8
|
21
|
22
|
1.47
|
39
|
5
|
Bury
|
34
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
31
|
10
|
5
|
4
|
8
|
22
|
27
|
1.43
|
39
|
6
|
Newcastle United
|
34
|
10
|
5
|
2
|
27
|
13
|
4
|
5
|
8
|
15
|
24
|
1.14
|
38
|
7
|
Everton
|
34
|
10
|
4
|
3
|
37
|
17
|
6
|
1
|
10
|
18
|
25
|
1.31
|
37
|
8
|
The Wednesday
|
34
|
13
|
2
|
2
|
38
|
16
|
0
|
8
|
9
|
14
|
26
|
1.24
|
36
|
9
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
34
|
9
|
4
|
4
|
24
|
18
|
3
|
5
|
9
|
15
|
29
|
0.83
|
33
|
10
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
34
|
10
|
5
|
2
|
21
|
12
|
3
|
2
|
12
|
18
|
43
|
0.71
|
33
|
11
|
Manchester City
|
34
|
12
|
3
|
2
|
32
|
16
|
1
|
3
|
13
|
16
|
42
|
0.83
|
32
|
12
|
Derby
|
34
|
10
|
4
|
3
|
43
|
18
|
2
|
3
|
12
|
12
|
24
|
1.31
|
31
|
13
|
Wolves
|
34
|
6
|
10
|
1
|
21
|
15
|
3
|
3
|
11
|
18
|
40
|
0.71
|
31
|
14
|
Sheffield United
|
34
|
8
|
4
|
5
|
22
|
23
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
13
|
29
|
0.67
|
31
|
15
|
Aston Villa
|
34
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
32
|
18
|
2
|
5
|
10
|
13
|
33
|
0.88
|
30
|
16
|
Stoke City
|
34
|
8
|
3
|
6
|
23
|
15
|
3
|
2
|
12
|
23
|
42
|
0.81
|
27
|
17
|
Preston North End
|
34
|
6
|
4
|
7
|
29
|
30
|
3
|
3
|
11
|
20
|
45
|
0.65
|
25
|
18
|
WBA
|
34
|
4
|
4
|
9
|
21
|
27
|
3
|
4
|
10
|
14
|
35
|
0.56
|
22
|
Match
Details
Official
Date
|
Result
|
Against
|
Stadium
|
Competition
|
01.09.1900
|
3 - 0
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
08.09.1900
|
2 - 1
|
Stoke City
|
Victoria Ground
|
1st Division
|
15.09.1900
|
5 - 0
|
West Bromwich Albion
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
22.09.1900
|
1 - 1
|
Everton
|
Goodison Park
|
1st Division
|
29.09.1900
|
1 - 2
|
Sunderland
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
06.10.1900
|
3 - 2
|
Derby County
|
Baseball Ground
|
1st Division
|
13.10.1900
|
2 - 1
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
20.10.1900
|
0 - 3
|
Notts County
|
Trent Bridge
|
1st Division
|
27.10.1900
|
3 - 2
|
Preston North End
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
03.11.1900
|
1 - 2
|
Wolves
|
Molineux
|
1st Division
|
10.11.1900
|
5 - 1
|
Aston Villa
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
17.11.1900
|
2 - 3
|
The Wednesday
|
Owlerton
|
1st Division
|
24.11.1900
|
1 - 1
|
Newcastle United
|
St James' Park
|
1st Division
|
01.12.1900
|
1 - 2
|
Sheffield United
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
08.12.1900
|
4 - 3
|
Manchester City
|
Hyde Road
|
1st Division
|
15.12.1900
|
1 - 0
|
Bury
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
22.12.1900
|
0 - 0
|
Nottingham Forest
|
City Ground
|
1st Division
|
25.12.1900
|
0 - 0
|
Derby County
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
29.12.1900
|
1 - 3
|
Blackburn Rovers
|
Ewood Park
|
1st Division
|
01.01.1901
|
3 - 1
|
Stoke City
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
05.01.1901
|
1 - 0
|
West Ham United
|
Memorial Recreation Ground
|
FA Cup Supplementary round
|
19.01.1901
|
1 - 2
|
Everton
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
09.02.1901
|
0 - 2
|
Notts County
|
Trent Bridge
|
FA Cup 1st round
|
16.02.1901
|
0 - 1
|
Bolton Wanderers
|
Burnden Park
|
1st Division
|
23.02.1901
|
1 - 0
|
Sunderland
|
Roker Park
|
1st Division
|
02.03.1901
|
2 - 2
|
Preston North End
|
Deepdale
|
1st Division
|
09.03.1901
|
1 - 0
|
Wolves
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
16.03.1901
|
2 - 0
|
Aston Villa
|
Villa Park
|
1st Division
|
23.03.1901
|
1 - 1
|
The Wednesday
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
30.03.1901
|
3 - 0
|
Newcastle United
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
08.04.1901
|
1 - 0
|
Notts County
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
13.04.1901
|
3 - 1
|
Manchester City
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
20.04.1901
|
0 - 0
|
Bury
|
Gigg Lane
|
1st Division
|
22.04.1901
|
2 - 0
|
Sheffield United
|
Bramall Lane
|
1st Division
|
27.04.1901
|
2 - 0
|
Nottingham Forest
|
Anfield
|
1st Division
|
29.04.1901
|
1 - 0
|
West Bromwich Albion
|
The Hawthorns
|
1st Division
|
Friendlies
Date
|
Result
|
Against
|
Stadium
|
Competition
|
17.09.1900
|
2 - 1
|
Stoke City
|
Anfield
|
Friendly
|
01.10.1900
|
0 - 2
|
Burnley
|
Turf Moor
|
Lancashire S. Cup
|
26.12.1900
|
2 - 5
|
West Bromwich Albion
|
The Hawthorns
|
Friendly
|
19.02.1901
|
8 - 0
|
Manchester City
|
Hyde Road
|
Testimonial
|
05.04.1901
|
2 - 1
|
Everton
|
Anfield
|
Friendly
|
06.04.1901
|
2 - 3
|
Manchester City
|
Hyde Road
|
Friendly
|
09.04.1901
|
4 - 3
|
Cumberland
|
Borough Park
|
Friendly
|
#WECOMENOTTOPLAY
No comments:
Post a Comment