1896/97 Division 2 - Final Week
Leicester Fosse vs. Bolton Wanderers
Our first match up of this week sees Bolton trying to impress against a decent Leicester side in the hopes of maintaining their status as a Football League side. They must be going for the pity votes though because much like last week, they were terrible. Goals in the 55th, 62nd and 88th minute handed Leicester an easy win to end the season on as Bolton end the season 0-7 in their last 2 matches, kindly taking last place for themselves.
Newcastle United vs. Everton
The drawingest side of the season Newcastle have had a weird run, going from promotion contender to re-election contender to kind of average across the course of the season. Their opponents this week Everton had a major part in helping Liverpool win the title. Everton have also occupied a weird place of being too good for most of the division, but not good enough to contend for the title. This match got started quick as Newcastle scored in the 11th minute and again in the 22nd, before Everton brought themselves back in with a goal in the 29th. The match may as well have ended there though as Newcastle held control for most of the remainder of the match and finished their worst ever season on a win.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool
Our third match of the week is the match to determine the title. Both sides have only lost twice all season and confirmed their spots in the promotion playoffs. Liverpool's superior goal difference means that so long as they stay within 2 goals of Wolves, the title will be theirs. Liverpool get the opening goal in the 29th minute and it becomes clear very quickly that Wolves' attack just is not good enough to help them in this match. A second goal conceded in the 55th minute confirms Liverpool's victory as the side become responsible for 50% of goals conceded by Wolves this season.
Burnley vs. Burton Wanderers
This is a decent match-up, it is just a shame it does not mean much now. Whoever wins will be 5th and it will determine the line-up of teams from 5th-7th but that really is it. Burnley are among a group of sides who threw away a perfect 10 season chance last week, while Burton have actually been pretty solid on their debut season after a really bad start. Burton scored early on, in the 17th minute and held control throughout this match to take the win and seal 5th place. So long as nothing insane happens Burnley will finish 7th.
Bury vs. Fairfield
An important match for Fairfield as they need a point if they want to guarantee their safety in this division, but having to face a side the quality of Bury has to be a daunting prospect. Bury obviously are sitting in 3rd place, with a late drop in form responsible for them completing missing out on the chance to compete for promotion despite once again proving themselves too good for the division. Bury were obviously way too good for Fairfield here, winning 3-0 with goals in the 8th, 26th and 37th minutes winning them the match. If Sunderland win their match, Fairfield will fall into the re-election zone. The Reds' fate now rests in the hands of Sunderland & Forest.
Grimsby Town vs. Accrington
This match will determine the make-up of the middle of the table and that's about it. Very middling seasons from both sides who have made a home for themselves in the division at this point. A win could put Accrington in their normal top half spot, but aside from that there really is not a lot to this. Accrington score in the 8th minute and look the worse side throughout the rest of the match, conceding in the 59th and splitting the points. For both sides it is their worst ever finish.
Blackpool vs. Loughborough
This match is probably irrelevant, since unless Loughborough lose by 5+ goals to an already relegated Blackpool side, they cannot fall below Fairfield anyway and are therefore safe. For Blackpool it is their second consecutive 15th place finish as they struggle to cement themselves as members of the division. Loughborough took no chances with this match, completely dominating Blackpool who never stood a chance. Despite this, just one goal was all Loughborough could find in the 13th minute which was still enough for the win.
Nottingham Forest vs. Sunderland AFC
While it is not the match with title implications, I think this match is actually the most important one of the week as Sunderland's chances of staying up felt better than the odds of Wolves winning. As such I decided to make this the last match of the week and am writing this with no knowledge about what happened in the other two relevant matches. Forest are obviously the favourite, but with less to play for Sunderland have a chance to catch them off guard, particularly since the side need a win. This could not have gone worse for Sunderland. Not because they played badly, but because they were the better side, outplaying Forest only to lose as they were unable to score a goal from plenty of good chances. The Black Cats will be the last side facing re-election.
1896/97 Division 2 Standings
Football League Division 2 - Champions Wall
| 1889-90 | Sunderland Albion
|
| 1890-91 | Everton |
| 1891-92 | The Wednesday
|
| 1892-93 | Wolverhampton Wanderers
|
| 1893-94 | Walsall Town Swifts
|
| 1894-95 | Newton Heath
|
| 1895-96 | Bury |
| 1896-97 | Liverpool |
1x Football League Division 2 Champions
1896-97 Division 2 Champions
Liverpool
- DinoKea
