Quote:
| Originally Posted by Red Devil Our first game was 21st Sept 1889; Sunderland; and won 4-1. But, 3 years prior, played in the FA Cup on 30th Oct 1886.
The club was founded in 1878 and probably spent the formative years playing locally against opposition drawn from immediate area and other railway teams.
At present I can find no records of the local years 1878 - 1889 and certainly not a definitive date of starting. |
You are going to love this then 
( it doesn't answer the exact
date United were formed though ).
Some fantastic info that i only found tonight and have
never ever seen before on any site or forum.
I have found much information as to names etc due to a family tree research i have studided last year. Mr Bert Gregory who acted as a groundsman on the small field on North Road in Newton Heath, passed down stories tell of, " a small field ,a muddy bog "sand had to be layed onto the field just to try and make it playable ,this is where Newton Heath first played there home games,the team players belive it or not had to change into their football kit in a local public house and walk from the pub to the field and play the game,(no fancy changing rooms here) the Three Crowns pub on Oldham Road.
Newton Heath remained at their North Road ground for fifteen years from 1878 to 1893, a year after entering the Football League, before moving to a new home at Bank Street in nearby Clayton. . Newton Heath were a local Manchester team who started playing in 1878, a group of railway workers for Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways. In 1885 they turned professional and were admitted to the Football Alliance after their efforts to join the Football league failed. Eventually they were admitted in 1892 when the Division one was expanded from 14 to 16 clubs and a second Division added. Newton Heath’s first league game took place on September 3rd 1892 against Blackburn rovers, the attendance was 8,000 , with Newton Heath losing 4-3. A Scot named Robert Donaldson became the first player to score a league goal for Newton Heath which became Manchester United. (He later transferred to Luton Town) Newton Heath’s first season turned out to be a poor, with only a victory in a relegation/promotion playoff game saved them from dropping into the lower division. Their first home game was against Burnley and the result was a 1-1 tie. Heavy defeats followed from Everton (6-0) Burnley (4-0), West Brom (4-0) Then came an amazing triumph a victory over Wolves 10-1 at the North road Ground, but more defeats followed and they finished their first season in 16th place (last) with 18 points and conceding 85 goals. They won their playoff game 5-2 against Stoke City in a replay after the first game turned out a 1-1, the game was played at North Road in front of 4,000.
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