Football League test matches
| Founded | 1893 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1898 |
| Region | England |
| Number of teams |
6 (1893–95) 4 (1896–98) |
Football League test matches were a series of post-season football play-off matches organised by the Football League, to determine the membership of the worst finishers of the First Division and the best of the Second Division. They were first contested at the end of the 1892–93 season, following the inaugural season of the Second Division, and were replaced with automatic promotion and relegation from 1898–99.
Unlike the modern-day English Football League play-offs, which is only contested between the four teams below the automatic promotion places in each division, test matches involved the bottom teams of the First Division and the top teams of the Second Division going head-to-head. This meant that the Second Division champions were not guaranteed top-flight football, as was the case with Small Heath in 1893. On no occasion has all of the Second Division and First Division sides been respectively promoted and relegated in the same season through this system.
From 1893 to 1895, six teams competed for three places in the top division. Each team played one match against the corresponding team from the other division (Second Division champions versus the bottom First Division side, and so on) at a neutral venue, usually close to the designated home team. The winners of each game earned a place in the First Division for the following season whilst the losers competed in the Second Division. From 1896 until 1898, the series was revamped with into a mini league format, with four teams competing for two First Division places. The Second Division sides played both First Division teams on a home-and-away basis. The top two finishers earning a First Division spot for the following season and the bottom two playing in the Second Division.
List of test matches
1893
Newton Heath remain in the First Division, Small Heath remain in the Second Division.
Darwen promoted to the First Division, Notts County relegated to the Second Division.
Sheffield United promoted to the First Division, Accrington relegated to the Second Division.[Note 1]
1894
Liverpool promoted to the First Division, Newton Heath relegated to the Second Division.
Small Heath promoted to the First Division, Darwen relegated to the Second Division.
Preston North End remain in the First Division, Notts County remain in the Second Division.
1895
Bury promoted to the First Division, Liverpool relegated to the Second Division.
Derby County remain in the First Division, Notts County remain in the Second Division.
Stoke remain in the First Division, Newton Heath remain in the Second Division.
1896
Table
| Pos. | Team | Pld. | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 5 |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 5 |
| 3 | Small Heath | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 3 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 | –10 | 3 |
| Key | Note |
|---|---|
| Bold | Second Division champions |
| Italic | Second Division team |
| Elected to play in the First Division | |
| Invited to play in the Second Division |
1897
Table
| Pos. | Team | Pld. | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 3 | Burnley | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 3 |
| 4 | Newton Heath | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | –2 | 3 |
| Key | Note |
|---|---|
| Bold | Second Division champions |
| Italic | Second Division team |
| Elected to play in the First Division | |
| Invited to play in the Second Division |
1898
Table
| Pos. | Team | Pld. | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 2 | Burnley | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 4 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | –7 | 2 |
| Key | Note |
|---|---|
| Bold | Second Division champions |
| Italic | Second Division team |
| Elected to play in the First Division | |
| Invited to play in the Second Division |
Notes
- ^ Accrington resigned from the Football League
See also
Further reading
- Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin: Encyclopedia of British Football, Willow Books, London. Fourth, updated and revised edition, 1984
- A. H. Fabian & Green, Geoffrey: Association Football, Volume Two. The Caxton Publishing Company Ltd., London, 1960