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Season 1885/86

F = Friendly.  FAC1 = F.A. Cup 1st round.  B = Benefit match for C. Litchfield

Bold is a home game.  R next to an opponent = a known reserve game

DateOpponentsCompResultScorers
3/10Higham FerrersFW 3 0JC Lomax x2, A. Deacon
10/10St. AlbansFW 1 0G. Deacon
17/10HitchinFW 3 1G. Deacon, T. Lawrence, E. Ellingham
17/10Hemel HempsteadFL 0 1
19/10WheathampsteadFW 4 1E. Ellingham x2, Miller, Small
31/10Great MarlowFAC1L 0 3
7/11Notts CountyFW 2 0G. Deacon, F. Whitby
14/11RushdenFD 1 1
14/11HotspurFD 1 1
21/11St. NeotsFL 0 1
5/12Watford RoversFL 0 1
19/12E.H. Lomax XIFW 1 0G. Deacon
25/12Luton Albany RFL 0 3
26/12Unity (London)FW 5 1E. Ellingham x2, G. Deacon x2, JC Lomax
26/12NondescriptsFD 1 1W. Barrett
1886
2/1DulwichFD 0 0
16/1Clapham RoversFW 5 1D.A.N. Lomax x3, E. Ellingham, F. Whitby
13/2BedfordFD 0 0Abandoned due to C. Litchfield breaking his leg
13/2City Ramblers RFW 5 0Benavides x2, Eling, Miller, Beldam
20/2Higham FerrersFW 1 0Wheeler
24/2Wellingborough Grammar SchoolFL 0 10
27/2Grove HouseFW 1 0Brook-Knowles
13/3DulwichFL 1 2
20/3Watford RoversFL 0 3
10/4Hanover UnitedFW 2 1
17/4St. AlbansBD 2 2
23/4VulcansFW 7 12,000
24/4United London ScottishFW 2 0P.H. Bower x2
26/4OlympiansFW 7 1

It was a bad winter and 20 games were cancelled.  The notes from the AGM shows; Played 30, won 17, drew 4, lost 9, for 64, against 37.  The club did not include the abandoned game or the benefit game in their figures.  We are therefore missing three games, two wins and one defeat, 11 goals for and 3 against.  These missing games were not reported in the local newspapers.  Three factors may have contributed to these missing games and the lack of details about the games that were reported.  The club appeared to have failed to submit some reports to the papers.  Lack of space (usually due to a political event that week) meant football reports were dropped.  Finally, there was a prejudice against football and the club which might have caused some reports to be deliberately excluded.

We are also missing many goal scorers but from what we do know George Deacon scored 6; Edward Ellingham 6; D.A.N. Lomax, J.C. Lomax 3; F. Whitby, P.H. Bower, Benavides 2, Small and Miller 1.

The only attempt at giving an attendance is 2,000 for the Vulcans game at Dallow Lane on Good Friday.   Teams like Aston Villa were getting crowds of 4 to 5,000 for friendly games at this time.  The F.A. Cup Final of 1886 saw 15,000 for the first drawn game and 12,000 for the replay.