Football League test matches were a series of post-season football play-off matches organised by the Football League, to determine the membership of each division, between the worst finishers of the First Division and the best of the Second Division. They were first gear contested at the end of the 1892–93 season, following the inaugural address temper of the Second Division, and were replaced with automatic rifle promotion and relegation from 1898–99. Unlike the contemporary English Football League play-offs, which is alone contested between the four teams below the automatic rifle promotion places in each part, trial matches involved the bottom teams of the First Division and the exceed teams of the Second Division going tete-a-tete. This mean that the Second Division champions were not guaranteed top-flight football, as was the font with Small Heath in 1893. On no occasion has all of the Second Division and First Division sides been either respectively promoted and relegated or remained in the lapp division in any season through this system. From 1893 to 1895, six teams competed for three places in the top division. Each team played one meet against the equate team from the other part ( second Division champions versus the bottom First Division side, and thus on ) at a neutral venue, normally close to the designated home team. The winners of each game were considered for election for First Division membership for the watch season, whilst the losers were invited to 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. When the proceedings have concluded, the top two finishers were elected into the First Division and the bottom two were invited to the Second Division for the take after season. As the 1898–99 First Division was expanded to include two more teams, the 1898 test meet series was ultimately a dead arctic as all four competing teams were elected into the lead grade .
list of test matches [edit ]
Newton Heath remain in the First Division, Small Heath remain in the Second Division.
Darwen elected to the First Division, Notts County invited to the Second Division.
Sheffield United elected to the First Division, Accrington invited to the Second Division. [ Note 1 ]
Liverpool elected to the First Division, Newton Heath invited to the Second Division.
Small Heath elected to the First Division, Darwen invited to the Second Division.
Read more: 2015–16 Liverpool F.C. season – Wikipedia
Preston North End remain in the First Division, Notts County remain in the Second Division.
Bury elected to the First Division, Liverpool invited 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.
table [edit ]
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| 3 | Small Heath | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 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 |
table
Read more: EFL Trophy – Wikipedia
Read more: EFL Trophy – Wikipedia
[edit ]
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Burnley | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Newton Heath | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 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 |
table [edit ]
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | Burnley | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| Key | Note |
|---|---|
| Bold | Second Division champions |
| Italic | Second Division team |
| Elected to play in the First Division |
All teams were elected to the 1898–99 Football League First Division as the league was expanded by two teams.
Notes [edit ]
- ^ Accrington subsequently resigned from the Football League
See besides [edit ]
further read [edit ]
- 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