Football League test matches

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

22 April 1893

Small Heath ^{D2 1st}	1–1	^{D1 16th} Newton Heath

Victoria Ground
Attendance: 4,000

27 April 1893 (replay)

Newton Heath ^{D1 16th}	5–2	^{D2 1st} Small Heath

Olive Grove
Attendance: 6,000

Newton Heath remain in the First Division, Small Heath remain in the Second Division.

Darwen ^{D2 3rd} v ^{D1 14th} Notts County

22 April 1893

Darwen ^{D2 3rd}	3–2	^{D1 14th} Notts County

Hyde Road
Attendance: 5,000

Darwen promoted to the First Division, Notts County relegated to the Second Division.

22 April 1893

Sheffield United ^{D2 2nd}	1–0	^{D1 15th} Accrington

Castle Ground
Attendance: 6,000

Sheffield United promoted to the First Division, Accrington relegated to the Second Division.^{[Note 1]}

1894

Liverpool ^{D2 1st} v ^{D1 16th} Newton Heath

28 April 1894

Liverpool ^{D2 1st}	2–0	^{D1 16th} Newton Heath

Ewood Park
Attendance: 5,000

Liverpool promoted to the First Division, Newton Heath relegated to the Second Division.

Small Heath ^{D2 2nd} v ^{D1 15th} Darwen

28 April 1894

Small Heath ^{D2 2nd}	3–1	^{D1 15th} Darwen

Victoria Ground
Attendance: 3,000

Small Heath promoted to the First Division, Darwen relegated to the Second Division.

28 April 1894

Preston North End ^{D1 14th}	4–0	^{D2 3rd} Notts County

Olive Grove
Attendance: 8,000

Preston North End remain in the First Division, Notts County remain in the Second Division.

1895

Bury ^{D2 1st} v ^{D1 16th} Liverpool

27 April 1895

Bury ^{D2 1st}	1–0	^{D1 16th} Liverpool

Ewood Park
Attendance: 5,000

Bury promoted to the First Division, Liverpool relegated to the Second Division.

27 April 1895

Derby County ^{D1 15th}	2–1	^{D2 2nd} Notts County

Filbert Street
Attendance: 8,000

Derby County remain in the First Division, Notts County remain in the Second Division.

Stoke ^{D1 14th} v ^{D2 3rd} Newton Heath

27 April 1895

Stoke ^{D1 14th}	3–0	^{D2 3rd} Newton Heath

Athletic Ground
Attendance: 10,000

Stoke remain in the First Division, Newton Heath remain in the Second Division.

1896

Liverpool ^{D2 1st} v ^{D1 15th} Small Heath

18 April 1896

Liverpool ^{D2 1st}	4–0	^{D1 15th} Small Heath

18 April 1896

Manchester City ^{D2 2nd}	1–1	^{D1 16th} West Bromwich Albion

Small Heath ^{D1 15th} v ^{D2 1st} Liverpool

20 April 1896

Small Heath ^{D1 15th}	0–0	^{D2 1st} Liverpool

20 April 1896

West Bromwich Albion ^{D1 16th}	6–1	^{D2 2nd} Manchester City

25 April 1896

Liverpool ^{D2 1st}	2–0	^{D1 16th} West Bromwich Albion

25 April 1896

Manchester City ^{D2 2nd}	3–0	^{D1 15th} Small Heath

27 April 1896

West Bromwich Albion ^{D1 16th}	2–0	^{D2 1st} Liverpool

27 April 1896

Small Heath ^{D1 15th}	8–0	^{D2 2nd} Manchester City

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

17 April 1897

Notts County ^{D2 1st}	1–0	^{D1 15th} Sunderland

Burnley ^{D1 16th} v ^{D2 2nd} Newton Heath

19 April 1897

Burnley ^{D1 16th}	2–0	^{D2 2nd} Newton Heath

19 April 1897

Sunderland ^{D1 15th}	0–0	^{D2 1st} Notts County

Newton Heath ^{D2 2nd} v ^{D1 16th} Burnley

21 April 1897

Newton Heath ^{D2 2nd}	2–0	^{D1 16th} Burnley

Burnley ^{D1 16th} v ^{D2 1st} Notts County

24 April 1897

Burnley ^{D1 16th}	0–1	^{D2 1st} Notts County

24 April 1897

Newton Heath ^{D2 2nd}	1–1	^{D1 15th} Sunderland

Notts County ^{D2 1st} v ^{D1 16th} Burnley

26 April 1897

Notts County ^{D2 1st}	1–1	^{D1 16th} Burnley

26 April 1897

Sunderland ^{D1 15th}	2–0	^{D2 2nd} Newton Heath

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

Newcastle United ^{D2 2nd} v ^{D1 16th} Stoke

20 April 1898

Newcastle United ^{D2 2nd}	2–1	^{D1 16th} Stoke

21 April 1898

Blackburn Rovers ^{D1 15th}	1–3	^{D2 1st} Burnley

Stoke ^{D1 16th} v ^{D2 2nd} Newcastle United

23 April 1898

Stoke ^{D1 16th}	1–0	^{D2 2nd} Newcastle United

23 April 1898

Burnley ^{D2 1st}	2–0	^{D1 15th} Blackburn Rovers

Burnley ^{D2 1st} v ^{D1 16th} Stoke

26 April 1898

Burnley ^{D2 1st}	0–2	^{D1 16th} Stoke

28 April 1898

Blackburn Rovers ^{D1 15th}	4–3	^{D2 2nd} Newcastle United

Stoke ^{D1 16th} v ^{D2 1st} Burnley

30 April 1898

Stoke ^{D1 16th}	0–0	^{D2 1st} Burnley

30 April 1898

Newcastle United ^{D2 2nd}	4–0	^{D1 15th} Blackburn Rovers

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

Football League test matches

List of test matches

1893

1894

1895

1896

Table

1897

Table

1898

Table

Notes

See also

Further reading