1884–85 in English football

none February 2021 England 1884–85 FA Cup Blackburn Rovers 1883–84 1885–86 yes The 1884–85 season was the 14th season of competitive football in England. thumb|An early form of football league table, with clubs sorted by goal average. Manchester Courier, 5 January 1885 British Football Association On 23 October 1884, a number of members of the Lancashire Football Association, at the instigation of Bolton Wanderers,Football Notes Liverpool Mercury 23 February 1885 7 met in Blackburn with a view to resisting new Football Association legislation restricting the ability of clubs to "import" players.The Lancashire Clubs and the New Rules York Herald 24 October 1884 7 The result was the formation of a new association, the British Football Association, made up of Lancashire clubs, plus Aston Villa and Walsall Swifts, and Sunderland provisionally joining, pending a club committee vote; the main refusenik was Blackburn Rovers, which had already "grandfathered" in its imported players, having been the first club to do so en masse.British Football Association York Herald 1 November 1884 20 The breakaway was forestalled in July 1885, when the Football Association voted to allow professional players to take part in football competitions, by 35 votes to 12,National Football Association Supplement to the Nottinghamshire Guardian 24 July 1885 4 and the BFA was no longer necessary. thumb|Biggest wins of 1884–85, from the Sportsman, 28 March 1885. NB: "York" is Yoker F.C. and the win was, at the time, the biggest-ever Scottish Cup win. National team England finished second in the British Home Championship, which was won by Scotland. DateVenueOpponentsScore*CompEngland scorers28 February 1885Whalley Range, Manchester (H)Ireland4–0BHCCharles Bambridge (Swifts), James Brown (Blackburn Rovers) & Benjamin Spilsbury (Cambridge University) William Eames (Own goal)14 March 1885Leamington Road, Blackburn (H)Wales1–1BHCClement Mitchell (Upton Park) (35 mins)21 March 1885Kennington Oval, London (H)Scotland1–1BHCCharles Bambridge (Swifts) (57 mins) * England score given first Key H = Home match BHC = British Home Championship Note – Some sources credit England's third goal as a Joe Lofthouse goal, but match reports clearly state an Eames own goal. Honours CompetitionWinnerFA CupBlackburn Rovers (2)Home ChampionshipScotland Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition References External links Report on England v Ireland match on thefa.com Report on England v Wales match on thefa.com Report on England v Scotland match on thefa.com Report on England v Scotland match 1884