Newton Heath Football Club

Green & Gold Beginnings (1878–1887)

Newton Heath LYR Football Club was founded in 1878 by railway workers from the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LYR) depot in Newton Heath, Manchester. The Company granted permission for the employees to start a football club with Frederick Attock appointed as the new club's president. The LYR suffix was added to the club's name to distinguish it from other departments who also had football clubs, such as the Motive Power Division who were known as Newton Heath Loco. Newton Heath LYR wore green and gold, mirroring the railway company's colours.

They initially played friendly matches against other departments and railway teams at their home ground at North Road, a field close to the railway yard, which was leased by the railway company. They also entered local cups such as the Lancashire Cup and Manchester Challenge Cup. Unfortunately, very few of these matches were reported on or recorded. However,  it is said at the time that the players were "tough, diligent men who formed a powerful side".

North Road. The site of Newton Heath's first pitch.

During the 1882–83 season, the team played a total of 26 recorded friendly matches, and the following season competed in the Lancashire Cup but lost 7–2 in the first round to Blackburn Olympic reserves. In 1884, Newton Heath LYR applied for the Manchester and District Challenge Cup and reached the final, which they lost 3–0 to Hurst at Whalley Range. The team never failed to score at least three goals in each of the rounds leading up to the final, including in a first round match against Eccles. The match had to be replayed after the Eccles management protested about Newton Heath's third goal.

Newton Heath reached the final of the Manchester and District Challenge Cup a further five times, winning all but one. Meanwhile, in 1886, the club began to expand by signing players of national reputation such as Jack Powell (who became club captain), Jack and Roger Doughty and Tom Burke. In 1886–87 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time and were drawn away to Fleetwood Rangers in the first round; they managed to earn a 2–2 draw but when club captain Jack Powell refused to play a period of extra time, Fleetwood were awarded the tie. A subsequent unsuccessful protest to the Football Association led to Newton Heath LYR entering a self-imposed exile from the FA Cup, which lasted until 1889.

League Football (1888–1899)

In 1888, after being overlooked by the newly formed Football League, Newton Heath joined their first competitive league by becoming founding members of "The Combination". However, the league struggled financially and was disbanded in April 1889 before the season could be completed.

In 1890, Newton Heath made an unsuccessful bid to join the Football League, receiving just a single vote. Instead, they joined forces with 11 other non-league clubs to form the Football Alliance, where they finished eighth in the inaugural season. After three more failed attempts to gain entry to the Football League, the club was finally accepted in 1892 when the League merged with the Football Alliance. Newton Heath were elected to the First Division, having finished second to Nottingham Forest (who also gained promotion) in their final Alliance season.

Newton Heath 1892 - 93 season

By this point, the club had formally cut ties with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR), dropping the initials from their name, though most of the players remained railway employees. The club also became a limited company, raising £2,000 through the sale of £1 shares. Applications were handled by A.H. Albut, the club's first full-time official, who also acted as team manager.

Newton Heath struggled in their debut Football League season, finishing bottom of the First Division. They retained their place after defeating Second Division champions Small Heath in a test match. In 1893, the club relocated to Bank Street in Clayton, situated next to a chemical works. It was rumored that the plant would release noxious fumes when Newton Heath were trailing, hoping to unsettle the visiting team. The 1893–94 season proved no better, and after losing a play-off 2–0 to Liverpool, Newton Heath were relegated to the Second Division.

On 9 March 1895, a match against Walsall Town Swifts became infamous when the visiting manager filed a complaint about the poor pitch conditions, describing it as “drab expanses of wet sand, tufted sparsely with grass.” The match went ahead regardless, and Newton Heath won 14–0, their largest ever margin of victory, though the result was later voided. In 1897, the club again reached the play-offs but failed to secure promotion back to the top tier.

Bank Street in Clayton, next to the Albion chemical works

Near Collapse & Revival (1900–1902)

In the 1900–01 season, Newton Heath finished a disappointing 10th in the Second Division, losing more matches than they won. With attendance dwindling and debts piling up, the club organised a four-day fundraising bazaar at St James's Hall in Manchester. According to popular legend, one of the main attractions was club captain Harry Stafford’s St. Bernard dog, Major. One evening, after the hall had closed, Major wandered off with a collection tin still attached to his collar. The dog eventually found his way to local brewery owner John Henry Davies, whose daughter became so taken with him that Davies sought out the dog’s owner, and in doing so, made a connection that would change the club’s future.

Despite the funds raised at the bazaar, Newton Heath’s financial troubles deepened and they had accumulated heavy debts of £2,670 (the equivalent to £370,000). On 9 January 1902, Club President William Healey petitioned the court for a winding-up order, claiming he was owed £242 17s 10d.

On Monday, 13 January 1902, the Manchester Guardian reported:

“Attention was directed to the Second League by the unusual experience of Newton Heath. The club is financially in a bad way. A winding-up order to meet a debt of £242 precipitated matters last week and no arrangements could be made for playing the game fixed for Saturday. One hears that a new club will be formed out of the ashes of the old one, but this has not been decided definitely.”

Remarkably, Newton Heath were revived in time to fulfil their next fixture just days later, on Saturday, 18 January 1902.

It was the chance encounter between Harry Stafford and John Henry Davies, sparked by the wandering dog, that ultimately saved the club. Davies, together with three other local investors, agreed to invest £2,000 to rescue the struggling club.

Davies became club president, and on 24 April 1902, the new ownership officially changed the name of the club from Newton Heath to Manchester United Football Club. Alternative names such as "Manchester Celtic" and "Manchester Central" had been considered. “Manchester Celtic” reflected the club’s roots, as many of Newton Heath’s founders were Irish immigrants who had come to Manchester seeking work with the railways. Along with the new name, the club also adopted new colours: red shirts and white shorts.

Backed by fresh investment and strengthened by new players, Manchester United began the 1902–03 season with renewed energy. The club finished fifth in the Second Division, winning 15 games and collecting 38 points—a clear step forward on the path to a brighter future.

Rebirth as Manchester United (1902)

Manchester United 1902 - 03 season

After a poor start to the 1903–04 season, Manchester United took a significant step by appointing Ernest Mangnall as their first true team manager. Charismatic and media-savvy, Mangnall quickly had an impact, guiding the team to a third-place finish in the Second Division. The following season, United set a club record with an 18-game unbeaten run, lasting from a 2–0 loss to Bolton in September 1904 until a 3–0 defeat against Lincoln City in February 1905. They again finished third, this time with 53 points. Off the pitch, the club suffered a financial setback when they were banned from selling alcohol at the ground (possibly due to unruly fan behaviour), though owner John Henry Davies continued to provide essential financial stability.

Mangnall began building Manchester United's first truly competitive side. After finishing second in 1905–06, the club earned promotion to the First Division and also reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, famously defeating reigning champions Aston Villa 5–1. Mangnall had begun assembling a formidable squad, and among his most influential signings was Billy Meredith, a legendary Welsh winger widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his time.

At the time, a scandal arose at Manchester City who were under investigation by the FA. It soon became apparent that the payment of wages and bonuses in excess of those permitted was endemic at the club. At the end of May, the inquiry announced its findings: a percentage of gate receipts was being siphoned off into private bank accounts that were then used to make the illegal payments to players. This led to the forced sale of several players, Manchester United's Mangnall capitalised by securing star defender Herbert Burgess, forward Sandy Turnbull and Jimmy Bannister. The investment paid off and Manchester United won their first League Championship in the 1907-08 season. That season, United also won the inaugural Charity Shield. That same year, they even attempted to sign Dally Messenger, an Australian rugby footballer considered by some to be the best footballer in any code.

The club followed up their league success with an FA Cup triumph in 1908-09, beating Bristol City 1–0 in the final. Sandy Turnbull scored the only goal, and Meredith earned man of the match honours.

Manchester United 1908–09 posing with their trophies: FA Charity Shield, the Football League (First Division) and the FA Cup

Back in 1908, John Henry Davies loaned the club £60,000 (a staggering amount at the time) to fund the construction of a new stadium at Old Trafford. The team played their first match at the new ground on 19 February 1910, though Liverpool spoiled the occasion with a 4–3 victory. United ended the season in fifth place.

Mangnall’s leadership marked Manchester United’s first golden era and they captured a second league title in 1910-11, edging out Aston Villa in a dramatic season finale. However, this success marked the end of an era and Mangnall left the club in 1912 to join rivals Manchester City.

First division league champions 1910-11

During this period, Manchester United players were also instrumental in shaping the rights of professional footballers. Led by captain Charlie Roberts and Billy Meredith, United players played a key role in forming the Association of Football Players’ and Trainers’ Union (AFPTU) in 1907, later to become the Professional Footballers’ Association. When the Football Association threatened to suspend players who refused to leave the Union before the 1909–10 season, United’s squad stood firm and became known in the press as “The Outcasts.” A compromise was reached just in time for the season to begin, allowing players to retain their union membership.

The Outcasts F.C.

Without Mangnall, United struggled. The 1911–12 season ended in a disappointing 13th-place finish. Attendance dropped to around 15,000, and the squad began to age under the guidance of club secretary J.J. Bentley. In 1914–15, the club narrowly avoided relegation by a single point. However, their survival was later overshadowed by scandal. Three Manchester United players were found guilty of conspiring with Liverpool players to fix a match in United’s favour. All involved received lifetime bans in what became known as the 1915 British football betting scandal.

The outbreak of the First World War saw league football suspended. On 28 December 1914, Jack Robson was appointed as United’s first official manager, until then, the club secretary had overseen team affairs. Robson worked initially under secretary T.J. Wallworth and later J.J. Bentley. During the war, no official football was played and the club’s finances worsened due to the ongoing costs of maintaining Old Trafford without any matchday income. Bentley died in September 1918, just two months before the Armistice, and a year before league football resumed.