The 1898–99 season was the 28th season of competitive

football in England Association football, Football is the most popular sport in England. Widely regarded as the birthplace of modern football, the first official rules of the game were established in England in 1863. The country is home to the world's first footba ...

Events

This was the first season in which automatic promotion/relegation was introduced between the First and Second divisions. Both Divisions were expanded to 18 teams. The new teams to join the Second Division were:

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

, Glossop North End and New Brighton Tower. Burslem Port Vale also returned to the Football League. On 26 November 1898, the First Division match between The Wednesday and

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

was abandoned after 79 minutes due to bad light. Rather than let the score stand or replay the whole match,

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

ordered that the remaining 11 minutes should be played at Hillsborough on 13 March 1899. The Wednesday, who were leading 3–1 when the game was abandoned, scored one more goal to win 4–1.

Honours

Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition

Events

Honours

League table

First Division

Second Division

References