2nd September 1899 - Boro start out in league football

[erimus74]

125 years ago the mighty Boro played their first ever football league fixture when joining the newly formed second Division Two 

The Boro's days of northern league were almost over due to their players been at the top of amateur status & ready for the next step up

After raising £1,000  £1 shares the club applied to join the league & so on the 19th May 1899 a meeting in Manchester was held & with nine applicants for 3 vacancies, Boro received 17 votes to Blackpools 15, who were seeking re-election, league football was to return to the town of Middlesbrough after a gap of 5 years following Ironops resignation in 1893/4 season

Loughborough were re-elected, with Chesterfield coming in at the expense of Darwin

Lincoln City away was to be our first league game with Boro suffering a 3-0 defeat 



Boro manager John Robson picked the following historical team for the start of the number stats that we see today

Edward George Smith - GK
Thomas William Shaw
Andrew Ramsey
Henry George Allport
John McNally
James Peter McCraken
Robert Wanless
Geoff Longstaff
Joseph Gettins
Robert Page
Charles Edwaerd Pugh