# 1892–93 Sheffield United F.C. season

The 1892–93 season was the fourth in existence for Sheffield United. This was their first season playing in the recently formed Football League Second Division as the club sought to establish itself as a major footballing force. With some members of the football committee unconvinced of the long-term future of the Football League, the club also retained its membership of the Northern League.

## Background

Sheffield United had finished third in the Northern League the previous season. Their ambition, however, was to play in the Football League and in April 1892 their application to join was successful at the second attempt. The club's application had previously been rejected in 1891 but with the league being expanded from 12 to 28 teams United, along with a number of other clubs including local rivals The Wednesday, were elected to play in the Football League for the 1892–93 season. To the annoyance of the club's directors however, whereas The Wednesday were given entry directly into the First Division, United were placed in the newly formed Second Division. Despite their Football League application being successful some members of United's football committee were unconvinced of its long-term future, and so the club elected to retain its membership of the Northern League as well.

## Kit

With the club now a member of The Football League, United elected to adopt a new jersey consisting of thick red and white stripes. This replaced the all white jersey they had worn in the previous season and was the first introduction of a strip that has remained (some minor alterations aside) to the present day. United retained their white jersey as a change strip and matched both shirts with blue knickers and socks. The club badge that had also adorned their jerseys the previous season was also dropped.

## Season
### Pre-season

With United set to play in the newly formed Football League Second Division the club looked to strengthen its squad, as a number of fringe players departed Bramall Lane. Squad players William Getliff and W. Nesbitt were not retained, and long-serving defender Ned Stringer retired from playing to take up a scouting post with the club. Billy Bairstow was allowed to join local side Penistone, while Thomas Smith's brief stay with the club came to an end as he was signed by Yorkshire neighbours Barnsley.
Moving in the opposite direction, Walter Wigmore was signed from Worksop Town on 12 June. By July United had added defender William Mellor, and signed striker Arthur McCabe from nearby Rotherham Town on a free transfer. Sheffield born defender George Waller, who had played in the 1890 FA Cup Final for cross–city rivals The Wednesday, was signed from Middlesbrough at the start of August, before the club's pre-season dealings concluded with the arrival of wide player Joe Brady arrived from Renton. Despite this influx of new players, the established first team remained largely unchanged from the previous season, with those players signed during the summer being used mainly as reserves and making relatively few first team appearances.
With the new season about to start, United kicked off their fixture list with a show-piece friendly game against established Scottish side Celtic, beating their visitors 1–0 courtesy of a Harry Hammond goal.

## Squad

Source:

### First team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Edgar Benson (guest player from Sheffield FC) |
| — | MF | ENG | Joe Brady |
| — | FW | ENG | John Brookes |
| — | DF | SCO | Bob Cain |
| — | MF | ENG | Billy Croxon |
| — | FW | ENG | Fred Davies |
| — | MF | ENG | Samuel Dobson |
| — | FW | SCO | John Drummond |
| — | FW | SCO | James Duncan |
| — | FW | SCO | Hugh Gallacher |
| — | FW | ENG | Frank Gamble (guest player from Heeley) |
| — | DF | ENG | Harry Gregory (guest player from Ecclesfield) |
| — | MF | ENG | George Groves |
| — | FW | ENG | Harry Hammond |
| — | FW | ENG | Harry Hassall |
| — | DF | SCO | Billy Hendry (captain) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | FW | SCO | Bob Hill |
| — | DF | ENG | Walter Hill |
| — | DF | ENG | Rab Howell |
| — | GK | ENG | Charlie Howlett |
| — | DF | ENG | Harry Lilley |
| — | GK | ENG | Will Lilley |
| — | MF | ENG | Arthur McCabe |
| — | DF | ENG | William Mellor |
| — | DF | ENG | Ernest Needham |
| — | FW | ENG | Walter Sylvester (guest player) |
| — | FW | ENG | Sandy Wallace |
| — | DF | ENG | George Waller |
| — | FW | ENG | Arthur Watson |
| — | DF | ENG | Michael Whitham |
| — | DF | ENG | Walter Wigmore |
| — | GK | ENG | Fred Wood |

### Players leaving before the end of the season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Charles Bunyan (guest from Chesterfield Town) |
| — | MF | SCO | W. Patterson |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | FW | SCO | John Scott |

## Transfers
### In

| Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date |
| DF | Walter Wigmore | Kiveton Park | Free | 12 June 1892 |
| DF | William Mellor | Unattached | Free | 2 July 1892 |
| FW | Arthur McCabe | Rotherham Town | Free | 30 July 1892 |
| DF | George Waller | Middlesbrough | Free | 6 August 1892 |
| MF | Joe Brady | Renton | Free | 14 August 1892 |
| MF | Billy Croxon | Illford | Free | 5 November 1892 |
| FW | Hugh Gallacher | Preston North End | Free | 28 January 1893 |
| FW | Bob Hill | Linfield | Free | 11 February 1893 |

### Out

| Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date |
| FW | Billy Bairstow | Penistone | Free | June 1892 |
| FW | William Getliff | N/A | Released | June 1892 |
| DF | W. Nesbitt | N/A | Released | June 1892 |
| FW | Thomas Smith | Barnsley | Free | June 1892 |
| DF | Ned Stringer | Retired | N/A | June 1892 |
| DF | W. Patterson | N/A | Released | December 1892 |
| FW | John Scott | Gainsborough Trinity | Free | December 1892 |

## League tables

Source:

### Football League Second Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Small Heath (C) | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 90 | 35 | 2.571 | 36 | Qualification for test matches |
| 2 | Sheffield United (O, P) | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 62 | 19 | 3.263 | 35 | Qualification for test matches |
| 3 | Darwen (O, P) | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 60 | 36 | 1.667 | 30 | Qualification for test matches |
| 4 | Grimsby Town | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 42 | 41 | 1.024 | 23 | |
| 5 | Ardwick | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 45 | 40 | 1.125 | 21 | |

### Northern League

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Middlesbrough Ironopolis | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 19 |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 11 |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 10 |
| 4 | Middlesbrough | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | Stockton | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 7 |
| 6 | Darlington | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 37 | −26 | 5 |

## Squad statistics

Source:

### Appearances and goals

    As of the end of the season
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Division Two | Division Two | Test Match | Test Match | FA Cup | FA Cup | Northern League | Northern League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | DF | ENG | Edgar Benson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Joe Brady | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | John Brookes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Bob Cain | 27 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Billy Croxon | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Fred Davies | 14 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Samuel Dobson | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| | FW | SCO | John Drummond | 33 | 9 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| | FW | SCO | James Duncan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Hugh Gallacher | 12 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Frank Gamble | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Harry Gregory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | George Groves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Harry Hammond | 29 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| | DF | ENG | Harry Hassall | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Billy Hendry | 31 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Bob Hill | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| | DF | ENG | Walter Hill | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Rab Howell | 32 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Charlie Howlett | 24 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Harry Lilley | 16 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Will Lilley | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Arthur McCabe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | William Mellor | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Ernest Needham | 32 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Walter Sylvester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Sandy Wallace | 23 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| | DF | ENG | George Waller | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Arthur Watson | 24 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Michael Whitham | 21 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Walter Wigmore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Fred Wood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left before the end of the season: ||||||||||||||
| | GK | ENG | Charles Bunyan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | W. Patterson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | John Scott | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Nation | Position | Name | League Division Two | Test Match | FA Cup | Northern League | Total |
| 1 | | FW | Harry Hammond | 18 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 22 |
| 2 | | FW | John Drummond | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | | DF | Ernest Needham | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | | FW | Arthur Watson | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | | FW | Sandy Wallace | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | | FW | Fred Davies | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | | FW | Bob Hill | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | | FW | Hugh Gallacher | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | | FW | John Scott | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | | FW | Samuel Dobson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | | DF | Billy Hendry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | | DF | Rab Howell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | | DF | Bob Cain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | | DF | George Waller | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals: | Totals: | Totals: | Totals: | 60 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 82 |

## Results

Source:

### Key

Win  Draw  Loss  Void