# 1916–17 Manchester City F.C. season

The 1916–17 season was Manchester City F.C.'s twenty-sixth season of league football.
Owing to World War I, once again Manchester City played non-competitive war league football. In the principal tournament they contested the Lancashire Section, which was expanded to 16 teams to give a more complete 30-game season. In the subsidiary tournament they contested Group D of the Lancashire Section, with the groups reduced to four teams in size to complement the increased playing season of the Principal Tournament.

## War Leagues
### Principal Tournament
#### Lancashire Section

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 2 | Stockport County | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 61 | 31 | 1.968 | 43 |
| 3 | Stoke | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 64 | 36 | 1.778 | 39 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 49 | 29 | 1.690 | 37 |
| 5 | Everton | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 62 | 41 | 1.512 | 37 |
| 6 | Burnley | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 73 | 56 | 1.304 | 34 |

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 37 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 10 | +25 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 19 | –5 |
N.B. Points awarded for a win: 2

##### Reports

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Venue | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 2 September 1916 | Stoke | A | Victoria Ground | 0 – 1 | | 6,000 |
| 9 September 1916 | Southport Central | H | Hyde Road | 0 – 0 | | 8,000 |
| 16 September 1916 | Blackburn Rovers | A | Ewood Park | 1 – 2 | P. Fairclough | 3,000 |
| 23 September 1916 | Blackpool | H | Hyde Road | 4 – 0 | Barnes (3), Brennan | 10,000 |
| 30 September 1916 | Everton | H | Hyde Road | 4 – 1 | Barnes (3), Hoare | 14,000 |
| 7 October 1916 | Rochdale | A | Spotland | 2 – 2 | Barnes, Brennan | 1,000 |
| 14 October 1916 | Bolton Wanderers | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 0 | P. Fairclough | 8,000 |
| 21 October 1916 | Port Vale | A | Recreation Ground | 1 – 0 | P. Fairclough | 6,000 |
| 28 October 1916 | Oldham Athletic | H | Hyde Road | 2 – 1 | Cartwright, Walden | 9,000 |
| 4 November 1916 | Preston North End | A | Deepdale | 2 – 2 | Wynn, Barnes | 3,000 |
| 11 November 1916 | Burnley | H | Hyde Road | 2 – 1 | Wray, Meredith | 14,000 |
| 18 November 1916 | Manchester United | A | Old Trafford | 1 – 2 | Hoad | 10,000 |
| 25 November 1916 | Liverpool | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 1 | Barnes | 10,000 |
| 2 December 1916 | Stockport County | A | Edgeley Park | 0 – 0 | | 6,000 |
| 9 December 1916 | Bury | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 1 | Meredith | 5,000 |
| 23 December 1916 | Southport Central | A | Haig Avenue | 0 – 0 | | 1,000 |
| 25 December 1916 | Stoke | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 0 | Wynn | 12,000 |
| 30 December 1916 | Blackburn Rovers | H | Hyde Road | 8 – 0 | Capper (5), Nelson (2), Davies | 10,000 |
| 6 January 1917 | Blackpool | A | Bloomfield Road | 1 – 3 | Cartwright | 4,000 |
| 13 January 1917 | Everton | A | Goodison Park | 2 – 0 | P. Fairclough, Barnes | 8,000 |
| 20 January 1917 | Rochdale | H | Hyde Road | 2 – 1 | Wynn, Barnes | 7,000 |
| 27 January 1917 | Bolton Wanderers | A | Burnden Park | 2 – 2 | Tavo, W. Newton | 2,000 |
| 3 February 1917 | Port Vale | H | Hyde Road | 2 – 0 | Barnes (2) | 6,000 |
| 10 February 1917 | Oldham Athletic | A | Boundary Park | 1 – 2 | Tyler | 3,000 |
| 17 February 1917 | Preston North End | H | Hyde Road | 5 – 1 | Tyler (2), Goddard (3) | 7,000 |
| 24 February 1917 | Burnley | A | Turf Moor | 1 – 0 | Barnes | 4,000 |
| 3 March 1917 | Manchester United | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 0 | Barnes | 15,000 |
| 10 March 1917 | Liverpool | A | Anfield | 0 – 3 | | 14,000 |
| 17 March 1917 | Stockport County | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 3 | Barnes | 14,000 |
| 24 March 1917 | Bury | A | Gigg Lane | 0 – 0 | | 3,000 |

### Subsidiary Tournament
#### Lancashire Section, Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 1 | Manchester United | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 1.667 | 8 |
| 2 | Stoke | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 1.833 | 6 |
| 3 | Port Vale | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 0.750 | 5 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0.273 | 5 |

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | –8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | –9 |
N.B. Points awarded for a win: 2

##### Reports

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Venue | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 31 March 1917 | Port Vale | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 0 | Wynn | 3,000 |
| 6 April 1917 | Stoke | H | Hyde Road | 1 – 0 | McIlvenney | 12,000 |
| 7 April 1917 | Manchester United | A | Old Trafford | 1 – 5 | H. Newton | 15,000 |
| 9 April 1917 | Stoke | A | Victoria Ground | 0 – 5 | | 8,000 |
| 14 April 1917 | Port Vale | A | Recreation Ground | 0 – 0 | | 5,000 |
| 21 April 1917 | Manchester United | H | Hyde Road | 0 – 1 | | 15,000 |

## Squad statistics
### Squad

Appearances for competitive matches only
| Pos. | Name | Principal | Principal | Subsidiary | Subsidiary | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Jim Goodchild | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| GK | Percy Kite | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | Walter Smith | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| DF | Eli Fletcher | 29 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| DF | Fred Parker | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| MF | Sid Hoad | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | Horace Barnes | 18 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 16 |
| FW | Ted Hanney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Gordon Hoare | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | Lot Jones | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Lomas | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Meredith | 27 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| FW | Harry Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Harold Walden | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| FW | George Wynn | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 4 |
| -- | Armstrong | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| -- | Bill Bottomley | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| -- | Jack Brennan | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| -- | T. Broad | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| -- | Alf Capper | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| -- | Joe Cartwright | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| -- | J. Clegg | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| -- | Cruse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | Alfred Davies | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| -- | Peter Fairclough | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| DF | Peter Gartland | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| -- | Robert Geddes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | Goddard | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| -- | R. Hargreaves | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | M. Lee | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | F. McIlvenney | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| -- | Malone | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | Miller | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| -- | Nelson | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| -- | H. Newton | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| -- | William Newton | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| -- | Sid Scott | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| -- | Skeldon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | J.D. Tavo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| -- | Herbert Tyler | 22 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 3 |
| -- | Woodhouse | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| -- | Jimmy Wray | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |