# 1890–91 Sunderland A.F.C. season

The 1890–91 season was Sunderland's 11th season in existence, and their first season as a Football League club. Sunderland were elected into the league for the beginning of its third season, in place of Stoke City who had finished bottom in 1889–90.
Although bottom by mid December, Sunderland had a strong second half of the season, losing only once in the new year and finishing in seventh place (out of twelve). They would have finished fifth were they not deducted two points for failing to register goalkeeper Ned Doig ahead of the game at West Brom.
Sunderland went on a cup run, reaching their first ever FA Cup Semi-final, losing in a replay to Notts County. Sunderland declined to enter their first team into the Durham Challenge Cup, instead opting to send Sunderland 'A'.

## First team squad

| Name | Positions(s) | DOB | Signed From (90-91) |
| Ned Doig | Goalkeeper | 29 October 1866 | Blackburn Rovers |
| William Kirkley | Goalkeeper | | |
| Tom Porteous | Defender | October 1865 | |
| John Oliver | Defender | 1867 | |
| John Auld | Defender | 7 January 1862 | Third Lanark |
| John Murray | Defender | 24 April 1865 | Vale of Leven |
| Will Gibson | Midfielder | | |
| John Spence | Wing half | | Kilmarnock |
| John Harvey | Midfielder | | unknown |
| Hughie Wilson | Inside forward | 18 March 1869 | Newmilns |
| John Smith | Inside right | 19 December 1865 | |
| Jimmy Millar | Centre forward | 2 March 1870 | Unknown |
| James Gillespie | Outside right | | Greenock Morton |
| John Campbell | Centre forward | 19 February 1870 | Renton |
| John Scott | Forward | | Unknown |
| David Hannah | Forward | 24 April 1867 | |

## Competitions
### Football League
#### League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 47 | 34 | 1.382 | 25 | |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 52 | 43 | 1.209 | 24 | FA Cup Winners |
| 7 | Sunderland | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 51 | 31 | 1.645 | 23 | |
| 8 | Burnley | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 52 | 63 | 0.825 | 21 | |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 45 | 58 | 0.776 | 18 | Re-elected |
* ↑ New club in the league
* ↑ Sunderland deducted two points for fielding unregistered player.

#### Matches
### FA Cup
#### Matches
## Squad statistics

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Football League | Football League | FA Cup | FA Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | SCO | Ned Doig | 25 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | William Kirkley | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tom Porteous | 27 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John Oliver | 24 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | John Auld | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | John Murray | 24 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Will Gibson | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | John Spence | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | John Harvey | 17 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| | FW | SCO | Hughie Wilson | 26 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | John Smith | 15 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Jimmy Millar | 20 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| | FW | SCO | James Gillespie | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | John Campbell | 26 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 5 | 5 |
| | FW | SCO | John Scott | 27 | 9 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| | FW | EIR | David Hannah | 27 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 1 |