1898-99 season

1898-99 season
Club information
Club Secretary	Jack Aylott
Treasurer	Arthur Thomas
Club Captain	Jimmy Taylor
Ground	Craven Cottage
League season information
League	Southern League
Division	Division Two (London)
Position	10th/12
Matches played	22 (W6 D4 L12)
Other competitions
FA Amateur Cup	3rd qualifying round (v Hammersmith)
London Senior Cup	2nd round (v Old St Mark's)
Season statistics
Top goalscorer (League)	George Sheeran & Freddie Hopkinson (9)
Top goalscorer (All)	George Sheeran & Freddie Hopkinson (9)
Most appearances (League)	Albert Maile (20)
Most appearances (All)	Albert Maile (25)
Biggest home win	5–1 v Southall (29 Apr 1899)
Biggest away win	8-1 v 3rd Grenadiers (29 Oct 1898)
Biggest home defeat	1-4 v Brentford (17 Sept 1898)
Biggest away defeat	3-6 v Watford (28 Jan 1899)
Previous season	Next season
← 1897-98	1899-00 →

Overview

The 1898-99 season was Fulham's 17th season playing football, and the first in which they became professional (at the start of December 1898). They were also elected into the Southern League for the first time prior to the start of the season, playing in the London section of Division Two.

The decision to turn professional did not go down well with many of the club's players left as 1899 drew in. Of the players who had started the season, only goalkeeper Albert Maile, captain Jimmy Taylor and left half Jimmy Bowden were still regulars in the first team. Perhaps due to this disruption, Fulham only managed to finish third from bottom in the league.

Jimmy Taylor became the first Fulham player to be sent off in a match when on 22 October 1898, following an aggressive charge by Chesham player George Vickery, he retaliated by striking him several times. He later attacked the player once more after the match when the two teams had met in a hotel later that evening, and received a lengthy suspension.

This season saw the introduction of match cards with team line-ups printed on them and a new press box. Craven Cottage remained basic with no proper terracing and only a very small wooden stand for spectators who wished to sit down. The dressing rooms were basic wooden huts close to the halfway line.

Edward Hobart, John Love and Jack McKie became a small part of Fulham's history as they were the very first players signed after the club had turned professional.

League Table

Southern League Division Two (London)

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Gav1	Pts2
1	Thames Ironworks	22	19	1	2	64	16	4.00	39
2	Wolverton L&NWR	22	13	4	5	88	43	2.05	30
3	Watford	22	14	2	6	62	35	1.77	30
4	Brentford	22	11	3	8	59	39	1.51	25
5	Wycombe Wanderers	22	10	2	10	55	57	0.97	22
6	Southall	22	11	0	11	44	55	0.80	22
7	Chesham Town	22	9	2	11	45	62	0.73	20
8	St Albans3	22	8	3	11	45	59	0.76	19
9	Shepherd's Bush	22	7	3	12	37	53	0.70	17
10	Fulham	22	6	4	12	36	44	0.82	16
11	Uxbridge4	22	7	2	13	29	48	0.60	16
12	Maidenhead	22	3	2	17	33	86	0.38	8

^{1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing
3 St Albans folded at the end of the season
4 Uxbridge left the Southern League at the end of the season}

Squad

Pos.	Name	Age	Prev Apps	Prev Gls	Date signed
Goalkeepers
GK	Albert Maile	23	22	0	Oct 1897
GK	Herbert Curling	24	0	0	Aug 1898
Full backs
R/LB	Tom Maile	21	0	0	Aug 1898
LB	Jack McKie	25	0	0	16 Dec 1898
RB	Bob Simpson	?	1	0	Apr 1898
RB	WA Woodhams	?	0	0	Sept 1898
RB	L Cheshire	?	0	0*	Sept 1898
Half backs
RH/LB	Sammy Aylott	23	37*	9*	c.1893
CH	John Ballantyne	?	0	0	Nov 1898 (Loan)
CH	W Craig	?	0	0	c.1898
R/CH	Harry Johnson	31	18*	1*	c.1882
RH	Abon Sermon	26	52*	17*	c.1887
R/LH/OL	Alf Stapley	23	0	0	Jan 1899
CH	Jimmy Taylor (c)	32	24	4	Apr 1897
LH/RB	George Tuthill	20	0	0	30 Mar 1899
Forwards
OR	W Alexander	?	1	0	c.1898
CF	J Brown	?	0	0	c.1898
IR	William Craney	19	0	0	Sept 1898
IR	Ted Freeman	19	25	30	Sept 1897
IR/L	Edward Hobart	?	0	0	Dec 1898
CF	Freddie Hopkinson	?	0	0	Feb 1899
IR	Robert Hounsell	?	0	0	Mar 1899
O/IL	Percy Humphreys	18	0	0	Jan 1899
IL	Billy Ives	23	14	12	Nov 1897
OR	Albert Lewis	22	0	0	16 Dec 1898
IR	John Love	22	0	0	12 Dec 1898
OL/CF	J Mandry	?	0	0	Oct 1898
CF	AB Mayes	?	0	0	Jan 1899
OR	Johnny Pask	24	4	0	Aug 1896
OL	Willie Robertson	20	49*	11*	Sept 1895
IR/CF	George Sheeran	24	0	0	Dec 1898
OL	Percy Walker	?	0	0	Jan 1899

* - Incomplete data for total appearances and goals

Staff

Committee Position Staff Club Secretary Jack Aylott Assistant Secretary Jim Shrimpton Treasurer Arthur Thomas Committee Member Harry Coleman Committee Member Herbert Jackson Committee Member Billy Mugford Committee Member Arthur Wilson

Coaching staff Position Staff Trainer Tom Walker

Transfers

Transfers in

Editing in progress

Date	Position	Name	From

Transfers out

Editing in progress

Date	Position	Name	To

Matches

Editing in progress

Friendlies

#	Date	Opposition	Venue	Result	Score	Additional Information
1	Sat 3 Sept 1898	West Hampstead	Home	Won	3-1
2	Sat 24 Sept 1898	Ipswich Town	Away	Lost	2-4

Southern League Division Two (London)

#	Date	Opposition	Venue	Result	Score	Additional Information
1	Sat 10 Sept 1898	Maidenhead	Away	Won	3-0
2	Sat 17 Sept 1898	Brentford	Home	Lost	1-4
3	Sat 1 Oct 1898	Uxbridge	Away	Lost	1-2
4	Sat 22 Oct 1898	Chesham	Away	Lost	1-2
5	Sat 12 Nov 1898	Maidenhead	Home	Drew	2-2

FA Amateur Cup

#

Date

Opposition

Venue

Result

Score

Additional Information

London Senior Cup

#

Date

Opposition

Venue

Result

Score

Additional Information

Statistics

Appearances & goals

Editing in progress

No.	Nat	Pos	Player	Total		Southern League Div 2		FA Amateur Cup		London Senior Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Players who left the club during 1898-99:

Goalscorers

Editing in progress Includes all competitive matches. When total goals are equal, the list is sorted by player who gained that number first

#	Position	Name	Southern League D2	FA Amateur Cup	London Senior Cup	Total
/	/	Own Goals	0	1	0	1
/	/	TOTALS	-	-	-	-