Category Archives: 1898-99

Glossop Beat City!

On this day (2 January) in 1899 there was a great deal of celebration in Glossop after they defeated their local rivals and fellow promotion challengers Manchester City 2-0 at Hyde Road with the Glossop Chronicle reporting:  ‘There was evidently a determination to give the Mancunians a great surprise.’

Here’s a contemporary report of the game from the perspective of a Manchester based newspaper:

Here’s another article discussing the game. Note the use of ‘Mancunians’ to describe City, particularly interesting as it comes in a piece discussing Newton Heath (who were usually nicknamed the Heathens).

Climbing the Golden Stairs

I’ve always liked this cartoon since finding it during research back in 1989. It represents a game played on Boxing Day between Manchester City and Newton Heath (who later reformed as Manchester United in 1902). Manchester’s Blues won the match 4-0 and the cartoon was captioned ‘Climbing the Golden Stairs’. That caption referred to a promotion challenge.

At the season’s end City were promoted as Second Division champions, becoming the first Manchester side ever to gain promotion and the first to win a national competition of course. Newton Heath finished fourth in the Second Division while near neighbours Glossop were promoted in second place behind City.

Search the archive to read more about 1898-99 and about some classic derby matches too.