1895/96 was Manchester City's 4th season of competitive football and its 4th consecutive season in the (old) English Second Division. The leading goalscorers this season were Alexander Rowan and Billy Meredith who both scored 13 goals, from 24 and 33 appearances respectively. The 3 players to make the most appearances for the club this season were David Robson, Charlie Williams and Patrick Finnerhan who each played 34 times. The club had 14 different goalscorers and used 29 different players including 14 debutants. Debutants this season were Alexander Gillies, Arthur McCabe, Bert Read, Bob Hill, Bobby Moffatt, Charlie Ditchfield, Hugh Clifford, Jack Harper, James Millar, James Robertson, John Espie, Thomas Chapman, Thomas Porteous and William Maley.
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Division Two (old) | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 63 | 38 | 46 | Runners-Up |
| English Test Match | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 0 | N/A |
| Position | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 30 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 106 | 32 | 74 | 46 | |
| 2 | Manchester City | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 63 | 38 | 25 | 46 | |
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 30 | 20 | 2 | 8 | 82 | 38 | 44 | 42 | |
| 4 | Burton Wanderers | 30 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 69 | 40 | 29 | 42 | |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 73 | 50 | 23 | 34 | |
| 6 | Manchester United | 30 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 66 | 57 | 9 | 33 | |
| 7 | Arsenal | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 58 | 42 | 16 | 32 | |
| 8 | Leicester City | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 57 | 44 | 13 | 32 | |
| 9 | Darwen | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 67 | 5 | 30 | |
| 10 | Notts County | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 57 | 54 | 3 | 26 | |
| 11 | Burton United | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 39 | 69 | -30 | 24 | |
| 12 | Loughborough | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 40 | 66 | -26 | 23 | |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 53 | 75 | -22 | 22 | |
| 14 | Port Vale | 30 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 43 | 78 | -35 | 18 | |
| 15 | Rotherham Town | 30 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 34 | 97 | -63 | 17 | |
| 16 | Crewe Alexandra | 30 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 30 | 95 | -65 | 13 |
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07/09/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Arsenal | Away | 1-0 |
| 09/09/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Rotherham Town | Home | 2-0 |
| 14/09/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Leicester City | Home | 2-0 |
| 21/09/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Grimsby Town | Away | 0-5 |
| 28/09/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Arsenal | Home | 1-0 |
| 05/10/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Manchester United | Away | 1-1 |
| 12/10/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Darwen | Home | 4-1 |
| 19/10/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Crewe Alexandra | Away | 2-0 |
| 26/10/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Grimsby Town | Home | 2-1 |
| 02/11/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Darwen | Away | 3-2 |
| 04/11/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Rotherham Town | Away | 3-2 |
| 16/11/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Burton Wanderers | Away | 1-4 |
| 23/11/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Burton Wanderers | Home | 1-1 |
| 30/11/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Burton United | Away | 4-1 |
| 07/12/1895 | English Division Two (old) | Manchester United | Home | 2-1 |
| 01/01/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Liverpool | Away | 1-3 |
| 04/01/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Newcastle United | Home | 5-2 |
| 11/01/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Lincoln City | Away | 2-1 |
| 01/02/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Loughborough | Away | 4-2 |
| 10/02/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Port Vale | Away | 1-0 |
| 15/02/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Crewe Alexandra | Home | 4-0 |
| 17/02/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Port Vale | Home | 1-0 |
| 24/02/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Loughborough | Home | 5-1 |
| 29/02/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Notts County | Away | 0-3 |
| 07/03/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Burton United | Home | 1-1 |
| 14/03/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Lincoln City | Home | 4-0 |
| 21/03/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Newcastle United | Away | 1-4 |
| 03/04/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Liverpool | Home | 1-1 |
| 04/04/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Leicester City | Away | 2-1 |
| 08/04/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Notts County | Home | 2-0 |
| 18/04/1896 | English Test Match | West Bromwich Albion | Home | 1-1 |
| 20/04/1896 | English Test Match | West Bromwich Albion | Away | 1-6 |
| 25/04/1896 | English Test Match | Birmingham City | Home | 3-0 |
| 27/04/1896 | English Test Match | Birmingham City | Away | 0-8 |