1896/97 was Manchester City's 5th season of competitive football and its 5th consecutive season in the (old) English Second Division. The leading goalscorer this season was Billy Meredith who scored 10 goals from just 28 appearances. The 2 players to make the most appearances for the club this season were Charlie Williams and Dick Ray who both played 31 times. The club had 17 different goalscorers and used 28 different players including 16 debutants. Debutants this season were Bill Patterson, Bill Townley, Billy Gillespie, Billy Holmes, Billy Lewis, Charlie Bannister, Dave Tait, Dick Ray, Frank Hesham, Fred Williams, Harry Foster, Jim Platt, Jim Tonge, John Gunn, LG Robinson and Tom McConnell.
Season Stats
31
12
8
11
58
56
0
0
28
Competitions
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Division Two (old) | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 58 | 50 | 32 | 6th |
| FA Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1st Round |
League Table
| Position | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County | 30 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 92 | 43 | 49 | 42 | |
| 2 | Manchester United | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 56 | 34 | 22 | 39 | |
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 66 | 45 | 21 | 38 | |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 69 | 47 | 22 | 37 | |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 30 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 56 | 52 | 4 | 35 | |
| 6 | Manchester City | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 58 | 50 | 8 | 32 | |
| 7 | Gainsborough Trinity | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 50 | 47 | 3 | 31 | |
| 8 | Blackpool | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 59 | 56 | 3 | 31 | |
| 9 | Leicester City | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 57 | 2 | 30 | |
| 10 | Arsenal | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 68 | 70 | -2 | 30 | |
| 11 | Darwen | 30 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 67 | 61 | 6 | 28 | |
| 12 | Walsall | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 54 | 69 | -15 | 26 | |
| 13 | Loughborough | 30 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 50 | 64 | -14 | 25 | |
| 14 | Burton United | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 46 | 61 | -15 | 24 | |
| 15 | Burton Wanderers | 30 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 31 | 67 | -36 | 20 | |
| 16 | Lincoln City | 30 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 27 | 85 | -58 | 12 |
Matches
31
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/09/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Arsenal | Home | 1-1 |
| 12/09/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Gainsborough Trinity | Away | 1-1 |
| 19/09/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Darwen | Home | 4-1 |
| 21/09/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Lincoln City | Home | 3-0 |
| 26/09/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Blackpool | Away | 2-2 |
| 03/10/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Manchester United | Home | 0-0 |
| 10/10/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Notts County | Away | 3-3 |
| 17/10/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Newcastle United | Home | 1-2 |
| 24/10/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Grimsby Town | Away | 1-3 |
| 31/10/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Notts County | Home | 1-4 |
| 07/11/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Blackpool | Home | 4-2 |
| 14/11/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Burton United | Home | 3-1 |
| 23/11/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Walsall | Away | 2-3 |
| 28/11/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Burton Wanderers | Home | 2-1 |
| 19/12/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Grimsby Town | Home | 3-1 |
| 25/12/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Manchester United | Away | 1-2 |
| 26/12/1896 | English Division Two (old) | Burton United | Away | 0-5 |
| 01/01/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Birmingham City | Home | 3-0 |
| 06/01/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Walsall | Home | 5-0 |
| 09/01/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Darwen | Away | 1-3 |
| 30/01/1897 | FA Cup | Preston North End | Away | 0-6 |
| 06/02/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Newcastle United | Away | 0-3 |
| 13/02/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Lincoln City | Away | 1-0 |
| 27/02/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Gainsborough Trinity | Home | 4-1 |
| 06/03/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Burton Wanderers | Away | 1-1 |
| 13/03/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Leicester City | Home | 4-0 |
| 17/03/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Loughborough | Away | 0-2 |
| 12/04/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Leicester City | Away | 3-3 |
| 16/04/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Loughborough | Home | 1-1 |
| 19/04/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Birmingham City | Away | 1-3 |
| 28/04/1897 | English Division Two (old) | Arsenal | Away | 2-1 |