1899

Was to be known for the infamous riots between Celtic and Rangers, after a Scottish Cup final replay the fans tried to burn down the ground and trouble continued for several hours in the streets of Glasgow with 81 policemen having to be treated in hospital. There was also trouble at Everton's Goodison Park after the ref had abandoned a game.

Newton Heath had their own problems with a "scandal" behind the scenes when two players (Boyd and Cunnigham) were suspended by the club for their extracurricular activities. The two players were have said to have been drinking, the Athletic News reported:

"If men who are paid good wages don't think it's worth their while to keep themselves in condition they are better off out of the team."

The week following these suspensions it was the fans turn, after the Heathens took a 2-1 defeat at New Brighton Tower a group of supporters took action by surrounding the ref as he walked off the field jeering and booing him, the situation could have been worse if it hadn't been for several Club officials and Policemen who escorted the poor ref to dressing room safety. By all reports the ref had been very poor and the youths had been provoked by the dubious refereeing.
The result of the game seriously dented any hopes of Newton Heath's promotion chances for that year.

1898

As 1898 drew to a close Newton Heath and across town rivals Man City were the top two teams in the 2nd div, with a team called "New Brighton Tower" in third. On boxing day the two teams faced each other the Heathens coming off a 9-0 thrashing of Darwen while City were also coming off a big win against Blackpool (4-2).

Confidence was high but it was City who came out the victors making short work of their neighbors in a 4-0 thrashing, Newton never recovered from this and finished the season in 3rd place 3 points behind Glossop North End and 6 points behind City who won the title and promotion to the first.

Once more they had challenged for promotion only to fall by the wayside. In five seasons in the second division they had never finished lower than sixth.

1896-1897

After their best season in years Newton Heath finished in 2nd place in the 2nd div and in the play-offs with Burnley and Sunderland who had finished at the bottom of Div 1 and Notts County who had won the 2nd div championship.

After beating Burnley 2-0 at home they lost by the same score in the return match and then faced Sunderland at Bank street, the Sunderland team had been having much success prior to ths season having taking the div. 1 championships in 92,93 and 95, but they had fallen on hard times this year (although this was not to last very long) more than 18,000 fans turned out for the game which finished in a 1-1 tie and sent the Heathens to Roker Park and Notts County only needing a tie to secure a 1st div. place, alas this was not to happen they lost both games and had to settle for another season in div 2.

1895

The Heathens had been playing at Bank Steet since leaving the mud of North Road in 1893, but bank street turned out to be just as bad and visiting teams continued to complain. On the 9th of March 1895 Walsall Town were the visitors, after arriving they inspected the pitch and immediately lodged a complaint with the League, they grumbled it was not fit for schoolboys to play on.

Newton responded by throwing on another layer of sand and thus the fixture took place as scheduled.
This was a regular 2nd division match, with the Heathens attacking from the outset, and by halftime they had a comfortable lead of 3-0, Newton really went to town in the second half though running a score of 14-0 before the ref blew the final whistle.

The Football League however were not impressed with the Heathens victory and after more complaints from the Walsall players who were supported by the ref a Mr Jefferies they cancelled the result and demanded the teams play again. And after Newton had worked on the pitch for a week they did play - the result? Heathens 9 Walsall 0, Newton had scored a total of 23 goals in the two matches.

The season was a little more successful than the previous, but although they spent much of the year in second place they did not gain promotion.

1893-1894

Newton Heath's second season turned out to be worst than the first when they again finished at the bottom of the League, this time with only six wins in 30 games. They were again scheduled to play a make or break playoff game to decide their fate, this time the opponent was Liverpool who had only been in existence for two years and had won the second div without losing a game. This time there was no respite for the Heathens, losing 2-0 and were relegated to the second.

Visiting teams had complained so much about the apalling conditions at North Road that the Club moved across town prior to the season begining to a ground in Bank street, Clayton. This new home proved to be not much of an improvement due to a chemical works that stood next to the ground that bellowed out toxic fumes that drifted across the pitch.

1894 was the first year of the Manchester Derby, it was played on November 3rd at the then Man City ground Ardwick.
The teams had met before in the Manchester Cup, the Football Alliance, and even the FA Cup but this was the first League meeting of the two great rivals. The game was watched by 15,000 fans in threatening weather, the Heathens drawing first bolod on their neighbors with a 5-2 victory (also won the return fixture 4-1).
The game was notable by the home debut of a Manchester City player named Billy Meredith who would go on to become United's first major star in future years.

1892-1893

Newton Heath a local Manchester team had started playing in 1878, a group of railway workers for Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways have formed the first team. They played at a small ground in North Road on Monsall Road Newton Heath.

They were a resounding success that first season and soon picked up the nickname "the Heathens". In 1885 they turned professional and were admitted to the Football Alliance after their efforts to join the Football league failed. Eventually they were admitted in 1892 when the Division one was expanded from 14 to 16 clubs and a second Division added. Newton Heath's inaugural league game took place on September 3rd 1892 against the then mighty Blackburn rovers, the attendance was 8,000 and the game played in a torrential rainstorm with the Heathens going down to defeat 4-3. A Scot named Robert Donaldson became the first player to score a league goal for the team that was to become Manchester United (he later transferred to Luton Town).

Newton Heath's first season turned out to be a near disaster with only a victory in a relegation/promotion playoff game saved them from dropping into the lower division. Their first home game was against Burnley and the result was a 1-1 tie, heavy defeats followed from Everton (6-0) Burnley (4-0), West Brom (4-0) Then came an amazing triumph a victory over Wolves 10-1 at the North road Ground, but more defeats followed and they finished their first season in 16th place (last) with 18 points and conceding 85 goals.

They won their playoff game 5-2 against Stoke City in a replay after the first game turned out a 1-1, the game was played at North Road in front of 4,000 on mud path of a pitch. The facilities in those days were not very good and the teams actually changed in a pub down the road called the Three Crowns.