Everton

1896–97 season
Manager	Dick Molyneux
The Football League	Seventh
Top goalscorer	Jack Bell 15
Highest home attendance	45,000 vs Liverpool 21 November 1896
Lowest home attendance	6,000 vs Wolves 31 October 1896, vs Burnley 28 November 1896 and vs Bury 24 April 1897
Average home league attendance	15,913
Home colours
← 1895–96 1897–98 →

The 1896-97 Football League season was the ninth in Football League history with Everton having been an ever present in the top division. The club played thirty-five games in England's two major competitions, winning eighteen, drawing three and losing fourteen.^[1] The club finished the season in seventh place, eight points clear of the test match relegation place,^[2] and reached their second FA Cup final but again lost, this time 2–3 against Aston Villa.^[3]

Season review

In each of the previous two seasons Everton had started the calendar year on top of the League, only to falter in the second half of the season. In their bid to strengthen the forward line they brought in Jack Taylor from his hometown club St Mirren,^{[citation needed]} slotting into the role vacated by Tom McInnes who had departed during the summer for Luton Town^[4] to join the forward line of Bell, Chadwick, Milward and Hartley.

Elsewhere the familiar half back line of Boyle, Holt & Stewart would line up in front of full back, Smart Arridge, who would be partnered in defence this year by David Storrier after James Adams had returned to his former club Hearts

On paper this side looked as good as any in the First Division but there was uncertainty over the ability of the inexperienced goalkeeper, Harry Briggs, who had stepped in to make just one appearance the previous season after the departure of Jack Hillman.

With the exception of the inclusion of John Cameron in place of Hartley, this was the team that won their opening game against The Wednesday, while Barker made his debut at the back, in place of Arridge in their second game, another victory over Wolves that took the Toffeemen joint top of the table with Bolton, albeit already having a game in hand on the Trotters.^[5] The Merseysiders went on to win four of their opening five games before embarking on a dreadful slump that provided just a solitary victory in their next nine games.^[6]

The change initially looked to have been a wise one as, shortly after Menham's arrival, Everton embarked on a run of seven consecutive League and Cup victories to put themselves right back into the title race, four points behind leaders, Aston Villa with ten games remaining.^[7]

The last of those victories was Everton's first round cup tie with Burton Wanderers and it seemed that the cup run once again affected their League form as they now went on a run of six consecutive League defeats which killed any lingering title ambitions.^[6]

First team squad and appearances

^{[citation needed]}

Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Harry Briggs	10	0	0	0	10	0
GK	Bob Menham	18	0	5	0	23	0
GK	John Patrick	1	0	0	0	1	0
GK	John Palmer	1	0	0	0	1	0
FB	David Storrier	25	0	3	0	28	0
FB	Smart Arridge	23	0	3	0	26	0
FB	George Barker	4	0	0	0	4	0
FB	George Molyneux	1	0	0	0	1	0
FB	Peter Meechan	7	0	4	0	11	0
HB	Dickie Boyle	29	0	5	1	34	1
HB	Johnny Holt	25	1	5	1	30	2
HB	Billy Stewart {Capt}	29	3	4	0	33	3
HB	Hugh Goldie	3	0	0	0	3	0
HB	John Robertson	3	0	1	0	4	0
HB	George Meiklejohn	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Jack Bell	27	15	5	2	32	17
FW	Jack Taylor	30	13	5	2	35	15
FW	John Cameron	15	5	0	0	15	5
FW	Edgar Chadwick	28	7	5	2	33	9
FW	Alf Milward	27	9	5	3	32	12
FW	Abe Hartley	14	6	5	3	19	9
FW	William Campbell	3	1	0	0	3	1
FW	Alf Schofield	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	William Maley	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW	William Williams	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Bert Banks	2	0	0	0	2	0
–	Own goals	–	1	–	1	–	2

Final league table

Key: P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points

The Football League

Everton home games were played at Goodison Park while away games were played at the venues stated