Season 1880/81
original illustrations of all the kits worn during the season

Possible kit with white knickerbockers
unitedkits_kit_0012
unitedkits_number_0012
Possible kit with navy knickerbockers
unitedkits_kit_0017
unitedkits_number_0017
Possible kit with black knickerbockers
unitedkits_kit_0016
unitedkits_number_0016

The season in brief

The first reported Heathen's game was a 6-0 defeat by a Bolton Wanderers XI at the Recreation Ground in Bolton on November 2nd 1880. They lost by a similar score in the return at North Road the following January.

In spite of these two heavy defeats the club's progress can be seen with the goal less draw at Manchester Arcadians in December, and the 2-0 win over Bootle Reserves at North Road in February.

We have not discovered any definitive contemporary evidence on the colours worn by Newton Heath. The Sportsman's Yearbook 1881 again lists the club colours as "white with blue cord", although this information would have been supplied to the editor by club officials in 1880. It is also possible that the playes wore red and white quartered shirts, which we know was the L&Y Railway colours, or a combination of green and gold.

Whatever the colour of their shirts, the Heathens would probably have continued to wear different coloured knickerbockers.

A reference to the Heathens wearing green and gold quartered shirts is supposedly contained in a match report from the game at Bolton, printed in a local newspaper, but we have been unable to trace this report. We retrieved the following from United's website in September 2005: "Attock also organised a collection from workers within the Wagon and Carriage Works to purchase club shirts, and with help from the Dining Room Committee, a set of green and gold cashmere jerseys was purchased."