Season 1883/84
original illustrations of the kits worn during the season

Possible Kit with navy knickerbockers
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Possible Kit with white knickerbockers
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The Season in brief

A second wave of new recruits, again many from Wales, joined the club during the summer and autumn of 1883. Sam Black, who had arrived from Burton Wanderers the previous season was made club captain. Along with E Moran, C Fulton and J Blears, he was chosen to represent the Manchester & District FA on March 22nd 1884 for the fixture against a Liverpool & District XI. They were the first 'Heathens' to win representative honours.

The club entered the Lancashire FA Challenge Cup for the first time, unluckily drawing FA Cup holders Blackburn Olympic away from home. Olympic, who fielded their reserve side won 7-2! The 'Heathens' 6-0 victory over Bootle Wanderers, and goal less draws at North Road against a Blackburn Olympic XI and away to an Astley Bridge reserve side, were the highlights of the season.

Such was the club's progress hat the committee added a reserve team, Newton Heath Swifts, for the first time for 1883/84.

A photograph of club captain Sam Black in Newton Heath's colours, probably taken in April 1884 shortly after he had represented the Manchester & District F.A., confirms that Newton Heath wore quartered shirts. There remains a great deal of doubt concerning the colours of the shirt. In the absence of any definitive contemporary evidence, we believe it is probable that the playes wore red and white quartered shirts, the colours of the L&Y Railway.

However, modern club histories list the club colours as green and gold, although they don't offer any compelling evidence to support this claim. These colours were supposedly included in a match report from a Bolton newspaper in November 1880, but the report remains untraced.

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