Season 1893/94
original illustrations of the kits worn during the season

Home Kit
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Change Kit
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Possible Variant Home Kit
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The Season in brief

The relationship between the club and railway company came to an acrimonious end in May 1893 when the 'Heathens' were ejected from the North Road ground. The club rented a new ground at Bank Street in Clayton in June 1893, and built two stands, one running the length of the pitch and the second behind the goal at the 'Bradford End'. The embankment behind the 'Clayton End' goal was raised to increase capacity to 15,000 - similar to North Road.

Amongst the summer arrivals were Joe Fall and Will Davidson. In spite of a much better start to the season, by November the 'Heathens' were again in the bottom two. Defeat at Bolton Wanderers on December 9th left them bottom, where they remained for the rest of the season. Their relegation to the Second Division was confirmed after Liverpool inflicted a 2-0 defeat on them in the Test Match at Ewood Park. Renowned for their overtly aggressive play the 'Heathens' were unlikely to be missed.

Although the 1893/94 'Athletic News Football Annual' lists the club colours as red and white quartered shirts, according to the Cricket & Football Field on September 16th, discovered by James Thomas, the club had "discarded the L&Y Railway colours, red and white jerseys, for green and gold". The new colours were confirmed in an article in 'The Clarion' on September 30th 1893, again discovered by James Thomas.

We know the shirts were striped from a series of prints of the game against Wolves on November 11th 1893, printed in the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News on November 18th 1893 and sent to us by Alan Brennan.

Mark Wylie, curator of the club's museum, has discovered a reference to the Heathens playing in green and red stripes which appeared in the Athletic News on February 26th 1894.