Season 1899/1900
original illustrations of the kits worn during the season
Home Kit
Change Kit
The Season in brief
A third consecutive fourth place finish glossed over the ever increasing problems the club were facing. Gate receipts had fallen sharply, as average attendance dropped by around 1,200 (16%) and the committee were forced to sell their better players. The professionals were now paid a share of the gate receipts rather than a fixed weekly wage
Newton Heath's failure to win promotion was largely due to misguided decisions by the Board and selection committee. In March 1900 Bob Parkinson and Willie Bryant became the latest victims when they were both suspended sine die. Parkinson had madfe fifteen appearances since joining the 'Heathenss' from Nott'm Forest, and had managed seven goals and had only twice ended up on the losing side. Then to make matters worse, on Easter Saturday, with three games to play and still with an outside chance of promotion, Joe Cassidy, the leading scorer with sixteen goals in twenty nine games, was sold to Manchester City for £250.
The season's most remarkable performance came on Boxing Day at Grimsby. The 'Heathens' won 7-0 against a side just two points below them in the table. The 5-0 defeat at Bury in the Manchester Cup ranked as the worst.
There was no change to Newton Heath's home kit. The club's registered colours are given as white and blue in the Association of Football Statistics annual covering the 1899/1900 season. This information was confirmed by contributor Pete Wyatt.
We believe the 'Heathens' continued to wear the red/black striped shirt as their change kit, although we have found no contemporary evidence.