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On this day: First Football League matches take place

Back on this day 126 years ago, the first ever Football League encounters were played.

Back in 1888, football in England was in an uncertain place. Three years earlier, the professional game had been legalised, but numerous disputes over fixtures meant that plenty of matches were cancelled.

So, when Scotsman William McGregor, who was a director on the board of Aston Villa, proposed a league to add some structure to proceedings, 12 clubs accepted the invitation.

The first round of encounters were played 126 years ago today, with 10 of the 12 sides featuring on the opening day of the campaign.

To this day, there remains a dispute as to who scored the first ever Football League goal. For many years it was believed that either Jack Gordon of Preston North End or Villa's Gershom Cox, who put through his own net, had taken that honour, but another name has since cropped up.

Due to confusion as to what times the matches got underway, it is now thought that England and Bolton Wanderers winger Kenny Davenport actually broke the division's duck in the second minute of his side's meeting with Derby County.

Davenport would go on to find the net again later in the encounter, but it wasn't enough to prevent his side from being defeated 6-3 by their visitors.

Elsewhere, Everton overcame Accrington Stanley 2-1 and West Bromwich Albion won 2-0 away at Stoke City, while Wolverhampton Wanderers and McGregor's Villa played out a 1-1 draw.

There was also a big victory for Preston, who defeated Lancashire rivals Burnley 5-2. That victory would mark the start of a successful season for Preston as they went the whole term without losing a single fixture, which in turn saw them win the title from Villa by an 11-point margin.

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Liverpool's Michael Owen celebrates scoring his team's third goal against Leeds during their Premiership clash at Elland Road in Leeds on 3 February 2002
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


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