Independent archiveLiverpool History

Liverpool Football Club season archive

1897–98

Liverpool completed the 1897–98 Division 1 campaign in 9th, taking 28 points from 30 matches. The record comprised 11 wins, 6 draws and 13 defeats, with 48 goals scored and 45 conceded for a goal difference of +3.

CompetitionDivision 1
League finish9th
ManagerTom Watson
Leading scorerFrank Becton (13 goals)

League record

30Played
11Won
6Drawn
13Lost
48Goals for
45Goals against
28Points
9thPosition

What the league record shows

Liverpool won 36.7% of their league matches and avoided defeat in 17 of 30. The side averaged 1.60 goals scored and 1.50 conceded per match; the resulting +3 goal difference gives more context to the 9th finish than position alone.

Compared with 1896–97, the recorded league position fell by 4 places, while goal difference moved from +8 to +3.

Place in Liverpool’s wider history

This was part of Liverpool’s first sustained period in the Football League, before the First World War interrupted the national competition programme.

Cup and scoring picture

The recorded cup programme did not produce a final appearance; the competition-by-competition outcomes are listed alongside this analysis. Frank Becton led the season scoring record with 13 goals in all competitions.

How this reading was produced: rates, comparisons and competition summaries are calculated from the verified season record shown on this page. They are descriptive analysis rather than claims about matches or events not contained in the dataset.