The 1890–91 season was Sunderland's 11th season in existence, and their first season as a Football League club. Sunderland were elected into the league for the beginning of its third season, in place of Stoke City who had finished bottom in 1889–90.
Although bottom by mid December, Sunderland had a strong second half of the season, losing only once in the new year and finishing in seventh place (out of twelve). They would have finished fifth were they not deducted two points for failing to register goalkeeper Ned Doig ahead of the game at West Brom.
Sunderland went on a cup run, reaching their first ever FA Cup Semi-final, losing in a replay to Notts County. Sunderland declined to enter their first team into the Durham Challenge Cup, instead opting to send Sunderland 'A'.
First team squad
Name Nationality Positions(s) DOB Signed From (90-91) Ned Doig Goalkeeper 29 October 1866 Blackburn Rovers William Kirkley Goalkeeper Tom Porteous Defender October 1865 John Oliver Defender 1867 John Auld Defender 7 January 1862 Third Lanark John Murray Defender 24 April 1865 Vale of Leven Will Gibson Midfielder John Spence Wing half Kilmarnock John Harvey Midfielder unknown Hughie Wilson Inside forward 18 March 1869 Newmilns John Smith Inside right 19 December 1865 Jimmy Millar Centre forward 2 March 1870 Unknown James Gillespie Outside right Greenock Morton John Campbell Centre forward 19 February 1870 Renton John Scott Forward Unknown David Hannah Forward 24 April 1867
Competitions
Football League
League table
Matches
FA Cup
Matches
Squad statistics
References
All the Lads: A Complete Who's Who of Sunderland A.F.C., Dykes, Gareth & Lamming, Douglas, Polar Print Group Ltd, 1999 Sunderland AFC: The Official History 1879–2000, Days, Paul, Business Education Publishers Ltd, 1999 The StatCat, www.thestatcat.co.uk, last accessed: 2018-11-02