1889–90 Everton F.C. season
| 1889–90 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Dick Molyneux | ||
| The Football League | Runners up | ||
| Top goalscorer |
 Fred Geary (21) |
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| Highest home attendance | 16,000 vs Preston (16 November 1889) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 4,000 vs Wolverhampton (30 September 1889) | ||
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Such was the transition at Everton over the summer that just four of the previous season's first choice eleven, Smalley, Farmer, Holt and Chadwick remained in place, the latter being the only player to play in every Everton League game since the formation of the competition. Twenty-five-year-old right back, Andrew Hannah was brought from Renton to replace the retired George Dobson. A disappointed Nick Ross returned to Preston having missed their double winning season and was replaced by the Bolton veteran left back, Dan Doyle. Charlie Parry arrived from Chester St Oswalds, pushing James Weir out of the side and striker Frank Sugg was also pushed out as Fred Geary was brought in from Notts County. Joe Davies returned to his hometown club Chirk to be replaced by Alex Latta from Dumbarton meaning that no less than five new signings made their debut on the opening day of the season with two of them, Geary and Parry both becoming instant heroes by scoring the goals in a 3–2 victory over Blackburn.
The loss of inside right Robert Watson to Gorton Villa during the summer left a gap that wasn't properly filled until November when Alec Brady arrived from Sunderland and also scored on his debut in the 8–0 mauling of Stoke.
His arrival completed what became the first choice eleven for the season but they only actually played as a team on one occasion when, in the formation listed above, they slumped to their worst result of the entire season, losing 1–5 at home to Preston on 16 November, despite leading at half time. Their second half display that day would ultimately cost Everton the title as the two points won by Preston proved to be the margin between the two sides at the end of the season. Centre Half, George Farmer was heavily criticised for the defeat and was the only change for the next game, which Everton won 4–2 at Blackburn Rovers. He never regained his place in the side and was released at the end of the season. Farmer's and Brady's Everton careers overlapped only three games, hence the solitary appearance of the first eleven, although the other nine, along with Farmer during the first half of the season and Brady during the latter half were almost a constant, with the result that five played all twenty-two games while Holt and Latta each missed just one.
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