Sunderland Albion F.C.
| Full name | Sunderland Albion Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1888 |
| Dissolved | 1892 |
| Ground | Blue House Field, Hendon |
| Capacity | Unknown |
| League |
Football Alliance (1889–1891) Northern League (1890–1892) |
Sunderland Albion Football Club was an English association football club based in Sunderland, England formed in 1888 as a rival to Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Albion were formed by some members of Sunderland A.F.C. who did not like the commercial direction the club was taking. The two clubs were fierce rivals – when they were drawn together in both the FA Cup and the Durham Challenge Cup in the 1888–89 season, Sunderland withdrew from both competitions rather than allow Albion to benefit from the increased gate receipts. However, there was so much demand locally for the clubs to play each other that 2 friendly matches were arranged, both won by Sunderland: 2–0 on 1 December 1888, in front of 18,000 spectators and 3–2 on 12 January 1889, in front of 12,000 spectators.
Albion were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889, but when Sunderland joined The Football League in 1890, Albion's crowds began to suffer. To try to gain extra support, Albion joined the Northern League as well, playing in both leagues in the 1890–91 season before concentrating on the latter. However, when Sunderland won the Football League title in 1892, Albion disbanded.
In December 1887 Sunderland defeated Middlesbrough in an FA Cup tie. However Sunderland were subsequently disqualified from the rest of the tournament after it was revealed they had played ineligible professional players; Monaghan, Richardson and Hastings, who had been "imported" from Dumfries for the match.
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