Editing Accrington F.C. (section)

===Football League and decline===

It was one of the original twelve clubs that formed the Football League on 17 April 1888. Accrington's best season was in [[1889–90 in English football|1889–90]], when the club finished sixth in the table. However, in the [[1892–93 in English football|1892–93]] season they finished fifteenth (of 16) and were relegated after losing a [[Test match (association football)|test match]] 1–0 against [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] at [[Trent Bridge]]. Accrington then resigned from the league rather than play in the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]], becoming the first of the founding Football League clubs to leave the League permanently ([[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke]] had failed to be re-elected in 1890, but rejoined the league a year later).

After its first season in the Lancashire League, Accrington, realizing that business was better in the national competition,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sports and pastimes |journal=Nottinghamshire Guardian |date=19 May 1894 |page=3}}</ref> unsuccessfully applied for re-election to the Football League.<ref>{{cite web |title=Football League Division 2 table 1893/94 |url=http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/LeagueTables/Season1893-94/Div21893-94.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003205452/http://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/LeagueTables/Season1893-94/Div21893-94.htm |archive-date=3 October 2018}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, Accrington F.C. suffered financial problems, which eventually led to its demise. The club continued outside the league until [[1895–96 in English football|1896]], when they finally folded following a 12–0 defeat on 14 January against [[Darwen F.C. (1870)|Darwen]] in the [[Lancashire Senior Cup]].  The growth of the Football League, and the increased - and consistent - crowds of clubs in bigger population areas, had dwarfed the money available to Accrington from its benefactors, and, with bigger towns close by, Accrington had no room to breathe.

Accrington did not have a Football League club again until in 1921–22 the [[Lancashire Combination]] league's [[Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)|Accrington Stanley]] (formerly a local rival), became a member as part of a major expansion of the league.