The origins of Manchester United Football Club can be traced back to the year 1873 when workers at a Newton Heath Depot of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway form a Football team.They decide to call themselves Newton Heath LYR and play in a strip of Green and Gold halved shirts.
Newton Heath LYR grounds were located in North Road,Newton Heath located in the North-West part of Manchester.The facilities you can imagine weren't good and their changing rooms were located a half a mile away from the pitch in a pub called "The Three Crowns".
The earliest games were played against other Railway teams located in Lancashire.They proved unbeatable and began to search for more tougher sides to play.These sides came in the form of Bolton Wanderers,Bootle Reserves and the Manchester Arcadians.
In 1885,an important watershed in football took place - Football Professionalism was made legal.The Newton Heath LYR Club turned professional and reach the prestiged Manchester Cup Final where they lost to Hurst.However,Newton Heath win the trophy a year later and reach the Final in seven consecutive seasons.
Professionalism in Football at this stage was moving rapidly and so the establishment of the Football League was founded.It consisted of twelve top clubs from all around England such as Aston Villa,Everton,West Bromwich Albion and the mighty Preston North End.
LYR join the Football Alliance in 1889 - A League of 12 Clubs almost good enough for the Football League.The Football Alliance consisted of teams such as Crewe,Sheffield Wednesday and Bootle.
In their first season in the Football Alliance,LYR finish in 8th position in the League and are knocked out of the FA Cup by the mighty Preston 6-1 in the first round.The result was no disgrace for Newton Heath considering that in the previous season,Preston had won the Football League as well as the FA Cup.
LYR is dropped from the name of Newton Heath in 1889 which sees the team finish 9th in the League and reach the 2nd round of the FA Cup.Newton Heath first honours as a Professional Club come when they finish 2nd place behind Forest in the League and reach the FA Cup Final where they beat Ardwick (later to become Manchester City) 5-1.
