This is an extremely rare Victorian football programme, from the 25th March 1889 meeting between Bootle and Bolton Wanderers.
The 1888/89 season saw Bolton competing as one of the founder members of the Football League, finishing 5th in the table.
Bootle, on the other hand, were a founder member of the Football Alliance. When this merged with the Football League in 1892, Bootle joined the 2nd Division, where they finished 8th. In 1893, in a desperate financial situation, Bootle were dissolved, opening up the door to Liverpool FC to join the Football League in their place, just a year after being formed.
