| Club: | Newton Heath LYR F.C. |
| Season: | 1888–89 |
| Chairman: | Frederick Attock |
| Chrtitle: | President |
| League: | The Combination |
| League Result: | 1st |
| Cup1: | Manchester Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Winners |
| Cup2: | Lancashire Junior Cup |
| League Topscorer: | Jack Doughty (6) Roger Doughty (6) |
| Season Topscorer: | Jack Doughty (12) |
| Highest Attendance: | 4,000 vs Bootle (26 January 1889) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,000 vs Ardwick (16 March 1889) |
| Pattern B1: | _redhalf |
| Leftarm1: | FF0000 |
| Body1: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm1: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts1: | 000066 |
| Socks1: | 000066 |
| Prevseason: | 1887–88 |
| Nextseason: | 1889–90 |
The 1888–89 season was Newton Heath's first season of league football, having become a founder member of the Combination in the summer of 1888. The Combination was created as an alternative to the Football League, but its first season was never completed and the league folded in April 1889. This was unfortunate for Newton Heath, as they were considered to have the best record in the league at the time.
As well as taking part in league football for the first time, the Heathens also made their traditional entry to the Manchester and District Challenge Cup. They had reached the final in each of their four previous entries, and the 1888–89 season was to be no different. Newton Heath took on Hooley Hill in the final at Whalley Range, beating them 7–0 to win the competition for the third time.
| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1888 | Darwen | H | 4–3 | J. Doughty (2), R. Doughty, Gale | 3,000 | |
| 13 October 1888 | Derby Midland | A | 1–1 | Walton | 1,800 | |
| 20 October 1888 | Leek | H | 4–1 | R. Doughty (2), Gotheridge (2) | 3,000 | |
| 3 November 1888 | Leek | A | 5–0 | J. Doughty (3), R. Doughty, Tait | ||
| 10 November 1888 | Burslem Port Vale | A | 1–1 | J. Davies | ||
| 24 November 1888 | Halliwell | H | 2–0 | R. Doughty, Tait | 3,000 | |
| 1 December 1888 | Bootle | A | 1–0 | Powell | ||
| 5 January 1889 | Darwen | A | 0–3 | |||
| 19 January 1889 | Burslem Port Vale | H | 3–0 | G. Owen, Gale, Burke | 3,000 | |
| 26 January 1889 | Bootle | H | 4–0 | R. Doughty, J. Doughty, J. Davies, Tait | 4,000 | |
| 2 March 1889 | Derby Midland | H | 2–0 | Tait, Gotheridge | ||
| 30 March 1889 | South Shore | H | 0–1 | 3,000 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 December 1888 | Round 1 | West Manchester | A | 2–1 | J. Doughty, R. Doughty | 5,000 | |
| 16 March 1889 | Round 2 | Ardwick | H | 4–1 | Owen, J. Doughty, Gotheridge (2) | 2,000 | |
| 6 April 1889 | Semi-final | Manchester Welsh | West Manchester | 2–1 | Owen, J. Doughty | 1,500 | |
| 27 April 1889 | Final | Hooley Hill | Whalley Range | 7–0 | Gale (2), J. Doughty (3), R. Doughty, Gotheridge | 4,000 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 October 1888 | Round 1 | Denton | Bye[1] | ||||
| 3 November 1888 | Round 2 | Bury | A | 0–4[2] |