1897 Argentine Primera División

Primera División
	Lomas A.C., champion
Season	1897
Champions	Lomas (4th title)
Relegated	(none)
Matches played	44
Top goalscorer	William Stirling (Lomas AC) ; (20 goals)
Biggest home win	Belgrano AC 14-0 Palermo AC
Biggest away win	Banfield 1-10 Flores AC
	← 1896 1898 →

The 1897 Argentine Primera División was the 6th season of top-flight football in Argentina.^[1] The championship was won by Lomas that achieved its 4th Argentine league title in 5 seasons. Lomas won the title after beating Lanús A.C. by 1-0 in a 3rd playoff match.^[2]

The players of Lomas Academy (dissolved one year before) returned to its parent club, Lomas Athletic, while Lanús A.C., Banfield and Palermo A.C. made their debuts and Belgrano A.C. registered a "B" team to play the tournament.^[3]

Final standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Lomas	12	9	2	1	55	9	+46	20	Championship playoff
2	Lanús A.C. ^{[n 1]}	12	10	0	2	39	8	+31	20	Championship playoff
3	Belgrano A.C.	12	9	1	2	47	15	+32	19
4	Flores	12	6	1	5	44	22	+22	13
5	Palermo A.C.	12	4	0	8	11	50	−39	8
6	Belgrano A.C. "B"	12	1	1	10	10	56	−46	3
7	Banfield	12	0	1	11	6	52	−46	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Championship final

After both teams, Lomas and Lanús finished in the first position, they had to play a final to decide a champion. It finished 1–1 after extra time so a playoff was held four days later. As that match ended 0–0 with no modifications on the score during extra time, a second game was scheduled for September 19. The result was also a tie.

Finally, Lomas defeated Lanús 1–0 in the third match, becoming Primera División champion.^[6]

Type	Date	Team 1	Res.	Team 2
Playoff	8 Sep	Lomas	1–1 (a.e.t.)	Lanús A.C.
Playoff 2	12 Sep	Lomas	0–0 (a.e.t.)	Lanús A.C.
Playoff 3	19 Sep	Lomas	1–0	Lanús A.C.

Playoff

1897 Primera División Final

8 Sep 1897

Playoff

Lomas	1–1 (a.e.t.)	Lanús A.C.
Anderson (1–0)	Report 1 Report 2	Brown (1–1)

Lomas Field, Lomas de Zamora ^{[n 2]}

Attendance: 1,000 ^[8]

Referee: Barrington B. Syer ^[8]

Team details


GK		H. Ritchie
DF		A. Anderson
DF		William Leslie
MF		Joseph E. Wright
MF		Frederick H. Jacobs
MF		Lawrence Jacobs
FW		George Mervyn Comber
FW		Frank John Chevallier Boutell
FW		William Stirling
FW		James O. Anderson (c)
FW		G.E. Leslie


GK		Armando Coste
DF		Thomas Bridge (c)
DF		Walter Buchanan
MF		Italo Nóbili
MF		A. Miller
MF		W. Dunn
FW		John J. Bridge
FW		Luis Nóbili
FW		Jorge Brown
FW		C.P.C. Comber
FW		Héctor Munro

Playoff 2

12 Sep 1897

Playoff 2

Lomas	0–0 (a.e.t.)	Lanús A.C.
	Report

Lomas Field, Lomas de Zamora

Attendance: 2,000 ^[9]

Referee: Barrington B. Syer ^[9]

Team details


GK		H. Ritchie
DF		Joseph E. Wright
DF		William Leslie
MF		A. Anderson
MF		Frederick H. Jacobs
MF		Lawrence Jacobs
FW		George Mervyn Comber
FW		C. Gibson
FW		Frank John Chevallier Boutell
FW		William Stirling
FW		James O. Anderson (c)


GK		Armando Coste
DF		Thomas Bridge (c)
DF		Walter Buchanan
MF		Italo Nóbili
MF		A. Miller
MF		W. Dunn
FW		John J. Bridge
FW		Luis Nóbili
FW		Jorge Brown
FW		G. Minturn
FW		Charles P. Cautley Comber

Playoff 3

19 Sep 1897

Playoff 3

Lomas	1–0	Lanús A.C.
Stirling	Report

Lomas Field, Lomas de Zamora

Referee: Barrington Bloomfield Syer

Team details

Lomas A.C.

Lanús A.C. ^[10]


GK		Percy L. Grey Bridger
DF		William Leslie
DF		Joseph E. Wright
MF		Lawrence Jacobs
MF		Frederick H. Jacobs
MF		Arthur Anderson
FW		George Mervyn Comber
FW		Carlos Gibson
FW		James O. Anderson (c)
FW		William Stirling
FW		Frank John Chevallier Boutell


GK		Armando Coste
DF		Thomas Bridge (c)
DF		Walter Buchanan
MF		Italo Nóbili
MF		A. Miller
MF		W. Dunn
FW		John J. Bridge
FW		Luis Nóbili
FW		Jorge Brown
FW		Héctor Munro
FW		Charles P. Cautley Comber

Notes

^ Not related to Club Atlético Lanús. The Lanús A.C. (previously, "Lanús Cricket Club") had been established in 1887 and played several AFA tournaments until its dissolution in 1914.^[4]^[5]
^ Lomas played its local games in a field located on Meeks avenue between Fonrouge street and the Hospital.^[7]

References

^ Final tables in Argentina: 1890s at RSSSF
^ Argentina 1897 playoff matches by Osvaldo Gorgazzi at RSSSF.com
^ "Argentina: 1ra. División 1897" by José Carluccio on Historia y Fútbol blogsite, 19 Nov 2008
^ "Lanús Athletic Club" by Andrés A. Sosa on Hojas Sueltas, 1 July 2016
^ "Ferrocarril y fútbol comparten sus orígenes" by Jorge Barberini and Néstor Saavedra, Todo Trenes magazine N° 42
^ Desempates en el fútbol argentino by Ricardo Gorosito on CIHF, 15 Jan 2015
^ "CAMPAÑA DE LOMAS AC EN 1897" by José Carluccio on Pura Historia Futbolera blogsite, 9 May 2018
^ ^a ^b River Plate Sport & Pastime #324, 11 Sep 1897
^ ^a ^b River Plate Sport & Pastime #325, 18 Sep 1897
^ Historia - Los principios on CA Lanús website