The club entered the Lancashire Cup in October 1883, but were knocked out in the first round by Blackburn Olympic's reserve team.

[1] For their first ever competitive match, Newton Heath were drawn at home to Blackburn Olympic in the first round of the Lancashire Cup.

The opposition had won the FA Cup the previous season, beating Old Etonians in the final.

However, they did not seem to be taking Newton Heath seriously, sending only their reserve team for the match, which was played on 27 October 1883.

They then equalised shortly after the break, but were then hit by a barrage of goals, eventually losing the tie 7–2.