[2] Thomas Cooke made his Notts County and Football League debut at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on 8 December 1888.
The weather was terrible, heavy rainfall, and Notts County had prioritized a FA Cup tie so the League team was described as a "scratch" side.
Many County players were making their Club or League debuts and some, including Thomas Cooke, never played again after this match.
County goalkeeper Tom Widdowson could do nothing to stop the shot from Albert Brown that put Villa ahead.
Widdowson had parried a powerful shot from Villa forward, Archie Hunter, but he couldn't hold the ball which fell to Brown who scored.
[3] Thomas Cooke commenced his Football League career at outside-right on 8 December 1888 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, (see above for details).