The club decided not to enter the Lancashire Cup this season – the Cup had been restructured for senior and junior entries and with the fledgling nature of Newton Heath taken into consideration, they opted to go into the ‘junior’ section and entered a reserve side.

Results for this are not known.

All senior efforts were concentrated on the District Cup, and having reached the final the previous season, Newton Heath went one better and won the first trophy in their history in 1886. The winning goal – scored by Watkins to put Newton Heath LYR 2-0 up – was contended by opponents Manchester, who felt it had been handled. The goal stood, and despite a late consolation, the club held on to record their first notable success.

Manchester and District Challenge Cup

Date	Round	Opponents	H / A	ResultF – A	Scorers	Attendance
19 December 1885	Round 1	Eccles	H	2 – 0	Gotheridge, Watkins	500
23 January 1886	Round 2	Gorton Villa	H	5 – 0	Unknown	“large”
13 February 1886	Round 3	Thornham	H	10 – 0	Unknown	1,800
13 March 1886	Semi-finals	Hurst	Salford	3 – 1	Gotheridge, Watkins (2)	6,000
3 April 1886	Final	Manchester	Whalley Range	2 – 1	Black, Watkins	6,000