John Horne was born in Huncoat in 1861. A talented goalkeeper he played for several clubs, including Accrington, before joining Blackburn Rovers at the the beginning of the 1889-90 season.
Herbie Arthur was in goal for the first few games. At 36, was coming to the end of his playing days. Tom Mitchell, the club secretary, signed Ted Doig from Arbroath. However, he found it difficult to settle and after playing only one game he returned to Scotland. Eventually, John Horne took over as Blackburn's goalkeeper.
Blackburn Rovers had little difficulty scoring goals that season. The team beat Notts County (9-1), Stoke (8-0), Aston Villa (7-0), Bolton Wanderers (7-1) and Burnley (7-1). Top scorers that season were Jack Southworth (22), Harry Campbell (15), Nathan Walton (14) and Joseph Lofthouse (11).
In the 1889-90 season Blackburn Rovers finished in 3rd place, six points behind Preston North End. They did even better in the FA Cup. On the way to the final they beat Sunderland (4-2), Grimsby Town (3-0), Bootle (7-0) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (1-0).
Blackburn were odds-on favourites to win the cup against Sheffield Wednesday, who played in the Football Alliance league. Blackburn won 6-1 with goals from
