Thames Ironworks F.C. had been suspended towards the end of the season. The Irons had not yet played London Welsh and as a result, and probably thanks also to Arnold Hills' presidency of the league and Francis Payne's drafting of the rules, Thames Ironworks F.C. were awarded two wins by default and finished the revised league as runners up. For their season in the London League, the club committee introduced players' insurance for the first time. This meant the players would be covered against loss of wages caused by injuries sustained from playing football. On 11 September 1897, in their first game of
Thames Ironworks F.C. Frank Taylor, Bob Allan and Fred Corbett. Former club secretary and Ironworks defender George Neill was also retained for the new season ahead. Tom Bradshaw's close friends Bill Joyce and Kenny McKay left for Portsmouth and Fulham respectively, while Albert Carnelly joined arch-rivals Millwall. The first, and only, known crest to be featured on a Thames Ironworks kit was the Union flag with Thames Ironworks initials ("TIWFC") surrounding it. The original colours of the team were dark blue due to Arnold Hills being a former student and football Blue of Oxford University, although the team used a variety of kits.