WHEN FOOTBALL BEGAN

  ROBERTS, FRANK (MANCHESTER CITY) Season: 1924/25 Goals scored: 31 (out of 76); 19 home, 12 away Percentage: 41 per cent Runner-up: David Jack (Bolton Wanderers), 26 goals Manchester City finished tenth When Frank Roberts insisted on becoming a pub landlord in October 1922, he was placed on the transfer list by Bolton Wanderers for breaking club rules. It was Manchester City who acted quickly to secure his services, paying a fee of £3,400 for a player who had notched 80 goals in 168 Trotters appearances either side of the First World War, in which he served in the North Lancashire Regiment. Roberts opened his City account at Hyde Road in his fifth match, as his former colleagues were beaten 2-0. Not that Bolton lost out too much on his departure, as come the season’s end they’d picked up the FA Cup after beating West Ham in the first Wembley final. Initially Roberts failed to hit the net with the same regularity as before, and he started the 1924/25 s...

  Formed in 1920, the Lancashire Amateur League side Old Boltonians are lucky enough to have played since 1952 at the historic ground at Chapeltown, the former home of Turton FC, founded 1871. https://www.oldbolts.co.uk According to Academic Peter Swain the ground, which off High Street, hosted its first match in 1830. https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/bygones/1384659.worlds-oldest-football-pitch/ This would mean that it would be the oldest football ground in the world still being used. It is a claim disputed by Hallam FC who have been p laying football since 1860 at Sandygate, https://hallamfc.co.uk Unfortunately, on the day I visited to watch a game (15-02-25) it had been moved to an all-weather pitch but I am intending returning. The information board makes reference to FA Cup games there featuring a number of sides. I am assuming that the FA Cup games featuring Preston, Blackburn Rovers and Everton were Lancashire FA Cup games.  In the FA Cup itself, Turton ...

Fall outs between the two on field umpires had resulted in a revolutionary change in 1891 such that the previously touch lined based referee was given total control on the basis that it would end bad decisions. It clearly never worked out. Here's a cartoon from 1898. 

 It's great to see that Turton FC are continuing to exist and I was, at last, glad to get over to see them play against Ulverston Rangers, who won 2-0, in a West Lancashire League Division 1 match.  The second 45 minutes was much better than the first during which the referee struggled to maintain control with both teams giving him unnecessary stick. Turton had one player sin binned in the opening half and later had a player dismissed. Once the game settled down after the break both sides made and missed a number of opportunities before the away side doubled their lead to take all three points.  The ground has a cafe attached to it and I enjoyed a very welcome hot cup of tea on another day when I set off without realising how cold it was.  Amongst the small crowd you can just see on one of the photos on the far opposite bank the away fans. As always at such matches you get the chance to chat to complete strangers and so it was great to talk to Stuart who watches a fe...

    England international Charles Alcock (1842-1907) is the most important footballer to be born in Sunderland as he helped revolutionise the game.   Mark Metcalf He came into the world in 1842 when he was born in Norfolk Street and his birthplace is today marked by a plaque that was unveiled by Jordan Henderson over a decade ago. It’s only a hundred yards from another Sunderland AFC plaque on the same street and of which more later as that needs removing as the claims on it were revealed in 1882 by Alcock to be wrong as Sunderland AFC were formed in 1880 and not 1879.   Who was Charles William Alcock?     The King of Football Walter James Franks Chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club 24 February 1872     Alcock was born in Sunderland on 2 December 1842. He was the second son of the elder Charles Alcock, a ship builder and owner, and his wife Elizabeth.   Educated in Harrow between 1853 and 1859 he had moved to Chi...

  Let’s name the New Wear Footbridge after SAFC founder James Allan because its opening will connect the SAFC of today to the spot where it was formed When the 250m New Wear Footbridge opens later this year it will help   create a smooth and safe connection for pedestrian traffic from the city centre to the 'Stadium of Light’ and will eventually bring together Sunderland's Sheepfolds area with Keel Square in the city centre. Hopes are that the £30m+ structure will help spur thousands of new jobs and homes over the next decade and during which Sunderland AFC will celebrate its 150 th anniversary. With this mind then is it not time that the founder of the club James Allan was publicly recognised in the City and so why not name the new bridge after him? The location of the bridge is also perfect to name it after Allan, who became SAFC secretary, because it is as close as can be to the former Rectory Park Schools . This is where Sunderland and District Teachers’ Associati...

  Munich 1958 'They would have gone on to dominate English Football for the next 8-10 years.' whether Spurs would have done the first 20 th  century double of League and Cup glory in 1961 I am not so certain.' England international and Sunderland legend Stan Anderson   England international Stan Anderson played many games for Sunderland against Manchester United in the 1950s. Here’s his thoughts on the side that was tragically ripped apart in the Munich tragedy Taken from Stan’s autobiography CAPTAIN OF THE NORTH, co-written by Mark Metcalf   It was hardly surprising that our crowds plummeted and there were only 19,865 for the visit of League Champions Manchester United at the end of the 1955-56 season. In a side that was just starting to blossom, Roger Byrne was at left full-back and he was a magic player. Bill Foulkes was solid and was still around twelve years later to play in the European Cup Final at Wembley when Matt Busby’s refashioned side won the...

  When Fred Spiksley played at Arsenal he was loved by home fans Spiksley played for Gainsborough Trinity and Sheffield Wednesday against Arsenal   Gainsboroug h had been invited in Autumn 1890 to play a club match against Royal Arsenal on the Invicta playing field, a great amphitheatre that could accommodate 15,000 fans. An 8,500 crowd saw Arsenal go ahead when Arthur Christmas scored. Spectators had been left thrilled by the speed and ball control of Spiksley and as he sprinted away from the home full back Peter Connolly and half back David Howat someone in the crowd bawled out “Oh, my goodness! He runs like the wind!” On 75 minutes the youngster escaped from Howat and met a cross to spectacularly volley the equaliser. Arsenal quickly re-took the lead and then survived fierce pressure to win the match after which cries went up from the crowd “Bravo Trinity”. Rough working hands were employed by two men to hoist Fred on to their shoulders and carry him back to t...

After playing for Sheffield Wednesday at the 1890 FA Cup final, George Waller played for Boro for four seasons before making the mover back to Sheffield to sign for United and he remained at Bramall Lane as a coach until 1930. In 1929 he wrote a number of articles for the local Saturday Night Sports paper.  This short exert from the article on 23 November 1929 is interesting.  “Scabs” and “Washers” There were two football clubs in Middlesbrough - Middlesbrough and Middlesbrough Ironopolis and many exciting matches were played. Middlesbrough’s nickname was "the scabs”, and that of the Ironopolis was “Washers”. The name of “Washers” was because the Ironopolis were supposed to have the “washers”, otherwise, money. The origin of the nickname, "The Scabs," may interest you. Went to play Newcastle East End in a Northern League match on a ground which was covered with ashes and clinkers. Before the end of the game all of us had our knees and arms badly "skinned" and w...

  Hurley thrills home fans as Ireland become the first western team to play behind the Iron Curtain in Poland   There was disappointment for the Irish side on 10 May, 1964 when, despite a goal from Ambrose Fogarty, the Republic of Ireland lost 3-1 in Krakow before a crowd of 35,000, a large number of whom had roared out Hurley’s name throughout the occasion.   WP Murphy, writing in the Irish Independent , was full of praise for Hurley, stating that “never – not forgetting Carey’s famous last international match when he played against the Austrians at Dalymount Park in 1953 – have we seen as good a display of centre-half work as that of Charlie Hurley. The Poles loved the big, handsome Irishman from Sunderland, who strolled through this game in majestic fashion, giving a display of coolness and confidence that was an inspiration.”   Hurley admits that he had no idea that the Poles had been singing his name: “I didn’t know they were shouting my name until a...