Eastleigh Athletic F.C.

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Eastleigh Athletic F.C.
Eastleigh Athletic FC.jpg
Eastleigh Athletic in 1911
Full nameEastleigh Athletic Football Club
Nickname(s)Railwaymen
Founded1891
Dissolved1977
GroundDutton Lane, Eastleigh

Eastleigh Athletic were a long-running amateur football club, based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. [1]

Contents

History

The Eastleigh Railway Depot was opened by the London & South Western Railway Company in 1891 and shortly afterwards workers formed a football team, initially known as Eastleigh LSWR. [2]

The company owned their own sports ground at Dutton Lane in the town, which over the years was developed with an oval cycling track and grandstand for spectators. [3]

In 1896 the club adopted their best known identity of Eastleigh Athletic and were one of the eight founder members of the Hampshire League, playing in the first ever match - losing 4-5 against Freemantle. Despite this, they finished the inaugural season in 4th place. [4]

The 1897–98 campaign was a memorable one as they were league champions and Hampshire Senior Cup winners, after a 2–1 victory against the 2nd Gordon Highlanders (Aldershot). The final was played at the County Ground, Southampton in front of a large crowd. They also participated in the Western League (Professional Section). [5] Also playing in this eight-team Division were Swindon Town, Reading, Bristol City and Eastville (now Bristol Rovers) - Eastleigh finished in 7th place. [6]

The following season they then joined the Southern League Division 2 (South West Section), finishing 5th out of six clubs, [7] but on the scrapping of this short-lived division the main focus switched back to the more realistic Hampshire League.

In 1903 the league was divided into regional sections with Eastleigh placed in the South Division where they consolidated, however, they still maintained a strong cup pedigree. Eastleigh Athletic were regular entrants in the national competitions and in 1902–03 enjoyed their best run in the FA Cup when they reached the 4th Qualifying Round, losing 1–3 away to Dorset side Whiteheads. [8]

There was further cup glory in 1908–09 when they recorded a fine double by again winning the Hampshire Senior Cup after a 2–0 victory against the 2nd Cameron Highlanders (Tidworth) and also the inaugural Southampton Senior Cup after a 2–0 victory over Bitterne Guild (both games were played at The Dell, Southampton. [9]

The 1910–11 season saw the 'Railwaymen' reach another two finals; the Hampshire Senior Cup was won for the third and final time after a 4–2 success against Kings Royal Rifles Corps (Gosport) at Fratton Park, Portsmouth but they were denied another double after losing the Southampton Senior Cup final 0–3 (in a replay) against Bitterne Guild, who gained revenge for their defeat two years previously. [10]

The club closed down for World War I but reformed once peace resumed. The early twenties saw another two appearances in the Southampton Senior Cup final [11] and the West Division title won in 1922–23. However, in 1925, after a poor season, they opted to join the less demanding Southampton League, where they soon found their feet again as they consecutively won the Junior 3, Junior 2 and South Hants Division titles during the final three seasons of the decade. [12]

In 1930 the club returned to the Hampshire League Division 2 under the name of SR Eastleigh Athletic (S.R. stood for Southern Railway, the new owners of the locomotive works in Eastleigh) and the team soon re-established themselves as they pushed for promotion. After several near misses they were champions in 1938–39 only to have their progress halted by the outbreak of World War II. [13]

After World War II, Eastleigh again returned to the county League in 1947, where they were placed in Division 3 East and when British Rail took over the works two years later their name was amended to BR Eastleigh Athletic.

Disaster struck after when they lost the use of Dutton Lane after the Railway Goods Yard was expanded. This, along with the emergence of other clubs in the town contributed to a gradual decline in their fortunes.

A temporary new home ground was found at nearby Bishopstoke, and after several steady seasons they won promotion in 1956–57 as Division 3 runners-up. However, by the early sixties Eastleigh were playing at Fleming Park (a council owned sports centre still used today) and had to leave the competition in 1961 due to the venue's inadequate facilities.

A year later they were re-admitted back after agreeing a groundshare with neighbours and league rivals BTC Southampton. They were placed in Division 3 but after several seasons of struggle, they were relegated in 1964–65 after finishing bottom. Their fortunes did not improve back in the Southampton League and they folded in August 1966. [14]

The club later reappeared under the guise of B.R.S.A. (British Rail Staff Association) and again ran teams in the Eastleigh & District League and the lower junior divisions of the Southampton League, before finally calling it a day in 1977. [15]

Honours

1st Team

2nd Team

Playing records

League

FA Cup

Ground

For many years, Eastleigh Athletic played at Dutton Road in Eastleigh but were forced to leave when the railway yard was expanded after World War II. They then spent the Fifties playing on a pitch at Chickenhall Lane, Bishopstoke but after losing the ground they had a rather nomadic existence which contributed to their demise.

Notable players

Local rivalries

With there being so many teams in the area, Eastleigh Athletic had a number of local rivals. These included Swaythling Athletic, Pirelli General and Eastleigh Spartans. They also ground shared with neighbours BTC Southampton and Ford Sports (formerly Briggs Social).

References

  1. ↑ Lambert, Tim (14 March 2021). "A History of Eastleigh". Local Histories. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "Rise of the Railway – Part 1 – History of Bishopstoke, Hampshire" . Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  3. ↑ Association Football in Hampshire until 1914 by Norman Gannaway
  4. ↑ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  5. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Eastleigh{1}". www.fchd.info. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "TownEnders.com - Swindon Town Record vs. Eastleigh Athletic". townenders.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  7. ↑ The official centenary history of the Southern League. Paper Plane Publishing Ltd
  8. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  9. ↑ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  10. ↑ Bitterne Football A Gimpse at the Past by Ken Prior
  11. ↑ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909-2022 by Gary Day
  12. ↑ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  13. ↑ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  14. ↑ https://hantssoccerarchive.co.uk/southampton/
  15. ↑ Gone But Not Forgotten (Part 5), by Dave Twydell, ISBN   1-874427-01-1
  16. ↑ Hampshire Football Association Yearbook 2005/06
  17. ↑ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2017/18
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