| Full name | Nottingham Swifts Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Swifts, the Blacks [1] | |
| Founded | 1876? | |
| Dissolved | 1892 | |
| Ground | Forest Recreation Ground | |
Nottingham Swifts Football Club, usually referred to as Notts Swifts, was an English football club, founded in or before 1876 under the name Mansfield Road. They became Nottingham Swifts in 1880. [2]
The earliest reference to a match played by the club is in 1876, losing to North Nottingham Youth. [3]
The club was one of the ten founder members of the Nottinghamshire Football Association in 1882. [4] Always in the shadow of other clubs in the town — not just Nottingham Forest and Notts County, but Notts Rangers, Notts Olympic and even works sides like Jardines — the club's best achievement was reaching the semi-finals of the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup in 1888-89. Despite losing to Notts Olympic in the last eight, the club was reinstated after the Olympics was disqualified for professionalism (following a protest by Basford Pioneers). [5] The Swifts lost the semi-final to eventual winners Notts Rangers 3-2. [6]
By 1887, the club was entering the Nottingham Junior Cup, without success; in 1887-88, it lost to Sneinton Rovers in the first round. [7] Nevertheless, the same year, the club entered the FA Cup. Being drawn away at Nottingham Forest meant that many thought the tie a "foregone conclusion", but Swifts played above themselves and held Forest to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, thanks to a header by C.F. Daft, brother of England international Harry Daft, from a corner by Warburton. The game went to extra-time, and although the Swifts dominated the first period, Forest won after Swifts goalkeeper (and club captain) Whyatt was charged through the goal while holding the ball. [8]
The introduction of the Football League and Football Alliance dealt a mortal blow to many of the Nottingham town sides which were not part of either set-up. The club joined the Notts League, but struggled. The club recruited players from Jardines and Basford Pioneers before the start of the 1888-89 season, [9] but once the season was underway the Swifts lost "no fewer than five of their best men" [10] and an 8-1 lost to Notts Olympic in the first round of the Senior Cup, [11] despite taking the lead, appears to have removed any enthusiasm for the club; the last senior fixture reported for the club is an 8-1 defeat to Boston in 1891, [12] and the club's last reported match was a second-round defeat in the Nottingham Junior Cup, to Keyworth in 1892. [13]
From 1892 a club called Nottingham Forest Swifts appears in the Midland League. This is the Nottingham Forest reserve side rather than a continuation of the Swifts.
The club played in black shirts. [14]
Horace Pike, scorer of Forest's first League goal
The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92.
William "Billy" Gunn was an English sportsman who played internationally in both cricket and football. In first-class cricket, Gunn played professionally for Nottinghamshire from 1880 to 1904 and represented England in 11 Test matches. In football, he played for both Notts County and Nottingham Forest as an amateur and played twice for England, scoring one goal in the inaugural 1884 British Home Championship.
Carlton Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Gedling, Nottinghamshire, England. Founded in 1904 as Sneinton Football Club, its early years were marked by considerable local success, leading to the club being described by the Manchester Courier in 1909 as "the leading amateur football club in Nottingham". Its reputation declined for several decades afterwards, with the team participating in obscure county divisions until the 1995–96 season saw the club join the nationwide league system. Carlton currently competes in the Northern Premier League Division One East at the eighth tier of the English football pyramid.
Birmingham St. George's F.C. was a football club based in Smethwick, England. The club started as St George's FC in Aston, before moving to the Cape Hill brewery in 1886 under the name Mitchell St George's.
Long Eaton Rangers Football Club was a football club based in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England, which, for a brief period in the 1880s, had a legitimate claim to being one of the best teams in the country. They were founding members of the second ever league, The Combination, in 1888, and when that folded, the Football Alliance in 1889.
The Nottinghamshire Football Association, often known simply as the Notts FA, is the governing body of football in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The Nottinghamshire FA runs a number of cups at different levels for teams across most of Nottinghamshire, as well as educating their affiliated clubs and members with relevant courses and events. A small number of clubs in the north of the county are members of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association.
Henry Alfred Cursham was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football mostly for Notts County, with spells at Corinthian, Grantham Town and Thursday Wanderers. In cricket, he played two first class games for Nottinghamshire.
Harry Butler Daft was an English footballer who played for Notts County, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1894, as well as making five appearances as a left winger for the national side. He was also an accomplished first-class cricketer, playing 200 matches for Nottinghamshire between 1885 and 1899.
Edward Henry May was an English footballer who played for Notts Rangers, Burslem Port Vale, Notts County, and Nottingham Forest in the 1880s and 1890s.
John McKnight was a professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He played almost fifty matches in the Football League with Burnley and Darwen, and also played for Middlesbrough Ironopolis in the Northern Football League.
Notts Rangers Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1868 under the name Nottingham St James. They became Nottingham Rangers in 1880 and by 1886 were habitually referred to as Notts Rangers.
Robert J. Jardine (1864–1941) was a Scottish footballer who played in The Football League for Derby County and Notts County.
Billy May was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Notts County and Burton Swifts.
Thomas Widdowson was an English footballer who played in The Football League for Notts County.
The Town Ground was a football ground in Nottingham in England. It was the home ground of Nottingham Forest, and the first ground to host a football match using crossbars and goal nets.
Notts Olympic Football Club was an English football club from the Radford district of Nottingham.
Nottingham Wanderers F.C. was an English association football club from Nottinghamshire.
Mellors Limited Football Club, also variously given as Mellors' or Mellor's Limited, was an English football club from Nottingham.
Basford Rovers Football Club was an English football club from Nottingham.
Jardines F.C. was an English association football club from Nottingham, England.
