Queen's Island F.C. (1881)

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Queen's Island F.C.
Full nameQueen's Island Football Club
Nickname(s)Queen's [1]
Founded1881
Dissolved1884
GroundBloomfield

Queen's Island Football Club is a defunct Irish association football club.

Contents

History

The club was formed on 22 August 1881 out of a cricket club run by engineers at the Queen's Island works in Belfast. Most of the initial members were Scots and "hopes [were] entertained for a very successful season". [2]

The club's first game against external opposition followed in October 1881, against the Avoniel club, and was a 3–3 draw. [3] The club did not have a home ground ready until February 1882, so had to play its initial games away from home, including its first Irish Cup tie with Oldpark. Playing away did not prove a disadvantage as the club won by 5 goals to 0. [4]

In the second round of the Cup, the club was drawn to visit the holders Moyola Park; Queen's won 2–1 in a replay at Bloomfield, in front of 500 spectators, helped by an injury to one of Moyola's forwards, which forced him to play in goal for part of the game. [5] After walking over Castlederg in the semi-final, Queen's beat Cliftonville in the final, at Ulster F.C.'s Ormeau Road ground, [6] by the only goal of the game. [7] Three of the XI were from the Beith football club. [8]

The club was not beaten in the 1882–83 season until going down 3–0 at home in a friendly against Hamilton Academical, [9] and reached the semi-finals of the Irish Cup. However the creation of more clubs and the rising popularity of football increased the level of competition and Queen's Island, as a works side, was unable to recruit widely enough. The club was without 8 of its regular players for a friendly match in December 1883 against the Y.M.C.A., [10] and, after losing to Wellington Park in the second round of the 1883–84 Irish Cup, the only fixture recorded is a benefit match against Distillery for a Queen's Island shipbuilding employee. [11]

In January 1886, there was a one-off revival of a "Queen's Island" team, again to play Distillery in a friendly to raise funds for a worker who was suing Harland & Wolff for injuries during his employment. [12] There are two fixtures recorded for a Queen's Island in 1888 and 1889 (both at Templepatrick) [13] but these almost certainly relate to another team. A later club of the same name was formed in 1920 and was a member of the Irish Football League from 1921 to 1929.

Grounds

The club did not originally have a home ground; from February 1882 it was able to use Bloomfield, the ground of Knock F.C., and Queen's christened it with a 10–0 win over Distillery on 4 February 1882. [14]

For its final season, the club moved to Ashfield Park. [15]

Honours

Senior honours

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References

  1. ↑ "Football". Belfast News-Letter: 6. 15 March 1882.
  2. ↑ "Queen's Island Football Club". Belfast News-Letter: 3. 24 August 1881.
  3. ↑ "Queen's Island v Avoniel". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 10 October 1881.
  4. ↑ "Queen's Island v Oldpark". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 16 January 1882.
  5. ↑ "Queen's Island v Moyola Park (Cup tie)". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 3 April 1882.
  6. ↑ "Football". Belfast News-Letter: 3. 12 May 1882.
  7. ↑ "Football". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 15 May 1882.
  8. ↑ "Beith". Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: 5. 20 May 1882.
  9. ↑ "Football". Morning News: 6. 2 January 1883.
  10. ↑ "Football". Morning News: 7. 17 December 1883.
  11. ↑ "Football". Belfast News-Letter: 3. 17 May 1884.
  12. ↑ "Football". Morning News: 7. 11 January 1886.
  13. ↑ "Fixtures". Belfast News-Letter: 3. 6 April 1889.
  14. ↑ "Queen's Island v Distillery". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 6 February 1882.
  15. ↑ "Fixtures". Belfast News-Letter: 7. 15 December 1883.
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