| Full name | Staveley Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Old Foot & Mouth, the Staveleyites | |
| Founded | 1875 | |
| Dissolved | 1892 | |
| Ground | Recreation Ground | |
Staveley F.C. was a football club in Staveley, a village in Derbyshire, England.
| Full name | Staveley Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Old Foot & Mouth, the Staveleyites | |
| Founded | 1875 | |
| Dissolved | 1892 | |
| Ground | Recreation Ground | |
Staveley F.C. was a football club in Staveley, a village in Derbyshire, England.
The club was founded in 1875 and originally played under the Sheffield rules. [1] The first known matches for the club were in 1876. [2] Key players for the club from its earliest days were the Hay brothers; George as goalkeeper, William as back-up goalkeeper, Sammy as half-back, and Jack as forward, [3] plus later Tom Hay.
Staveley was nicknamed 'Old Foot and Mouth' by opponents due to the highly competitive and hard tackling nature of their players (who would "get a foot in") and the vociferously partisan nature of their supporters. [4]
The club's first success was in the Sheffield Senior Cup in 1879–80, beating Heeley F.C. in the final 3–1; the result was considered a shock, with Heeley being 1/4 favourites. [5]
The club first entered the FA Cup in 1880–81, beating Spilsby F.C. 5–1 in the first round, in front of over one thousand spectators. [6] Staveley took the much bigger Sheffield Wednesday club to two replays in the third round, losing at the Lockwood Brothers F.C. ground at the third time of asking. [7]
Staveley's two best runs in the Cup were both ended by the professionals of Blackburn Rovers. In 1883–84, the club beat Middlesbrough and gained revenge on Wednesday, helped by Wednesday's Mosforth injuring himself on the railway line before the match, [8] and then beating Lockwood Brothers in the third round before a 2,000 crowd said to be the biggest ever at the Recreation Ground. [9] In the fourth round at Cup holders Blackburn, Staveley took the lead, before Rovers turned the game around. [10]
In 1885–86, the club had a tough first round tie with Mexborough, which went to a replay; however Mexborough scratched from the competition on the morning of the match, because the Sheffield Football Association demanded a local cup tie with Owlerton F.C. take place on the same day, requiring Staveley to arrange a friendly against a local side (Lowgates F.C.) at short notice. [11] The club unexpectedly beat both Long Eaton Rangers F.C. and Nottingham Forest – in the latter game, relying on time-wasting to run the clock down, "repeatedly kicking out, and the ball was carried into neighbouring streets by the strong wind". [12] Forest protested against the Staveley tactics but the Football Association dismissed the protest. [13] The tactic was so notorious that supporters in the region would shout "Play up, Staveley!" whenever another team adopted the same stratagem. [14]
Staveley had gone over 30 matches in the season without defeat [15] before meeting Blackburn Rovers again in the fifth round, but the repeat holders proved too strong for the club.
The club was the most successful in Derbyshire in the 1880s, reaching five consecutive Derbyshire Cup finals, albeit helped by Derby County boycotting the competition for part of the period. However Staveley was not considered for Football League membership, given the small size of the village and the low crowds that were likely.
While playing for Staveley, on 12 January 1889 against Grimsby Town at Clee Park, Lincolnshire, William Cropper collided with Dan Doyle, the Grimsby rightback, after fifteen minutes. He was badly injured by Doyle's knee in his abdomen and left the field in obvious distress. The collision resulted in a ruptured bowel and he died in the dressing room at Grimsby in the arms of his Staveley and Derbyshire County Cricket Club teammate George Hay. [16]
The club was a founder member of the Midland Counties League, but the club did not survive three seasons, given the difficulties of a village side in the professional era. Staveley finished mid-table in 1889–90, but was bottom in 1890–91, in part because of the resignation of Warwick County F.C. and Kidderminster F.C., who would both have finished below the club. [17]
Despite the balance sheet at the end of the 1890–91 season being in a "satisfactory condition", [18] the club went bust in 1891 and its fixtures were expunged from the league; [19] at the time the club was bottom of the table, with 1 win and 1 draw from 8 fixtures, [20] the final match being an 8–0 defeat at Burton Wanderers on 5 December. [21]
The club intended to complete its Cup fixtures, [22] and played its Derbyshire Senior Cup semi-final at Derby County reserves on 2 January 1892, but lost 10–0, with many of its regular players declining to play, [23] and George Hay watching from the pavilion. [24] The club's debts of over £30 were cleared by a benefit match played at Bramall Lane, [25] but the club remained in abeyance for the rest of the season, the club secretary Captain Turner attending the Derbyshire FA end of season meeting to bemoan the rise of professionalism that had been "the ruin of the Staveley club". [26] The club did not renew its membership of the Derbyshire FA for the 1892–93 season and was therefore defunct. [27]
A club of the same name briefly re-emerged later in the decade, playing junior football only, but again involving the Hay family. [28]
The club originally played in amber with a black hoop, switching to navy in 1881. At some point before 1885 they had changed to red and black quarters (the contemporary term for halves). [29]
The club's first ground was the Recreation Ground, near the Crown Inn. [30] [31] The ground was described as "rather peculiar in shape and size", giving Staveley a considerable home advantage. [32]
The club's final match at the Recreation was a 2–1 defeat to Gainsborough Trinity on 19 April 1890, in front of 1,000 spectators, [33] as the MS&L railway from Beighton to Chesterfield was due to run through part of the ground. [34] The club planned to move to a new ground for the 1890–91 season after the sale of part of the Recreation, but as it was not ready, the club played at the Staveley Works Cricket Ground. [35] The new ground was meant to be ready for the ill-fated 1891–92 season but it never seems to have been completed.
The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92.
Derby Midland F.C. were an English football club, in existence from 1881 until 1891. However, the first known match played by Derby Midland Club was a game of 15 each side against Wirksworth Football Club in 1873.
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.
Heanor Town Football Club is a football club based in Heanor, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division North and play at the Town Ground.
The Derbyshire County FA Senior Cup is a local county football cup for teams based in the county of Derbyshire. Founded in 1883–1884, the first competition was won by Staveley, who beat Derby Midland 2–1 in the final. 1885–1886 saw Heeley from Yorkshire win the competition. It was not until 1892 that the county's top club Derby County first won the trophy. This delay was partially helped by a disagreement during Derby County's first season 1884–1885. After beating Derby St. Luke's and Wirksworth, Derby County were drawn at home to Long Eaton Rangers in the third round. The club applied for a week's delay in playing the fixture, however Long Eaton Rangers claimed the tie stating that they weren't aware of any change in date and had arrived on the set date to play. A correspondent of the 'Derby Daily Telegraph' wrote that the referee had arrived to take charge on the re-arranged date. The Derbyshire County FA awarded the tie to Long Eaton Rangers and the following season Derby County played in the Birmingham and District FA Senior Cup and set up their own Charity Cup. Players also boycotted playing for the County FA team in protest. It wasn't until 1887–1888 that Derby County next played in their own county's competition, where again in the third round they were drawn to play Long Eaton Rangers who won the tie 4–1.
Lockwood Brothers F.C. was an English association football club based in Sheffield, Yorkshire.
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.
Owlerton Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1873. The club was based in the northwest Sheffield suburb of Owlerton.
The 1890–91 season was Sheffield United's second, and their first and only season playing in the newly formed Midland Counties League, as the club sought to establish itself as a major footballing force. The team was selected by the club's football committee and coached by a trainer, but day-to-day affairs were overseen by club secretary Joseph Wostinholm. The club saw a large influx of players during the season as it continued to bolster its numbers with amateurs loaned or signed from other teams in the local area, a policy that resulted in an unsettled side, indifferent league results, and a mid-table finish.
William James Lilley was a footballer who played as a goalkeeper for both Sheffield United and Rotherham Town in The Football League.
Mexborough F.C. was an English association football club based in Mexborough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The club's name was often given in the form Mexbro' or Mexboro.
Ecclesfield F.C. was an English association football club based in Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire.
Eckington Works Football Club was an English association football club based in Eckington, Derbyshire.
Halliwell F.C. was an English association football club based in Halliwell, in north-west Bolton.
Derby St Luke's Football Club was an English amateur association football club based in Derby that existed from the 1870s to the 1890s. They competed in the FA Cup between 1884 and 1888.
Newark F.C. was a football club from the town of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. It was one of the first clubs to play association football.
Notts Olympic Football Club was an English football club from the Radford district of Nottingham.
Rotherham Swifts F.C. was an association football club from Kimberworth, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, active in the 19th century.
Long Eaton Midland Football Club was a football club based in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England, active in the late 19th century.