| Full name | Warrington Association Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1899 |
| Dissolved | 16 January 1902 |
| Ground | Warrington Cricket Field |
| President | Councillor W. Pierpoint |
| Secretary | (1899) T. P. Bradshaw, [1] (1900) E. A. Connor [2] |
Warrington A.F.C. was an association football club from Warrington, Lancashire.
The first Warrington A.F.C. (normally referred to as Warrington Association) was founded in 1884. [3] With the rugby football code dominant in the town, the club struggled to keep its head above water; in 1886 [4] and 1887 [5] its members faced claims in court for non-payment of bills, and in September 1893 the club was formally disbanded. [6]
The club however was re-founded in 1899, [7] and showed considerable ambition before the 1899–1900 season, joining the Lancashire Alliance, [8] and signing (amongst others) Ted Connor of Preston North End and one Colour-Sergeant Jones from St Helens Recs, whom Aston Villa wanted to buy out of the Army, only for Warrington to beat it to the punch. [9] Jones however did not remain with the club long - in November, as an Army reservist, he was called up for deployment to Enniskillen, the club presenting him with a travelling bag. [10]
After a season in which the club made a profit of 14s 6½d from an income of £207 8s, [11] and finished mid-table in the Alliance, [12] the club resolved to join the Combination league in 1900, [13] and finished the season 10th out of 12, [14] but also winners of the Warrington Cup, thanks to a win over Newton-le-Willows in front of 3,000 at Earlestown. [15]
Despite this success, the club had suffered a loss of £45 over the season, and took a step up to join the higher status Lancashire League for the 1901–02 season, in the hope of attracting higher crowds. [16] However the club ran out of money before the season ended; in January 1902, with a loss of £15 likely to increase to £50 before the season end, it resolved to wind itself up. [17] In February 1902, it tendered its resignation to the League, which was accepted, and the club's record was expunged. [18] At the time, the club had only won one of its 14 games (against Haydock in December 1901, coming from 3–1 down to win 4–3) [19] and drawn 2, and had only scored 9 goals, conceding 38; it was bottom of the table, a point behind Bacup. [20]
The club played at the Warrington Cricket Field. [21]