Astley Bridge F.C.
Full name | Astley Bridge Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | the Bridgeites[1] | ||
Founded | 1875 | ||
Dissolved | 1889 | ||
Ground | Astley Meadow | ||
|
Astley Bridge F.C. was an English association football club from Astley Bridge, near Bolton.
History
The club was founded in 1877. In 1878 the club was a founder member of the
The club first entered the
On 14 October 1882, the Bridgeites visited Turf Moor in the Lancashire Senior Cup as the first opponents for Burnley in competitive football, winning 8–0.[3]
The club continued to enter the Cup until
In both
In the second round, a crowd of 2,000 saw the Bridgeites lose to Halliwell,[9] and put in another protest, on the basis that one player (Hewitson) was not qualified to play for Halliwell. Halliwell attended the hearing with Hewitson's birth certificate, the FA dismissed the protest, and ordered Astley Bridge to pay 2 guineas and Halliwell's expenses.[10]
The last records of the club are from the 1888–89 season,[11] with the ground being made available to rent from 1890.[12] A replacement club (Astley Bridge Wanderers) was in existence before the 1892–93 season[13] and a later club was in the Lancashire Combination in the early 1950s.
Colours
Year | Colours |
---|---|
1879 | Navy blue jersey, white knickers, navy blue hose |
1880 | Navy blue jersey, white knickers, navy blue hose |
1881 | Navy blue |
1882 | Navy blue & white jerseys |
1883 | Orange & blue |
1884 | Orange & blue |
1885 | Orange & blue "quarters"[14] |
1886 | Crimson & green |
Grounds
The club originally played at a ground on Sweetloves Lane, notable for its steep slope.[15] In 1881 the club moved to Astley Meadow, near the Lamb Inn public house, on a ground that was shorter than the 110 yards minimum to host FA Cup ties and which led to at least one protest.[16] The club was forced to move before the 1883–84 season as its ground was needed for a cemetery, and it found a new ground near a tram stop which it called Astley Meadow.[17] It constructed a grandstand there that could hold 300 people, at a cost of £50.[18]
References
- ^ "Astley Bridge 0-3 Turton". Athletic News: 6. 22 December 1880.
- ^ "Astley Bridge 4-0 Eagley". Sportsman: 4. 1 November 1880.
- ^ "140 Years of Burnley History". Burnley F.C. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Preston 11-3 Astley Bridge". Sporting Life: 4. 19 November 1885.
- ^ Tongue, Steve. Lancashire Turf Wars. Pitch. p. 38.
- ^ "news". Lancashire Evening Post: 3. 23 October 1886.
- ^ "Hurst 5-3 Astley Bridge". Cricket & Football Field: 4. 15 October 1887.
- ^ "report". Nottingham Evening Post: 2. 24 October 1887.
- ^ "Astley Bridge 0-4 Halliwell". Lancashire Evening Post: 3. 5 November 1887.
- ^ "report". Cricket & Football Field: 2. 12 November 1887.
- ^ "Gorton Villa v Astley Bridge". Manchester Courier: 3. 7 January 1889.
- ^ "Shops, Houses &c". Bolton Evening News: 4. 5 June 1890.
- ^ "Astley Bridge Wanderers 1892-93". Bolton Library & Museum Services. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ The term at the time for halved shirts with counterchanged sleeves - "harlequin" was the term for what today is described as quartered
- ^ "Astley Bridge 0-3 Turton". Athletic News: 6. 22 December 1880.
- ^ "Astley Bridge 2-2 Burnley". Lancashire Evening Post: 4. 25 October 1886.
- ^ "Football prospects in Bolton and district". Athletic News: 6. 5 September 1883.
- ^ "Football Notes". Manchester Courier: 3. 5 November 1883.