Stanley F.C. (Liverpool)

Football club

Stanley

Full name	Stanley Football Club
Nickname(s)	the Light Blues, the Stiles[1]
Founded	1882
Dissolved	1896
Ground	Walton Stiles
Home colours

Stanley F.C., often referred to from 1887 to 1890 as Liverpool Stanley, was an English association football club, from Liverpool in Merseyside.

History

The club was founded in 1882 by cricketers from the Stanley Cricket Club, who played their matches in Stanley Park in Liverpool. The club optimistically entered the Lancashire Senior Cup straight after foundation, but lost by a competition record score of 23–0 to Witton F.C. of Blackburn.^[2]

In 1885, the club used the proceeds from a Liverpool Senior Cup tie against Everton at Anfield to build an enclosure at Walton Stiles and set up a new home there. The club's first match at their new ground was against Darwen F.C. at the start of the 1885–86 season.^[3]

The club struggled to gain support because of earlier clubs in the city, such as Everton,

The club's best run in the Liverpool Senior Cup came in 1887–88, the expulsion of Everton for breaches of residency rules removing much of the interest from the competition. The original semi-final tie (the club's fifth appearance at that stage)[10] against Tranmere^[11] ended in a draw, before a crowd of only 400; Stanley played the second half with ten men after Goodall left the pitch in protest at the refereeing, which saw three goals disallowed for Stanley.^[12] Stanley won the replay 9–1, Goodall scoring a hat-trick, perhaps justifying the criticism of the refereeing.^[13]

The club suffered a curious incident shortly before the final when the club's goalkeeper, M'Allum (a Scots import), attacked an opponent (George) during a match, to such an extent that he was prosecuted before magistrates, and fined £1 plus costs. It was a particularly ill-judged action given the club's opponents were the Liverpool Police Athletic Club.^[14]

The lack of support the club was attracting was demonstrated by the attendance at the final. Three weeks before, 3,000 people saw Bootle play a friendly against Halliwell;^[15] however only 500 saw Bootle play Stanley in the final, at the athletic grounds in Fairfield. Bootle took the lead in the first minute, without a Stanley player touching the ball, and Stanley finished the game with nine men; Wright being forced off injured after a collision with Bootle goalkeeper Jackson, when 2–0 down, and William Brown sent off for jumping at Allsop "in a very ugly fashion" in the final minute, after Bootle had scored their third and final goal.^[16]

Local leagues

In 1888–89, the club reached the third round of the FA Cup qualifying competition, but was drawn to play Cliftonveille of Belfast away, and, rather than incur the costs, the club scratched the tie and played a friendly against Bootle instead.^[17]

The club never reached as far in the Cup again, losing 12–0 at Ardwick in the first qualifying round the next season.^[18]

The formation of the

The club's colours were listed as blue and white, and the media often referred to the club as the Light Blues,[24] although at least one correspondent considered the "sky blue" jerseys to be " most hideous".^[25]

Notable players

Alec Dick, Archie Goodall, William Brown, Charles McGoldrick - future Evertonians.

References