Thames Ironworks F.C. 1897-1898 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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Thames Ironworks F.C. 1897–1898

Thames Ironworks
Thames Ironworks F.C.
Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor in 1895. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of The Old Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town until their...

' new venue, the Memorial Grounds, was opened on Jubilee Day, 1897, to coincde with the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria to the throne. Thames' new home had cost £

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

20,000 of Arnold Hills

Arnold Hills

Arnold Frank Hills was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and promoter of vegetarianism.Hills was the first President of the London Vegetarian Society and the Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club, and also served as President of a London Vegetarian Rambling Club...

' money to build. It was situated close to where West Ham station

West Ham station

West Ham station is an interchange station located on the corner of Manor Road and Memorial Avenue in the West Ham neighbourhood of the London Borough of Newham in east London, England. The station is served by London Underground, National Rail and Docklands Light Railway services...

now stands. The site retains its sporting connection in present times as the home East London Rugby Club. Aside from a football pitch, the stadium contained a cycle track, a cinder running track and one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It was said at the time that the grounds were "good enough to stage an English Cup Final." To coincide with this raised standard, for the first time ever the club committee had introduced players' insurance. This meant the players would be covered against loss of wages caused by injuries sustained from playing football.

On 11 September 1897, in their first game of the new season of the London League

London League

The London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964.In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. . One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was...

and also at their new ground, Thames beat Brentford F.C.

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

1–0. This was closely followed by the first two qualifying rounds of the FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

. On 18 September Thames overcame Redhill F.C.

Redhill F.C.

Redhill F.C. is an English football club based in Redhill, Surrey. The club are currently members of Sussex County League Division One and play at Kiln Brow.-The beginning:...

thanks to an own goal and a brace from Scottish defender Simon Chisholm. This was followed by a game against the Royal Engineers Training Battalion

Royal Engineers A.F.C.

The Royal Engineers Association Football Club is an association football team representing the Corps of Royal Engineers, the "Sappers", of the British Army. In the 1870s it was one of the strongest sides in English football, winning the FA Cup in 1875 and being Cup Finalists in four of the first...

which Thames won 2–1 with goals from another of The Irons' Scotsmen Jimmy Reid and former Reading F.C.

Reading F.C.

Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

centre forward E. G. Hatton.

Their cup form was matched by great league form as "The Irons" went on to win their first six London League games, the second of which was a 4–0 victory over Leyton F.C.

Leyton F.C.

Leyton Football Club are an English association football club based in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. As of January 2011, they are not in a senior league, after withdrawing from the Isthmian League Division One North...

. A contemporary reporter wrote this at the time:

"LEYTON TOOK A WEAK TEAM TO CANNING TOWN AND LOST BY FOUR GOALS TO NIL — Nearly 2,000 spectators saw the match, which was commenced by the Ironworks in real earnest. Twenty-five minutes after the start the Ironworks, who so far had the best of matters, obtained their first point in the following manner: Hatton secured about fifty yards from goal and after dodging and wriggling through the whole of the Leyton defence, tested Sterling with a stinger that was only partially cleared and Hatton, pouncing on the ball again, promptly rushed it through.

Three minutes later, Gresham scored a second, so enabling the Thames to cross over with a deserved lead of two goals. For the best part of the game it was Thames' forwards v Leyton's defence and although beaten twice before the finish by Reid and Edwards, they were in no way disgraced.

Hatton was the most conspicuous of the Ironworks forwards, while Dove, Neill, Dandridge and Chisholm all played well in defence with goalkeeper Furnell having a very easy task." — TAM, Morning Leader, 6 October 1897.

There was a two week break from fixture commitments before Thames Ironworks briefly resumed their FA Cup involvement in the third qualifying round. On 16 October 1897, they faced St Albans

St Albans City F.C.

St Albans City Football Club is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the Premier Division of the Southern League...

and lost the game 0–2. Disappointment soon faded, and it was perhaps in the third London League game away to champions 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.

3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.

3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. were an English football team that played in the London League from as early as 1896 until 1898. During the 1896-97 season they were champions and during the 1897-98 season they finished 4th....

, that "The Irons" found real belief in their ability to challenge for the London League. The managed to win 1–0 against a team who had beaten them 4–1 and 5–0 during the previous season.

On 27 November they faced Novacastrians F.C. in the first round of the London Senior Cup

London Senior Cup

The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Arsenal , Brentford, Wimbledon and...

, which they won 1–0. The second round tie against 2nd Grenadier Guards F.C.

2nd Grenadier Guards F.C.

2nd Grenadier Guards F.C. were an English football team that played in the London League Division One during the 1897-98 season, finishing ninth of nine. In that season champions Thames Ironworks F.C...

was postponed after the Guards withdrew, and The Irons were granted a walkover. 1897 ended with "The Irons" top of the table and unbeaten in the London League, having only conceded five goals, three of them coming in a 3–3 thriller against local rivals Ilford F.C.

Ilford F.C.

Ilford F.C. is a London football club based in Ilford, in Greater London founded in 1987.There was an earlier famous non-league club of the same name, founded in 1881. In 1979, it merged with Leytonstone to...

.

It was another game against Ilford F.C. that kicked off the new year on 1 January 1898. This time, in front of their home crowd, "The Irons" won 4–0. January continued in a similar vein with a 4–2 win against Stanley F.C. being quickly followed by their highest scoring game of the season on 15 January, when a 'ten goal thriller' against Bromley F.C.

Bromley F.C.

Bromley Football Club are an English football club based in Bromley, in Greater London, England. They currently play in the Conference South, and play their home matches at Hayes Lane.-Early years:...

went The Ironworks' way 7–3. On 22 January there was yet another game against rivals Ilford F.C., this time in the third round of the London Senior Cup

London Senior Cup

. Revenge for their New Years Day's defeat was had, and Ilford triumphed over "The Irons" 3–1.

After two draws in late February and early March, their impressive league run continued with a 5–1 against Bromley F.C.

Bromley F.C.

on 19 March, and a 3–1 home win against 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.

3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.

on 2 April.

The penultimate fixture of the London League

London League

season was against second placed Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

who were only one point behind "The Irons". The game caused much local interest, including a newspaper feature in the East Ham Echo prior to the game, containing an article on Thames Ironworks' rising star Charlie Dove

Charlie Dove

Charles Dove was born in 1879 in East Ham, England. He was regarded as a super-fit footballer, who in 1895 stood at nearly 6 feet and weighed 12 stone, considered large at the time for a sixteen year old from a working-class area of Essex...

. At Shooters Field on 23 April 1898, Thames lost the tie 0–1, and Brentford leap-frogged "The Irons" and were now one point ahead with one game left to play.

A final day victory away to 2nd Grenadier Guards

2nd Grenadier Guards F.C.

on 30 April ensured that Thames Ironworks won the London League title by a single point, as fellow challengers Brentford F.C. had lost to Barking Woodville

Barking F.C.

Barking Football Club is am English football club based in Barking, Greater London. The club are currently members of the Essex Senior League and play at Mayesbrook Park in Dagenham.-History:...

. Thames had finished the season with a 100% home record. In total they had won twelve and drawn three of their sixteen London League games, only losing in the game away to Brentford. On the way to the title they had scored 47 goals and conceded 15, the best offensive and defensive record in the division.

Thames Ironworks F.C. were also successful in their application to the Southern League

Southern Football League

The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...

and would begin the following season in Southern League Division Two.

No.	\|Player	Position	FA Apps	FA Gls	Date Signed
Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor in 1895. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of The Old Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town until their... 1897–98 First XI (Most appearances)
1	George Furnell George Furnell George Furnell was an English footballer whose position was goalkeeper.Furnell played for Old Castle Swifts F.C. until 1895 when they folded. He then joined the newly formed Thames Ironworks He made regular appearances for the London League side, and played in all three of the club's FA Cup games...	GK	3		1895	Old Castle Swifts F.C. Old Castle Swifts F.C. Old Castle Swifts Football Club, the first professional football club in Essex, was formed by Scottish shipowner Donald Currie in September 1892 as Castle Swifts Football Club. Old Castle Swifts' demise saw several players join the newly founded Thames Ironworks, the team who later became West Ham...
2	F. C. Chalkley F. C. Chalkley F. C. Chalkley was an English association football player who played as a full-back.Chalkley played for local team Park Grove, before joining Thames Ironworks in August 1896...	RB	3		1897	Park Grove School
3	Walter Tranter Walter Tranter Walter Rogers Tranter was an English association football player.Born in Middlesbrough, Tranter played as a left-back for Thames Ironworks, the team that would later become West Ham United. The club handbook described him as a player that "rushes in where others feared to tread"... (Captain)	LB	2		1897	Thames Ironworks Employee
4	Charlie Dove Charlie Dove Charles Dove was born in 1879 in East Ham, England. He was regarded as a super-fit footballer, who in 1895 stood at nearly 6 feet and weighed 12 stone, considered large at the time for a sixteen year old from a working-class area of Essex...	RH	3		1895	Thames Ironworks Employee & South West Ham
5	Dandridge	CH	3		1896	Thames Ironworks Employee
6	Simon Chisholm	LH	2	2	1897	Inverness Inverness Thistle F.C. Inverness Thistle Football Club were a football club playing in the city of Inverness in northern Scotland.They were members of the Highland Football League, winning the championship five times, including its inaugural season: 1893–94. They wore black and red stripes and played their home...
7	Older	RW	2		1897	Thames Ironworks Employee
8	E. G. Hatton	RF	3	1	1896	Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
9	Jimmy Reid	CF	3	1	1897	Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
10	George Gresham George Gresham George Gresham was a footballer who played inside forward for Gainsborough Trinity F.C. before moving in 1895 to Thames Ironworks F.C., the team that became West Ham United F.C....	LF	3		1896	Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity F.C. Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
11	Edwards	LW	3		1897	Thames Ironworks Employee
Other players with appearances
7	Henry Hird	RW	1		1897	Stockton F.C. Stockton F.C. Stockton F.C. was an English football club based in Stockton-on-Tees. The club were known as 'The Ancients' because of their long-standing presence in the town. Their traditional colours were red and black quartered shirts with white shorts.-History:...
6	Gillies	LH	1		1897	Thames Ironworks Employee
3	Taylor	LB	1		1897	Thames Ironworks Employee
Other known players
	George Neill	D			1897	West Norwood F.C.
	Sam Hay Sam Hay Sam Hay was an association football player who played inside-right for Thames Ironworks, the club that would later become West Ham United. He was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, and played for Victoria, until being signed up by the Irons for the 1895–96 season, where he became a regular choice.-See...	F			1895	Victoria Blantyre Victoria F.C. Blantyre Victoria Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. Nicknamed the Vics, they were formed in 1890 and play at Castle Park where their record attendance is 6,000...
	Robert Heath	GK			1897	West Ham Garfield

External links

West Ham United F.C. 1897-1898 at Spartacus Educational

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External links