Lost League Grounds (12) : Drill Field

You've asked for it. Brett! This will be a long answer so, for the benefit of those reading the "Last 100" posts, I'll split it into two.

We'll start with the beginning of the Football League in 1888 to put Northwich's Football League membership into context. This was the first table - 1888/1889 - note all the clubs are from the Midlands and the North:



The league was a big success and others followed: Northern (1889); Birmingham & District (1889); Midland (1889); Western (1892); Southern (1894) and so on. However, the stongest of the new leagues was the Football Alliance. Formed in 1889, here are the main details of the Alliance's brief history (taken from Bob Barton's Non League):



The reason why the Football Alliance was short-lived was that it formed the basis of the Football League's expansion in 1892. This saw extra clubs in the First Division together with a new Second Division. The Alliance club to miss out was Birmingham St George's. From other leagues came Burslem Port Vale, Sheffield United and Northwich Victoria (who had finished as runners-up in a league known as The Combination).

Below are the tables for Divisions One and Two for 1892/93. Note the "Test Matches", early versions of today's play-offs. Newton Heath became Manchester United; Small Heath (Birmingham City); Ardwick (Manchester City).

Burton Swifts later merged with another club and remained in the FL as Burton United until 1907. Burton Wanderers were also members of the FL between 1894 and 1897. Burton Albion weren't formed until 1950 (effectively replacing Burton Town, the town's main club between the wars).

Note there were still no clubs south of Birmingham. That would change with Woolwich Arsenal in 1894 and Luton (briefly) in 1897.



League tables from early editions of Rothmans.

Superb post and pics Barton as always. I would be so interested to see your book shelf. I only have about 6 footie books.

Another good book is Football Grounds Fact Book by Ian Allan

Where is the best place to buy old footie ground books etc. Ebay? Am using ebay to collect my Rothmans...

Shame, as we have mentioned before, the Facer books stopped.

Which old ones would you recommend

Reading your post Barton reminded me of an advert on the TV a few years back, you know the one where the old man was ringing around to try and find a copy of a book. When he found one he asked to have it put back for him, then gave his name, yes it was the guy who wrote the book ;D

Yes that is is the one Andy, I have been doing my head in, trying to remember his name, thanks you have saved me from my mental torture ;D

The offending article had been written for Foul magazine around 1975. It made the cut into a compilation called the Foul Book of Football No 1. I lent the book to somebody I never saw again and spent years tracking down a replacement. Part of the problem was the publication contained something nasty about a People journalist called Mike Langley who threatened to sue. As a result all unsold copies ended up on the bonfire.

Re-reading my piece I really do sound like an Angry Young Man. There's plenty of confused agitprop - I've clearly lost it by the last paragraph (and the editing isn't brilliant in places) - but I'm sure you'll find plenty of familiar themes. My apologies for any unfounded remarks about persons living or dead.





And here's a copy of a letter I had in Goal magazine in 1971 which I recently tracked down in the wonderful The Back Page sports bookshop in Newcastle.

The words, I fear, of a slightly pompous 15-year-old:

The letter sums up Barton just what the council here has always felt about the club and have never been willing to help.

The only time they want to know us is when something good happens. Look at our last promotion season, they had the club down at the town Hall, after the parade around the town. Then they were saying that they would look to help the club( bateson anyway) buy the ground from the council and what happened? yes you got it correct, sweet nothing.

Wonderful to "re-discover" that article Barton, I recall being shown it all those (33) years ago as if it was yesterday!Those councillors (Thomas, Hardaway and Franks) really were Luddite puppets of the Hotel and Caterers lobby and I recall as a young member of the Commercial Staff being absolutely incredulous that not only did they hold such views but that the nodding donkeys of the local populace re-elected them without question merely because they chose to wear blue rosettes.

It didn't take much scratching under the surface to realise that Torbay political policy was decided,not in the Town Hall; but in the bars of the conservative Clubs and the living rooms of the wealthy in the Lincombes, Warberries and Livermead...............the homes of those who's elevated lifestyle had been forged on the back of the local minimum wage policy and tourist industry that leeched off such exploitation.

I don't know what made me more angry, that fact or the fact that the populace of the area behaved like collective idiots and elected them in time and time again...............................I think your collective dissertations would have been more practically centred on "Why Do Turkeys (repeatedly) Vote For Christmas?"

Don't nod and tut tut in agreement, because it's STILL the same down there...................you don't have a sea front worthy of the name any more, you don't have decent transport connections and you don't have major employers like Nortel either - is it any wonder?

It's why I left all those years ago, why I would never return (now not even for a holiday visit of any length), and never will do - not even to die!

My only connections are with NA through family and Plainmoor through the Football Club.

I can still remember taking Mrs Hardaway on a "conducted tour" through the bowels of the main stand at Plainmoor and the Social facilities - modest and basic as they were at the time and she was staggered that the inside of the buildings were fitted out to the standard they were. She seemed to have some fixation in her head that all the club's business was carried out in some empty shell beneath the seats. It didn't take long to realise that we were being "ruled" by idiots and worse still that they were being kept in power by even bigger idiots.

Almost everything we tried on a commercial front from major use of the ground in the close season to even having lottery kiosks in prime sales locations around the resort, was opposed by these bigots. Even long worked at plans to improve the Social Club were opposed at every turn and you should have seen the struggle we had just to maintain a music licence when every Tom, Dick & Harry could get one for their Private Hotel or Guest House.

Balloon? It's not a fecking balloon you want flying over the town it's a squadron of Meschersmidts - you'll NEVER drag yourselves out of such futile sertivude whilst you remain the "kind and gentle people" so beloved of Dave!

Hmmf - this morning's rant over!