Eccles United F.C.
| Full name | Eccles United Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1901 | |
| Dissolved | 1929 | |
| Ground | Bradburn Street | |
|
| ||
Eccles United Football Club, previously known as Eccles Borough and Springfield Athletic, was an English football club based in Eccles, Greater Manchester, England, which participated in the FA Cup and various local leagues.[1][2]
History
[edit]The club was founded as Springfield Athletic in 1901, originally playing in the North Salford league, and changed its name to Eccles Borough in 1907, when joining the Manchester League; alternative choices for names included Eccles, Barton, or Patricroft.[3][4] In December that year, the club resolved to form a limited liability company, the funds raised being used to buy a long lease on a new ground.[5]
In 1909, having finished third in the Manchester League,[6] the club joined the Lancashire Combination second division, and was promoted to the top flight in 1911 after the reserve sides of clubs from the Football League left. The club won the title twice, in 1912–13 and 1914–15, and remained a member until 1925.[7] It also entered the Lancashire Senior Cup from 1912–13 to 1914–15, but only won one tie, against Chorley in the first round in its last entry.[8]
The club changed its name to Eccles United in 1919[9] and its best run in the FA Cup was in 1920–21, reaching the first round proper, or last 64 (equivalent of the third round in 2025). At that stage it was drawn to visit Southend United; Eccles ambitiously but unsuccessfully offered Southend £500 to switch the tie to Manchester, hoping to use Old Trafford.[10] Schofield gave Eccles a surprise early lead, but Southend hit back to win 5–1.[11] Eccles took advantage of the trip south to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph - ten of its players had served in the First World War.[12]
In 1925, the club left the Lancashire Combination for the Cheshire Football League,[13] but in 1928, after its second finish at the bottom of the table, the club withdrew.[14] The club joined the Manchester League once more, but withdrew in September 1929,[15] and was wound up, its ground and fittings being put up for sale that month.[16] A new club was founded in 2020 to revive the old name; it joined the Manchester League in 2022.[17]
Colours
[edit]The club wore white shirts,[18] dark shorts, and black socks.[19]
Ground
[edit]The club originally played at a ground near Springfield Mill, and moved to Bradburn Street in 1908.[20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Eccles Borough at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Eccles United at the Football Club History Database
- ^ "Manchester League - Election of new clubs". Runcorn Guardian (BNA). 8 June 1907.
- ^ "Teams for Saturday". Manchester Evening News: 4. 29 August 1907.
- ^ "Eccles Borough". Manchester Evening News: 4. 5 December 1907.
- ^ "Manchester League 1893–1912". Non-league matters. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "Lancashire Combination 1909–25". Non league matters. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Small, Gordon (2007). The Lancashire Cup - A Complete Record. Hockley, Essex: Soccerdata. pp. 92–3.
- ^ "Lancashire Combination and Cheshire League". Evening Express: 4. 20 June 1919.
- ^ "The Cup - the greatest money-spinner in the world". Liverpool Echo: 8. 8 January 1921.
- ^ "Southend v Eccles United". Sports Argus: 4. 8 January 1921.
- ^ "Reserve team overwhelmed". Stockport Express: 3. 13 January 1921.
- ^ "Football items". Macclesfield Times: 8. 29 May 1925.
- ^ "Late sports wires". Liverpool Echo: 5. 17 April 1928.
- ^ "The "A" Team". Stockport Advertiser: 14. 6 September 1929.
- ^ "Lot 6". Guardian: 25. 26 October 1929.
- ^ "Major announcement". Facebook. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Southend's deadly feud with white shirts". Daily Express: 6. February 1921.
- ^ Flynn, Tony. "100 Years Ago". Salford Archive. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Kirkby, Hartley (14 May 1982). "World famous". Manchester Evening News: 52.