Belfast United (Northern Ireland)
I have covered
Belfast Celtic already, but their reluctance to participate in a professional
league was the catalyst of the formation of this next club I am about to tell
you about. With the Irish League being stalled due to the First World War in
1914, a new league was formed by a group of Belfast clubs. But with Belfast
Celtic refusing to join, it left only five club competing meaning one club
would be left idle every week. Instead, it was decided a new club would be
formed to make up the numbers. That club was Belfast United and this is their
short story.
Founded in
1915, Belfast United played in the colours, black and white. They hadn’t found
a home for their first two years of existence but eventually settled in at the
Ulster Cricket Ground. Their first manager was the manager of Belfast Celtic at
the time, Jimmie Magowan, and they joined the Belfast and District League.
Their first
game was played on September18th, 1915, when they played against Distillery,
drawing the game 1-1. Not very many people went to support the new club due to
the many other Belfast clubs having established fan bases already. Because of
this, attendances at Belfast United matches were very low. Throw in the fact
they did not have a home ground for the first two years, they failed to build
up any fan base, and because of this they struggled to gain funds to be able to
compete. However, they tried, gaining their first ever win against Glenavon in
October 1915.
The 1916-17
season saw the club no games at all and it seemed as though they were just
their to make up the numbers until the Irish League was back up and running.
The 1917-18 season saw the club have a somewhat surprising run in the Irish
Cup. In the first round, they beat Cliftonville, 2-0. The second round saw them
beating Dublin club, Shelbourne FC, 3-0. It set-up a semi-final with local
rivals, Belfast Celtic. United were huge underdogs, but the result was closer
than many expected, with Belfast Celtic winning the tie, 2-1.
Despite winning
their first-round match in the 1918-19 Irish Cup, 2-0, versus Distillery, they
did not feature again in the competition, pulling out in the second round. The
club were in real trouble off the pitch as well, being £200 in debt and staring
at the prospect of being dissolved. However, the sale of Joe Toner and James
Hopkins to Arsenal In 1919 helped cover the debt, with the club receiving £150
for Toner and £50 for Hopkins. Toner went on to play 89 times for Arsenal
during his seven years with the Gunners, whilst also making eight appearances
for Ireland. Hopkins’ Arsenal career was less impressive, making just 21
appearances in three seasons for them. He also only collected one cap for
Ireland. He is probably more remembered for his time at Brighton and Hove
Albion where he made 220 appearances over a six-year period for the Seagulls.
With the end of
the First World War in 1919, came the reincarnation of the Irish League,
however only those clubs that competed in the 1914 Irish League were allowed
join, meaning Belfast Unted were left to play in friendlies against other clubs
who were without a league. They also entered other cup competitions; however,
this was not sustainable to keep the football club alive. Their first team were
basically non-existent and so their second team, who competed in the
intermediate league essentially became the first team, although they finished
bottom of their league, resulting in regelation in the 1927 season. In a
last-ditch attempt to save the club, they made a futile attempt to join the
Irish Football League once again, with the IFA expanding the league with two
new clubs being added. With numerous club vying for the two places, it went to
a vote but Belfast United lost out, as Coleraine and Bangor were voted in. It
was the final straw and Belfast United disappeared from the footballing world
forever.