Bootle FC (England)
There are so
many Forgotten Football Clubs that come from the north of England, with various
reasons as to why. The introduction of professionalism, the vast amount of
clubs in the area making it hard for clubs to build a sustainable fanbase and
the lack of resources available to sustain so many clubs. This next club didn’t
last that long, however, but they did make an impact in the footballing world
and are in the history books, albeit for maybe reasons they don’t want to be
affiliated with. This is the story of Bootle FC
Bootle FC was
formed in 1879. They played in the colours, blue and white, and played their
first game versus Everton on October 1880, but were known as Bootle, St John
AFC for that game. Shortly afterwards, they changed their name to Bootle FC.
In their early
days the club competed in the FA Cup, and they first entered the competition in
1881 with their first opponents being Blackburn Law. The game was played on
November 5th, 1881, and they won, 2-1. The second-round match was
played away from home against Turton on December 3rd, 1881. They
lost the tie, 4-0. The following season saw the club eliminated in the first
round, when they were hammered, 6-1, by Bolton Wanderers.
More of the
same followed until the 1889 edition of the cup when the club reached the
quarter final stage only to come up against superior opponents in the shape of
Blackburn Rovers, who they lost to 7-0. It was the last time they made any
impact in the competition.
Bootle FC was one
of the founding members of the Football Alliance in 1889-90, along with The
Wednesday, Sunderland Albion, Grimsby Town, Crewe Alexandra, Darwen, Binrming
St George’s, Newton Heath LYR, Walsall Town Swifts, Small Heath, Nottingham
Forest and Long Eaton Rangers. They finished runner-up in the first season,
four points behind The Wednesday, (They would become known as Sheffield
Wednesday). The 1890-91 was less successful, with the club finishing 11th
out of twelve clubs competing that season. Ironically, the bottom two clubs
that season were the top two sides the previous season, with The Wednesday
finishing bottom that season. The third and final season of the Football
Alliance saw Bootle FC finish 8th, and they were elected to the
Football League Second Division.
The club
competed in the Second Division for just one year, despite finishing 8th
out of the twelve clubs, they withdrew after the season ended, becoming only
one of two clubs to have only ever competed in one season of the Football
League, with the other club being Middlesbrough Ironopolis FC. The reasons for
their withdrawal were down to financial difficulties. In their final season,
their expenditure reached £2,198, which mainly made-up wages. Compare this to
the club’s income of gate receipts and donations, £1510, and there was a clear
deficit.
The club did enter the 1893 FA Cup and was drawn to play Stockport County.
However, they were liquidated before the tie could take place, and the original
club known as Bootle FC were dissolved. There is another Bootle FC in existence
today, however they are not affiliated to the club that were founding members
of the Football Alliance.
In their early days, they signed the first black international player, Andrew
Watson, a Scottish international. There is much dispute as to whether they paid
Watson, but if they did he would have been the world’s first ever black
professional football players and would have pre-dated Arthur Wharton. Watson
would play for Bootle for five years, and he collected three caps for Scotland.
One of their man claims to fame is that they are one of only two clubs to have
played one season in the Football League and were one of the first two clubs to
resign from the League.
And so ended the North Enders, from Hawthorn Lane.