🇮🇪 Fordsons F.C (Rep of Ireland)

Fordsons F.C

Fordsons F.C were founded in 1921, by a man named Harry Buckle. Buckle had moved down to County Cork and found that there was no football club in the county. Whilst the League of Ireland was being founded in 1922, Buckle decided to found the Cork-based South Munster League for his new club to play in. By 1923, the club, now known as Fordons, named after Ford Motor Company, the factory in which Buckle worked for, had also seen the North Munster League and the South Munster League merge together to create the Munster Senior League (MSL).

The club instantly became successful, winning the Munster Senior Cup in 1922-23. It was their first piece of silverware and was followed up the next season with a Munster Senior League title in 1923-24. The club won the double that season, lifting their second Munster Senior Cup.

The club would go onto win three more Munster Senior Cups, in 1925-26, 1928-29 and finally in 1929-30. Two more Munster League titles also followed in the 1928-29 and 1929-30 seasons.

Whilst their Munster league and cup triumphs were celebrated by the club, it was their performance on the national stage that really caught the attention of everyone else. The club had decided to join the League of Ireland for the 1924-25 season, becoming the first club from Cork to do so. In fact, they became the first club from Munster to represent the province in the countries national league. They replaced Dublin side, Shelbourne United.

Their first season was a respectable one, in which the club finished 4^th, behind the big three Dublin clubs, Shelbourne FC, Bohemians and title winners, Shamrock Rovers.

The 1925-26 season ended even better for the Cork club, who finished 3^rd this time, finishing behind Shamrock Rovers and eventual champions, Shelbourne FC. They only finished four points behind the Reds.

For the next two seasons, the club finished 4^th, with both seasons being dominated by the big three Dublin clubs once again. It was a common theme in the early seasons of the League of Ireland. The 1927-28 season was a particular good one for Fordsons English forward, Charles Heinemann, who finished top goal scorer that season with 24 goals in total. It was Heinemann’s only season at the club, as he went onto to play for English clubs such as Port Vale.

The 1928-29 season saw a drop in performance in the league, with the club finishing in their lowest position in their history. A 7^th place finish out of ten clubs was not what the club were used to and the next season would have to see an improvement. And that is what happened, with the club finishing 4^th once again in the 1929-30 season.

But that was the end of the name Fordsons FC being used in the League of Ireland. From the 1930-31 season onwards, the name was changed to Cork FC, due to the Ford Motor Company parting ways with the football club.

FAI Cup Success

While the club were holding their own in the League of Ireland, they were doing more than that in the FAI Cup. In the clubs first appearance in the competition, the reached the semi-finals, eventually losing out to Northern Ireland club, Alton United, 4-2. Harry Buckle himself scored the two goals in the game. Alton United went on to lift the trophy, beating Shelbourne FC in the final.

But the Cork club would go one better the following season in the 1923-24 edition of the competition, when they reached the final. After getting through the first round because of a bye, they met Dublin club, Jacobs in the second round, beating them 2-0 on the 27^th January 1924. It set up a semi-final meeting at the Mardyke versus St James Gate. Fordsons proved to be too strong for the Dubliners and won the game 4-0, setting up the first FAI Cup final to be contested without a Dublin club participating in it. Athlone Town, a club from Westmeath, had also reached the final.

In front of 19,000 fans on the 17^{th of} March 1924 at Dalymount Park, Athlone ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Denis J. Hannon. It meant Athlone Town became the first club outside of Dublin to win the FAI Cup.

The following season saw Fordsons knocked out in the first round, after a replay with Shelbourne FC but the 1925-26 season proved to one of the best in the club’s history. This time, the Cork club got their revenge on Shelbourne in the first round, knocking out the Dublin club after a replay. They also got their revenge on Athlone Town, beating the Midlanders, 3-2 in the second round. The semi-final was a much more straight-forward affair with Fordsons beating Bray Unknowns, 4-1 at Victoria Cross. It set up a final with Shamrock Rovers.

The game was played on the 17^th of March 1929 in front of 25,000 people at Dalymount Park. The spectators were treated to an entertaining game, in which Fordsons ran out 3-2 winners, winning their first title, and becoming the first club from Cork to do so. But that was it from the club from Cork in regards making any impression in the Fai Cup and as previously said, they changed name to Cork FC.

 

Eight players in total, who played for Fordsons in their career, represented Ireland on the international stage. Frank Brady and James Connelly became the first when they played against Italy on March 21^st, 1926. Paddy Barry, Charlie Dowdall and jack Sullivan all followed two years later when they played on the 12^th February, 1928 in a game against Belgium. Owen Kinsella and Mick McCarthy both featured for Ireland after leaving Fordsons.

Other dual internationals played for Fordsons during their career. Harry Chatton, Tom Davis and Owen Madden to name a few, all put on the Fordsons jersey at one point.

Fordsons FC will always be the first club from Cork, pioneers who were successful from the start, lifting Irelands domestic trophy whilst dominating their own local leagues and cups as well. As we know, Cork is place with a long history in the League of Ireland, but it’s Fordsons FC who kicked it all off. Will they ever come back? Probably not. Will they ever be Forgotten? Definitely not.