Rathmines Athletic
Another
League of Ireland club, and another club from Dublin. This one is probably one
the lesser-known clubs that had competed in the League of Ireland. Everyone
could be forgiven for forgetting this club as they only competed in one season,
and in fact, did not even complete the full season. A club that never lit the
place on fire in their time in the topflight, but nevertheless, deserve their
place as a part of history. Rathmines Athletic, Gone but never forgotten.
Rathmines
Athletic Football Club was an Irish football club based in the Rathmines area
of Dublin. The club was founded in 1900
and played in the League of Ireland for one season during the 1921-22 season. They
were added after the league was expanded from eight teams to twelve. Two clubs,
however, dropped out (Frankfort and YMCA) so six new teams had to be drafted
in. They, alongside Rathmines Athletic were Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne United,
Pioneers, Midland Athletic and the first side outside of Dublin to join the
League of Ireland, Athlone Town. Originally, Rathmines Athletic and Shelbourne
United had their applications rejected, however, when UCD dropped out after
concerns over their ability to field a team, they were reconsidered and got in.
Despite
finishing last in the league, the club managed to avoid relegation due to a
restructuring of the league. However, the club did not return for a second
season, and became one of only four clubs to have only played in one single
League of Ireland season.
Rathmines
Athletic played its home matches at the Rathmines Road ground, which had a
capacity of 10,000 spectators. The ground was located in the heart of Rathmines
and was easily accessible by public transportation. The club's colors were blue
and white, and its crest featured a shield with a lion rampant in the center.
In
addition to playing in the League of Ireland, Rathmines Athletic also competed
in the Leinster Senior Cup and the FAI Cup. The club's most successful season
was in 1913-14 when it reached the final of the Leinster Senior Cup, but lost
2-0 to Shelbourne.
The
club's final match in the League of Ireland was a 2-0 loss to Shelbourne on
April 9, 1922. Although technically it was a proposed game against Dublin
United, but the club resigned from the league before fulfilling the fixture.
The same happened before their FAI cup tie against Cork side, Fordsons was
supposed to take place. The club were unable to play the game and therefore
Fordsons were awarded the walkover.
Rathmines
Athletic withdrew from the league officially shortly thereafter due to
financial difficulties. The club continued to compete in the Leinster Senior
Cup and the FAI Cup for several years before disbanding in the late 1920s.
A
few records of Rathmines Athletic include their biggest win being a 2-0-win v
Athlone Town on the 7th October, 1922, while their biggest defeats
included a 7-1 loss at home to St James Gate on the 18th November,
1921 and a 6-0 home defeat to Shelbourne on the 21st October, 1921.
In their solitary season, their joint top goal scorers were Michael Merrigan
and a player only known as ‘Bex’. Both scored three goals.
In
what can be said was a less than eventful time in League of Ireland, Rathmines
were a club who tried their luck, but it just didn’t work out. A club that
probably suffered from the fact there were so many Dublin clubs competing for
the same resources, it was probably always going to end the way it did. So,
while I always ask the question, Will Rathmines Athletic return to the League
of Ireland? Well, the answer is probably no. While we all want to see more
clubs involved in the league, with extra tiers added to the football pyramid in
Ireland, the likelihood of seeing Rathmines returning is very, very low. A bit
like their points tally, in their one and only season. Still, they have their
place in history and will never be forgotten.