The White Stars (Wales)
The White
Stars, a club from Wales that are the predecessors of Newtown FC, a club who
play in the Cymru Premier League (as of writing this), There is a bit of
confusion as to when The White Stars were formed, but they had started playing
matches by 1876. The confusion comes from the fact there was another club from
Newtown in the area, named Newtown, whereas The White Stars also had Newtown in
their name, but it was often dropped to avoid confusion of the two clubs. The
White Stars were founded in the Greyhound Inn, in Newtown, their story mainly
revolves around their Welsh Cup exploits.
The White Stars
wore blue jerseys, with a big White Star badge on the front of it, playing thir
home games at Welshpool Road. Back in the late 19th century, cup competitions
were the only form of competitive football for most clubs and The White Stars
first entered the Welsh Cup in the 1877-78 season, the first edition of the
trophy. Drawn against Ruabon in the first round, they won the game, 1-0, on
October 27th, 1877. It set up a second round tie against Aberystwyth Town but
they failed to show up, meaning The White Stars got a bye into the third round.
There is where they met Druids and it set up a trilogy of matches.
The first game
was played on February 2nd, 1878 and it ended 1-1. With no penalty
shoot-outs back then, the game went to a reply, which was played on February 9th.
Once again the game was drawn 1-1 and so the game was played a third time, on
February 23rd. This time there was a winner, with Druids winning the
game 3-0. They went onto lose to Wrexham in the final, 1-0.
The White Stars
were buoyed by their performance in the first Welsh Cup and entered the
competition in the season after. They beat AB Saints, 2-0, in the first round,
away from home, setting up another away trip, this time to Llangollen. They won
the tightly contested game, 1-0, progressing to the third round for the second
season in a row. It would set up a meeting with Bangor City FC, a cup tie that
would be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The first game
between the two was drawn 2-2, which meant The White Stars were to host the
replay a few days later. They rushed into an early lead within half-an-hour,
going 3-1 up when a Bangor official punched a White Stars player and got the
game abandoned. The Welsh FA tried to push for the game to replayed, however,
Bangor refused and so The White Stars progressed to the semi-final. It was here
that the Newtown derby would be played, as The White Stars faced off against
their local rivals, Newtown FC.
As expected, it
was a tight affair and the game ended in a stalemate, with the score 1-1. A
replay was played a week later and this time The White Stars got the better of
their local rivals, winning the game, 3-1. In the final, Wrexham awaited them.
The final was
played on March 29th, 1879, at the Cricket Field, Oswestry in front
of 2,500 fans. The game was decided by a single goal, scored by The White Stars
player, E. Rees in the 60th minute. It meant the Newtown club lifted
the Welsh Cup, becoming the second club to do so.
Their defence
of the Welsh Cup started off well, with a first round win against Dollgelau,
brushing them aside, 3-0. The second round saw them defeat Gwersylit Foresters,
2-0 but their was no third round opponent for the current cup holders and so
The White Stars got a bye into the semi-finals. There, they faced the only club
to beat them in the cup thus far, Druids. But unlike the last time, the tie was
decided in one game, with Druids winning the game, 3-1, on February 21st,
1880. They went onto to win the trophy, beating Ruthin, 2-1, in the final.
Druids would
soon become somewhat a thorn in the side of The White Stars in the Welsh Cup. However,
there was another side story to The White Stars saga. In 1879, The White Stars
secretary approached the other Newtown club to form a merger, combining the two
clubs to compete in the Welsh Cup. Whilst the merger happened, with the club
Newtown Excelsior being formed, The White Stars also continued, with players
playing for both clubs. The White Stars were clearly the better of the two
sides as results in the Welsh cup would suggest.
The 1880-81
edition of the cup saw The White Stars navigate their way through a tricky
first round tie against Shrewsbury Engineers. The first game was tied, 0-0, but
the Newtown club won the replay, 1-0. The second round saw the White Stars meet
Wrexham, but they beat them at home, 2-1. It was a result that gave The White
Stars confidence that they would go on and win their trophy back. They avoided
Druids in the semi-final, drawing Llanidloes, whilst Druids played Northwich
Victoria in the other semi-final. Druids won their game, 3-0, whilst The White
Stars dispatched Llanidloes, 2-0 to set up another tie against their old foes,
this time in the final.
The final,
played on March 26th, 1881 at the Racecourse Ground drew in a crowd
of over 4,000 people. They witnessed Druids win the game, 2-0, thanks to a
brace from Welsh international, John Vaughan. Once again, Druids had gotten the
better of The White Stars.
Despite a
protest made by The White Stars about the eligibility of Druid’s captain, Jack
Powell, the result was upheld by the Welsh FA. It would prove to be the last
act made as a football club by The White Stars, who failed to enter or indeed
re-emerge as a football club in 1881 and that was the end of The White Stars.