History of Scarborough F.C.

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Contents

[edit] Foundation and early years

During the late 1870s, a group of young men from the town including cricketers wanted a game to play during the winter months and began meetings at North Marine Road cricket ground to discuss founding Scarborough Football Club.[1] Lord Londesborough was a pivotal figure in getting the club off the ground and helped organise the first inter-club matches in October 1879. As a patron of the club he persuaded the local cricket club to allow the installation of experimental electric lights for two night football games. Due to the code preferences of the other teams from York and Hull, the rugby football code was played instead.[1] The first ever line-up was:[1]

 
  • J. Kitchin (captain)
  • W. Sanderson
  • J. Kimmings
  • C. Wheater
  
  • H. Hare
  • H. Vyvyan
  • F. Rowntree
  • J. Webb
  
  • H. Vassalli
  • R. Hodgson
  • E. Hodgson
  • A. Hodgson
  
  • G. Harrison
  • G. Frank
  • A. Jones
Scarborough squad of 1885.
Scarborough squad of 1885.

The first ever time the club played an association football match was on 6 November 1880 at the Cricket Ground against Bridlington. Scarborough won the game 2–1.[2] During the early half of the 1880s the side played in the Scarborough & East Riding County Cup competition and the name of the club was changed to Scarborough Cricketers Football Club.[3] Scarborough won their first trophy in 1885–86, lifting the County Cup; however it was a hollow victory as the final ended 4–4 against a team from Hull, but Hull refused to attend the replay and so Scarborough won by default.[4] The following season Whitby beat them 3–2 in the final fo the same competition. By the summer of 1887, the club had reverted to the name Scarborough Football Club and moved to their own ground in the form of the Recreation Ground.[5]

That season in their new ground, in front of 5,000 locals, Scarborough avenged their County Cup final defeat the previous season, by beating Whitby 6–1 in the final of the same competition.[6] During this period rivalry between the two clubs was intense. In the 1889 FA Cup Scarborough knocked Whitby out in the First Round, with Whitby complaining that Scarborough's ground was an illegal size.[5] Scarborough lost in the Second Round and were knocked out, though they did win the County Cup that year again by beating Whitby in the final.[5] Unfortunately the rivalry culminated in one of the first football riots: after a disagreement about a goal, Whitby players were attacked on the pitch by Scarborough fans and eventually chased out to the Scarborough railway station. 19 year old Whitby player Albert Drabble was attacked at the game and died the following month of a heart attack; although links between the incidents were not conclusive it put a large shadow over the fixture.[7]

[edit] Developments and the Northern League

The club began to develop, with more success in local Scarborough & East Riding County Cup competitions and the creation of a reserves team who would play in the newly created Scarborough League, though the first team continued to lose heavily in FA Cup games.[8] Scarborough were invited to become one of the founding members of the Cleveland Amateur League, but they left after one season, because as soon as a visiting club was beaten at the Recreation Ground, they would complain to get the result overturned due to the pitch size.[8] The club was also amongst the first to compete in the FA Amateur Cup.[8] In the 1898–99 season Scarborough took a step up, by joining the Northern League Second Division, and the club also had a new ground built in the form of the Athletic Ground.[9] A disagreement about the headquarters saw the club torn in two; half of the players and staff stayed and the other half broke off to found the Scarborough Utopians.

The Second Division of the Northern League was abolished in 1900; this saw Scarborough and two other clubs admitted to the single Northern League division. Around this era the league was strong, featuring the likes of Bishop Auckland, as well as reserves of Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. It was during the early 1900s that Ocky Johnson debuted, the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the club with at least 245 goals, he was one of Scarborough's all-time heroes.[10][11] In 1906, Thomas Cole became chairman of the club and sought efforts to battle the club's debts; he would remain chairman until the mid-1920s.[12] Scarborough won their first North Riding Senior Cup final in 1909, a competition which they would win many times; during the league in the early 1900s they were consistantly mid-table finishers.[13] Scarborough joined a new league in 1910—11 in the form of the Yorkshire Combination, a mixture of professional and amateur clubs from the county. Boro managed decent results in the league but after four years it collapsed due to lack of support from major clubs, leading Scarborough to return to the Northern League.[14] World War I interupted any meaningful sporting activities; Boro players Tommy Renwick and Sam Horsman died during it. Scarborough were more fortunate than many clubs who were disolved during this period, managing to survive throughout.[15]

[edit] After World War I

Midland League champions, Clayson holding the shield.
Midland League champions, Clayson holding the shield.

Despite still having their star man Ocky Johnson, Scarborough had slipped in form during the post war period. The club suffered a humiliating and record defeat against Middlesbrough in 1919, losing 16—1 in total. Although financally the club were doing well, their finishing places in the league was not as rosy.[16] Under the guidance of new chairman W.T. Medd the club adopted professionalism in 1926, joining the Yorkshire Football League, with their first ever professional match against Bridlington Town which they won 3—1.[17] Spurred on by great home attendence figures, Scarborough left the Yorkshire League after just one season to join the stronger Midland Football League. With James McGraham as player-coach, Scarborough played attractive attacking football and managed to surprise most by finishing runners-up to Gainsborough Trinity at their first attempt.[17] Local rivals Scarborough Penguins folded around this time and merged with Boro. Several players were signed by Football League clubs, but with goalscorer Billy Clayson leading the way, Scarborough were crowned champions of the Midland League in 1929—30.[18]

The financial cost it took to build a squad capable of winning the league backfired, many had to be sold to Football League clubs as a result. Despite the drop in form in the Midlands League, Boro shined in the F.A. Cup reaching the Third Round; one of these fixtures was considered the greatest ever played at the Athletic Ground, where Scarborough came from behind to beat Football League side Lincoln City 6—4.[18] A couple of years later, the transfer of club hero Billy Clayson to York City just a season after Scarborough had knocked the fellow Yorkshire club out of the F.A. Cup would light the fire of a rivalry between the two, essentially taking the place of the older rivalry with Whitby.[19] After coming close to folding and disasterous league form, experienced former Manchester United man Thomas Boyle was brought in as player-manager and helped the club to improve drastically, with a decent F.A. Cup run in the year just after he left, where Boro reached the Third Round before going out to Luton Town after a replay.[20] Boro's league form had improved also and they managed to finish 3rd in the Midland League during 1937—38 before again war interrupted again, in the form of World War II.[21]

[edit] After World War II

The club did survive the Second World War, however they missed the first season back in the Midland League because their ground had been used for military training during the war and was in very poor condition.[22] Scarborough finally returned to the Midland League by 1946–47; Peter Cook was the star player in the first post-war years, finishing as the clubs topscorer for three seasons in a row. The club suffered from having an unstable squad, with numerous different players turning out for the club in a short period of time, this showed in their league table finishes.[23] Scarborough reserves were able to gain entry into the Yorkshire League during 1949.[24] Boro almost dropped out of the Midland League due to a financial crisis, however a prestige friendly match against Hull City was organised to help the club, with famous players such as Don Revie and Raich Carter turning out for Hull.[25] In 1951—52 the club managed to finish 6th in the league, with a strong squad including the likes of Bert Brenen, Bernard Massey and Jimmy Johnson. This was a brief success, before having to sell their best players on and falling back down the table.[26]

Despite poor financial conditions in the mid-1950s and unimpressive league positions, the club did have flashes of quality, exemplified by Alan Parkinson who scored 67 league goals over the course of two seasons.[27] The Midland League itself began to decline in prestige after a shake up for the 1958—59 season which saw the majority of the clubs leaving the league, many to the Southern League.[27] Thanks to the Supporters Club, Scarborough had the Athletic Ground bought back in 1960 after a period of Scarborough Corporation owning it.[28] The Midland League collapsed the same year with Peterborough United were the last to be promoted to the Football League, while Scarborough themselves formed part of the new Northern Counties League.[28] The arrival of Eddy Brown as manager and Bessie Smith an MP for Liverpool Exchange as president, heralded a new era for the club. After the collapse of the Northern Counties League, Scarborough joined the new North Eastern League and were victorious, finishing as champions during their sole season in it.[29]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 6). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  2. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 7). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  3. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 8). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  4. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 9). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  5. ^ a b c Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 10). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  6. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 11). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  7. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 12). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  8. ^ a b c Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 15). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  9. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 17). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  10. ^ "Top Scorers", ScarboroughFC.com, 13 April 2008. 
  11. ^ "Boro Legends", SeadogsFans.co.uk, 13 April 2008. 
  12. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 23). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  13. ^ "Scarborough", FCHD.co.uk, 13 April 2008. 
  14. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 28). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  15. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 29). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  16. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 30). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  17. ^ a b Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 36). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  18. ^ a b Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 40). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  19. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 43). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  20. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 45). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  21. ^ "Scarborough", FCHD.co.uk, 13 April 2008. 
  22. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 49). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  23. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 50). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  24. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 51). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  25. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 52). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  26. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 55). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  27. ^ a b Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 57). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  28. ^ a b Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 58). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
  29. ^ Adamson, Steve. Scarborough F.C. - 1879-1998: The Official History (pg. 61). Yore Publications. ISBN 1874427925. 
Scarborough Football Club
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Club: Scarborough F.C. | Players | Players of the Year | Managers | History | Seasons | Records
Ground: North Marine Road | Recreation Ground | McCain Stadium