Manchester Central F.C.

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Manchester Central
Full name Manchester Central Football Club
Founded 1928
Dissolved 1932
Ground Belle Vue, Manchester
(Capacity 34,000)
Manager Billy Meredith

Manchester Central were a short lived professional football club based in Manchester.

The team formed in 1928 by John Iles, the owner of Belle Vue. The club played at the speedway stadium on the site. The manager was Billy Meredith, the Welsh international and former Manchester City and United player.

The club joined the Lancashire Combination in its first year finishing seventh in the twenty team competition. This led to an immediate application to join the Football League for the 1929-30 season; this bid failed.

The 1929-30 season, the club finished as runners up in the Combination and the reserves played in the Cheshire County League, the only other reserve teams in that league being from Football League clubs. After a successful season another application for League status was made and failed again.

The 1930-31 season was less successful finishing seventh in the Combination and the reserves bottom. A further application for League status failed with Chester gaining membership. This led to withdrawal from the Combination and entry into the Cheshire County League for the first team. After Wigan Borough had to resign from the Football League, Central applied to take their place but this was denied. At the end of the season the club resigned from the Cheshire County League and became defunct.

Manchester Central was also considered as names for both Manchester United and F.C. United of Manchester.

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