| Full name | Hyde Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tigers[1] | ||
| Founded | 1885 | ||
| Ground | Ewen Fields, Hyde (Capacity: 4,250 (550 seated)) |
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| Owner | John Manship | ||
| Chairman | Allan Kenyon | ||
| Manager | Gary Lowe | ||
| League | Conference North | ||
| 2010–11 | Conference North, 19th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Hyde FC are an English semi-professional football club from Hyde, Greater Manchester, who are nicknamed the Tigers. Formed in 1885 the club changed its name to Hyde United in 1919, before reverting to Hyde FC in June 2010. The team's strip featured red shirts and white shorts for most of the club's history, but there was a change to white shirt and navy blue shorts for the 2010–11 season. The team's home ground is the 4,250–capacity Ewen Fields with seating for 550 people.
The club hold the record for the heaviest competitive defeat in English football, a 26–0 defeat to Preston North End in an 1887 FA Cup tie at Deepdale. Hyde F.C.'s record attendance was in 1952 when 7,600 spectators attended a game against Nelson. The club's joint all-time leading goalscorers are Ged Kimmins and David Nolan, who scored 114 goals each.
Since May 2011 the club has been managed by Gary Lowe.[2]
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Although the name Hyde United was adopted in 1919, Hyde Football Club was formed in 1885.[1] The club is best remembered for its 26–0 defeat by Preston North End in an FA Cup tie at Deepdale in 1887,[3] still a record score for a competitive match in England, although the British senior record is held by Bon Accord, who were beaten 36–0 by Arbroath.[4] Historian Tom Middleton has said the club began at Walker Fold on the old Hyde Rugby Club field but the North Cheshire Herald refers to a ground off Mottram Road.[5] Hyde F.C. later moved to Townend Street but moved to Ewen Fields in 1906 after merging with Hyde St George's who played in the Lancashire Combination league.[6] The club folded in 1917 during the First World War on the grounds of what was termed war reaction. When the conflict ended, demands were made to resurrect the club. Although the "new" club was called Hyde United (to avoid incurring the old club's debts), it was effectively Hyde FC under a new name and included many of the former players.[6]
After one season in the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation, United joined the Manchester League and by 1930 had won it five times and won the Gilgryst Cup twice.[6] During the 1920s, the teams players wore black-and-white halved shirts for a spell. The club moved into the Cheshire County League in 1930 and won the League Challenge Cup four years later. The decade after the Second World War proved to be a purple patch for the club. In 1946 they won the Cheshire Senior Cup, the first of many trophies to arrive at Ewen Fields during the next ten years.[6] In 1953 Hyde United won the League Cup followed by a league and cup double a season later. The 1955–56 season saw the club retain the championship and finish as runners-up in the following three seasons.[6] They reached the FA Cup first round in 1954 only to lose 5–1 away to Workington, who were at that time managed by Bill Shankly.[6] Hyde were founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968 but could not afford the cost of travel to places like Ashington and Scarborough and rejoined the Cheshire League in 1970 where they remained for 12 years. They won the league cup in 1973, and in 1981 finished as runners-up in the league and winners of the Cheshire Senior Cup and league challenge shield.[6]
A year later, with Les Sutton as manager, Hyde swept the Cheshire League Board, and with the installation of a number of supporter's club-financed ground improvements, won election to the Northern Premier League. The first year back saw the club score 91 goals and reach the first round of the FA Cup where they lost 2–0 at Burnley.[7] A year later, with Peter Wragg as manager, Hyde reached the Northern Premier League Cup final— only to lose on penalties to South Liverpool.[7] However, they were back in the final in 1986 when they beat Marine 1–0.[7]
In 1993 Pete O'Brien was appointed manager for a second time, but only remained in charge until the end of the season, when he resigned to take-over at Droylsden. Mike McKenzie took over from O'Brien in June 1994. His first season in charge showed much future promise when Hyde reached the first round of the FA Cup but then lost 3–1 at home to Darlington,[8] to be followed by elimination from the FA Trophy by Kidderminster Harriers in the semi-final.[9] During the 1995–96 season, Ewen Fields' astroturf pitch was relaid in grass,[6] then played host to another FA Trophy semi-final, this time against Northwich Victoria.[10] After Mike McKenzie left the club in 2001 by mutual consent,[11] former player Dave Nolan took over as manager.[11] After an unsuccessful 2001–02 season, Nolan was sacked.[12] In October 2002 former Manchester United player Gordon Hill was appointed as manager, but remainder at the club for only two months.[13] Following his departure, Hyde gave the job to Leigh boss Steve Waywell, though he could not prevent the club's relegation to the Northern Premier League Division One in 2003.[13] Waywell assembled a new team, and the Tigers won the Northern Premier League First Division at their first attempt.[14]
Hyde United won the Northern Premier League Premier Division title in 2005 for the first time in their history, a win not without controversy as Hyde were awarded the title following an appeal to the Football Association. The title was originally awarded to Farsley Celtic after the expunging of Spennymoor United's results because they were unable to complete their fixtures that season (with a Hyde fixture one of those not played). On appeal, this decision was overturned and Hyde, along with other teams who had not played Spennymoor twice, were awarded three points for a "0–0 win"—sufficient to secure Hyde's first Northern Premier League title.[15]
During their first season in the Conference North league, the Tigers got off to a slow start, but a run of better results mid-season saw them finishing 11th, with 56 points from 42 games.[16] Further mid-table finishes followed in subsequent seasons, then Waywell left the club by mutual consent in October 2008,[17] after a poor start to the season saw Hyde collect only five points from their first eight games and at the same time exit the Conference League Cup in the first round. He was replaced by Neil Tolson along with Chris Brass, who left the club a few months later.[18] Hyde finished the season in 20th place and faced relegation, only to be spared when Kings Lynn were demoted for failing to ensure that their home ground met Conference North standards.[19]
On 24 September 2009, the club was officially wound up at the High Court in London, with debts of around £120,000 to HM Revenue and Customs. Over the following few days, major efforts by club officials, supporters and players, which included a bucket collection at a Manchester City Premier League match, raised sufficient funds to lodge an appeal against the High Court decision. This was heard on 30 September 2009, and the original winding-up order reversed.[20]
Hyde finished the 2009–10 season in 15th place after a mid and late season fight back during which they lost only one home fixture.[21] Before the start of the 2010–11 season the club reverted to its original name of Hyde F.C. to mark its 125th anniversary.[22] At the same time, Ewen Fields underwent a complete makeover, turning the ground from red to blue and switching to white shirts and blue shorts as part of a sponsorship deal with Manchester City.[22] In the second half of the season club chairman Steve Hartley and secretary Tony Beard both resigned from the board,[23] and this was later followed by the sacking of manager Neil Tolson. Tolson was replaced by Scott McNiven and Steve Halford, who acted as joint caretaker player-managers,[24] and Hyde escaped relegation on the last day of the season.[25][26]
Ahead of the 2011–12 season Hyde appointed Gary Lowe as manager,[2] with Martyn Booty as his assistant,[27] and also set up a formal link with the Glenn Hoddle Academy, after the academy left Spain to set up their new training camp in England.[28]
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| Kit colours largely used from 1927–2010. |
It is not known what colours Hyde wore in 1885. Records held by the Manchester FA suggest the first strip may have been Oxford/Cambridge blue halves.[29] The first mention of white shirts and blue shorts appears in the North Cheshire Herald in 1890. By 1912 Hyde were in red. In 1917 Hyde went into liquidation and a new club, Hyde United, was formed in 1919. In the club's first season; 1919–20, players wore a black shirt with white shorts. This was followed by black and white stripes and then red shirts form 1927. Red and white would continue as the club's colours until 2010 except for 1971-4 when tangerine shirts were used[30] In 2009 the club announced that they had struck a deal with Pelada, a sporting company, who would supply their kit for the 2009–10 season.[31] To mark the club's 125th anniversary, in June 2010, the club announced that Hyde United F.C. would revert to its original name of Hyde and the team's kit would change to white shirt and navy shorts.[32] At a fans night the following month, the club launched the new kit, announcing that it would be supplied by Umbro and sponsored by the Manchester City F.C. City in the Community scheme, which had also been the shirt sponsors for the previous season.[33] Before the start of the 2011–12 season, the club announced that they would be reverting their shirt colour back to red, after just one season in white. The club also announced that the supplier of the kit for 2011–12 was Pelada and the shirt sponsor would stay the same for the third season running, City in the Community.[34]
The club's crest is an adaptation of the Hyde borough coat of arms.[35] The crest was initially red but was changed to sky blue in 2010 when the club changed its name and kit colours as part of the Manchester City sponsorship deal.[36]
Hyde play their home games at Ewen Fields,[37] which has a capacity of 4,250 across covered five stands: the Main Stand, the Scrattin' Shed, the Tinker's Passage end, the Leigh Street stand and the Walker Lane end.[38] All provide standing spectator accommodation apart from the Main Stand which has seating for 550.[39] The pitch was relaid as Baspograss, then in 1995 reverted to real grass.[6]
The ground held the last non-qualifying FA Cup game on an artificial surface when Hyde faced Darlington in the 1st Round Proper of the 1994–95 FA Cup.[40] Ewen Fields has hosted many sporting teams in the past, with Manchester United Reserves[41] and Stockport County Reserves amongst former users.[42] Ewen Fields has also held fixtures for Oldham Curzon Ladies Football Team.[43]
After Hyde United changed their name and strip in 2010, the colour of the ground was changed from red to blue in 2010, in a change funded by Manchester City Football Club. This came about as a result of the two club's partnership whereby Ewen Fields would also be used by Manchester City's Reserve Team.[44]
Hyde have two main rivals, Stalybridge Celtic[45] and Droylsden,[46] of who Stalybridge Celtic is considered the biggest because Hyde and Stalybridge are geographically adjacent.[47] Both teams compete in the Conference North league and every season have set fixture dates for when they place each other. The first of the two matches is played on Boxing Day at Ewen Fields and the second on New Year's Day at Stalybridge's home ground, Bower Fold.[48] Since 1980, the clubs have contested 50 fixtures in all competitions with Hyde winning 25 and Stalybridge 20, while there have been five draws.[49] The most notable Hyde win in this fixture was played on 1 January 2007, at Bower Fold where Hyde came out as 7–3 winners with Hyde striker Gareth Seddon scoring five goals.[50] Hyde's highest home attendance for this fixture is 1,868 in a Conference North match in 2011, a match that saw both sides begin the match 1st and 2nd at the top of the league, and ended in a 1-1 draw.[51] Since 1980, Hyde's all-time top goalscorer in this fixture is Gareth Seddon with eight goals to his name.[49]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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See Category:Hyde F.C. players to see a list of Hyde players, past and present.
As of 18 April 2011[53]
This is a list of all the men who have managed Hyde:[2][11][12][13][18][55][56][57][58][59]
| Name | Job | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Swinnerton | Manager | 1945 | 1947 |
| Gordon Clarke | Manager | 1947 | 1949 |
| Harold Brunton | Manager | 1949 | 1951 |
| Tommy Wright | Manager | 1953 | 1954 |
| Jack Smith | Manager | 1957 | 1958 |
| Wally Boyes | Manager | 1958 | 1959 |
| George Smith 1 | Manager | 1959 | 1960 |
| Peter Robinson | Manager | 1960 | 1961 |
| Frank Clempson | Player-manager | 1961 | 1963 |
| Les Battrick | Manager | 1963 | 1964 |
| Bill Pheasey | Manager | 1964 | 1968 |
| Eric Webster | Manager | 1968 | 1972 |
| Les Sutton | Manager | 1972 | 1974 |
| Jack Dobson | Manager | 1974 | 1975 |
| George Smith 2 | Manager | January 1975 | July 1975 |
| John Bain | Manager | 1975 | 1976 |
| Les Sutton | Manager | 1976 | 1983 |
| Peter Wragg | Manager | 1983 | 1986 |
| Peter O'Brien | Manager | 1986 | 1989 |
| Graham Bell | Manager | 1991 | 1991 |
| Cliff Roberts | Manager | 1991 | 1992 |
| Ged Coyne | Manager | 1992 | 1993 |
| Peter O'Brien | Manager | 1993 | 1994 |
| Mike McKenzie | Manager | 1994 | 2001 |
| Davd Nolan | Manager | 2001 | 2002 |
| Gordon Hill | Manager | October 2002 | December 2002 |
| Steve Waywell | Manager | December 2002 | September 2008 |
| Neil Tolson | Player-manager | September 2008 | April 2011 |
| Scott McNiven & Steve Halford | Player-Caretaker Managers | April 2011 | May 2011 |
| Gary Lowe | Manager | May 2011 | present |
| 1889 | Founder Member of the Lancashire League. |
| 1890 | Founder member of The Combination. |
| 1892 | The Federation. |
| 1894 | Hyde and District League. |
| 1896 | North Cheshire Amateur League. |
| 1898 | Stockport and District League. |
| 1900 | Manchester League. |
| 1905 | Joined Lancashire Combination Division Two. |
| 1909 | Promoted to Lancashire Combination Division One. |
| 1910 | Relegated to Lancashire Combination Division Two. |
| 1911 | Promoted to Lancashire Combination Division One. |
| 1917 | Club folded due to World War I. |
| 1919 | Club reformed and Joined Lancashire & Cheshire Football Federation. |
| 1920 | Moved to Manchester League. |
| 1930 | Elected to Cheshire County League. |
| 1968 | Elected as founder members of Northern Premier League. |
| 1970 | Returned to Cheshire County League. |
| 1982 | Elected to Northern Premier League. |
| 2003 | Relegated to Northern Premier League Division One. |
| 2004 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Premier Division. |
| 2005 | Promoted to Conference North |
The list of Honours that Hyde have achieved is as follows:[72]
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