Darwen Ramblers FC was an English association football club based in Darwen, Lancashire.
| Full name | Darwen Ramblers Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Ramblers |
| Founded | 1877? |
| Dissolved | 1886 |
| Ground | Anchor Meadows |
| Secretary | John Earle[1] |
History edit
The club was originally called Hill-Houses[2] and its first recorded match was against the Black Prince club of Little Harwood[3] in December 1878; by this time the club had enough members for a second team which played the Black Prince reserves.[4]
By 1881 the club had changed its name to Darwen Ramblers and rose in prominence in Lancashire, being considered one of the rising sides in Darwen; however there was competition from other sides such as Darwen itself, Lower Darwen, and Lower Chapel, all of whom had, unlike the Ramblers, entered the Lancashire Senior Cup. The Ramblers entered the competition for its third instalment, being drawn against Irwell Springs in the first round, and surprisingly losing 6–3 having been 3–0 up.[5]
Paradoxically the club had more success in the FA Cup than the Lancashire Cup; in 1882–83 the club beat South Shore and Haslingden Association to reach the third round of the FA Cup, where they lost to the eventual winners Blackburn Olympic, but in the Lancashire Cup they lost 4–3 at Padiham, having been 2–0 and 3–1 up. The Ramblers protested the result on the basis that the winning goal came three minutes after the referee should have called for time; the protest was not successful.[6]
That season however marked the only wins in the FA Cup for the Ramblers. Their entries in the next two years saw them eliminated in the first round, although they were unlucky in 1883–84 to be drawn against the holders. The 1883 game against Olympic was the first of that season's competition to be played, as Olympic offered Ramblers £10 and a return fixture to move the fixture up in the calendar, so that the Olympic players would be Cup-tied for the season.[7] However the Ramblers were not attractive opponents and the crowd was a mere 400.[8]
The club remained prominent on the local scene in 1882–83 and 1883–84, including Preston North End among their opponents,[9] and sent a representative to the Football Association AGM in 1883.[10] The club also finally won a tie in the Lancashire Cup, beating Blackburn West End in the first round in 1883–84, but a sign of the distance between the club and the professionals was demonstrated when they lost 4–0 in the second round to a Blackburn Olympic reserve side, as the Light Blues' first team was on a Scottish tour, playing Edinburgh University F.C. on the day of the tie.[11]
Demise edit
By 1885–86, very few of the club's fixtures were attracting media attention. The last recorded fixture was a 4–1 defeat at Wigan A.F.C. in the Lancashire Senior Cup.[12] The club did not pay its subscription to the Lancashire FA for the 1886–87 season and seems to have been wound up.[13]
Ground edit
The club played at Hill Houses, from which it took its original name.[14]
Notable players edit
- Sam Fish, future Darwen captain[15]
- James Kenyon, future Darwen player
References edit
- ^ "The Association game". Athletic News: 5. 27 September 1882.
- ^ Johnson, Gill. "Football star Sam was the original one-club man". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "Football". Blackburn Standard: 6. 19 January 1878.
- ^ "Black Prince v Hill-Houses". Blackburn Standard. 7 December 1878.
- ^ Hindle, Roger (2014). History of Bacup Football Club.
- ^ "Padiham v Darwen Ramblers". Blackburn Standard. 4 November 1882.
- ^ Phythian, Graham (2007). The Brief and Glorious History of Blackburn Olympic 1878-1889. Tony Brown.
- ^ "Blackburn Olympic v Darwen Ramblers". Blackburn Standard: 3. 20 October 1883.
- ^ In November 1882, losing 5–0 in a match reduced to an hour because of bad weather
- ^ "Football Association". Sheffield Independent. 26 August 1883.
- ^ "Lancashire Cup". Liverpool Mercury: 3. 24 December 1883.
- ^ "Lancashire Cup". Liverpool Mercury: 7. 28 September 1885.
- ^ "Lancashire Football Association Cup". Blackburn Standard: 5. 7 August 1886.
- ^ "Darwen Ramblers v Oswaldtwistle St Paul's". Athletic News: 6. 25 January 1882.
- ^ Johnson, Gill. "Football star Sam was the original one-club man". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2022.