Montpelier F.C. was an association football club based in Dublin, Ireland.
| Full name | Montpelier Football Club (Association) | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1887 | |
| Dissolved | 1895 | |
| Ground | Island Bridge | |
| Secretaries | J. D'Arcy & Capt. G. Day | |
| Captains | T. Rice,[1] George Freeman,[2] J. Grundy[3] | |
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History edit
The club was formed out of a cricket club in 1887, in order to keep players fit over winter, but could not play any matches against other clubs, given the lack of association football in Dublin; captain D'Arcy proposed a meeting of cricket clubs in October 1888 in order to persuade some of them to adopt the association game.[4] The cricket club was named after Montpelier Hill in County Dublin.
Montpelier's first competitive football came in the first Leinster Senior Cup in 1892–93, losing to eventual winner Leinster Nomads in the semi-final;[5] the next season, it entered the 1893–94 Irish Cup, and, in the southern Ireland section, walked over Dublin University,[6] but lost heavily to Bohemians in the next round. Despite this setback, goalkeeper Rice was chosen to play for Leinster in the inter-provincial match with Ulster in December 1893.[7]
On 23 April 1894, the Leinster Senior League was agreed, with Montpelier as one of the six founding clubs;[8] Montpelier's Patrick McManus was the League's first secretary.[9] However the competition seems not to have completed its first season, as Phoenix withdrew during the season, and not all fixtures were played; Bohemians was declared champion,[10] Montpelier having lost all of its three matches;[11] a 3–2 win over Britannia, the three Montpelier goals coming in the final 12 minutes,[12] was annulled after a protest as to the state of the Montpelier pitch,[13] and was one of the outstanding fixtures when the season came to a halt.
Montpelier's 1894–95 Irish Cup run was also unsuccessful, with a 3–0 defeat at Bohemians in the two clubs' first match in the competition that season, two late goals flattering the home side.[14]
The club wound up after the 1894–95 season, but many of the members founded a new club in August 1895, called the Hibernian Football and Athletic Club.[15]
Colours edit
The club wore blue and white stripes.[16]
Ground edit
The club's ground was at Island Bridge, in Phoenix Park.[17]
References edit
- ^ "Montpelier F.C.". Dublin Daily Express: 3. 29 September 1890.
- ^ "Dublin - Montpelier F.C.". Ulster Football and Cycling News: 15. 8 September 1893.
- ^ "Montpelier Football Club". Freeman's Journal: 7. 1 September 1894.
- ^ "The workmen's clubs cricket match". Freeman's Journal: 7. 2 October 1888.
- ^ Only 4 teams entered; "Challenge Cup ties". Irish Independent: 7. 11 February 1893.
- ^ "Montpelier v Dublin University". Freeman's Journal: 3. 6 November 1893.
- ^ "Inter-provincial match". Evening Herald (Dublin): 3. 9 December 1893.
- ^ "Association Football". Irish Independent: 7. 24 April 1894.
- ^ "Leinster Football League". Irish Independent: 7. 4 September 1894.
- ^ "Notes from all quarters". Scottish Referee: 4. 30 August 1895.
- ^ "Leinster League Championship". Irish Independent: 7. 26 March 1895.
- ^ "Montpelier v Britannia". Irish Independent: 7. 12 November 1894.
- ^ "Leinster Football League". Irish Independent: 7. 24 November 1894.
- ^ "Bohemians v Montpelier". Irish Independent: 7. 19 November 1894.
- ^ "Hibernian Football and Athletic Club". Ulster Football & Cycling News: 14. 23 August 1895.
- ^ Liffey, Anna (14 September 1894). "Leinster Notes". Ulster Football & Cycling News: 8.
- ^ "Montpelier v Bohemians". Freeman's Journal: 7. 19 January 1894.