From Lancashire Combination to Third Division North
Wigan Borough’s first Lancashire Combination game at Springfield Park occurred on 21st November 1920 when Bacup Borough were the visitors and a crowd of 4,000 witnessed a 2-2 draw. In fact, it was almost two months before Borough won their first game at Springfield Park when visitors Horwich RMI were beaten 2-0 on 2nd January 1921. The Board at Borough then had the foresight to make public its intention to become a member of the Football League for the start of the following season.
Despite a horrendous, unbelievably torrid Lancashire Combination season in which Wigan United, Wigan Association and finally Wigan Borough finished next to bottom, the prospects of the new club were rosy to say the least.
Despite a horrendous, unbelievably torrid Lancashire Combination season in which Wigan United, Wigan Association and finally Wigan Borough finished next to bottom, the prospects of the new club were rosy to say the least.
Wigan Borough's record as a Lancashire Combination outfit (Borough's scores first)...
Bacup Borough (H) - 2-2
South Liverpool (A) - 2-3
Dick Kerr's (A) - 1-6
Hurst (A) - 2-5
Hurst (H) - 1-2
Eccles United (A) - 0-3
Horwich RMI (H) - 2-0
Leyland (A) - 1-1
Lancaster (H) - 1-1
Fleetwood (A) - 0-3
Fleetwood (H) - 2-2
Chorley (A) - 1-2
Chorley (H) - 2-0
Rossendale (H) - 1-1
Morecambe (A) - 2-1 (Wigan Borough's last match prior to gaining election to the Third Division North)
Barrow (H) - 0-4
Darwen (a) - 0-0
Morecambe (H) - 4-0
Accrington Stanley (A) - 1-4
Horwich RMI (A) - 4-1
Morecambe (H) - 2-0
Before these games the old Wigan United and Wigan Association clubs had between them played 9 games and lost them all!
At a 'smokers concert and public meeting' held in the Old Council Chambers on 27th January 1921 further evidence of this emerged. Present were Mr Henry Augustus Scott Barrett JP who presided over the meeting and the mayor Councillor Edwin Yates JP, Mr A H Downes secretary of the Lancashire FA and most of the Wigan Borough board. The mayor once again insisted that there was room in town for two teams and he hoped that both the rugby and football club could work together, ensuring that the clubs played at home on separate weeks to avoid unpleasantness as had been the case around Christmastime 1920 and on other occasions the previous season. The Borough chairman insisted that there was no antagonism and that he was actually a supporter of the Northern Union code. However, he went on to say that his heart was in the game that he had played previously and he finished his speech expressing a determination to get Wigan Borough elected into the Football League which was due to be restructured for the start of the following season.
Wigan Borough's secretary Mr H Sanders then reported that the current board of the club was : President Mr Alec Young, treasurer Mr Richard Walsh, a stockbroker who resided in Wigan Lane and the committee was made of Messrs George Leyland, Thomas Culshaw, John Culshaw, John William Asson, Garfield Wallace and James Thomas Holland. He confirmed that Wigan Borough had been formed on 31st October 1920 and despite some major setbacks the club was now in a strong financial position. He stated that ground improvements were well advanced and their prospects were high. The share capital of the limited company would be set at four and a half thousand pounds in shares of one pound each and the qualification for directorship would be fifty shares.
Mr Downes revealed that for the start of the next season the FA and the Northern Union powers that be were going to ensure that fixtures between all clubs did not clash. He stated that he was a supporter of Bolton Wanderers, who in 1886 sent a team to Wigan and won 14-0! He had been impressed with Wigan Borough and almost guaranteed the support of the regions bigger clubs should the club decided to apply for Third Division North status. He also strongly suggested that the club canvas the support of all the other teams in the Football League, no matter what the cost.
The chairman then called for the public of Wigan to help with work on improvements at Springfield Park as Garfield Wallace revealed that Messrs Walker Brothers promised to cast 300 tonnes of cinders, provided that fillers could be sorted for Banking purposes. The club was also in the process of purchasing Springfield Park and the secretary insisted that the Memorandum and Articles of Association would be ready within two weeks. Then came the historic motion for the club to apply for membership of the Third Division North which was carried unanimously!
Just for the record, the music for the evening was provided by Mr A Ashcroft and Mr J Arrowsmith who were accompanied on piano by Mr A Hood. The meeting concluded with a rousing rendition of the National Anthem!
On Monday 7th March 1921 a general shareholders meeting of the Football League was held in the Connaught Rooms, London to receive the report of the management committee as to the formation of a Northern Section to the Third Division of the Football League and to take such steps as to connection therewith'. John McKenna (Liverpool) resided over the meeting and unbelievably he had to fine several late coming club representatives two guineas!
The Wigan Borough contingent put forward a very strong case. Richard Walsh stated that the Springfield Park ground could eventually be made to accommodate 100,000 supporters whilst he and his brother were prepared to pay fifteen thousand pounds each, an astronomical sum in those days, to the Football League as a guarantee of good faith.
There were 32 applicants for membership of the new Third Division North and these were, Accrington Stanley, Ashington, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle United, Castleford Town, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Darlington, Darwen, Doncaster Rovers, Durham City, Halifax Town, Hartlepools United, Gainsborough Trinity, Lancaster Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Nelson, Rochdale, Rotherham Town, Scunthorpe and Lindsey United, South Liverpool, Southport, Stalybridge Celtic, Tranmere Rovers, Wakefield City, West Stanley, Walsall, Wigan Borough, Worksop Town, Wrexham and Wombwell.
Mr Charles Edward Sutcliffe of the Management Committee of the Football League, a solicitor of Lord Street, Rawtenstall, who was placed in charge of the ill fated Wigan Town FC in November 1905, proposed and a Mr Maley seconded the proposal that the following 14 clubs be installed into the new division - Accrington Stanley, Ashington, Barrow-in-Furness, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Darlington, Durham City, Hartlepools United, Lincoln City, Nelson, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers, Walsall and Wrexham. It was unanimously carried.
There was then a vote to choose the remaining four places up for grabs, meaning 18 teams were going to miss out on their opportunity. There must have been huge fears in the Borough camp, but when the vote came through celebrations were the order of the day. The vote resulted in the following - Wigan Borough, 34, Halifax Town 25, Southport 25, Stalybridge Celtic 25. Football history in Wigan had been made!
The very next game for Wigan Borough was a Lancashire Combination game at Springfield Park against Barrow, who had also been elected into the Third Division North. The game was played on Wednesday 9th March 1921 at 5.00pm and long queues could be seen outside the ground as 10,000 spectators attended the game. The visitors won the game 0-4 and both teams for this historic occasion were...
Wigan Borough, Rimmer, Jack Kershaw, Hurd, Hunter, Pearson, Gutteridge,Joe Kerslake, Harold Baron, O'Doherty,George Brodie and Elliott
Barrow, Carter, McKay, Munro, Simpson, Nimmo, Johnstone, Pearson, Eaves, McPherson, Bell and Matthews. (goalscorers - McPherson 2, Eaves and Bell)
Copyright © 2012 - This Northern Soul. All rights reserved
Bacup Borough (H) - 2-2
South Liverpool (A) - 2-3
Dick Kerr's (A) - 1-6
Hurst (A) - 2-5
Hurst (H) - 1-2
Eccles United (A) - 0-3
Horwich RMI (H) - 2-0
Leyland (A) - 1-1
Lancaster (H) - 1-1
Fleetwood (A) - 0-3
Fleetwood (H) - 2-2
Chorley (A) - 1-2
Chorley (H) - 2-0
Rossendale (H) - 1-1
Morecambe (A) - 2-1 (Wigan Borough's last match prior to gaining election to the Third Division North)
Barrow (H) - 0-4
Darwen (a) - 0-0
Morecambe (H) - 4-0
Accrington Stanley (A) - 1-4
Horwich RMI (A) - 4-1
Morecambe (H) - 2-0
Before these games the old Wigan United and Wigan Association clubs had between them played 9 games and lost them all!
At a 'smokers concert and public meeting' held in the Old Council Chambers on 27th January 1921 further evidence of this emerged. Present were Mr Henry Augustus Scott Barrett JP who presided over the meeting and the mayor Councillor Edwin Yates JP, Mr A H Downes secretary of the Lancashire FA and most of the Wigan Borough board. The mayor once again insisted that there was room in town for two teams and he hoped that both the rugby and football club could work together, ensuring that the clubs played at home on separate weeks to avoid unpleasantness as had been the case around Christmastime 1920 and on other occasions the previous season. The Borough chairman insisted that there was no antagonism and that he was actually a supporter of the Northern Union code. However, he went on to say that his heart was in the game that he had played previously and he finished his speech expressing a determination to get Wigan Borough elected into the Football League which was due to be restructured for the start of the following season.
Wigan Borough's secretary Mr H Sanders then reported that the current board of the club was : President Mr Alec Young, treasurer Mr Richard Walsh, a stockbroker who resided in Wigan Lane and the committee was made of Messrs George Leyland, Thomas Culshaw, John Culshaw, John William Asson, Garfield Wallace and James Thomas Holland. He confirmed that Wigan Borough had been formed on 31st October 1920 and despite some major setbacks the club was now in a strong financial position. He stated that ground improvements were well advanced and their prospects were high. The share capital of the limited company would be set at four and a half thousand pounds in shares of one pound each and the qualification for directorship would be fifty shares.
Mr Downes revealed that for the start of the next season the FA and the Northern Union powers that be were going to ensure that fixtures between all clubs did not clash. He stated that he was a supporter of Bolton Wanderers, who in 1886 sent a team to Wigan and won 14-0! He had been impressed with Wigan Borough and almost guaranteed the support of the regions bigger clubs should the club decided to apply for Third Division North status. He also strongly suggested that the club canvas the support of all the other teams in the Football League, no matter what the cost.
The chairman then called for the public of Wigan to help with work on improvements at Springfield Park as Garfield Wallace revealed that Messrs Walker Brothers promised to cast 300 tonnes of cinders, provided that fillers could be sorted for Banking purposes. The club was also in the process of purchasing Springfield Park and the secretary insisted that the Memorandum and Articles of Association would be ready within two weeks. Then came the historic motion for the club to apply for membership of the Third Division North which was carried unanimously!
Just for the record, the music for the evening was provided by Mr A Ashcroft and Mr J Arrowsmith who were accompanied on piano by Mr A Hood. The meeting concluded with a rousing rendition of the National Anthem!
On Monday 7th March 1921 a general shareholders meeting of the Football League was held in the Connaught Rooms, London to receive the report of the management committee as to the formation of a Northern Section to the Third Division of the Football League and to take such steps as to connection therewith'. John McKenna (Liverpool) resided over the meeting and unbelievably he had to fine several late coming club representatives two guineas!
The Wigan Borough contingent put forward a very strong case. Richard Walsh stated that the Springfield Park ground could eventually be made to accommodate 100,000 supporters whilst he and his brother were prepared to pay fifteen thousand pounds each, an astronomical sum in those days, to the Football League as a guarantee of good faith.
There were 32 applicants for membership of the new Third Division North and these were, Accrington Stanley, Ashington, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle United, Castleford Town, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Darlington, Darwen, Doncaster Rovers, Durham City, Halifax Town, Hartlepools United, Gainsborough Trinity, Lancaster Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Nelson, Rochdale, Rotherham Town, Scunthorpe and Lindsey United, South Liverpool, Southport, Stalybridge Celtic, Tranmere Rovers, Wakefield City, West Stanley, Walsall, Wigan Borough, Worksop Town, Wrexham and Wombwell.
Mr Charles Edward Sutcliffe of the Management Committee of the Football League, a solicitor of Lord Street, Rawtenstall, who was placed in charge of the ill fated Wigan Town FC in November 1905, proposed and a Mr Maley seconded the proposal that the following 14 clubs be installed into the new division - Accrington Stanley, Ashington, Barrow-in-Furness, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Darlington, Durham City, Hartlepools United, Lincoln City, Nelson, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers, Walsall and Wrexham. It was unanimously carried.
There was then a vote to choose the remaining four places up for grabs, meaning 18 teams were going to miss out on their opportunity. There must have been huge fears in the Borough camp, but when the vote came through celebrations were the order of the day. The vote resulted in the following - Wigan Borough, 34, Halifax Town 25, Southport 25, Stalybridge Celtic 25. Football history in Wigan had been made!
The very next game for Wigan Borough was a Lancashire Combination game at Springfield Park against Barrow, who had also been elected into the Third Division North. The game was played on Wednesday 9th March 1921 at 5.00pm and long queues could be seen outside the ground as 10,000 spectators attended the game. The visitors won the game 0-4 and both teams for this historic occasion were...
Wigan Borough, Rimmer, Jack Kershaw, Hurd, Hunter, Pearson, Gutteridge,Joe Kerslake, Harold Baron, O'Doherty,George Brodie and Elliott
Barrow, Carter, McKay, Munro, Simpson, Nimmo, Johnstone, Pearson, Eaves, McPherson, Bell and Matthews. (goalscorers - McPherson 2, Eaves and Bell)
Copyright © 2012 - This Northern Soul. All rights reserved