Accrington Football Club was an English football club from Accrington,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, who were one of the founder members of

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

History

Accrington F.C. was formed following a meeting at a local

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

. The ''Owd Reds'' played at Accrington Cricket Club's ground in

Thorneyholme Road Thorneyholme Road is a cricket and former football ground in Accrington, England. It is the home ground of Accrington Cricket Club, and was the home ground of Accrington F.C. from 1878 until 1896 when they dissolved. History Thorneyholme Ro ...

, still in use for that sport today. The club was part of the revolt against

the Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

in 1884 over professionalism, after being expelled from the FA the previous year for paying a player. They were one of the original twelve teams forming the Football League on 17 April 1888. Accrington's best season was in 1889–90, when they finished sixth in the table. However, in the 1892–93 season the team finished fifteenth (of 16) and was relegated after losing a

test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

1–0 against

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...

. Accrington then resigned from the league rather than play in the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

, becoming the first of the founding Football League clubs to leave the League permanently ( Stoke had failed re-election in 1890, but rejoined the league a year later). After its first season in the Lancashire League, Accrington unsuccessfully applied for re-election to the Football League. Shortly afterwards, Accrington F.C. suffered financial problems, which eventually led to its demise. The club continued outside the league until

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...

, when it finally folded following a 12–0 defeat on 14 January against

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the s ...

in the

Lancashire Senior Cup The Lancashire County Football Association Cup (commonly known as the Lancashire Senior Cup) is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Lancashire, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Lancashire County Football Associatio ...

. Accrington did not have a Football League team again until in 1921–22 the

Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...

league's

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...

(formerly a local rival), became a member as part of a major expansion of the league.

League and Cup history

International players

During its short life, the club had three players selected for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

:England Players' Club Affiliations – Accrington
/ref> * George Haworth – 5 caps (1887–1890) * Joe Lofthouse – 1 cap (1890) *

Jimmy Whitehead James W. Whitehead (1870–1929) was an English footballer who played at both professional and international levels as an inside right. Career Born in Church, Lancashire, Whitehead played in the Football League for Accrington, Blackburn Rovers ...

– 1 cap (1893)

References

External links

Every match result and League table while in the Football LeagueAccrington on Football Club History Database
{{Borough of Hyndburn culture Defunct football clubs in England Defunct football clubs in Lancashire Association football clubs established in 1876 Association football clubs disestablished in 1896 1876 establishments in England 1896 disestablishments in England Sport in Hyndburn History of Hyndburn Accrington The Football League founder members Defunct English Football League clubs Lancashire Combination Lancashire League (football)