Astley Bridge F.C. was an English

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club from Astley Bridge, near Bolton.

History

The club was founded in 1875. In 1878 the club was a founder member of the Lancashire Football Association. The club first entered the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

in 1880-81, beating

Eagley Eagley is a village of the unparished area of South Turton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies on southern slopes of the West Pennine Moors. Eagley Brook passes through t ...

at home in the first round in front of a "large attendance", but losing to Turton in the second. The

next year "Next Year" is a song released as the last single from the third Foo Fighters' album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose''. History A shorter version (running at just 3:21 compared to the original's 4:36) was released as a single in 2000 and wa ...

the club went out again to Turton, this time in the first round, but after three replays. On 14 October 1882, the Bridgeites visited Turf Moor in the Lancashire Senior Cup as the first opponents for

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

in competitive football, winning 8–0. The club continued to enter the Cup until 1888-89, when the club was forced to start in the qualifying rounds. The club's only other win in the competition was against

Southport Central Southport Central is an 18,130 m² mixed Use, multi-purpose development at the corner of Scarborough and Lawson Streets in Southport, Queensland, Australia. It comprises three towers with integrated shopping and commercial precincts with a tota ...

in 1885-86, which was followed by the club's record defeat in the competition, 11–3 against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

in front of 1,500 spectators. That year, Astley Bridge loaned a player (Sculthorpe) to Halliwell, who played in a friendly against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

; because 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 an ...

had not given permission, both Sculthorpe and Halliwell were briefly suspended. In both 1886-87 and 1887-88 the club made it through to the second round on a forfeit. In the former year, the club drew twice with

, but Burnley was disqualified for fielding a professional player before the second replay; Burnley was unable to field a full-strength side in the first two matches as many of its first choice players had not fulfilled the residency requirements for the competition. In the latter year, the club unexpectedly lost at Hurst before a crowd of 3,000, but the club put in a protest and the FA ordered a replay. Hurst "scratched rather than replay a match that they claimed to have fairly won" and Astley Bridge were awarded the tie. In the second round, a crowd of 2,000 saw the Bridgeites lose to Halliwell, and put in another protest, on the basis that one player (Hewitson) was not qualified to play for Halliwell. Halliwell attended the hearing with Hewitson's birth certificate, the FA dismissed the protest, and ordered Astley Bridge to pay 2 guineas and Halliwell's expenses. The original club seems to have dissolved in the early 1890s, although a replacement club (Astley Bridge Wanderers) was in existence before the 1892–93 season and a later club was in the Lancashire Combination in the early 1950s.

Grounds

The club originally played at a ground on Sweetloves Lane, notable for its steep slope. In 1881 the club moved to Astley Meadow, near the Lamb Inn public house, on a ground that was shorter than the 110 yards minimum to host

ties and which led to at least one protest. In 1883 the club constructed a grandstand that could hold 300 people, at a cost of £50.

Colours

References

{{Reflist Defunct football clubs in England Defunct football clubs in Lancashire Association football clubs established in 1875 Association football clubs disestablished in the 19th century