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Ecclesfield F.C. was an English association football club based in Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire.


History

The club was founded in 1873, at a time when football in the area was played to the Sheffield Football Association laws. Ecclesfield played at least 16 matches in its first season, although its game with Hallam was not finished after Hallam disputed a foul. Ecclesfield did not enter the Sheffield Cup in
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 i ...
, but did reach the final in 1880–81, against Sheffield Wednesday at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
. Ecclesfield undertook a course of special training for the match, and "for nearly three hours a continuous stream of spectators passed along the
Pitsmoor Pitsmoor is a former village, now a suburb of Sheffield, England. The name derives from ''Or-pits'' as, anciently, the main local industry was the mining of ore.J. Edward Vickers, ''The Ancient Suburbs of Sheffield'', p.17 (1971) The village fal ...
Road" from the village. Ecclesfield took the lead after goalkeeper Stacey misjudged a shot from C. Cutts, and Hulley had a tap-in. However Ecclesfield's more brutal style of play worked against them - two players, trying to sandwich Stratford, instead collided with each other, and although both continued, neither made any further contribution to the match. By half-time Wednesday were 3–1 up, and Ecclesfield completely ran out of steam long before the end, the game ending 8–1; J. Cutts' ostensible long-distance consolation being disallowed because of a foul throw. Ecclesfield entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1887–88, to prevent the loss of players; it had lost six before the start of the season to Lockwood Brothers, but four came back with the prospect of Cup football. The club was drawn at home to
Derby Midland Derby railway station (, also known as Derby Midland) is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, the station is also used by CrossCountry servic ...
in the first round. The match generated the biggest crowd for the club "for some time" and a 4–1 win sent Ecclesfield into the second round. However at that stage Derby County proved too strong, winning 6–0, although Ecclesfield did have some chances, including hitting the bar in the second half. The attraction of the bigger clubs and of the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
prevented any further growth for the club. It entered the FA Cup twice more, but was forced into the new qualifying rounds, and did not win through to the main draw. Ecclesfield joined the Sheffield and District League on its foundation in 1889, and came close to the championship in 1890–91, finishing 2nd, one point behind
Kilnhurst Kilnhurst is a village in South Yorkshire, England, on the banks of the River Don and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. It grew up around the coal mining, ceramics, glass, brick-making and locomotive industries; none of these ind ...
. In 1891–92 Ecclefsield earned its greatest honour, winning the Barnsley Charity Cup - a trophy worth some £90 - by beating Barnsley St Peter's in the final. However after finishing near the bottom of the ditrict league in 1892–93, the club was more or less defunct, its final recorded match being a 7–0 defeat in the Sheffield Cup at Wednesday Reserves. It was re-started at a lower level, with some of its old players, in 1896.


Colours

The club originally wore amber and black. By 1894 the club was wearing white jerseys, possibly as an indication of a lack of resources, as when the club played
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(who also wore white) Ecclesfield did not have a change kit, and had to wear red scarves to distinguish the side.


Ground

The club's ground was at Fairham's Croft in Ecclesfield.


League and cup history


Records

* Best FA Cup performance: 2nd Round, 1887–88


References

{{Reflist Defunct football clubs in England Defunct football clubs in South Yorkshire Sheffield & District Football League Association football clubs established in 1873 Association football clubs disestablished in 1894 Defunct football clubs in County Durham 1873 establishments in England 1894 disestablishments in England