The massive Wrexham AFC history thread (The sad case of a founding members and player of Wrexham...)

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

As an update the the above, the opening game of the 1865/66 season took place at The Racecourse on 7th October 1865, with a scratch-15-a side contest.
Mr G. Prichard's (capt) side won Mr H. H. Mundy's (capt) side by 1 goal to nil, scored by G Mitchell.

C.E Kershaw, J.B. Jones, Edward Jones, Evan Rowlands, G. Pritchard, A Fyfe, E Evans, J Roberts, C Fyfe, T Haywood, W Heywood, F Heywwod, G Mitchell, M Manion, WC Zachery.

JW Jones, T Hanmer, W Price, E Lewis, T Price, H. H. Mundy, JL Heywood, H Roberts, A Sainsbury, G Davies, FC Richards, G Lloyd, EA Cross, E Manners, J Taylor.


During this period, articles were placed in the local press each week, advertising that members of the football club would be playing football on The Racecourse every Saturday at 2.30pm, and the same articles would also request challenges for games from any football team in the area.

The club had over 100 members at the beginning of the 1865 season and were also advertising for their first Athletics Sports Event, which was planned to take place on the 4th November.
A Silver Cup (Hanmers Cup) was purchased by Thomas Hanmer, Landlord of The Turf Tavern and a clock was provided by Joseph Clark as prizes for the Athletics Event, although Pewter tankards would also be presented

The above team- Mr E Leeming played in Mr H.H. Mundy's side.
Curiously, Mundy, who was captain, did not play in 15 man team the team

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

On 8th October 1864, Edward Manners stated that he was going to buy a football in the course of the week and called for members of the cricket club to attend the field, next Saturday (15th October) and while there may have been a (first ever) scratch match played at The Racecourse on 15th October, there were no reports in the newspapers at that time to confirm that any such game took place on that date.


1864/1865 season

22nd October 1864; Wrexham Football and Athletic Club 1- 2 Prince of Wales Fire Brigade (10 a side teams at The Racecourse)

25th February 1865; Prince of Wales Fire Brigade v Wrexham Football and Athletic Club (probably at The Racecourse) won by WFAC, score unknown.

11th March 1865; Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade- game arranged for 11th March (weather permitting) score unknown.


In the earliest days of the football club, it seems to have been common practice to play return matches, and then a third deciding game if each team had won one of the first two games.

The last match in our first ever season took place at The Racecourse Ground on 29th April 1865.
The Wrexham Advertiser reported that the season had ended with a spirited game, but no mention of any other teams. It appears that during our first few seasons, members of the football club played every Saturday between October and May (weather and players permitting) usually with sides organised from within club members, but in our first season there were 3 games against The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, and following year, as well as The Fire Brigade, there were games against Provincial Welsh Insurance Company.
This is not really suprising as the 3 organisations were closely linked. Provincial Welsh Insurance Company, provided a fire brigade that later merged into The Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, and most of the fire brigade volunteers and Insurance Clerks were also members of Denbighshire County Cricket, and Wrexham Football and Athletic Club. All 3 organisations consisted mostly of volunteers and service men of the rifle militia and cavalry.

The football club made a profit in its first ever season, which it's members voted to invest in prizes that the club would provide for The Football Club's Athletic Sports events.

[Mr Wonderful]

Any idea of the amount of people in attendance ESR for these matches? Though I wouldn't imagine they would collate these figures.
Great information though which all adds to the rich tapestry of history that is woven through our club.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Mr Wonderful

Any idea of the amount of people in attendance ESR for these matches? Though I wouldn't imagine they would collate these figures.
Great information though which all adds to the rich tapestry of history that is woven through our club.

Doesn't give enough information in the early reports, just a few lines to say when the games took place, but if I were to hazzard a guess, I would imagine the low to mid hundreds, as I would imagine that the press would have reported if there were thousands on the ground.
The Racecourse was something of a community place at that time and the football club alone had 100+ members, but there were also local businessmen and dignitaries involved in the club as well as servicemen who took an interest, and I would suppose townsfolk who sought entertainment. Though it is only a guess
I believe that the clubs money came from membership subscrictions and donations from businessmen and the wealthy folk in the area, at that time, although I think The Turf would also have benefitted through sales of drink and food.

[eastsussexred]

On first reflection, a few hundred attendance may seem a bit high for a newly formed bunch of blokes starting playing football, but the organised game seems to have taken off right from the beginning. It should also be noted that the club was not just a group of blokes playing football; it was a social movement that attempted to bring the rich and poor together with a view to improve the health of the population, with each game advertised weekly in the local press. There are newspaper reports of meetings in which the members of WFAC were quoted saying that they did not want to be just a football club, but rather part of an organisation which bought athletic sport to the masses. Similar things were happening at most other football clubs, which also had an athletic sports agenda associated with their club. Perhaps this is part of the reason as to why football took off so quickly to become the sport of the masses? Additionally, football evolved at a time when there was no free public entertainment or indeed anything else to entertain the masses. People seem to have gathered in large numbers at every opportunity. Even funerals of the day, people would line the streets in large numbers and there is even a newspaper report of 7,000 people turning up at the Racecourse to watch an inspection of the troups. Unlike cricket, which was seen as a more gentle-manly sport, football from its inception seems to have have brought the Chiefs and chavs together en-mass for a sport which was deemed to be neither above or below anyone's social status, at a time when the commercially minded townsfolk of Wrexham needed new ideas to reap the financial rewards of attracting the masses back to The Racecource, after horse-racing had stopped. Ironically, the newspapers of the time show that there was as much a commercial interest to attract the masses to The Racecourse as there is today, and with the wider community aspect that WST has adopted, there are parallels with the founding of the club and the community ownership we have today.

[eastsussexred]

I understand that WAFC has listed seasons played by Wrexham Football Club, starting from the 1877–78 season, when the club began playing in competitive fixtures following the founding of the Welsh Cup.

While the club probably had its first ever game amongst club members on 15th October 1864, the first recorded game in the local press was against the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade on 22nd October 1864 (our first official game).
There are quite a few reports of scratch matches played amongst members of Wrexham Football and Athletics Club members over the first three years of the clubs history, but the games below are the only games, against other teams, recorded in the press for the years stated below and therefore, I assume, could be recorded as our first three seasons.

The 1866/67 seasons was recorded as being a terrible season for the football club, due to the weather.


1864/65 season

22nd October 1864; Wrexham Football and Athletic Club 1- 2 Prince of Wales Fire Brigade (10 a side teams at The Racecourse)

25th February 1865; Prince of Wales Fire Brigade v Wrexham Football and Athletic Club (at The Racecourse) won by WFAC, score unknown.

11th March 1865; Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade- game arranged for 11th March (weather permitting) score unknown.


1865/66 season.




10th February 1866;-Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Provincial Insurance Office (at The Racecourse) won by Wrexham FAC, exact date in 1866 and score unknown, although possibly a 16 a side game on this date.

24th February 1866:- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, at The Racecource Ground won by Wrexham FAC, score not known

10th March 1866:- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade (11 a side teams) at The Racecourse; result unknown, but match was planned for 10th March 1866 (weather permitting).

17th March 1866:- Provincial Insurance Office v Wrexham Football and Athletic Club (at The Racecourse) won by the insurance office, score unknown;


1866/67 season (reported at the end of season club meeting as a dissasterous season, due to very bad weather)

24th November 1866:- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club 0- Provincial Insurance Office 2, at The Racecourse (12 a side teams)

08th December 1866;- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Provincial Insurance Office. result unknown but match was planned for 08th December 1866 (weather permitting)

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

I understand that WAFC has listed seasons played by Wrexham Football Club, starting from the 1877–78 season, when the club began playing in competitive fixtures following the founding of the Welsh Cup.

While the club probably had its first ever game amongst club members on 15th October 1864, the first recorded game in the local press was against the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade on 22nd October 1864 (our first official game).
There are quite a few reports of scratch matches played amongst members of Wrexham Football and Athletics Club members over the first three years of the clubs history, but the games below are the only games, against other teams, recorded in the press for the years stated below and therefore, I assume, could be recorded as our first three seasons.

The 1866/67 seasons was recorded as being a terrible season for the football club, due to the weather.


1864/65 season

22nd October 1864; Wrexham Football and Athletic Club 1- 2 Prince of Wales Fire Brigade (10 a side teams at The Racecourse)

25th February 1865; Prince of Wales Fire Brigade v Wrexham Football and Athletic Club (at The Racecourse) won by WFAC, score unknown.

11th March 1865; Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade- game arranged for 11th March (weather permitting) score unknown.


1865/66 season.


10th February 1866;-Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Provincial Insurance Office (at The Racecourse) won by Wrexham FAC, exact date in 1866 and score unknown, although possibly a 16 a side game on this date.

24th February 1866:- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, at The Racecource Ground won by Wrexham FAC, score not known

10th March 1866:- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade (11 a side teams) at The Racecourse; result unknown, but match was planned for 10th March 1866 (weather permitting).

17th March 1866:- Provincial Insurance Office v Wrexham Football and Athletic Club (at The Racecourse) won by the insurance office, score unknown;


1866/67 season (reported at the end of season club meeting as a dissasterous season, due to very bad weather)

24th November 1866:- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club 0- Provincial Insurance Office 2, at The Racecourse (12 a side teams)

08th December 1866;- Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Provincial Insurance Office. result unknown but match was planned for 08th December 1866 (weather permitting)

1868/69 season

24th October 1868 Wrexham Football and Athletic Club v Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, at The Racecourse ground. Result unknown but game was advertised to take place on this day.

06th March 1869; Ruabon Grammar School v Wrexham Football Club, at Ruabon, game ended in a draw (WFC made up mostly of Provincial Insurance clerks)


A lack of records in the national newspaper archives from the summer of 1869 to the winter of 1873 means that the 1870/71 and 1871/72 were not recorded


1872/73 season

25th January 1873; Wrexham Football Club v Ruabon Rovers, at The Racecourse, result unknown

15th February 1873; Ruabon Rovers 1 - Wrexham Football Club 0, at Plasmadoc Park (game lasted one and half hours)

15th March 1873; Wrexham Football Club v Chester College, at The Racecourse 'a well contested game that ended in a draw'
(most likely the game that started the fierce rivalry between Wrexham and Chester football teams)
The Wrexham Advertiser reported ' The Chester team in their blue jerseys, which distinguished them from their opponents, contrasted most favourably with the non-descript outfits of the latter. In both cricket and football matches, the Wrexham teams never present a neat and uniform presence.'


1873/74 season

18th October 1873; Wrexham Football Club 1 - Chester College 0, at The Racecourse. (Game abandoned after 20 minutes) Chester played in blue jerseys and caps, although after the bad press of the previous year, Wrexham Football Club had passed a resolution at their start of season meeting to have their first official colours as 'all white' with a few wearing blue caps.
(The bad relationship between the 2 clubs was futher engrianed when Roger Williams, vice-captain of Wrexham, broke his leg, causing the game to be abandoned.)

01st November 1873; Wrexham Football Club 0 - Ruabon Rovers 0, 16-a-side teams at The Racecourse (match lasted 2 hours)

08th November 1873; Ruabon Rovers 0 - Wrexham Football Club 0, 16-a-side teams, at the vicarage field, Ruabon.

06th December 1873; Wrexham Football Club v Provincial Insurance Company, at The Racecourse. score unknown, but game was advertised to take place on this day.

31st January 1874; Wrexham Football Club 0 - Ruabon Rovers 0, at The Racecourse.

14th February 1874: Ruabon Rovers v Wrexham Football Club, at Ruabon. score unknown but game was advertised to take place on this day.

21st February 1874; Wrexham Football Club 0 - Chester College 0, at The Racecourse, a rough, hard fought game.


01st March 1874; Wrexham Football Club v Chester College, at The Racecourse. result unknown, but game planned for this day

[jonesfach]

That 1873 match with ches..r sounded a feisty affair.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by jonesfach

That 1873 match with ches..r sounded a feisty affair.

The 1874 game was reported as a fiesta game too Jonesfach. No love lost, right from the beginning