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

[eastsussexred]

cant find anything else in the national UK, or Welsh newspaper archives about the Liverpool game WAL, other than this article taken from The Wrexham Guardian 15th January 1876, for a game to be played on The Racecourse on Wednesday 19th January.

[Cymru_Am_Byth_WXM]

Originally Posted by Inside Left

Just being nosey but will this study be available to read anywhere?

I don't know at the moment, I suppose it depends on what mark I get. I could always forward you a copy once I have my marks though.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Cymru_Am_Byth_WXM

I don't know at the moment, I suppose it depends on what mark I get. I could always forward you a copy once I have my marks though.

Thankyou, please do CABW, It would be good to see what other clubs were also doing during those years

[eastsussexred]

Found two additional games in the archives from the 1873/74 season, highlighted red below

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, [COLOR="Red"]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)

01st November 1873; Wrexham Football Club 0 Plasmadoc 0, at The Racecourse.

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

29th November 1873: Plasmadoc 0 Wrexham Football Club 0, at Plasmadoc 15-a-side teams.

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

[Mr Wonderful]

You aware of this site ESR. Not alot of info but an interesting snippet.

The first 100 years 1873-1973

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by Mr Wonderful

You aware of this site ESR. Not alot of info but an interesting snippet.

The first 100 years 1873-1973

Thanks Mr W, I hadn't seen that particular history, but had read a bit about them while researching WAFC.

I think that 'Unquestionably the oldest football club in Wales' statement needs revising.
Interesting to note that Watkin Williams Wynn leased them Wynnstay Park, and the bit about George Best playing for the Manchester United youth team that played at their ground opening in later years.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by WasanActonlad

If the Vicarige field in Ruabon is the pitch on the right as you go up to the Ruabon high school from the church, could it not lay claim to being the second oldest soccer pitch in Wales.
If one googles local regional papers on the national newspaper archive, there were clubs at Whitchurch and even Whittington, could Wrexham have had fixtures with these clubs in 1860's early 1870's.
Not sure what the local rag for Oswestry was for that period but if WFC were beginning to wander further afield surely (not Shirley) an Oswestry team must have been a fixture, as I believe the original Oswestry club is reputed to have been formed mid 1860's.

Another note of interest , interesting to note who the Liverpool team was in Jan 1876, Everton not formed till 1878, and lfc, came about was it 1890 following an internal row over rents charged by one of their directors on their original ground at Anfield, that left the said director with egg on his face , as Everton moved across Stanley park, so said director formed a new club to play at vacant stadium.

Could there be a possibility that with the number of 15/16 aside games in the early days that Wrexham Football Club may have indulged in the different codes of football, association and rugby, this was not uncommon in that period, ie Burnley, Barnes & Richmond.

There was a Liverpool Football Club in operation in 1876 WAL, although it must not have been the same one that developed into the current Everton or Liverpool Clubs.
I found this article (attached) in a weekly Journal of Amateur Sports dated 4th November 1876 showing the games for Liverpool Football Club 1876/77 season. While I cannot capture it all on a screen shot, the page also has Manchester Football Club and Sheffield Wednesday Cricket and Football fixtures on the same page.
Interestingly the Liverpool Football Club fixtures do not show the game against Wrexham Football Club, which was advertised to take place, in the Wrexham Advertiser, and so either it was arranged after the fixture list was published, or we were due to play against a different Liverpool Football Club.

Otherwise, the Advertiser got it wrong and we were playing a representative merseyside team, as during this season the Racecourse was also playing host to Wales football Association games against Birmingham and District Football Association and North Wales Football Association v Sheffield Football Association.

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

There was a Liverpool Football Club in operation in 1876 WAL, although it must not have been the same one that developed into the current Everton or Liverpool Clubs.
I found this article (attached) in a weekly Journal of Amateur Sports dated 4th November 1876 showing the games for Liverpool Football Club 1876/77 season. While I cannot capture it all on a screen shot, the page also has Manchester Football Club and Sheffield Wednesday Cricket and Football fixtures on the same page.
Interestingly the Liverpool Football Club fixtures do not show the game against Wrexham Football Club, which was advertised to take place, in the Wrexham Advertiser, and so either it was arranged after the fixture list was published, or we were due to play against a different Liverpool Football Club.

Otherwise, the Advertiser got it wrong and we were playing a representative merseyside team, as during this season the Racecourse was also playing host to Wales football Association games against Birmingham and District Football Association and North Wales Football Association v Sheffield Football Association.

Ah sorry WAL, just found out that Edinburgh Academicals Football Club that Liverpool Football Club were due to play, were actually a rugby club.
The page attached doesn't make a distinction between rugby and association football, but just mixes them both up.

[Mr Wonderful]

Interestingly, I've read that the Welsh population of Liverpool in the 1870's was around 50-70,000. (Reading up on the Welsh Streets in Toxteth).
I'd imagine their would have been plenty of connections between the towns.