1895–96 Thames Ironworks F.C. season

English football team season September 2020 March 2015 thumb|right|The Thames Ironworks founding team 175px 0.23 0.08 350 Dove 0.05 0.13 350 Chapman 0.32 0.13 349 Stevenson 0.33 0.19 350 Sage 0.11 0.19 350 Gresham 0.09 0.36 350 Woods 0.22 0.41 350 Collins 0.35 0.36 350 Morton 0.13 0.54 350 Hurst 0.32 0.54 350 Taylor 0.20 0.62 350 Graham Thames Ironworks F.C. 1895–96 "In the summer of 1895, when the clanging of "hammers" was heard on the banks of Father Thames and the great warships were rearing their heads above the Victoria Dock Road, a few enthusiasts, with the love of football within them, were talking about the grand old game and the formation of a club for the workers of the Thames Iron Works Limited. There were platers and riveters in the Limited who had chased the big ball in the north country. There were men among them who had learned to give the subtle pass and to urge the leather goalwards. No thought of professionalism, I may say, was ever contemplated by the founders. They meant to run their club on amateur lines and their first principal was to choose their team from men in the works." – Syd King, Thames Ironworks player and West Ham United manager 1902–1932.E. S. King The Book of Football 1905 The Football History of West Ham United http://spartacus-educational.com/WHkingS.htm Spartacus Educational The 1895–96 season was the inaugural season of Thames Ironworks, the club that would later become West Ham United. The club was founded by Dave Taylor and Arnold Hills in 1895 as the works team of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company. Taylor was a foreman at the Ironworks and a local football referee. Thanks to Ironworks owner Arnold Hills' financial backing, he was able to announce on 29 June 1895 the following in the company's weekly journal: "Mr. Taylor, who is working in the shipbuilding department, has undertaken to get up a football club for next winter and I learn that quoits and bowls will also be added to the attractions." – Thames Iron Works Gazette.Blows Hogg 2000 12 Fifty would-be players paid half-a-crown for a year's membership, and Taylor spent the summer arranging the fixtures for Thames Ironworks F.C. and their reserves. Before the Irons played their first game Taylor returned to refereeing, handing over organizational duties to Ted Harsent.Powles 2005 14 The birth of Thames Ironworks F.C. coincided with the demise of Old Castle Swifts, the first professional football club in Essex. Thames took over the tenancy of Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town and also signed four of their players. The Hermit Road ground had been described as a 'cinder heap' and 'barren waste'. It was surrounded by a moat and had canvas sheeting for fencing.Blows Hogg 2000 17 The Swifts that joined the Ironworks team were right-back and winger Robert Stevenson and forwards Jamie Lindsay and George Sage. Scotsman Bob Stevenson became the club's first ever captain and he is credited as being the team's first player of note. He would also play at full-back and centre-forward during his Irons career.Blows Hogg 2000 17 Looking to bolster their attacking strength, the Irons had also recruited Ironworks employee George Gresham, an inside-forward who had played for Gainsborough Trinity, who would go on to score many goals for the club in the following four seasons.Powles 2005 65–66 The original colours of the team were Oxford Blue due to Arnold Hills being a former student of the University of Oxford, although they used a variety of kits, often wearing navy blue or white.Belton 2006 3 The Ironworks played their first ever fixture against Royal Ordnance reserves on 7 September 1895, the game ending 1–1.Tongue Steve Turf Wars: A History of London Football https://books.google.com/books?id=l67VDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT23 2016 Pitch Publishing 978-1-78531-248-9 23June 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes Other players likely to have been involved in this first game were Iron Works employee Charlie Dove, who had played at full-back and centre forward during his time as a school player, and Essex cricketer John Wood, who was the cousin of jockey Fred Archer. Dove was mainly used as a defender by The Irons, but would play every position for them during his stay there. The Irons' biggest win of the season came in their third friendly fixture on 28 September 1895 when they beat Manor Park 8–0. The newly formed club had the audacity to enter the FA Cup competition, as recorded in the Thames Iron Works Gazette: "Having some good men in the club, we somewhat presumptuously considered it would be wise to enter for the English Association Cup." In Thames' first competitive game they took on Chatham in a preliminary qualifying round of the FA Cup . The match was played at Chatham's ground in Kent as they had rated the Irons' Hermit Road Ground as unsuitable. On 12 October before a crowd of 3,000 they lost to Chatham 5-0. Their biggest defeat came on 14 December when they lost in an away game to Iron Works rivals Millwall 6-0. 25 December saw Thames Ironworks face South West Ham at home, and they won 4–1, beginning a run of ten straight wins that ended on 17 February 1896, when they lost to South London team Vampires F.C. 3-1. In the semi-finals of the West Ham Charity Cup held on 15 February 1896, Thames Ironworks beat Park Grove 1–0, in a game staged in Plaistow. Park Grove protested over a technicality and forced a replay at Beckton Road, which The Ironworks won 3–0. On 7 March Thames Ironworks played Fulham for the first time in a friendly, winning the game 5–1. Following a number of trials against local sides, 16 March saw an experimental 'floodlit friendly' at the Hermit Road ground for Thames Ironworks, in their first encounter with Woolwich Arsenal. George Gresham scored twice, in an epic encounter that finished in favour of Woolwich Arsenal 5–3. George Gresham scored two of the Irons goals that day. The amazing story of West Ham United's first home ground Powles John West Ham United F.C. 29 June 2017 12 January 2018 https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2017/june/29-june/amazing-story-west-ham-uniteds-first-home-ground These early attempts at floodlighting were set up using Thames Iron Works engineers and equipment, and caused an amount of notoriety. They were also used for "The Irons" next game, in their first ever meeting with West Bromwich Albion, which they lost 4-2. The following day, an epic confrontation followed as Thames Ironworks faced Barking in the final of the West Ham Charity Cup on 21 March 1896 at The Old Spotted Dog Ground in Upton Lane. Drawing 2–2, the match was replayed a week later, and again the teams drew, this time 0–0. Eventually the final was replayed for the second time on 20 April 1896 and the Irons won 1–0, lifting a trophy in their first ever season. Thames Ironworks won 30 of their 47 games in the 1895–96 season, drawing 5 and losing 12. They scored 136 goals and conceded 68. Squad statistics Sources:Powles 2005 29–30Northcutt John Marsh Steve West Ham United: The Complete Record 2015 deCoubertin Books 978-1-909245-27-3 494–495 No.PlayerPositionFAAppsFAGlsWHCCAppsWHCCGlsFriendlyAppsFriendlyGlsTotalAppsTotalGlsDateSignedPreviousClubThames Ironworks F.C. XI with most appearances1EnglandHugh GrahamGK4182218952EnglandJas TaylorRB (LB)181818953EnglandJoseph HurstLB (RB)151518954EnglandWilliam MortonRH (LH/CF)181818955EnglandCollinsCH (LH)22122118956EnglandJohn Thomas Archer WoodsLH (OF/RH/IL)141812311895Old Castle Swifts F.C.7ScotlandRobert Stevenson (captain)OR (CF/FB)432052481895Woolwich Arsenal & Old Castle Swifts F.C.8EnglandGeorge SageIR (OF/IL)141512011895Old Castle Swifts F.C. & Thames Ironworks Employee9EnglandCharlie DoveCF (IR/OR/CH)1861861895Thames Ironworks Employee & South West Ham10EnglandGeorge GreshamIL (OF/IR/LH)221022101895Gainsborough Trinity F.C.11EnglandWilliam ChapmanOL (OR/IF/CH) 42262661895St Luke'sOther players with appearances5EnglandA. WilliamsCH (FB)138121895Dartford3EnglandBarnabas FrenchLB (WH/CH)14491895Thames Ironworks Employee10EnglandBilly Barneslower-alpha Joined South West Ham half-way through the season and played in the West Ham Charity Cup final games as a guest.Powles 2005 20IL (OF)3158118954EnglandGilliesRH (LH)8818951EnglandGibsonGK7718959ScotlandJamie LindsayCF (FB/IR)12361895Old Castle Swifts F.C. & Thames Ironworks Employee6EnglandColin StaresLH (RH/IR)66189510EnglandJohnny StewartIL (RH/OL)141511895Old Castle Swifts F.C. & Thames Ironworks Employee9EnglandJ. FitzjohnCF (OR/IR)515118957EnglandH. RossiterOR (IR/CF)4242189510EnglandThomas FreemanIL (OL/CF)11241895Thames Ironworks Employee6EnglandWilliam HickmanRH441895Old Castle Swifts F.C.2EnglandCatlingRB (LB)3318956EnglandHiltonLH (RH)3318957/11EnglandFarrellOF2121189510/11EnglandAlbert NicholsIL/OL212118952EnglandHenry TullRB1121895Thames Ironworks Employee7EnglandFred ChamberlainOR221895Thames Ironworks Employee9/10EnglandMcArthurCF/IL2218952/3EnglandGeorge Neillower-alpha neil Played for the club while registered to West Norwood. George Neil westhamstats.info 17 February 2018 http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=493&united=George_NeilFB22189511EnglandArthur DarbyOL111895Thames Ironworks Employee6ScotlandWalter ParksLH111895Old Castle Swifts F.C. & Thames Ironworks Employee1EnglandJohn WatsonGK111895Thames Ironworks Employee 10EnglandG. Pattersonlower-alpha patterson Member of the Thames Ironworks committee.http://whu-programmes.co.uk/season-1895-96/4551432917 1895–96 Thames Ironworks whu-programmes.co.uk Steve Marsh 17 February 2018IL111895Thames Ironworks Employee8EnglandC. RossiterIR1118951EnglandWoodfordGK1118958EnglandA. N. OtherIR111895Untraced1111759518696Own Goals112TOTAL11557451131517138Other known playersScotlandSam HayF1895VictoriaEnglandFrank McCullochF1895Old Castle Swifts F.C. lower-alpha References Bibliography Belton Brian 2006 West Ham United Miscellany Pennant Books 0-9550394-4-4 Blows Kirk Hogg Tony 2000 The Essential History of West Ham United Headline 0-7472-7036-8 Iron in the Blood Soccerdata Powles John 2005 Nottingham 1-899468-22-6 http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/books/iron.htm 12 January 2018 20 January 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180112100922/http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/books/iron.htm dead External links The History of West Ham United: 1895-1896 at Spartacus Educational Category:West Ham United F.C. seasons Thames Ironworks Thames Ironworks F.C. season Thames Ironworks F.C. season