Oswaldtwistle Rovers F.C.

Oswaldtwistle Rovers Football Club were a team based in the town of Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. They first entered the FA Cup in 1884 and, in 1885, reached the second round. Rovers were one of the founder members of the Lancashire League in 1889, but predominantly competed in the Lancashire Combination between 1894 and 1909. In 1909, after leaving the second division of the Combination, they played their final game in the FA Cup.

Oswaldtwistle Rovers F.C.
Full nameOswaldtwistle Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)Rovers, Ossy, The Whistlers
Foundedc.1884
Dissolvedc.1910

History
The team in the 1890s

Oswaldtwistle Rovers were based in the town of Oswaldtwistle, near to Accrington, in Lancashire. Aside from friendly matches, they played in a number of competitions, including the FA Cup, the Lancashire League and the Lancashire Combination.

The first of their 22 appearances in the FA Cup came in the 1884–85 season,[1] where they lost 12–0 to local side Blackburn Olympic in the first round.[2] However, Olympic were a strong team who had won the cup in 1882–83[3] – the first time it had been won by a northern team.[4] They fared better in 1885–86, beating Lower Darwen 3–1 in the first round.[5] They were then paired against another local side, cup-holders Blackburn Rovers in the next round.[5] They lost the game 1–0, with the goal scored by Hugh McIntyre; only a thousand spectators attended the game, which suggests that the two Rovers were not big rivals, despite their proximity.[6] Blackburn Rovers went on to retain the cup that year.[5]

Oswaldtwistle never again made it to the second round of the FA Cup. In the 1888–89 season, qualifying rounds were introduced for the first time.[7] That year, Rovers entered at the second qualifying round, winning 3–1 at Blackburn Olympic, before losing to South Shore, who went on to become Blackpool F.C.[1] In the same year, Rovers won the Lancashire Junior Cup.[8] In February 1888, they also hosted Newton Heath – who would later change their name to Manchester United – in a friendly match that they won 6–0.[6]

In 1889, Oswaldtwistle were one of the founder members of the Lancashire League.[9][10] However, they struggled in that league,[6] and left at the end of the 1890–91 season, having finished bottom of the table with only one win from 20 matches.[9] In 1894 they entered the Lancashire Combination, a league generally populated by small local sides and the reserve teams of the larger Lancashire clubs.[6] They ended the campaign in fourth place in the division, their highest ever league position.[11] The team left the Combination in 1897, but returned three years later.[11] They were then relegated to the Second Division of the Combination in 1904. Oswaldtwistle left the league at the end of the 1908–09 campaign, during which the side had conceded 137 goals.[11]

Oswaldtwistle are not thought to have survived for long after leaving the league.[6] Their last recorded games are in the 1909–10 FA Cup;[1] paired against Dobson & Barlow's in the extra preliminary round, they drew 1–1 at home, before losing 2–0 away in the replay. Today the town of Oswaldtwistle, because of its location, is home to supporters of Blackburn Rovers and Accrington Stanley.[6]

Seasons
Results by season
Season League FA Cup References
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos
1884–85  — 1R [2]
1885–86  — 2R [5]
1886–87  — 1R [12]
1887–88  — 1R [13]
1888–89  — 3Q [1]
1889–90 LL 24 8 4 12 39 62 20 11th  — [9]
1890–91 LL 20 1 5 14 25 59 7 11th  — [9]
1891–92  —  —
1892–93  — 2Q [1]
1893–94  — 1Q [1]
1894–95 LC 24 13 1 10 59 56 27 4th 1Q [11][1]
1895–96 LC 26 12 5 9 53 42 29 5th 3Q [11][10]
1896–97 LC 28 3 2 23 27 105 8 15th 1Q [11][1]
1897–98  — PR [1]
1898–99  — 1Q [1]
1899–1900  — 2Q [1]
1900–01 LC 34 7 4 23 39 93 18 17th 2Q [11][1]
1901–02 LC 34 12 6 16 55 62 30 12th 2Q [11][1]
1902–03 LC 34 11 5 18 53 84 27 13th 4Q [11][1]
1903–04 LC 34 7 9 18 50 84 23 14th PR [11][1]
1904–05 LC2 34 17 6 11 81 56 40 7th 1Q [11][1]
1905–06 LCB 36 10 4 22 56 77 24 16th 3Q [11][1]
1906–07 LCB 38 12 6 20 72 114 30 18th 2Q [11][1]
1907–08 LCB 38 11 5 22 58 100 27 17th  — [11]
1908–09 LCB 38 7 3 28 42 137 17 19th PR [11][1]
1909–10  – EPR [1]

Key: LL – Lancashire League; LC – Lancashire Combination; LCB – Lancashire Combination, B division; nR – nth round; nQ – nth round qualifying; PR – preliminary round; EPR – extra preliminary round.

Former players

Former players who also played professionally in The Football League include Tommy Becton, Martin Dunne, Proctor Hall, Kelly Houlker, Dick Lindley and George Parsonage.

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References
  1. "The FA Cup Archive". TheFA.com. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  2. Padilla, Macario Reyes (27 January 2001). "England FA Challenge Cup 1884–85". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  3. Padilla, Macario Reyes (27 January 2001). "England FA Challenge Cup 1882–83". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  4. "F.A. Cup 1882–83". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  5. Padilla, Macario Reyes (27 January 2001). "England FA Challenge Cup 1885–86". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  6. "Oswaldtwistle Rovers". BRFC Supporters Internet Site. 26 December 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  7. Barber, David (12 October 2007). "The original Third Round". TheFA.com. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  8. Lancashire County Football Association (2007). Lancashire Football Association Directory of Members Handbook 2007–08.
  9. Abbink, Dinant (23 July 2006). "England – Lancashire League". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  10. "Oswaldtwistle Rovers". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  11. Abbink, Dinant (2 May 2007). "England – Lancashire Combination". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  12. Padilla, Macario Reyes (27 January 2001). "England FA Challenge Cup 1886–87". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  13. Padilla, Macario Reyes (27 January 2001). "England FA Challenge Cup 1887–88". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
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