Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1898-99

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Thames Ironworks F.C. 1898-1899

During the summer of 1898, Thames Ironworks

Thames Ironworks F.C.

Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor in 1895. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of The Old Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town until their...

became a professional outfit for the first time, to match their new status as new members of the Southern League

Southern Football League

The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...

. It was a decision reluctantly taken by Ironworks chairman Arnold Hills

Arnold Hills

Arnold Frank Hills was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and promoter of vegetarianism.Hills was the first President of the London Vegetarian Society and the Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club, and also served as President of a London Vegetarian Rambling Club...

, who had always believed in the classical ideal of competitive sport being for its own sake. But with the success the club had been enjoying, together with the increased crowds at their Memorial Grounds venue, he relented, and was quoted as saying "It may be necessary to introduce a little ferment of professional experience to leaven the heavy lump."

New signings came thick and fast and included the controversial capture of goalkeeper Tommy Moore from arch-rivals Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

. This meant that there would be no place for keeper George Furnell

George Furnell

George Furnell was an English footballer whose position was goalkeeper.Furnell played for Old Castle Swifts F.C. until 1895 when they folded. He then joined the newly formed Thames Ironworks He made regular appearances for the London League side, and played in all three of the club's FA Cup games...

in the squad, and he was allowed to transfer to Hammersmith Athletic. The team further strengthened defensively with the signing of George Neill from West Norwood, full-backs Tommy Dunn

Tommy Dunn

Thomas "Tommy" Dunn was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a full back.-References:...

and Arthur Marjeram from Chatham and Swanscombe respectively and Scottish left-half Roddy McEachrane

Roddy McEachrane

Roderick John "Roddy" McEachrane was a Scottish footballer, born in Inverness.McEachrane moved to Canning Town, London at the age of 20, to work at the Thames Iron Works, and joined the works football team, Thames Ironworks FC. He soon settled in the side as a left half-back with a reputation for...

, who had played for Inverness Thistle

Inverness Thistle F.C.

Inverness Thistle Football Club were a football club playing in the city of Inverness in northern Scotland.They were members of the Highland Football League, winning the championship five times, including its inaugural season: 1893–94. They wore black and red stripes and played their home...

alongside Irons wing-half Simon Chisholm, and had also worked at the actual Thames Iron Works. Thames Ironworks raided Warmley

Warmley F.C.

Warmley F.C. was a football club based in Warmley, near Kingswood, England. They were formed in 1882. They are widely regarded as playing the first organised football match in the Bristol region against St George....

of three of the players, with centre half Peter McManus, along with forwards George Reid

George Reid (footballer)

George Hull Reid was a Northern Irish professional footballer and Ireland international.-Career:After starting his career in his home country, Reid moved to The Football League in 1920, signing for Blackpool...

and Henderson all making the journey east. The team's attacking options were further increased with the signings of wingers J. Reynolds from Gravesend

Gravesend & Northfleet F.C.

Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English professional football team currently playing in the Conference National. The team plays their home matches at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet, Kent. However, the club is now looking to build a new stadium in the Ebbsfleet Valley vicinity in...

and Patrick Leonard from Manchester City

Manchester City F.C.

Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

, along with the snaring of centre forward David Lloyd

David Lloyd (footballer)

David Lloyd was an English footballer who played for Thames Ironworks, the club that went on to become West Ham United.Lloyd played for the Third Grenadier Guards before moving to the Irons in 1898...

from former rivals 3rd Grenadier Guards

3rd Grenadier Guards F.C.

3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. were an English football team that played in the London League from as early as 1896 until 1898. During the 1896-97 season they were champions and during the 1897-98 season they finished 4th....

.

They kicked off the season on 10 September 1898 away to Shepherd's Bush, and were in fine form, beating the West London outfit 3-0, with two goals from Atkinson and one from Adams. The form continued with a 3-1 home win over Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

a fortnight later, and a 2-0 FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

1st qualifying round win soon followed when "The Irons" were again pitted against Royal Engineers Training Battalion

Royal Engineers A.F.C.

The Royal Engineers Association Football Club is an association football team representing the Corps of Royal Engineers, the "Sappers", of the British Army. In the 1870s it was one of the strongest sides in English football, winning the FA Cup in 1875 and being Cup Finalists in four of the first...

.

October proved to be Thames Ironworks' difficult month dring the season, when they failed to record a single win. They first lost away to Uxbridge

Uxbridge F.C.

Uxbridge Football Club are a football club representing Uxbridge but now based in West Drayton, in the County of Middlesex England. They were established in 1871 and are one of the oldest clubs in the South of England. They were founder members of the Southern League Division Two in 1894 and have...

1-2, before facing Brighton United in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup. The Irons drew 0-0 away to the south coast, before losing the replay four days later 1-4, with the only goal being scored by Henry Hird. The month ended farcically when in a Souther League game on 29 October, they faced a Wycombe

Wycombe Wanderers F.C.

Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...

side who had lost their previous five matches. The Irons missed their train and arrives at the Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

's Loakes Park

Loakes Park

Loakes Park was the home of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club from 1895 to 1990. It was located next to Wycombe General Hospital in the centre of High Wycombe, UK...

ground an hour late. The obviously unsettled side eventually played the game in torrential rain and were two goals down after 15 minutes from goals scored by Jim Aldridge. Aldridge had completed his hat-trick

Hat-trick

A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

by half time. Wycombe were 4-0 ahead before irons inside-forward Jimmy Reid pulled one back in the 88th minute.

This was to be Thames Ironworks' last defeat of the season, and they could go on to win an impressive 17 of their last 18 games, only drawing away at Watford

Watford F.C.

Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

0-0. The year ended with The Irons biggest win of the season so far, in an away game against Maidenhead on 31 December 1898, which Thames Ironworks won 4-0. It was in this game that Charlie Dove

Charlie Dove

Charles Dove was born in 1879 in East Ham, England. He was regarded as a super-fit footballer, who in 1895 stood at nearly 6 feet and weighed 12 stone, considered large at the time for a sixteen year old from a working-class area of Essex...

completed the distinction of playing in every position for the club when he deputised for goalkeeper Tommy Moore, and it is perhaps even more impressive that he managed to keep a clean sheet.

Thames Ironworks played their first game of the new year at the Memorial Grounds

Memorial Grounds

Memorial Grounds was the home stadium of east London football club Thames Ironworks from the beginning of the 1897-98 season, until the end of the 1899-1900 season. The team continued to play at the stadium, under its new name of West Ham United, until they moved to their current home at the...

on 14 January 1899, when they entertained Wycombe. This time, the Wycombe goalkeeper Ernie Wheeler

Ernie Wheeler

Ernest Martin Wheeler was an American football defensive back and tailback who played in the National Football League in 1939 and 1942....

missed the train, and the team began the game with only ten players on the pitch. Their full-back Henry Turner began in goal, and had soon conceded an own goal from one of his defenders. A Wycombe fan, who often filled in for them when they were unexpectedly short, took over as goalkeeper, but he was also soon beaten by a low shot from Irons centre-half McEwan. Irons centre forward David Lloyd then missed two chances, before grabbing a brace to put The Irons 4-0 up by half-time. The second half saw two penalties, one missed by Lloyd and one scored by Wycombe player Fred Keen, to make the final score 4-1 and a complete reverse of the scoreline in their previous encounter. Their great form would continue for the rest of the season, including a thrilling 4-3 win away to Wolverton London & North Western Railway

Wolverton A.F.C.

Wolverton Association Football Club, often known simply as Wolverton, was an English football team representing the town of Wolverton . The club's motto was "In Omnia Paratus" . The club was wound up in 1992...

, which also saw their lowest attendance of only 200, and an 8-1 home win over Chesham Town

Chesham United F.C.

Chesham United is an English football club based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the Southern League. They are nicknamed "The Generals" because they were once the football team of the General Baptist Church in Chesham. Chesham Generals merged with Chesham Town to form United...

Already confirmed as Southern League Division Two champions, having won the previous 14 games, Thames Ironworks showed little restraint for the final game of the season against Maidenhead

Maidenhead United F.C.

Maidenhead United Football Club is an English football club in Maidenhead, Berkshire. The club was founded in 1870 and moved to their current ground at York Road the following year...

on 15 April 1898. With their largest home crowd of the season, 3000 spectators saw The Irons demolish the bottom club of the division 10-0. The goals included four from Patrick Leonard, a hat-trick

Hat-trick

from David Lloyd and a brace from Jimmy Reid. The other goal was scored by Henderson.

Although they won the Southern League Second Division by 9 points, Thames Ironworks were required to play Test Matches to decide their promotion to Division One. The first came against Cowes

Cowes Sports F.C.

Cowes Sports F.C. is a football club based in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. They were established in 1881.The history of Cowes Football Club can be traced back to 1881, when the club was originally formed, although competitive action did not arrive until 1886 in the shape of the Hants and Dorset...

from the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

on 22 April. They had qualified for the Test Match by winning the South West section of the league structure, and the game was played at the supposedly neutral East Ferry Road ground of Irons' rivals Millwall

Millwall F.C.

. A 10,000 strong crowd saw Thames Ironworks win the game 3-1, with goals coming from David Lloyd, Patrick Leonard and Henderson. The Ironworks then had to face Sheppey United

Sheppey United F.C.

Sheppey United F.C. is an English football club based on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The club are currently members of Division One of the Kent County League and play at the Sheppey Sports Ground.-History:...

, who had finished 12th in the 13 team Southern League Division One, and had beaten The Irons two and a half years previously 8-0 in an FA Cup game. The game took place at Chatham

Chatham Town F.C.

Chatham Town are an English Association Football club based in Chatham, Kent. They currently play in Division One North of the Isthmian League and are nicknamed "The Chats"....

's ground on 29 April and finished 1-1, with David Lloyd once again the goalscorer.

Before a replay could be staged, it was decided to enlarge the top division of the Southern League to 19 teams, thus enabling Thames Ironworks F.C., as well as Sheppey United, Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

and Q.P.R.

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

to join the higher tier.

Roddy McEachrane was the only ever-present in the team during the season, making 27 appearances.

The top goalscorer was David Lloyd with 14 goals. 12 of these were scored in the Southern League, with the other two coming in the Test Matches against Cowes and Sheppey.

No.	\|Player	Pos	S Lg Apps	S Lg Gls	FA Apps	FA Gls	Ch/T Apps	Ch/T Gls	Total Apps	Total Gls	Date Signed
Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor in 1895. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of The Old Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town until their... 1898-99 First XI (Most Appearances)
1	Tommy Moore	GK	21		3		2		26		1898	Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
2	Walter Tranter Walter Tranter Walter Rogers Tranter was an English association football player.Born in Middlesbrough, Tranter played as a left-back for Thames Ironworks, the team that would later become West Ham United. The club handbook described him as a player that "rushes in where others feared to tread"... (Captain)	RB	20		3		2		25		1897	Thames Ironworks Employee
3	Tommy Dunn Tommy Dunn Thomas "Tommy" Dunn was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a full back.-References:...	LB	11				2		13		1898	Chatham F.C.
4	Simon Chisholm	RH	15	1	3		2		20	1	1897	Inverness Inverness Thistle F.C. Inverness Thistle Football Club were a football club playing in the city of Inverness in northern Scotland.They were members of the Highland Football League, winning the championship five times, including its inaugural season: 1893–94. They wore black and red stripes and played their home...
5	Charlie Dove Charlie Dove Charles Dove was born in 1879 in East Ham, England. He was regarded as a super-fit footballer, who in 1895 stood at nearly 6 feet and weighed 12 stone, considered large at the time for a sixteen year old from a working-class area of Essex...	D	14	3	2		1		17	3	1895	Thames Ironworks Employee
6	Roddy McEachrane Roddy McEachrane Roderick John "Roddy" McEachrane was a Scottish footballer, born in Inverness.McEachrane moved to Canning Town, London at the age of 20, to work at the Thames Iron Works, and joined the works football team, Thames Ironworks FC. He soon settled in the side as a left half-back with a reputation for...	LH	22	1	3	1	2		27	2	1898	Thames Ironworks Employee
7	Henry Hird	RW	19	3	3	1			22	4	1897	Stockton F.C. Stockton F.C. Stockton F.C. was an English football club based in Stockton-on-Tees. The club were known as 'The Ancients' because of their long-standing presence in the town. Their traditional colours were red and black quartered shirts with white shorts.-History:...
8	Jimmy Reid	IR	13	9			1		14	9	1897	Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
9	David Lloyd David Lloyd (footballer) David Lloyd was an English footballer who played for Thames Ironworks, the club that went on to become West Ham United.Lloyd played for the Third Grenadier Guards before moving to the Irons in 1898...	CF	11	12	3		2	2	16	14	1898	3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. were an English football team that played in the London League from as early as 1896 until 1898. During the 1896-97 season they were champions and during the 1897-98 season they finished 4th....
10	George Gresham George Gresham George Gresham was a footballer who played inside forward for Gainsborough Trinity F.C. before moving in 1895 to Thames Ironworks F.C., the team that became West Ham United F.C....	IL	14	4	3	1	1		18	5	1896	Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity F.C. Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
11	Patrick Leonard	LW	10	7			2	1	12	8	1898	Manchester City F.C. Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
Players with 6+ appearances
7	J. Reynolds	W/IR	12	5			2		14	5	1898	Gravesend Gravesend & Northfleet F.C. Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English professional football team currently playing in the Conference National. The team plays their home matches at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet, Kent. However, the club is now looking to build a new stadium in the Ebbsfleet Valley vicinity in...
9	Henderson	CF/IL	8	7			2	1	10	8	1898	Warmley F.C. Warmley F.C. Warmley F.C. was a football club based in Warmley, near Kingswood, England. They were formed in 1882. They are widely regarded as playing the first organised football match in the Bristol region against St George....
5	McEwan	CH/RH	8	2					8	2	1898	-
3	Arthur Marjeram	FB	8						8		1898	Swanscombe F.C.
9	Sam Hay Sam Hay Sam Hay was an association football player who played inside-right for Thames Ironworks, the club that would later become West Ham United. He was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, and played for Victoria, until being signed up by the Irons for the 1895–96 season, where he became a regular choice.-See...	CF/IR	6	2	1				7	2	1898	Victoria Blantyre Victoria F.C. Blantyre Victoria Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. Nicknamed the Vics, they were formed in 1890 and play at Castle Park where their record attendance is 6,000...
10	George Reid	IL/CF	6	1					6	1	1898	Warmley F.C. Warmley F.C. Warmley F.C. was a football club based in Warmley, near Kingswood, England. They were formed in 1882. They are widely regarded as playing the first organised football match in the Bristol region against St George....
5	Peter McManus	CH	5				1		6		1898	Warmley F.C. Warmley F.C. Warmley F.C. was a football club based in Warmley, near Kingswood, England. They were formed in 1882. They are widely regarded as playing the first organised football match in the Bristol region against St George....
Other players with appearances
9	Adams	CF/IL	2	1	3				5	1	1898	-
5	Alf Hitch	CH	3		2				5		1898	Thames Ironworks Employee
11	Cobb	LW/IL	2		3				5		1898	-
4	George Neill	RH/LB	2		1				3		1897	West Norwood F.C.
9	Atkinson	CF	2	2					2	2	1898	-
10	Hounsell	IF	2	1					2	1	1898	-
9	Wenham	CF	1	1					1	1	1898	Thames Ironworks Employee
8	Bird	IR	1						1		1896	Thames Ironworks Employee
8	Frank Brett	IR	1						1		1898	Thames Ironworks Employee
11	Buller	LW	1						1		1898	-
11	Foss	LW	1						1		1898	-
11	Gilmore	LW	1	1					1	1	1898

External links

West Ham United F.C. 1898-1899 at Spartacus Educational

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