By Keith Ilett (Secretary / life president)

The club was formed well over 140 years ago in 1861, but the first recorded items referring to its existence were dated 1873 at a time when home fixtures were played on a pitch at Netherton Road – the area presently occupied by the Holy Family RC School and the Portland campus playing field. Playing in green and white striped shirts the team was a mixture of professional and amateur players, administered by a 15 strong committee.

In 1886 William Allen of the Worksop and Retford Brewery Company was the President and it was his influence which guided the club, especially through the Great War period. Games were played against teams from the Sheffield area, and with the formation of the Sheffield Association League it became clear that a new ground of a more central situation was a priority.

This was resolved in 1891 when the Lord of the Manor, by this time the Duke of Newcastle, decided to sell the Worksop Manor Estate to Mr John Robinson who later became Sir John of Daybrook and Home Brewery fame. William Allen and his committee intervened and obtained the lease on land in the centre of the town which was bounded by Hardy Street, Allen Street, King Street and the River Ryton.

Known as Bridge Meadow, the ground was enclosed by a wooden fence with the River Ryton as its northern boundary. Football matches were played on the eastern side, the western portion was reserved for cricket and there was also a quarter mile cycle track, which led to Whit Monday becoming Worksop's annual sport day.

In granting a lease to Worksop FC the Duke of Newcastle also gave the club £50 to assist in developing the ground. As a result, the pavilions which had been on Netherton Road were transferred onto the new site to the satisfaction of the committee and they considered the only ground to better it in Nottinghamshire was Trent Bridge itself. Worksop's playing strip was now black and white stripes, while the Queens Head and the old Cattle Market Hotel were used for changing.

The proximity of the River Ryton prompted fears of flooding, but this never happened until 1931, by which time the land between the River Ryton and the Chesterfield Canal had been acquired by William Josiah Moore of the Dragons Brewery, Bridge Street with the help of a sizeable mortgage. However, the ink had hardly dried on the conveyance when Mr Moore died at Carlton-in-Lindrick on 28th February 1891, leaving his widow and teenage son to cope with the mortgage repayments.

Worksop FC's president had built his house at Creswell Holme and his brewery was established on the banks of the Canal, so upon hearing that the Bridge Meadow lease was ending he agreed to purchase the freehold rights of the Moores land, exchanging the lease on the neighbouring Allen Street site and guaranteeing to build a wooden bridge that would give access to Central Avenue.

cont...

Major Achievements

Honours:
1898-99 Sheffield Association League Champions

1915-16 Wharncliffe League Champions

1921-22, 1965-66, 1972-73 Midland League Champions

Winners:

Sheffield Senior Cup 1923-24, 1952-53, 1954-55, 1965-66, 1969-70, 1972-73, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1994-95, 1996-97, 2002-03

Northern Premier League President's Cup 1985-86, 1996-97

Chairman's Cup 2001-02

Record Gate:

Central Avenue 8,171 v Chesterfield 1925 FA Cup

Sandy Lane 2,263 v Sheffield United 2005 Friendly

Sandy Lane 2,132 v Sheffield United 2006 Friendly

FA Cup Last 64:

1907-08 v Chelsea

1921-22 Southend

1922-23 v Tottenham

1955-56 v Swindon

FA Trophy Last 8:

2001-01 v Forest Green Rovers

2005-06 Boreham Wood

Need to get in touch?

Tel: 07734 144961

Email: info@worksoptownfc.co.uk

Website Enquiry: website@worksoptownfc.co.uk