ashton_fan Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 (edited) I have managed to download this newspaper clip from February 20th 1909 previewing Norwich's big cup tie at Bristol City, this would have been in the run to the final against Man Utd. Norwich were in the South Eastern league at the time so it would have been a big upset to beat Bristol City. The article is headlined "Football" in the column at the top of the page just right of the photos. I note from the league tables that the Gas and Swindle both played in the Southern League at the time: Edited November 13, 2023 by ashton_fan 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy1968 Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 We don't even get a mention. Charming! If you notice the Southern League table, all the teams are currently in the pro-leagues - New Brompton changed their name to Gillingham in 1912. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Said Red Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Sleepy1968 said: We don't even get a mention. Charming! If you notice the Southern League table, all the teams are currently in the pro-leagues - New Brompton changed their name to Gillingham in 1912. It looks like some team are in two divisions? Norwich for example, they also have a reserve side so it's not that. Edited November 13, 2023 by Port Said Red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 I think we were in the First Division at the time, this is an East Anglian local paper so they were more interested in Norwich , the East Anglian League seems to be for reserve teams in the area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 56 minutes ago, Sleepy1968 said: We don't even get a mention. Charming! If you notice the Southern League table, all the teams are currently in the pro-leagues - New Brompton changed their name to Gillingham in 1912. T'was ever thus ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Here's another article from 18 November 1906 describing our win over Sheffield Utd at Ashton Gate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norn Iron Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Just in case you've looked at the above league table and was wondering whatever happened to Croydon Common FC.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croydon_Common_F.C. The only professional division 1 team not to continue after WW1. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy1968 Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 1 hour ago, ashton_fan said: Here's another article from 18 November 1906 describing our win over Sheffield Utd at Ashton Gate Looks like a totally unbiased neutral review to me. We were just brilliant that day - you won't find anyone that says otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 5 minutes ago, Sleepy1968 said: Looks like a totally unbiased neutral review to me. We were just brilliant that day - you won't find anyone that says otherwise. While I was looking for stories on City I came across numerous interesting articles on football in general, one article from around 1912 was complaining how in the "modern game" there were too many goalless draws and that it was better in the old days of the 1880s and 1890s when things were less organised and there were more goals! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Watts Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 3 hours ago, Port Said Red said: It looks like some team are in two divisions? Norwich for example, they also have a reserve side so it's not that. And I can find no record of this anywhere to offer an explanation! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2015 Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Pretty sure Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers were Southern League (Amateur Level) Until around 1922 when the League's merged with the 1st and 2nd Division. Southern League became the 3rd Division. Swindon and Rovers have always been historic rivals because of their similar league positions since the early 20th Century. Still historically third tier clubs (Despite Swindon's current position). City were one of the only Southern Professional clubs in the very early stages of the 20th century. We've underachieved. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 I remember in the 70s there was a South East Counties league for youth teams of league clubs around London Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 3 hours ago, ashton_fan said: Here's another article from 18 November 1906 describing our win over Sheffield Utd at Ashton Gate Who T F wrote this , Stanley Unwin ? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastonboy Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 57 minutes ago, slartibartfast said: Who T F wrote this , Stanley Unwin ? I was thinking similar...it reads like an AI bot... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buster Footman's T shirt Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Did it mention whether or not the tannoy was working then? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 7 minutes ago, Buster Footman's T shirt said: Did it mention whether or not the tannoy was working then? They probably didn't even have electricity in those days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 It beggars belief that teams like Norwich had to travel to places like Plymouth. It must have taken them all week back then! I guess most would have gone by train but still it`s some hike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsofclay Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 4 hours ago, 2015 said: Pretty sure Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers were Southern League (Amateur Level) Until around 1922 when the League's merged with the 1st and 2nd Division. Southern League became the 3rd Division. Swindon and Rovers have always been historic rivals because of their similar league positions since the early 20th Century. Still historically third tier clubs (Despite Swindon's current position). City were one of the only Southern Professional clubs in the very early stages of the 20th century. We've underachieved. The Southern League wasn't amatuer. When Bristol City were in it before joining the Northern based Football League in 1901 the players were professionals. Basically, back then there were two professional football leagues, the Southern based Southern League and the Northern based Football League. The Football League had the strongest teams and eventually won out after the Great War when many of the Southern League sides joined the much expanded Football League. But the Southern League had many strong teams the equal of Football League sides, hence Tottenham Hotspur winning the FA Cup as a Southern League side in 1901. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2015 Posted November 14, 2023 Report Share Posted November 14, 2023 3 hours ago, handsofclay said: The Southern League wasn't amatuer. When Bristol City were in it before joining the Northern based Football League in 1901 the players were professionals. Basically, back then there were two professional football leagues, the Southern based Southern League and the Northern based Football League. The Football League had the strongest teams and eventually won out after the Great War when many of the Southern League sides joined the much expanded Football League. But the Southern League had many strong teams the equal of Football League sides, hence Tottenham Hotspur winning the FA Cup as a Southern League side in 1901. Thanks for correcting me Sounds better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsofclay Posted November 14, 2023 Report Share Posted November 14, 2023 10 hours ago, 2015 said: Thanks for correcting me Sounds better! No worries, it's an easy mistake to make. I used to use the question about the only non-league club to have won the FA Cup (since the FL started in 1888), that being Spurs in 1901. But stopped using it when I came to realize that Spurs were a fully professional club in an alternative league to the Football League. So weren't really 'non-league' as we class it today and since 1919. Nowadays non league means below the four tiers of the Football League, but back then there was no pyramid at all. In fact many of the early charity shield matches were played between the winners of the Football League and Southern League. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelton Posted November 14, 2023 Report Share Posted November 14, 2023 Isn't it true that the only 'non league' team to beat City in the FA Cup is Spurs unlike a near neighbour who seem to manage it every four or five years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22A Posted November 14, 2023 Report Share Posted November 14, 2023 14 minutes ago, Gimme Shelton said: Isn't it true that the only 'non league' team to beat City in the FA Cup is Spurs unlike a near neighbour who seem to manage it every four or five years? Sadly no. Crewe came to AG for a cup game and won 3-0 in January 1911 when they were in the Central League and City were then in Div 1. Ten years later Crewe were invited to join the newly created Div 3 North. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Colby-Tit Posted November 14, 2023 Report Share Posted November 14, 2023 The toss, from the final (Daily Mirror, April 26 1909) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecretSam Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 I'm quite intrigued by "Pleasure Cruises to Sunny Lands" in the top right corner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Bristolian Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 On 13/11/2023 at 12:22, Sleepy1968 said: We don't even get a mention. Charming! If you notice the Southern League table, all the teams are currently in the pro-leagues - New Brompton changed their name to Gillingham in 1912. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin101 Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 It's probably been done to death, but what's the main theory why we went from being a fairly top club in the early days to a century and more of being totally average? Was there some financial disaster in the 1920s or something I've never heard about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 1 hour ago, Robin101 said: It's probably been done to death, but what's the main theory why we went from being a fairly top club in the early days to a century and more of being totally average? Was there some financial disaster in the 1920s or something I've never heard about? It's probably just that the other teams started later than us and got better over time and overtook us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lack of Action Man Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 (edited) How on Earth did teams travel to each other in those days! Train? Horse and cart? Some of those journeys I still wouldn’t make now! Edited November 15, 2023 by OddBallJim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 5 hours ago, SecretSam said: I'm quite intrigued by "Pleasure Cruises to Sunny Lands" in the top right corner Barry Island? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashton_fan Posted November 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 4 hours ago, OddBallJim said: How on Earth did teams travel to each other in those days! Train? Horse and cart? Some of those journeys I still wouldn’t make now! Must have been trains, there were a lot more local stations in those days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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