New Brighton
Formed 1921. Wound up 1983.
Elected to Division Three (North) 1923. Failed re-election 1951
Kit History
1921-1922 e
1922-1923 a
1923-1924 b e
1924-1928 i j
1928-Oct 1934 d e
Oct 1934-1937 e f h
1937-1938 h i
1939-1940 e f
1945-1948 e f
1948-1949 e f
1949-1951 e f g
Background
In 1921, physician Dr Tom Martlew launched
New Brighton FC following the demise of South Liverpool FC, whose place in the Lancashire Combination they took over. This was the second attempt
to host a League club in the struggling Wirral resort, New Brighton
Tower FC having foundered 20 years earlier. In 1923 the club was elected
to one of the vacancies arising when Division Three (North) was extended
to 22 clubs, changing from hooped to plain white shirts. In 1925 New Brighton achieved their best ever position,
finishing third in Division Three (North) but never finished higher
than tenth after that and had to seek re-election four times.
In October 1934 the team adopted red and white quartered shirts, prompting a satirical cartoon in the local newspaper, showing a player mincing onto the pitch under the caption, "Isn't it chic?" Three years later they changed their colours again, this time to maroon and white.
New Brighton were known as "The Rakers" after their ground, Rake Lane but Football League matches were played at the Tower Grounds, home of the former New Brighton Tower: they moved here permanently after the Second World War because Rake Lane had been destroyed in air raids.
In 1951 New Brighton failed re-election and were replaced by Workington FC. The club returned to the Lancashire Combination until 1965 when they moved to the Cheshire County League. In 1983 they were wound up.
The current New Brighton club was founded in 1997 and plays in the West Cheshire League at Harrison Park in Wallasey Village.
Sources
- (a) Images of Sport
- (b) Tranmere Rovers FC (Images of Sport - Peter Bishop)
- (c) Club Colours (Bob Bickerton 1998)
- (d) The Football Encyclopaedia (Associated Sporting Press 1934) - information provided by Arthur Fergus
- (e) Greger Lindberg
- (f) New Brighton - a Complete Record (Garth Dykes - Breedon Books) - information provided by Ralph Pomeroy
- (g) Mark Parker
- (h) Keith Ellis (HFK Research Associate)
- (i) Simon Monks
- (j) British Pathe News Archive