Cricket and Football Field 29.01.87
This article tells us so much about the state of football in 1880s. Professionalism was legal, organized competition in the form of the FA Cup and the county cups had firmly taken root in the public imagination. The provinces, particularly the north west and the midlands, had a thriving football culture and there was a railway network that facilitated affordable travel for teams and their supporters.
Darwen travel to Chirk in north east Wales for an FA Cup tie.
Darwen feature the old English internationals Marsden and Rostron, while in goal they have Hugh Mcintyre, formerly of Blackburn Rovers and Glasgow Rangers. A versatile player indeed, he had represented Scotland at centre half, moving back into goal as his age increased (he was 31).
GK
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McIntyre
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FB
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Marsden
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Leach
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HB
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Hamilton
|
Ashton
|
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Thornber
|
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F
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Haresnape
|
Broughton
|
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Rostron
|
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Shorrock
|
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Slater
|
Chirk was a village but they boasted 4 internationals in their line up : William Owen, Di Jones (later of Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City), George Owen (later of Newton Heath) and George Griffiths. In April 1887 this same XI won the Welsh Cup for the first time, and retained it the following season.
GK
|
E Povey
|
FB
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T Wynne
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Di Jones
|
|
HB
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H Owen
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J Owen
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J Jones
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F
|
P Griffiths
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W Owen
|
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T Williams
|
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G Owen
|
|
G Griffiths
|
That Ruabon people had travelled the five miles south to support Darwen against their local rivals (an exclusively Welsh team) is a delightful detail.
