All Points North

By Graham Williams

A history of the North Section of the Football League's Third Division, from 1921 to 1958

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony Brown
• Release date: Feb 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781905891894

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ALL POINTS NORTH

The Third Division (Northern Section) of the Football League, 1921-1958

By Graham Williams

© Graham Williams 2013, 2015

This eBook is based on the paperback book of the same name, ISBN 978-1-905891-71-9, published by Tony Brown in 2013.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION

THE FORMATION OF THE NORTHERN SECTION

THE TWENTIES

THE THIRTIES

WAR STOPS PLAY

THE LATE-FORTIES

THE FIFTIES

THE END OF AN ERA

THE DIVISION THREE (NORTH) CUP

DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES: THE STUFF OF THE F.A. CUP

NORTHERN SECTION MEMBER CLUBS

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES

A.G.M. NORTHERN SECTION VOTING SUMMARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION

A tale of passion, pain, persistence and potential

Preface

My earliest football memories are of Derby County and how a once great team had fallen on hard times. I was impatient to be taken to the Baseball Ground to see the ‘Rams’, but I would have to wait until they got out of Division Three (North). Everyone agreed that the ‘Rams’ were too good for the Northern section, but promotion did not come easily. Fortunately they made it in 1957 and my first visit to the Baseball ground came early the following season.

Such attitudes towards the Northern section were common amongst followers of the bigger clubs. I probably, unknowingly, held the same views as I looked forward to Second Division fare. I never got to see a Northern section match and I wish I had. Looking back, the Northern section had a lot of positive attributes, if not always qualities, and in this book I have tried to bring them to the fore.

Introduction

Division Three (North) scarcely merits a mention in modern football histories. When it does it is only in context of the crises and casualties that befell an unfashionable provincial competition. Its name still lives on in the record books, and also thanks mainly to the many connotations it still carries. Unfortunately, many of those connotations are negative. The section has come to stand for a rather poverty stricken competition, populated largely by un-ambitious clubs that were reckoned to have settled for lower standards in all respects. Much of that ‘bad press’ was due to journalists at the time who were only too willing to belittle the section and describe the prospect of relegation as being to the dreaded Third Division – that nightmare of the mighty.

And yet, the Northern section’s history is more than just an ancient tale of crises and hard times. It is in fact in many ways a very modern tale of doughty survivors demonstrating real love and loyalty at the game’s roots. It is a tale of often-beleaguered directors investing in the game they loved to pass on clubs and stadia for future generations. It is a tale of supporters staying loyal to their clubs despite an almost permanent absence of success and money. It is also a tale of the pride felt by local communities when their team triumphed against the odds. The life and times of the Northern section also gives an insight into the economic realities and shifting sporting preferences, and allegiances, of times long past in the north of England.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks are due to the many authors listed in the bibliography whose work inspired and fed this book. I also have to thank Moira for once again having the patience to read through the drafts and mark up the many errors, clarifications and still find the time to make so many valuable suggestions. Thanks also to Tony for his early support and for knocking the draft into shape.

Abbreviations

A.G.M.        Annual General Meeting

E.G.M.        Emergency General Meeting

F.A.             Football Association

G.R.A.        Greyhound Racing Association

N.R.L.         Northern Rugby League

R.F.L.          Rugby Football League

R.L.F.C.      Rugby League Football Club

R.U.F.C.      Rugby Union Football Club

S.G.M.        Special General Meeting

THE FORMATION OF THE NORTHERN SECTION

Over its 30 years in existence the Football League had expanded its initial membership from 12 in 1888 to 44 spread across two divisions by the time it returned to normal peacetime football in 1919. Yet even at that expanded total, the Football League was still only nominally national as the vast majority of professional football played in the southern counties of England and Wales was controlled by the Southern League. A merger between the two Leagues had been proposed on a number of occasions pre-war, but since peace had been restored their relationship had become fractious.

However, as 1919/20 wore on a more conciliatory tone developed and by the end of winter relations had thawed sufficiently for discussions about the amalgamation of the two Leagues to be restarted. There was a positive response from the Football League as merger offered another chance to both get rid of a troublesome rival and to expand operations across England and Wales.

At the end of a season that had seen attendances reach a new high there was an unprecedented window of opportunity for scores of non-league clubs to advance their standing provided their officials had the ambition and drive necessary to grab the chance.

On 15th May 1920, 24 clubs from across the north and the midlands met at the King’s Head Hotel in Sheffield and passed a resolution that pledged them to do everything in their power to facilitate the formation of a Football League third division as being in the best interests of football. Sheffield was again the chosen venue for a meeting, on 18th May, between representatives of the Football League and other regional leagues, including the Southern League, to explore the formation of a third division and submit proposals to the F.A.

The following week, the 22 member clubs of the Southern League’s First Division and 30 clubs from the north and midlands held meetings at Manchester. All the clubs present that day agreed to submit applications to the F.A. for the formation and membership of a new division. It was expected that the matter would be considered and a decision made at the F.A.’s A.G.M. on the last day of the month.

At a meeting of the clubs comprising the Southern League’s First Division, Watford proposed and Norwich City seconded the following motion: That this meeting of First Division Southern League clubs is of the opinion that the time is opportune for an application to form a Third Division of the Football League consisting of a Northern Section and a Southern Section, further that the clubs comprising the Southern League First Division be selected en bloc to form the Southern Section. The members of the Southern League’s First Division overwhelmingly supported the proposal with 19 votes for, one against and one abstention.

Setting the tone at the Football League A.G.M., held on 31st May, Charles Sutcliffe, a leading member of the management committee, said: The League should comprise all the great clubs in the Country ... As a League we have always been making progress. We have never gone backwards and we will continue to go higher and higher until we have reached that perfect organisation which should be the ambition of every national body. The meeting’s first business was to reflect that aspiration by electing Cardiff City of the Southern League’s First Division and Leeds United of the Midland Counties League into Division Two in place of Grimsby Town (20 votes) and Lincoln City (7). Having sorted the membership of Division Two, the A.G.M. turned its attention to amalgamation with the Southern League. After rejecting an amendment calling for any decision to be deferred, the Football League’s members, having been convinced that the Southern League should be admitted en bloc, resurrected an idea from spring 1909. Then, two parallel second divisions – north, composed of the Football League’s Second Division, and south, composed of the Southern League’s First Division – had been proposed and agreed by a large majority to create a new division, subject to F.A. approval. However, this time around it would be as a Third Division not a regional Division Two as envisaged 10 years earlier.

John McKenna, the President of the Football League, described the merger as being the result of an extraordinary movement. That was partially true, although good attendance figures for matches in Southern League Division One over 1919/20 were said to have played a major part in swaying the doubters.

Provisional consent for the League’s expansion plan was forthcoming from the F.A. two days later. With consent secured, the Football League management committee issued an invitation to the Southern League’s First Division to become its new third division. A Southern League S.G.M., on 21st June, accepted the invitation and the way was clear for Division Three to be established.

Division Three’s initial membership was made up of 21 clubs from the Southern League’s First Division: Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace, Exeter City, Gillingham, Luton Town, Merthyr Town, Millwall, Newport County, Northampton Town, Norwich City, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Southampton, Southend United, Swansea Town, Swindon Town and Watford. To make up for the earlier loss of Cardiff City, Grimsby Town, to the north of Lincoln City, was added to take the membership up to 22 clubs. The other ejected club, Lincoln City, which had finished a place above Grimsby Town in the League but had polled fewer votes at the A.G.M., was excluded. The ‘Imps’ survived by moving their first-team into the Midland Counties League in place of their reserves.

At a stroke, the Football League had effectively taken control of nearly all the senior professional football in England and much of Wales. For the Football League, this was very advantageous because its registrations would be binding on more clubs and transfer fees would be payable. Also, the maximum wage regulations would be binding on nearly all professional clubs in England and Wales. Although it had the aura of the Football League, there were some major drawbacks for those clubs fortunate enough to have been elected to the new Division Three. For the weaker ones the price of failure was high – two members of the Division would have to seek re-election annually while for the stronger there was only chance each season to get promoted.

Southern membership of the League had shot up to 28 (out of a total of 66), but there was little chance of an overnight shift in attitude. The newcomers’ payments of a reduced £100 entrance fee and an annual subscription of 10 guineas (£10.50) would not make them full members of the Football League. Full membership, conferring voting rights at A.G.M.s would be restricted to the full members, which were those clubs in the First and Second Divisions. That situation had come about because the management committee had decided to continue with a condition it had imposed when a group of northern clubs had agitated for the formation of a third division in October 1911 – that members of the Third Division would be classed as associate members with no responsibility for the management of the League. The only way members of the new division would be able to make their opinion count on matters of League policy was by gaining promotion and paying the outstanding balance - £200 – of the full membership fee. Realistically, many of the associate members would not possess the resources to seize that opportunity for some time.

For Division Three’s founders, membership obviously brought with it the League’s prestige, which they must have considered to be worth more than operational control. Most of the new Division’s strategic decisions would be taken by the full members and the associate members would have to learn to live with them. Ultimately, Division Three’s membership could only hope to influence the direction that the new competition took. It was undoubtedly a poorer deal than they had hoped for but that was all that was on offer. It meant that the members of the new Third Division would be associated with a fully professional national league but not be quite a part of it.

While the League’s A.G.M. had accepted in principle the idea of expanding Division Three to include a parallel Northern section, the management committee decided to delay its formation for a year as the vast majority of its prospective members were not strong enough financially or in playing strength. Charles Sutcliffe was keen to stress that was not an obstructive move and the meeting agreed that the management committee should revisit the question of whether or not to establish a Northern section in February 1921. This, it was hoped, would give prospective applicants time to assemble the playing staff and the financial backing necessary for the section to be success.

This was not what the 26 eager northern clubs that had already submitted applications wanted to hear. For 10 of them there was worse news on the way – they were rejected due to unsatisfactory grounds. The remaining 16 applicants were promised a place in a year’s time provided the section was established and also provided they finished in the top half of their respective leagues.

Not wishing to dampen their enthusiasm, Charles Sutcliffe advised them to use the extra time now available to them to put their houses in order, mould their purpose, centralise their aims and ambitions and work to make themselves worthy of acceptance into the League. Sutcliffe later set out the criteria for potential applicants in the ‘Athletic News’. In response to the news that they would have to wait for another 12 months Councillor Harry Cropper, a Chesterfield director and a member of the seven-man delegation that was in attendance to lobby for the formation of regional third divisions, told the A.G.M. that the northern clubs would prove their worth and ability and would try to earn the confidence of the League.

Ever since its formation, the Football League had grown the number of divisions by recruiting existing competitor bodies. First to be absorbed was the Football Alliance as the new Second Division and then the Southern League as the new Third Division. Creating the new northern section could not proceed along similar lines.

Building the Northern section would prove to be a more arduous task than building its southern counterpart. Firstly, the possible entrants would need to be selected from various regional leagues spread across England’s northernmost counties. Secondly, only a few of the applicants were of longstanding and even some of those had suspended activity during the Great War. Many others had only been formed in the last couple of years to replace older senior clubs that had disbanded during the conflict. A few, such as Wakefield City formed in March 1920, had the barest of existences.

Recognising that the creation of a northern section would be a collective election, the representatives of the northern applicants worked hard to ensure Councillor Cropper’s words at the A.G.M. were backed up in practice by each and every one of them. A meeting of northern clubs was held at Manchester’s Grand Hotel on 3rd June and it resolved that those present do all they possibly can do to press forward with the programme for the 1921/22 season. A committee was elected to organise the campaign with Harry Cropper acting as the main spokesman and Councillor Edwin Clayton (Southport) as its secretary providing the impetus.

Unhappy at the loss of Football League status, Lincoln City became one of the standard bearers for a new Northern section. Lincoln City’s presence alongside Chesterfield, Darlington, Hartlepools United and Rochdale re-united the core northern clubs that had agitated for the formation of a third division 10 years earlier.

There was a lot of speculation as to the likely composition of the new section. Some of the speculation proved very controversial. The usually well-informed Charles Sutcliffe contributed an article to ‘Sports Echo’ on 11th September. In it he made the comment that even at Headingley there is a strong leaning for soccer and with the prospect ahead of a Northern Section of the Third Division, there are those in the camp who would be pleased to enter the Third Division rather than stay with the Northern Union. Those comments caused quite a stir at Headingley and 10 days later a meeting of the directors of the Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Club, the owners of the Headingley grounds, passed resolutions repudiating Sutcliffe’s statements, called upon him to retract and unanimously supported the continuation of the Northern Union game.

There was a real sense of optimism as clubs looked ahead to the forthcoming Northern section. Dr. A.H. Muir, the Halifax Town chairman, was reported as telling a fund-raising meeting on 9th July: Speaking from inside information I know that if, in February 1921, we can produce a ground that will meet league requirements and if we can show financial backing that is worthy of a town of this size, our position as members of the English League with all that means, is absolutely secure. Town had already entered into an agreement with Halifax Corporation for a seven year lease on a part of the centrally located Shay estate. Town’s directors set to work in December 1920 to create a ground to League standards, on a site that had previously been a public tip. The total cost of the work, much of which would be carried out by volunteers, was initially estimated at £1,000. If those directors needed any encouragement it would have been provided by a decision to exclude the club from the F.A. Cup in 1921/22 because of the inaccessibility of their ground at Exley.

Inevitably, corners were cut in the rush. Summer 1920 saw Wigan United accepted into the Lancashire Combination. According to one local journalist, the club was on the cusp of success: Given the support they are entitled to, there is no reason why this season should not firmly establish the club and the game in Wigan. With a single exception, all Wigan United's first squad were registered as amateurs. United’s high hopes soon suffered a setback when on 27th September the Lancashire F.A. wrote to the club’s management informing them that they were illegally paying 'broken time' to their amateur players. The County F.A. gave United no choice, but to re-constitute itself as a professional club by the end of October. United accepted the County Association's directive, dissolving itself into a new limited company which was plain Wigan A.F.C. for one month. Finally, at the end of October, Wigan Borough, the town’s fourth professional club, was born to take over United's Lancashire Combination fixtures.

On 4th November, a meeting of the North-Eastern League gave permission for Darlington, Durham City, Hartlepools United and West Stanley to proceed with their applications for a place in the proposed Division Three (North). The Midland Counties League decided that any of the eight, or more, members intending to apply for a place in the Football League had to tender their resignations by 1st March 1921 – a source of some anxiety for those unsure of being selected.

A further meeting of interested northern clubs was held in Manchester on 10th November where all those present were made aware of the need to pay transfer fees, summer wages and bear the cost of more extensive travel. Hartlepools United estimated that the cost of sending a party of 16 to all away League matches would amount to £365 over the season.

The next step was a special meeting, held in Manchester on 6th January, between Football League officials and representatives of any clubs wishing to join the proposed Division Three (North). Some 30 serious applicants were identified. Of those applicants, 10, Worksop Town of the Midland Counties League amongst them, were ruled out as not meeting the ground entry requirements. To try and safeguard its standing, the Football League management committee issued a questionnaire to check on the condition of grounds, their capacity and gate receipts. To confirm that the responses were correct, the management committee organised unannounced ground inspections to confirm the facilities of the candidate clubs for the first time.

The northern clubs prepared their case for creating a Northern section at a meeting in Manchester on Monday 7th February. Many present were aware that the core of the Football League’s membership had voted against forming a, predominately northern, Third Division 10 years earlier and they recognised a good case was needed. Failure was not an option as many northern clubs had committed to serious expenditure in preparation for the division’s formation and therefore the venture had to succeed. Underlying their case was a concern that if a Division Three (North) was not formed the character and composition of the current Division Two would begin to change significantly in the near future. Finally, there was a need to clarify, in the event of Division Three (North) not being formed, whether in future any northern applicants would be expected to join what was an overwhelmingly southern Third Division.

A final meeting of interested clubs was held at Darlington on 25th February. There was great excitement and many clubs saw a place in the new northern section as the first step towards national recognition. Some though had second thoughts. Carlisle United of the North-Eastern League withdrew its application due to a cash shortage on 2nd March. Mansfield Town’s leadership decided to drop their interest, believing that a leap from the Central Alliance to Division Three (North) was too great at that time.

As expected, the three clubs – Chesterfield, Rochdale, Southport – that had been co-opted into the Football League in wartime and still remained outside its ranks had applied for a place in the proposed Northern section. For Chesterfield, it also provided a way for the town to rebuild a link to the Football League lost in 1909. Accrington Stanley (1893), Crewe Alexandra (1896), Gainsborough Trinity (1912), Lincoln City (1920) and Walsall (1895) had also all felt the chill of rejection and were attempting to regain Football League memberships for their communities. To their detriment, it was recognised that all of those clubs had previously failed to meet the demands of League membership – and they had had the benefit of a place in the Second Division. Similarly some other applicants, or their predecessors, like Darlington, Hartlepools United, Rochdale, South Liverpool, Southport (under the old name of Southport Central), Stalybridge Celtic and Wigan Borough (under various names) had submitted unsuccessful applications to join the League’s Second Division pre-war. Would their representatives be able to convince the League that they had what it was looking for this time?

When it came to the S.G.M., on Monday 7th March, the Football League management committee found itself in an extraordinary position. John McKenna, the League’s President, told those present that because of divisions on whether or not to support the formation of Division Three (North) the management committee would not be making a recommendation. As northern clubs were already disproportionally represented in the Football League, some committee members had reservations about recruiting more, invariably weaker, clubs from the same region. It was also potentially a retrograde step, undermining the progress the League had achieved towards building a membership based firmly in the country’s larger cities and towns.

Having reminded those present of the efforts that the candidate clubs had made to be ready for membership, Councillor Cropper assured them that the 14 prospective northern members were prepared to deposit a guarantee to ensure the league programme would be completed. Cropper’s assurance appeared to be what those present needed to hear. The A.G.M. agreed to establish a Division Three (North) and the deposit was set at £500. To accommodate the new section the existing Division Three was re-titled Division Three (South).

According to the slightly sarcastic report of that veteran chronicler of the League’s affairs, ‘Tityrus’ in the ‘Athletic News’: all the speeches were optimistic and ... all the clubs were the hub of a big population with grounds capable of holding 100,000. On the day that was what those present wanted to hear. Northern section reality would not kick in until later.

Once the establishment had been agreed, 14 clubs were nominated with some unanimity by the Football League management committee. Those 14 clubs, which were elected into membership en bloc, are listed below with their respective final positions in their current competitions:

Birmingham & District League: Walsall (5th)

                                                    Wrexham (3rd)

Central League:   Crewe Alexandra (2nd)

Nelson (17th)

Rochdale (10th)

Tranmere Rovers (7th)

Lancashire Combination: Accrington Stanley (6th)

Barrow (1st)

Midland Counties League: Chesterfield (3rd)

Lincoln City (1st)

North-Eastern League: Ashington (9th)

Darlington (1st)

Durham City (11th)

Hartlepools United (8th)

Another 14 clubs were then put into the ballot for the four remaining places. The four elected clubs with their final league positions and votes received are shown below.

Central League: Southport (18th – 25),    

Stalybridge Celtic (13th – 25)

Lancashire Combination: Wigan Borough (17th – 34)

Midland Counties League: Halifax Town (11th – 25)

The 10 clubs that failed to get elected were from the following leagues.

Lancashire Combination:  Lancaster Town (5th – 1)    

South Liverpool (10th – 1)

Midland Counties League: Castleford Town (8th – 18)    

Rotherham Town (5th – 13)    

Gainsborough Trinity (13th – 8)    

Doncaster Rovers (16th – 6)    

Scunthorpe & Lindsey United (4th – 1)

North-Eastern League:  Blyth Spartans (3rd – 9)    

West Stanley (7th – 6)

Yorkshire League:  Wakefield City (6th – 1)

There were a number of reasons for rejection. Doubts about grounds undermined the chances of both Doncaster Rovers and South Liverpool. South Liverpool had been using other clubs grounds on a temporary basis for some time. It was always unlikely that Rotherham Town would be elected into the League alongside neighbours Rotherham County. Gainsborough Trinity’s case was undermined by the club going into voluntary liquidation at the end of the previous season.

Potential support and ease of travel were nearly always the keys to selection. So although clubs like Blyth Spartans and West Stanley would finish higher in the North-Eastern