User:Gasheadsteve/Sandbox
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Formation * 1880s * 1890s * 1900s * 1910s * 1920s * 1930s * 1940s * 1950s * 1960s * 1970s * 1980s * 1990s * 2000s |
The history of Bristol Rovers F.C. began over 120 years ago, in 1883. In that time the club has enjoyed limited success on the field and a turbulent, at times, history off of it. Bristol Rovers have enjoyed success, endured failure, been embroiled in corruption scandals and faced homelessness on more than one occasion.
Formation
The club was formed in September 1883, following a meeting in the Eastville Restaurant in Queen's Parade, Stapleton Road, Bristol, organised by a 19-year-old schoolteacher called Bill Somerton. They later took the name Black Arabs F.C., so called because of their predominantly black kit and the fact that they played on an adjoining pitch to the Arabs rugby team, at Purdown.
On 1 December 1883 the Black Arabs played their first match, a friendly match against Gloucestershire side Wotton-under-Edge, which ended in a 6-0 defeat. As well as two games against Wotton, the Black Arabs also played Warmley, Bristol Wagon Works and Right & Might in a total of ten matches over the course of their first season. The team acquired the nickname The Purdown Poachers, after the area where they played.
The 1880s
In 1884, one year after formation, the club changed it's name to Eastville Rovers, after the Eastville area if Bristol, in an effort to draw more players and interest from the local area. The team moved from Purdown for the 1884-85 season and played their home games at a field called Three Acres, the precise location of which is not known today.
The team continued to play friendly matches for the rest of the decade, and in the 1887-88 season took part in the inaugural Gloucestershire Cup, their first taste of competitive action resulting in a 4-1 defeat to Clifton. In 1888-89 Eastville Rovers won their first trophy, beating Warmley 1-0 in the final of the Gloucestershire Cup.
Honours
- Gloucestershire Cup - 1888-89
The 1890s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1892-93 | Bristol & District League | 6th of 9 teams |
| 1893-94 | Bristol & District League | 11th of 12 |
| 1894-95 | Bristol & District League | 6th of 12 |
| 1895-96 | Western League Division 1 | =2nd of 11 |
| 1896-97 | Western League Division 1 | 5th of 9 |
| 1897-98 | Birmingham & District League Western League Professional Section |
3rd of 16 ? of 8 |
| 1898-99 | Birmingham & District League Western League Professional Section |
4th of 19 ? of 6 |
The decade began with Eastville Rovers continuing to mainly play friendly matches, as well as taking part in the Gloucestershire Cup each year. In 1890, Rovers again reached the final of this competition, losing 7-2 to Clifton Association in a game that was notable for the fact that the referee was England cricketer W. G. Grace.
In May 1891 the club negotiated a deal to allow them to play at the Schoolmasters Cricket Ground, Horfield for the 1891-92 season. Rovers only played there for one season however, and moved to Durdham Down for 1892-93 season.
1892 was a major landmark in the history of the club, with Eastville Rovers joining an organised league for the first time. Rovers' became a founding member of the Bristol & District League (later to become the Western Football League), and their first league game was played on 1 October 1892 against Mangotsfield F.C.. Although it was officially a home game for Rovers, the game was played at Mangotsfield and Rovers were defeated by 3 goals to 1. This first season ended with Rovers placed sixth of the nine teams in the league, with six wins, two draws and eight defeats from the sixteen games played.
The 1893-94 season was a poor one, with Rovers finishing 11th out of 12 teams, with only Mangotsfield F.C. below them in the league. Things improved in 1894-95 however with a 6th place finish. This season saw Rovers move to their fifth home, locating themselves at a ground referred to sometimes as Rudgeway and at other times as Ridgeway in the Fishponds area of the city. On 22 September 1894 the first meeting of the two teams that went on to become Bristol Rovers and Bristol City took place. Bristol South End beat Eastville Rovers 2-1 at St. John's Lane in Bedminster.
For the 1895-96 season the Bristol & District League had renamed itself the Western League and had expanded to two divisions. Eastville Rovers were allocated two places in the league, one in the Division One for the first team and one in Division Two for the second XI. Rovers' first game in the Western League, like their first game in the Bristol & District League three years earlier, was against Mangotsfield. This time, however, the result was a win to Rovers, with the game finishing 4-0. Rovers ended the season tied for second place in the league with Staple Hill, and after a play-off game between them ended in a 2-2 draw the teams were declared joint runners-up.
October 5 1895 saw the first appearance in the FA Cup, although this ended in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Warmley, and on 25 January 1896 the first competitive match between Eastville Rovers and Bristol South End took place, with Rovers winning 4-0 in the Gloucestershire Cup. In the 1896-97 FA Cup, after having beaten Newbury and Bristol St. George, Rovers were drawn away to Royal Artillery Portsmouth. Rovers decided though that they had no hope of winning the game and decided to save the travel expenses by withdrawing from the competition. During the 1896-97 season, Rovers purchased the Eastville ground from Bristol Harlequins rugby club on 26 March 1897 and on 3 April played their first game there against Aston Villa. This would remain their home for almost 100 years.
During the last few years of the 19th century, Eastville Rovers had gradually become known as Bristol Eastville Rovers, and on 7 February 1899 the club officially changed it's name to Bristol Rovers.
The 1900s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1899-1900 | Southern League Division 1 | 11th of 15 |
| 1900-01 | Southern League Division 1 | ? of 15 |
| 1901-02 | Southern League Division 1 | 9th of 16 |
| 1902-03 | Southern League Division 1 | 5th of 16 |
| 1903-04 | Southern League Division 1 | 3rd of 18 |
| 1904-05 | Southern League Division 1 | 1st of 18 |
| 1905-06 | Southern League Division 1 | 8th of 18 |
| 1906-07 | Southern League Division 1 | ? of 20 |
| 1907-08 | Southern League Division 1 | 6th of 20 |
| 1908-09 | Southern League Division 1 | 5th of 21 |
For the 1899-00 season the newly renamed Bristol Rovers were admitted to the Southern League. During this first season in the Southern League, Rovers faced a Sheppey United team that featured future Huddersfield Town and Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman.
On 17 November 1900 Rovers faced Weymouth in an FA Cup qualifying match. With the score 5-1 at half time, Rovers went on to score ten goals in the second half, recording a 15-1 victory, a club record for the biggest win in a competitive first team match that still stands today. That win helped Jack Jones towards a total of nine goals in the 1900-01 FA Cup campaign, which is the most FA Cup goals scored by a Rovers player in a single season.
During the 1902-03 season Rovers won the Gloucestershire Cup for the second time after beating Bristol City 4-2 in the second replay.
Another landmark was reached during 1904-05 when Jack Lewis was called up to the Welsh national team, becoming the first Bristol Rovers player to receive an international cap while still at the club. 1904-05 was a successful campaign for Rovers, the season providing the first league title and third Gloucestershire Cup for the club.
Honours
- Southern League Division 1 - 1904-05
- Gloucestershire Cup - 1902-03 and 1904-05
The 1910s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1909-10 | Southern League Division 1 | 13th of 22 |
| 1910-11 | Southern League Division 1 | 16th of 20 |
| 1911-12 | Southern League Division 1 | 17th of 20 |
| 1912-13 | Southern League Division 1 | 16th of 20 |
| 1913-14 | Southern League Division 1 | 17th of 20 |
| 1914-15 | Southern League Division 1 | ? of 20 |
Only six league seasons were played during this decade due to World War I. 1909-10 marked the beginning of a disappointing run of league performances, with the team never finishing better than 13th in the Southern League in the six seasons before the war. During the 1909-10 FA Cup campaign Rovers were drawn at home to Barnsley after having previously beaten Grimsby Town, but Barnsley offered Rovers £500 to switch the tie to Oakwell where Barnsley won 4-0. On 27 April 1910, in a match against New Brompton (now known as Gillingham), Fred Corbett scored his 50th Southern League goal for Rovers, becoming the only player to score 50 goals in the Southern League for the club.
Although one season of league football was played after the outbreak of war, the 1914-15 would be the last season of competitive football played by Rovers until 1919.
Honours
- Gloucestershire Cup - 1913-14
The 1920s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1919-20 | Southern League | 17th of 22 |
| 1920-21 | Football League Division 3 | 10th of 22 |
| 1921-22 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 14th of 22 |
| 1922-23 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 13th of 22 |
| 1923-24 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 9th of 22 |
| 1924-25 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 17th of 22 |
| 1925-26 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 19th of 22 |
| 1926-27 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 10th of 22 |
| 1927-28 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 19th of 22 |
| 1928-29 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 19th of 22 |
On 18 May 1920 a meeting was held between representatives of the Southern League and The Football League and it was decided to move all of the Southern League teams into the new third division of the Football League, which up to this point had consisted of two divisions. As a result Rovers lined up against Millwall on 28 August 1920 for their first match as a football league side, which they lost 2-0. This season also saw Rovers change their team colours from the black and white stripes that had been used since 1899 to white jerseys with blue shorts.
The first Rovers player to be sent off in the Football League was Bill Panes, who was expelled on 4 February 1922 during a game with Luton Town at Eastville.
Attendances were high during this period. On several occasions during this decade, matches between the two Bristol clubs attracted crowds of 30,000 spectators. Even reserve team matches were well attended; a Southern League game against Bristol City played in April 1923 at Ashton Gate attracted 7,000 fans.
In September 1922, an Egyptian engineering student at the University of Bristol called Mahmoud Mokhtar El-Tetch had an unsuccessful trial during a reserve game with Bristol Rovers. Although he didn't earn a professional contract in Bristol, or at Tranmere Rovers where he also had a trial, he went on to become a six-time winner of the Egyptian player of the year award and the Egyptian national stadium was named after him.
Honours
- Gloucestershire Cup - 1924-25 and 1927-28
The 1930s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1929-30 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 20th of 22 |
| 1930-31 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 15th of 22 |
| 1931-32 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 18th of 22 |
| 1932-33 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 9th of 22 |
| 1933-34 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 7th of 22 |
| 1934-35 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 8th of 22 |
| 1935-36 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 17th of 22 |
| 1936-37 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 15th of 22 |
| 1937-38 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 15th of 22 |
| 1938-39 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 22nd of 22 |
Honours
- Gloucestershire Cup - 1934-35, 1935-36 and 1937-38
The 1940s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1946-47 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 14th of 22 |
| 1947-48 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 20th of 22 |
| 1948-49 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 5th of 22 |
Honours
- Gloucestershire Cup - 1947-48 and 1948-49
The 1950s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1949-50 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 9th of 22 |
| 1950-51 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 6th of 24 |
| 1951-52 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 7th of 24 |
| 1952-53 | Football League Division 3 (South) | 1st of 24 |
| 1953-54 | Football League Division 2 | 9th of 22 |
| 1954-55 | Football League Division 2 | 9th of 22 |
| 1955-56 | Football League Division 2 | 6th of 22 |
| 1956-57 | Football League Division 2 | 9th of 22 |
| 1957-58 | Football League Division 2 | 10th of 22 |
| 1958-59 | Football League Division 2 | 6th of 22 |
The 1960s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1959-60 | Football League Division 2 | 9th of 22 |
| 1960-61 | Football League Division 2 | 17th of 22 |
| 1961-62 | Football League Division 2 | 21st of 22 |
| 1962-63 | Football League Division 3 | 19th of 24 |
| 1963-64 | Football League Division 3 | 12th of 24 |
| 1964-65 | Football League Division 3 | 6th of 24 |
| 1965-66 | Football League Division 3 | 16th of 24 |
| 1966-67 | Football League Division 3 | 5th of 24 |
| 1967-68 | Football League Division 3 | 16th of 24 |
| 1968-69 | Football League Division 3 | 16th of 24 |
The 1970s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1969-70 | Football League Division 3 | 3rd of 24 |
| 1970-71 | Football League Division 3 | 6th of 24 |
| 1971-72 | Football League Division 3 | 6th of 24 |
| 1972-73 | Football League Division 3 | 5th of 24 |
| 1973-74 | Football League Division 3 | 2nd of 24 |
| 1974-75 | Football League Division 2 | 19th of 22 |
| 1975-76 | Football League Division 2 | 18th of 22 |
| 1976-77 | Football League Division 2 | 15th of 22 |
| 1977-78 | Football League Division 2 | 18th of 22 |
| 1978-79 | Football League Division 2 | 16th of 22 |
The 1980s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979-80 | Football League Division 2 | 19th of 22 |
| 1980-81 | Football League Division 2 | 22nd of 22 |
| 1981-82 | Football League Division 3 | 15th of 24 |
| 1982-83 | Football League Division 3 | 7th of 24 |
| 1983-84 | Canon League Division 3 | 5th of 24 |
| 1984-85 | Canon League Division 3 | 6th of 24 |
| 1985-86 | Canon League Division 3 | 16th of 24 |
| 1986-87 | Today League Division 3 | 19th of 24 |
| 1987-88 | Barclays League Division 3 | 8th of 24 |
| 1988-89 | Barclays League Division 3 | 5th of 24 |
The 1990s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | Barclays League Division 3 | 1st of 24 |
| 1990-91 | Barclays League Division 2 | 13th of 24 |
| 1991-92 | Barclays League Division 2 | 13th of 24 |
| 1992-93 | Barclays League Division 1 | 24th of 24 |
| 1993-94 | Endsleigh League Division 2 | 8th of 24 |
| 1994-95 | Endsleigh League Division 2 | 4th of 24 |
| 1995-96 | Endsleigh League Division 2 | 10th of 24 |
| 1996-97 | Nationwide Football League Division 2 | 17th of 24 |
| 1997-98 | Nationwide Football League Division 2 | 5th of 24 |
| 1998-99 | Nationwide Football League Division 2 | 13th of 24 |
The 2000s
| Season | League | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1999-2000 | Nationwide Football League Division 2 | 7th of 24 |
| 2000-01 | Nationwide Football League Division 2 | 21st of 24 |
| 2001-02 | Nationwide Football League Division 3 | 23rd of 24 |
| 2002-03 | Nationwide Football League Division 3 | 20th of 24 |
| 2003-04 | Nationwide Football League Division 3 | 15th of 24 |
| 2004-05 | Coca-Cola Football League 2 | 12th of 24 |
| 2005-06 | Coca-Cola Football League 2 | 12th of 24 |
Home grounds
The locations of Bristol Rovers home grounds since formation.
| Dates | Ground |
|---|---|
| 1883-1884 | Purdown |
| 1884-1891 | Three Acres |
| 1891-1892 | Schoolmasters Cricket Ground |
| 1892-1894 | Durdham Downs |
| 1894-1897 | Ridgeway |
| 1897-1986 | Eastville Stadium |
| 1986-1996 | Twerton Park |
| 1996-present | The Memorial Stadium |
References
- Byrne, Stephen & Jay, Mike (2003): Bristol Rovers Football Club, The Definitive History 1883-2003. ISBN 0-7524-2717-2
- The early days to the present day from bristolrovers.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
- Dates and honours from bristolrovers.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
- Soccerbase Retrieved 28 October 2006.