Shrewsbury Engineers F.C.

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Shrewsbury Engineers
Full nameShrewsbury Engineers Football Club
Nickname(s)the Engineers[1]
Founded1876
Dissolved1881
GroundUnderdale
PresidentG. J. Holt[2]
SecretaryDavid Rees, J. C. Stone
Trial of floodlit football in Shrewsbury, Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal, 11 December 1878. Shrewsbury Engineers v Newport and Engineers v Trinity.

Shrewsbury Engineers F.C. was a football club based in Shrewbury, England.

History[edit]

The first reference to the Shrewsbury Engineers is as an athletic club in July 1878,[3] although the club had been in existence since 1876;[4] its earliest known match was a 2–0 win over Shifnal in October 1878.[5]

The club was the region's representative in the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1878–79, but lost at home to Wednesbury Strollers.[6] At the end of 1878, the club experimented with hosting floodlit matches, the Monkmoor pitch being surrounded by 10' high canvas;[7] four Siemens lights were put up, although only two worked properly.[8]

By 1879 the club had 40 to 50 members, making it around half the size of the more established Shrewsbury club.[9] The club reached the final of the Shropshire Senior Cup that year, although the run to the final was not without controversy. Shrewsbury F.C. refused to turn up to a semi-final replay with the Engineers "entirely owing to the ungentlemanly conduct of the Engineers, whose conduct was of such a description as to make the Shrewsbury team wisely decline to ever meet them again".

The final itself, against Newport, ended in a 1–1 draw, the Engineers protesting vainly against both the Newport goal (holding the match up for 9 minutes) and the eligibility of one of the players,[10] The replay also ended in a draw, the Engineers sitting back on an early Groom goal and conceding with 4 minutes remaining.[11] The match was finally decided at the fourth attempt - by which time it had been agreed to play half-an-hour extra time if the 90 minutes ended level - in front of 2,000 spectators, at Newport's Audley Avenue ground; curiously all four matches took place in Newport, and this time the home side won 2–1, with a late goal from S. Underhill.[12] The clubs met again in Newport in the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1879–80, Newport again winning, with an Engineers protest unanimously dismissed.[13]

The club did however win the Shropshire Cup in 1879–80, beating Oswestry in the final, thanks to a goal from Lane; this time the Engineers had had the advantage hosting the final.[14] The club however did not immediately get its hands on the trophy, as Mr Ward, the secretary of previous holders Newport, refused to hand it over until the Shropshire FA paid him the £10 which he had contributed to make up the shortfall between the Shropshire FA's contribution to its manufacture and the actual cost.[15]

Despite this success, the club was being pressed financially. Subscriptions and gate money for 1879–80 were just under £29, while expenses were nearly £27, the bulk being the £9 14/6 cost of hiring Underdale.[16]

The following season, the club entered the Welsh Cup for the only time, in preference to the Birmingham Senior Cup.[17] The Engineers were drawn at home to Newtown White Star in the first round and lost 1–0,[18] but the Engineers successfully protested about the referee's eligibility to control the match (prompted by his decision to disallow an Engineers goal, "a decision that gave great dissatisfaction"),[19] so the Welsh Football Association appointed Mr Manners, its secretary, for the second attempt, taking place at the Racecourse Ground.[20] The re-play ended goalless[21] before White Stars won through.

The club's independent existence ended at the start of the 1881–82 season, when it merged into the Shrewsbury Castle Blues,[22] who had ended the Engineers' defence of the Shropshire Cup at the first round stage.[23] The name was briefly revived from 1883 to 1885,[24] and again in 1887,[25] playing at the same ground, but with none of the former players.[26]

Colours[edit]

Mr Rees did not include the club colours in the club's sparse entry to the 1879 Football Annual; clubs in Shrewsbury tended to wear combinations of blue and white.[27] In one match the club was caused some confusion as three of the opponents wore similar colours to the Engineers.[28]

Ground[edit]

The club's first matches were played at Monkmoor.[29] In 1879 the club it obtained a tenure at Underdale,[30] the ground being a field next to Mr Gough's hotel.[31]

Honours[edit]

  • Shropshire Senior Cup
Winners (1): 1880

Notable players[edit]

Goalkeeper Robert McMillan and half-back William Bell were both Welsh internationals while at the Engineers, playing in Wales' unexpected 1–0 win over England in 1881.[32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers v Druids". Wellington Journal: 3. 13 December 1879.
  2. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers' Football Club Supper". Wellington Journal: 6. 23 October 1880.
  3. ^ "Athletic sports". Wellington Journal: 5. 13 July 1878.
  4. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers' Football Club Supper". Wellington Journal: 6. 23 October 1880.
  5. ^ "Football - Shrewsbury Engineers v Shifnal". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 10. 9 October 1878.
  6. ^ "Shrewsbury". London Daily Chronicle: 6. 21 October 1878.
  7. ^ "The electric light". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 7. 11 December 1878.
  8. ^ "The trial of the eletric light in Shrewsbury". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 9. 18 December 1878.
  9. ^ Alcock, Charles (1879). Football Yearbook. London: Cricket Press. p. 106.
  10. ^ Fair Play (9 April 1879). "The final tie for the Shropshire Association Football Cup". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 3.
  11. ^ "Final tie for the Shropshire Association Challenge Cup". Wellington Journal: 3. 26 April 1879.
  12. ^ "Shropshire Association Challenge Cup - Final Tie (4th match)". Wellington Journal: 5. 31 May 1879.
  13. ^ "The Newport and Shrewsbury Engineers' Dispute". Wellington Journal: 5. 3 January 1880.
  14. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers v Oswestry". Wellington Journal: 6. 8 May 1880.
  15. ^ "An action for the recovery of a challenge cup". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 10. 18 August 1880.
  16. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers' Football Club Supper". Wellington Journal: 6. 23 October 1880.
  17. ^ "Birmingham & District Football Association". Walsall Observer: 3. 11 September 1880.
  18. ^ "White Star v Shrewsbury Engineers". Montgomeryshire Express: 5. 23 November 1880.
  19. ^ "Welsh Association Challenge Cup". Athletic News: 7. 24 November 1880.
  20. ^ "Football Association of Wales". Wrexham Advertiser: 8. 27 November 1880.
  21. ^ "Newtown White Stars v Shrewsbury Engineers". Wrexham Advertiser: 5. 11 December 1880.
  22. ^ "Shropshire Association Challenge Cup". Athletic News: 6. 2 November 1881.
  23. ^ "Football". Birmingham Daily Post: 5. 16 November 1880.
  24. ^ "Matches to come off". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 10. 5 December 1883.
  25. ^ "Football fixtures". Wellington Journal: 6. 22 January 1887.
  26. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers v Shrewsbury Wanderers". Wellington Journal: 8. 13 December 1884.
  27. ^ E.g. Shropshire Wanderers (white shirts and blue knickers), Shrewsbury (all white), Wellington St George's (light blue), Castle Blues (blue and white halves), Oswestry (navy and white).
  28. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers v Trench". Wellington Journal: 6. 30 October 1880.
  29. ^ "Football - Shrewsbury Engineers v Shifnal". Eddowes' Shrewsbury Journal: 10. 9 October 1878.
  30. ^ "Shrewsbury Engineers v Scarlet Runners, Shrewsbury". Wellington Journal: 5. 18 October 1879.
  31. ^ "Wem v Shrewsbury Engineers (Return)". Wellington Journal: 6. 29 March 1884.
  32. ^ "England 0 Wales 1". England Football Online. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
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