HISTORY 1882-1947

Skelmersdale United Football Club has a very rich pedigree with an extensive list of honours since they were founded in 1882. Playing their first games on Liverpool Road, across from the Horseshoe, they first entered the Lancashire Junior Cup in 1888. and claimed their first piece of silverware in 1888 as they won the  Ormskirk Cup. United first taste of League action came nearly 10 years after their formation. United’s committee ventured to a meeting at the Spread Eagle Hotel Manchester on Thursday 28^th May1891, when they along with 9 other clubs, agreed to create the Lancashire Combination in time for the inaugural 1891-92 Season, it was not a successful league campaign as they won just 3 of the 13 matches played (the game v PNE Res did not take place). Halliwell who initial joined the competition subsequently left and United’s 3-2 Home win was expunged from the records. With just 14 competetive league games a season United continued the tradition of playing “Association matches” what would now be termed Friendlies.

 

1891/92 Lancashire Combination

 

The following season saw United win just 5 of the 20 games and finish 11^th of the 12 teams taking part, including a 12-0 defeat at Nelson Reserves. They also played Ardwick Res on Boxing Day 1892 a match report from The Manchester Courier gives little away

     Around 700 spectators gathered at Hyde Road. Ardwick were the first to press scoring after ten minutes, Milnes scored shortly after. The visitors broke away and scored. The game became very one sided, Ardwick having very hard lines. The restart saw the visitors press the home team defence having a hard time of it. The home team broke away and Milnes scored the third goal, the visitors scoring immediately after. The game after this was an uninteresting nature but Gamble scored a fourth goal. Final score Ardwick 4-Skelmersdale U 2.

United also lost 0-9 at Newton Heath Reserves but gained revenge by winning the home match 5-1 (Now I wonder what happened to those two clubs). There was also a fixture shown against Hindley a 7-0 defeat in the Lancashire Alliance but  United were members of the Lancs Combination at the time, the final league tables for the Alliance showed no mention of Skem. Certainly a quandary.

They withdrew from the League after two uneventful seasons and joined the local Liverpool & District Amateur League where again spent two seasons, before moving to the Lancashire Alliance, which was teams based mostly around the Wigan area, For the Four seasons to 1899 United failed to win more than a handful of games and were in the bottom 3 throughout..

There is no records for the 1899-00 season The Alliance tables show just a 7 team league with no mention of Skem Utd, it is unsure if they moved back to the Liverpool Liverpool and District.

 The first year of the new millennium brought success as United in 1900-01 ended the season as runners up to Parr and then followed this with a Title winning season (01-02) and also runners up in The Liverpool Senior Cup, having beaten Everton in the Semi Final they lost out at Anfield to Liverpool 1-0 AET

 

1901/02 Lancashire Alliance

 

United followed this up with a third place, United were also runners up in The Liverpool Shield as they lost to Birkenhead 2-1. The match was marred by ugly scenes at the final whistle, in a match played on 13^th December 1902 at Victoria Athletic ground Ormskirk The report from the Coventry Evening Telegraph went on

   A large section of the crowd broke across the ground and surrounded the referee, Mr Langford of Liverpool, who was hustled and struck repeatedly, he escaped down a passage by the end of the stand, after breaking through a hedge he sought refuge in a nearby bowling green. An ugly rush also was made for linesman Mr Lomax but fortunately he made his escape on a nearby roadway”  

The club also triumphed in the Southport Charity Cup when they beat Southport Working Lads 2-0.

 

Again United moved to rejoin the newly expanded Lancashire Combination. They were placed in Division 2 for the 1903-04 season The step up was just a little to much and United struggled for the four seasons they were present  and suffered demotion back to The Lancashire Alliance after taking bottom spot in 1906-07.  In 1905-06 United came up against Carlisle United winning the home game 3-0, whilst losing at Carlisle 2-1, this match took place on New Years Day, long before motorway travel, one can only imaging the time it would have taken to get there. Also in the season United embarked on their first FA Cup journey, short lived as it was a 3-0 defeat to Earlestown in the first match, they also competed the following season winning against Sale Holmfield of the Manchester League before crashing out to Atherton.

 

With the change in Leagues United also had a change in ground as they moved to The High Street (07-08)a ground they used for the next 50 years, in the first ever game they beat Kirkham 1-0, the goal courtesy of long time stalwart Al Martin. They also collected the Lancashire Amateur Shield as they beat Portsmouth Rovers 2-1 in the final. They stayed in the Alliance for just 2 seasons before joining the inaugural Liverpool Combination, The campaign got off to an inauspicious start as they lost their first game away to African Royal 6-0 but it was to be a good time for United, winning the title in their second season 1910-11, following up with victory in the Liverpool Challenge Cup 1911-12. Attendances were high at the time, a game against Ormskirk attracting over 2000 supporters. United completed their first League & Cup double in 1913-14 as they romped the league 7 points ahead of nearest challengers Wallasey Borough. Whilst also winning the Lancashire Junior Cup in 1915 beating Rossendale 1-0 in the Final.

1910/11 Liverpool Combination

 

 

After the war the Leagues resumed in time for the 1919-20 season, Skem had temporarily moved their home venue to the “Mission Ground” Which was to play a major part in the clubs development in years to come as White Moss Park !! The High Street Ground had been used for cultivation during the war years. United quickly got back to winning ways, and they claimed their 3^rd Liverpool Combination Title along with The Liverpool Challenge Cup to claim their 2^nd League/Cup and double. Winning the Cup again in 1921, they defeated Burscough Rangers at Anfield by 4 goals to 1.

United chose to make a 3^rd appearance in the Lancashire Combination for the 1921-22 season. Again their performances where not great and after claiming bottom spot in 23-24 they again moved back to the familiar territory of the Liverpool Combination. However in their last season United embarked on their best FA Cup run to date as first they saw of Youlgrave, New Mills and Garston Gasworks before disposing of Altrincham. Which set up a 4^th Qualifying round at Home against Third Division North Rochdale, (there were 6 rounds before the big teams came in) Whether the pitch was not deemed good enough or the ground couldn’t handle the supporters the game was moved to Spotland and United succumbed to a 4-0 defeat.

The return to the Liverpool League in 24-25 saw United come up against Liverpool and Everton “A” teams. Against Everton “A” on Saturday 26^t   September 1925 United lined up with the following side

Marshall, Wilson, Taylor, Colloby, Heaton, Tootle, R Green, Harris, Lees, Pilkington, J Green. The game was played at Goodison, whilst the first team were over Stanley Park playing the Reds.  United also claimed their first George Mahon Cup success beating near rivals Burscough in the Final, United would go onto lift  the trophy a total of 5 times

On February 12^th 1927 Skems game with the Blues “A”, at Goodison, United lining up in the old 2-3-5 set up,

Scott in goal, Darlington, Wilson, Greenhall, Bolan, Tootle, Luckett, Gregson, Littler, Topping and Lee. The game at Skem in the October of 1927 ended in a 6-5 win to the blues of Skem.

Whilst in January 1929 United recorded their highest ever score, defeating Bootle St James 13-0, Bailey getting five of the goals. In the November of 1930 United recorded two 10-0 victories, against Garston in the League and Electric Mains in the Mahon Cup, Collier getting four in the first. Another notable feat of goal scoring took place on 25^th April 1931  as that man Collier struck 9 goals in a day !! 4 against High Park in a morning kick off as United won 10-0 and 5 against Wavertree as United scored 9 in the afternoon.

For a number of years United endured a bleak period, generally achieving mid table positions, although they did manage to pick up the George Mahon Cup in 1934-35. a 3-2 victory over Marine in the final.

It wasn’t until the 38-39 season that United supporters had something to cheers about as they clinched their first title for 19 years and adding a third Challenge Cup double to their growing reputation. Backing up with the League, Mahon Cup and Liverpool Challenge Cup treble the following season. It was also the time for Tommy Tinsley, United’s legendary goal scorer to make his mark, showing his prowess with 4 goals against Wargrave in 1938 and 5 against Marine Res the following season. Tommy would rack up an incredible 214 goals up until his retirement in 1947. In the match against Everton “A”  4/3/39 Tindsley lead the forward line along with another Skelmersdale legend, Harry Welding, a United player both sides of the war, Harry also represented Skelm at Cricket for many years. Also in the side that day Keeper W Wilson, defender W Wilson !!!, Briscoe, Ashurst, Smith, Stephenson, Pilling, Fairclough, T McLoughlin and the two legends. In the Everton line up was a certain Harry Catterick. In those two championship seasons United lost just 3 games in the process scoring an incredible 194 goals

1938/39 Liverpool Combination

 

 

 

When the Leagues resumed after the Second World War, United again were quickly in their stride as they effectively won their third consecutive title in 1945-46 scoring again a mammoth 130 goals, piping Marine by just 1 point and again claiming their fifth double with victory in the Liverpool Challenge Cup. Held over two legs Skem came out 5-1 winners over South Liverpool Reserves. Tommy Tinsley continued his great scoring record by putting 4 past Prescot BI, Formby, Liverpool “A”, Wigan Ath Res and Newtown YMCA as Skem continued to rack up the goals. They also went undefeated at home from August 1938 to December 1946, Three and a half seasons of football. United were beaten to the League title by Liverpool “A” in 46-47

United’s League Record for the years 1938-47

PLD 105 won 77  lost 13 drawn 15   for 430  against  170

 

HONOURS 1882-1947

 

Lancashire Alliance League Winners 1901-02

Liverpool Combination Champions 1910-11, 1913-14, 1920-21, 1939-40, 1940-41, 1945-46

Liverpool Challenge Cup Winners 1911-12, 1913-14, 1920-21, 1921-22, 1939-40, 1940-41, 1945-46, 1947-48,

League & Cup Double  6 times.

Lancashire Junior Cup Winners  1914-15

George Mahon Cup Winners  1924-25, 1934-35, 1939-40

Lord Wavertree Cup Winners  1936-37