The history of Radford Football Club

The beginnings

1964-65

The beginnings of the modern day Radford Football Club can be traced back to 1964 and the apprentices of the manufacturing company Manlove Alliott who were based at their Bloomsgrove works, Radford, Nottingham. The Manlove & Alliott company had their roots as far back as the 1830’s and were a very successful company for a 140 years involved in everything from Engines, Boilers, Sugar Machinery, Oil Mill Plant, Power Laundry Plant, Centrifugal Machines and Refuse Destructors and employing Engineering Fitters, Lathe Turners, Tinsmiths, Platers and Boiler makers. It even had its own Foundry.

Manloves and Alliott did have a football team in the 1890’s playing in the Radford and District League but this hadn’t lasted and while the company had many sporting endeavours through the 20th century like Cricket and a Fishing Club, football wasn’t one of them. The nearby firms of Players and Raleigh were the dominant works football teams during the mid 20th century period and at were always playing at the higher levels of football. The Manloves Cricket Club could boast the same initials as the world authority on cricket namely the MCC.

In August 1964 the young apprentices organised a charity cricket match for Dr. Barnado’s Homes and Nazareth House for Children. The attitude and determination of the apprentices impressed the directors and management of Manlove Alliott who gave their backing for the match and fete which took place on the Nottingham Co-op Employee’s Sports Association ground on Gregory Street, Lenton.

General manager and director Mr E. S. Hale said “All the organisation was done by the boys themselves out of work’s time. Their work has certainly improved since this began. Some of them have made valuable suggestions for the improved running of the firm.” The fete was opened by Mrs E. A. Marshall and Coun. A. S. Shelton who both praised the boys efforts.

Played in front of a crowd of 300 parents and friends, the match was a 30 overs affair between Staff and Craft apprentices. The match was won comfortably by the Craft apprentices who made 42 for 7 and bowled the Staff out for 41. The apprentices were presented with a winners shield and a “man of the match” prize was given to 18 year old Robert Thomas of Wilford who took 7 wickets for 14.

The apprentices decided to carry on their charity games, including soccer during the winter, to make further contributions to deserving causes. They were supported by Nottm Forest FC and Notts Cricket Club including batsman Maurice Hill who both helped with equipment.

At the end of the year the Manloves Apprentices arranged their first football match against Beeston Spartans on the Nottingham Co-operative Society Employees Sports Ground, Gregory Street, Lenton, off Derby Road, Nottingham on Sunday, 20th December 1964, kick off 2pm. The team was:

D. Poole (Goalkeeper), J. Pownall (full back), Bob Fawcett (full back), G. Spivey (Vice Capt.) (defender), Bob Thomas (defender), K. White (defender), M. McPhil (winger), William Dear (forward), K. Banks (forward), A. Osbourne (forward), A. Butler (Capt.) (Winger). The 1st Reserve was J. Lacey and the 2nd Reserve was C. Spencer. The referee was K. Williamson and his linesmen were W. Taylor and T. Meakin.

Ma Stainsbury, who worked at Manloves, was in charge of all the apprentices and she did all the administrive work. Wally Taylor was the manager. He also worked at Manloves. Some of the first players for Manloves would stay associated with the club throughout the decades.

Bob Thomas was born in 1946 in Radford at 69 Norwood road. Both his parents were Welsh. His mother came to Nottingham from south Wales on her own and lodged in Radford. There was no work down there and there was plenty of work at the factory’s like Players. She started renting the house on Norwood Road and when Bob’s father, also from Wales met her, they were married and set on buying the house in 1946. He was a professional soldier and finally left the army in 1948. Later the family moved to Wilford where they lived at 114 The Downs. Bob was an active sportsmen from a young age. “I was a very quick bowler in my younger days”, “I always used to like my cricket”.

Anthony Osbourne, born in 1948, has also remained in touch with the club since the early days. “I was 16 in that first game and had just started work. We played friendly’s every week, and I scored in every game that season.

K Banks later played for Meadows Albion.

Bob Fawcett would later become the club secretary. Later played for Notts Police?

Team line up 20th December 1964
Football Match

Manloves Apprentices v Beeston Spartons
Sunday, 20th December 1964
Kick off 2pm

Team

D. Poole

J. Pownall
Bob Fawcett

G. Spivey (Vice Capt.)
Bob Thomas
K. White

M. McPhil
William Dear
K. Banks
A. Osbourne
A. Butler (Capt.)

1st Reserve, J. Lacey
2nd Reserve, C. Spencer

Referee, K. Williamson
Linesmen, W. Taylor, T. Meakin

This match will be played on the Nottingham Co-operative Society Employees Sports Ground, Gregory Street, off Derby Road, Nottingham.

1965-66

Radford as a name has been used by many clubs over the years and at the time Manloves were formed “Wollaton and Radford FC” were playing in the Nottingham & District League but they have nothing to do with our concern. Manloves just played friendly’s mainly against all the other big company’s.

1966-67

Applications for a place in the Notts Sunday League were made by Ma Stainsbury to the Honorary Secretary Mr. Arthur. C. Garrett at “Targart”, 32 Winthorpe Road, Arnold and at the start of the 1966/67 football season Manlove and Alliott FC, whose name was sometimes shortened to Manloves FC, were entered into the Notts Sunday League Division 7 and their career as a football club was on the way. The teams in Division 7 were:

Aspley Royal
BRSA Nottm
Centaur
Civil Service
Concordia
Forest Olympic
Gunson & Slater
Manloves
Notts Derby 63
Penerol
Spartac
Toton Diesel

1967-68

A team photo appeared in the Football Post on Saturday 25 Nov 1967.

Some of the information was wrong. Here is the actual line up.

Standing L-R
Ken White
Robert Henry Fawcett
Paul Scrivens
William Dear
Jim Stevenson
Alan Goodman

Kneeling L-R
John Buda
Colin Spencer
Reg Davis
Robert Thomas
Alan Daft

Dave Lamb was also a player at the time.

Before I take a deeper look into the history of Radford FC let’s look at the development of football in the Radford area.

History of football in Radford, Nottingham.

By Casey Watson.

“Introduction”

As a Radford FC fan and part time amateur historian I thought it would be the right time to shed a little light on our local football history and although I grew up in West Bridgford (I was born at Highbury Vale Hospital though), watching Forest in the sixties and into the Clough glory years and beyond I moved into the city in the late seventies eventually moving to the Forest Fields area in 1984 and virtually across the road from Radford’s ground in 1987 so I can claim some affinity with Radford for over half my life. I first went to a game in that same year (1987) and like all football fans it can become a second home.

Whether it is the old St Peter’s Church on Hartley Rd built in 1812 replacing the original medieval church built by the Normans around 1200, or scenes shot for that most famous of Nottingham films “Saturday Night Sunday Morning”, however we define Radford historically and as an area, the modern Radford FC now carry that name with pride.

Geographically, the modern Radford F.C. is situated in Hyson Green. As the city has grown parish borders have changed, some area’s becoming part of another and some area’s now almost indefinable but originally Old Radford was by the River Leen and New Radford was built from there to Derby Road.

It is not uncommon to see football clubs situated in area’s now disconnected with their roots and the availability of land is one of the main factors driving these moves. That is particularly so with Radford because as a densely built up area in the heart of Nottingham it has had little spare land to use for recreational activities.

If you look hard enough you can always find the characters who propelled things forward in their local area and Radford is no different. This tale of endeavour and sportsmanship uncovers a few of our Radford born brethren who played their part in the local scene and further afield, the founder of the Radford Excelsior FC, Salathiel Norman, the founder of Arsenal FC, Fredrick Beardsley, Notts Olympic player and later FA Vice President Arthur Hines and not far away on Mansfield Road the unlikely story of Herbert Kilpin the founder of A.C. Milan.

Chapter 1. “Lets have a game of football”

We are all aware of our football history, that Notts and Forest are two of the oldest clubs in the world, and in Nottingham that is something to be very proud of, however, football didn’t just arrive in the mid Victorian period, as I once thought, reading books as a child that talked of 1862, 1865, the FA cup in 1872, the league starting in 1888, but it had been a part of British life for countless centuries as a game, a pastime or even a riotous party.

From games on frozen rivers in the middle ages to harvest festival celebrations when people would take to the fields to play games of football, hockey or now lost games of quoits and knorr and spell, groups of men would often gather on patches of land to “have a game”. Some games had ancient roots like medieval football, with few rules, and a lot of the time the ball was carried and not kicked. A few of these games have survived into the modern day and have now become untouchable ancient tradtions. The Ashbourne Shrovetide Football in Derbyshire and the Haxey Hood in Lincolnshire are still played but after the industrial revolution, as villages became towns and towns became city’s these spontaneous games would spill out on the streets. Often frowned upon by the authorites a game played on the sabbath could result in a fine or even put in public stocks.

In 1830, a bill in parliament was proposed to make provision for the lighting, watching, cleansing and paving of parishes in England and Wales” in which it is an offence by any person “to fly a kite, drive any hoop or play foot-ball or any other game to the annoyance of passenger or traveller” but this would have little impact on children who, just as I did in the sixties, used the road to play games.

In 1848 a report in the “Nottingham Review” tells of a game of football in Radford that was the cause of a court hearing when Noah Gretton, aged 16 was charged with assaulting a little boy named Henry Goodrich. Two witnesses stated that the complainant and some other lads were playing at foot-ball, when the defendant “took a kick” and upon this some of the party (Goodrich included) began throwing stones at him. Gretton threw in turn and struck the complainant on the nose which as a consequence he ended up in hospital for some time. Gretton was ordered to pay 15s.

The following year a detachment of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, from Nottingham, under the command of Captain Carlyon, were sent to the Shrovetide football game in Derby to keep the peace and prevent any more scenes of “so disgusting an exhibition”. Their prescence prevented any such disorder and their services were not needed.

The public schools of England were also a place where the game was played and it was in those establishments where some early rules where defined. Still a game that was neither Football or Rugby it eventually split and by the 1850’s football teams were being created up and down the country. Although there was still plenty of football games after a festival or gatherings of men concerned with the ancient ritual of a game the new teams slowly coming together attracted fit sporting men who were already active in other games. In particular, Cricket which had established itself since the late eighteenth century, provided well run clubs with sportsmen who wanted to take up the new game.

Chapter 2. “The influence of Cricket”

In Radford, Cricket had been played regularly from the beginning of the eighteenth century with clubs playing locally and further afield. In 1827 a return match saw New Radford beat Derby at Derby by 8 wickets. The Pelican Club of New Radford, however, were the target of bad behaviour that we associate with our game today: “we are sorry to record, that the conduct of the spectators was extremely violent and outrageous. They pelted the Radford players with stones, on Tuesday night, when leaving the ground and some of their lives were endangered. Several of the Nottingham people were compelled to leave the place before the game was finished”. Sounds all to familiar to our modern day ear and I can hear some of you shout “We hate Derby”.

New Radford was, just like New Sneinton and New Basford, an area of new housing, eventually dropping the “New” as did Sneinton. For some reason New Basford has continued with its definition till this day. In 1828 a match was played between 11 single men and 11 married men of the Rose club, Old Radford at the Nottingham cricket ground. These sorts of games were not uncommon within clubs in both cricket and football. It is said that some clubs had games between good looking men and ugly men. Something for Radford FC to think about maybe. Better let the women decide I reckon.

1829 saw a cricket match in the “Gallows Close” between the Pelican Junior club and the Windmill club both of New Radford with Pelican winning by an innings. A match between Stanton’s hands of Radford and Stanton’s hands of Lenton in 1832 saw the Radford lads win convincingly. The Radford Junior Lion club were also victors against the Rancliffe Arms club in 1835 and the players of the White Lion Radford Cricket Club stated that they are open to play any country club, within twenty miles of Nottingham, for any sum not exceeding £20.

Playing at the Trent Bridge ground in 1853 The White Lion Radford Club lost to the Nottingham Commercial Club in a game that was only part of an occasion laid on by Messrs. Hanford of Radford treating the employees of their lace works to a day of festivities. Food and drink were supplied in abundance to 130 men, women and children in an open tent and the Trent Bridge Inn. Games and amusements were played including skittles, ninepins and football. The football continued until the hour of ten and before the “witching hour of night” everyone made their way to their respective homes. The Radford Amateur Cricket Club, the Hyson Green Cricket club and those of our neighbouring areas flourished and by the 1860’s it easy to see that as football grew in popularity not only were cricket clubs a role model in organisation but they were fertile ground for sporting men willing to try the new game.

Chapter 3. “The land”

In the development of modern football, Nottingham seems to have had an advantage over many other parts of the country in respect of the open spaces that it had. The slow pace of enclosure and the protection of recreational land meant an abundunce of places where cricket and football could be played.

Still with us today is a historic piece of land we know as the “Forest” which has an important role in the growth of football in Nottingham. Alongside Gregory Boulevard it has long been a place of sport first as a racecourse in 1773 and also a space to play cricket. It was here that the “Forest” club first played and the first ever game between Notts County and Forest was ever recorded around 1866. Taking the name, Nottingham Forest FC, through many travels have found themselves on the south side of the Trent. Many other sporting teams would use this recreational land for their games too and just as today it was a focus for local people to play sport and, in particular, football.

Two other tracts of land rivalled the “Forest” for the most important games in these early days. Trent Bridge Cricket ground hosted football on its ground and the “Meadows” was another site attracting games of stature. It is likely that the “Meadows” eventually became the “Town Ground” (close to where the Bus Depot is in the Meadows today) home to Nottingham Forest before their eventual move to the City ground. Every area would have a piece of land or field that could be used. The Park, Sneinton ground, Basford, Trent Lane, Hyson Green, Mapperley, Lenton, Mr. Cheathems field near Lenton station and so on.

In the 1860’s and 70’s football teams were being formed throughout the country and here in Nottingham there was an explosion of clubs as a grass roots revolution was taking place. Aside from the surviving Forest and Notts there were many other Nottingham football clubs who may have, if circumstances been different, been the dominant clubs of the area. A multitude of clubs, to many to mention, arose, some briefly and some longer lasting. Works sides and church sides competed against their bigger counterparts, The Castle Club who had a ground close to Queens walk, Nottingham Law, Nottingham Lace, Wanderers, Nottingham Waterloo, Nottingham Pilgrims, Notts Jardines, Nottingham Templar FC and the short lived but wonderfully named Nottingham Spiders.

Much more coming ……