99 Years Ago……..

 

In this, Farsley Celtic’s centenary season, Phil Morris takes a look back to the time when it all began.

 

 

 

History, it is said, has a habit of repeating itself . None more so than 99 seasons ago, the time when it all began. September 1908, Farsley’s first month of their first season.

 

Leeds City (as they then were), for example,  had been criticised in the press for the quality of their football ( nothing new there then). Journalists then were as fickle as they are now and having been finally entertained by Celtic’s more illustrious neighbours the reporter in the Pudsey and Stanningley Times wrote as follows:

 

“ Leeds City entertained Hull City at the Elland Road ground on Saturday and humbled to the dust, by their splendid exhibition, their numerous adverse critics who have been filling the daily newspapers with complaints. There is no doubt that the manager, Mr Scott Walford knows his business and that the directors made a wise move leaving the constitution to him”.

 

Farsley, as they were simply known then, started the season slowly. Nothing new there then either  –  a 1 – 1 draw with Silver Royd Hill, kicking off their season in the Leeds Amateur Association league. The game was worth only a one line mention in the Pudsey and Stanningley Times (again, nothing new), but by the end of their first month, the sport’s reporter was beginning to take notice. Whilst Leeds City were beating Hull City, Farsley played Pudsey Athletic in their first local derby. Athletic had been beaten 6-0 the week before. The paper reported:

 

“(The) Farsley Association team were superior…. to the extent of three goals to one. The game was hardly so much in the Farsley team’s favour, Pudsey’s goalkeeper not being quite up to the mark in stopping goal shots. B Walker turned out with Farsley and appeared in capital trim. This young player has received pressing invitations to go to Leeds City for a trial. I am informed he has no intention of doing so”

 

Quite right too, mate – Leeds City would soon go out of business for financial irregularities (so, nothing new there either, then !)

 

There were ,of course, some differences. Guiseley were known as Guiseley Celtic (yes, honestly) , Farsley’s closest neighbours were Farsley Wesleyians and the P&S Times reported in September 1908 that “The Roadmen have applied to the District Council to have their wages paid on the date of the Kings recent visit to Leeds, but the council have decided not to entertain it”. Wouldn’t happen now, otherwise the roadmen would strike ! More notably, Leonard Gaunt, in honour of his son’s wedding was reported to have treated the whole of the workforce of John Hainsworth to an excursion to Scarborough. Besides receiving a free railway ticket all employees were given two shillings to spend. I cannot imagine present day employers being quite so generous.

 

As the end of September 1908 approached, Farsley played St Margarets and had the reporter positively eulogizing. With Pudsey Athletic at the bottom of the league (not surprising if their goaly was poor at stopping “goal shots”)  Farsley were noted to be “bracketed with two other clubs at the head of the Leeds Amateur Association league with five points out of a possible six. (They) will no doubt run close to the championship if they stick with their present team. On Saturday they beat St Margarets by the odd goal in three” (that’s 2-1 to me and you). The report continues “The home citadel, owing to the fine defense of Gaunt, B. Walker and Pearson were practically impregnable. The home wing men were playing a fine game and a number of the centres went abegging”

 

Farsley’s first reported team were:

 

E Pearson: J C Gaunt, B Walker : R Walker, W Brunton, R Marley: J Rider, W Brindle, R Exelby, F Clements, W Webster.

 

 

But what of the biggest difference between that first season and this ?  Perhaps that honour must go to the homeless Joseph Abbott, who, at the beginning of October was reported to have appeared before the Bradford West Riding Court to plead guilty to begging. The court was told by PC Robinson that he was found on the Leeds and Bradford Road and that he was also drunk. He was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment. Nowadays he would be unlucky if he received a police caution.

 

Phil Morris continues plotting the course of Celtic’s first ever season:

 

 

October

 

 

It was all happening in October 1908: At the turn of the month, fifty applications at the local post office for forms by persons seeking to qualify for old age pensions had been made, prompting the postmaster to comment that he had “been struck by the businesslike and confident way in which most of the applicants had gone about the matter.” Mmm, anybody stuck in Farsley Post Office queue on pension day now might not be so gracious.

 

On the field  saw a change in fortunes. Pudsey Athletic grabbed their first point of the season with a “manifestly considerable improvement in every branch of their game” against Leeds Harehills before back to back victories against Old Trinitarians (3-1) and Holbeck Leamington by the same score.

 

Farsley tasted defeat for the first time, losing two games on the same day. Even in those days the squad was so big that a team was able to play in The Bradford Hospital Cup as well as the league. The cup team lost 2-0 to Windhill Parish Church.

 

The stronger team was kept for league purposes, playing Lodge Lane Albion. The reporter felt that Farsley were unlucky not to have drawn since Albion’s last goal was through “bad bungling of Farsley backs”. From being called the “Home Citadel” in the defeat of St Magarets the previous month, B. Walker was not immune to criticism:

 

“B. Walker turned from hero to villain by slipping the leather to his opponent who needed only to drop it into the net”.

 

However, Farsley were soon back to winning ways, beating Watsons 4-0. Brindle scored twice, harassed the keeper into an own goal for the third, and Webster latching onto a cross by Rider scored the fourth. “ The goalkeeper might as well have been in the field for all the chance he had of stopping it” purred the reporter.

 

Towards the  end of the month Farsley found themselves just off the top of the league, 3 points behind early pace setters Lodge Lane Albion, although added to their first loss of the season by going down 2-0 to Cardigan Albion before the month was out.

 

The month ended with the report of a scandal. Daniel Hainsworth, a fettler, appeared at Bradford West Riding Court charged with “unseemly conduct in the presence of females.” Two girls, after leaving the Wesleyan Sunday School, visited Pudsey Park. Upon looking into the old man’s shelter they saw Hainsworth who was alone and who made an indecent remark. The girls ran away and on looking through the window saw him behaving in a “rude manner.”

 

Perhaps he was counting his newly acquired pension and had run out of fingers ….

99 Years ago

Phil Morris brings us up to date with Farsley’s first ever season

 

As Joseph Hainsworth (remember him? – taken to court for being “rude” to two young girls) was carted off to the workhouse for observations on the state of his mind, Farsley continued their impressive start to their first season.

Having played Kirkstall in the Halifax Charity Cup, they duly dispatched Holbeck Leeming 3-1, before thumping Adel Church 8-1. Neither received column inches as they were taken up with the drawing of an impressive new proposal on Richardshaw Lane, known now as Priesthorpe School, but then as the Dual Secondary and Technical School, Pudsey. It was intended upon completion for it to be one of the most up to date schools in the kingdom and will have remained exactly 100 years as the new school nears completion.

 

Whilst Farsley were beating Old Trinitonians 3-1 reports were made of a Rawdon footballer having assaulted the referee. Rawdon Villa were playing Bradford St Andrews and were, by all accounts, on the end of a bit of a hiding which caused them to lose their temper. According to the reporter they behaved in “an un-English and certainly un-Yorkshire manner.” Three were sent off, including the Rawdon captain for deliberately hitting a Bradford Player. No sooner had the third been sent off than he came back on, took a flying kick to another Bradford Player and then “dealt the referee a swinging blow in the mouth, loosening two teeth” before being dragged off by two spectators. He was fined ₤5.

It is perhaps comforting to note that not everything changes with time. With the turn of December, Farsley having been unbeaten in November, there were reports then, as there are now, of vehicular misedmeanours. Terence Atkinson, a Bradford Hawker, was fined 10s for being drunk in charge (of a horse and cart) on Leeds and Bradford Road. When apprehended by the police he promptly fell on the floor. When he pleaded guilty he asked why the police had not locked up the horse either.

 

At the beginning of December Farsley visited Silver Royd Hill, the league leaders. The team took with them the club mascot , a Black Aberdeen Terrier, and both teams enjoyed a hearty reception from large support. Although shots rained in from every quarter from the Farsley forwards, Silver Royd Hill took an early lead against the run of play. It took until the second half for Farsley to equalize with Webster heading in a Brindle cross. A corner shortly followed for Farsley which was volleyed into the net by B.Walker. In the last minute, Silver Royd Hill were awarded a last minute penalty. Wigglesworth, the Silver Royd Hill stepped up and put the ball wide leaving Farsley 2-1 winners.  According to the reporter “every player exhibited determination, trickiness and dash”.

 

The following week Silver Royd Hill suffered another defeat at the hands of Farsley neighbours Farsley St Michaels, whilst Farsley were winning 4-1 against St Margarets leaving them a couple of points behind the leaders with a game in hand. With wins against Salem Albion in the Bradford Cup and against Lodge Lane Albion in the Christmas fixture, 3-1, Farsley looked forward to the New Year.

 

Spare a thought, though, for 1908 males. Advertisements were run throughout December suggesting that the best way “to bring your husband home at night” was a tin of  Wee Nipper Sardines, with trial tins available from the local grocer. Now, I’m not sure about you, gents, but the promise of fish on the table is never likely to increase my haste home. Unless, of course you were to add the words “net” and “tights”.