Historian Rob Grillo continues his look back at the history of Keighley's 'town' teams through the years.In the third of his series, he discovers the birth of two competing Keighley AFCs.
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It was another seven years before another attempt to form a football team in the town, and it was not until the early 1900s that Keighley’s public was prepared to accept the sport in anything like the numbers that were sufficient to sustain momentum.
So in 1896, there was another attempt at establishing a club in Keighley. Or rather there were two simultaneous attempts.
On October 1 (exactly 10 years after that initial newspaper report) a meeting again took place in the Acorn Coffee House, and again the formation of a new Keighley side was discussed.
Mr Longsden was elected chairman and practice games were quickly organised. One wonders whether the players tried using their hands this time.
Ironically, a first fixture was again against Meanwood. The new Keighley only lost 2-1 this time, with Morris credited with their first-ever goal.
The same opponents were beaten 3-2 a month later, and other games against Leeds and Oulton were possibly played.
And then that was that, the new side folding up in double quick time.
However, in the meantime, another meeting had taken place in another coffee house.
On November 24 at the Heber Coffee House a ‘Keighley Association Club’ was formed.
Under the presidency of Mr E Briton, a motion by Walter Hobson (later to become club captain) was passed and suddenly Keighley had two clubs of the same name.
This particular Keighley AFC claimed to have enlisted the services of some of the players from the long-defunct original club, as well as two former Darwen reserve team players.
Keighley Trinity rugby club placed their ground at the club's disposal and they were underway.
The first fixture was against Menston, who won with the only goal of the game, despite play from the Keighley side that, according to reports, was ‘distinctly promising’.
Again, scant press coverage was probably down to a lack of reporting from the club itself, but Shipley AFC’s players were known to have had their festive activities ruined on Christmas Day when Keighley thrashed them 6-1.
The new team had actually not got round to registering with the County FA, which caused them at least one cancelled fixture, but by the end of January 1897 the necessary paperwork was complete.
Following a relatively successful first season, the club became the first from the town to join a league, when in the summer of 1897 it was accepted into the newly-formed West Yorkshire League, and elected to Division Two (north) alongside Beeston Hill Parish Church, Renshaw Albion, Bowling, Otley, Menston, Bradford Spartans and Bradford ‘A’.
The first league fixture took place at Lawkholme Lane on September 11, 1897, and resulted in a fine 7-0 for Keighley against Bowling.
However, the points could not be awarded to Keighley until a league meeting later that month, as the official referee had been sent to Bowling by mistake, and did not arrive at Lawkholme Lane until half-time, by which time a home official had taken charge.
Thing were looking all rosy, and the Keighley Herald reported that ‘there seems to be capital material in the Keighley team’. Encouragement indeed.
Keighley were actually joint top of the league by Christmas, and an exhibition game with Bradford ‘A’ played at Silsden rugby ground attracted a larger than usual attendance, probably due to the novelty value of the game. Bowling were defeated 4-0 in a Leeds Cup tie, before a rough Altofts side knocked the locals out.
Evidently the winners indulged in ‘a good deal of unnecessary fouling, although Roundhay later complained about Keighley’s rough tactics in a league game.
Despite a dodgy run in the middle of the season, a 5-0 thrashing of Bradford Spartans took them back to the top of the table ahead of Beeston.
By the end of the season, that position had been maintained, and a play-off with south division winners Oulton St Johns arranged.
Keighley won the decider 2-1 and the players presented with silver medals by league officials – certainly a bright start for the club in its first season.
The Keighley team that defeated Oulton was: A L Bairstow, A Cain, G Birch, W Hobson, Walker, J Wade, Cpl Wilks, W Watson, K Carlisle, A Slattery and J Donoghue.
During that season, Keighley United and Queens Boys (an army side) played two games against each other. Whether these teams ever played any other games is unknown.
Next week: Part 4 – Keighley meet Leeds United on a level standing.
- Books on the history of football in the Keighley district – Chasing Glory and Glory Denied – by Rob Grillo are still available to buy. Visit his website to order copies.
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