Brierfield F.C.

Brierfield Football Club was an association football club from Brierfield, Lancashire.

Brierfield

Full name	Brierfield Football Club
Nickname(s)	the Stumpites[1]
Founded	1882
Dissolved	1895
Chairman	J. W. Midgeley[2]
Secretary	J. M. Latham
colours

History

The Brierfield club entered the Lancashire Senior Cup from 1882–83 to 1884–85, but suffered double digit defeats in its three ties,^[3] ending with a 14–0 defeat to Preston Zingari.^[4] After the 1884–85 season, the club resolved solely to rely on members as players rather than recruit outsiders, and it stepped back from the senior game.^[5]

The club formally broke up after the 1887–88 season,^[6] but was quickly resurrected, and was one of the founder members of the North-East Lancashire League in 1889–90,^[7] It finished the season as the inaugural champions, leapfrogging Burnley Union Star by beating the Stars in the final match.^[8] The club did not seek to step up to the Lancashire League, but was considered by the ambitious Union Star as a suitable member of a new Lancashire Alliance; however, as Union Star secured membership of the Lancashire League, any such plans were abortive.^[9]

Despite a fortnight suspension in October 1892 for making illegal approaches to two players (Halstead of Bell's Temperance and Ireland of Oswaldtwistle),^[10] the club remained a member of the North-East Lancashire League until 1894, when the competition merged with the Lancashire Combination, and Brierfield was one of the 14 clubs accepted as a member for 1894–95.^[11] However the club withdrew before the season started, amid "dissensions" which saw most of the club's committee resign,^[12] and the club join the Burnley & District League as an amateur outfit instead.^[13] The club's competitive career concluded with a disastrous 12–0 defeat to Ashton North End in the Lancashire Junior Cup in January 1895^[14] and its last activity was hosting an athletics sports that July.^[15]

Colours

The club's colours were navy blue and white, from 1892 in the format of navy blue jerseys with a white sash, and white "pants".^[16]

Ground

The club's ground was simply known as the Brierfield Football Ground; one indication of financial difficulties was shown when the club secretary was summoned to the assizes for non-payment of rent in 1894 - his successful defence was that the entire committee was responsible.^[17]

Nickname

The club's nickname of the Stumpites was derived from the Brierfield Stump, a 2-ton water trough made of stone, which stood in the town's market square from the 1840s to 1942.^[18]

Notable players

• James Cockshutt, who played for the club in 1892–93 and later for Grimsby Town^[19]
• James McConnell, a former Burnley player^[20]