Edited by The Chairman on 14/3/2024, 5:16 pm
Reserve games used to an integral part of any avid football fan’s week. Season ticket holders used to be admitted free of charge as part of the deal with their ticket purchase. Athletic’s reserves were not in a recognised league in 2008/09 but arranged selected friendly matches and played in cup competitions. In a Central League game played at Stalybridge on 6th September 1919, goals from Gee and Lord gave Athletic a 2-2 draw in a match that contained an Oldham team with six amateurs in the side. Gates in the olden days were certainly much better that they are today.
As an example, in the 1920/21 season, the Central League reserve matches brought supporters that many of todays current senior teams would envy. The lowest reserves gate was recorded as 2,149 with the highest being a staggering 8,626. Admission to watch the games was 8d for adults and 3d for boys. Athletic used 31 players that season. For the 1982/83 season, the club were accepted to play in the new Lancashire FA senior cup. Burnley (A) on 14th August, Bury (H) on 17th August and Rochdale (H) on 21st August were the opposition. The club also applied to join the Central League where the mid-week games were played in two divisions of sixteen clubs. Due to cost cutting it was suggested in March 1982 that the B team should resign from the Second Division of the Lancashire League. As a £1,000 fine would have been imposed, it was decided to complete the season then review it later.
More to come later...
Message Thread
« Back to index