Brynn Central F.C.
| Full name | Brynn Central Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | the Brynnites[1] | |
| Founded | 1900 | |
| Dissolved | 1908 | |
| Ground | Central Ground | |
|
| ||
Brynn Central F.C. was an association football club from the village of Bryn, near Wigan, Lancashire, active in the early twentieth century. The football club's name had a different spelling to that of the village.
History
The earliest references to the club are from the 1900–01 season, when it joined the Lancashire Alliance.[2] It finished bottom but one in its first season, but in 1902–03 was runner-up.[3] It also won the Wigan Cup with a 3–1 win over Atherton Church House.[4]
The club joined the second division of the Lancashire Combination in 1903–04,[5] and remained in the competition for five seasons, finishing between 5th and 14th in a competition that contained between 18 and 20 clubs over the piece.[6] It also entered the FA Cup over the same period but only twice reached the second qualifying round.[7] As a second division side, it did not enter the Lancashire Senior Cup, competing in the Junior Cup instead, but without success.
The club's committee decided to convert the club into a limited liability company before the 1907–08 season,[8] However, at the end of 1908, the club was forced to disband because of a lack of financial support, with its league fixtures being taken over by Great Harwood.[9] The club's final match, at home to Glossop reserves on Christmas day, summed up the straits in which it had found itself; the gate was a mere £2,[10] the start was delayed by half-an-hour as the Brynn kit had been lost, the XI the club fielded was a "scratch" side of its remaining reserves, plus half-back Aspinall who was forced to play in goal, and the visitors won 8–0.[11] The club had taken only 1 point from its 12 league games.[12]
Colours
The club wore red and white stripes.[13]
Ground
The club's ground was known simply as the Central Ground, off Old Road,[14] and as at 2025 remains as a football pitch.
Notable players
- Notable players ( 5 )
One Brynn player, Billy Hibbert, who played for the club in 1905–06, went on to play for England.[15] At the other extreme, another former player, James Ferguson, in 1909 was sentenced to twelve months of hard labour for stealing a mail bag.[16]
References
- ^ "Brynn Central v Hyde". Wigan Examiner: 3. 23 January 1907.
- ^ "Lancashire Alliance". Manchester Courier: 3. 1 October 1900.
- ^ "Lancashire Alliance 1890–1935". Non League Matters. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Wigan Cup - Final". Manchester Courier: 9. 6 April 1903.
- ^ "Sporting notes". Ramsbottom Observer: 6. 26 June 1903.
- ^ "Brynn Central". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "Club Brynn Central". wildstat. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "Wigan whispers". Liverpool Echo: 1. 11 May 1907.
- ^ "Great Harwood supersedes Brynn". Manchester Courier: 3. 29 December 1908.
- ^ "Brynn failure". Bolton Evening News: 4. 28 December 1908.
- ^ "Brynn Central v Glossop". Cricket and Football Field: 5. 26 December 1908.
- ^ "Lancashire Combination Division II". Guardian: 2. 28 December 1908.
- ^ "Answers to correspondents". Athletic News: 4. 21 March 1904.
- ^ "Lancashire CI.7". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 22 August 2025. The club's ground is at the top of the map - the other ground (marked "Recreation Ground") belonged to Ashton Town.
- ^ "350. Billy Hibbert". England Football Online. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "Mail bag robbery". Manchester Courier: 3. 10 March 1909.