South Liverpool F.C.

History

The first South Liverpool FC is accepted to have been founded in the late-1890s when a club called African Royal (or Africa Royal, in some sources) changed its name under the influence of W.J. Sawyer and relocated to Dingle. That club moved and became New Brighton A.F.C. in 1921. A second South Liverpool FC was formed in 1935, playing at Holly Park, Garston. This second club joined the Lancashire Combination and won it three consecutive years: 1937, 1938 and 1939.

The original 1890s club continued as New Brighton AFC until 1983, so the second South Liverpool had no connection other than the same name; South Liverpool played New Brighton reserves in the Lancashire Combination and New Brighton's first team in the Liverpool Senior Cup. During the 1930s, South Liverpool applied regularly for election to the Football League, aiming to establish another leading club in the Liverpool area. In 1939, after winning four trophies, the club received only 5 votes at the Football League AGM election, far behind the re-elected Accrington Stanley (29) and Hartlepools (38); Wigan Athletic received zero votes.

South Liverpool applied to join the Football League on ten occasions, always unsuccessfully. The club won the Welsh Cup at its first attempt in 1939, defeating Cardiff City 2–1 in the final. After World War II began, the club joined the Western Section of the Cheshire County League, and one season was played before war stopped the game. After the war, the club remained in the Cheshire County League until 1951, when they rejoined the Lancashire Combination, going into the Second Division.

In September 1949, Holly Park hosted the first match in the UK to be played under 'permanent' floodlights, a friendly against a Nigerian XI (the first Nigerian side to tour the UK). The match was covered for BBC Overseas Service by Kenneth Wolstenholme, who later commentated on the 1966 World Cup final. The final score was 2–2, with the official attendance 13,007. After a season in the second division of the Lancashire Combination, South Liverpool were promoted to the first division at the first attempt, but were relegated back to the second division in 1960 after finishing bottom.

South Liverpool gained promotion in 1962 and won the Lancashire Combination first division championship in 1966. The club reached the FA Cup first round eight times and the second round twice, with a 'giant-killing' feat when they defeated Halifax Town in 1964–65. In 1967, the 40-year-old Hungarian-born football legend Ferenc Puskás guested for the club in a fundraising friendly match at Holly Park which attracted a sell-out crowd of 10,000. His side faced one led by Billy Liddell, who had John Charles in his team, while Malcolm Allison, Billy Bingham, and Dave Hickson also featured.

South Liverpool were invited to join the newly formed Northern Premier League in 1968. Notable players during the club's first ten years in the NPL were Jimmy Case and later John Aldridge, who both went on to achieve fame with Liverpool, Joe Hinnigan who became a stalwart at Sunderland, and Peter Houghton who moved on to Wigan Athletic and Preston North End. John Aldridge wrote about his South Liverpool career in his autobiography: 'It was autumn 1978 before I won a regular place in the South Liverpool first team and the turn of the year before I started to score regularly.

At the beginning of the season, the club’s official pen-pictures described me as "a local youngster who shows great potential with his flair for attack". By the middle of the season, the pen-pictures described me as "an exciting goalscorer". It was exciting to be regarded as "exciting".' Before the 1987–88 season South Liverpool became the first non-league team to offer a Youth Training Scheme to players.

At the end of the 1987–88 season the reserve team and youth team were scrapped due to financial reasons. The profitable clubhouse was also burnt down and funds were very tight. The club remained in the NPL until financial problems forced the limited company, South Liverpool Athletic & Association Football Club Co. Ltd., to fold after the 1990–91 season. A committee formed itself in the summer of 1991 and took over the name 'South Liverpool A.F.C.' The club committee carried on the club from the defunct limited company in 1991–92 with only a junior team operating in the West Derby Junior league.

For 1992–93 the senior side merged with local side Cheshire Lines whilst the junior team carried on under the club's own name. The new team, Cheshire Lines South Liverpool, played in the Second Division of the Liverpool County Combination, gaining promotion in their first season. After a successful first season in the First Division, the clubs took the decision to split. Back under its own sole name South Liverpool had to join the Second Division of the Liverpool County Combination in 1995 and gained promotion at the first attempt.

Until the end of the 2005–06 season, the club remained in the County Combination. Winning the Liverpool Junior Cup in 1997 and the George Mahon league Cup in 2002. Their highest league placing being 4th in 2005. In the summer of 2006, the County Combination merged with the I Zingari League to create the Liverpool County Premier League.

Due to their low finish in 2005–06 (11th), the club was placed in Division One. In 2006, the site of Holly Park had been redeveloped and was opened as Liverpool South Parkway railway station. During their time in amateur football the goalscoring record of Jack Roscoe (1935–39) was beaten by Keith Jones scoring 236 goals (1992–2006) and keeper Stephen Ward with 143 clean sheets (1995–2016) eclipsed South legend Peter Eales 74 (1966–1989). South also had a reserve team in the I Zingari Combination having won the third division in 2005 and the second division title in 2006.

In 2007–08 South's youth team (under 18s) played in the West Cheshire League, finishing 2nd in their first season and 3rd in 2008–09 and winning the West Cheshire Youth Plate. In 2009–10 South's youth team finished first in the West Cheshire League under captain Ellis Jones. South won the George Mahon Cup at Goodison Park in 2009 and in 2011 beat Waterloo Dock to lift the I Zingari Cup.