New Brighton A.F.C.
| Full name | New Brighton Athletic Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Rakers |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Dissolved | 1983 |
| Ground |
Sandheys Park Tower Athletic Ground Carr Lane Coronation Park |
| 1982–83 | South Wirral First Division |
New Brighton Association Football Club was a football club from the seaside resort of New Brighton, in Wallasey, Merseyside in England. They were members of the Football League from 1923 until 1951, playing 21 seasons in Division 3 North but were disbanded in 1983. In 1993, a club with the same name was formed and played in the West Cheshire League, until folding in 2012.
The original New Brighton A.F.C. was formed in 1921 out of the ashes of the bankrupt South Liverpool. The club started life in the Lancashire Combination in 1921, assuming South Liverpool's membership, under the chairmanship of local GP Dr. Tom Martlew. They played at Sandheys Park, situated on Rake Lane between Osbourne Avenue and Penkett Road. It is thought that the location of this ground gave rise to the club's nickname, The Rakers, which they kept for the rest of their existence.
After two seasons, the club was elected to the Third Division North of the Football League when the division expanded to 22 clubs. They also played Football League games at Tower Athletic Ground (formerly home to New Brighton Tower) from 1946–51, after Sandheys Park was destroyed by Luftwaffe bombing during World War Two. The Sandheys Park bombsite subsequently was requisitioned for housing.
In Third Division North, the club's history was largely undistinguished. From 1924–28 Rakers managed top ten finishes, with the closest to promotion being a third-place finish in Season 1924/25, five points behind champions Darlington. After 1928, the club failed to finish in the top ten of the league for the rest of their existence.
The club reached the fourth round of the FA Cup on four occasions; firstly in 1925–26, when Notts County beat them 2–0 at Meadow Lane; in the 1927–28 season when they lost to Port Vale, in the 1937–38 season under WJ Sawyer when they lost to Tottenham Hotspur in a replay, and in the 1956–57 season, when as a non-League club, they beat three League clubs before losing to 9–0 away to first division leaders, Burnley.
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