Old Castle Swifts F.C.
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| Full name | Old Castle Swifts Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Castles, The Swifts |
| Founded | 1892 as Castle Swifts F.C. |
| Dissolved | 1895 |
| Ground |
Dunottar Park 1892 Temple Meadows 1892–1894 Hermit Road 1894–1895 |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Chairman | Donald Currie |
Old Castle Swifts Football Club, the first professional football club in Essex, was formed by Scottish shipowner Donald Currie in September 1892 as Castle Swifts Football Club. Old Castle Swifts' demise saw several players join the newly founded Thames Ironworks, the team who later became West Ham United. The Castles' first home ground, located in West Ham was named Dunottar Park, after the Castle Line company's ship Dunottar Castle.
Old Castle Swifts Football Club was formed by Scottish shipowner Donald Currie in September 1892 as Castle Swifts Football Club. They were the works team of the ship repair yard of The Castle Shipping Line and initially the majority of the team were drawn from the mainly Scottish workforce. Players were paid extra wages when they played for the team, on a game to game basis.
The Castles' first home ground, a field located opposite the West Ham Police Station in West Ham Lane was named Dunottar Park, after the Castle Line company's ship Dunottar Castle. The ground had perimeter fencing and admission was charged at 3d.
The Castles did not remain long at Dunottar Park, having to find a new ground after a dispute with the landlord. One was soon located in fields beside Wakefield Street in East Ham, known as Temple Meadows, which lay in the grounds of Temple House, not far from East Ham railway station. The team would change into their kit in the nearby Denmark Inn (now the Denmark Arms, located on the Barking Road. The Denmark Arms is used today by many West Ham United fans.
In March 1893 they faced Barking Woodville in the final of the West Ham Charity Cup held at Clapton's Spotted Dog ground. The Castles were two goals down before coming back to win the tie 4–2, with the goals coming from outside-right Grundy, inside forwards Mitchell and Taylor and an own goal. A local newspaper made the following account of the final:
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