Rossendale United F.C.
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| Full name | Rossendale United Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Stags |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Dissolved | 2011 |
| Ground | Dark Lane, Newchurch, Lancashire |
| Capacity | 2,550 |
| 2010–11 | North West Counties League Premier Division, 21st |
Rossendale United F.C. was an English football club based in Newchurch, near Rawtenstall, Lancashire. The club was formed in 1898 but was expelled from the North West Counties League Premier Division on 18 June 2011. A new club, Rossendale F.C., was to be formed by the Supporters Association for the 2012–13 season, but plans were abandoned after the main stand was burned down.
Their first competitive fixture took place on 3 September 1898 which ended in a 3–1 home win over Oswaldtwistle Rovers with Jack Read having the honour of scoring the club's first ever goal. Part way through their first season, Rossendale were invited to take over the fixtures of Darwen Reserves in the Lancashire Combination, as they had withdrawn from the League. The club took up the offer, but struggled at the higher level of competition winning just two games out of 17 played.
1899–1900 brought a third new League, and the first silverware to the club. The Central Lancashire League Championship was won at the first attempt, a feat that would have been repeated the following season but for teams withdrawing part way through the competition meaning the loss of vital points which were to prove costly at the end.
In 1901–02 Rossendale United began their long association with the Lancashire Combination. The club played in the League for 69 years until they left to join the Cheshire County League in 1970. Success was spread pretty thin on the ground during those years, one Division One Championship win in 1926–27, Runners-Up in 1954–55 and a Division Two Championship in 1956–57 being the only League success.
The Combination Cup was also won twice, in 1929 and 1944, with Rossendale bringing home the Lancashire Junior Cup in 1912 thanks to a 2–1 win over Eccles Borough in the Final. It was also during that time the club's greatest ever goal scorer, Bob Scott, played for Rossendale United. Between 1959 and 1974 he netted 223 goals in just 203 appearances, including an astonishing 72 goals in the 1959–60 season.
It was when the club left the Combination for the Cheshire League in 1970 – combined with the arrival of manager Les Rigby – that success started to come. The Championship was won at the first attempt in 1970–71, with Runners-Up spot claimed in 1971–72 and 1973–74. Eight other trophies were to arrive at Dark Lane in just five seasons. The Cheshire League Cup, Cheshire League Challenge Shield, Lancashire Floodlit Trophy (twice), Lancashire Floodlit League, Lancashire Junior Cup and Ashworth Cup (twice) were won by arguably the greatest Rossendale United side of all time. There were also two memorable FA Cup runs in the early seventies. The Second Round was reached in 1971–72 before defeat by Bolton Wanderers in front of 12,000 at Gigg Lane brought the run to an end. The other was in 75–76 when Shrewsbury Town claimed a controversial 1–0 win in the First Round to sneak through.
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