Southill Park F.C.


Southill Park F.C. was an English association football club, originally from Hampstead in London.

History

The club was founded in 1876. The club seemed to have links with players from the north and Midlands, as amongst its founding players were C.E.O. Garrard and M. E. Dovaston, who had learned the game at Derby School, the brothers J., D., and M. Wylie, who had played for Shrewsbury School, and J. E. Denning, who had played for Shropshire Wanderers, and whose brothers were also players for Southill Park. Other players with experience included W. E. Fishbourne from the First Surrey Rifles club.
It had 20 members in its first full season, but proved to be active, taking part in 23 matches, winning 16 and only losing 1, its sole defeat coming against the Pilgrims. Its earliest recorded match was a 2–0 win over the Ramblers F.C., although a club simply called "Park", which included the original Southill Park captain Mantle in its line-up, lost at the Mosquitoes club in February.
Perhaps as a result of this promising season, the club entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1877–78. The club was drawn away in the first round to a strong Cambridge University F.C. side, and, on the St John's College grounds, the club went down to a 4–1 defeat.
The club entered the competition for the second and last time in 1878–79. The club was matched with the Old Harrovians in the first round; the match took place at the Kennington Oval and the Parkites were overmatched, the score being 8–0 to the Chequers.
The club continued until the end of the 1878–79 season, the final match being a 7–1 defeat at Upton Park F.C. in March 1879, but no more is heard of the club afterwards; M. Dovaston moved to the original Hendon club and centre-forward M. Wylie was good enough to join Wanderers.

Colours

The club's colours were a white shirt, blue knickers, and red stockings.

Grounds

The club originally played at Hampstead, five minutes' walk from the station, although match reports through the year give the location as Clapton. By 1878 it had moved to Walthamstow, its dressing room at the Rose and Crown public house in Leaf Lane.

Notable players