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139:
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125:
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104:
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132:
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118:
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the FA Cup to
Staveley and finished bottom of the Alliance, with 10 points from 22 games, seven points adrift of the next club. The Rangers did not win any of their last 10 games, the lowlight being a 9–1 defeat at the Wednesday on 16 November 1889 - having won the return fixture two months before. The Rangers therefore resigned from the Alliance to join the
378:; it is likely that the founders considered Long Eaton too small a place to attract the large crowds required for an initial franchise position. Instead, for 1888–89, the club was a member of the Combination, and played its complement of 16 matches, with a strong record of eight wins, four draws, and four defeats - second only to
362:, the club still drew the Wednesday, for the third time, in the second round. The Wednesday won with a winning goal in the optional half-an-hour extra-time period. The Rangers' defence of the Birmingham Senior Cup ended in farce in the first round - regular goalkeeper Start refused to play in the first round tie with
393:
The club's record however was good enough to gain exemption from the FA Cup's first set of qualifying rounds, and it was placed in the first round proper, with 31 other clubs. Again the regional nature of the draw was unkind to the club, and it was drawn away to
Birmingham St George's, losing 3–2 to
411:
of
Blackburn. However the season was a disaster for the club. With several League clubs within easy reach of Long Eaton, the club found it difficult to attract players and fans, and the extra costs of playing in a national league added to the problems. The club lost its first qualifying match for
447:
The club ceased to operate before the 1899–1900 season, the club withdrawing from the
Midland League for financial reasons, having finished bottom of the table with 20 points from 26 matches. Two weeks after the club withdrew, the Derbyshire Football Association suspended the club for telling a
350:
side that had inherited a number of
Wednesday players for that season's competition. In those first entries, the club won one match, against The Wednesday in 1885–86, before a "large number of spectators", and helped by the Wednesday playing half of the match with ten men because of injury. The
329:
Despite these successes on the local stage, a long run in the FA Cup eluded the
Rangers. With the competition arranged on a regional level, the club was put into "divisions" which featured many of the country's leading clubs, and Long Eaton never had the luck of the draw; the club's first round
435:
The club never reached such heights again, and indeed finished the 1891–92 season only four points off the bottom. It also never got beyond the first round proper of the FA Cup, only winning through the qualifying rounds twice (in
402:
With the collapse of the
Combination, the Rangers were one of the clubs that banded together to form the Football Alliance, although it was not one of the clubs originally accepted; Before the season started,
468:
Rangers originally played in a chocolate and sky blue halved shirt with navy shorts and socks. By 1887 the club changed to white shirts, originally with red trimmings, but by 1893 the trimmings were blue.
448:
player that the club was insolvent and he "would have to take his chance when the debts were liquidated". In 1900 the club launched an unsuccessful public appeal to clear debts and re-start the team.
174:
188:
160:
111:
264:
The club was founded in 1881, playing in fields that were opposite what would, in 1884, become the Long Eaton
Recreation Ground. The first reported game for the club was a goalless draw at
322:, Rangers won 1–0, thanks to a deflected free-kick from Winfield with ten minutes to go. The only disappointment was the low crowd of just 2,000, fewer than saw the Rangers' defeat to
275:
reserve side 5–1, away from home, in a friendly in late 1882. The strong 1882–83 season for the club - it won 23 of 26 matches, only losing one, narrowly, to the very strong
244:, England, which, for a brief period in the 1880s, had a legitimate claim to being one of the best teams in the country. They were founding members of the second ever league,
299:
1008:
318:. The Throstles had reached the FA Cup final in 1886 and 1887, and would win the Cup in 1888, so were heavy favourites; however, at Wellington Road, the home of
1028:
432:
for the first time. 6 of the 10 clubs in the
Midland League would eventually join the Football League; however Long Eaton Rangers never applied for membership.
302:
agreeing to replay a match rather than insist on the
Eatonites' expulsion for fielding an ineligible player, the club reached the semi-finals. The tie, against
326:
in the Derbyshire equivalent the month before. The club reached the quarter-finals for the next two seasons before its withdrawal from national competition.
1018:
1023:
1013:
460:, later the site of Long Eaton Stadium, from its opening in 1885. Previous to that the club played on a ground opposite to the site.
366:
because his brother had been dropped, so Bestwick, who had not played for six years, was brought in instead, and he conceded seven.
1033:
253:
869:
76:
972:
457:
62:
374:
The Birmingham Senior Cup success was not enough for the Rangers to be one of the clubs invited to form the
355:
and attracted a crowd of 3,000, but an injury-hit Rangers were continually hit on the break and lost 4–0.
147:
886:
310:, and ended 2-2, the Rangers coming from 2–0 down at half-time. The Eatonites won the replay 2–0 at
292:
288:
901:
339:
287:
in importance. The club first entered the competition in 1883–84, losing in the second round to
407:
withdrew and the Rangers were voted in, thanks to the chairman's casting vote for the club over
383:
347:
429:
413:
280:
425:
424:
The Midland League was in its second season and Rangers finished second, two points behind
315:
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8:
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343:
307:
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265:
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249:
516:"Tich" Smith, future Nottingham Forest regular and unofficial England international
375:
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335:
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323:
291:, and in their next appearance, in 1885–86, at the same stage in a replay to
268:
in November 1881. The club was unbeaten at home for its first two seasons.
311:
408:
319:
306:, who had been FA Cup semi-finalists the year before, was played at the
272:
363:
358:
Even when Rangers had a kindly first round draw for the first time, in
241:
237:
66:
797:
271:
The first impact the club made on a wider stage was when beating
284:
382:
of the clubs that completed so many matches (although both
298:
However, in 1886–87, thanks in part to a kind draw, and to
283:, which for clubs in the region ranked second only to the
828:
Albeit only 13 points off the champions Doncaster Rovers.
351:
club's first match in the second round was at home to
868:
1009:Association football clubs disestablished in 1899
397:
995:
1029:Association football clubs established in 1881
419:
654:"Birmingham & District Cup - Final Tie".
394:a team that would reach the quarter-finals.
369:
390:had gained more points in fewer matches).
279:- encouraged the Eatonians to enter the
743:
564:"Long Eaton Rangers v Aston Villa 2nd".
534:"Long Eaton Rangers v Aston Villa 2nd".
946:. London: Wright & Co. p. 178.
931:. London: Wright & Co. p. 186.
996:
941:
926:
549:"Derby Midland v Long Eaton Rangers".
496:Runners-up: 1886–87, 1889–90, 1891–92
330:opponents in its first entries (from
248:, in 1888, and when that folded, the
1019:Defunct football clubs in Derbyshire
853:"Long Eaton Rangers Football Club".
746:The Football Alliance Match By Match
596:History of the Birmingham Senior Cup
593:
159:
103:
838:"Derbyshire Football Association".
624:"Birmingham Cup - Semi-Final Tie".
13:
510:
14:
1045:
1024:Defunct football clubs in England
1014:1899 disestablishments in England
609:"Birmingham Cup - Fourth Round".
899:
758:The renamed Mitchells St Georges
234:Long Eaton Rangers Football Club
207:
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186:
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30:Long Eaton Rangers Football Club
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1034:1881 establishments in England
802:Football Club History Database
729:"Football & other notes".
647:
632:
617:
602:
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572:
557:
542:
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398:1889-90: the Football Alliance
1:
957:"Answers to correspondents".
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236:was a football club based in
7:
768:"A Rival Football League".
428:, in 1890–91, and won the
420:1890-99: the Midland League
314:to reach the final against
10:
1050:
908:. Historical Football Kits
472:
463:
259:
38:the Eatonians, the Rangers
887:British Newspaper Archive
783:"The Football Alliance".
748:. Soccerdata. p. 64.
579:"Sports & Pastimes".
451:
227:
94:
90:
82:
72:
58:
50:
42:
34:
26:
942:Alcock, Charles (1889).
927:Alcock, Charles (1887).
770:Nottinghamshire Guardian
581:Nottinghamshire Guardian
551:Nottinghamshire Guardian
370:1888-89: the Combination
312:the Coventry Road ground
977:England Football Online
875:Nottingham Evening Post
744:Blakeman, Mick (2012).
553:: 12. 25 November 1881.
340:Wolverhampton Wanderers
733:: 4. 14 December 1887.
703:: 7. 23 November 1885.
501:Derbyshire Charity Cup
961:: 4. 16 October 1893.
857:: 4. 26 October 1900.
855:Long Eaton Advertiser
840:Long Eaton Advertiser
816:Long Eaton Advertiser
804:Retrieved 2 July 2008
785:Sheffield Independent
731:Derby Daily Telegraph
718:: 6. 7 November 1887.
716:Sheffield Independent
688:: 8. 3 November 1885.
686:Sheffield Independent
671:Derby Daily Telegraph
656:Birmingham Daily Post
626:Birmingham Daily Post
611:Birmingham Daily Post
568:: 5. 4 November 1882.
566:Long Eaton Advertiser
538:: 5. 4 November 1882.
536:Long Eaton Advertiser
488:Derbyshire Senior Cup
478:Birmingham Senior Cup
430:Derbyshire Senior Cup
293:Mitchells St George's
281:Birmingham Senior Cup
944:Football Annual 1889
929:Football Annual 1887
906:historicalkits.co.uk
902:"Eminent Victorians"
870:"Long Eaton Rangers"
594:Carr, Steve (2000).
583:: 12. 27 April 1883.
426:Gainsborough Trinity
316:West Bromwich Albion
304:Small Heath Alliance
300:Darlaston All Saints
289:Birmingham Excelsior
643:: 2. 25 March 1887.
628:: 7. 14 March 1887.
456:They played at the
308:Aston Lower Grounds
23:
877:. 1 September 1885
842:: 5. 17 June 1899.
814:"Midland League".
798:Long Eaton Rangers
701:Nottingham Journal
673:: 4. 4 April 1887.
669:"Derbyshire Cup".
613:: 7. 7 March 1887.
22:Long Eaton Rangers
21:
818:: 5. 3 June 1899.
787:: 8. 29 May 1889.
772:: 3. 18 May 1889.
641:Lichfield Mercury
458:Recreation Ground
348:Lockwood Brothers
277:Nottingham Forest
250:Football Alliance
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63:Recreation Ground
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506:Winners: 1888–89
493:Winners: 1890–91
483:Winners: 1886–87
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376:Football League
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346:(twice), and a
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246:The Combination
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216:1893–99 colours
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598:. Grorty Dick.
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45:
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33:
29:
25:
18:Football club
16:
980:. Retrieved
976:
973:"Tich Smith"
967:
958:
952:
943:
937:
928:
922:
910:. Retrieved
905:
900:Moor, Dave.
895:
885:– via
881:10 September
879:. Retrieved
874:
863:
854:
848:
839:
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384:Newton Heath
373:
357:
328:
297:
270:
263:
233:
232:
215:
145:
15:
912:12 November
320:Aston Villa
273:Aston Villa
35:Nickname(s)
1004:Long Eaton
998:Categories
714:"report".
699:"report".
684:"report".
639:"report".
521:References
405:Sunderland
242:Derbyshire
238:Long Eaton
86:13th of 14
67:Long Eaton
51:Dissolved
27:Full name
353:Staveley
324:Staveley
146:1881–87
982:16 June
800:at the
473:Honours
464:Colours
442:1897-98
438:1890-91
360:1887-88
336:1886-87
260:History
148:colours
83:1898–99
43:Founded
452:Ground
409:Witton
388:Bootle
332:FA Cup
285:FA Cup
73:League
59:Ground
364:Stoke
338:were
984:2022
914:2020
883:2014
440:and
386:and
254:1889
54:1899
46:1881
444:).
334:to
252:in
1000::
975:.
904:.
873:.
416:.
342:,
295:.
256:.
240:,
65:,
986:.
916:.
889:.
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