Derby St Luke's F.C.

Derby St Luke's
Full name Derby St Luke's Football Club
Nickname(s) The Churchmen
Founded 1870
Dissolved 1891
Ground Peet Street, Derby

Derby St Luke's Football Club was an English amateur association football club based in Derby that existed from the 1870s to the 1890s. They competed in the FA Cup between 1884 and 1888.

History

Founded in 1870[1] and nicknamed the Churchmen,[2] the club's origins lay in connection with the recently-built St Luke's Church on Parliament Street. Their regular home ground on Peet Street was situated just north of the church;[3] they also staged some important games at the County Cricket Ground.[4] St Luke's were one of the founder members of the Derbyshire Football Association in 1883.[5] By the 1880s, they were entering the Derbyshire, Sheffield & Hallamshire and Birmingham Senior Cup competitions. In the 1884–85 Birmingham Cup, they recorded a 13–1 away victory over Sawley Rangers.[4] In November of that season, they lost 3–1 to the recently-formed Derby County in a Derbyshire Cup tie at the County Ground; 3,000 people watched what was both the latter's first competitive match and their first home win.[2]

The club took its name from St Luke's Church

St Luke's entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1884-85, and were drawn against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first round. After drawing 1–1 at Wolves' Dudley Road ground in front of a crowd of 3,100, St Luke's won the replay in Derby 4–2.[3] In the second round, they lost 1–0 against Walsall Swifts.[6] They played in the FA Cup for the next three seasons but lost in the first round on each occasion. In 1885-86, Wolves gained revenge with a 7–0 win. In 1886-87 they faced Walsall Town, drawing 3–3 at home but losing 6–1 in the replay at The Chuckery. In their final appearance in 1887-88, St Luke's lost 3–2 to local rivals Derby Junction, who went on to reach the semi-finals of the competition.[7] Qualifying rounds were introduced the following season, and St Luke's were subsequently unsuccessful in reaching the competition proper.

Along with other local amateur clubs, St Luke's struggled to compete for players and support following the emergence of Derby County, and particularly once the latter became a founder member of the Football League in 1888.[6][8] St Luke's joined the Combination as a founder member for the 1890–91 season, but they failed to complete their fixtures and their record was expunged;[9] the club folded shortly afterwards. Around 1900, a cul-de-sac called Olive Street was built across the site of their former ground.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Seddon 2013, p. 9.
  2. 1 2 Seddon 2013, p. 20.
  3. 1 2 3 Bradbury 2013, p. 192.
  4. 1 2 Bradbury 2013, p. 191.
  5. ↑ "Derbyshire FA - A Brief History". Derbyshire Football Association. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 Bradbury 2013, p. 193.
  7. ↑ Bradbury 2013, p. 194.
  8. ↑ Seddon 2013, p. 26.
  9. ↑ "Derby St Luke's". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 28 March 2018.

Sources

  • Bradbury, Mike (2013). Lost Teams of the Midlands. Xlibris. ISBN 9781483695297. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  • Seddon, Peter (2013). The Men Who Made the Rams: Origins and Who's Who of Derby County Football Club 1884 to 1888. Toton: Tony Brown. ISBN 9781905891771.
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