Portsmouth Rovers F.C.

English football club

Football club

Portsmouth RoversFull name| Portsmouth Rovers Football Club

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Founded| 1907
Dissolved| 1928
Ground| Rattenclough

colours

Portsmouth Rovers F.C. was an English association football club based in the village of Portsmouth, which was then in Lancashire.

## History

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There are references to a Portsmouth Rovers as early as 1887,[1] although this particular club's first competitive football came in the 1907–08 season.[2] The club gained early notoriety in 1908 when captain Tom Sugden got drunk. broke into a chicken coop, strangled 21 fowl, and was found unconscious at home, with one cooking in a pot; being of good character, he was bound over for 12 months.[3]

The team spent four years in the second division of the Lancashire Combination between 1911 and 1915, but consistently finished near the foot of the table.[4] Portsmouth Rovers also entered the FA Cup, the foremost cup competition in England, on several occasions and reached the first qualifying round twice. For seven consecutive seasons from 1919–20 to 1925–26, they were knocked out in the preliminary round. Portsmouth Rovers participated in the Cup for the final time on 4 September 1926, but lost to Walsden United in the extra preliminary round by a single goal.[5]

The last record of the club is its entry to the Lancashire Junior Cup in the 1928–29 season, but the club had disbanded before its tie with Walsden United could take place.[6]

Several notable footballers began their careers with Portsmouth Rovers; goalkeeper Jerry Dawson went on to become an England international,[7] while local full-back Clem Rigg played over 250 professional matches for Nelson.[8]

## Colours

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The club wore blue and white striped shirts[9] originally with white shorts,[10] which changed to black in the 1910s, and black and socks.[11]

## Ground

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The club played at Rattenclough,[12] to the west of the village, either on or close to the cricket ground.

## FA Cup results

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Season | Round | Opponent | Date | H/A | Result

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1909–10 | Extra preliminary round | Bacup | 11 September 1909 | Home | 0–3
1910–11 | Preliminary round | Burnley Casuals | 17 September 1910 | Away | 1–1
21 September 1910 | Home | 4–0
First qualifying round | Barnoldswick United | 1 October 1910 | Away | 0–3
1911–12 | Preliminary round | Rossendale United | 16 September 1911 | Away | 0–8
1912–13 | Preliminary round | Haslingden | 28 September 1912 | Away | 1–3
1913–14 | Preliminary round | Tottington | 27 September 1913 | Home | 4–2
First qualifying round | Southport Central | 11 October 1913 | Home | 1–9
1914–15 | Preliminary round | Barnoldswick United | 26 September 1914 | Away | 2–4
1919–20 | Preliminary round | Breightmet United | 27 September 1919 | Home | 0–3
1920–21 | Preliminary round | Lancaster Town | 25 September 1920 | Home | 2–3
1921–22 | Preliminary round | Skelmersdale United | 24 September 1921 | Away | 0–1
1923–24 | Preliminary round | Morecambe | 22 September 1923 | Away | 0–3
1924–25 | Preliminary round | Horwich RMI | 20 September 1924 | Away | 2–4
1925–26 | Preliminary round | Lancaster Town | 19 September 1925 | Away | 0–4
1926–27 | Extra preliminary round | Walsden United | 4 September 1926 | Away | 0–1

## References

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1. ^ "Association". Manchester Evening News: 4. 23 December 1887.
2. ^ "N.E.L. Football Combination". Ramsbottom Observer: 2. 27 September 1907.
3. ^ "Remarkable Todmorden case". Manchester Evening News: 4. 22 October 1908.
4. ^ "Portsmouth Rovers league history". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
5. ^ "The FA Cup results archive". The Football Association. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
6. ^ "Lancashire F.A.'s Jubilee". Bolton News: 6. 14 August 1928.
7. ^ Scholes, Tony (2 October 2003). "Jerry Dawson". Clarets Mad. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
8. ^ Dykes, Garth (2009). Nelson FC in the Football League. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 61\. ISBN 978-1-905891-29-0.
9. ^ "Portsmouth Rovers v Rochdale Reserve". Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter: 6. 20 February 1914.
10. ^ "Title: Portsmouth Rovers, c1910 - TOD00224". Pennine Horizons Digital Archive. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
11. ^ "Portsmouth Rovers Football Club". Calderdale Companion. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
12. ^ "Some narrow escapes". Burnley News: 10. 19 August 1916.