Staple Hill F.C.
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Staple Hill
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Staple Hill Football Club
| nickname = the Hillians{{cite journal |title=Staple Hill v St George |journal=Western Daily Press |date=22 February 1897 |page=7}}
| shortname =
| founded = 1889
| dissolved = 1910
| ground = Staple Hill Cricket Ground
| capacity =
| season = 1908–09
| position = {{nowrap|Western League Division Two, 5/12}}
|pattern_name1=1890s
|pattern_la1=_white_stripes|pattern_b1=_whitestripes|pattern_ra1=_white_stripes|pattern_so1=|leftarm1=800000|body1=800000|rightarm1=800000|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=800000|
|pattern_name2=1900s
|pattern_la2=_black_stripes|pattern_b2=_blackstripes|pattern_ra2=_black_stripes|pattern_so2=_blacktop|leftarm2=FFFF00|body2=FFFF00|rightarm2=FFFF00|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFF00|}}
Staple Hill F.C. was an English football club based in Staple Hill, Bristol.
History
The earliest reference to the side is from the 1889–90 season{{cite journal |title=Staple Hill v Wesley Society |journal=Bristol Mercury |date=3 February 1890 |page=3}} and it joined the Bristol & District League in 1893–94, that league's second season, before it was renamed the Western League in 1895. Joint runners-up in Division One in 1895–96, Staple Hill were placed in Division Two of the league after a new professional section was formed in 1897. They won this division twice, in 1898–99 and 1906–07, and were runners-up on two other occasions, but were never promoted.Robinson, Michael (ed.), Non-League Football Tables 1889–2006, Soccer Books, 2006
They were regular entrants in the FA Cup, and reached the first round proper in 1905–06 when they travelled to Manchester United's Bank Street ground, where they lost 7–2 in front of 7,560 spectators.{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-matches/13-01-1906-staple-hill.html |accessdate=29 September 2011 |title=Manchester United vs Staple Hill – 13 Jan 1906 |publisher=aboutmanutd.com}}
After finishing as champions the previous season, Staple Hill finished bottom of the Western League Division Two in 1907–08. On 29 June 1909, with Welsh clubs being admitted to the League, and the consequent increase in expenses overwhelming the already parlous club finances, the directors resolved to wind the club up.{{cite journal |title=Staple Hill club disbanded |journal=Western Daily Press |date=4 August 1909 |page=9}} One cause was that the club was semi-professional, paying some players up to 15 shillings per match, which amateur players - despite their amateur status - also demanded, such payments being kept off the books to avoid scrutiny from the Gloucestershire Football Association.{{cite journal |title=The defunct Staple Hill football club |journal=Western Daily Press |date=26 January 1910 |page=3}}
The name was revived by a club in the 1950s{{cite journal |title=District League |journal=Evening Post |date=23 November 1960 |page=18}} which competed in local football until it was disbanded in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.downendvoice.co.uk/staple-hill-football-club-reunited.html |title=Staple Hill football club reunited |date=23 June 2015 |publisher=Downend Voice}} A more recent club, Staple Hill Orient, competed in the Bristol and District Football League until 2016.
League history
Staple Hill's 16 seasons of Western League football are listed below.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Season!!Division!!Position!!W!!D!!L!!F!!A!!Pts | ||||||||
| colspan="8"|Bristol & District League | ||||||||
| 1893–94 | align="left"|Bristol & District League, Division One | 7 of 10 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 33 | 15 |
| 1894–95 | align="left"|Bristol & District League, Division One | 4 of 12 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 38 | 26 |
| colspan="8"|League renamed to Western League | ||||||||
| 1895–96 | align="left"|Western League, Division One | 2= of 11 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 19 | 29 |
| 1896–97 | align="left"|Western League, Division One | 8 of 9 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 18 | 39 | 10 |
| 1897–98 | align="left"|Western League, Division One Amateur | 2 of 9 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 15 | 23 |
| 1898–99 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 1 of 8 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 55 | 15 | 23 |
| 1899–1900 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 2 of 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 12 |
| 1900–01 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 3 of 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 17 | 13 |
| 1901–02 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 4 of 9 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 24 | 21 |
| 1902–03 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 5 of 8 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 20 | 13 |
| 1903–04 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 2 of 10 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 53 | 19 | 27 |
| 1904–05 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 4 of 9 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 23 | 17 |
| 1905–06 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 6 of 10 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 38 | 17 |
| 1906–07 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 1 of 10 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 44 | 28 | 26 |
| 1907–08 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 9 of 9 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 18 | 40 | 6 |
| 1908–09 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 5 of 12 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 41 | 60 | 22 |
=Reserves=
For three seasons, Staple Hill entered a reserve team in Division Two of the Western League:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Season!!Division!!Position!!W!!D!!L!!F!!A!!Pts | ||||||||
| colspan="8"|Bristol & District League | ||||||||
| 1894–95 | align="left"|Bristol & District League, Division Two | 10 of 11 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 32 | 79 | 9 |
| colspan="8"|League renamed to Western League | ||||||||
| 1895–96 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 7 of 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 34 | 58 | 16 |
| 1896–97 | align="left"|Western League, Division Two | 7 of 7 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 34 | 3 |
Colours
The club earliest record of the club's colours are "maroon, striped with a trio of white stripes", adopted in before the 1894–95 season.{{cite journal |title=Staple Hill |journal=Western Daily Press |date=1 September 1894 |page=3}} By 1905 the club was wearing yellow and black striped shirts,{{cite journal |title=South Weald v Staple Hill |journal=Essex Chronicle |date=15 December 1905 |page=3}} white shorts, and yellow and black stockings.{{cite journal |title=photograph |journal=New Observer |date=1 January 1966 |page=13}}
Ground
The club played at the Staple Hill Cricket Ground.{{cite journal |title=Staple Hill |journal=Bristol Mercury |date=16 June 1894 |page=7}}
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Defunct football clubs in England
Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 1909
Category:Western Football League
Category:Defunct football clubs in Bristol
Category:1909 disestablishments in England
Category:Association football clubs established in the 19th century