Birch F.C.
Defunct English football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birch F.C. was an English rugby and association football club from Rusholme, founded in around 1870 as a club playing originally just the association code.[1]
| Full name | Birch Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | c. 1870 |
| Dissolved | 1890s |
| Ground | Longsight Cricket Club |
History
By 1878, the club mostly played rugby only, but in April 1878 played a friendly against Queen's Park because "it has lately been practising the dribbling as well as the Rugby game",[2] due to a former Queen's Park player (James Strang) joining the club. The club entered the FA Cup the next season, but scratched when drawn at home to Darwen.[3]
In October 1878, the association part of the club broke away to form Manchester Wanderers[4][5] while the Birch club joined the Rugby Football Union.[6] In 1881 Birch was a founder member of the Lancashire County Rugby Football Union.[7]
The club ceased to exist in the 1890s.[8]
Ground
The club played at the Longsight Cricket Ground.[9]
Notable players
Thomas Slaney, the first Stoke City manager, guested for the team against Queen's Park.
