# Royton A.F.C. > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Royton_A.F.C. > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Royton_A.F.C..md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royton_A.F.C. > Source revision: 1330964258 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Short description|Defunct association football club from Lancashire}} {{Infobox football club | | clubname=Royton A.F.C. | image= | fullname=Royton Association Football Club | nickname= | founded=1886 | dissolved=1894 | ground=Middleton Road | capacity= | chairman= | mgrtitle= Secretary | manager= W. Wood{{cite journal |title=Club notices |journal=Empire News & The Umpire |date=6 November 1887 |page=7}} | league= | season= | position= | website = |pattern_la1=_black_stripes | pattern_b1=_blackstripes| pattern_ra1=_black_stripes | pattern_sh1=| pattern_so1=| leftarm1=FFFFFF| body1=FFFFFF| rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000 |}} '''Royton A.F.C.''' was an [association football](/source/association_football) club from [Royton](/source/Royton), [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), active in the 19th century. ==History== thumb|Line-ups for the 1889–90 Manchester Senior Cup Final, Newton Heath v Royton, Athletic News, 5 May 1890 The first football club with the Royton name was a [rugby union](/source/rugby_union) club which dissolved in 1885.{{cite journal |title=En passant |journal=Athletic News |date=9 June 1885 |page=1}} The earliest reference to the association club is from the 1886–87 season.{{cite journal |title=Manchester and District Cup competition |journal=Manchester Courier |date=17 January 1887 |page=3}} Its first success of any note was reaching the [Manchester & District Cup](/source/Manchester_Senior_Cup) final in 1889–90, against [Newton Heath](/source/Manchester_United) at [Hullard Hall](/source/West_Manchester_F.C.).{{cite book |last1=Shury |first1=Alan |last2=Landamore |first2=Brian |title=The Definitive Newton Heath F.C. |publisher=SoccerData |year=2005|page=51 |isbn=1899468161 }} The Royton following, which made up a majority of the 4,000 crowd, were optimistic of success, and after going behind early, Royton took a 2–1 lead through a goal by Slate and a scrimmage which forced the ball home. By half-time however the scores were level, and the Heathens scored two early second-half goals, running out 5–2 winners.{{cite journal |last1="The Tramp" |title=Newton Heath walk through Royton |journal=Athletic News |date=5 May 1890 |page=4}} The club was a founder member of the [Lancashire Combination](/source/Lancashire_Combination) in 1891–92,{{cite journal |title=Lancashire Football Combination |journal=Burnley Express |date=13 June 1891 |page=8}} and finished third in the first season. It also entered the [1891–92 FA Cup qualifying rounds](/source/1891%E2%80%9392_FA_Cup_qualifying_rounds) for its only tilt at the national competition, and beat fellow Combination side [Halliwell](/source/Halliwell_F.C.) 6–3 at home at the first stage, aided by Halliwell's full-back Flitcroft having to retire from the match early on due to an injury. However, Halliwell played the tie under protest, as it had measured the ground as being 15 yards too short and 8 yards too narrow,{{cite journal |title=Notes on Saturday's football |journal=Bolton Daily Chronicle |date=5 October 1891 |page=4}} and, together with Royton admitting that a linesman was a member of the Royton club, the [Football Association](/source/Football_Association) awarded the tie to the visitors.{{cite journal |title=The English Challenge Cup |journal=Manchester Courier |date=9 October 1891 |page=3}} In the 1892–93 Combination Royton dropped to 7th out of 11 clubs. However, ten games into the 1893–94 season, the club was bottom, with 1 win and 9 defeats, and having scored 10 goals while conceding 62.{{cite journal |title=Lancashire Combination |journal=Athletic News |date=26 February 1894 |page=3}} This does not include the club's final match, on 2 December 1893, at home to [Preston North End](/source/Preston_North_End) Reserves, which kicked off in semi-darkness at 4.10pm due to the visitors' late arrival, and was abandoned after 25 minutes, the North Enders already two goals to the good.{{cite journal |title=Royton v Preston North End Reserves |journal=Preston Herald |date=6 December 1893 |page=6}} By the middle of January 1894, the club was noted as having "become defunct".{{cite journal |title=Notes on Saturday's football |journal=Bolton Daily Chronicle |date=15 January 1894 |page=2}} ==Colours== The club played in black and white vertical stripes.{{cite journal |title=Answers to correspondents |journal=Athletic News |date=9 October 1893 |page=4}} ==Ground== The club's ground was off the Middleton Road.{{cite journal |title=Royton Football Club |journal=Rochdale Observer |date=12 October 1895 |page=7}}{{cite journal |title=Royton Agricultural Show |journal=Preston Herald |date=29 August 1896 |page=11}} ==External links== * [https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/englancacombhist.html Lancashire Combination tables] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Authority control}} Category:1886 establishments in England Category:Association football clubs established in 1886 Category:1894 disestablishments in England Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 1894 Category:Defunct football clubs in England Category:Lancashire Combination Category:Sport in Oldham Category:Defunct football clubs in Greater Manchester Category:Defunct football clubs in Lancashire --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Royton A.F.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royton_A.F.C.) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royton_A.F.C.?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.