Newtown St Mark's A.F.C.

Newtown St Mark's F.C.
Full nameNewtown St Mark's Football Club
Nicknamethe Saints[1]
Founded1894
Dissolved1907
GroundVictory Park
SecretaryJ. E. Telford

Newtown St Mark's A.F.C. was an association football club from Wigan, Lancashire, active in the early 20th century.

History

The club was formed of old boys from Newton St Mark's school,[2] and the earliest reference to the club is of it seeking fixtures for the 1894–95 season;[3] it joined the Wigan Junior League that season, but struggled at the bottom of the table.[4]

For the 1901–02 season, under the shorter name Newtown, the club joined the Lancashire Football Association[5][6] and was elected to the Lancashire Alliance; the media, having to catch up, occasionally referred to the club as "Newtown St Mark's",[7] unsurprising given that the club retained a number of the St Mark's players from the previous years, including goalkeeper Calderbank, full-back P. Barker, midfielders J. Barker and captain T. Brown, and forwards Irvine, Birchall, and Hewitt.[8][9] However the club struggled at this higher level, and finished bottom but one, with 4 wins in 20 games.[10]

The club appears to have gone into abeyance until 1903, and re-joined the Lancashire Alliance in July 1904;[11] by the time the season started, it had added the St Mark's back into its name. It finished a promising 5th (out of 14 clubs) in its first season back, but diminishing returns set in, and after dropping to 9th and 11th in its next two seasons,[12] it dropped to the Wigan and District League for 1906–07, and the club's sole achievement of any note came that season, namely reaching the Wigan Charity Cup Final. In front of 1,000 spectators at Ince[13] the club was easily beaten 5–0 by Atherton Church House reserves.[14]

The club dissolved in the summer of 1907 due to lack of support[15][16] - it was generating gate income of £19 against expenses of £63,[17] but on final dissolution, the club had a balance of £2 15/-, which the club committee donated to the Wigan Infirmary.[18]

Other clubs with the same name continued afterwards, including an amateur side until 1919,[19] and a schoolboy side after the First World War.

Colours

The club's colours were blue,[20] in the form of Oxford and Cambridge blue shirts.[21]

Ground

The club played at Victory Park on Warrington Road,[22] later used by Wigan Rovers;[23] its headquarters were at the Black Horse Inn.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Standish Athletic v Newtown St Mark's". Wigan Observer and District Advertiser: 3. 5 October 1909.
  2. ↑ "Referee" (23 April 1904). "Football jottings". Wigan Examiner: 8.
  3. ↑ "Football". Wigan Observer and District Advertiser: 5. 25 July 1894.
  4. ↑ "Wigan Junior League". Wigan Examiner: 3. 22 March 1895.
  5. ↑ "Lancashire Association meeting". Manchester Evening News. 1 August 1901.
  6. ↑ "Lancashire Alliance". Wigan Examiner: 8. 27 July 1901.
  7. ↑ "Lancashire Alliance". Manchester Evening News: 5. 6 September 1901.
  8. ↑ "Wigan Athletic v Newtown St Mark's". Wigan Examiner: 3. 19 May 1900.
  9. ↑ "Pemberton v Newtown". Wigan Examiner: 7. 20 September 1901.
  10. ↑ "Lancashire Alliance - season 1901–02". Wigan Observer and District Advertiser: 3. 9 May 1902.
  11. ↑ "Lancashire Alliance". Lancashire Evening Post: 5. 5 July 1904.
  12. ↑ "Lancashire Alliance". Non league matters. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  13. ↑ "Wigan & District football jottings". Wigan Examiner: 8. 26 April 1907.
  14. ↑ "Wigan Charity Cup - final tie". Wigan Observer and District Advertiser: 2. 30 April 1907.
  15. ↑ "Newtown St Mark's". Wigan Observer and District Advertiser: 8. 22 June 1907.
  16. ↑ "This season's prospects". Wigan Examiner: 10. 7 September 1907.
  17. ↑ "Newtown St Mark's A.F.C.". Wigan Examiner: 5. 15 June 1907.
  18. ↑ "Footballers' donation to charity". Wigan Examiner: 5. 23 May 1908.
  19. ↑ "Ordinary matches". Wigan Examiner: 3. 15 April 1919.
  20. ↑ "Newtown v Abram Colliery". Wigan Examiner: 2. 15 January 1902.
  21. ↑ "Football fixtures 1904–05". Wigan Examiner: 7. 3 September 1904.
  22. ↑ "Newtown St Mark's v Standish United". Wigan Examiner: 7. 9 September 1904.
  23. ↑ "The lesser known ones". HIstorical grounds of Wigan and district. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  24. ↑ "Football fixtures 1904–05". Wigan Examiner: 7. 3 September 1904.
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