1886–87 Eastville Rovers F.C. season

The 1886–87 season was the fourth to be played by the team that are now known as Bristol Rovers, and their third playing under the name Eastville Rovers.

Eastville Rovers
1886–87 season
CaptainFred Channing[1]
GroundThe Downs, Bristol

Season review

As with each of their previous three seasons, Eastville Rovers continued to play only friendly matches this year, but the "dribbling code" (as it was sometimes called at the time) of football was now gaining in popularity and the club were beginning to play against a wider variety of opposition. New team colours of Oxford and Cambridge blue were adopted, although the precise design of the kit is not documented.[2]

Two Eastville Rovers players took part in an unusual match on New Year's Day, when Clifton Association took on a Rest of Bristol XI in Warmley. The Rest of Bristol team consisted of players from Warmley, St George and Eastville Rovers, and included Rovers pair W. Perrin and H. Horsey in the forward line.[3]

Eastville Rovers were still not particularly well-known at this point, as evidenced by the fact that Weston-super-Mare RFC arranged two matches against them believing them to be a rugby team. Later, when Weston discovered that Rovers were an association football club, the games were cancelled.[4]

Most of the results from this season are not known, but of the games where a result is documented Rovers recorded three wins, two draws and a defeat.

Results

First team
DateOpponentVenueResultNotes
23 October 1886WarmleyThe Downs, BristolWon 1–0Won by one goal and one disputed goal[5]
30 October 1886Clifton AssociationThe Downs, Bristol[6]
6 November 1886ClevedonClevedon, SomersetLost 0–3[7]
27 November 1886St MathiasThe Downs, Bristol[6]
4 December 1886BridgwaterThe Downs, Bristol[6]
11 December 1886St GeorgeSt George, BristolDrew 1–1[8]
18 December 1886St AgnesAshley Down, Bristol[9]
8 January 1887St GeorgeSt George, BristolWon 3-2[10] see Bristol Mercury 10 Jan 1886
22 January 1886ClevedonThe Downs, BristolDrew 0-0[11] see Weston S Mare Gazette 29 Jan 1887
29 January 1887Clifton AssociationThe Downs, BristolLost 3-2[12]
5 February 1887ChippenhamChippenham, WiltshireWon 2–1[13]
12 February 1887St GeorgeThe Downs, BristolWon 2–0[14]
19 February 1887WarmleyWarmley, GloucestershireDrew 1–1[15]
5 March 1887BridgwaterBridgwater[16]
12 March 1887St MathiasThe Downs, Bristol[17]
26 March 1887Clifton AssociationClifton[18]
2 April 1887Weston-super-MareThe Recreation Grounds, Weston-super-MareWon 3-1[19] see Bristol Mercury 5 April 1887

Second team
DateOpponentVenueResultNotes
13 November 1886Warmley 2nd XIWarmley, Gloucestershire[6]
20 November 1886Warmley 2nd XIThe Downs, Bristol[6]
18 December 1886St MathiasThe Downs, Bristol[9]
1 January 1887Clifton Association 2nd XIClifton, Bristol[3]
22 January 1887St MathiasThe Downs, BristolWon 2-0[9] see Bristol Mercury 24 Jan 1887

References
  1. Byrne & Jay (2003), p.30
  2. Byrne & Jay (2003), p.31
  3. "Local Football Fixtures". Bristol Mercury. 1 January 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Weston-super-Mare Football Club". Weston Mercury & Somersetshire Herald. 23 April 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Football". Bristol Mercury. 25 October 1886. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. Byrne & Jay (2003), p.29
  7. "Football". Bristol Mercury. 8 November 1886. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Football". Bristol Mercury. 14 December 1886. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "Local Football Fixtures". Bristol Mercury. 18 December 1886. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Local Football Fixtures". Bristol Mercury. 8 January 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Football". Bristol Mercury. 8 November 1886. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Football". Bristol Mercury. 1 February 1887. Retrieved 27 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. "Football". Bristol Mercury. 7 February 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. "Sporting News". Bristol Mercury. 15 February 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Sporting News". Bristol Mercury. 22 February 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. "Local Athletic Fixtures". Bristol Mercury. 5 March 1887. Retrieved 27 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. "Local Athletic Fixtures". Bristol Mercury. 12 March 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. "Local Athletic Fixtures". Bristol Mercury. 26 March 1887. Retrieved 27 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. "Local News". Weston-super-Mare Gazette. 30 March 1887. Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Bibliography
  • Byrne, Stephen; Jay, Mike (2003). Bristol Rovers Football Club: The Definitive History 1883–2003. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2717-2.
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