Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

History

Droylsden were originally formed at the invitation of Joseph Cropper, Landlord of the Butchers Arms, to play behind the pub. After twenty years of friendliest and local leagues, disbandment, reformations and changes of strip, the club emerged from the First World War the sole survivors amongst the village teams, and as members of the Manchester League. The club also adopted their now traditional colours of red and white, the inspiration for the almost unique nickname of 'The Bloods'.

Two games in the 1921 Manchester Junior Cup Final against Hyde United of the newly formed Cheshire League attracted over 15,00 people to see Hyde prevail but the Bloods had their revenge two years later, taking the Cup from their local rivals.

The thirties was the era of Droylsden's record goal scorer, Ernest 'Gilly' Gillibrand, scorer of 275 goals in just four seasons. Gilly's goals saw Droylsden to the Manchester League Championship in 1931 and again in 1933, and in the latter season he aided Droylsden to the Third Qualifying Round in their first season in the FA Cup. That benchmark would take over 40 years to pass!

In 1936, the club successfully applied to join the Lancashire Combination and, a season later, became a nursery club to Manchester City. City's 'A' team played at the Butchers Arms and their surplus players were available to Droylsden, although the Bloods were disqualified from the FA Cup.

Following World War 2, Droylsden entered the prestigious Cheshire League, reaching their highest ever league position as runners-up in their first season. But the club couldn't build on that start and, four seasons later, failed in their second successive bid for re-election. Worse was to come; the sale of the Butchers Arms lease to Belle Vue FC - who renamed themselves Droylsden United - saw the Bloods forced out to the nearby Moorside Trotting Stadium. The town wasn't big enough for two clubs, especially with bad feeling between them, and after the local council bought the ground, a merger was negotiated. Droylsden came home in 1952 to a renovated ground whose pitch had been rotated to its present position, finally eradicating a long-standing drainage problem.

Two decades in the Combination ended in 1968 with a return to the Cheshire League, after the formation of the Northern Premier League. The club won the Manchester Senior Cup in 1973, 1976 and 1979 and enjoyed considerable FA Cup success, reaching the Fourth Qualifying Round four times in five seasons and the Cup proper twice. In 1976 Droylsden lost 5-3 in a First Round Replay at Grimsby Town, after a late home 'goal' was disallowed, but in 1978 Dave Taylor's goal at Rochdale sent the Bloods through to a Second Round tie at home to Altrincham, who ended the run with a 2-0 win.

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