Team History by Scott Newell
02 Jul 2008

team history.

Shepley United as they are now known were formed during the turn of the century, 1903, by a wealthy steel merchant. the team, then known as shepley ironworks, played in the heady heights of the basildon and districts first division. this patchwork league of second-rate teams, proved to be no contest for the Shepley United team who surpassed expectations with promotion in their first season. This trend continued into the second and third season and very soon the team were playing top flight football against teams such as Bradford City, Accrington Stanly and Manchester United. this amazed sports reporters of the time so much that barely a day went by without the team making the back pages of the daily papers.
the teams first professional game took place on Sunday the 1st of september 1906. The Lord Mayor kicked off the match in front of a near capacity crowd. Bunting and flags bedecked the ground and even a film crew captured the day for posterity. Visitors Gainsborough Trinity spoiled the party by winning 3-1. However, the crowd had Shepley's' first goal to celebrate when Richard Guy scored with a low drive at the Holt End. According to the Basildon Daily Argus the goal was greeted with 'a shout which awoke babies on the distant hillsides of Pitsea and Festival lesuire'.
With Shepley United first professional recoord standing at played one lost one, no-one expected that record to change in the next weeks match away to Burton United. The following Saturday, Shepley won 2-0 at Burton United. The Paraders finished the season in a creditable tenth position.Shepley quickly established themselves in the First Division, only Four years after their hasty formation. Jimmy Conlin became the club's first international when he played for England against Scotland in 1907.
By now Peter O'Rourke had been appointed as manager.And Over the next three years he built a side which took the First Division by storm, winning the championship in 1910 and scoring 90 goals in the process. There was little time to celebrate the club's incredible feat of Winning the top league in english football within Seven years of their formation. Valley Parade had to be brought up to a standard befitting their First Division status. Renowned architect Archibald Leitch oversaw the rebuilding of the ground. A new Main Stand, a greatly expanded Holt and an elegant gabled stand on the Midland Road saw Valley Parade transformed into one of the leading grounds in the country.
With new revenue now pouring into the club, the chairman was embroilled in a high profile S*X scandel, which threatened to ruin himself and sully the name of a club which had achieved so much in its short history. So, It was with a heavy heart, on the morning of november 17th 1911, the chairman Richard Woodward, resigned. with all of the off-feild distractions the team struggled to break into the top half of the league.
Now with the outbreak of war imminent, the club spiralled down the league and it was the disastorus season of 1913 that saw the Shepley United team play their last season of top teir football.They entered the last game of the season knowing only victory over Manchester United would be enough to ensure their survival. Valley Parade was packed, over 30,000 saw a tense and breathless match. Shepley took the lead thanks to prolific striker Frank O'Rourke in the second half.
As the clock ticked down the Shepley goal was subjected to a tremendous assault by the visitors. Shepley grimly hung on, but minutes from time goalkeeper Mark Mellors was knocked out as he saved a fearsome drive. He was literally propped up in the goal whilst Shepley defended the resulting corner.
Shepleys chairman could not take the pressure and was seen pacing Valley Parade itself as the agony went on. Shepley scrambled the corner clear but soon after came disaster with the final whistle nearing the nearly unconcious gave away a penalty for punching an oppositon player, United duely converted the spot kick, And with the arrival of the final whistle, Shepley united had played thier last ever top flight match.
With the war ongoing Shepley United disbanded, their satdium being used for hold captured German P.O.W's. for the club it was the end of the road.
That was untill recently. After learning of a distantly related great-great uncle, who had played for a team in the first division, a certain Chris Sheperd set about unearthing the fact about this club whom he had never previously heard of. It turned out to be true, the team had existed, and his relative had played for them. it was with much enthusiasm that Chris contacted the Basildon Footnall league about restarting this club steeped in heritage and winning tradition. After hours of trawling through legal docunmentation he found that he could re-form the club. He set about his task with great gusto, and after placing ad's on websites and in business shop windows, he sat back and waited for the potential players to come for trials. As he had hoped the first turnout had been good, and so it was that the season of 2007-2008 saw Shepley united back playing in the Basildon and Districts Football League. Over 100 years had passed since the formation of the club, and nearly 86 years since their last game was played, but this Shepley team had high hopes. Hopes of recreating the form that had taken them to the heady heights of the English First Division.

Thanks for taking the time to read this Club History. I hope that it was insightfull. Below are some f the few remaining artifacts celebrating Shepley united's early sucess, and a Bio of one of the ''Characters'' of the title winning side of 1910.

'Fatty' Foulkes
A 24 stone goalkeeper who could punch a ball over the halfway line might seem to be a character straight from the comedy series ‘Ripping Yarns’. However, truth can often be stranger than fiction and when in April 1906 Shepley signed William ‘Fatty’ Foulkes it was a real coup. The giant keeper was one of the superstars of his day.Foulkes had risen to prominence with Sheffield United. He won a League Championship, two FA Cups and became an England international during his time at Bramhall Lane. For such a huge man Foulkes was extremely agile. However, it was his often bizarre antics that endeared him to football fans way beyond the city of Basildon.
In October 1907 Liverpool forward George Allen unwisely charged into Foulke. He lost his temper and seized Allen by the leg and dangled him upside down. On another away trip he beat the rest of the team to dining room one morning and by the time they appeared he had eaten all eleven breakfasts!
Despite the comic capers, Foulke was a talented sportsman who also played county cricket for Derbyshire. It attracted a memorable quip that when he took to the crease the opposition appealed for bad light. He remains in the record books as the heaviest ever first class cricketer.
Foulke arrived at Valley Parade after a short spell with Chelsea. He hadn’t been able to settle in the capital and when the chance came to return South came he jumped at it. Shepley had been forced to sell crowd favourite Jimmy Conlin to ease mounting debts, so the arrival of the legendary Foulkes a few weeks later was a real boost to flagging morale. However, injuries were to plague his time at Valley Parade and after only 24 appearances he was forced to retire in November 1911. He had made 355 appearances over his long career. Foulke settled in Sheffield where he ran a corner shop not far from his beloved Bramhall Lane. Sadly, he died in 1916 aged only 42.