Tales From The Football League: Recent Episodes
Stuart John
There have been around 150 clubs play in the English Football League. Some are world-famous, some infamous, but all have a story to tell.
Join us as we pluck out parts of each club's histories for a closer look at some of the interesting and quirky parts of their history.
What do you do if you have a 100,000 capacity stadium in London that's sitting empty on weekends? Create a football team and watch the money roll in? That's what the founders of Thames Association Football Club did in the late 1920s - except things didn't quite go to plan...
The first-ever Second Division table has some familiar names like Sheffield United, Grimsby Town, and Lincoln City; as well as some unfamiliar ones like Small Heath and Ardwick that became better known as Birmingham City and Manchester City respectively.
But who were Northwich Victoria - and how do you even get there?
When Middlesbrough Ironopolis joined the Football League they were three-time Northern League champions, FA Cup quarter-finalists, and owners of one of the best names in football. All that wouldn't help them survive their one season in the Football League though...
They lasted just the one season in the Football League, yet were one great club's first great rivals. Their demise then led to the rise of one of the world's most famous clubs.
This is the tale of Bootle Football Club.