Historical Football Kits

February 2008

29 February: Richard Franklyn has spoken to Chelsea's official historian, Rick Glanvill, and confirmed that the stockings worn by the Pensioners' first championship winning side in 1955 had a blue band round the top rather than red as shown. This has now been corrected. Scarborough 1999-2000 corrected. Grimsby Town circa 1930 added. Halifax Town 2007-08 added.

The Grimsby, Halifax and Hartlepool United galleries have been upgraded. Today's featured photographs shows the Hartlepools team in 1931-32 wearing their striped tops.

21 February: Today's featured kit, which appears on the jumpers4goalposts site, has an interesting story behind it. Gavin Meaden, a devoted Bournemouth fan and contributor to HFK writes, "That's the 1981-82 season shirt.... We got promoted from Div 4 with one game to go. The final home game that season (v Hereford) was given top billing on The Big Match in the Southern TV region. Shirt sponsorship was banned from being shown in TV. As we were rarely on (TV) we didn't have a separate kit so they simply sewed that white panel over the sponsor's name. Unstitch that white panel and Reg Haynes Toyota will be underneath it."

My thanks to Andrew Bartlett who has submitted a number of additions for the Southampton gallery.

17 February : Simon Monks, an expert on Luton Town, has been researching minor variations in the plain white shirts and black shorts that the Hatters wore in the late 1950s and early 1960s on behalf of HFK. I've incorporated his research and upgraded the Luton gallery.

Simon has also submitted missing kits from the 1960-61 season for Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Portsmouth and Sunderland.

The Gateshead/South Shields, Gillingham and Glossop galleries have been upgraded.

15 February : The Exeter City and Fulham galleries have been updated. Today's photograph shows the Exeter team of 1907-08 wearing their green shirts. Green is considered unlucky in the superstitious world of association football and in November 1910 the club adopted the red and white stripes that are familiar today.

Robin Hardman, who has been watching the Latics for over 50 years has sent me details of two missing Oldham Athletic kits from 1957 and 1959.

12 February: I have added the memorial kits worn by Manchester United and City in the Old Trafford derby on Sunday. The kits were worn as tribute to those who died in the Munich air crash 50 years ago and are not available to the public.

The Everton gallery has been upgraded.

8 February: Today's picture, taken from the Ashington FC website is of interest not only because of Ferguson's disturbing haircut but also because the team appear in white shirts with a black V rather than the familiar black and white stripes. I have added this to the Ashington gallery (thanks to Trevor Johnson for pointing it out) although I suspect it may turn out to be a change kit. I have also added a kit from 1898-99 that shows the team in what appear to be red (possibly blue) and black hooped jerseys. Let me know if you can shed any light here.

Cheltenham Town (missing kits from 1940s-1950s, circa1957, circa1965, 1968-69, 1973-74 added). Rochdale (January 1950 added). Doncaster Rovers and Durham City (galleries upgraded).

5 February: I'd be prepared to bet the mortgage that no-one aside from Ralph Nicholson will recognise the team featured in today's photograph. This is one of several images sent to me by Ralph that show Gainsborough Trinity in the late 1880s, a decade before they were elected to the Football League. Trinity failed re-election in 1912 when they lost their place to their arch-rivals, Lincoln City. The club continues to play in non-league competition.

Maidstone United (1988-89 added). Stockport County (1989-90 corrected). Derby County (gallery upgraded).

4 February :

The new England away shirt, manufactured by Umbro, was revealed this evening:

3 February : Over the past few weeks, Paul Nagel has been researching the kits of Newton Heath and Manchester United prior to the Second World War. The fruits of his work are now available on the Manchester United gallery and include confirmation of the cherry red and white hooped shirts worn briefly in the 1930s pictured here. Thanks Paul.

Darwen gallery updated and the narrative section substantially re-written. The Darreners, who thrive to this day in non-league competition, were one of the true pioneers of the game who laid the foundations of the revolution that saw the game shift from the former public school and army teams to the new breed of clubs run by middle-class businessmen with working class players and supporters.

31 January : Dagenham & Redbridge upgraded: Darlington (1910-11 added: gallery upgraded).

30 January : Scarborough (1879-85, 1885-90, 1890-94 added: 1894-1902, 1914-19 dates amended: missing manufacturers' logo added). The picture shows the team from 1929-30 in the claret and blue kit of the time. The club wore an astonishing variety of colours until they settled on red and white in 1961. Although the club was wound up during the summer, Scarborough Athletic were quickly formed and now compete in the North East Counties League wearing the all-red kit ordered from Xara by the old Scarborough FC.

Clyde (1986-87, 1987-88 detailing corrected), Heart of Midlothian (1999-2000 millenium logo added).

Birmingham City (1961-62 added, 1962-63 both kits amended), Burnley (2007-08 anniversary kit corrected), Carlisle United (2005-07 stockings corrected), Manchester United (1932-34 added), Stockport County (2007-08 third kit colour corrected), West Ham United (1900-01 added).

25 January : This picture of Blackpool taken in 1903, sent to me by Shane Holborne, is rather a puzzler. According to the club's Official History and records from the Association of Football Statisticians, the club wore red and white shirts at this stage. The shirts in this photograph, however are very dark - possibly maroon, navy blue or even black. If you can shed light on this, please get in touch.

Colchester Utd, Coventry City upgraded. Coventry City (1961-62 added), Crewe Alexandra (1971-72 early kit added).

The curious question of Crystal Palace's away kit posed on 10 January seems to have been solved by Andrew Rockall, who has spoken to John Pearce, an assistant referee on the matter. When seen side on, the red/blue flash down the left had side of the kit appears similar to the stripes worn by Southampton, Sheffield United and Stoke so for these matches, officials insisted that Palace wear different shirts. The problem was solved by pressing the team's training tops into service, with the appropriate badges and logos applied in haste.

This is the time of year when clubs start to plan what their kits for next season will look like. Increasingly, the trend is to involve supporters in the process. Middlesbrough, for example, conducted a poll which resulted in overwhelming suppport for the return of the iconic chest band, first introduced by Jack Charlton in 1973. The full story is available on Middlesbrough's official website. The results were announced in the club's match programme on January 12 and featured artwork provided by HFK.

18 January : I have upgraded the Chesterfield gallery and substantially revised the narrative introduction. The picture here is of Walter Bannister, who played for Chesterfield Town when they wore wonderful shirts fashioned from the Union flag. Sadly, Bannister, thought to be the first professional to have played for the club, died after suffering injury in a match against Derby Junction in November 1893. The full story is available on the official Chesterfield website. The Cheltenham Town and Chester City galleries have also been upgraded.

Stockport County (1913-14 corrected).

12 January : On 29 December 2007, Motherwell's captain, "Uncle" Phil O'Donnell collapsed during a game with Dundee United and died of heart failure. The club have renamed their main stand in his honour and today the first team will take to the pitch in shirts embroidered with Phil's signature. These will be worn until the end of the season as a tribute to this popular player.

We at HFK extend our deepest sympathy to Phil's family and salute the club and their supporters.

11 January : The photograph presented here is of Oldham Athletic in 1905. At this time the club played in red and white shirts and navy knickers - these appear to have faded to dirty grey in the image. This was sent to me from Australia by Shane Holborne whose great grandfather, William (Billy) Rooke is among the players pictured here. Note that the picture seems to have been taken in an alley rather than on the pitch.

Clyde (1986-87 added).

The following galleries have been upgraded: Carlisle United, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea.

10 January : Andrew Rockall has pointed out that Crystal Palace have only worn the official "away" kit once this season, in the FA Cup Third Round last weekend. In League matches they have turned out in plain white tops: if you know why, please let me know. This kit has now been added to the 2007-08 Championship gallery along with Colchester United's third kit.

Carlisle United (1903-04, 1904-05 added).

Following on from the Times article of 13 December, Manchester City have announced that they too will wear a special kit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich Tragedy when they play Manchester United next month. You can read the full story on the Manchester Evening News site.

4 January : Accrington Stanley (2006-07 amended). Clyde (1982-84 sponsor's logo added). Manningham and Burnley Rovers added to the Eminent Victorians gallery. Cambridge United gallery upgraded.