Scunthorpe United
Formed 1899
Elected to Division Three (North) 1950
Kit History
1904 a
1910-1913 p
1913-1923 m p
1923-1927 p
1927-1946 p
1947-1957 b p
1958-1960 c p
1960-1963 d e
1963-1964 p
1964-1965 p
1965-1968 p
1968-1969 j p
1969-1974 e f p
1974-1975 p q
1975-1976 p q
1976-1978 p q
1978-1979 q
1979-1982 b n p
1982-1983 n
1983-1985 n
1985-1987 b n
1987-1988 g
1989-1990 h
1990-1991 o
1991-1992 i o
1992-1993 o p
1994-1996 e
1996-1997 e
1998-2000 b e
2000-2001 e
2001-2003 e
2003-2004 e
2004-2005 l
2005-2007 k
2007-2008 k
Background
The club can trace its origins back to 1899 when Brumby Hall FC merged with a second (unknown) club and adopted the name Scunthorpe United. In 1910 another merger, this time with local rivals Lindsey United, led to the creation of Scunthorpe & Lindsey United. The club played in local competition until 1912, when they were admitted to the Midland League.
In 1921, United made the first of many unsuccessful applications to join the Football League. They won the Midland championship in 1927 and again in 1939 and by the time war broke out, they were established as one of the stronger non-League sides.
In 1949 the league decided to expand each of the regional Third Divisions with two extra clubs. In a series of eliminating ballots, Scunthorpe emerged triumphant after three rounds of voting and duly took their place in Division Three (North) for the 1950-1951 season. Almost 12,000 people turned up at the Old Show Ground to watch their first home game.
The Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe was at the time dominated by enormous iron and steel plants, which is why the club is known as “The Iron.” In 1958 United won the Division Three (North) title to win promotion to Division Two, dropping the “& Lindsey” from their name in the close season. In 1960, in an effort to emphasise their new status, they adopted white shirts and blue shorts featuring gold and blue trim. In 1962 they led the division at one stage but fell back to finish in fourth place, their highest ever placing.
Decline followed with relegation in 1964 and 1968 taking the Iron back into the Fourth Division. A new all-red kit was introduced in 1969 to try to improve their sagging fortunes and it was at this time that Ray Clemence and Kevin Keegan emerged as youngsters in the Scunthorpe first team. They were, of course, sold on and enjoyed enormous success with Liverpool and England.
In 1972 Scunthorpe were promoted but managed only a single season in Division Three before being relegated again. In 1982, United had to seek re-election, were promoted the following season and relegated the season after that. It was in 1984 that the club returned to the claret and blue colours worn until the early 1960s. United have worn some eye-catching combinations ever since.
Between 1988 and 1992, the Iron reached the play-offs four times out of five but were unsuccessful each time. In 1998 the Old Show Ground was sold to make way for a retail development and Scunthorpe acquired a brand new, purpose built stadium at Glanford Park. A year later they were in the play-offs again and this time they beat Leyton Orient in the Wembley final to clinch promotion to Nationwide Division Two. Disappointment followed and after only one season, they were relegated.
After narrowly avoiding relegation to the Conference
in 2004, the Iron won automatic promotion in 2005 to what was now Coca
Cola League One (originally the Third Division.)
Sources
- (a) Club Colours (Bob Bickerton 1998)
- (b) Football Focus
- (c) Bristol Rovers FC - Images of Sport (Mike Jay)
- (d) Swindon Town FC - Images of Sport (Richard Mattick 2000)
- (e) empics
- (f) Football Cards
- (g) Tranmere Rovers FC - Images of Sport (Peter Bishop)
- (h) Scarborough FC - Images of Sport (Paul Eade 2002)
- (i) Club Programme
- (j) Classic Kits
- (k) Scunthorpe United Official Website
- (l) Study United
- (m) Greger Lindberg
- (n) Ralph Pomeroy
- (o) David King
- (p) Richard Young
- (q) Alick Milne