Rotherham County
Formed 1877
Merged with Rotherham Town in 1925 to form Rotherham United.
Elected to Division Two 1919. Re-elected to Division Three (North) as Rotherham United.
Kit History
Thornhill United
1877
1900-1901 a
1901-1902 b
Rotherham County
1905
(Formerly Thornhill United)
1906-1907 a
1911-1912 c
1912-1916 a
1920-1923 a
1924-1925 a c
Background
The club was formed as Thornhill
United. For many years the leading team in the area was Rotherham Town,
who spent three seasons in the Football League while Thornhill United
were still playing in the Sheffield & Hallamshire League. By the turn
of the century, however, Rotherham Town had resigned from the Football
League and briefly gone out of business before joining the Midland League.
Meanwhile, Thornhill's fortunes were on the rise to the extent that in
1905 they laid claim to being the pre-eminent club in the town and changed
their name to Rotherham County. For a period both clubs competed in the
Midland League, finishing first and second in 1911-12. When the Great
War ended, it was decided to extend The Football League by creating four
new places in Division Two. Rotherham County, who had been champions of
the Midland League in 1915 before the competition was suspended, were
elected to one of the vacancies.
The Second Division was rather too tough for the Yorkshire side and in 1923 they were relegated to Division Three (North). In 1925 the club finished bottom and had to apply for re-election. Rotherham Town were themselves struggling and it was clear that to have two professional clubs in the town was not sustainable. Talks had begun in February 1925 and in early May the two clubs merged to form Rotherham United. Days later the reformed club was formally re-elected under its new name.
See also Rotherham Town | Rotherham United
Sources
- (a) Rotherham United FC
- (b) British Film Institute Archive (Youtube)
- (c) Keith Ellis (HFK Research Associate)
- (d) My photo library