association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
.
History
Bedlington United was formed in or before 1897, and in that year became a founder member of the East Northumberland Combination. The team played in the
East Northumberland League
East Northumberland League,
Football in Northumberland
1894 establishments in England
1910 disestablishments in England
Defunct football leagues in England
Sports leagues established in 1894
Sports leagues disestablished in 1910 ...
from 1902, and their 1907–08 league title preceded election to the
Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...
. Bedlington regularly finished in mid-table in the seasons running up to the war; their best result was fourth in 1911–12.
Bedlington continued in the Northern Alliance for one post-war season and were then accepted into the North-Eastern League. They finished bottom in their first season, but were reprieved by four teams leaving to join the newly formed
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated
In sports leagues, promotion and ...
, and continued in mid-table or below until 1929–30, when a bottom-place finish meant they were relegated to the North-Eastern League Second Division. Runners-up spots in 1934 and 1935 did not bring promotion, and when the North-Eastern League reverted to a single division, Bedlington joined the re-formed Northern Alliance. They struggled on for two seasons, but after a third in which they finished bottom of the table, conceded eight goals both at home and away to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
"A", failed to win away from home until the penultimate match of the season, and had three players fail to turn up for the last home fixture, the club resigned. Its structure as a limited liability company combined with a longstanding lack of interest from the shareholders had made it impossible to continue. A public meeting agreed to set up a new club with the intention of replacing it in the Northern Alliance, but there were five clubs applying for three vacancies and Bedlington were unsuccessful.
Bedlington United first entered the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
in 1908–09, and entered every season until 1927–28; their last participation was in 1935–36. Their best performance was in 1926–27, when they reached the second round proper before losing heavily to North-Eastern League rivals
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Formed in 1879, Sunderland play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club has won six t ...
, namely red and white striped shirts and black shorts.
Ground
The club originally played at Hollymount, building a stand there in 1913, and the sale of advertising space within the ground contributed to the club's finances. However, the land was requisitioned in 1920 by the local council for house building, and the club moved to a site in Church Lane to be known as Burdon Park.