Bray Unknowns Football Club was an
Irish association football club based in
Bray,
County Wicklow. During the 1920s and 1930s the Unknowns were the dominant football club in Bray, playing in the
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...
for nineteen seasons from
1924–25 to
1942–43. However, in the 1950s,
Bray Wanderers emerged as the town's strongest team, enjoying success in both the
Leinster Senior League and the
FAI Intermediate Cup
The FAI Intermediate Cup ( ga, Corn Comortais Peile na hÉireann), also known as the FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup and the Pat O'Brien Intermediate Challenge Cup, is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for intermediate ...
. During the 1960s both clubs were in decline. In 1973, after co-existing for nearly fifty years, the two clubs effectively merged under the Wanderers name.
History
Early Years
Bray Unknowns played a few seasons at the
Carlisle Grounds
The Carlisle Grounds is a football stadium in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. Situated directly behind the Bray D.A.R.T. station, it is home to Bray Wanderers A.F.C.
History
The Carlisle Grounds can claim to be the Football Association of ...
around
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
. The club re-formed after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and in 1921–22 were playing in the
Leinster Senior League. Other teams in this league this season included
Shamrock Rovers,
Bohemians B,
St James's Gate B,
Pioneers,
Shelbourne United,
Midland Athletic,
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, Merrion, Glasnevin, CYMS and Richmond. In 1922–23 Bray Unknowns were Leinster Senior League champions and in 1923–24 they won the
LFA Metropolitan Cup
The Leinster Senior League is an association football league organised by the Leinster Football Association. In 2015–16 the Leinster Senior League operated twenty divisions. It also organises various cup competitions. Its Senior Division is a ...
.
League of Ireland
Bray Unknowns joined the
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...
in
1924–25, replacing
Midland Athletic. Together with
Fordsons, they became the second and third teams, after
Athlone Town
Athlone Town Association Football Club () is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they pl ...
, from outside of
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
to join the league.
During their time in the league, Bray Unknowns regularly finished in the bottom two. On 28 October
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
Bray Unknowns lost 11–0 to
Shamrock Rovers. This still remains Rovers record win. Bray Unknowns best performance in the league was a fourth-placed finish in
1936–37. They were
FAI Cup semi-finalists in
1924–25,
1925–26 and 1939–40. At the end of the
1942–43 seasons Bray Unknowns failed to get re-elected.
Bray Wanderers
In 1973–74 Bray Unknowns were playing in the
Leinster Senior League and two former
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
internationals,
Mick Meagan and
Amby Fogarty were recruited as co-player managers. The club management also changed the club's name to
Bray Wanderers.
League of Ireland Stats
Source:
Ground
Between
1924–25 and
1928–29, Bray Unknowns played their home games in Woodbrook, just over the
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
border. In 1929 they moved back to the
Carlisle Grounds
The Carlisle Grounds is a football stadium in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. Situated directly behind the Bray D.A.R.T. station, it is home to Bray Wanderers A.F.C.
History
The Carlisle Grounds can claim to be the Football Association of ...
. The first
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...
match at the ground was a 2-2 draw between Unknowns and
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
during the
1929–30 season .
''Carlisle Grounds''
/ref>
Honours
* Leinster Senior League: 1
**1922–23
*LFA Metropolitan Cup
The Leinster Senior League is an association football league organised by the Leinster Football Association. In 2015–16 the Leinster Senior League operated twenty divisions. It also organises various cup competitions. Its Senior Division is a ...
: 1
**1923–24
Notable former players
Ireland internationals
The following Bray Unknowns players represented Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
at full international level.
* Jack Byrne
* Amby Fogarty
* Mick Meagan
* Alf Rigby
Alf Rigby was an Ireland international footballer. Rigby played for several clubs in the League of Ireland including Bray Unknowns, St James's Gate and Dundalk. He was also the top goalscorer in the League of Ireland for two successive season ...
* Joe Williams
Goalscorers
*Top League Scorer ''(season)'': 21, Owen McNally (1930–31
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condit ...
)
*Top League Scorer ''(total)'': 44, Paddy Leeney (1937–41)
References
{{Bray Wanderers F.C.
Association football clubs in County Wicklow
Defunct League of Ireland clubs
Former Leinster Senior League clubs
Unknowns
Association football clubs established in 1910
Association football clubs disestablished in 1973
1910 establishments in Ireland
1973 disestablishments in Ireland