Kildare Football Club was an English association football club from London.

History

The club was founded in 1877 as the works side of

William Whiteley Limited William Whiteley Limited was a large British retail company founded by William Whiteley in 1863. The business grew to include a warehouse removals business. History Location London was expanding rapidly in the 1860s and after considering Islin ...

, named after the Kildare Terrace home address of the company founder. Its first recorded match was in October that year.

FA Cup entries

The club took part the FA Cup between 1879–80 and 1882–83, but lost in the first round each time; indeed the club only scored one goal, in a 1–1 draw with

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

in 1880-81. Even that goal was controversial, as Acton appealed it for being offside. As was normal for matches in the era, each side supplied an umpire, and they could not agree on the decision. However, unlike in most matches, there was no referee to decide between them, so the decision was passed to the

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

after the match, which ruled in favour of Kildare. Acton however won the replay 5–0. Its last entry to the FA Cup was in 1883-84, but, after being paired with

Clapham Rovers Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...

, who had defeated the club easily the year before, the club withdrew.

London Senior Cup

The club was a founder member of the

London Football Association The London Football Association (LFA) is the regional Football Association for inner areas of London. The London FA was established in 1882 and is affiliated to The Football Association. The London FA administers all levels of men's, women's and ...

in 1882. It entered the first

London Senior Cup The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...

in 1882-83, but, after walking over

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

in the first round, the club lost 6-1 at the Old Brightonians in the second. The club's last appearance in the competition was a first round defeat at Streatham Common F.C the following season.

Possible revival

A Kildare club entered the London Senior Cup in 1890-91, winning through three qualifying rounds before losing to Old St Stephen's, and was a regular entrant until 1911-12, but it is not clear if this is the same club.

Colours

The club played in navy blue and amber shirts, white shorts, and navy blue stockings. Until 1880 a navy blue cap was also part of the kit.

Ground

Originally the club played in

Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...

, but in 1881 moved to

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

References

Association football clubs established in 1877 Defunct football clubs in England 1877 establishments in England Association football clubs established in the 19th century {{England-footyclub-defunct-stub