Lovell's Athletic F.C. was the

works team A works team (sometimes factory team, company team) is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company. Association footb ...

for Lovell's sweet factory in Newport, Monmouthshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, which played professional football from 1918 until 1969.

History

Lovell's joined the

Western Football League The Western Football League is a football league in South West England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The league's current main sponsor is Toolstation, so it is also known as ...

in 1923 and won the title in their inaugural season. In 1928, they moved to the Southern League, but left in 1930, with the first team taking the reserves' place in the

Welsh Football League The Welsh Football League (also known as the Nathaniel Car Sales Welsh Football League for sponsorship reasons) was a club football league in Wales. For its final season in 2019–20 season it operated at levels 3 and 4 of the Welsh football leag ...

. They entered a second side in

The Football Combination The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is n ...

for the 1930–31 season only, finishing bottom of the inaugural Second Division with 15 points from their 26 games. Teams in that league included Bournemouth,

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

and

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...

. Lovell's rejoined the Western League in 1931. They won their second title in 1938–39, and the following year joined the Southern League's wartime competition. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Newport County did not field a team, so Lovell's were the premier team in Newport for that period. In the

1945–46 FA Cup The 1945–46 FA Cup was the 65th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, generally known as the FA Cup, and the first to be held after the Second World War. Derby County were the winners, bea ...

, they reached the Third Round, losing 12–3 on aggregate in a two-legged match against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

, having defeated AFC Bournemouth of the

Football League Third Division South The Third Division South 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 North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...

in the First Round 6–4 on aggregate. Lovell's returned to the Southern League in 1947. Following the 1947–48 season the club applied for election to the Football League, along with nine other non-league teams. However the two Third Division South teams seeking re-election,

and

Brighton and Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football leag ...

, were both re-elected. Lovell's left the Southern League in 1959 after finishing in the relegation zone of the North West Division. They continued to play in the Welsh League until disbandment in 1969. In their 51-year existence they were Welsh League champions six times, Southern League champions and

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the mos ...

winners. The old Rexville ground is now a housing estate named "The Turnstiles".

Honours

Western League *Champions: 1924, 1939 *Runners-up: 1936 Southern League Midland Division *Joint Champions: 1940

*Winners: 1931–32, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1965–66

*Winners: 1948 *Runners-up: 1959 Welsh Amateur Cup *Winners: 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1953–54 *Runners-up: 1922–23, 1923–24, 1938–39 South Wales FA Senior Cup *Winners: 1930–31, 1936–37, 1948–49, 1954–55 Monmouthshire/Gwent Senior Cup *Winners (10): 1929–30, 1930–31, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1954–55 Monmouthshire/Gwent Amateur Cup *Winners (2): 1925–26, 1928–29

History

*FA Cup progress: Third round defeat by

, 1946. *Record FA Cup victory: 7–1 vs. Stonehouse, 1954. *Record Welsh Cup victory: 3–0 vs.

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

, 1948 final.

References

{{reflist

External links

*Wartime competition tables
1942/1943
Defunct football clubs in Wales Football clubs in Newport, Wales Association football clubs established in 1918 Association football clubs disestablished in 1969 Welsh football clubs in English leagues Southern Football League clubs 1918 establishments in Wales 1969 disestablishments in Wales Welsh Football League clubs Works association football teams in Wales