1893/94: English Amateur Cup

Appearances & Goals

Results

Competition Results

The previous season had been a financial disaster for the club. After been knocked out of the only cup competition that they entered, the Northumberland Senior Cup, by Rendle in the first round, leaving the club with only meaningless friendly matches to play in front of sparse crowds; with this in mind, the club decided to enter the Senior Cup and for the first time the English FA Amateur Cup.

The treasurers report showed that after meeting all liabilities, there was a balance of over £6 in hand to start the 1893/94 season. It was agreed that the club's headquarters should be in the Masonic Hall, Church Street, where a recreational club, shared with other sporting bodies in the town – Berwick Harriers and Berwick Cycling Club – would be formed.

September

9. Preparations for the new season started early with heavy training sessions attended by several new and old faces. Willington Athletic were the first visitors and gave the Rangers a stiff test. The game ended in a 2-0 reverse for the Rangers with Cummings giving Hope no chance with an oblique shot from the corner flag. Rangers fought back with determination, but the balance of play still hung in favour of the Tynesiders and a centre from the right found McLucas in space to lodge number two to seal Berwick's fate before half-time had arrived.

October

7. Berwick Rangers were given a further shake when they visited Duns. John Manuel opened Berwick's account after only five minutes with a grass-cutter to the far corner of the net, but Duff equalised for Duns just after the interval. It was the turning point of the match. Duns began to dominate proceedings and Berwick were lucky to hang on for a draw.

14. Another defeat, this time at the hands the Rutherford College of Science & Art a week later, made it an unimpressive start to the season. The Students were strong and swift, and the difference of four goals between the teams was not in doubt.

21. Berwick Rangers Rangers visited St James' Park, Newcastle to take on the United "A" team, where a lack of alternative fixtures in the town ensured a large than anticipated crowd, numbering several hundred, attend the match. Against the run of play, Bryson opened the scoring and Berwick led by a goal to nil at half-time. Newcastle equalised minutes after the restart through a Quinn penalty kick. Afterwards, they put the Berwick defence under constant pressure, and it came as no surprise when Howe scored a second. It was game over on 75 minutes when Gillespie scored a third for United with a long shot.

November

4. In the draw for the English FA Amateur Cup, Rangers were drawn at home in the regional group stage to Darlington St Hilda's. The cup-tie was to be played on November 4th, but due to the travelling distance St Hilda's scratched and left Berwick with a free afternoon. Another fixture was hastily arranged at Shielfield with Rangers playing Belford, a new club that had just been formed and were yet unacquainted with more than the rudiments of the game. In the first half, the only shots that the keeper saved were those that hit him as Rangers rolled through seven goals before half-time. Belford seemed to gather confidence after the interval, but there was little football on the field, and the result was an 8-0 win for the Rangers.

11. Berwick Rangers were looking for a good gate from a game arranged with Jarrow Presbyterians to make up for lost revenue due to the scratched cup tie against St Hilda's. With respect to their misleading name, there was nothing gentle or refined about the Jarrow lads' play. They had a powerful team and the large crowd that turned out at Shielfield to witness the game was not disappointed. Rangers went out with a will to win, playing their best game of the season, and by half-time were 3-0 to the good with goals from James Manuel and two from Bryson. However, the score was not a fair reflection of the game as both sides played attacking football. Jarrow pegged Berwick back for long periods after the interval but failed to break the hard-working home defence. The sequel to it all was that the total receipts from the game amounted to £1 9s. There had been a large crowd at the game all right, but the expense paid to Jarrow had been heavy, and Rangers were now being caught in an economic whirl.

25. Berwick Rangers scratched up a team at the last minute to play an advertised match against Berwick Athletic. It was a match that they, and the paying public, could have done without, due to their up and coming cup-tie with Leadgate Exiles the following Saturday. There was little quality in the match which Athletic won 2-1.

December

2. With English FA rules dictating an admission charge of six-pence, Rangers hoped to progress much further in the competition to give the club much-needed funds. Powerful County Durham side Leadgate Exiles stood in their way in the second round of the Amateur Cup. Early and late first half goals by Hill and Conroy gave the Exiles a 2-0 interval lead in a scrappy match hampered by the wintry conditions. After the break, the Exiles dared not venture out of their half as the whole of the Rangers team, goalkeeper included, peppered away at goal. Midway through the second half, a superb overhead kick by Grieve was blocked on the line but Murphy was on hand to stab the ball home. However, for all Berwick's pressure it was the Exiles who progressed to the next round with a slender 2-1 victory.

9. Berwick Rangers tried hard to hide their cup disappointment with a game against their new local rivals, Duns. The Berwickshire team played their strongest eleven to date with Rangers forced to play with four reserves. There was little between the teams as they both fought to outwit each other, but the final difference was a Wallace through ball that put Bryson in a one-on-one situation with the visiting keeper, and he coolly slotted home to give Rangers a narrow victory.

25. On Christmas Day, Newcastle Albion were Berwick's guests. This was their first visit to the town, and they produced a smart performance in front of a record crowd for a friendly with over £6 taken at the gate. Rangers, except for Wallace, were at full strength and with a slight wind advantage scored twice in the first half and once against the elements in the second to win 3-1 in a highly entertaining match.

26. Willington Athletic was Berwick's Boxing Day destination for a return friendly match where they notched their first victory over the Rosewell side after eight previous attempts. Murphy opened the scoring with a beauty off a Bryson centre. Twenty minutes later Bryson added a second to give Berwick a two-goal half-time lead, but the result was far from certain. After the interval, Rangers had to thank an excellent defence as the home team played in a determined fashion and took some keeping out. Willington were reduced to ten men through injury but were just as dangerous with a player short. McLucas headed Willington's first goal from a corner kick and Rice soon added a second, after a desperate tussle in the goalmouth. Rangers fought back strongly, and Murphy hit the underside of the crossbar before scoring Berwick's third and winning goal a few minutes later.

January

1. Bill Quay Albion, from Newcastle, made their second visit to Berwick on New Year's Day. They had improved vastly and played a polished game against a Rangers side containing several players, who were described in the local press as, "obviously not in match condition and ought not to have been brought out to fool others who were there with football intentions." Rangers lost the match 5-0.

6. Berwick made the long journey to Cambios to take on the local colliery team in the first round of the Northumberland Senior Cup. Cambios were a typical colliery team, heavy and capable of using their weight, with their narrow pitch with a rickety surface suiting their style well. Rangers opened the scoring after only 10 minutes' play when Bryson, accepting a pass from James Campbell, scored. The lead was short-lived as Robson equalised five minutes later. Berwick were finding the uneven surface hard to play, and it came as no surprise when Gair headed through a second for the Miners and Thompson added a third with a low shot just before half-time. Bryson reduced the leeway on the hour with a fine solo run and shot before James Campbell put the ball through the net for a third time, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Berwick were now playing hard and fast, and from a last-minute corner, Rhind was perfectly placed to score and take Cambios back to Shielfield for a well-earned replay. A crowd of over a thousand attended the match with Berwick's half of the gate amounting to 4s 9d after expenses had been deducted, but many questioned the logic of travelling so far for such a meagre return.

13. A large crowd turned out for the replay against Cambios. Rangers, however, with a changed side, gave a poor display and were a goal down after half an hour when Gair put the Miners ahead following a long throw-in into a crowded goalmouth. The visitors sat back in the second half and soaked up any Berwick pressure. Playing the same line-up, Cambios gave a vastly improved performance than the previous week and deserved an even wider victory than the 1-0 score line suggested.

20. Cup football over for yet another season Rangers, featuring several reserves, beat Belford 6-2 in a return friendly.

27. Rangers wired North Eastern to postpone the fixture due to wretched weather conditions but, despite this, the Newcastle team turned up and had to meet a scratch Berwick team on a rain drenched Shielfield. It was a game of two halves; Rangers commanded the first and ending with a three-goal advantage; the second saw North Eastern in command, scoring twice. The final fight for supremacy proved a hard one, and although North Eastern were on the attack the Rangers defence stood firm and secured a 3-2 victory.

February

3. Rangers travelled to Jarrow on February 3rd to meet the Presbyterians at their Park Road ground. Berwick picked a strong eleven to travel but, at the last minute, there were absentees. The most notable truant was goalkeeper Hope, who missed the train. McFarlane took Hope's place between the sticks and reserve team player John Renwick was placed up front. Murphy, who arrived at the ground ten minutes late, scored the first goal as Rangers had the majority of the first half possession, but a soft equalising goal was presented to the Jarrow team when McFarlane ran out to meet a long ball from Robb and kicked fresh air, allowing the ball to trickle home. After the interval, play was more even. Renwick scored a second for Berwick, but again a soft goal was presented to the home team, with a simple shot from Robb being allowed to take effect and the match finished at two goals each.

The construction of a cycling track somewhere in the borough was suggested by the Berwick Cycling Club with Shielfield being considered the best option, although the field behind the Union Hotel was an alternative venue for a combined sporting ground. Filling in operations were already in progress at the east side of Shielfield, and a cinder cycle track, twenty feet broad and four laps to the mile, was under review.

March

3. After a break of four weeks, a friendly match with Berwick Athletic was played in order to get the Rangers team in trim for the return friendly match with the Newcastle United "A" team at Shielfield the following week. The game was played under atrocious conditions and abandoned after only fifteen minutes. Rangers were in rampant form and scored three goals through Wallace, Murphy and Rhind before the game was brought to a halt.

10. Berwick Rangers were not reckoned to be amongst the strongest of opponents by Senior Cup finalists, Newcastle United "A", after having been without match practice for so long, but their strongest eleven, under the circumstances, travelled all the same. United took the lead in the 13th minute when Miller scored with a ricochet through a crowded goalmouth, but a determined Berwick side fought back and equalised seven minutes later through James Campbell. Rangers took a deserved lead five minutes later when visiting keeper Ryder was caught short following a headed centre by Grieve and Bryson forced the ball home. Berwick kept up the pressure and Murphy added a third with a beautifully struck shot, which Ryder never so much as attempted to save. The Tynesiders were now rattled. Rangers took full advantage of the situation and scored a fourth through Wallace and, minutes before half-time, a long throw-in from Rhind found the unmarked James Campbell, who rushed in to score number five. From the restart, as was expected, Newcastle pressed the home defence relentlessly in a bid to restore pride and, after just five minutes, Wedderburn scored their second goal of the match following a well-taken corner. However, despite their best efforts, United could not break the now stubborn Berwick defence and, by full time, they looked demoralised as Rangers celebrated a deserved 5-2 victory.

17. The first meeting with a Berwickshire Select team at Hawthorn Park, Duns, saw a large crowd attend, The Berwickshire team was composed of Earlston and Duns players, and it was evident from the start that Rangers had a difficult task ahead. Murphy opened the scoring for Berwick on the half-hour mark, but the county team pressed strongly and in the second half and scored three goals in quick succession. Murphy was then injured and Berwick, with no hope of fighting back, finished the match with only ten men.

26. Berwick Rangers were without the services of Murphy, Wallace and Grieve, on Easter Monday when they played hosts to Rutherford College team, the Science & Art. A large holiday crowd turned out at Shielfield and witnessed a well-contested match, which ended all square at three goals apiece.

April

21. A benefit match against a Berwick Borough team was played at Shielfield for Harry Dixon, who had long been associated with local football and had been ill for some time. The Borough team, who turned out in the old borough colour of maroon, fought back from a goal down to win 2-1, with a goal in each half, against a Rangers team just going through the motions.

28. The season ended with a friendly against regular visitors North Eastern. The visitors brought a strong side whilst Rangers played a mixed eleven with several reserves making up the numbers. It was a typical end of season affair, however, with Rangers winning 2-1 in front of a sparse attendance.