1922–23 Nelson F.C. season
Encyclopedia
The 1922–23 season was the 42nd season in the history of Nelson F.C.
Nelson F.C.
Nelson F.C. are an English football club, based in Nelson, Lancashire. They are currently members of the North West Counties Football League Division One, who played their home matches at Victoria Park, Lomeshaye Way. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.-Early years:...

 and their second as a professional club in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

. After finishing 16th in their inaugural Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...

 campaign in 1921–22, the team performed well above expectations under the guidance of player-manager David Wilson
David Wilson (footballer born 1884)
David Wilson was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a wing half. He started his career in the Scottish Football League and went on to play 475 matches in the Football League before retiring at the age of 40. He appeared in one international match for Scotland in 1913...

 and went on to win the league title. The championship was secured with a 2–0 win over Wrexham on 24 April 1923. Nelson ended the season on 51 points, with a record of 24 wins, three draws and 11 defeats in 38 matches.

Nelson entered the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 in the Fourth Qualifying Round, in which they defeated Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

. However, they were knocked out by Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

 in the next round. A total of 19 players were used by Nelson in their 40 first-team matches, only six of whom had played for the club in the previous season. Bob Hutchinson
Bob Hutchinson
Robert "Bob" Hutchinson was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, he started his career in local football, before moving to Scottish club St Mirren in 1914. He went on to play for a number of Football League clubs and for two seasons,...

 and Ernie Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

, both new signings, played every league and cup match. With 23 goals in 36 appearances, Joe Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

 was the team's top goalscorer for the second season in succession. The highest attendance of the season at the club's Seedhill
Seedhill Football Ground
The Seedhill Football Ground was a football stadium in Nelson, Lancashire. It was the home of current North West Counties League Division One side Nelson F.C. from 1905 until 1968. Nelson later moved to Victoria Park, before the ground was demolished in 1980 to make way for the M65 motorway...

 stadium was 12,000 on two occasions, the first of these the win over Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

 on 10 March 1923.

Background

In the 1921–22 season, Nelson had played as a professional club in the Football League for the first time, following the restructuring of the league to introduce North and South divisions. Former Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

 international David Wilson
David Wilson (footballer born 1884)
David Wilson was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a wing half. He started his career in the Scottish Football League and went on to play 475 matches in the Football League before retiring at the age of 40. He appeared in one international match for Scotland in 1913...

 remained player-manager of the first-team for the second consecutive season after guiding them to a 16th-placed finish in the previous campaign. Prior to the start of the season, the team did not play any friendly matches, meaning that the team's last competitive match was the 0–0 draw with Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...

 on 6 May 1921. The only warm-up for the campaign was a practice match between two teams made up of Nelson players. The Nelson Leader
Nelson Leader
The Nelson Leader is a weekly newspaper published every Friday for readers in the town of Nelson in Pendle, east Lancashire. It is edited from the 'Leader-Times' series of newspapers' offices in Nelson, Lancashire.-Editorial Variants:...

 reported that this match was satisfying, and hoped that it could be "the precursor of fine sport in the coming season". Before the 1922–23 season, Nelson's only previous title-winning campaign was their Lancashire League
Lancashire League (football)
The Lancashire League has been the name of two separate football competitions for clubs based in northern England.-Lancashire League :...

 championship in 1895–96.

There were a number of first-team personnel changes from the previous campaign, with only six first-team players staying at the club. Centre forward Joe Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

, Nelson's top scorer in 1921–22 with 16 league goals, remained along with Clement Rigg
Clement Rigg
Clement Rigg was an English professional footballer who played as a full back. He played over 250 matches in the Football League for Nelson.-References:...

, Sid Hoad
Sid Hoad
Sidney James "Sid" Hoad was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He played over 250 matches in the Football League, for a total of four different clubs.-Blackpool:...

 and Bob Lilley
Bob Lilley (footballer)
Robert "Bob" Lilley was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. He played over 66 matches in the Football League for Nelson.-References:...

. Scottish defenders John Steel
John Steel (footballer born 1895)
John Hay Steel was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender. He played in the Football League for Nelson and Brentford as well as having spells in his native Scotland with Third Lanark and Arthurlie.-References:...

 and James Price
James Price (footballer)
James Price was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender.-References:...

 also continued to play for Nelson. Among those who left the club were Harold Andrews
Harold Andrews
Harold Edgar Ramsden Andrews was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Earby, he played eight matches and scored one goal in the Football League Third Division North for Nelson during the 1921–22 season before going on to become a prolific...

, who joined Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...

, and Irish international inside forward Billy Halligan
Billy Halligan
William "Billy" Halligan was an Irish professional association football player, who played as a centre forward. Born in Athlone, he started his career in his homeland before moving to England and playing for seven different Football League clubs. At the end of his career, he also played for two...

, who retired from professional football. Goalkeepers Harry Heyes
Harry Heyes
Henry "Harry" Heyes was an English professional association footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played 26 matches in the Football League Third Division North for Nelson in the 1921–22 season. He also had spells in non-league football with Chorley, Coppull and Horwich RMI.-References:...

 and Robert Bruce
Robert Bruce (footballer)
Robert Fotheringham Bruce was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played seven matches in the Football League Third Division North and made three FA Cup appearances for Nelson in the 1921–22 season.-References:...

 both moved on in the close season, so Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...

 custodian Joseph Birds
Joseph Birds
Joseph Birds was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Despite not being particularly tall for his position, he was described as extremely agile and a good shot-stopper. He started his career in non-league football with Macclesfield Town before moving to Football League...

 was signed as a replacement in June 1922. In an attempt to improve the attacking prowess at the club, Wilson signed experienced inside forward Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

 on a free transfer from Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...

 in May 1922, and Scottish forward Mike McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

 arrived from Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 for a transfer fee of £150. Wilson also added to the defensive ranks with the signings of his former Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...

 team-mate Ernie Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

, and of Jimmy Broadhead
Jimmy Broadhead
James Edward "Jimmy" Broadhead was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Rotherham, he started his career with Rotherham County in 1913, and then joined Norwich City in 1919...

 on a free transfer from Scunthorpe & Lindsey United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....

.

Transfers

In
Player Pos From Fee Date
Ernie Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

Oldham Athletic Free May 1922
Jimmy Broadhead
Jimmy Broadhead
James Edward "Jimmy" Broadhead was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Rotherham, he started his career with Rotherham County in 1913, and then joined Norwich City in 1919...

Scunthorpe & Lindsey United Free May 1922
Charles Howson
Charles Howson
Charles Howson was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Wombwell, he started his career with Rotherham Town in 1919, before joining his hometown club a year later...

Wombwell Trial May 1922
Bob Hutchinson
Bob Hutchinson
Robert "Bob" Hutchinson was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, he started his career in local football, before moving to Scottish club St Mirren in 1914. He went on to play for a number of Football League clubs and for two seasons,...

Ashington
Ashington A.F.C.
Ashington A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Ashington, Northumberland, currently playing in the Northern League Division One. The team, nicknamed "The Colliers", play their home matches at Woodhorn Lane....

Free May 1922
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...

Free May 1922
Mike McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

£150 June 1922
William Bennett
William Bennett (footballer)
William Bennett was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Leyland, Lancashire, he was spotted by Football League First Division side Sheffield United while playing non-league football with Leyland Motors...

Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...

Free June 1922
Joseph Birds
Joseph Birds
Joseph Birds was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Despite not being particularly tall for his position, he was described as extremely agile and a good shot-stopper. He started his career in non-league football with Macclesfield Town before moving to Football League...

Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...

Free June 1922
John Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

Free August 1922
Dick Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

£100 February 1923
Harry Abbott
Harry Abbott (footballer born 1895)
Henry "Harry" Abbott was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Nelson, Luton Town and Rochdale. He also played for newly formed Wigan Athletic in their inaugural season.-References:...

Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

£15 March 1923

Out
Player Pos To Fee Date
Richard Baird
Richard Baird
Richard Baird was an English professional association footballer who played as a winger. He played two matches in the Football League Third Division North for Nelson in the 1921–22 season.-References:...

Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...

Free May 1922
John Bennie
John Bennie
John Bennie was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a centre forward. In the 1921–22 season, he played 12 league games and scored six goals for Nelson in the Football League Third Division North....

Bo'ness
Bo'ness F.C.
Bo'ness F.C. was a Scottish football club based at Newtown Park in Bo'ness. The club was a member of the Scottish Football League from 1921 to November 1932.-History:...

Free May 1922
Thomas Garnett Released May 1922
Billy Halligan
Billy Halligan
William "Billy" Halligan was an Irish professional association football player, who played as a centre forward. Born in Athlone, he started his career in his homeland before moving to England and playing for seven different Football League clubs. At the end of his career, he also played for two...

Retired May 1922
William McGreevy
William McGreevy
William James McGreevy was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He made three appearances in the Football League for Nelson in the 1921–22 season.-References:...

Released May 1922
Cecil Marsh
Cecil Marsh
Cecil A. Marsh was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward.Born in Darnall, he started his career with local side Sheffield United before moving to Football League Second Division club Blackpool in the 1919–20 season...

Released May 1922
Robert Bruce
Robert Bruce (footballer)
Robert Fotheringham Bruce was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played seven matches in the Football League Third Division North and made three FA Cup appearances for Nelson in the 1921–22 season.-References:...

Stenhousemuir
Stenhousemuir F.C.
Stenhousemuir FC is a Scottish football club located in Stenhousemuir. The club is a member of the Scottish Football League and currently plays in the Scottish Second Division....

Free June 1922
Harry Heyes
Harry Heyes
Henry "Harry" Heyes was an English professional association footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played 26 matches in the Football League Third Division North for Nelson in the 1921–22 season. He also had spells in non-league football with Chorley, Coppull and Horwich RMI.-References:...

Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...

Free June 1922
Thomas Jacques
Thomas Jacques
Thomas Alec Jacques, better known as Sandy Jacques was an English first-class cricketer, who played twenty eight games for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1927 to 1936. He also appeared in first-class cricket for the Rest of England and The Gentleman in 1927.Jacques was born in Cliffe, Selby,...

Great Harwood
Great Harwood F.C.
Great Harwood F.C. was an English football club based in Great Harwood, Lancashire. Their colours were red and white, and they played at the Showground.-History:The club was founded in the 1880s. In 1908 the joined Division Two of the Lancashire Combination...

Free June 1922
James Wootton
James Wootton
James Wootton was an English footballer.-Playing career:Wootton played as a guest for Walsall during World War I before joining Port Vale as a guest amateur in October 1916. After four goals in seventeen games in the war league he was unavailable from March 1917. He had a spell at Leek Alexandra...

Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...

Free June 1922
William Waller
William Waller (footballer)
William Waller was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in the Football League for Nelson, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers.-References:...

Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

Free June 1922
Harold Andrews
Harold Andrews
Harold Edgar Ramsden Andrews was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Earby, he played eight matches and scored one goal in the Football League Third Division North for Nelson during the 1921–22 season before going on to become a prolific...

Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...

Free August 1922
Wilfred Proctor
Wilfred Proctor
Wilfred Proctor was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He started his career with his hometown club Blackpool but failed to make a first-team appearance and left the club in 1921 to join newly promoted Nelson...

Fleetwood Free August 1922
Harry Mellor
Harry Mellor (footballer born 1895)
Harry Mellor was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He made one league appearance in the Football League Third Division North for Nelson in the 1921–22 campaign.-References:...

South Shore Free September 1922
Bob Wilde
Bob Wilde
Robert "Bob" Wilde was an English professional footballer who played as a wing half. He made almost 100 appearances in the Football League between 1919 and 1924.-References:...

Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

Free September 1922


Football League Third Division North

Nelson's league campaign started on 26 August 1922 with an away fixture at Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...

, who had been relegated from the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

 in the previous season. In the highest scoring match of the day, Nelson lost the match 2–6 before a crowd of 10,000 who witnessed Joe Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

 score his first goal of the season. Bradford Park Avenue were again the opponents the following week for Nelson's first home game of the campaign and the match was won 1–0 by the host side courtesy of a Mike McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

 goal. Eddleston's second goal of the campaign secured another 1–0 victory, this time against Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

, at Seedhill
Seedhill Football Ground
The Seedhill Football Ground was a football stadium in Nelson, Lancashire. It was the home of current North West Counties League Division One side Nelson F.C. from 1905 until 1968. Nelson later moved to Victoria Park, before the ground was demolished in 1980 to make way for the M65 motorway...

 on 9 September 1922 to send the team seventh in the table after three matches. A third successive home fixture saw Nelson win 2–0 against Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

 with two goals from Eddleston. Nelson could not follow up their earlier victory over Stalybridge Celtic, falling to a 0–2 loss before attaining a fourth win of the campaign against Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...

 a week later. Another win against Southport, Nelson's fourth since joining the league in 1921, meant September ended as it had started with a 1–0 win which marked Nelson's fifth victory and clean sheet of the month.

October began with a 1–3 defeat away at Ashington
Ashington A.F.C.
Ashington A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Ashington, Northumberland, currently playing in the Northern League Division One. The team, nicknamed "The Colliers", play their home matches at Woodhorn Lane....

, although new signing Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

 scored his first goal of the campaign, and Nelson's first ever league goal against the Northumberland club. A 2–0 win in the return match with goals from Eddleston and McCulloch took Nelson to the top of the league for the first time in the season the following week, overtaking Wigan Borough
Wigan Borough F.C.
Wigan Borough Football Club was an English football club from the town of Wigan, Lancashire. It was a fourth attempt at establishing football in Wigan, their forerunners Wigan County, Wigan United and Wigan Town all having fallen into liquidation previously....

 at the summit. The month ended with a pair of wins over Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...

; the first a 2–0 win on 21 October, and the second a 1–0 success a week later thanks to John Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

's first goal in a Nelson jersey. The team failed to score for only the second time in the season in the 0–1 away defeat to Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...

 on 4 November. Despite conceding at Seedhill for the first time in the campaign, Nelson atoned for the loss seven days later with a 2–1 victory as a result of strikes from Eddleston and Wolstenholme. Nelson did not play another league match for two weeks, when they faced Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

 at home. A first Nelson goal for defender Ernie Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

 could not prevent the side succumbing to a 1–2 reverse, not helped by first-team regulars Wilson and Wolstenholme missing the match due to injury, forcing inexperienced inside-right William Bennett
William Bennett (footballer)
William Bennett was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Leyland, Lancashire, he was spotted by Football League First Division side Sheffield United while playing non-league football with Leyland Motors...

 to make his league debut.

In spite of suffering their second defeat of November, Nelson remained top of the league going into December. Their first fixture of the month was a home match against mid-table Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...

 on 9 December. Nelson won a close match 3–2 thanks to another Braidwood strike, followed by Eddleston's 10th and 11th goals of the campaign. A hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

 from inside-forward Wolstenholme gave Nelson a 3–0 victory against the same team on 23 December in front of a season-low attendance of 3,000 at Seedhill. Nelson started the Christmas period with an away game against Halifax Town. Braidwood and Wolstenholme both got on the scoresheet to help the team to a 2–2 draw in front of 18,000 supporters at The Shay
The Shay
The Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....

. On 26 December, Nelson faced Hartlepools United, to whom they had conceded 10 goals in two matches in the previous season. Wolstenholme netted for the third game in succession as Nelson claimed their first ever win against the club. However, in the first match of 1923, Hartlepools United won the return fixture 5–1. Nelson achieved their first win of the new year on 13 January, a 3–0 triumph against Rochdale courtesy of an Eddleston hat-trick. Nelson lost 0–1 to Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....

 the following week, the first time they had failed to score in a league fixture for over two months. January came to a conclusion with a 2–1 win over the same team, goals from Eddleston and McCulloch giving Nelson the victory.
Nelson attained a first ever win against Durham City
Durham City A.F.C.
Durham City A.F.C. are an English football club that currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North. They are based in the city of Durham in North East England.-History:...

 on 3 February 1923, and this was followed by a 4–0 win over the same side. The win saw Sid Hoad
Sid Hoad
Sidney James "Sid" Hoad was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He played over 250 matches in the Football League, for a total of four different clubs.-Blackpool:...

 and Bob Hutchinson
Bob Hutchinson
Robert "Bob" Hutchinson was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, he started his career in local football, before moving to Scottish club St Mirren in 1914. He went on to play for a number of Football League clubs and for two seasons,...

 each net their first of the campaign, and striker Eddleston increase his tally for the season to 19. A goal by Black was not enough to prevent Nelson's winning streak come to an end on 17 February with a 1–3 defeat away at Wigan Borough
Wigan Borough F.C.
Wigan Borough Football Club was an English football club from the town of Wigan, Lancashire. It was a fourth attempt at establishing football in Wigan, their forerunners Wigan County, Wigan United and Wigan Town all having fallen into liquidation previously....

. Nelson made up for the loss the following week, exacting a 1–0 win over Wigan, with new signing Dick Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

 scoring on his Nelson debut. At the beginning of March, Nelson achieved back-to-back victories against Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

, the second a 4–0 win which saw a second goal in three games for Crawshaw and two goals from utility man Black, who was playing in an unfamiliar centre-forward role. Nelson took only one point from the next two matches against Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...

. The team failed to score in both games, the only time in the season they did so in successive matches. Entering the Easter period, Eddleston's 20th league goal of the campaign earned Nelson a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...

 at Seedhill on 31 March.

Nelson's winless streak extended to four games when they lost 1–2 away to Wrexham at the start of April, although Crawshaw continued his good vein of goalscoring form, netting his third in seven games. Wolstenholme and Braidwood scored to give Nelson a 2–0 win over Grimsby on 7 April, before beating local rivals Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)
Accrington Stanley was an English football club based in Accrington, Lancashire. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966...

 2–1 at Seedhill. After another win against Accrington the following weekend, Nelson went into the home match against Wrexham on 24 April requiring a win to secure the Third Division North championship. Several mill-owners in the town closed their factories early so that supporters could attend the match on time. Over 12,000 spectators attended Seedhill and saw Nelson achieve a 2–0 victory thanks to first-half strikes from Crawshaw and Eddleston. Player-manager David Wilson
David Wilson (footballer born 1884)
David Wilson was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a wing half. He started his career in the Scottish Football League and went on to play 475 matches in the Football League before retiring at the age of 40. He appeared in one international match for Scotland in 1913...

 claimed he was "the happiest man in Nelson" as his side gained promotion to the Second Division for the first time in their history. The win was followed by a team procession around the town, and the celebrations continued into the next match as the team claimed a third consecutive clean sheet with a 3–0 win at home to Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...

. However, the season ended disappointingly for Nelson as they suffered their heaviest defeat of the season, a 0–5 loss to Walsall, on 5 May 1923.

Match results

Key

  • In Result column, Nelson's score shown first
  • H = Home match
  • A = Away match

  • — = Attendance not known
  • o.g. = Own goal
    Own goal
    An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....



Results
Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
26 August 1922 Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...

 (A)
2–6 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

, Howie
David Howie (footballer)
David Howie was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a central defender. Born in Galston, East Ayrshire, he started his career in his hometown as an amateur with Galston Athletic. He later moved to Kilmarnock before moving to England to sign for Bradford Park Avenue on a free transfer...

 (o.g.)
10,000
2 September 1922 Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...

 (H)
1–0 McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

7,000
9 September 1922 Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

 (H)
1–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

5,000
12 September 1922 Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

 (H)
2–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

 (2)
5,000
16 September 1922 Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

 (A)
0–2
23 September 1922 Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...

 (H)
2–0 McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

 (2)
7,500
30 September 1922 Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...

 (A)
1–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

5,000
7 October 1922 Ashington
Ashington A.F.C.
Ashington A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Ashington, Northumberland, currently playing in the Northern League Division One. The team, nicknamed "The Colliers", play their home matches at Woodhorn Lane....

 (H)
1–3 Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

7,000
14 October 1922 Ashington
Ashington A.F.C.
Ashington A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Ashington, Northumberland, currently playing in the Northern League Division One. The team, nicknamed "The Colliers", play their home matches at Woodhorn Lane....

 (A)
2–0 McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

, Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

8,000
21 October 1922 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...

 (A)
2–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

 (2)
6,000
28 October 1922 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...

 (H)
1–0 Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

7,000
4 November 1922 Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...

 (A)
0–1 4,000
11 November 1922 Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...

 (H)
2–1 Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

, Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

7,000
25 November 1922 Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

 (H)
1–2 Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

6,000
9 December 1922 Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...

 (A)
3–2 Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

, Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

 (2)
5,583
23 December 1922 Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...

 (H)
3–0 Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

 (3)
3,000
25 December 1922 Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

 (A)
2–2 Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

, Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

18,000
30 December 1922 Hartlepools United (H) 4–1 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

, Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

 (2), McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

5,000
6 January 1923 Hartlepools United (A) 1–5 Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

5,500
13 January 1923 Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

 (A)
3–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

 (3)
6,000
20 January 1923 Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....

 (A)
0–1 4,000
27 January 1923 Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....

 (H)
2–1 McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

, Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

3 February 1923 Durham City
Durham City A.F.C.
Durham City A.F.C. are an English football club that currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North. They are based in the city of Durham in North East England.-History:...

 (A)
1–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

3,000
10 February 1923 Durham City
Durham City A.F.C.
Durham City A.F.C. are an English football club that currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North. They are based in the city of Durham in North East England.-History:...

 (H)
4–0 Hoad
Sid Hoad
Sidney James "Sid" Hoad was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He played over 250 matches in the Football League, for a total of four different clubs.-Blackpool:...

, Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

, Hutchinson
Bob Hutchinson
Robert "Bob" Hutchinson was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, he started his career in local football, before moving to Scottish club St Mirren in 1914. He went on to play for a number of Football League clubs and for two seasons,...

5,000
17 February 1923 Wigan Borough
Wigan Borough F.C.
Wigan Borough Football Club was an English football club from the town of Wigan, Lancashire. It was a fourth attempt at establishing football in Wigan, their forerunners Wigan County, Wigan United and Wigan Town all having fallen into liquidation previously....

 (A)
1–3 Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

15,000
24 February 1923 Wigan Borough
Wigan Borough F.C.
Wigan Borough Football Club was an English football club from the town of Wigan, Lancashire. It was a fourth attempt at establishing football in Wigan, their forerunners Wigan County, Wigan United and Wigan Town all having fallen into liquidation previously....

 (H)
1–0 Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

10,000
3 March 1923 Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

 (A)
2–1 Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

, Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

14,280
10 March 1923 Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

 (H)
4–0 Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

 (2), Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

, Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

12,000
17 March 1923 Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...

 (H)
0–0 10,000
24 March 1923 Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...

 (A)
0–1 7,000
31 March 1923 Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...

 (H)
1–1 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

8,000
2 April 1923 Wrexham (A) 1–2 Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

10,000
7 April 1923 Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...

 (A)
2–0 Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

, Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

6,000
14 April 1923 Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)
Accrington Stanley was an English football club based in Accrington, Lancashire. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966...

 (H)
2–1 Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

, Broadhead
Jimmy Broadhead
James Edward "Jimmy" Broadhead was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Rotherham, he started his career with Rotherham County in 1913, and then joined Norwich City in 1919...

8,000
21 April 1923 Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)
Accrington Stanley was an English football club based in Accrington, Lancashire. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966...

 (A)
1–0 Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

10,000
24 April 1923 Wrexham (H) 2–0 Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

, Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

12,000
28 April 1923 Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...

 (H)
3–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

, Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

 (2)
7,000
5 May 1923 Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...

 (A)
0–5 2,500

Final league position

Pos Team Games played Won Drawn Lost Goals for Goals against Points
1 Nelson
Nelson F.C.
Nelson F.C. are an English football club, based in Nelson, Lancashire. They are currently members of the North West Counties Football League Division One, who played their home matches at Victoria Park, Lomeshaye Way. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.-Early years:...

38 24 3 11 61 41 51

FA Cup

Along with all the clubs in the Third Division North, Nelson entered the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 in the Fourth Qualifying Round for the 1922–23 season. For their first match on 18 November 1922, Nelson were drawn away at league rivals Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

, who they had beaten 3–2 in the Fifth Qualifying Round the previous season. Nelson emerged from the match with a 1–0 victory courtesy of an Eddleston goal, putting them into the Fifth Qualifying Round for only the fourth time since they first competed in the FA Cup in 1894. For the next round, Nelson were drawn against Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

 at Bower Fold
Bower Fold
Bower Fold is a football stadium in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, England and is the home ground of Stalybridge Celtic. The stadium is notable for being the only active ground in the country where the pitch faces a perfect north alignment, an honour the club shared with Chesterfield F.C. until...

, where they had been beaten 0–2 in the league on 16 September. In their first ever cup tie against Stalybridge, Nelson were defeated 1–0 before a crowd of 6,000 spectators.

Match results

Key

  • In Result column, Nelson's score shown first
  • A = Away match

  • Q4 = Fourth Qualifying Round
  • Q5 = Fifth Qualifying Round


Results
Round Date Opponents Result Goalscorers Attendance
Q4 18 November 1922 Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...

 (A)
1–0 Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

10,000
Q5 2 December 1922 Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...

 (A)
0–1 6,000

Player statistics

David Wilson used a total of 19 players during the 1922–23 season and there were nine different goalscorers. The team played in a 2–3–5 formation (the standard formation at the time) throughout the campaign, with two fullbacks, three halfbacks
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...

, two outside forward
Outside forward
Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...

s, two inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...

s and a centre forward. Both Ernie Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

 and Bob Hutchinson
Bob Hutchinson
Robert "Bob" Hutchinson was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, he started his career in local football, before moving to Scottish club St Mirren in 1914. He went on to play for a number of Football League clubs and for two seasons,...

 played in every league and cup game, while Nelson's record appearance holder Clement Rigg
Clement Rigg
Clement Rigg was an English professional footballer who played as a full back. He played over 250 matches in the Football League for Nelson.-References:...

 missed just one match, the defeat to Ashington on 7 October. The team scored a total of 62 goals in 40 competitive matches. With 22 league goals and 1 in the FA Cup, Joe Eddleston surpassed his 1921–22 total of 17 to become the team's top goalscorer for the second consecutive season. New signing Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

 was the second highest scorer with 13 goals, while Braidwood notched the most goals of all the defenders with his total of six.
Key to positions

  • CF = Centre forward
  • FB = Fullback
  • HB = Defender
    Defender (association football)
    Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....


  • GK = Goalkeeper
  • IF = Inside forward
    Inside forward
    In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...

  • OF = Outside forward
    Outside forward
    Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...



Statistics
Nat. Position Player Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...

FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
  GK Harry Abbott
Harry Abbott (footballer born 1895)
Henry "Harry" Abbott was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Nelson, Luton Town and Rochdale. He also played for newly formed Wigan Athletic in their inaugural season.-References:...

2 0 0 0 2 0
  IF William Bennett
William Bennett (footballer)
William Bennett was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Leyland, Lancashire, he was spotted by Football League First Division side Sheffield United while playing non-league football with Leyland Motors...

1 0 0 0 1 0
  GK Joseph Birds
Joseph Birds
Joseph Birds was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Despite not being particularly tall for his position, he was described as extremely agile and a good shot-stopper. He started his career in non-league football with Macclesfield Town before moving to Football League...

36 0 2 0 38 0
  OF John Black
John Black (footballer born 1900)
John Ross Black was a Scottish professional footballer who usually played as an outside forward or wing half.-Biography:...

23 5 2 0 25 5
  HB Ernie Braidwood
Ernie Braidwood
Ernest Braidwood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He started his senior career with Chesterfield Municipal before signing his first professional contract with Football League First Division side Oldham Athletic in August 1920...

38 6 2 0 40 6
  HB Jimmy Broadhead
Jimmy Broadhead
James Edward "Jimmy" Broadhead was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Rotherham, he started his career with Rotherham County in 1913, and then joined Norwich City in 1919...

36 1 2 0 38 1
  IF Dick Crawshaw
Dick Crawshaw
Richard Leigh "Dick" Crawshaw was an English professional association football player. He played as an inside forward. Born in Manchester, he played in the Football League for Manchester City, Halifax Town and Nelson....

13 5 0 0 13 5
  FB Eddie Eastwood
Eddie Eastwood
Edmund "Eddie" Eastwood was an English professional association footballer who played as a full-back.Born in Nelson, Lancashire, he began his football career with local club Barrowford. In June 1920, he signed as an amateur for Nelson, who at the time played in the Central League...

2 0 0 0 2 0
  CF Joe Eddleston
Joe Eddleston
Joseph "Joe" Eddleston was an English professional association footballer who played as an inside forward. He played in The Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Swindon Town and Accrington Stanley. He made over 400 league appearances altogether, scoring 178 goals.-References:...

34 22 2 1 36 23
  OF Sid Hoad
Sid Hoad
Sidney James "Sid" Hoad was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He played over 250 matches in the Football League, for a total of four different clubs.-Blackpool:...

25 1 0 0 25 1
  FB Charles Howson
Charles Howson
Charles Howson was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Wombwell, he started his career with Rotherham Town in 1919, before joining his hometown club a year later...

1 0 0 0 1 0
  OF Bob Hutchinson
Bob Hutchinson
Robert "Bob" Hutchinson was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, he started his career in local football, before moving to Scottish club St Mirren in 1914. He went on to play for a number of Football League clubs and for two seasons,...

38 1 2 0 40 1
  FB Bob Lilley
Bob Lilley (footballer)
Robert "Bob" Lilley was an English professional footballer who played as a defender. He played over 66 matches in the Football League for Nelson.-References:...

10 0 0 0 10 0
  IF Mike McCulloch
Mike McCulloch
Michael "Mike" McCulloch was a Scottish professional footballer who played predominantly as an inside forward and occasionally as a wing half.- Life and career :...

28 6 2 0 30 6
  HB James Price
James Price (footballer)
James Price was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender.-References:...

4 0 0 0 4 0
  FB Clement Rigg
Clement Rigg
Clement Rigg was an English professional footballer who played as a full back. He played over 250 matches in the Football League for Nelson.-References:...

37 0 2 0 39 0
  FB John Steel
John Steel (footballer born 1895)
John Hay Steel was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender. He played in the Football League for Nelson and Brentford as well as having spells in his native Scotland with Third Lanark and Arthurlie.-References:...

24 0 2 0 26 0
  HB David Wilson
David Wilson (footballer born 1884)
David Wilson was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a wing half. He started his career in the Scottish Football League and went on to play 475 matches in the Football League before retiring at the age of 40. He appeared in one international match for Scotland in 1913...

30 0 2 0 32 0
  IF Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur Wolstenholme
Arthur E. Wolstenholme was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was predominantly used as an inside-right, but could also play at inside-left if required. In a career spanning 17 years, he played for a number of Football League teams, in addition to spells in the...

36 13 2 0 38 13
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