Pirelli General F.C.

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Pirelli General F.C.
File:Pirelli General F.C.jpg
Full namePirelli General Football Club
NicknameCablemen
Founded1916
Dissolved2003
GroundJubilee Sports Ground, Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh

Pirelli General were a long-running amateur football club based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. For a time they were the top club in the town and played in the Hampshire League until they ceased to exist in 2003.

History

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Pirelli General FC were founded in 1916 as the works side of the Pirelli General cable making company.[1] They initially played in the Winchester & District and Eastleigh Leagues before transferring to the larger Southampton League.[2]

By 1933 the club were playing at Dew Lane (fondly known locally as 'Eastleigh Wembley') and were fielding six sides. The 1st Team enjoyed an excellent season, winning the Senior Division 1 title and the Southampton Senior Cup for first time. This saw them elected to the Hampshire League Division 2 where they finished runners-up in their debut season before winning the title the following year and establishing themselves in Division 1.[3]

Once normal football had resumed after World War II, Pirelli's returned to the county league where they were placed in Division 2 and 'The Cablemen' were regular FA Cup entrants at this time, although never progressing beyond the preliminary rounds.[4] However, despite winning the Hampshire Intermediate Cup in 1955–56, it was not until 1962–63 that Pirelli's returned to top flight when they won the Division 2 title.

In 1965 Pirelli's moved to their best known home ground at Chestnut Avenue in Eastleigh and with some good facilities the club remained a steady Division 1 outfit, twice finishing 3rd in the late sixties.

The seventies was the golden age for Pirelli's, especially the 1971–72 season when they were Division 1 Champions.[5] The next fourteen years saw the club remain regular title contenders and in 1976–77 they caused a big upset when they defeated favourites Farnborough Town 1–0 to win the Hampshire Senior Cup.[6]

In 1986 the Wessex League[7] was formed (mostly by the Hampshire League's top clubs) but Pirelli's remained with the county league and were again champions in 1992–93.[8]

Despite the parent company moving out of Eastleigh, Pirelli's continued to play in the top-flight of the Hampshire League until the loss of their ground in 2003 saw the club withdraw from the competition and fold.[9]

Honours

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1st Team

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  • Hampshire League
    • Division 1 Champions 1971/72 and 1992/93
    • Division 2 Champions 1934/35, 1962/63, Runners-up 1933/34 and 1946/47
  • Hampshire FA [10]
    • Senior Cup Winners 1976/77, Finalists 1968/69 and 1977/78
    • Intermediate Cup Winners 1955/56
  • Southampton FA [11]
    • Senior Cup Winners 1932/33, 1935/36, 1965/66 and 1989/90, Finalists 1933/34 [12]
  • Southampton League [13]
    • Senior Division 1 Champions 1932/33
  • All England Cable Makers Cup
    • Winners 1951/52, 1974/75 and 1978/79

2nd Team

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  • Southampton League
    • Senior Division 1 Champions 1935/36 and 1991/92

3rd Team

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  • Southampton FA
    • Junior 'B' Cup Winners 1971/72
  • Southampton League
    • Junior Division 4 Champions 1957/58
    • Junior Division 5 Champions 1990/91

Playing records

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Hampshire League

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FA Cup

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FA Vase

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Ground

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Pirelli General played at the Jubilee Sports Ground at Chestnut Avenue in Eastleigh. The venue had three adult pitches, with the main one enclosed with floodlights and a wooden stand.

After the club's demise, the ground sat unused until 2010 when AFC Stoneham took up residence.[14] In 2020 the venue was sold for housing.

Notable players

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Scottish striker Craig McAllister[15] began his career with Pirelli before joining neighbours Eastleigh in 2001 then going on to play professionally for a number of clubs.[16]

Local rivalries

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With there being so many teams in the area, Pirelli General had many local rivals. These mostly included Eastleigh, AC Delco, Eastleigh Athletic, BTC Southampton and Ford Sports (formerly Briggs Social).

References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  3. ^ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  4. ^ The FA Cup Club by Club Record Since 1945 by Tony Williams
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  7. ^ https://www.wessexleague.co.uk/history
  8. ^ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Hampshire Football Association Yearbook 2005/06
  11. ^ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2017/18
  12. ^ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909-2022 by Gary Day
  13. ^ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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