Alex Craig

Alex Craig (born 2 April 1886) was a football player who played for Rangers, Greenock Morton and Ireland.

He is one of only four players born in what is now the Republic of Ireland to play for Rangers. The others were Alex Stevenson, Jon Daly and James Lowry McAuley.

Career

Club career

Galway born Craig joined Rangers from junior side Rutherglen Glencairn. His initial seasons at Ibrox coincided with a rare lean spell, and he left without a single major winner's medal. The closest he came was in 1905 when Rangers lost a replayed Scottish Cup final 3–1 to Third Lanark. In his final season, 1910/11 Rangers did win the League title, but Craig made just a single appearance, and so was not entitled to a medal.

By the time of his move to Greenock Morton, Craig was proving his versatility by slotting in regularly on the left-hand side of defence. In May 1914 Craig returned to Ibrox, making his second debut in a Merchant's Cup Final defeat by Celtic. He was a regular in the Gers' side for the initial war-time campaign and was still on he club's books when hostilities ended though his last appearances were made in April 1916. Still without a significant club honour, Craig finished his playing days in the Western League with Johnstone.

Coventry City F.C.

Coventry City F.C. is an English association football club based in Coventry in the West Midlands. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.

Coventry City, which was formed as Singers F.C. in 1883, joined the Football League in 1919. They won their only major trophy in 1987 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 to win the FA Cup in a match listed by the FA as one of the twelve classic FA Cup Finals. They are one of only five clubs to have ever won the FA Cup and FA Youth Cup 'double' in the same season and they also reached two Football League Cup semi-finals, in 1981 and 1990.

The club, which is nicknamed the Sky Blues owing to the colour of their strip, was an inaugural member of the Premier League in 1992 and had spent 34 consecutive seasons (since 1967) in the English top flight prior to their relegation in 2001. Following eleven seasons in the second-tier Football League Championship without any significant success, Coventry were relegated to Football League One in 2012, the first time in 48 years that the club played in the English league system's third tier.

Solihull Moors F.C.

Solihull Moors Football Club is an English semi-professional association football club, founded in 2007 by the merger of Moor Green and Solihull Borough.

The club plays its games at Damson Park, Solihull and competes in the National League North.

History

On 10 July 2007, the club was formally announced as being merged and details of the new club logo and kits for the forthcoming season were released.

In one of their first games Solihull Moors beat Birmingham City reserves. This fixture happened annually as part of an agreement which allows Birmingham to play their reserve games at Solihull's ground.

In November 2007 the club announced a partnership with National Division One rugby union club Pertemps Bees. The deal will see the two clubs share the Damson Park facilities as well as the formation of community and coaching projects for Solihull. This was finally made official in 2010.

On Monday 7 February 2011, Moors manager Bob Faulkner died of cancer aged 60, after almost 25 years of managing Moor Green and Solihull Moors combined. Micky Moore, his assistant and also former Solihull Borough manager, was the initial replacement, however he resigned on 21 June 2011 to take up the full-time position of assistant manager at Mansfield Town.

Shrewsbury Town F.C.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a football club in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, which plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.

The club was formed in 1886 and was elected to The Football League in 1950, where it has played in all of its bottom three divisions, apart from spending the 2003–04 season in the Conference Premier. It has also competed in the Welsh Cup, winning it six times, a record for an English team.

From 1910 onwards, the club was based at Gay Meadow on the banks of the River Severn; since 2007, they have played at the New Meadow, a UEFA Category four stadium with a capacity of 9,875.

History

Early history

Shrewsbury Town were formed at a meeting on 20 May 1886 at the Turf Hotel in Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury. This was following the demise of first Shropshire Wanderers and later indirectly after Castle Blues. The Blues were a rough team, leading to their demise after several games were marred by violence. The new team hoped to be as successful but without the notoriety. Press reports differ as to the date the new club was formed, The Eddowes Shropshire Journal of 26 May 1886 reported the birth of the club at the Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury. The Shrewsbury Chronicle reported the club's being formed at the Turf Hotel, Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury. It may be both accounts are true, with a get-together at the Lion being finalised at the Turf.

Nuneaton Griff F.C.

Nuneaton Griff F.C. are a football club based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. They joined the Midland Football Combination Premier Division in 1999, In 2014 they were placed into the newly formed Midland Football League Division One.

Griff have won the Midland Combination Premier Division on two occasions, including a League and cup treble in 2000–01, earning them the Midland Combination Team of the Year Award, two Coventry Alliance Premier Division titles, one Birmingham Combination Premier Cup in 2000–01, two Coventry Alliance Premier Cups, five Coventry Telegraph Cups, two Chapel End Nursing Cups, along with the Birmingham County Junior Cup in 1998–99.

The club play their home games at the Pingles Stadium, which holds up to 6,000 spectators 232 seated. Griff's home kit is blue and white vertical striped shirts, with blue shorts, accompanied by blue socks. This combination has been used since the club formed in 1972.

History

The club was originally founded in 1972 as Nuneaton Amateurs when a dispute at the well-known local club Co-op Sports F.C. led to many members moving to the Nuneaton Griff and Coton Miners Welfare Ground. Nine players and officials paid £1 each to start the new club and Colin Wetton became the first manager, with Colin Rathbone as chairman.