Thursday, 2 January 2014

Ashby Institute

Ashby Institute FC was a non league football club located in the Ashby district of Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire. The Institute was formed in 1908 as an educational and social organisation for local men. It was located on Ashby High Street.

In 1917 the football club was formed, starting out playing on several local pitches. In 1930 Ashby joined the Scunthorpe and District League, before moving to the Lincolnshire League in 1949, moving into a new ground called The Screeds a year later, close to the Institute.

In 1968 Ashby progressed to the Midland League, where they remained until 1982 when the league was disbanded. The club turned down the opportunity to join the newly formed Northern Counties East League, instead returning to the Scunthorpe & District League.


The club folded in 1989 with The Screeds being demolished for new housing in 1993. The old Main Stand was dismantled and re-erected at nearby Bottesford Town.

  

My visit

Ashby Institute 0 Scarborough 2 (Saturday 4th October 1969) FA Cup Second Qualifying Round (att: 1,323)

This match marks one of my earlier football memories. My Dad took me along for a ride in the car with his good pal Ray Gough and other regulars. I believe it’s the day they discovered I suffered from car and coach sickness!

Naturally enough my memories are pretty hazy, but I do recall the players coming from a clubhouse behind the goal. Apart from the small stand there was shallow grass banking in parts.

I do remember one of my earliest Boro heroes Gerry Coyne running out to play. The game ended in a 2-0 Boro win, with Alan Franks and Alan Cooper netting the goals.

My Dad later regaled me with the story that the Scarborough Evening News and Mercury sports reporter Bill Jenkins  having to run down to the High Street to find a public telephone to ring in his match report for the sports edition as there was no phone at the ground!

Boro went on to defeat another now defunct club; Hull Brunswick, in the next round.

Many thanks must go to Colpic from the excellent Non-League Matters website forum, and Martyn Girdham, who supplied him with information following my requests.

http://nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?




2 comments:

Ancient Brit said...

My memory of the Asby Institute 'The Stute' goes back befor the war , when I used to go and watch them play.
They used the ground at the at the back of the Co-op Store at the bottom end of Ashby. The land belonged to Co-op, who used it to graze their horses, in those days they delivered groceries to homes by horse and cart.

Anonymous said...

I also remember going to the game verses Scarborough, I lived locally to the ground and watched the first half over the fence. I was only 12 years old and didn't have the money to pay to get in. The gates were opened in the second half so I could get in and see more clearly, don't remember much about the game itself, but there was a reasonable turnout and a good atmosphere !!