William Chesterman
Remembers…
1904
Pt 3…
“May I congratulate the working members of the present team on so splendidly sustaining the traditions of fair play & honesty…
They are ready to accept defeat, to rejoice in victory & above all, to fight an honest fight without unfair play*…”
(Cheers!! )
*…A sly dig, perhaps, at the ever ambitious United, here, maybe, who, by this point, had developed for themselves, it would be fair to say, a bit of a rep…
The original…
“ The origin of…
…‘Skinny’ Needham & ‘Fatty’ Foulke leading out the harder-than-nails ‘Young Blades’…
‘Damned United !”
Our ‘Club’…
…languished in obscurity as the first entry in the books suggested that the Foot Ball Club had been formed in 1859 after sports had been held in 1858…
…around about ‘52, however, a Mr Percy had rented for himself a room in Orchard Lane as a teacher of…
fencing…
Not that kind of fencing, silly…
that kind!!
&, attracting many a Sheffield gentleman to his room…
Careful, Mr Percy, you’ll have someone’s eye out!!
…a gymnasium was eventually formed at the foot of College Street under MrPercy’s management & one which was without doubt the finest in the whole of…
…Grrr!
