Phoenix Bessemer Football Club was an English association football club based in the large town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.
History The club was in origin the works outfit of the Phoenix Bessemer steel company (formerly Messrs Steel, Tozer, and Hampton), spun out of the cricket club, and claimed a foundation date of 1876. The club started playing under Sheffield Rules, although by 1876 they were nearly indistinguishable from the association football laws.
The club entered the FA Cup in 1882. Its 8–1 win over Grimsby Town during that seasons FA Cup competition is still its opponent's record defeat.It is unclear what the score was, but was likely to have been 8–1. Football: A Weekly Record of the Game (29 November 1882, p. 140), the Sheffield Daily Telegraph (27 November 1882, p. 7), the Leeds Mercury (27 November 1882, p. 7), and the 1883 Charles Alcock Yearbook (p. 176) all record the score as 8–1; the Hull News (2 December 1882, p. 6) does not give a score, but implies that it was 8–1, as it records the half-time score as being 5–1; while the Sheffield Independent (27 November 1882, p. 4 and 2 December 1882, p. 12) records the score as 7–1, with the half-time score being 4–1, and the Derbyshire Times (2 December 1882, p. 6) just gives the score as being 7–1. It was not, however, 9–1, as often recorded.
The club did not enter the FA Cup after 1883, although it remained a member of the Football Association until 1885.
Colours
The club played in navy blue.
Ground
The club's ground was originally at the Ickles, near Rotherham. By 1882 the club had moved to a ground on Clifton Lane in the town itself.
League and cup history Phoenix Bessemer League and Cup history Season FA Cup 1882–83 3rd Round
Records Best FA Cup performance: 3rd Round, 1882–83
References