The club was founded by local business men who only had money in their interest. There was none of the idea of local cricketers keeping fit over the winter, or vicars wanting their flock to keep sober on Saturdays. Joining the Cheshire League, the club eventuallly went into the Football League, Division Two, in 1898. Their first match was against Gainsborough Trinity and they ended in 5th place in the Division, a respectable start.
The club could not maintain itself and folded in 1901 despite some good performances, coming 4th in the division. By 1921-2 the expanding Football League established a Third Division North and South and by 1923-4 New Brighton re-emerged as a FLeague club and a claim to fame was meeting the famous Corinthians in an FA Cup tie in 1927. New Brighton hung on in the division through the 1930s and after the War, never really challenging promotion but by 1950-1 they came bottom of the division and they lost their league status to Workington Town.
In March 1947 the club had made history when their manager Neil McBain, a much travelled Scot, found himself without a goalkeeper to play in a league match, so he donned the cotton gloves and made history as the oldest FLeague player (to date) at 51 years and 120 days, playing against Hartlepool. He also played 97 times for Everton, 117 for Ayr, 85 at Watford, and Man U, St Johnstone, Liverpool, with a hint of Hamilton Academicals and once for New Brighton!
McBain kept travelling and after a spell at Leyton Orient he was last heard of coaching at Estudiantes de la Plata in Argentina....where else? Well actually, Watford (twice), Ayr(3 times), Luton also.
A more recent excitement was the club's performance as a non-league club in 1956-7 FA Cup proper round, when they met Burnley and were thumped 0-9. The club knocked around in local leagues as New Brighton Tower FC before the inevitable happened. They folded again.
In 1983 the club shut down but there is a phoenix risen today somewhere in the West Cheshire leagues though I believe that imploded in 2012.
The club could not maintain itself and folded in 1901 despite some good performances, coming 4th in the division. By 1921-2 the expanding Football League established a Third Division North and South and by 1923-4 New Brighton re-emerged as a FLeague club and a claim to fame was meeting the famous Corinthians in an FA Cup tie in 1927. New Brighton hung on in the division through the 1930s and after the War, never really challenging promotion but by 1950-1 they came bottom of the division and they lost their league status to Workington Town.
In March 1947 the club had made history when their manager Neil McBain, a much travelled Scot, found himself without a goalkeeper to play in a league match, so he donned the cotton gloves and made history as the oldest FLeague player (to date) at 51 years and 120 days, playing against Hartlepool. He also played 97 times for Everton, 117 for Ayr, 85 at Watford, and Man U, St Johnstone, Liverpool, with a hint of Hamilton Academicals and once for New Brighton!
McBain kept travelling and after a spell at Leyton Orient he was last heard of coaching at Estudiantes de la Plata in Argentina....where else? Well actually, Watford (twice), Ayr(3 times), Luton also.
A more recent excitement was the club's performance as a non-league club in 1956-7 FA Cup proper round, when they met Burnley and were thumped 0-9. The club knocked around in local leagues as New Brighton Tower FC before the inevitable happened. They folded again.
In 1983 the club shut down but there is a phoenix risen today somewhere in the West Cheshire leagues though I believe that imploded in 2012.
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