Fordsons F.C.

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Fordsons F.C. is a former Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1924 and 1930. The club was formed in the 1920s and was effectively the factory team of the Ford Motor Company, a major employer in the city at that time. The club was named after the Fordson tractor, resulting in the nickname The Tractors. The team was based in the Ballinlough/Ballintemple area of the city and played at Ballinlough Road, now the site of Pic Du Jer housing estate. The playing area at this stadium was surrounded by green and white painted stakes, a colour scheme currently used by Cork City. In 1930 Ford ended it’s association with the club and they were reformed as Cork F.C.. This club later evolved into Cork United

1 History
2 Notable Former Players
3 Honours
4 Season Placings
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

In 1924 Fordsons were runners-up in the FAI Cup, losing 1-0 to Athlone Town. Later that year, they were admitted to the League of Ireland, replacing Midland Athletic and becoming the first ever club from Cork to play in the league. In 1926 they won the FAI Cup, beating Shamrock Rovers 3-2 in the final and during the 1927-28 season Charlie Heinemann finished as top scorer in the league with 24 goals. They also won the Munster Senior Cup four times, in 1930 winning it with a reserve team.

During it’s short life time, Fordsons also provided the Irish Free State with several players, most notably Frank Brady, the great-uncle of Liam Brady. Brady and James Connelly both played against Italy in 1926 and Brady then captained the Irish Free State against an Italy B team in 1927. In 1928 when the Irish Free State beat Belgium 4-2 in an away game, the team featured three Fordsons players - Paddy Barry, Charlie Dowdall and John "Jack" O'Sullivan. The latter scored the last goal with a penalty in the 79th minute. This was the first penalty to be scored at international level by an Irish player. Barry and Dowdall, then playing with Barnsley, also played against Belgium in 1929 while Frank McLaughlin played against the same team in 1930.