Skerton F.C.

Skerton Football Club was an association football club from Lancaster, Lancashire, active in the 19th century.

The earliest references to the club are from the 1888–89 season.^[7] It took a more serious turn in 1891, when it decided to appoint a trainer for the first time, Councillor Smith agreeing to defray the expense.^[8] In 1892 the club joined the Lancashire Alliance for its first experience of league football.

After a successful 1896–97 season, in which the club won more matches than ever before (27 out of 35), and won the Alliance title for the first (and only) time,^[9] the club joined the Lancashire Combination for the 1897–98 season (having failed to gain admission to the higher profile Lancashire League),^[10] and, to raise money for the extra expenses, was floated as a limited company.^[11] The club then enjoyed two mid-table finishes,^[12] and won the Lancashire Junior Cup in both of those seasons. The Skertonians had twice been runner-up before reaching the 1897–98 final, and the Skertonians had trained especially at Lytham St Annes for the match, against St Helens Recs at Deepdale; goals from Blatchford and Fryers in the first half, and Blatchford scoring his second with a shot in-off the crossbar in the second, saw the club lift the trophy for the first time.^[13] The same two clubs contested the final at the same venue in 1898–99, Skerton winning 2–0,^[14] and it proved more attractive than the Lancashire Senior Cup final the following week - fewer than 4,000 turned up to Burnden Park for the latter,^[15] but there was a 50% higher gate for the Junior.^[16]

However, the club's fortunes took a turn for the worse in 1899; the cost of erection of a new grandstand proved crippling.^[17] In March 1900, having only registered 1 win in 22 Combination games,^[18] and with debts of £150 (a third of which was due to the grandstand),^[19] it resigned from the Combination, its record was expunged,^[20] and the club dissolved.

The club traditionally wore red and black.^[21] This caused an incident with Lytham in 1892, in which both clubs wore the same coloured kits.^[22] In its last season the club wore red jerseys.^[23]

The club's ground was on Morecambe Lane.^[24]