Mergers are not always doomed to failure
Ossett United’s early promise looks set to buck the trend of past aborted attempts to mix rival clubs, writes Ben Coles
‘Albion sold just four season tickets. United have sold 130-plus’
Given that the automatic reaction towards any sporting merger appears to be to raise pitchforks in anger, the early signs for newly-formed Ossett United in the Evo-stik Northern Premier League feel refreshingly positive.
United are the product of a union this summer between Ossett Albion and Ossett Town, formed in 1944 and 1936 respectively. Gone are each side’s gold-and-black and red strips, replaced by a new sky blue, with United continuing to use Town’s ground at Ingfield boasting a capacity of 1,950. Albion’s old stadium, meanwhile, is being used by Ossett United women’s team.
Over 500 turned up to watch United’s first home game of the season against Cleethorpes Town, a 4-0 win thanks to a brace from Gibraltar forward Adam Priestley, which was more than double the average gate both Albion and Town recorded last season.
“Albion and Town only managed to sell a combined 111 shirts in their history. United have sold more than 360 since June 1,” chief executive Phil Smith told the BBC this week. “Albion sold four season tickets last season. United have sold 130-plus for 2018-19.”
The market town in West Yorkshire, with a population a shade over 20,000, has pulled off a rarity by completing a merger, given the number of proposals in recent history that have fallen through.
“Fulham Park Rangers” and “Thames Valley Royals” never saw the light of day, the former being the brainchild of then Fulham chairman David Bulstrode in
1987 to absorb Queens Park Rangers.
Robert Maxwell’s plan for
Reading and Oxford
United in
1983 was to bring them together under the Thames Valley name at a halfway point in Didcot, a move opposed so vehemently by supporters that it never stood a chance.
“Manchester North End”, proposed as recently as 1999, would have comprised Bury, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale joining forces to form, in theory, a new northern powerhouse. And you can forget the suggestion of Hearts and Hibernian combining back in 1990.
Football is not alone when it comes to witnessing a mass public rejection of a potential fusion. Stade Francais chairman Thomas Savare, having previously bailed the club out of financial trouble, proposed a rugby merger with nearby Racing 92 in Paris last year, a move that led to Stade’s players going on strike and the proposition swiftly being canned following opposition from all parties.
That said, mergers can be so effective you forget they ever took place. Rushden & Diamonds (before their demise), Dagenham & Redbridge, Havant & Waterlooville plus Hayes & Yeading became an established part of modern football parlance without any eyebrows being raised.
Even in these early days, it seems fair to add Ossett United to that list, having made the difficult decision to merge the town’s two clubs in a bid for higher honours, as opposed to cancelling each other out.
Today’s FA Cup preliminary round fixture at home to Mossley AFC marks the latest step of a new era. Win that and the number of dissenters will continue to dwindle.