Pirelli General F.C.

Pirelli General
Full namePirelli General Football Club
Nickname(s)Cablemen
Founded1916
Dissolved2003
GroundJubilee Sports Ground, Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh

Pirelli General were a long-running amateur football club based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. For a time they were the top club in the town and played in the Hampshire League until they ceased to exist in 2003.

History

Pirelli General FC were founded in 1916 as the works side of the Pirelli General cable making company.[1] They initially played in the Winchester & District and Eastleigh Leagues before transferring to the larger Southampton League.[2]

By 1933 the club were playing at Dew Lane (fondly known locally as 'Eastleigh Wembley') and were fielding six sides, with the 1st Team elected to the Hampshire League Division 2 where they finished runners-up in their debut season before winning the title the following year and establishing themselves in Division 1.[3]

Once normal football had resumed after World War II, Pirelli's returned to the county league where they were placed in Division 2 and 'The Cablemen' were regular FA Cup entrants at this time, although never progressing beyond the preliminary rounds.[4] However, despite winning the Hampshire Intermediate Cup in 1955–56, it was not until 1962–63 that Pirelli's returned to top flight when they won the Division 2 title.

In 1965 Pirelli's moved to their best known home ground at Chestnut Avenue in Eastleigh and with some good facilities the club remained a steady Division 1 outfit, twice finishing 3rd in the late sixties.

The seventies was the golden age for Pirelli's, especially the 1971–72 season when they were Division 1 Champions.[5] The next fourteen years saw the club remain regular title contenders and in 1976–77 they caused a big upset when they defeated favourites Farnborough Town 1–0 to win the Hampshire Senior Cup.[6]

In 1986 the Wessex League[7] was formed (mostly by the Hampshire League's top clubs) but Pirelli's remained with the county league and were again champions in 1992–93.[8]

Despite the parent company moving out of Eastleigh, Pirelli's continued to play in the Hampshire League until the loss of their ground in 2003 saw the club withdraw from the competition and fold.[9]

Honours

1st Team

  • Hampshire League
    • Division 1 Champions 1971/72 and 1992/93
    • Division 2 Champions 1934/35, 1962/63, Runners-up 1933/34 and 1946/47
  • Hampshire FA [10]
    • Senior Cup Winners 1976/77, Finalists 1968/69 and 1977/78
    • Intermediate Cup Winners 1955/56
  • Southampton FA [11]
    • Senior Cup Winners 1932/33, 1935/36, 1965/66 and 1989/90, Finalists 1933/34 [12]
  • All England Cable Makers Cup
    • Winners 1951/52, 1974/75 and 1978/79

2nd Team

  • Southampton League [13]
    • Senior Division 1 Champions 1932/33, 1935/36 and 1991/92

3rd Team

  • Southampton League
    • Junior Division 4 Champions 1957/58
    • Junior Division 5 Champions 1990/91

Playing records

League

FA Cup

FA Vase

Ground

Pirelli General played at the Jubilee Sports Ground at Chestnut Avenue in Eastleigh. The venue had three adult pitches, with the main one enclosed with floodlights and a wooden stand.

After the club's demise, the ground sat unused until 2010 when AFC Stoneham took up residence.[14] In 2020 the venue was sold for housing.

Notable players

In the thirties, a number of former Southampton professionals were employed by the company and played for the team. These included Arthur Haddleton,[15] Jim Swinden[16] and Ken Boyes,[17] who was also the club groundsman for many years. [18]

More recently, striker Craig McAllister,[19] played for Pirelli before joining neighbours Eastleigh in 2000 then going on to play professionally for a number of clubs.[20]

Local rivalries

With there being so many teams in the area, Pirelli General had many local rivals. These mostly included Eastleigh, AC Delco, Eastleigh Athletic, BTC Southampton and Ford Sports (formerly Briggs Social).

References

  1. ^ "Pictures showing Pirelli FC teams in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s". Daily Echo. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  2. ^ A Century of Southampton Local Soccer 1908-2008 by John Moody
  3. ^ A History of the Hampshire League 1896-1996 by Norman Gannaway
  4. ^ The FA Cup Club by Club Record Since 1945 by Tony Williams
  5. ^ "Football Club History Database - Hampshire League History". fchd.info. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  6. ^ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887-1987 by Norman Gannaway
  7. ^ https://www.wessexleague.co.uk/history
  8. ^ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
  9. ^ "PHOTOS: Pirelli General FC - Halcyon days of the Cablemen". Daily Echo. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  10. ^ Hampshire Football Association Yearbook 2005/06
  11. ^ Southampton Divisional Football Association Handbook 2017/18
  12. ^ Southampton Senior Cup – The Finals 1909-2022 by Gary Day
  13. ^ Southampton Football League Handbook & Directory 2018/19
  14. ^ Slominski, Stephen (11 September 2010). "AFC Stoneham move to Pirelli ground". Eastleigh News. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  15. ^ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/jim-swindon/
  16. ^ stats tab https://www.saintsplayers.co.uk/player/jim-swindon/
  17. ^ Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  18. ^ Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. p. 77. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  19. ^ James, Kieran (27 June 2012). "Craig McAllister makes it signing number 7 for Spitfires". Eastleigh News. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  20. ^ "Gosport Borough swoop for Eastleigh frontman Craig McAllister". Daily Echo. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
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