Witton were one of a number of local rivals to Rovers in their early days. They played in the grounds of what is now Witton Park and were also occasionally known as Witton West End because, unsurprisingly, Witton is in the western part of Blackburn. Although they never seemed likely to ever eclipse Rovers (or even match the success Olympic) they provided opposition in a number of friendlies. After seemingly being founded in 1880, they first played Rovers on March 1st 1881 and promptly lost 6-1. They also lost the next five friendlies against Rovers over a course of five years.

They had better luck against Rovers when they met in the semi finals of the 1884 Lancashire Cup. They didn’t win, although they took Rovers to a replay after a 1-1 draw. Although the replay was won 4-1 by Rovers, it was an impressive display against a side that ended the season as FA Cup winners and also won that particular Lancashire Cup campaign.

The next year Witton entered the FA Cup for the first time and reached the third round after a win over Clitheroe and a bye in the second round. In the third round they were drawn against the cup holders…Blackburn Rovers. This was to be the second successful FA Cup campaign in a row for Rovers and they brushed aside the Witton team 5-1. Further cup campaigns would see Witton lose to Accrington in the first round, thrashed 6-0 by Preston North End in the second round the year after and the next year they achieved their best performance in their penultimate appearance in the cup when they beat Oswaldtwistle and the Belfast side Distillery to reach the third round, where they were defeated in a replay by Darwen, which was played at the home ground of Rovers.

It was around this time that they finally found some joy against Blackburn Rovers. In May 1887 they beat them for the first time, 3-1, and followed that up a year later with a 4-3 victory at Rovers’ Leamington Street ground. They weren’t to play them again though as with Rovers entering the Football League six months later, they no longer needed to play the local small fry teams. In their last FA Cup campaign they went out in the first round when they lost 3-2 to Football League founders Aston Villa. Although the season later they joined the Lancashire Combination league, they did not finish the season and their record was expunged.

Witton had played on grounds owned by one of the grandest families of Blackburn, the Fielden family. Witton House (a picture of which is below) was built in 1800 as the family seat of the Fieldens, a major landowning and political family whose associations with Blackburn reach back to the sixteenth century. The horses and carriages in the picture below belong to Prince and Princess of Wales, who were visiting Blackburn for the first time in 1888 and would later be known as Edward VII and Queen Alexandra after having arrived at Cherry Tree train station. It would be nice to think that the future King had walked over the football pitch but it was unlikely as he was probably to busy receiving a gift (a pair of clogs!) from the local school before rushing on to see Blackburn’s Technical College. The house was demolished in 1954 after dry rot was found and seven years earlier had been sold to the Town council who turned the 400 surrounding acres into Witton Park which we know today. Football is still played at Witton, although obviously is not home to FA Cup games against the major sides in the nation.

Witton results against Blackburn Rovers in major competitions. 1885 – FA CUP R3 – Blackburn Rovers 5 Witton 1