The end of the 1949-50 season wasn’t the first time that Colchester United had applied to be elected to the Football League, but it was the first time they were successful as, with Division Three South expanding by two teams from 22 to 24 they, along with Gillingham, were voted in, with the bottom two in the division that season, in Newport County and Millwall, not having to take part in the normal re-election vote. Gillingham and Colchester picking up between them 72 of the 98 votes cast, with current Football League clubs Peterborough United and Yeovil Town two of the other sides missing out at the time.
The first stab by the U’s to get in came at the end of the 1938-39 campaign when, as often happened, the bottom two sides in the division, who were Walsall and Bristol Rovers this time, were automatically voted back in at the expense of non-league sides Chelmsford City, Gillingham once more and also Colchester again. Meanwhile, after the war, at the completion of the 1946-47 season, Norwich and Mansfield, at the expense of Colchester and others, were kept in without a vote, with Mansfield being transferred to Division Three North.
1947-48 proved to be another fruitless effort by the U’s in what was almost a landslide victory for Norwich, yet again, and Brighton, who picked up 47 votes apiece with just four more votes spread amongst ten other non-league clubs, including the long forgotten Southern League side Lovell’s Athletic. The team, which eventually disbanded in 1969 after 51 years of existence, being a works side for Lovell’s sweet factory in Newport, Wales. Colchester themselves then taking time out from election attempts in 1948-49, before finally gaining success the following season.
One of the more interesting re-election tales came at the end of the 1979-80 season at the expense of an Altrincham side who had applied a few times during a strong spell for the club in the late 1970s. The Robins, up against four Division Four teams looking to stay in the league, in Hereford, Darlington, Crewe and Rochdale missing out by just one vote with the numbers polled being Darlington 49, Crewe 48, Hereford 48, Rochdale 26 and Altrincham 25.
Nothing sounding particularly remarkable about that until you take into account that Altrincham were apparently sure of the votes of both Grimsby and Luton, which would have taken them above Rochdale and into the Football League, while the Dale would have slid out into a newly formed Alliance Premier League, or the present day Blue Square Bet Premier. Sadly for the Robins though the story goes that in the re-election vote at London’s Café Royale, the Grimsby representative turned up too late to vote and the Luton official arrived after the vote had taken place following what was reputed to be a ‘liquid lunch’.
As for Carlisle, well we were elected into Division Three North at our third time of asking, United first failing at the end of the 1925-26 season as Walsall and Barrow were re-elected with 33 and 25 votes respectively, while the Blues with 12 and then Blyth Spartans and Mansfield Town missed out with 10 apiece. Following the completion of the next campaign Carlisle lost out by a larger margin as Accrington Stanley with 36 and Barrow with 30 were re-elected at the expense of Mansfield Town – 8, York City – 6, United – 5 and Blyth Spartans – 3.
It was third time lucky for the Blues though at the end of the 1927-28 season when they coasted through the election process and into the Football League. Nelson being re-elected with 37 votes and Carlisle coming in with 33 votes, while Durham City were the club kicked out as they gained just 11 votes, with from the non-league ranks York City with 7 and Chester City with 2 also missing out. The same process in Division Three South at that time seeing a London-based club called Argonauts, who were formed as an amateur side and hadn’t actually yet played any matches not surprisingly fail to gain election to the Football League.
Meanwhile, the only time Carlisle have been forced to apply for re-election to stay in the Football League came following the completion of the 1934-35 Division Three North season, a campaign in which the Blues finished at the bottom of the pile, and also with two fewer points than Newport County who came last in the South. The re-election votes were kinder to United though, as they along with Southport picked up 46 apiece, with their only challengers in then Birmingham & District League side Shrewsbury Town gaining just 6 votes.