1895–96 Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1895–96 Thames Ironworks F.C. season Thames Ironworks F.C., the club that would later become West Ham United F.C., was founded by Dave Taylor and Arnold Hills in 1895. Taylor was a foreman at the Thames Iron Works and a local football referee. Thanks to Ironworks owner Arnold Hills' financial backing, he was able to announce on 29 June 1895 the following in the company's weekly journal: Fifty would-be players paid half-a-crown for a year's membership, and Taylor spent the summer arranging the fixtures for Thames Ironworks F.C. and their reserves. Before the Irons played their first game Taylor returned to
Sandown Cobras Football Club in 1972. The club merged with South Waverley Juniors FC in 1984, therefore it renamed to "South Waverley–Sandown FC". The club played the Eastern District Football League's Division 4 Grand Final v. Lillydale in 1987, winning 18.15 (123) – 14.7 (91). In 1996 the club changed its name to "South Waverley–Sandown Southern Cobras FC", using the nickname "Cobras" for the first time as an official name. South Waverley–Sandown won the 1997 EDFL Grand Final v. the Waverley Amateurs by 16.14 (110) – 8.15 (63). The club went into recess in 1999, returning to the Southern league in 2001. The last