Thames A.F.C. up the club, despite an approach from Clapton Orient to merge the two clubs. They were replaced by Aldershot. Thames AFC should not be confused with Thames Ironworks FC, a club that had predated them by over 30 years, and would go on to be renamed West Ham United. Notable players for Thames included former England international Jimmy Dimmock, former Welsh internationals Len Davies and Moses Russell and ex-Arsenal striker Henry White. Eddie Perry went on to be a Welsh international. Thames' home colours were red and blue quartered shirts with white shorts and black socks with red and blue
1898–99 Thames Ironworks F.C. season against Cowes and Sheppey. 1898–99 Thames Ironworks F.C. season The 1898–99 season was Thames Ironworks' fourth season after the club's formation in 1895. During the summer of 1898, Thames Ironworks became a professional outfit for the first time, to match their new status as new members of the Southern League. It was a decision reluctantly taken by Ironworks chairman Arnold Hills, who had always believed in the classical ideal of competitive sport being for its own sake. But with the success the club had been enjoying, together with the increased crowds at their Memorial Grounds venue, he relented, and was