Craghead United F.C. was an English association football club based in the village of Craghead, County Durham. The team initially competed in the Chester-le-Street & District Football League. They unsuccessfully applied to enter the Northern Football Alliance in 1908—receiving no votes from the member clubs—before joining the Northern League in 1912. They finished fifth in both their seasons in the division before leaving the league at the end of the 1913–14 season.[1] Craghead United subsequently submitted another application to the Northern Alliance in 1920 and were accepted into the league along with Backworth United and Hexham Comrades, and the reserve teams of Ashington and Durham City.[2]
Craghead United entered the FA Cup for the first time in the 1907–08 season, but were defeated in the preliminary round by Leadgate Park. The club enjoyed their best run in the Cup during the 1909–10 campaign, defeating Crook Town and Stanley United before losing to Seaham Harbour in the third qualifying round. Craghead United were knocked out in the second qualifying round on two occasions, but generally struggled to progress past the preliminary stage. During their last five seasons in the FA Cup between 1924 and 1929, the team failed to win a single match.[3]
Despite being an amateur team, Craghead United were represented by several players who also played professional football. Walter Coates, who went on to play for Fulham and Leeds United, and Arthur Thomson, who had a spell at Manchester United, both spent some of their early careers at the club. Harry Pringle and Jack Small, who both went on to play in the Football League, both started their careers with Craghead United.
| Season | Round | Date | Opponents | H/A | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907–08 | Preliminary round | 21 September 1907 | Away | 1–2 | |
| 1908–09 | First qualifying round | 3 October 1908 | Away | 4–1 | |
| Second qualifying round | 17 October 1908 | Away | 2–3 | ||
| 1909–10 | Preliminary round | 18 September 1909 | Home | 4–2 | |
| First qualifying round | 2 October 1909 | Home | 3–2 | ||
| Second qualifying round | 16 October 1909 | Away | 1–0 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 6 November 1909 | Away | 1–5 | ||
| 1910–11 | Preliminary round | 17 September 1910 | Away | 0–0 | |
| 21 September 1910 | Home | 1–2 | |||
| 1911–12 | Extra preliminary round | 9 September 1911 | Away | 7–1 | |
| Preliminary round | 16 September 1911 | Away | 0–1 | ||
| 1912–13 | Preliminary round | 28 September 1913 | Away | 1–1 | |
| 2 October 1911 | Home | 2–3 | |||
| 1913–14 | Preliminary round | 27 September 1913 | Away | 2–1 | |
| First qualifying round | 11 October 1913 | Home | 2–1 | ||
| Second qualifying round | 1 November 1913 | Home | 0–0 | ||
| 5 November 1913 | Away | 0–4 | |||
| 1914–15 | Preliminary round | 26 September 1914 | Home | 2–1 | |
| First qualifying round | 10 October 1914 | Away | 2–3 | ||
| 1919–20 | Preliminary round | 27 September 1908 | Away | 0–1 | |
| 1920–21 | Extra preliminary round | 11 September 1920 | Home | 0–0 | |
| 15 September 1920 | Away | 4–0 | |||
| Preliminary round | 25 September 1920 | Away | 0–1 | ||
| 1921–22 | Preliminary round | 24 September 1921 | Home | 1–0 | |
| First qualifying round | 8 October 1921 | Home | 1–2 | ||
| 1922–23 | Extra preliminary round | 9 September 1922 | Home | 2–1 | |
| Preliminary round | 23 September 1922 | Away | 1–2 | ||
| 1923–24 | Preliminary round | 22 September 1923 | Home | 3–0 | |
| First qualifying round | 6 October 1923 | Away | 1–1 | ||
| 10 October 1923 | Home | 4–0 | |||
| Second qualifying round | 20 October 1923 | Away | 1–3 | ||
| 1924–25 | Preliminary round | 20 September 1924 | Away | 1–1 | |
| 24 September 1924 | Home | 0–2 | |||
| 1925–26 | Preliminary round | 19 September 1925 | Home | 2–2 | |
| 23 September 1925 | Away | 0–4 | |||
| 1926–27 | Extra preliminary round | 4 September 1926 | Home | 0–0 | |
| 8 September 1926 | Away | 1–2 | |||
| 1927–28 | Extra preliminary round | 3 September 1927 | Away | 3–4 | |
| 1928–29 | Extra preliminary round | 1 September 1928 | Home | 4–4 | |
| 5 September 1928 | Away | 3–4 |