1919-1929 - The Brown Brothers and “Paper” Beale

The club changed to black and white stripes for the first time, having played first in white, then red and white stripes and then blue and white stripes over the previous 30 years since their formation.

 

The first decade was arguably the most successful period in the Club’s history, relatively speaking, with Rovers winning two leagues in both 1921 and 1922 as well as every cup that they competed in. They then became founder members of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League (GNSL) in the 1922-23 season, along with Cheltenham Town, and won the Northern Senior Amateur Cup (NSAC) in 1927.

 

Joe and Gary (E) Brown and Walter “Paper” Beale all featured in the young N&FGU cup winning team in 1912. Returning from the Great War, they formed the backbone of the team for the following decade with Paper joining Bob Ramsay as a County Player. A third Brown Brother, George Brown, was club secretary.

 

Rovers beat Cheltenham Town home and away in 1922 before large crowds, and finished above them again in 1927 when Rovers finished up with the NSAC and Runners Up in the GNSL to Sharpness, with Cheltenham Town back in third place. Gloucester City finished near the bottom.

 

The 1927 cup win was played out in front of a crowd of nearly 5000 with captain Joe Brown lifting the cup, Rovers having beaten Sharpness 2-1 in the final. A special train took 500 supporters from Nailsworth station to nearby Dursley for the final.