Turton Football Club is a football club based in Edgworth, in the North Turton district of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Thomason Fold. The club are affiliated to the Lancashire Football Association. History The original Turton FC was formed in 1871, and in the early 1870s they were arguably the leading club in Lancashire. In 1878 they were one of the prime movers in the formation of the Lancashire Football Association, and in 1879–80 they were one of the entrants in the first Lancashire Cup competition, and entered the FA Cup for the first time. Turton can currently be found in the National Football Museum where they are recognised as significant pioneers of Association Football to the North West, being amongst the founders of the Lancashire FA. Among the players in the 1870s and 1880s, was John Bentley who later went on to play a significant role in the formation of Bolton Wanderers and it is widely believed that Bolton wear white shirts with blue shorts due to the Turton influence. Bentley later went on to be president of the Football League, vice-chairman of the Football Association and Manchester United secretary. He maintained his close relationship with Turton FC throughout and was president of the club in the early 20th century. With the rise of professional football in the mid-1880s, Turton were soon no longer a force in the game. However they remained a much respected club, and in 1899–1900, 1901–02, 1902–03, and 1904–05 were winners of the Lancashire Junior Cup, while in 1912–13 they were winners of the Lancashire Amateur Shield. Unfortunately on two separate occasions the club has folded and then been inactive for a lengthy period. The current home of Turton FC, Thomason Fold, in Edgworth is about a mile away from the original ground, Tower Street, in Chapeltown. This old ground is still in use, with Lancashire Amateur League team Old Boltonians having been the residents for over 50 years. This ground is possibly the oldest remaining football ground in the world. In 2009, the club nearly folded having been relegated from the West Lancashire Premier Division and losing the majority of its players in the process. Turton were also in terrible financial disarray, owing thousands of pounds and having little income. Long standing club legend Ernie Charnock appointed former player Neil Johnson as manager who was