In the later half of 1901 a number of young men from a little-know area of Manchester formed a five-a-side football team. Their player manager was Isembard Medford, one of three brothers notorious for shaving the letter "M" into their hairlines. Although records of the time are sketchy it appears that other team members included Joshua Cottrell, a loan shark and Christian Stakes, carriage salesman. Christian's brother, Seth, also played in that early team although he was arrested and executed for selling opiates. The Stakes were high in those days. Of the two other Medford brother, Hector clerked for the famous and thriving Manchester Ship Canal Company whilst the eldest, Isiah, was a forward-thinking but woefully unemployable computer manager. Unsubstantiated stories tell of three other members of the squad. Gilbert Bradshaw was a loom operator who suffered a terrible accident when he was trapped in a rollicking bertie. His left foot was amputated and his playing career was tragically unaffected. Luther Munday was a priest renowned for kicking the ball skyward in honour of The Lord. Humphrey Baker completed the list. records show that he was a printer and, incidentally, a pioneering train spotter.

Miraculously the minutes of the inaugural meeting still exists. It is clear that the gentlemen were unable to come up with a meaningful name for the side. After much debate they adopted the name of a near-by landmark as their own: a place known as "Damon Hill". Although no longer present, the hill was thought to be near to an area of marsh land called Sterling Moss where the local gentry held the annual James Hunt.

The league records are sadly lost. Some five years after the creation of the side all but one of the members were killed in a tragic pit disaster. They ate undercooked burgers from the Canadian Charcoal Pit. Only the manager, Isembard, survived - he was a vegetarian.

It's not until 1919 that we hear mention of Damon Hill again. No official records have been found but an extract in the diary of a young woman is quite revealing. Her name is Dawn Munday and she was married to Winston Munday, a Damon Hill player.

"Friday 11th March. Winston still insists on partaking in Association Football with his ruffian friends. I cannot stand the though of other chaps hurting my poor Winston but although I've begged him not to go he says he must. I have tried everything to stop him playing. I've been secretly putting lard in his tea and force-feeding him cake in his sleep but he still seems as fit and flighty as ever. Tomorrow I am taking Mumsie's advice and stitching lead weights into his boots."

One criticism levelled at the modern Damon Hill team is that they like a killer instinct. This may have been the case with their goalkeeper in 1938, Frank Medford. Frank wrote this poem which, two years later, stopped a bullet at Dunkirk.

A goal goes in, from a toe-poke
I light a smoke.
Another goal, this time a fluke
I have to puke.
A bath is had - the soap is lathered.
Then I get blathered.

A poem which is still deeply moving, even now. Frank was not the only player with an artistic bent. In 1962 Stefano Bradshaw broke new ground in the field of post-modern sculpture when he exhibited at the Tate Gallery. His most famous piece featured a male figure impaled on the branch of a tree and entitle "Stick With Your Man".