Defunct Clubs

[Jacksgranda]

Have Brechin Matrix been mentioned?

[LeeKRR1878]

Turns out all I've got on Frances Colliery is a match report from a Junior Cup tie in January 1969, Petershill winning 3-1 in the 3rd Round at Petershill Park.

I was sorting out a load of stuff that was passed onto me in the summer, here's some of the other defunct teams that are mentioned, mostly in match reports.

Bonnybridge
Aberdeen Balgownie
Aberdeen Rosemount
Ardeer Recreation
Baillieston
Blantyre Celtic
Bridgeton Waverley
Buckie Rovers
Burnbank Athletic
Dennistoun Waverley
Douglas Water Thistle
Dundee United Juniors
Duntocher Hibs
Halbeath
Kilmarnock Juniors
Leven
Maryhill Harp
Mount Ellon United
New Stevenson United
Parkhead
Polkemmet
S.S. & E. Athletic
Shawfield
Stonehouse Violet
Strathclyde
Twechar United

Bonnybridge old ground still exists and the youth team 'Bonnybridge' play at it. Duncan Stewart Memorial Park is the name of it and it wasn't too bad a park as I played on it a few times

Another club I'd like to know more about is Kirkintilloch Harp if you have anything on them. Reason being they lasted longest out of Kirkintilloch Central and Kirkintilloch Athletic and they were the original tennants of Adamslie before the Rob Roy moved in in 1926. Bit of history you may or may not already know but Petershill have the honour of being the first team to win at Adamslie from Rob Roy moving in

[Burnie_man]

New Blackburn Athletic are another one for the list, founded in 1963, played 1963-64 Lanarkshire Welfare League before joining the Edinburgh & District League the following season. Their biggest achievement was drawing with Linlithgow Rose at Tynecastle in the final of the Brown Cup in 1966, before humping them 6-1 in the replay at Bo’ness. They had mixed fortunes and eventually withdrew from the league at the end of season 1973-74, along with Peebles Rovers, and effectively dropped back into Welfare football intending to return after a season out but never did and out of the ashes the current Blackburn United was formed in 1978, joining the Juniors in 1980-81.

 

Murrayfield Park where they, and the current club, played is still there, next door to the new ground and used by the youth teams although the pavilion and pitch side barriers have been removed, and the new-ish enclosure was moved over to the new ground.

[ktayfly]

Has anyone mentioned Valleyfielď Colliery. I remember Freddie Aitken and one of the Connellys playing at their ground in Culross.

Edited November 28, 2016 by ktayfly
Predictive text error.

[cmontheloknow]

This came up elsewhere on P&B but best fits here: the edited history of junior football in Dunoon:

There have been various junior teams in the Dunoon area over the years. Some were fairly short lived, but the most established were Dunoon Athletic (a name revived last year for Dunoon AFC's 2nd string but again no more).

Dunoon Athletic had continuous Junior existence from 1932 until 1975, playing in the western section of the (very central Scotland-orientated) Scottish Junior League from the 30s until after WW2, the Western League (in the North Ayrshire section) until '68 and the Central League until their demise. Dunoon AFC formed in 1975 so I assume there's some crossover there. I do not know when Dunoon Stadium, present home of the amateur side, was built - all references I can see to a Junior stadium say Recreation Park.

Just to confuse matters, there was a single year of coexistence of Dunoon AFC and a Junior side - the juniors rebranded as Cowal Juniors for 75/76 and then ceased to be (see below).

Teams in the Western section of the Scottish Junior League for Dunoon Athletic's first season (1932-33) were:

• Baillieston
• Bute Athletic
• Cadder Thistle
• Coats Juniors
• Dumbarton Harp
• Dunoon Athletic
• Maryhill Hibs
• Milngavie Juniors
• Overton Athletic
• Port Glasgow Athletic
• Rothesay Royal Victoria
• St. Francis
• Whifflet Emerald

All gone (PGA no real connection to the current side)!

As a bookend, teams in the Central League Division C for 1975-76:

• Blantyre Celtic
• Coltness United (now Newmains United)
• Cowal Juniors
• Forth Wanderers
• Greenock Juniors
• Kilsyth Rangers
• Neilston
• Port Glasgow
• Royal Albert
• St. Anthony's
• Shotts Bon Accord
• Vale of Clyde
• Vale of Leven
• Wishaw

Not knowing much about Cowal Juniors, I had a dig in the Evening Times archives:

 

 

[Shanner]

That would be a quality away day in Dunoon. 

[xnxx]

Asc were a ammy team last year made up of ex junior players,they always had the intentions of going junior and with luncarty as that was their ground last year.Luncarty Asc took their place in the ammy set up and are pretty much a feeder club for the junior's with some of the junior players going to the ammy team as they wernt getting a game

[xnxx]

Steelend Junior's also no longer a team

[LeeKRR1878]

Bonnybridge Juniors - Duncan Stewart Park 1970s

[Ivo den Bieman]

Steelend Vics I saw a few times in the 2000s. Was it the usual story of not being able to raise a committee?

[Junior_Arab]

4 hours ago, xnxx said:

Asc were a ammy team last year made up of ex junior players,they always had the intentions of going junior and with luncarty as that was their ground last year.Luncarty Asc took their place in the ammy set up and are pretty much a feeder club for the junior's with some of the junior players going to the ammy team as they wernt getting a game

I assumed Burnie Man's query referred to Arbroath Sporting Club who were founded in the 70s and folded a few years ago when the local council demanded half the money the club made from the car boot sales held on their (council owned) park as part of the rental agreement. As somebody has already mentioned Arbroath Vics still exist, despite the original poster's assertion to the contrary.

 

Similarly, I'm not sure Downfield have ever folded / entered abeyance, they're certainly going pretty well in the East Region Premier at the moment. Luncarty and Coupar Angus have both gone into abeyance in recent years but they are both competing in the East Region North League presently. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by Junior_Arab

[Eednud]

I assumed Burnie Man's query referred to Arbroath Sporting Club who were founded in the 70s and folded a few years ago when the local council demanded half the money the club made from the car boot sales held on their (council owned) park as part of the rental agreement. As somebody has already mentioned Arbroath Vics still exist, despite the original poster's assertion to the contrary.

 

Similarly, I'm not sure Downfield have ever folded / entered abeyance, they're certainly going pretty well in the East Region Premier at the moment. Luncarty and Coupar Angus have both gone into abeyance in recent years but they are both competing in the East Region North League presently. 

Downfield came into the Dundee Junior League in 1922/23 and have been in business ever since apart from possibly like a few others during WWII. http://www.scottish-football-historical-archive.co.uk/dundeejrleague.htm

[Shogun]

Does anyone have info on Kilmarnock juniors never knew there was such a team

[PRICEY]

Danny Smith scoring against Bonnybridge 1970

[Brig O'Lea]

2 hours ago, Shogun said:

Does anyone have info on Kilmarnock juniors never knew there was such a team

From another forum.

Kilmarnock Juniors were formed in 1938 and disbanded in July 1956. They joined the Western League at the start of the 1939-40 season. Although the senior side suspended operations through the war, the Juniors, due to a lack of ground of their own, failed to capitalize on it. They used a number of grounds during their short existence:

Howard Park 1943-46
Greyhound Stadium 1946-52 [some games were played in Hurlford during 1947-48]
Strandhead Park, Stewarton 1952-53
Kirkstyle 1953-56

The Howard Park used to be called Barbadoes Green and was where the fledgling Kilmarnock FC played in 1868/69. Kirkstyle was for many years the home of Kilmarnock Cricket Club.

The closest Kilmarnock Juniors came to winning any silverware was in reaching the final of the Ayrshire Junior Cup in season 1941/42(lost to Ardeer Recreation 6-2 over two legs) and again in season 1944/45(lost again to Ardeer Recreation 4-0 after a 1-1 draw). They also lost in the final of the Western League Cup in season 1944/45(1-2 to Hurlford United) and finished as runners-up to Ardeer Recreation in the 1943/44 Western League.

Kilmarnock Juniors struggled on and off for many years, folding and reforming before finally going under in 1956. At one game just one spectator paid for admission.
Killie's return to the top flight in 1954 was what really finished them off though another Kilmarnock junior club Riccarton Bluebell went under in 1953 when Killie were still in the B Division. They never won anything of note.

First team to play at Brig O'Lea in a competitive match against Neilston Juniors, losing 9-0.

 

[paul wright scores]

7 hours ago, Brig O'Lea said:

From another forum.

Kilmarnock Juniors were formed in 1938 and disbanded in July 1956. They joined the Western League at the start of the 1939-40 season. Although the senior side suspended operations through the war, the Juniors, due to a lack of ground of their own, failed to capitalize on it. They used a number of grounds during their short existence:

Howard Park 1943-46
Greyhound Stadium 1946-52 [some games were played in Hurlford during 1947-48]
Strandhead Park, Stewarton 1952-53
Kirkstyle 1953-56

The Howard Park used to be called Barbadoes Green and was where the fledgling Kilmarnock FC played in 1868/69. Kirkstyle was for many years the home of Kilmarnock Cricket Club.

The closest Kilmarnock Juniors came to winning any silverware was in reaching the final of the Ayrshire Junior Cup in season 1941/42(lost to Ardeer Recreation 6-2 over two legs) and again in season 1944/45(lost again to Ardeer Recreation 4-0 after a 1-1 draw). They also lost in the final of the Western League Cup in season 1944/45(1-2 to Hurlford United) and finished as runners-up to Ardeer Recreation in the 1943/44 Western League.

Kilmarnock Juniors struggled on and off for many years, folding and reforming before finally going under in 1956. At one game just one spectator paid for admission.
Killie's return to the top flight in 1954 was what really finished them off though another Kilmarnock junior club Riccarton Bluebell went under in 1953 when Killie were still in the B Division. They never won anything of note.

First team to play at Brig O'Lea in a competitive match against Neilston Juniors, losing 9-0.

 

Thanks for this info.  I was asking my father if he knew anything about them at the weekend but he didn't.  

 

 

 

[Killiepiyo]

According to my now passed grandad, Dunoon Athletic played in the area that's behind stadium/pipeband hall. Last time I was there it was a grass pitch and untarmaced car park but think there might be Astro pitches there now..

[Killiepiyo]

Yeah some astros there now 

[garrellburn]

Kilsyth played Dunoon twice in the West of Scotland cup during the 1960's. I remember being at one of the games and it was definitely played in the main Cowal Stadium. We did also play the twice in the 75-76 season but I remember going to the away match on that occasion. We never lost to them in any nof these games and as another poster remarked, the travelling costs must have crippling for them.

[pie n beans]

i had the privilege to play with Bonnybridge and they were a cracking wee family run club.