HTG Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Hurlford aren't even close to the definition of a big club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Agent Posted April 5, 2016 Author Share Posted April 5, 2016 Thanks for the feedback everyone! Taking it onboard, if you started a league setup tomorrow, based on current position, support, finances and history, would a hypothetical 12 and 14 team divisions look something like this? -- WESTERN PREMIERSHIP -- Arthurlie F.C. Auchinleck Talbot F.C. Beith Juniors F.C. Clydebank F.C. Cumnock Juniors F.C Hurlford United F.C. Irvine Meadow F.C. Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C. Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C. Petershill F.C. Pollok F.C. Shettleston F.C. -- EASTERN PREMIERSHIP -- Bo'ness United F.C. Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic F.C. Camelon Juniors F.C. Carnoustie Panmure F.C. Hill of Beath Hawthorn F.C. Kelty Hearts F.C. Linlithgow Rose F.C. Lochee United F.C. Musselburgh Athletic F.C. Newtongrange Star F.C. Tayport F.C. Tranent F.C. -- WESTERN CHAMPIONSHIP -- Ashfield F.C. Benburb F.C. Cambuslang Rangers F.C. Glenafton Athletic F.C. Renfrew F.C. Rutherglen Glencairn F.C. Shorts Bon Accord F.C. Troon F.C. Team 9 Team 10 Team 11 Team 12 Team 13 Team 14 -- EASTERN CHAMPIONSHIP -- Armadale Thistle F.C. Arniston Rangers F.C. Broxburn Athletic F.C. Whitburn Juniors F.C. Team 5 Team 6 Team 7 Team 8 Team 9 Team 10 Team 11 Team 12 Team 13 Team 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holmparkheroes Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Glenafton and Troon to make it 14 in the West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holmparkheroes Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 ............and Kilwinning and Largs to make it 16 before I offend our rivals ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BANKIEBILL Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 That's a cracking league hph ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E Coyote Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Would certainly have Glenafton in before Shettleston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Whitburn are a bigger club than the likes of Carnoustie and Tranent. Arniston and Armadale as well probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrellburn Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I know its a long time ago but Kilsyth were undoubtably the biggest club from 1954 till 1968. Two Scottish cup wins + 1 final and 1 semi-final appearance. Two league wins, two West of Scotland cups. Two central league cups, two Pompey cups. ( 9 in a row Stirlingshire cups)+ a few others. More than thirty players to seniors. Quite a few junior caps. Then it all went pear shaped and Cambuslang took over the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTG Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I know its a long time ago but Kilsyth were undoubtably the biggest club from 1954 till 1968. Two Scottish cup wins + 1 final and 1 semi-final appearance. Two league wins, two West of Scotland cups. Two central league cups, two Pompey cups. ( 9 in a row Stirlingshire cups)+ a few others. More than thirty players to seniors. Quite a few junior caps. Then it all went pear shaped and Cambuslang took over the title. When we handed you your tatties in the 1965 semi final there were over 17k at Brockville. Changed days eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Armadale have won the square root of sod all worth talking about in the last forty years. Carnoustie have been regulars in the Super league since that competition started , won the Scottish Cup and numerous other trophies during that period. Fair comment, but the Dale can draw a good crowd. Over 600 for last season's play-off for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holmparkheroes Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 That's a cracking league hph ... Aye Bill, but we would all need floodlights to fit in 30 league games, especially as the top league teams would on balance have more cup ties to play. Then there is the added problem that with more games you would want to raise the cost of a season ticket ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clash city rocker Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Aye Bill, but we would all need floodlights to fit in 30 league games, especially as the top league teams would on balance have more cup ties to play. Then there is the added problem that with more games you would want to raise the cost of a season ticket ! Aye its too much for the West to deal with feck knows how they manage in the East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belter1 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Fair comment, but the Dale can draw a good crowd. Over 600 for last season's play-off for example. Tranent had double that against auchinleck. There's a lot of history with Tranent and we definately have the support. Glory hunters or not. It's always been there for the big games. It's a footballing town. Had 4-500 against Whitburn there and we are taking about 150 away to Rosyth. That's in the south division. I'm sure the numbers would be good if we are ever in the super league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belter1 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Finances over the last few years would certainly keep us out that league but hopefully that won't repeat itself again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Tranent had double that against auchinleck. There's a lot of history with Tranent and we definately have the support. Glory hunters or not. It's always been there for the big games. It's a footballing town. Had 4-500 against Whitburn there and we are taking about 150 away to Rosyth. That's in the south division. I'm sure the numbers would be good if we are ever in the super league. I'm sure they might be, but Whitburn are a far bigger club who have experienced a downturn these last 4-5 seasons. Remains to be seen whether they can get back to where they once were. There was about 30 Tranent fans at Blackburn a few weeks ago, must be giving away free beer lol! Impressive none the less if true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belter1 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 We have a 33 seater for players coaches and committee. 2 16 seaters a 60 seater and a 50 seater booked. Plus all the cars that will go through. All this since Monday on our Facebook page. There's a lot of old guys not on fb who will find there way through. There was about 50-60 Whitburn fans at our game on Saturday there. Our supports gradually getting bigger again. We had about 100 down at Dunbar the week before. Whitburn are certainly a big club and Tranent has a lot of potential to be a big club again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loughal Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hello to junior fans. A couple of things, this isn't an attempt to start a barny and 'biggest' is really subjective. But I was looking to see who you as junior fans regard as the biggest clubs at the level? I only have a brief knowledge of Junior game and know obviously the Linlithgow Rose and Auchinleck Talbot of the world are up there but who would you have out with them in the east and West as the biggest clubs? Just looking to further my knowledge. Cheers! Free Agent, Your question is confusing. Are you asking specifically who are the biggest clubs today or Historically? If today, then the two outstanding clubs in the past ten years are East Linlithgow Rose and West Auchinleck Talbot. North have never been a force with only one team(?) wining the Scottish. On the other hand if you are referring to the history of clubs from the late19th century then many can lay claim to the title. In the beginning there was only Senior clubs in competition, Then the juniors and amateurs found their level, The Best? Well I think only Vale of Leven can lay claim to having been there from the start actually having won the Scottish cup in the 1880's. Lets say Junior post 1945. Petershill, Irvine Meadow were 'big guns' For a while Cambuslang Rangers dominated the junior game. Quite a few clubs have left the senior grade to play under the SJFA banner. (NAME THEM ?) All things considered I would say Talbot are the biggest club in the junior game. They have never had a sudden influx of cash from a sugar daddy but exist on the consistant support of the village with a mining background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivo den Bieman Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hurlford are a funny one. For me, a big club has to be consistent long-term and cannot be judged over something as short as 5 years. This is only Hurlford's third season in the top division since the regions amalgamated in 2002. 20 years ago they were bottom of the entire Ayrshire set-up with 0 points from all of their games in two successive seasons, and from the beginning of 1994-95 to the end of 1996-97 they picked up 5 points in total. I'm completely biased but as the best supported club in the grade week in, week out (league average at 560 this season), Lok cannot be classed as a smaller club than Hurlford. That's not to say on field we're better or the biggest. Talbot tick so many boxes for that. Hulford are the Brora Rangers of Junior football - do you consider them bigger than Montrose? Anyway, for me, if a player wants to sign for a club irrespective of the cash on offer, that's the sign of a big club. Legend has it that former Lok boss Dicky Brock would take players upstairs to the Lok hospitality suite and point out the window - the view overlooked the pitch - and say something along the lines of 'if you sign here, you're playing on that'. This was mid 80s at a time when money was a bit more sensible than it is now. Interesting comparison. I know historically Hurlford were poor (I remember them, Luncarty and Inverurie Locos being ridiculed regulalrly in The Absolute Game's junior articles in the 1990s) but I thought the question meant at the moment. Bankrolled they may be but they are doing pretty well given where they came from. Brora, of course, were bottom feeders in the Highland league for deacdes before Ben McKay happened along, and will go back to that level when he gets bored / goes away /both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Pennel Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Surely Boca must be the biggest Junior club ?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Surely Boca must be the biggest Junior club ?... Debatable, never won the Scottish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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