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Biggest Junior Clubs


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As is now the case in the East with Glenrothes since the departure of the old regime to Dundonald. 

 

Oh oh, he's back. How many accounts you had now?

 

How long is it going to take you to get over it? Man up ffs and let it go.

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The definition of being a ' big' club can change over the years. Cambuslang were a big club...are they now? Talbot had won very little and had barely a pot to piss in before late '70s they are the most successful club over last 40 years..does that make them biggest of all time. Medda have won tons of trophies but no Scottish since early '70s...if Hurlford win Scottish again this year, does that make them a big club, how many cups do you need to win ? Tayport looked certs to be considered a giant, Hill of Beath were up there for a while, Linlithgow, Pollok , Auchinleck are probably the ones most folk would envision joining any pyramid and be able to survive against the so called superior seniors.

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The definition of being a ' big' club can change over the years. Cambuslang were a big club...are they now? Talbot had won very little and had barely a pot to piss in before late '70s they are the most successful club over last 40 years..does that make them biggest of all time. Medda have won tons of trophies but no Scottish since early '70s...if Hurlford win Scottish again this year, does that make them a big club, how many cups do you need to win ? Tayport looked certs to be considered a giant, Hill of Beath were up there for a while, Linlithgow, Pollok , Auchinleck are probably the ones most folk would envision joining any pyramid and be able to survive against the so called superior seniors.

The definition moves with the times. Otherwise Queens Park would still be a big club. Auchinleck are clearly the biggest club in Junior football over the last 30 years. That's a massive amount of time to stay at or around the very top of a game where money supplied by an external source trends to be sporadic and short term.

Linlithgow have won trophies consistently for the last 50 years so they qualify as a current day big club.

Pollok - recent dip aside have been one of the most consistent clubs of the last generation so they qualify.

In the East, I'd put Bonnyrigg in the big club group - there or thereabouts year in and year out. Bo'ness have been decent for the last 6 seasons or so - not long enough to be a big club looking back over the last 20 - 25 years. But they have a strong support and have had their moments through the 70s and 80s. So they're close.

Tayport had a great record for the best part of 20 years but don't look like repeating that. Not a flash in the pan but probably big if you'd asked this question 10 years ago.

Irvine Meadow? Were they not scrambling around the seaside leagues before the most recent big bucks arrived? They've got a decent history and big club potential but I wouldn't put them in the top bracket.

So if I had to nail colours to this I'd say Auchinleck, Linlithgow, Pollok, Bonnyrigg in that order.

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It would be interesting to see it broken up into, say, team of the decade from both the east and west from as far back as anybody would like to go.any takers?

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The definition moves with the times. Otherwise Queens Park would still be a big club. Auchinleck are clearly the biggest club in Junior football over the last 30 years. That's a massive amount of time to stay at or around the very top of a game where money supplied by an external source trends to be sporadic and short term.

Linlithgow have won trophies consistently for the last 50 years so they qualify as a current day big club.

Pollok - recent dip aside have been one of the most consistent clubs of the last generation so they qualify.

In the East, I'd put Bonnyrigg in the big club group - there or thereabouts year in and year out. Bo'ness have been decent for the last 6 seasons or so - not long enough to be a big club looking back over the last 20 - 25 years. But they have a strong support and have had their moments through the 70s and 80s. So they're close.

Tayport had a great record for the best part of 20 years but don't look like repeating that. Not a flash in the pan but probably big if you'd asked this question 10 years ago.

Irvine Meadow? Were they not scrambling around the seaside leagues before the most recent big bucks arrived? They've got a decent history and big club potential but I wouldn't put them in the top bracket.

So if I had to nail colours to this I'd say Auchinleck, Linlithgow, Pollok, Bonnyrigg in that order.

Medda were by far and away the biggest club in Ayrshire before the Talbot kicked in.

4 Scottish Cups

9 West of Scotland Cups

15 League titles

14 Ayrshire cups

...and that's only for starters

The reason they have such a good ground is because they were good.

Seaside leagues ????? ahahaha

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Currently, I would say the biggest junior clubs are Talbot, Linlithgow, Bo'ness and Hurlford United.

 

In recent times, Pollok, Irvine Meadow, Lochee United and Tayport; clubs like Beith and Clydebank also have quite a name, if not at present the success that goes with their profile.

 

But how far do you want to go back? Lochee Harp are slumming it in the bottom four of the East Region North Division now, yet sixty years ago were amongst the biggest junior names in the country. More recently the likes of Benburb, Peasy, Hill O' Beath Hawthorn, Rob Roy, would all have been seen as big teams.

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Medda were by far and away the biggest club in Ayrshire before the Talbot kicked in.

4 Scottish Cups

9 West of Scotland Cups

15 League titles

14 Ayrshire cups

...and that's only for starters

The reason they have such a good ground is because they were good.

Seaside leagues ????? ahahaha

Medda have only won the Scottish three times , the last being in 1973 ?

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Medda were by far and away the biggest club in Ayrshire before the Talbot kicked in.

4 Scottish Cups

9 West of Scotland Cups

15 League titles

14 Ayrshire cups

...and that's only for starters

The reason they have such a good ground is because they were good.

Seaside leagues ????? ahahaha

Aye but Talbot kicked in in the mid 80s - 30 years ago. If you'd asked the question in the 80s then Bo'ness and Irvine Meadow would both be considered. In the 70s, Cambuslang.

I'm judging consistency over the past generation and a bit. Gogsy, I hear what you're saying but since the super leagues were formed it's taken 14 seasons for Kelty to make their mark and HoB haven't managed it. I don't think either Kelty or HoB have done enough to make it into my top group. But accept it's completely subjective.

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Medda have only won the Scottish three times , the last being in 1973 ?

Haha aye it was meant to be a 3 ..lost final as well.

Regardless though until Talbot began their trophy collection Medda were best in West.

They were not asked to turn senior because they were from a new town but because they were considered to have the best ground and the best option of all non league clubs at the time.

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Currently, I would say the biggest junior clubs are Talbot, Linlithgow, Bo'ness and Hurlford United.

 

In recent times, Pollok, Irvine Meadow, Lochee United and Tayport; clubs like Beith and Clydebank also have quite a name, if not at present the success that goes with their profile.

 

But how far do you want to go back? Lochee Harp are slumming it in the bottom four of the East Region North Division now, yet sixty years ago were amongst the biggest junior names in the country. More recently the likes of Benburb, Peasy, Hill O' Beath Hawthorn, Rob Roy, would all have been seen as big teams.

 

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.

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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. 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.

Very much agree with this. From what I hear Hurlford are nowhere near well enough supported to be classed as a big club.

They're a current form club but not "big".

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