Quantcast
Channel: Falkirk Football Historian
Viewing all 290 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Pen Pic - William McAulay - Falkirk FC - 1907

July 31, 2016, 6:38 am
$
0
0
Continuing the Falkirk Herald's "Prominent Players" series of 1907 this time it is William McAulay Falkirk's Inside-Left for the 1906/07 season.

By the time William joined he was already a veteran of top flight football, both North & South of the Border, but he was by no means past it.

After a season with Falkirk he moved to Hibernian before winding his career down at Alloa.


William McAulay

b 1st November 1879, Newton, Lanarkshire
d c1935

Debut – Wednesday August 15th 1906 v Leith Athletic (H) East of Scotland League
League Debut – Saturday August 18th 1906 v Rangers (A) Scottish League Division 1

Positions – Inside-Left, Inside-Right

Known Career – Newton Athletic, Newton Thistle, Cambuslang Hibernian, Celtic [1897/98-1898/99], Sheffield Wednesday [1898/99], Dundee [1898/99], Walsall Town Swifts [1899/00], Aston Villa [1900/01], Portsmouth [1901/02], Middlesbrough [1902/03], Arthurlie [1904/05], Aberdeen [1904/05-1905/06], Falkirk [1906/07], Hibernian [1906/07-1908/09], Alloa Athletic [1909/10-1912/13]

Note - Height 5' 9” - Weight 11st 2lb


↧
Search

Pen Pic - Robert Stirling - East Stirlingshire FC -1907

August 5, 2016, 10:11 am
$
0
0
Yet another East Stirlingshire starlet I know little about, yet featured in the Falkirk Herald's "Prominent Players" series.

As far as I can ascertain, Robert also succumbed to the curse of ESFC players apperaring in this series, because from what I can see of his career after this point, he went out on loan to Alloa Athletic for the next season [1907/08], then dissappears.


↧
↧

Dan Kirkwood as a Reason against Wikipedia

August 8, 2016, 9:26 am
$
0
0
The above is the Wikipedia entry on Dan Kirkwood, and whilst it it is not wholly wrong, it is wrong.For one Dan Kirkwood was born in Uphall, Linlithgowshire, not Linlithgow. Now I really don't care if you agree with me, but look at his Birth Certificate:


Dan Kirkwood was one of the great players of the great East Stirlingshire teams of the 1880s, but according to wikipedia he only played for Everton, never mind the three years he spent with Broxburn Shamrock before he moved to the Zebras. And never mind the time he spent with Sunderland Albion. And never mind the season he spent with Broxburn Athletic after Everton. He played for Everton. Endy Story.

↧

David McNair - Falkirk FC 1879-1881

August 31, 2016, 6:34 pm
$
0
0
Now, every so often I come across an obituary of a Falkirk player, it makes me smile.


Well, yes he played for Falkirk, back in 1879, he played.I have always hated the Post-war glitterati, those who loved Pele because he played in the sixties, without recognising Artur Friedenreich who came before.

I have huge appreciation for playeys who played for Falkirk before Professionalism.
↧

Robert Parlane - Falkirk FC - 1895-97

September 1, 2016, 3:47 am
$
0
0
Some obituaries you just come across, others you have to look for, this is in the latter camp.


Robert Parlane

b 29thMarch 1871, Camelon, Stirlingshire
d 9th March 1934, Camelon, Stirlingshire

Debut – Saturday August 24th 1895 v Kilsyth Wanderers (A) Midland League
Positions – Goalkeeper

Club Honours – Midland League RU 1895/96, Stirlingshire CupW 1895/96, Falkirk Infirmary Shield RU 1895/96
Scottish Qualifying Cup Matches/Goals [9/-]
Midland League Matches/Goals [14/-]
Scottish Combination Matches/Goals [1/-]
Stirlingshire Cup Matches/Goals [6/-]
Falkirk Infirmary Shield Matches/Goals [2/-]
Other Matches/Goals [20/-]
Known Career – Camelon [1893/94-1895/96], Falkirk [1895/96-1896/97], Camelon [1897/98-1898/99]

↧
↧

Archie Waugh - Falkirk FC Graves

September 1, 2016, 9:37 am
$
0
0
Whilst out and about perusing my local Cemetery [Camelon] recently I happened across another name from the past that I recognised.


I humbly apologise for my reflection ;(

I will not bluster, Archie Waugh was an average defender, but was a local lad, and son of Thomas a former secretary: after not being able to find a guaranteed spot at Falkirk he moved around before coming back to end his career as a reserve/cover in the late twenties.


Archibald Waugh

b c1899, Falkirk, Stirlingshire
d 5th July 1962, Falkirk, Stirlingshire

Debut – Wednesday April 30th 1919 v Cowie Wanderers (H) Benefit Match
League Debut – Saturday September 27th 1919 v Airdrieonians (H) Scottish League
Positions – Right-Half

Club Honours – Stirlingshire Cup W 1919/20, RU 1920/21, Stirlingshire Consolation Cup W 1921/22, Falkirk Infirmary Shield W 1927/28

Known Career – Gairdoch Thistle, Falkirk [1918/19-1921/22], Cowdenbeath [1922/23], King's Park [1922/23-1925/26], Falkirk [1926/27-1929/30]

↧

John Rattray - Falkirk FC 1910-1913

September 3, 2016, 9:28 am
$
0
0

John Rattray

b c1891, Ballingry, Fife
d c1958

Debut – Saturday December 24th 1910 v Raith Rovers (A) Scottish League Division 1
Positions – Centre-Forward
Known Career – Lumphinnans Swifts, Falkirk [1910/11-1912/13], Raith Rovers [1913/14-1914/15], Dunfermline Athletic [1915/16], Ayr United [1915/16], Raith Rovers [1915/16-1920/21], Dumbarton [1918/19], Bethlehem Steel (USA) [1921/22-1923/24], Raith Rovers [1924/25], Dumbarton [1925/26]
Notes – Scored on his League Debut
Height - 5 ft 7½ in: Weight 12 st 0 lbs [1913]


↧

Robert Godfrey signs up for McCrae's Battalion 1914

September 15, 2016, 2:06 pm
$
0
0
After digging about on the internet today, I came across the attestation papers of Falkirk FC's Robert "Bob" Godfrey, one of the Falkirk players who joined the 16th Royal Scots in the very early days of the war.


A local lad, the family living on the Tryst Road, 'Bob' had just made the step up from junior football in 1912, and was begining to settle into the Falkirk side as a regular as war was breaking out.

Although normally a centre-half, he occasionally played at right-half, and was Falkirk's emergency goalkeeper [in fact he played a number of games between the sticks for the reserves].

After eventually being given a medeical discharge for having "hammer toe", Bob assisted Stenhousemuir before rejoining the Bairns for a season or two. Then he set off on a journey round many of the Scottish Second Division in the immediate post-war years.

Robert Godfrey

b c1891, Larbert, Stirlingshire

Falkirk Debut – Wednesday September 4th 1912 v Heart of Midlothian (H) Benefit Match
Falkirk League Debut – Saturday April 11th 1914 v St Mirren (A) Scottish League Division 1

Positions – Centre-Half, Right-Half, Goalkeeper [occ]

Falkirk Club Honours – Stirlingshire Cup RU 1913/14, 1914/15, Stirlingshire Consolation Cup W 1912/13

Known Career – Longcroft, Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Banknock Juniors, Falkirk [1912/13-1914/15], Stenhousemuir [WWI], Falkirk [1918/19], Bathgate [1919/20], East Stirlingshire [1919/20-1920/21], Bathgate [1920/21], Ayr United [1920/21], Alloa Athletic [1920/21], Dumbarton [1921/22], St Bernards [1921/22], Vale of Leven [1922/23], Clackmannan [1922/23], East Stirlingshire [1922/23]

NB- I have read that Robert was the Grandfather of St Mirren & Falkirk's Peter Godfrey, but have been unable to find any definitive proof of the link.
↧
Search

Eben Taylor - Falkirk FC 1902-1903

September 17, 2016, 8:49 am
$
0
0
When researching football players in the dim and distant past I often have to try to find out about their lives outside of football, this can help since it adds more than just puting a players name and clubs into your friendly search engine. When you throw in an adress/spouse's name/employment it just gives more options to explore.

Which is why I was very impressed when I stumbled across the army record of Ebenezer Taylor on one of those stupidly expensive genealogy sites [however I was "researching" on a day when they were giving free access to their military papers last week ;)], and most impressed when I found a letter from his employers Aitken's Brewery to the Army stating that they would re-employ him upon his demobilisation.


From his papers also came lots of biographical details, including his family, and, interestingly [to me anyway], a paper stating that he had been a P.O.W. towards the end of the War.


Now this has got me puzzled, it has the date and place of capture 28th March 1918 at Monchy [which I assume is Monchy-le-Preux], and that he was last interned at what looks like "Wallers", and it is this last name that puzzles me, I can find nothing like this name in the list of Prisoner of War centres used during the War....

As a player he seems to have been good enough, if not setting the world ablaze, and dissapeared from the team as quickly and as anonymously as he appeared. All I know about his past was a throw-away remark on his debut match about him being "a Stirling Junior", and as far as I'm aware he never kicked a ball in anger after leaving Falkirk.

He is occasionally mentioned in the Falkirk Herald, living in Penders Lane,  usually in connection with the brewery, up until 1934, when he simply dissapears, and then in 1943 he is noted as the Late E.Taylor on the occasion of the marriage of his youngest daughter. But in between I have found nothing. Looks like I'm going to have to look to the Falkirk Mail to save the day [again].

Ebenezer Taylor

b c1882, Stirling, Stirlingshire

Debut – Monday August 4th 1902 v Alloa Athletic (A) Stirlingshire Coronation Cup 1st Rd replay
League Debut – Saturday August 16th 1902 v Clyde (A) Scottish League Division 2

Positions – Inside-Right, Inside-Left, Centre-Forward

Club Honours – Stirlingshire Consolation Cup W 1902/03

Scottish League Div 2 Matches/Goals  12/2
Scottish Qualifying Cup Matches/Goals  1/-
Stirlingshire Cup Matches/Goals  1/1
Stirlingshire Consolation Cup Matches/Goals  2/-
Stirlingshire Coronation Cup Matches/Goals  1/-
Falkirk Hospitals Shield Matches/Goals  1/-
Other Matches/Goals  1/1

Total Matches/Goals  19/4

Known Career – Falkirk [1902/03-1903/04]

Played in Falkirk's first ever Scottish League Match v Clyde (A) Scottish League Division 2, 16th August 1902
↧
↧

James Laing WWI

October 9, 2016, 3:25 pm
$
0
0
I haven't posted anything in a while mainly because I like to space posts out and because I have been taking advantage of Ancestry's free weekend to look up stuff [for example I found four Falkirk players that served in WWI that I never knew about].

I mean who would have known that Peter Gardiner was in the Army Pay Corp 1914-1918?, or that Thomas Bellingham [who played in the 1880s] at the age of 58 signed up for the Royal Defence Corps, or that Robert Terris was a mechanic in the Fleet Air Arm at HMS Daedalus?

Anyway I'm posting now because I found one of the worst examples of beaurocracy from the Army, ever, on James Higgins Laing's record:

On his conduct sheet, under "Offence"


I'm pretty sure, with a bit of thought, N/A, would have been applicable.

NB - Just for accuracy the other one was John Hotchkies in the A & S Highlanders.
↧

Plagiarism

October 9, 2016, 4:09 pm
$
0
0
I find it frankly sad when the supposedly educated people at Edinburgh University take my own, shoddy, work and try and pass it off as their own.

The devil is in the very last sentence of both articles, which I added to this blog beyond the article.

Me http://www.falkirk-football-history.co.uk/2013/06/charlie-stirling-prisoner-of-war.html

Edinburgh University http://archive.is/Irtw9

Never trust one of their history degrees, they probably read it on the internet.

(Hey, Kids at Edinburgh, a reference would have done it) 
↧

Alva, Stirlingshire?

October 15, 2016, 8:48 am
$
0
0
You often hear about people's favourite moment in sport, whether it be a player droning on about such and such a goal, or a fan droning on about how [insert team/player] beat [insert team/player] and it is frankly dull IMHO.

I am a bit weird that way, I like interesting things, so I cannot relate first hand about my favourite moment in sport, partially because I have considered it, but mainly because I was not there, and it happened nearly a hundred years before I was born.

In August 1891 the Boundary Commission for Scotland transferred Alva, previously an enclave of Stirlingshire, to Clackmannanshire [where it now resides].

This, I hear no-one say, does not seem like one of the most important anythings in anything. Perhaps not, but it was pretty important for the Stirlingshire FA.

It was implicit in the Stirlingshire F.A.'s rules, that not only must the clubs be within Stirlingshire, but that the players be born in, or reside within the county to be eligible for matches.

This would be fine, had the Boundary Commission made their decision even a month previously, but now the season had started, Alva were members of the Stirlingshire FA, Alva had been drawn against Campsie in the first Round of the Cup, but Alva were not eligible to compete in the cup, yet most of their players were.


In the end it was simple for the Stirlingshire FA, they ruled that since the Glebe Park [below] was now in Clackmannanshire, the club [who were the members of the Association] could not play, Campsie [from Lennoxtown [yes, Lennoxtown was in Stirlingshire back then]] were awarded the win in the First Round, and Alva never re-entered the Stirlingshire Cup.


Glebe Park, at the East End of Stirling Street, Alva, as of 1891 now definitely NOT in Stirlingshire.
↧

1900 - East Stirlingshire's Summer of Cricket

May 30, 2017, 12:02 am
$
0
0
During the football off-season of 1900, just on the brink of their entry into the Scottish League, East Stirlingshire decided to convert their ground, Merchiston Park, into a cricket ground for the summer. Eh?

Now, all of us who know, know East Stirlingshire were formed out of a cricket team, but like most professional club had long forsaken the summer game in favour the people's game. What is fascinating to me is the shockingly low scoring [by both teams], and since I seriously doubt it was due to the bowlers being at the top level, it must be down to playing the matches on a converted football ground which had just been through a long season. It was not until the last match for which there is a scorecard that any of the sides made a total of more than 50 [and then only just]. The matches were all one innings games, but it seems that if there was enough time, they would bat again.

All the matches were against members of the Falkirk & District Cricket League, and I can't help wondering if East Stirlingshire were shadowing the league with ideas of entering a side in future, however with their joining the ranks of the Scottish League, this was never going to work out.


25th? June East Stirlingshire v Falkirk Central at Merchiston Pk, Bainsford?

No Scorecard found

"Last week they had a defeat from Falkirk Central."


Mon 25th June East Stirlingshire v Thornbank at Merchiston Pk, Bainsford
 
East Stirlingshire
G.McGregor b Haig                 23
R.Clark b Haig                     0
J.Shirra c McVey b Haig            5
W.Wright b McVey                   0
P.Stewart c Walker b McVey         4
W.Allan b McVey                    2
J.C.Johnstone b McVey              0
J.Williamson b Haig                0
J.Graham b McVey                   1
D.Alexander not out                0
A.Scott b Haig                     0
  Extras                           3
Total                             38

Bowling
McVey   ?-?-17-5
Haig    ?-?-21-5

Thornbank
A.Walker c Clark b Wright          8
G.Allan c Scott b Allan            4
E.McPhie c & b Wright             12
D.Mullholland c Shirra b Wright    0
W.McVey b Wright                   0
T.Haig b McGregor                  5
R.Bell b Wright                    0
J.Stewart b McGregor               0
J.Bellingham c McGregor b Wright   3
J.McVey b Wright                   0
J.Forrester not out                2
  Extras                           4
Total                             38

Bowling
Wright   ?-?-13-7
McGregor ?-?-11-2
Allan    ?-?-7-1

Match Tied


Thu 12th July East Stirlingshire v Invergrange at Merchiston Pk, Bainsford
 
East Stirlingshire
G.McGregor b Aitken               13
R.Wilson b Whittock                7
P.Stewart b Flannigan              2
W.Wright b Aitken                  5
W.Allan b Aitken                   2
James Mitchell b Aitken            0
J.C.Johnstone b Aitken             0
R.Clark b Aitken                   0
J.Graham c Milne b Whittock        2
J.Williamson not out               0
J.Mitchell b Whittock              0
  Extras                           3
Total                             34

Bowling
Aitken     ?-?-?-6
Whittock   ?-?-?-3
Flannigan  ?-?-?-1

Invergrange
J.Flannigan b Wright               8
R.Whittock b McGregor              1
D.Millan b McGregor                2
W.Smith hit wkt b Wright           0
Hill Aitken c Wilson b Wright      2
R.McColl c Clark b McGregor        0
N.Whitehead b McGregor             0
J.S.Knowles b Wright               0
D.Rigg b Wright                    1
J.Scarborough c Clark b McGregor   1
J.Smith not out                    0
  Extra                            1
Total                             16

Bowling
Wright    ?-?-?-5
McGregor  ?-?-?-5
 
East Stirlingshire won by 18 runs.

Notes

The match ended early so ES went in for a second innings, they had reached 82-8 before rain stopped play.
Hill Aitken was Falkirk FC's reglar left-back, and had guested a number of times for East Stirlingshire.


Tue 17th July East Stirlingshire v Invergrange
 
Invergrange
J.Flannigan c & b McGregor         2
T.Learmonth lbw b Wright           2
D.Millan lbw b Wright             24
R.Whyttock b McGregor              2
H.Aitken run out                   5
W.Smith b McGregor                 3
R.McColl b Wright                  0
J.Smith b Wright                   0
J.Robertson b McGregor             1
J.Bow b McGregor                   2
G.Currie not out                   0
  Extras                           1
Total                             43

Bowling
McGregor  ?-?-?-4
Wright    ?-?-?-5

East Stirlingshire
R.Wilson b Learmonth               1
W.Allan c Millan b Learmonth       3
G.McGregor b Learmonth             0
W.Wright c Millan b Aitken         1
J.Mitchell run out                 2
P.Stewart c & b Learmonth          3
R.Clark b Aitken                   1
W.Roberts c Millan b Aitken        1
J.C.Johnston b Aitken              0
J.Williamson not out               0
J.Graham c & b Aitken              1
  Extras                           2
Total                             15

Bowling
Learmonth  ?-?-?-4
Aitken     ?-?-?-5

Notes
"E.S. went in for a second innings, when they were all dismissed for 21, Invergrange thus winning by an innings and seven runs."


Wed 18th July East Stirlingshire v Caledonia at Merchiston Pk, Bainsford?

No scorecard found.

"on Wednesday Caledonia only defeated them by 1 run, the scores being 18 and 19. In a second innings East Stirlingshire put on a good score."


Tue 24th July East Stirlingshire v Caledonia at Merchiston Pk, Bainsford
 
East Stirlingshire
N.Whitehead b Allan               18
W.Roberts b Lyon                   0
J.Hastings c Roper b Rigg          0
P.Stewart b Bain                   8
J.Dale b Allan                     1
J.Mitchell b Allan                 7
J.Williamson not out              10
W.Wright b Allan                   0
R.Clark b J.Mallice                1
J.Campbell b J.Mallice             2
H.Lyon b J.Mallice                 1
  Extras                           3
Total                             51

Bowling
Allan       ?-?-?-4
Lyon        ?-?-?-1
Rigg        ?-?-?-1
Bain        ?-?-?-1
J.Mallice   ?-?-?-3

Caledonia
J.Bain b Whitehead                 0
A.Mallice b Whitehead              3
W.Allan b Wright                  21
D.Rigg b Wright                    0
J.Mallice b Whitehead              3
A.Lyon b Wright                    9
W.Alexander b Whitehead            0
R.Kerr b Wright                    0
S.Roper b Wright                   0
J.Wilkie b Whitehead               1
A.Scott not out                    0
  Extras                           2
Total                             39

Bowling
Whitehead   ?-?-?-5
Wright      ?-?-?-5

Note This seems to have been played between two 'scratch' elevens, the Caledonia XI playing several guests including Willie Allan of ESFC; Sammy Roper of Falkirk FC & Thornbank CC, A.Lyon of Thornbank CC and Rigg of Invergrange CC, while East stirlingshire had the assistance of Whitehead of Falkirk Central CC.

East Stirlingshire were scheduled to play Falkirk Central on Tue 31st July to close their summer of cricket, but I have yet to find any reports of the match taking place.
↧
↧

Football and Drunkenness

June 29, 2017, 12:18 am
$
0
0
As I have previously noted, James 'Midgy' Tennant liked a drink, so much so it often got in the way of his football career. I just found this article about his 'exploits' being reported as far away as Angus.



Montrose, Arbroath & Brechin Review - November 27th 1896
↧

George Thallon

July 1, 2017, 11:56 am
$
0
0

Edinburgh Evening News - Tuesday June 19th 1894

This is the closest thing to an obituary I have found for the former King's Park & Falkirk FC centre-forward George Thallon. His inclusion in the papers [it was also in the Scotsman] leaves a lot of questions unanswered. I won't even go there, although I'm pretty sure there is a report I'd like to read somewhere in the archives of the Glasgow Police.

Born in Stirling to a Railway family, George was however brought up in Leith, and soon after school became a clerk with the North British Railway Company. It was through this employment, as Goods Clerk, that he moved first to Stirling Station, then to Falkirk Grahamston Station. In 1889 it was reported that the NBR had moved him back to Edinburgh.

During his time in Falkirk not only did he play football, but was active with the two main cross-country clubs, Clydesdale Harriers and Falkirk Heavy Weather Club, even playing football for both against senior opposition.

Which brings me back to his end, I mean he was missing for more than a month, then dead, says neither suicide nor homicide, more like misadventure.




The only picture I have of him, from an 1885/86 King's Park team photo.

George Thallon

b 23rd January 1863, Stirling, Stirlingshire
d 17th June 1894, Glasgow

Known Debut - Saturday September 5th 1885 King's Park v Partick Thistle (H) Friendly
Competitive Debut – Saturday September 12th 1885 King's Park v Campsie Avondale (H) Scottish Cup 1st Rd

Falkirk Debut – Saturday April 16th 1887 v Alloa Athletic (H) Friendly
Falkirk Competitive Debut – Saturday May 4th 1887 v East Stirlingshire (A) Falkirk District Charity Cup Semi-Final

Positions – Centre-Forward [occ Goalkeeper]

Known King's Park Career
Scottish Cup Matches/Goals 2/1
Stirlingshire Cup Matches/Goals 5/5
Other Matches/Goals 7/1

Known Norton Park Career
Other Matches/Goals 1/-

Known Falkirk Career
Scottish Cup Matches/Goals 2/1
Falkirk District Charity Cup Matches/Goals 2/1
Other Matches/Goals 11/7

Known East Stirlingshire Career
2nd XI matches only.

Known Career
Scottish Cup Matches/Goals 4/2
Stirlingshire Cup Matches/Goals 5/5
Falkirk District Charity Cup Matches/Goals 2/1
Other Matches/Goals 21/8

Known Career – King's Park [1885/86], Norton Park [1886/87], Falkirk [1886/87-1888/89], East Stirlingshire [1888/89]

Played for Falkirk Heavy Weather v Kilsyth Wanderers XI, Friendly at Garrell Garden Pk, Kilsyth, 12th May 1888
Played for Clydesdale Harriers [Falkirk] v Falkirk FC, Friendly at Brockville Pk, Falkirk, 5th January 1889

↧
Search

Grandsable Cemetery

July 31, 2017, 1:32 pm
$
0
0
Having finally got my bike back into working order, I decided to get out again and look for more gravestones of footballers from the district. Since I have almost exhausted Camelon this time I decided to turn my attention to Grandsable Cemetery.


Although nominally the Cemetery for Grangemouth, Grandsable is not really in any particular place, and the villages of Polmont, Westquarter, Redding & Laurieston are probably closer to it than Grangemouth. But as "The Port" is the largest town in the area it is generally seen as being the Grangemouth Cemetery.

The cemetery has a weird layout, it was built on a undulating slope [which doesn't seem the wisest place to place large stone blocks, but they never do ask me about these things], and seems to have been designed radiating out from a central area, but has been cramped in by both roads and natural limitations, making the graves at the outer parts of the cemetery in quite irregular formations.


From the earliest days of football in the district, players were sought from Grangemouth and the Lower Braes [especially when Grangemouth was a staunchly Rugby town] so there ought to be a fair few in there, over and above the couple I know about from their obits. So there will be a couple more Falkirk FC graves posts soon.

Known players commemorated in Grandsable Cemetery:

Peter Auchinachie
[Falkirk Amateurs, Falkirk]

Archibald Jack
[Falkirk, Armadale, Leith Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, South Shields]

George Mason
[Falkirk, Dundee United, Stranraer, Montrose, Alloa Athletic, East Stirlingshire, St Johnstone]

Charles Napier
[Celtic, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Falkirk, Stenhousemuir]

William Orrock
[East Stirlingshire]

John Ramsay
[Falkirk]

Clyde Skene
[Falkirk Amateurs, Stenhousemuir, Queen's Park, Falkirk, Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic, Montrose]

↧

Falkirk FC Graves - Archie Jack

August 1, 2017, 3:41 am
$
0
0
Signed from prominent Grangemouth junior club Forth Rangers, Archibald Jack was a promising Outside-Left who Falkirk signed at the beginning of the 1913/14 season, but who seemed to have made a good enough impression in his first two reserve matches to be given a shot in a relatively minor match for the first team.

Kilsyth Chronicle - 29th Aug 1913

Jack made his full Falkirk debut against Hearts in the Semi-Final [2nd Rd] of the Dunedin Cup [the Dunedin Cup if you didn't know was a Cup for Edinburgh clubs, plus for some reason never explained Falkirk & Raith Rovers], and Falkirk got a pasting, but luckily for the club with nine minutes to play, the referee stopped the game because of bad light [Falkirk won the 'replay'].

The Scotsman [London Hearts]

Apart from a couple of appearances in early season benefit matches Archie remained solidly in the 'A' side for the next couple of weeks, making his League debut at Pittodrie in a scoreless draw, Archie apparently missing an open goal.....

But, this was not the reason he made so few appearances for the club, it was mainly because Falkirk stuck with Robert Terris at Outside-Left [a move vindicated by the fact that Liverpool signed Terris in February] and already had a replacement for Terris in William Lennie of Aberdeen.

So Archie played out the season in the reserves, winning the Stirlingshire Consolation Cup [Final held over from 1912/13], and being a Runner-Up in the Stirlingshire Cup, making only occasional first team appearances when Terris or Lennie were indisposed, before moving on to Armadale at the end of the season.

After a season and a bit with Armadale he moved on to Leith Athletic until he was called up for the war effort.

It was while he was at Aldershot that he seems to have played occasionally with Tottenham [and indeed it seems preferred playing football to messing about with that army business.

Pall Mall Gazette - April 2nd 1918

I cannot find much information about his time at Spurs [English Football Historians do not seem to pay much heed to their wartime football for some reason], nor have I found any documentation from his time in the army: after Spurs he moved on to South Shields for a time before seemingly drifting off the footballing map.

It was only because I recognised his name whilst checking through Grandsable Cemetery that I was able to confirm that it was him from the papers.


Falkirk Herald - Saturday 3rd December 1938

ARCHIBALD JACK

b 15th August 1889, Grangemouth, Stirlingshire
d 26th November 1938, Grangemouth, Stirlingshire

Debut – Monday August 25th 1913 v Heart of Midlothian (A) Dunedin Cup 1st Rd [Abandoned]
League Debut – Saturday September 13th 1913 v Aberdeen (H) Scottish League Division 1

Known Career – Forth Rangers, Falkirk [1913/14], Armadale [1914/15-1915/16], Leith Athletic [1915/16-1917/18], Tottenham Hotspur [1917/18-1918/19], South Shields [1919/20].

Falkirk

Scottish League Division 1 Matches/Goals 8/1
North-Eastern Cup Matches/Goals 1/-
Stirlingshire Cup Matches/Goals 3/-
Stirlingshire Consolation Cup Matches/Goals 1/-
Other Matches/Goals 4/-

Armadale

Unknown

Leith Athletic

Unknown

Tottenham Hotspur

London Combination Matches/Goals 19/7

South Shields

English League Division 2 Matches/Goals 7/1

↧
↧

Falkirk Amateurs FC Graves : Peter Auchinachie

August 2, 2017, 8:11 am
$
0
0


Falkirk Herald - Wednesday May 4th 1910

Another chap who was better known locally for his place in the upper echelons of civic society than for his youthful exploits on the football field, was Peter Auchinachie, for many a year Rector of Grangemouth High School and a Justice of the Peace to boot. Although born in Banff, Peter's family moved first to the Glen Village then to Falkirk when he was but a lad, and it was at Falkirk High School that his twin loves of education and football were kindled.

But in 1893 his services were to be temporarily lost to local clubs as he went up to Glasgow University to undertake his masters [I believe it was in economics but I am not sure]. At the same time he qualified 4th in his class at the CoS Training College [the institution that became Jordanhill College]. In a later commemoration of him it was stated that he played for the University's football club during his time but I have found no evidence of this from the time.

The first time I have found him relating to football is from Falkirk Amateur's first ever match a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Camelon's 2nd XI right at the tail-end of the 1896/97 season. And although I have never found anything to tie down the formation of Falkirk Ams it is not too far to surmise that most, if not all, of the players in that match were among the founders of the club.

Although he was a stalwart of Falkirk Amateurs for it's first two full seasons, his appointment as Assistant Headmaster of Grangemouth High effectively ended his playing days. During this time he managed to play the one match for Falkirk FC [he played in the last Central Combination match of the 1897/98 season as Thomas Turnbull had made it clear that he was leaving for East Stirlingshire as soon as possible], yet his association with the town's professional club was not over, as Peter served on the committee between 1901 and 1904, as well as temporarily holding the post of treasurer in 1903 when Harry McNaught emigrated to the USA.

After this point though the only references to him are to do with his educational career, Falkirk FC in 1905 became a PLC, and there was no need for a committee, and certainly not a committee made up of gentlemanly amateurs with a love of the game, and his attentention seem to have shifted toward the Grangemouth Burns Club.


The Scotsman - Saturday January 16th 1937



Peter's Grave in Grandsable Cemetery

Peter Auchinachie

b 16th April, 1874, Banff, Banffshire
d 15th January 1937, Grangemouth, Stirlingshire

Debut – Saturday April 3 1897 Falkirk Amateurs v Camelon 2nd XI (A) Friendly
Competitive Debut - Sat September 11 1897 Falkirk Amateurs v East Stirlingshire (A) Scottish Qualifying Cup 1st Rd

Positions – Right-Back, Right-Half

Known Career – Falkirk High School, Whitefield Swifts, Dalbeattie Star, Glasgow University, Falkirk Amateurs [1896/97-1898/99], Falkirk [1897/98]

Known Career

Glasgow University

Unknown

Falkirk Amateurs

Scottish Qualifying Cup Matches/Goals [1/-]
Falkirk & District League Matches/Goals [5/-]
Stirlingshire Cup Matches/Goals [2/-]
Stirlingshire Consolation Cup Matches/Goals [4/-]
Falkirk Hospitals Shield Matches/Goals [2/-]
Other Matches/Goals [9/-]

Nota Bene - Falkirk Amateurs suffered from a lack of indepth reporting in its very early years so this only represents matches with team line-ups, he probably played in a good number more.

Falkirk

Central Combination Matches/Goals [1/-]
↧

Lost Football Grounds of Falkirk District - Muirhead Park

August 16, 2017, 4:13 am
$
0
0
Grangemouth Football Club, never world-beaters, nonetheless had one of most centrally located and easily accessable grounds in all of Stirlingshire. Their home for most of their history was Caledonian Park, in the centre of town and most importantly only yards away from Grangemouth Train Station. But for a couple of years before this they had played at just the other side of the Grange Burn at Muirhead Park.

Grangemouth FC started in January 1886 as most clubs did, playing on the local public park, but the Portonians had ambition, and in order to compete, SFA rules stated that clubs had to have their own enclosed ground. So the committee started to look for a potential site of their own. Just in time for the start of the 1886/87 season the Club announced that it had secured the lease of a field from Peter Muirhead Esq. of Grangemouth for £15 per annum. This ground, which came to be known as Muirhead Park, has been erased from the face of Grangemouth, making it very hard to locate exactly. It seems to have been placed between the South Shore Road and Grangemouth's "New Dock": The Falkirk Herald [14th Aug 1886] stated that "their new field ... is situated at the back of Muirhead's Buildings". The big problem being that Muirhead's Buildings also no longer exist.

I had always suspected that Muirhead Park was under the BP for some reason, not quite, but I was in the right direction. First I had to find some clue about it's whereabouts, it came in a notice in the Herald earlier that year that the Surveyor General of the Post Office in Edinburgh was to include "the Hospital, Muirhead's Buildings, Grangemouth Saw Mill, and Grangemouth Iron Works" in the Grangemouth postal delivery. Since I have looked at the 1897 OS map of Grangemouth several times, I knew there was a huge foundry just to the east of the town, and checking it again I noticed it was situated in between a hospital and a saw mill, with the buildings on Zetland Street, presumably Muirhead's Buildings.


Grangemouth Foundry, Saw Mills and the previous site of Muirhead Park 1897

This leaves me with a final problem, from the only locator I have, the ground was 'at the back of Muirhead's Buildings" which to me looks like the Hospital and Foundry, so I can only suppose it really meant at the back of the foundry, just to the north of 'Saw Mills' on the map. But without some other clues I will be tantalisingly close whilst never completely sure of the exact location, and of whether it was aligned North-South or East-West [or even on a diagonal!].


Current site of the Foundry, Saw Mills and Muirhead Park from NLS Maps [click to explore]

The ground was 'christened' with a friendly visit from Camelon on the 4th of September, a 3-3 draw, and was celebrated by the Zetland Brass Band playing the players on to the pitch, the Falkirk Herald's only reference to the ground itself being that it was too narrow.

However the biggest game at Muirhead Park was undoubtedly when Grangemouth somehow contrived to get the full Rangers side down to the Port for a friendly in March 1887, and although only 300 hardy souls turned up, and Grangemouth were beaten, though at 4-1 not hammered it still stands as an impressive coup for the club.


However, only one match that could in anyway be considered official for the purpose of records took place on the ground, when East Stirlingshire defeated Grangemouth 5-2 in the First round of the Scottish Cup Matches on the 3rd September 1887, strangely all four of Grangemouth's Stirlingshire Cup matches at the time were drawn away, and the Falkirk District Charity Cup matches were always played at neutral venues.

In June of 1888 Grangemouth FC were informed that the ground was needed 'for storing purposes' in future, and that they would have to find a new park.
↧

Lost Football Grounds of Falkirk District - Inns Park

August 25, 2017, 4:47 am
$
0
0
The home ground of Carron FC [1884-1888] was Inns Park, neither of which names have remained with us through history. To be fair Carron were never a great club, I'm not sure most people would class them as a Senior Club since they never played in the Scottish Cup. But they did play with the 'big boys' in the Stirlingshire Cup & Falkirk District Cup, so I would err in their favour.

Inns Park though, was not just the ground of Carron FC though, the inter-office matches of the Carron Works were also played there, and for a while these were very popular. Which leads to the possibility that Carron FC, if not a works team, was heavily linked with the Iron works. It was a major employer in the town and a disproportionately large number of players came through the ranks of Carron FC to the bigger clubs than other clubs of a similar size.

I am not 100% sure that the earliest recorded matches in Carron were played at this ground, but there are not many other places in Carron where a game of football could easily have been played, so it is probable. The only thing that caused the local press to mention Inns Park was when Brockville Park & Merchiston Park were occuped by the First Team and Reserve matches, Inns Park often hosted the 3rd XI fixture.


↧
Viewing all 290 articles
Browse latest View live
Search
<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>