Cambuslang St Bride's F.C. Explained

Clubname:Cambuslang St Bride's
Fullname:Cambuslang St Bride's Football Club
Nickname:the Saints
Founded:1889
Dissolved:1893
Ground:Westburn Park
Owntitle:Hon. Secretary
Owner:R. Morgan
Chrtitle:Match Secretary
Chairman:Hugh Gallacher
Mgrtitle:Captain
Leftarm1:008000
Body1:008000
Rightarm1:008000
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Socks1:008000

Cambuslang St Bride's Football Club was an association football club from Cambuslang, Lanarkshire.

History

The club was founded in 1889 by Glaswegian workers from Douglas, Lanarkshire,[1] after predecessor Irish diaspora club Cambuslang Hibernian had been expelled from the Scottish Football Association for financial shenanigans.[2] It played at the same Westburn Park ground as the Hibernians and took its name from a local Roman Catholic parish which had been founded in 1878.[3]

The club was admitted to both the Scottish Football Association[4] and the Glasgow Football Association[5] in August 1889. The difficulties it had in the shadow of the much bigger Cambuslang F.C., as well as the now-Junior Hibs, were shown by the club losing its first match 8–1 at Whifflet Shamrock.[6] Facing an inevitable defeat at home to Airdrieonians in the first round of the 1889–90 Scottish Cup, St Bride's "scratched on the field" and played a friendly instead, which the visitors won 7–1.[7]

A week later the Saints scratched to Northern in the 1889–90 Glasgow Cup.[8] It was the Saints' sole entry to the competition, as it left the Glasgow FA in August 1890.[9] It kept its Scottish FA membership open to enter the 1890–91 Scottish Cup, and was drawn to play comparative minnow Rutherglen. However, again, St Bride's scratched,[10] again played out a friendly, and again suffered a six-goal drubbing, this time 6–0.[11]

The club had more success playing Junior sides, such as beating Millburn Athletic 5–0[12] but by November 1890 was struggling to form an XI, only seven players turning up for consecutive games against Glasgow East End (albeit with four substitutes St Bride's still won 2–0)[13] and against the Clyde F.C. reserve side.[14]

The Saints somehow kept going to 1891–92, but scratched a third time in the Scottish Cup, this time to Carrington in the first qualifying round,[15] After three successive withdrawals, the Scottish FA could not let the Saints remain as members, and the club does not seem to have played after a 2–1 win against the short-lived Linfield side of Anniesland in February 1892.[16]

Colours

The club played in green.[17]

Ground

The club played at Westburn Park,[18] also known as Roslea Park.[19]

Notes and References

  1. Douglas F.C. v St Bride's F.C. . Hamilton Herald . 25 July 1890 . 7.
  2. Scottish Football Association . Dundee Courier . 23 January 1889 . 4.
  3. Web site: St Bride's, Cambuslang . Diocese of Motherwell . 3 August 2023.
  4. Book: Scottish FA Minutes 1887–90 . 20 August 1889 . Scottish Football Association . Glasgow . 179.
  5. Glasgow Football Association . Lothian Courier . 17 August 1889 . 6.
  6. Football notes . Coatbridge Express . 4 September 1889 . 4.
  7. Cambuslang St Bride v Airdrieonians . Rutherglen Reformer . 13 September 1889 . 7.
  8. Football notes . Rutherglen Reformer . 27 September 1889 . 7.
  9. Glasgow Football Association . Dundee Courier . 13 August 1890 . 4.
  10. Book: McDowall . John . Scottish Football Annual 1890–91 . 1890 . Hay Nisbet. 38.
  11. Rutherglen v St Bride's . Rutherglen Reformer . 12 September 1890 . 7.
  12. St Bride's v Millburn Athletic . Hamilton Herald . 26 September 1890 . 7.
  13. St Brides v Glasgow East-End . Hamilton Herald . 21 November 1890 . 7.
  14. Barrowfield XI (Clyde) v St Bride's . Hamilton Herald . 28 November 1890 . 7.
  15. Scottish Cup Scratchings . Aberdeen Evening Express . 7 September 1891 . 4.
  16. Saturday's football . Glasgow Herald . 29 February 1892 . 12.
  17. Book: McDowall . John . Scottish Football Annual 1890–91 . 1890 . Hay Nisbet. 97.
  18. Book: McDowall . John . Scottish Football Annual 1890–91 . 1890 . Hay Nisbet. 97.
  19. St Bride's v Millburn Athletic . Hamilton Herald . 26 September 1890 . 7.