Mauchline F.C.
| Full name | Mauchline Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Boxmakers[1] | |
| Founded | 1873 | |
| Dissolved | 1897 | |
| Ground | Connel Park, Mauchline | |
| Secretary | William Murray, John Paton | |
| League | Ayrshire Football League (1891–1892) South of Scotland Football League (1892–1993) | |
| | ||
Mauchline Football Club was a senior football team based in the small town of Mauchline in East Ayrshire.
History
[edit]The club was founded in 1873. Its first match against another side was in February 1874, against Ayr Academy.[2]
Mauchline was an original member of two ill-fated leagues who survived for just one season, The Ayrshire Football League for the 1891–92 season and the original South of Scotland Football League in 1892–93.[3]
However, Mauchline were better known as a cup team, appearing in every Scottish Cup from 1875–76 to 1885–86, and often reaching the later rounds.
In 1877–78 they reached the quarter-finals only to lose 1–3 away to the eventual winners, Renton.[4]
In the same season, the club won the Ayrshire Cup for the only time, beating Portland 4–2 in the final, played at Holm Quarry, the home ground for a number of other Kilmarnock sides. The match proved to be a test between the Portland's wider wing play and Mauchline's more compact forward line; Portland's opening goal was a Goldie header from a Sinclair corner, and the club went 2–1 up after Mauchline's back Wilson impeded his goalkeeper, but two goals in the last 20 minutes won the trophy for Mauchline.[5] Portland had a measure of revenge in 1878–79 by winning the Burns Cup, an invitational tournament to raise funds for a statue to Robert Burns, coming from behind to beat Mauchline 2–1 in the final - the first time the Portland had beaten the Mauchline.[6]
The senior club dissolved in 1897 but adopted junior status as Mauchline Thistle Football Club, which itself disbanded just seven years later.
A second Mauchline Football Club was founded in 1911 and existed until 1922 although all competitions were suspended throughout the First World War, 1914–1918.[7]
Colours
[edit]The club played in blue and white hooped jerseys and hose, with white knickers.[8]
Ground
[edit]The club's ground at Connel Park was a 3-minute walk from the Mauchline railway station.[9] As late as 1886 the club did not have facilities on the ground, teams having to change at the Loudoun Hotel.[10]
Notable players
[edit]- Dr John Smith gained four of his ten Scottish caps whilst a Mauchline player, scoring three goals; he was the sole club representative to have been selected for international duty.[11]
- Hughie Wilson played for the club until 1884.[12]
- W. H. Campbell of Mauchline F.C. finished second in the Scottish long jump championship of 1888.[13]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ayr Charity Cup Tie". Irvine Express: 8. 27 February 1885.
- ^ "Kilwinning". Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald: 5. 7 February 1874.
- ^ http://scottish-football-historical-archive.com Archived 2009-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Grand Football Match". Kilmarnock Standard: 2. 20 April 1878.
- ^ "Burns Cup Final Tie". Kilmarnock Standard: 3. 21 June 1879.
- ^ http://scottish-football-historical-archive.com Archived 2009-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dick, William (1879). Scottish Football Annual 1879–80. Glasgow: Dunlop & Foote. p. 73.
- ^ Livingstone, Robert (1881). Scottish Football Association Annual 1881–82. Gillespie Brothers. p. 106.
- ^ McDowall, John (1886). Scottish FA Annual 1886–87. Hay Nisbet. p. 49.
- ^ Scotland Football Records | Clubs played for | Mauchline, London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 21 February 2022
- ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Scottish Athletics 1883-1983, John W. Keddie (1982)
- Sources
Pagan, Malcolm. Senior Non League Football in South West Scotland, Stewart Davidson, Paisley, Scotland, 1996.