Brunswick Football Club was an association football club from the city of Edinburgh.

History

The club was founded in 1877 by George Howell, a professional cricketer, out of the Brunswick Cricket Club, and who started the football section by recruiting a number of rugby union players. Brunswick entered the

Edinburgh Cup The Dewar Cup Edinburgh was an indoor men's and women's tennis event held from 1968 to 1972, and played in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of the second leg of Dewar Cup Circuit of indoor tournaments held throughout the United Kingdom. History Th ...

in its first season of existence, losing 3–1 to Heart of Midlothian in its first tie, played on neutral territory at Newington. The 1878–79 season saw the club's first Scottish Cup entry and its best run in the Edinburgh Cup, albeit by only winning one tie in the latter. In the national tournament, Brunswick lost 3–1 at the 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers, In the Edinburgh Cup, the club lost in the semi-final to Hibernian at

Powderhall Powderhall is an area lying between Broughton Road and Warriston Road in the north of Edinburgh, the Scotland, Scottish capital. Until recently it was best known for Powderhall Stadium, a greyhound racing track, which has now closed. The stadiu ...

by 6 goals to 0, and a week later lost to the same club 6–1 in a friendly. Brunswick's biggest competitive win came in the first round of the

1879–80 Scottish Cup The 1879–80 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the seventh season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. With 142 entrants, this season saw the largest number of teams to com ...

, 5–0 over the declining Edinburgh Swifts. In the second round, the club lost 4–2 to Hearts at the Powderhall, Brunswick complaining that the third Hearts goal should not have been allowed, and the fourth - an own goal - was scored in darkness due to Hearts being late in providing a match ball. The club lost in the Edinburgh Cup in the quarter-finals at Hibernian, 4–3, having lost a three-goal lead. With the growth of association football in Edinburgh, Brunswick was firmly in the shadow of Hearts and Hibs, and was overtaken by St Bernard's and

Leith Athletic Leith Athletic Football Club is a football club based in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland. They compete in the East of Scotland Football League, Conference A. First team matches are played at Peffermill 3G. The present club considers itse ...

in short order. In 1878, Brunswick had 45 members, the same as Hearts and just five fewer than Hibs; in 1883 the club had dropped to 39 members, while Hearts, Hibs, and St Bernards all had over 150, the newly-senior Edina had 50, and even the Hanover club had attracted more members in its brief existence. The club's last win in the Scottish Cup was against Hanover in 1881–82 and in 1883–84 the club did not even enter the Edinburgh Cup, instead concentrating on the national cup, where it lost 8–0 to Hearts in the first round, six of the goals being scored by Wood; the Brunswick players were described as "out of condition" and only the goalkeeping of William Braidwood kept the score down. The match was the club's last competitive match and, although the cricket club continued, the football side seems to have been abandoned before the next season.

Colours

The club played in black and white hoops, with white knickerbockers.

Ground

The club played at Brunswick Park, on Easter Road.

External links

Scottish Cup results

References

{{Defunct Scottish football clubs, state=collapsed Defunct football clubs in Scotland Association football clubs established in 1877 Association football clubs disestablished in 1884 1877 establishments in Scotland 1884 disestablishments in Scotland Football in Edinburgh