Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scot ...
, Scotland.
History
The club was formed in 1877. Its earliest recorded game was a goalless draw with Hamilton Thistle in December 1877.
The club entered the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1878–79 to 1884–85. In its first entry it got through to the third round without winning a tie; it had a bye in round 1 and drew twice with
Shotts
Shotts is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow () and Edinburgh (). The village has a population of about 8,840. A local story has Shotts being named after the legendary giant highwayman Bertram de ...
in the second, which, under the competition rules, meant both sides were put through. In the third the club lost 1–0 at Stonelaw.
The club was a formative influence within its county. In 1878–79, the club secretary, Alex Sloan, circulated a letter among other clubs in Lanarkshire, seeking to form a local association; Clarkston was one of the 16 founder members of the Lanarkshire Football Association, and was top of the ballot for representation on the committee.
Clarkston duly entered the first
Lanarkshire Cup
The Lanarkshire Cup was an annual competition open to football teams in the Lanarkshire area. The competition is now defunct.
List of winners
1879–80 - Stonelaw
1880–81 - Thistle
1881–82 - Hamilton Academical
1882–83 - West Benhar
1883� ...
that season. Its run in the competition was complex. In the first round opponents Airdrie were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player, in the second Clarkston beat
Shettleston
Shettleston ( sco, Shuttlestoun, gd, Baile Nighean Sheadna) is a district in the east end of Glasgow in Scotland.
Toponymy
The origin of the name 'Shettleston' is not clear and, like many place-names of possibly medieval origin, has had a mult ...
6–0, in the third it drew twice with
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the 2020–21 Scottis ...
, with both sides being added to Shotts and Stonelaw in the de facto semi final. However Clarkston seems to have withdrawn before playing its tie with Stonelaw.
Clarkston won two ties in each of its next two Scottish Cup entries. In 1879–80 it gained revenge over Stonelaw with a 2–1 win, the first goal scored after the goalkeeper dropped the ball when charged by Forsyth, and Sturton poking the loose ball home, and the winner coming from a shot from the corner which "to the surprise of almost all as well as the goalkeeper" was carried under the tape by the wind. In the second, Clarkston won 2–0 at Shotts in a "well-contested and very friendly" game, and, in the third round, the club lost 4–2 at
Cambuslang
Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...
in an "interesting game".
In 1880–81, winning two ties put Clarkston through to the fourth round, thanks to another bye, where it was drawn to play an
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine, North Ayrshi ...
Mauchline
Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South Wes ...
- at home. That tie went to two replays, the second of which (won by Mauchline) being played on the day most of the fourth round ties were played. It meant the fifth round was drawn out before Clarkston could arrange the fourth round tie, and, as the draw was to play Queen's Park, one of the strongest clubs in the world at the time, Clarkston withdrew, knowing that its run would end then at the latest.
The same season, Clarkston also reached the semi-final of the Lanarkshire Cup again, en route recording its biggest win; 14–0 against the Foresters club, watched by between 300 and 400 spectators, the first goal coming in the first minute and 8 before half-time. In the semi-final the club lost 3–0 to Shotts in a replay.
The 1880–81 season was the club's high point. It did not reach so far in the Lanarkshire Cup again and only once more won two ties in the Scottish Cup. This was in 1882–83, when it beat
Drumpellier
Drumpellier Country Park is a country park situated to the west of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The park was formerly a private estate. The land was given over to the Burgh of Coatbridge for use as a public park in 1919, and was desig ...
(after a protested tie) and Royal Albert in a "very agreeable" game. In the third round the club was drawn to play at Queen's Park and lost by an unlucky 13 goals to nil, five falling to Harrower. The previous week Clarkston had beaten Glengowan 9–0 in a friendly.
Clarkston had never been a big club, its membership never being more than 50. By its final season its membership of 30 was dwarfed by that of
Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie Unite ...
, whose membership was up to 100, and was also smaller than Airdrie and Airdriehill; indeed no senior Lanarkshire club had a smaller membership. The club ceased operations after the 1884–85 season, finishing up with a 5–0 defeat at
West Benhar
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Ro ...
in the inaugural Airdrie Charity Cup, and the
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility fo ...
struck the club from membership before the 1885–86 season. The club had entered the Lanarkshire Cup for the season, and was drawn at home to
Plains
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands.
In ...
, but the match did not take place.
Colours
The club played in navy blue.
Grounds
The club never managed to gain a permanent home, changing on a regular basis. It is known to have played at the following:
*1879–80: Brownieside, 10 minutes' walk from Clarkston station, the ground described as "the slope of a hill...divided into two or three places by deep ruts across it, in which any of the players could easily have hid themselves"
*1880–82: Blackrigg Farm, a "spacious" ground 2 minutes from the station, and a few hundred yards to the south of the village. Blackrigg Farm hosted the Lanarkshire Cup final in 1881
*1882–84: Cowbrae, 10 minutes from the station
*1884–85: Craigneuk Park, 2 minutes' walk from the station