association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club from
Helensburgh
Helensburgh ( ; ) is a town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local government reorganisation in 1996.
Histo ...
in
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire () or the County of Dumbarton is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbar ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
History
The club was founded in 1874. The club's earliest association match reported was a defeat at home to
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club is a professional football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. The club is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers, though this has never been i ...
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
in the first round, and losing to local rivals Renton F.C. in the second.
Helensburgh's best run in the Cup came in 1878–79. The club was awarded its tie with
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club, commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the , the top division of Scottish football. Hearts, the oldest football club in the Scottish capital, wa ...
after the Hearts refused to play a replay in accordance with the
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association (; also known as the Scottish FA and the SFA) is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA incl ...
's instructions, and beat
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club (), commonly known as Hibs, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the , the top division of Scottish football. The club was founded in 1875 by members of Edinburgh's Irish commu ...
at the Powderhall ground, on its way to the semi-finals, which, that season, had three clubs; unfortunately for the club, Helensburgh missed out on the bye to the final, and lost 3–0 at home to a
Vale of Leven
The Vale of Leven () is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ''fie ...
side heavily backed by a local factory and de facto a professional side.
The following season, the club again lost to the Vale, and lost to Vale for the third year in succession - the regional nature of the draws making such repeat ties more likely - in 1880–81, two goals just before half-time contributing to a 4–1 defeat.
The club's last entry to the competition came in 1881–82, losing in the fourth round to
Arthurlie F.C.
Arthurlie Football Club is a Scottish football club from Barrhead, East Renfrewshire. Based at Dunterlie Park, they play in the . The club played in the Scottish Football League in two spells, 1901 to 1915 and 1923 to 1929. Bob Crampsey (1990 ...
in a match spoilt by heavy wind. The club folded during the season, thanks to crowds dwindling to the single figures, with competition from the successful Dunbartonshire sides in the vicinity, and the club was struck off the register in August 1882. The name was later used by at least three other clubs, including one founded in 1896 which became a member of the
Scottish League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 k ...
.
Colours
The club originally played in blue and yellow shirts and shorts, with black hose. In 1880 the club changed to blue shirts and white shorts.
Ground
The club originally played at Ardencaple Park, two miles from the railway station. In 1877 it moved to Kirkmichael Park.