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
Ayrshire
Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
in
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
On 5 May 1877, the Kilmarnock Cricket Club hosted a charity match between an Ayrshire select and a Glasgow select, in order to raise funds for a statue in honour of
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...
, on its Holm Quarry ground. The match was a success, and, in the aftermath, the K.C.C. took over the Winton club in order to continue hosting football.
For its first season the club was known as the Kilmarnock Cricket and Football Club and its first competitive match was a 4–0 win over Maybole Thistle in the first round of the
1877–78 Scottish Cup
The 1877–78 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the fifth season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. For the first time, over 100 teams took part in the competition whic ...
, with players such as goalkeeper M'Lelland, plus Whyte, Smith, Cunningham, Goudie, Ferguson, and captain Kennedy having been part of the Winton regular XI. The K.C. & F.C. lost 1–0 to
Mauchline
Mauchline (; ) 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 Western Railway ...
in the second round.
The following season, the club joined 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 ...
under the new name of Kilmarnock Athletic. The club was quickly successful, winning the
Ayrshire Cup
The Ayrshire Cup was an annual association football regional competition in Scotland. The cup competition was a knockout tournament between football clubs in the historic county of Ayrshire. The Ayrshire Cup was first held in 1877–78, the tr ...
in 1878–79. From 1881 to 1884 the club was one of the top clubs in Scotland. In 1881–82, the club reached the semi-final of the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Queen's Park.
In 1882–83, the club had an annus mirabilis, winning two of the Ayrshire trophies; the Ayrshire Cup and the Kilmarnock Merchants' Charity Cup, the latter of which was awarded to the club when
Hurlford F.C.
Hurlford Football Club was a Association football, football club that existed from 1875 to 1924, from the village of Hurlford, Ayrshire, Scotland.
History
The club was founded in 1875. The club was one of the strongest in Ayrshire in the pre ...
walked off the pitch in protest at going 2–1 behind in the final. The Athletics also repeated the previous year's feat of reaching the Scottish Cup semi-final. The club was drawn to play
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 ...
away, and held the
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
side to a draw, only to lose 2–0 in the replay at home. The club did however win one national competition; the Second XI Cup, beating
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...
2–0 in the final at
Boghead Park
Boghead Park was a football ground in the town of Dumbarton, Scotland. It was owned by Dumbarton F.C., who played there for 121 years between 1879 and 2000. By the time the ground closed in 2000, it was the oldest stadium in Scotland that had ...
, and the Athletic retained the trophy against the same opponent with a 3–1 replay win at Holm Quarry the following season, thanks to goals from Murray, Hay, and Mair, after a 1–1 draw at Boghead.
The club's Cup runs paradoxically caused the club's demise. The club was now an attractive friendly fixture for English clubs, and the Athletics went on tour of England over the following winter. The legalisation of professional football in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
meant the players were susceptible to offers of professional contracts south of the border. The club had started the 1884–85 season with its record win, 14–0 over Stewarton Cunninghame F.C. in the Scottish Cup, but the club's leading player,
John Goodall
John Goodall (19 June 1863 – 20 May 1942) was an English professional footballer who rose to fame as a centre forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first ...
, plus two other players (Hay and Walkinshaw), left the club during the winter; the
Great Lever
Great Lever is a suburb of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is south of Bolton town centre and the same distance north of Farnworth. The district is served by frequent buses runnin ...
club persuaded them not to return home with the Athletic after a friendly in Bolton. The club also lost three other players to Halliwell.
A month after defeat to
Ayr
Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...
in the Merchants' Cup in 1884–85, the club was wound up.
Later clubs
The name Kilmarnock Athletic was used for two clubs in the years afterwards; a junior club formerly known as Kilmarnock Britannia, who used the name in the 1886–87 season, and a senior club originally known as Rosebank, who used the name from 1889 to 1900.
Colours
As the K.C. & F.C., the club wore navy. After changing name to Athletic, the club's colours were crimson shirts (until 1880), scarlet shirts (until 1883), and maroon shirts (until dissolution), with white shorts. In practice the shades of red may have referred to the same colour.
Ground
The club's ground was Holm Quarry, which was briefly shared by
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club, commonly known as Killie, is a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire that currently plays in the . The club has achieved several honours since its formation in 1869, most r ...
until the rent forced Killie to find an alternative pitch.
Notable players
*
John Goodall
John Goodall (19 June 1863 – 20 May 1942) was an English professional footballer who rose to fame as a centre forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first ...
, Double winner with
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
*J. Inglis and R. Brown, both earning Scotland caps while with the Athletic
* Alec Dick, later an Everton player