association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in the town of
Milngavie
Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Milngav ...
The first senior club in the town was the Milngavie club, founded in 1875. It first recorded fixture was a 1–0 home defeat to the Grafton club of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
at the start of the 1876–77 season.
The club entered the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1877–78, and won at
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, scoring in the second half after Alexandria dominated the first. The club was brought down to earth by a 9–0 defeat at Lennox in the second.
Thistle Athletic Football Club
There is no further record of the Milngavie club; for the 1878–79 season, the town was represented by a club registered under the name of Thistle, which gave its foundation date as being 1878. The club however played at the same ground as Milngavie and had the same club secretary, so was either a continuation of Milngavie, or a successor club.
Whether the Thistle was the same club as Milngavie or a separate club was not clear (or apparently important) at the time. The club's first Scottish Cup tie, in the first round in 1878–79, was certainly a 3–0 defeat at Lenzie, with Thistle disputing one of the goals. However, the
North British Daily Mail
The ''Daily Record'' is a national tabloid newspaper which is published online also based in Glasgow, Scotland. The newspaper is published Monday-Saturday while the website is updated on an hourly basis, seven days a week. The ''Records sist ...
gives the club's name as Milngavie, the
Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...
as Thistle Athletics ic''and'' the Milngavie Club,
the Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
as Thistle (Milngavie), 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 Sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in Scot ...
Yearbook as Milngavie Thistle. One practical difference was that the Thistle club was entered in the Stirlingshire section of the Scottish Cup, whereas as Milngavie the club was considered a Dunbartonshire club.
In 1879, the club formally recorded its name as Thistle Athletic. It entered the Scottish Cup under that name until 1881–82; the club scratched to Lenzie before playing in 1880–81.
Its best run in the competition came in 1881–82. In the first round, the club drew twice with Bridge of Allan, which should have put both clubs into the second round; indeed Bridge of Allan was drawn to play Strathblane and Thistle a bye at the next stage. However, perhaps to avoid giving a bye, a second replay was held, which Thistle won 8–0, Bridge of Allan only turning up with 9 men. Thistle duly took Bridge of Allan's place against Strathblane in the second round, and won 3–2; Strathblane protested against the competence of the referee, but the SFA took the dimmest view, refusing the protest and retaining Strathblane's protest deposit money. The run came to an end against
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
with a 2–0 home defeat, the Thistle being accused of playing a "very rough game".
Reversion to Milngavie
In 1882, the club changed its name (back) to Milngavie, although it remained within the Stirlingshire region. It was the club's final season as a senior club; although it enjoyed a fine win at home to
East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish association football club based in the town of Falkirk. The club was founded in 1881 and competes in the , in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. The club's origins ca ...
in the first round of the
1882–83 Scottish Cup
The 1882–83 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the tenth season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. Dumbarton won the cup for the first, and so far only, time when they ...
, it was hammered 16–0 by
Vale of Leven
The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning '' ...
in the second round, which equalled the world record defeat in competitive football (set by Wanderers against Farningham in the
1874–75 FA Cup
The 1874–75 FA Cup was the fourth season of England's oldest football tournament, the Football Association Challenge Cup or "FA Cup". 29 teams entered, one more than the previous season, although four of the 29 never played a match. The final ...
).
The club was struck from the Scottish FA membership roll in August 1883. Milngavie carried on for two seasons, being one of the first clubs to join the Stirlingshire Association in early 1884, and played twice in the Stirlingshire Cup. Its first entry, in 1883–84, ended with a 5–0 defeat to Falkirk in the second round, but the club was particularly unlucky in its last entry in 1884–85. Milngavie beat
Camelon
Camelon (; sco, Caimlan, gd, Camlann) is a large set ...
2–1 in the first round, but the tie was re-played on the basis that "the referee was in an intoxicated state". Camelon won the replay, at neutral ground in
Stenhousemuir
Stenhousemuir (; gd, Featha Thaigh nan Clach) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies within the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town is north-northwest of Falkirk and directly adjoins to Larbert in ...
, 4–1; Milngavie put in a successful protest on the basis that one of the Camelon players had already represented Tayavalla in the competition, but the Stirlingshire committee ordered another replay, and Milngavie appears to have disbanded before the replay could take place. Camelon went on to win the trophy.
The Milngavie name was used from 1888 for an unconnected Junior club.
Colours
As Milngavie, the club played in 1" blue and white hooped shirts, white knickers, and red hose. As Thistle, the club played in 2" red and yellow hooped jerseys and dark blue knickers.
For the club's final incarnation, from 1882–83, it wore all white.
Ground
The club played at Drumclog, ten minutes' walk from
Milngavie railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Train terminates at Milngavie (geograph 5819031).jpg
, borough = Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire
, country = Scotland
, coordinates =
, grid_name = Grid reference
, grid_position =
, mana ...