Royal Albert Football Club are a football club, historically based in the town of
Larkhall
Larkhall ( sco, Larkhauch, gd, Taigh na h-Uiseig) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France.
Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
but currently playing in the nearby village of Stonehouse. Formerly a member of the
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a 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 km so ...
and the
Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region
The Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region was one of three regions of the SJFA which organised its own distinct league and cup competitions. The SJFA used to be split into six regions, but in 2002 they took the decision to reform into ...
, they now play in the .
History
The formation of the club dates back to 1878, when two Larkhall pit sides joined together to form one team. These pits were owned by a Capt. Johns and he named the team after his boat the ''Royal Albert''. The club spent over fifty years in Senior football, and qualified for the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1890–91 competition where they reached the fifth round before losing to Celtic in front of a record crowd of 5,000 at their
Raploch Park
Raploch Park, also known as the Larkhall Greyhound Stadium, was a football ground and greyhound racing stadium in Larkhall, Scotland. It was the home ground of Royal Albert.
History
Royal Albert played at Raploch Park from their foundation in ...
ground.Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) ''The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005'', Yore Publications, p210 In the same season,
centre half
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
international when he was capped against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in March 1891. Royal Albert also have the distinction of scoring the first ever
penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
in the history of football, James McLuggage scoring against
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 ...
in a local cup tie on 6 June 1891 (four days after the rule was introduced by the
International Football Association Board
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardi ...
Scottish Football Alliance The Scottish Football Alliance was a football league football structure set up in Scotland in competition with the Scottish Football League. Its success in the early years of professional football in both England and Scotland made Alliance the bas ...
, Scottish Football Combination, Scottish Football Union and Western Football League before becoming a founder member of Scottish League Division Three in 1923. After the Third Division was abandoned in 1926, Albert briefly returned to the Scottish Football Alliance and Provincial Football League before being wound up in 1927 and re-forming as a Junior club the following year. The Royal Albert name continued to appear in the
Scottish Qualifying Cup
The Scottish Qualifying Cup was a football competition played in Scotland between 1895 and 2007. During that time, apart from a brief spell in the 1950s, it was the only way for non-league teams to qualify for the Scottish Cup. The Qualifying Cup ...
until 1936 and they qualified for the tournament on two further occasions, their last game being a 16–0 thrashing by
Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. The club have been mem ...
in January 1931.
Royal Albert initially competed in Junior football with some success and twice reached the semi-final of the
Scottish Junior Cup
The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compete ...
in 1930 and 1940 but fared less well in modern times, with the club playing in the bottom tier of the Central Region/District league set-up for 45 consecutive seasons from 1972 until 2018. Albert won the last
West of Scotland League Central District Second Division
The Scottish Junior Football Central District Second Division was fourth-tier division of the West Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association.
The three highest-placed teams at the end of the season were promoted to the Central Distri ...
championship title in 2017–18 to qualify for the new
SJFA West Region League One
The SJFA West Region League One (also known as the McBookie.com West Region League One for sponsorship reasons) was a Scottish semi-professional football competition run by the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region, West Region of the ...
and in doing so, lifted the club's first honour for 81 years.
Some notable players in the Junior era to step up from the club include Bobby Hogg ( Celtic) and John Martis (
Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...
) with both playing for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
with Dunfermline Athletic and Davie White who played for and managed Clyde before managing Rangers. Hogg is also Royal Albert's most capped Junior international with three caps in 1931,
The team have been managed since June 2016 by former player Jamie Nesbitt. Nesbitt succeeded Ian McCluskey, who had filled the role for the previous 12 years.
Ground
Albert's first ground was
Raploch Park
Raploch Park, also known as the Larkhall Greyhound Stadium, was a football ground and greyhound racing stadium in Larkhall, Scotland. It was the home ground of Royal Albert.
History
Royal Albert played at Raploch Park from their foundation in ...
which was lost to a housing development in the 1960s. The club moved to the Robert Smillie Memorial Park in 1964 but were forced to vacate this ground at the end of the 2006–07 season as it was demolished in order to re-develop Larkhall Academy. The club ground-shared with local rivals
Larkhall Thistle
Larkhall Thistle Football Club is a football club from Larkhall, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Formed in 1878, "the Jags" are Scotland's oldest continuous Junior football club and currently compete in the . The team plays in red and white st ...
until 2013. After a proposed move to nearby
Ashgill
Ashgill is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland near Larkhall
Larkhall ( sco, Larkhauch, gd, Taigh na h-Uiseig) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France.
Lar ...
fell through, the club have moved to Tileworks Park, former home of Stonehouse Violet, on a permanent basis and will play out of there for the foreseeable future.
Scottish Football Alliance The Scottish Football Alliance was a football league football structure set up in Scotland in competition with the Scottish Football League. Its success in the early years of professional football in both England and Scotland made Alliance the bas ...
Scottish Qualifying Cup
The Scottish Qualifying Cup was a football competition played in Scotland between 1895 and 2007. During that time, apart from a brief spell in the 1950s, it was the only way for non-league teams to qualify for the Scottish Cup. The Qualifying Cup ...
**1921–22, 1923–24
*Western Cup
** 1921–22, 1922–23
*
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� ...
** 1888–89, 1889–90, 1893–94, 1895–96
* Lanarkshire Consolation Cup
** 1891–92, 1894–95
* Motherwell Charity Cup
** 1885–86, 1887–88
* Airdrie Charity Cup
** 1888–89, 1890–91
* Larkhall Charity Cup
** 1889–90, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1906–07, 1909–10
West of Scotland League Central District Second Division
The Scottish Junior Football Central District Second Division was fourth-tier division of the West Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association.
The three highest-placed teams at the end of the season were promoted to the Central Distri ...