Southern Athletic Football Club was a 19th-century football club based in
Strathbungo
Strathbungo is a mainly residential area of southern Glasgow, Scotland, bordered by the neighbourhoods of Crossmyloof to the south, Govanhill to the east and Pollokshields to the north and west. The settlement grew up as a small isolated vil ...
, in
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 ...
.
History
Southern Athletic F.C. was founded in 1884 out of a cricket club and had 35 members by the end of its first season, when it 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 ...
.
Its first
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1885–86, and it lost to
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, but protested about the non-registration of several Cambridge players, and the Scottish FA ordered a replay to take place at Moray Park. It was to no avail as Cambridge won the second tie as well.
It set the scene for the club's record in competitive football. In 9 Scottish Cup entries, until its final entry in 1893–94, Southern Athletic never won a tie. Its one appearance in the second round, in 1887–88, was down to the luck of the draw, and getting a bye in the first round; in the second, the Athletic lost 9–1 at
Cowlairs
Cowlairs () is an area in the Scottish city of Glasgow, part of the wider Springburn district of the city. It is situated north of the River Clyde, between central Springburn to the east and Possilpark to the west.
Administratively, in the 21 ...
, despite the "excellent goalkeeper otheringham, also a star batsman who saved many a well-directed shot". Indeed, the club scratched from 4 of its final 5 entries.
The club did however win one match in the
Glasgow Cup
The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow, Scotland. Operated by the Glasgow Football Association, it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989. It is now (since the 2019–20 amended rule ...
, a competition the club only entered from 1887–88 to 1889–90; in 1888–89 it won 3–2 at Temperance Athletic in the first round. In the second it lost 8–0 at Clyde. Its last appearance in the competition was its heaviest competitive defeat, 12–0 at
Cambuslang
Cambuslang (, from ) 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 town hall, it may also be cons ...
. The club also entered the Govan Jubilee Cup from 1887–88 to 1890–91, again losing in the first round in each.
The Athletics' last Scottish Cup tie was a 6–1 defeat at home to Royal Albert in the first qualifying round in 1891–92. The last recorded matches for the club are from the 1892–93 season; it did enter the Cup for the following year but scratched to the
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
.
Colours
The club originally ore one-inch hooped navy blue and white jerseys with blue knickers. In 1890 it changed the colour of the hoops and shorts from navy to black.
Grounds
The club's ground was at Moray Park, 3 minutes' walk from
Strathbungo railway station
Strathbungo is a mainly residential area of southern Glasgow, Scotland, bordered by the neighbourhoods of Crossmyloof to the south, Govanhill to the east and Pollokshields to the north and west. The settlement grew up as a small isolated vi ...