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 the village of
Townhill, Fife
Townhill is a small village that lies just north of Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The origin of the community is thought to be from the coal-mining industry. There is a Church of Scotland parish church, which shares a minister with nearby Kingseat ...
, which played in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries.
The earliest ...
in May 1885. It did not play competitive football until 1886–87, when it entered the
Fife Cup
The Fife Cup is a Scottish regional football competition for clubs in the historic county of Fife. The competition was founded by the Fifeshire Football Association in 1882. The competition was originally known as the "Fifeshire Cup" from 1882†...
, and lost to Strathforth in the first round. However the club only had one other defeat in the season, and with 10 wins and a credit balance of £2, considered "very satisfactory", the club resolved to enter the Edinburgh Shield as well the following season.
Indeed, the club picked up its first competitive win in that competition in 1887–88, coming from behind to beat Lumphinnans 3–1 away from home, but lost to
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
in the next round. It followed that win with a 5–0 revenge victory over Strathforth in the first round of the
King Cup
The King Cup (sometimes spelled King's Cup) (), officially known as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Cup (), is the Saudi Arabian football knockout cup competition.
The King's Cup is the second-oldest knockout competition in Saudi Arabian ...
, albeit that was the only win the club had in four entries to that competition; Strathforth protested in vain against the fourth goal, and one of its players quit the match in protest at its being given.
Despite a general lack of success, Townhill 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 ...
. The move to senior football was a qualified success, as the club lost 3–0 at Kirkcaldy Wanderers in the first round of the Scottish Cup - the club walking off in protest at the third goal being given, but, as 86 minutes had been played, the players went back onto the pitch to avoid further sanction - and also lost its only ties in the Fife and Edinburgh competitions, but it did get to the final of the Dunfermline Charity Cup, where it lost 3–2 to
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath () is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 1890. According to a 20 ...
.
The club did not renew its Scottish FA subscription and only lasted one more season playing at a senior level, although it did beat Blairadam 5–0 in the Fife Cup, and got as far as the semi-final, where the club again failed to get past Cowdenbeath.
The club had an on-off existence over the next few years, mostly playing at a
Junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Aircraft
* Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft
* PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft
* SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider
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* Bowser Jr., ...
level, but it did return to senior level in 1894–95. It lost in the first
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Lochgelly United in its first Edinburgh Shield tie, but did get past
St Andrews University
The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...
in the county cup, after a 4–4 draw which was "the best played on Station Park this year", to reach the semi-final. At that stage Townhill lost to eventual winners
Clackmannan
Clackmannan ( ; , perhaps meaning "Stone of Manau"), is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is south-east of Alloa and south of Tillicoultry. The town is within ...
in a replay, 4–2, after twice taking the lead, and the club was finally wound up in August 1895.