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 t ...
club based in the town of
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
, in
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire ( sco, Wast Dunbairtonshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar, ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the west of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter to ...
.
History
The club was founded in 1882, and was often referred to as Union (Dumbarton) or Dumbarton Union to avoid confusion with other Union clubs, such as Union (Glasgow).
Given the strength of the three main Dumbartonshire sides ( Renton,
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 '' ...
, and
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
), as well as other well-established clubs in the area such as Jamestown and the Vale of Leven Wanderers, it was difficult for Union to establish itself. It spent three years playing minor football before joining 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 governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility fo ...
and being eligible to enter the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1885–86.
Its first match in the competition was a 5–1 defeat against
Yoker
Yoker ( gd, An Eochair) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, on the northern bank of the Clyde east of Clydebank, west of the city centre. From the fourteenth century, the Renfrew Ferry has linked Yoker with Renfrew on the south bank. Althou ...
, at the Dalmuir Thistle ground on account of Yoker's temporary homelessness, but, after a protest that the ground was 7 feet too narrow at one end, Union won the replayed tie (at Dumbarton Athletic's Burnside Park) 1–0, much to the surprise of the "friends of the Union", expecting the much heavier Yoker side to win, but taking advantage of Yoker's lack of practice, and enjoying a slice of fortune when a late goal-bound Yoker shot was stopped accidentally by the referee. In the second round it lost 7–0 at Dumbarton.
Yoker gained revenge in the first round in the following season, coming from 2–0 down at half-time to beat Union 4–2, and the worst defeat Union had in the competition came in the first round in 1888–89, losing 15–0 against Dumbarton Athletic.
In the
1889–90 Scottish Cup
The 1889–90 Scottish Cup was the 17th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. Queen's Park defeated rivals Vale of Leven
2–1 in a replayed final.
Calendar
Teams
All 158 teams entered the competition in th ...
, by contrast, Union had its best run, reaching the third round, and faced to the strong
Cambuslang
Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) 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 ...
side. The crowd was much lower than expected as most Dumbarton people went to see the Dumbarton v 3rd L.R.V. taking place in the town on the same day, but St James' Park had an influx of locals as the Dumbarton match finished earlier. Union took a surprise lead at half-time, but Cambuslang equalized with 10 minutes to go. Cambuslang scored what appeared to be the winner with almost the last kick of the game; Union protested that the goal was in the 93rd minute, and the referee had not been entitled to go beyond the 90 minutes. The referee (Mr J. Caldwell) stated that "it was his duty" to extend time, not because of time-wasting, but because a high wind often carried the ball into an adjoining field, and time was wasted in retrieving it; however Cambuslang had not protested about the issue at the time. By a vote of 8–7 the Scottish FA ordered a replay, but it was merely a stay of execution as Cambuslang won through 6–0, thanks in part to scoring three goals between the 60th and 64th minute.
The
next year
"Next Year" is a song released as the last single from the third Foo Fighters' album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose''.
History
A shorter version (running at just 3:21 compared to the original's 4:36) was released as a single in 2000 and was ...
Union recorded its biggest competitive win, 12–1 over Bonnybridge Grasshoppers in the first round, having gone behind; but lost at Bathgate Rovers in the second.
The problems of the Scottish Cup being held in regions for the first rounds, and Dumbartonshire being a footballing hotbed in the era, meant that Union had the same problems in the local competition as in the national. In the
Dumbartonshire Cup
The Dumbartonshire Cup was the championship trophy of the Dumbartonshire FA from its inception in 1884 until the organization disbanded in 1938. There was however an 'extra' playing of the competition in 1939, immediately after the outbreak of the ...
, the club tended to beat non-SFA members heavily, but struggled against other SFA members. The club's best run in 1886–87 saw it beat Jamestown, Kirkintilloch Central (8–0 away), and
Duntocher
Duntocher (Scottish Gaelic: ''Dùn Tòchair'' or ''Druim Tòchair'') is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It has an estimated population of 6,850. The etymology of the name of the village indicates that its name means "the fort on the c ...
, to reach the semi-final; however there it faced Vale of Leven and lost 4–0.
The beginning of the
Scottish 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 sout ...
, which featured the three biggest Dumbartonshire clubs, and the introduction of qualifying rounds to the Scottish Cup, were deleterious to the smaller senior clubs in the area. Union never won through to the first round proper, and scratched from its final entry in 1893–94. The same season, the club entered the Dumbartonshire Cup for the last time, which had shrunk to 8 entrants, and Union did not survive into 1894–95.
Colours
The club's colours were originally navy shirts, white shorts, and blue and white hose. In 1887 the club changed to white jerseys with blue knickers, and in 1891 changed the shirts to blue and white hoops.
Ground
The club originally played at Woodyard Park, the home of Alclutha, with whom the club overlapped for two years, and soon found Methlan Park as neighbours at Upper Woodyard Park. In 1890 the club moved to St James' Park, which had been the ground of Dumbarton Athletic.
External links
Scottish Cup results (NB: results before 1885 refer to Union (Glasgow); also does not include the 1888–89 defeat to Dumbarton Athletic)