As was the case in many of the small communities across industrial Scotland in the late 19th century, the game of football became a welcome and almost necessary outlet to the tedium and hard slog of the daily grind.

In this background, the majority of football clubs in Juvenile and Junior Leagues formed across Ayrshire, Fife, Midlothian, and Lanarkshire in the later part of the nineteenth century, were spawned from coalmining communities

From the miners labouring in the black and dangerous pits in our own backyard in South Lanarkshire, teams sprung up with grandiose and sweet sounding names like Nethanvale Bluebell, Bellfield Violet, and Douglas St Brides. Other teams formed in small villages across South Lanarkshire during this early period were Pettinain Wanderers, Carmichael Anstruther, Biggar Swifts, Auchlochan Wanderers, and Kirkfieldbank Hawthorn

The predominant football tournament of this era was undoubtedly the Hozier Challenge Cup – a handsome trophy presented by the MP for South Lanarkshire James C Hozier in 1889 to be played for by junior clubs in his constituency. J C Hozier was the driving force and indeed the main financial source behind the creation of many of the early football clubs in S Lanarkshire.

 

 

 

 

DOUGLAS

In the parish of Douglas the first organised football team was constituted on 5th April 1889 and was called simply Douglas Football Club. The football pitch was laid out on an area of land provide by the Earl of Home at Crabtree for recreational purposes. It is also noted that this area was also to be used for ‘drying and bleaching’!

 

It is also interesting to note that Douglas Golf Club was formed in the same year.

Founding of Douglas Football Club

This press article from 1889 is reproduced below in word format for clarity.
 

 

          

 

Football in Douglas – a correspondent writes:
 

It is with pleasure we see our village lads enjoying our national pastime the ‘dribbling game’. The want of ground has been a great drawback but through the kind generosity of the Earl of Home in presenting the inhabitants with a public park the difficulty has been overcome and they have now secured a football pitch the equal of any natural one in Scotland. On the 5th April 1889 a general meeting was held in the town hall for the
purposes of forming a club- Mr J G Hutchison presiding. The meeting was largely attended and a club was formed to be known as the Douglas Football Club. They have been fortunate in securing as their patron J C Hozier Esquire MP from whom the committee have pleasure in acknowledging with thanks the sum of £2. The following are the office bearers: Patron JC Hozier, Hon President Wm Gillespie Esquire of Gateside, President J G Hutchison, Vice President T Moore Jun., Committee – W Murray, T Sloan, A Wilson, H Gardiner, J Hamilton; Treasurer J Bell, Secy W Martin Jr Main St Douglas
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Douglas FC’s first game was against Auchlochan Wanderers and ended in a 4-1 defeat
 

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The enthusiasm in the village for football was contagious and friendly games were soon taking place, among them Douglas FC taking on Douglas Heatherbell and defeating them by 4 goals to 3

 

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In June of 1889 the famous Hamilton Academicals came to Douglas to play the newly formed team and as the report shows a great day was had by all.

 

 

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In May 1890 two of the games recorded were Law Anstruther 2 Douglas 2, and Auchlochan 3 Glespin Th 4

 

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In 1890 Douglas St Brides football club was founded from Douglas young men residing in Glasgow and played their first games at Roselea Park Dennistoun.

 

 

 

 

The St Brides team had obviously strong links with the local team in the village and indeed came back to play Douglas FC in a friendly match on July 1890 

 

                  

 

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Douglas St Brides, who although playing in Glasgow, came back to Douglas in March 1900 to play in the Hozier Cup and met Auchenheath in a 2nd round tie at Crabtree Park with the following match report: 

                      Hozier Cup Tie 

        Douglas St Brides v Auchenheath

The game was started with Douglas forcing the pace. Early in the first half a brilliant piece of headwork by the Douglas forwards ended in the first goal amidst great noise, Ferguson being the scorer.
Auchenheath made several raids on Douglas territory, but captain McConnell and ‘Pigeon’ were all there, punting it down the field again. A second goal was the outcome of some tasty passing by the whole Douglas front rank, McConnell being the scorer.

At the start of the second half Auchenheath put in some telling work but the Douglas left wing got away again, and centreing finely, a goal was the outcome, Ferguson again being the scorer.
From this point Douglas fell away and eventually the ‘Heath’ scrimmaged their first goal later on followed by a second. Latterly Auchenheath did all the pressing but score they could not, the game finishing with Douglas winning by 3 goals to 2. Best for the winners were Gray, the McConnell bros., the Kelly Bros., Davidson, and Ferguson. 
 

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GLESPIN

 

The formation of Glespin Football Club followed soon after at Driverholm, with James Stevenson of Earlsmill appointed as President. They soon arranged some friendly matches and visited nearby Douglas where they were defeated by five goals to three.

Founding of Glespin Football Club

 

From the article below it would appear that Glespin was ever a stronghold of socialism, although due credit is given to JC Hozier, the Conservative MP for his generosity and support for developing clubs. 

                

 

 

Football Club – Sir, - In reporting the formation of a football club at Driverholm, Glespin, of which the following are office bearers; President, James Stevenson, Earls Mill; Captain, Robert Watt; Vice Captain, Terence Kelly; Treasurer, W Baillie; Secretary W Brown – allow me space to comment on the liberality of the representative of the Upperward in the House of Commons i.e Mr J C Hozier. Whatever his political principles (nominally of course he is a Conservative), he is, not withstanding his profession of Conservatism, exceedingly liberal in his actions. Most of the football clubs in the Upperward are obliged to him for practical patronage (i.e l.s.d.) and the motto of Douglas-Jamais Arriere- with respect to Mr Hozier’s support is very appropriate
There are, and have been in all ages, wolves in sheep’s clothing, but it is not often that this gentle animal hides its generous nature beneath the exterior of the wolf. All honour to one when we find him, says the unanimous voice of Glespin Football Club
 

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A team known as Glespin Langhouse played a game against Glenbuck in June 1889
 

 

 

 

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The team at Glespin soon took the name of Glespin Thistle and are recorded as playing in the South Lanarkshire Junior League in 1890 along with Douglas FC.

 

In Jan 1891 Tarbrax beat Glespin Thistle in the Hozier Cup.  Glespin won a protest re the size of the football pitch, but were beaten again in the replay 7-4

 

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Glespin Thistle appear to be the first team in our community to lift a recognised trophy, winning the Hozier Cup in 1894. The following match report is produced from an article in the Hamilton Advertiser 

                 Hozier Cup Final 1894 

      Glespin Thistle v Carluke Westfield

These teams met at Lesmahagow on Saturday on the ground of Nethanvale Swifts to contest the final for this handsome trophy before a crowd of nearly 500. The Douglas team started operations downhill, the Westfield forwards immediately taking up the running. By dint of good play on the right Carluke notched up the first point of the game and soon after scored a second from a combined run. The Douglas team soon steadied and after a grand rush downhill put in number one rather easily, which was received with loud cheering.

This seemed to be the turning point of the game as within as many minutes Glespin rattled in two more goals. Westfield came back, but the Glespin defence stood firm, and after the attack, gave the opposition as much as they bargained for. As the game wore on the Carluke team were urged on to’ come away and score’. It was no use however as Glespin won the match and the Hozier Cup, by three goals to two

For the winners Rarity, Crawford and Newbigging were the pick. Glespin’s record since last December was: played 12, won 10, lost 1, drew 1, with 83 goals scored and 27 lost.

 

 

The regulation of the game at this time was very loose indeed and the order of the day when a game was lost was to seek out a ‘protest’. Indeed Glespin Thistle were extremely fortunate to win the 1894 Hozier Cup at all, as they had infringed the rules in previous rounds and been found guilty of playing ineligible men as had their semi-final opponents Auchlochan. Most of the protests against Glespin involved J Thorburn (pictured in the photograph below), great grandfather of Bill Thorburn who lives in Douglas. He was a much sought after player, and had allegedly played senior football in Ayrshire

The following report on a South Lanarkshire Junior FA meeting is a good indication of the frustration of the officials in dealing with the glut of protests

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Glespin Thistle reached the final of the Hozier Cup again in 1895 but were heavily defeated by Nethanvale Swifts

 

 

                               GLESPIN THISTLE FC 1895

 

 

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Not all of the Glespin players played locally as this article on the famous Matthew Love illustrates.

 

 

Page Last Updated - 15/01/2011