Broxburn Athletic Football Club was a football club from Broxburn in West Lothian.
| Full name | Broxburn Athletic Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Blues,[1] the Albion Parkers[2] | |
| Founded | 1887 | |
| Dissolved | 1912 | |
| Ground | Albion Park | |
| Secretary | Stewart M'Donald[3] | |
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History
editThe club's first known matches were part of a five-a-side tournament at the close of the 1886–87 season.[4] The club originally played as a Junior club.[5]
The club became a senior club in 1905 and started to enter the Scottish Cup via the qualifying cup competition. The club reached the first round proper of the Cup on one occasion, in 1911–12. The club had lost twice in the early rounds of the qualifying competition but had the results overturned on appeal.[6] On the first occasion, the replayed match against West Calder Swifts F.C. was abandoned after 85 minutes due a pitch invasion from the Swifts' fans, and the score at the time — 1–0 to Broxburn — was allowed to stand.[7]
In the competition itself, Athletic beat Beith F.C. in the first round 6–0, before a crowd of a mere 400.[8] Third Lanark was much too strong in the second round, beating Athletic 6–1, Raitt scoring a hat-trick, and the Blues' consolation coming from M'Laren on the stroke of half-time, when the club was already three down.[9]
At the start of April 1912, the Athletic and Broxburn F.C. agreed to a merger, the new club to be called Broxburn United.[10] The last match for the clubs was the final of the Gardeners' Cup (a charity invitational competition of long standing), won by Broxburn; a week later for Athletics players played for Broxburn against Rangers in a friendly "with a view to testing their qualifications for 'The United'".[11]
Colours
editThe club originally played in maroon,[12] changing to blue in 1906.[13]
Ground
editThe club's home ground was Albion (now Albyn) Park.
References
edit- ^ "Broxburn v Uphall". Lothian Courier: 7. 11 September 1908.
- ^ "Football". Lothian Courier: 7. 19 April 1912.
- ^ "Junior Match Secretaries". Lothian Courier: 7. 19 January 1889.
- ^ "Broxburn Sports Field". Rutherglen Reformer: 3. 27 May 1887.
- ^ "Broxburn & District Junior Association". Rutherglen Reformer: 2. 17 April 1891.
- ^ "West Calder". Hamilton Advertiser: 6. 9 September 1911.
- ^ "Scottish Football Association". Airdrie Advertiser: 3. 23 September 1911.
- ^ "Broxburn Athletic's Brilliant Display". Lothian Courier: 7. 2 February 1912.
- ^ "Broxburn Athletic's Poor Display at Cathkin Park". Lothian Courier: 7. 16 February 1912.
- ^ "Proposed amalgamation of local football clubs". Lothian Courier: 8. 5 April 1912.
- ^ "Football". Lothian Courier: 7. 19 April 1912.
- ^ "Club Directory". Scottish Football Historical Results Archive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Broxburn v Uphall". Lothian Courier: 7. 11 September 1908.