Brunswick Football Club was an association football club from the city of Edinburgh.
| Full name | Brunswick Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1877 | |
| Dissolved | 1884 | |
| Ground | Brunswick Park | |
| Captain | George Howell | |
|
| ||
History
editThe club was founded in 1877 by George Howell, a professional cricketer,[1] out of the Brunswick Cricket Club, and who started the football section by recruiting a number of rugby union players.[2] Brunswick entered the Edinburgh Cup in its first season of existence, losing 3–1 to Heart of Midlothian in its first tie, played on neutral territory at Newington.[3]
The 1878–79 season saw the club's first Scottish Cup entry and its best run in the Edinburgh Cup, albeit by only winning one tie in the latter. In the national tournament, Brunswick lost 3–1 at the 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers,[4] In the Edinburgh Cup, the club lost in the semi-final to Hibernian at Powderhall by 6 goals to 0,[5] and a week later lost to the same club 6–1 in a friendly.[6]
Brunswick's biggest competitive win came in the first round of the 1879–80 Scottish Cup, 5–0 over the declining Edinburgh Swifts.[7] In the second round, the club lost 4–2 to Hearts at the Powderhall, Brunswick complaining that the third Hearts goal should not have been allowed, and the fourth - an own goal - was scored in darkness due to Hearts being late in providing a match ball.[8] The club lost in the Edinburgh Cup in the quarter-finals at Hibernian, 4–3, having lost a three-goal lead.[9]
With the growth of association football in Edinburgh, Brunswick was firmly in the shadow of Hearts and Hibs, and was overtaken by St Bernard's and Leith Athletic in short order. In 1878, Brunswick had 45 members, the same as Hearts and just five fewer than Hibs;[10] in 1883 the club had dropped to 39 members, while Hearts, Hibs, and St Bernards all had over 150, the newly-senior Edina had 50,[11] and even the Hanover club had attracted more members in its brief existence.[12] The club's last win in the Scottish Cup was against Hanover in 1881–82[13] and in 1883–84 the club did not even enter the Edinburgh Cup, instead concentrating on the national cup, where it lost 8–0 to Hearts in the first round, six of the goals being scored by Wood; the Brunswick players were described as "out of condition" and only the goalkeeping of William Braidwood kept the score down.[14] The match was the club's last competitive match and, although the cricket club continued, the football side seems to have been abandoned before the next season.
Colours
editThe club played in black and white hoops, with white knickerbockers.[15]
Ground
editThe club played at Brunswick Park, on Easter Road.[16]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ "The season in Scotland". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game: 69. 3 May 1883.
- ^ "Association football in Scotland". Scotsman. 6 October 1877.
- ^ "Matches played on Saturday". Glasgow Herald: 7. 19 November 1877.
- ^ "3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers v Brunswick". Scotsman. 30 September 1878.
- ^ "Hibernians v Brunswick (Cup tie)". Scotsman. 10 February 1879.
- ^ "Hibernians v Brunswick". Scotsman. 17 February 1879.
- ^ "Brunswick v Swifts (Scottish Cup tie)". Scotsman. 22 September 1879.
- ^ "Heart of Mid-Lothian and Brunswick". Scotsman. 20 October 1879.
- ^ "Football". Scotsman. 29 December 1879.
- ^ Dick, William (1878). Scottish Football Annual 1878–79. Cranstonhill: Mackay & Kirkwood. p. 65.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1883). Scottish Football Association Annual 1883-84. Glasgow: W. Weatherston. p. 50.
- ^ Livingstone, Robert (1881). Scottish Football Association Annual 1881–82. Gillespie Brothers. p. 112.
- ^ "Hanover v Brunswick". Scotsman. 12 September 1881.
- ^ "Heart of Midlothian v Brunswick". Glasgow Herald: 9. 10 September 1883.
- ^ "Club Directory". Scottish Football Historical Results Archive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1883). Scottish Football Association Annual 1883-84. Glasgow: W. Weatherston. p. 58.