Greenock Juniors Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Greenock, Inverclyde. They compete in West of Scotland League Third Division and play home matches at Ravenscraig Stadium, on Auchmead Road - a five-minute walk from Branchton railway station. The club were decanted for a short period of time as the Stadium received multi-million pound upgrades in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[1]
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| Full name | Greenock Juniors Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1956 | ||
| Ground | Ravenscraig Stadium, Greenock | ||
| Chairman | Tommy Sutherland | ||
| Manager | Ian Nixon | ||
| League | West of Scotland League Third Division | ||
| 2023–24 | West of Scotland League Third Division, 8th of 16 | ||
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History
editIn season 1959–60 Greenock made their only appearance in the final of the Scottish Junior Cup. They were beaten 3–1 by St Andrews United at Hampden Park, Glasgow in front of a crowd of 34,603. Their quarter-final tie against Johnstone Burgh earlier in the competition attracted a record attendance of 8,000 to Ravenscraig Stadium.[2]
In June 2017, former player Thomas Molloy was appointed as manager, assisted by former Kilmarnock FC and Greenock Morton Central Defender Shaun Dillon, Owen Archdeacon and goalkeeping coach Gavin Pick. Thomas and his management team left the club in the summer of 2021 to join West of Scotland Premier League team, Kilbirnie Ladeside.[3]
In September 2021, former Kirkintiloch Rob Roy coach, John Doyle was appointed as Manager. His tenure was short, leaving 4 months later for the First Team Managers role at Division One side, St Cadocs.
In January 2022, following a period of instability, former Goalkeeper, Ian Nixon, was appointed as Club Manager. Assisted by staff, Derrick McMillan, Ross Holland and Kenny McLachlan, formerly of Beith Juniors FC, he secured qualification to the Second Division with an 8th-placed finish in Conference B, of the West of Scotland Football Leagues 2021/22 season.
The actor Martin Compston played briefly for the club following his release from Greenock Morton.[4]
Honours
edit- Central League Championship winners: 1960–61, 1965–66
- Central League Division Two winners: 1997–98
- Central League Cup winners: 1960–61, 1965–66, 1966–67
- Pompey Cup winners: 1965–66
- Renfrewshire Junior Cup winners: 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67
- Erskine Hospital Charity Cup winners: 1959–60
- West Central League First Division winners: 2013
References
edit- ^ Greenock stadium to get £17 million upgrade stv.tv 14 March 2009
- ^ McGlone, David; McLure, Bill (1987). The Juniors - 100 Years. A Centenary History of Scottish Junior Football. Mainstream. p. 295. ISBN 1-85158-060-3.
- ^ McNab, Ken (21 June 2017). "Juniors: New Greenock boss Thomas Molloy sets sights higher than just Central First Division survival". Evening Times. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ MacLaren, Lorna (15 November 2002). "Life doesn't come any sweeter". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 8 November 2017.