A Photographic History Of Scottish Football

[PossilYM]

3 hours ago, Boghead ranter said:

Last part of old Hampden to be built (North Stand) and first part to be demolished 40 odd years later.

[Dave Barton]

1 hour ago, Eednud said:

Is that Davie Wilson front row 2nd right?

It is indeed. Embarking on his last season as a player.

[AyrshireTon]

12 hours ago, Specky Ginger said:

The Clayholers and The Bully Wee.

 

I did not know that Jackie Copland was at Stranraer.

Just had a look - 19 goals in that one season!

[tamthebam]

1 hour ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

Bobby Duffy shown in that Stranraer photo later became Player-Manager of Brora, and I would doubt that anyone would outdo 'Plum' for spanning Scottish football.

Not quite the same length as Bobby Duffy's span (fnarr fnarr) but Yogi Hughes played for Berwick Rangers and managed Ross County. 

[PossilYM]

[Specky Ginger]

[Specky Ginger]

Moving down to League One (for a few more hours at least) -

[Specky Ginger]

[DA Baracus]

11 minutes ago, Specky Ginger said:

Moving down to League One (for a few more hours at least) -

Some fine Bert Paton content. A wee Alex Ferguson appearance too.

[Sergeant Wilson]

9 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Some fine Bert Paton content. A wee Alex Ferguson appearance too.

The weird thing fo me on a history thread is the fact I remember so much of it.

[Bogbrush1903]

Gray finally finds a tool equipped to chop down one of the most irritating mullets in world football...

[Ranaldo Bairn]

On 15/04/2023 at 10:10, DA Baracus said:

Some fine Bert Paton content. A wee Alex Ferguson appearance too.

Shows up in the second Falkirk one too.

[jagfox]

A "Scotland" select. 

Good background to the game from Falkirk official website.

A few Scots played in the opposition tram, a Don Revie England XI

Edited April 18, 2023 by jagfox

[Ranaldo Bairn]

Would recognise the Brockville changing room anywhere. George Watson and Alan Irvine in amongst: Chisholm, Fleck, Burns, McGrain, Bell, Blackley, Duffy, Connor and Fraser.

The guy 2nd left: was he a Hibs player?

Presume this was a testimonial?

[tamthebam]

42 minutes ago, Ranaldo Bairn said:

Would recognise the Brockville changing room anywhere. George Watson and Alan Irvine in amongst: Chisholm, Fleck, Burns, McGrain, Bell, Blackley, Duffy, Connor and Fraser.

The guy 2nd left: was he a Hibs player?

Presume this was a testimonial?

Looks slightly like Steve Cowan although he had fairer hair

[Ranaldo Bairn]

Think you are right and it is Cowan.

[Arch Stanton]

The pavilion would have been demolished in the early 20s when the Main Stand was completed.

[Arch Stanton]

A picture of the pavilion sited on the east terrace, the main stand under construction.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Arch Stanton

[Arch Stanton]

Two Scotland games were played in Paisley.

The first at Abercorn's Underwood Park, the second at Love St, both were versus Wales.

Here's the Scotland side from the win at Love St on 17/03/1923

Edited April 18, 2023 by Arch Stanton

[Arch Stanton]

Not a lot of people know that Paisley once had 2 top flight football teams, both founder members of the SFL in 1890.

From Brian wright who has written many excellent books and articles on the history of football in Paisley.

"ABERCORN FC - the Beginnings — late 1877

My post back on 6 April looked at the 1877-78 Paisley Town Directory to identify ‘Abercorn’ references in the town. They were many, and almost entirely grouped on the east side of the river —

> Abercorn Railway Station

> Abercorn Shipping Company, Abercorn Street

> Abercorn Thread Factory, Abercorn Street

> Glenfield Thread Comoany, Abercorn Street

> McNee & Spence, Abercorn Street

> William Polson & Co, Abercorn Street

> Wm Pinkerton, merchant, Abercorn Street

> Hamilton Crawford, manufacturer, Abercorn Street

> Knox Grocer, Abercorn Street

> Abercorn Foundry Company, North Croft

> Abercorn Buildings, Gauze Street

> Abercorn Hotel, Gauze Street

> William Somerville & Co, Abercorn Buildings, Gauze Street

> Abercorn Dairy, Bank Street

> Abercorn Bowling Club, Crossflat

Additionally, there were two references in the countryside out beyond Inkerman —

> Abercorn Oil Works

> No 4 Abercorn Pit

———

Conjecture would suggest that the founding members of the Abercorn Football Club had connection to one or more of those references in the east of the town.

The first field on which the club played its football, EAST PARK, has been subject to conjecture of its own. Some have thought it to be on the site of the current East End Park. I have also read its site given as …

1. the junction of Mill Street and Gauze Street, and

2. the junction of Mill Street and Seedhill Road

A second version of the 1858 Ordinance Survey shows that the line of Seedhill Road has changed across the decades. Its modern line was originally the access road into Kilnside House Estate.

———

HOWEVER, research of contemporary newspapers provides the answer to East Park’s location. The Club first played its football on the historic ABBEY GLEBE. These were grounds set aside for the exclusive benefit of the parish priest, or later its minister, to supplement his parish stipend through selling its produce or by letting out its use to to others.

During the winters 1877-78 and 1878-79, the Abercorn footballers rented part of the Abbey Glebe for its first football field. In the summer of 1879, with increasing demand on land for an ever-expanding town, the footballers decided to look elsewhere for new grounds.

Further research into contemporary sources provides additional clues to the site of EAST PARK. The 1883-84 Paisley Town Directory shows East Park continuing to be used by Paisley Athletic footballers. The entry, most helpfully, also states East Park to be “off Cameron Street”. This requires a later map to show the Abbey Glebe developed.

The 1896 Ordinance Survey illustrates Cameron Street as a short extension of Silk Street / Bank Street into the Abbey Glebe lands before angling off into Abbey Terrace. This suggests EAST PARK to have lain either north or south of that short street.

The only other clues from contemporary sources state the grounds to lie east-to-west, and to slope downwards in the direction of the late afternoon Spring sunshine. This does little more than confirm either of these grounds as possible, although perhaps slightly favours the northern option towards Millar Street.

———

With the contemporary location now fixed between two options, the question turns towards its modern-day equivalent. I’m sure that thoughts have already begun to visualise what nowadays sits upon those Abbey Glebe lands …

(It’s time to recall that St Mirin is also Patron Saint of Car Parks)

… neither Bank Street nor Cameron Street continue to exist in their locations of a century ago. Police Headquarters sit on top of the original Bank Street. What was once Cameron Street is now the short access road from Mill Street into the CAR PARK of the Lagoon Leisure Centre.

AND … if we accept the northern option of East Park to be the more likely, then Abercorn FC’s first home grounds sat exactly on the Lagoon Centre’s modern-day car park.

Paisley’s Abercorn and St Mirin connections linked together in a car park!!

HOWEVER … looking back to the 1889 Gazette article, which states “now stands a street entirely built upon” perhaps more likely points to the southerly option towards Cochran Street — that straddles today’s Salvation Army Headquarters and the front-right building of the Lagoon Centre.

EITHER WAY, any archaeological remnants of Abercorn’s East Park would be found beneath today’s LAGOON LEISURE CENTRE site."