Clydesdale F.C.


Clydesdale F.C. were a nineteenth-century Glasgow-based football club, who were attached to Clydesdale Cricket Club during the 1870s. In 1873, Clydesdale was one of the teams to found the Scottish Football Association.

History

Clydesdale played in blue and orange hoops. They had their strips made by Forsyths of Glasgow.
The club played at the cricket club's ground at Kinning Park, and moved with the cricket club to Titwood in 1876.
With Scottish international players Frederick Anderson, John McPherson, James J Lang, James Tassie Richmond in the forward line, David Wotherspoon in defence and Robert W Gardner as captain and goalkeeper, Clydesdale were at one time the only team to give Queen's Park a good game and were in 1874 the team that broke Queen's Park's immaculate goal concession record. Clydesdale were strong enough to trounce Notts County 6–0.
Clydesdale reached the first Scottish Cup final, in 1874, but lost 2–0 to Queen's Park. The Clydesdale 1874 Scottish Cup finalists were:
Goalkeeper Robert W Gardner
Defenders David Wotherspoon, James McArly
Midfielders A. H. Raeburn, Ebenezer Hendry
Forwards Frederick Anderson, William Gibb, James R. Wilson, James J. Lang, John McPherson, and J. Kennedy.
From then on, Clydesdale's on-the-pitch fortunes gradually faded until the football club was discontinued. The club had become bankrupt by the turn of the century, but the cricket and hockey teams continue. Several attempts have been made at reviving the club as a junior team.