 | |||
| Full name | Blantyre Victoria Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Vics, The best | ||
| Founded | 1889 | ||
| Ground | KG Stadium,Blantyre | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 | ||
| Manager | John Gibson | ||
| League | West of Scotland League First Division | ||
| 2023–24 | West of Scotland League First Division, 8th of 16 | ||
Blantyre Victoria Football Club, also known asBlantyre Vics,[1] are a Scottishassociation football club based in the town ofBlantyre, South Lanarkshire. Formed in 1889, they play at KG Stadium (traditionally known as Castle Park).[2] They currently compete in theWest of Scotland Football League First Division in the seventh tier of theScottish football league system. Historically, they shared a healthy rivalry withBlantyre Celtic who played nearby at Craighead Park,[3] until Celtic were dissolved in 1992. The team have been managed since June 2016 by formerAlloa andStirling Albion midfielderJohn Gibson.[4]
Blantyre Victoria were founded in 1889 by a Mr Sam Dawson, who remained working with the club until his death in 1929. When they were founded, they initially had no permanent ground so played on Glasgow Road in Blantyre. They became members of theScottish Junior Football Association, and soon won theLanarkshire Junior League in 1892 and in 1893.[5] In the 1893–94 season, Blantyre reached theScottish Junior Cup semi-final, losing out to Renfrew Victoria at Kelburn Park.
Later that year, the club then went senior which allowed them to playScottish Qualifying Cup. Despite being defeated byEast Stirlingshire in the fifth round of the 1895–96 Qualifying Cup, Blantyre earned a tie againstHeart of Midlothian in theScottish Cup first round proper, losing the match handily 1–12 inBlantyre.[6] The next edition of the Qualifying Cup saw the Vics beat the likes ofDunfermline Athletic atEast End Park only to lose toArthurlie in the sixth round. Again, due to their performance in the Qualifying Cup, Blantyre entered the1896–97 Scottish Cup in the first round proper. However, this time they bettered their opponents,Bathgate, 5–0 at home. They then lost their second round (Round of 16) match againstAbercorn 4–1.[7]
Due to a lack of success on the pitch at the senior level, the club was dissolved in 1897.[5]
The club was refounded in 1900 by a group of teenagers who paid for it with their own money.[8] The new Victoria team played at Craighead Park (the later home ofBlantyre Celtic) but when another club called Blantyre Hibs went defunct, the Vics took over their grounds at Castle Park in Low Blantyre, which is still the home of Vics today. In their first season back as a junior side, the club won the Lanarkshire Juvenile Cup. The team had continued success within theLanarkshire Junior Football League andCentral Junior Football League over the next few decades.
After defeating Mount Ellen United,Arbroath Victoria, Polkemmet,St Anthony's, and finally Ardeer Recreation atCeltic Park, Blantyre Victoria earned a placed in their firstScottish Junior Cup final in 1944. The final was played atHampden Park againstGlasgow Perthshire in front of 44,840 spectators, with the Vics losing the match 1–0. The game was notably the first Scottishfootball match to be broadcast on the radio. Although the club were bested in the Junior Cup final, the 1943–44 squad achieved a 'treble' that year by winning theWest of Scotland Junior Cup, the Lanarkshire Central Cup and the wartime invitational Salute the Soldier Cup.[9]
The Vics had continued cup success in the 1940s. In 1950, they reached their secondScottish Junior Cup final. Their route to the final included wins overBeith,Coltness United,Kilbirnie Ladeside,Carnoustie Panmure,Bo'ness United,Jeanfield Swifts, andStoneyburn over a twice replayed semi-final atCeltic Park. The final was again held atHampden Park in front of 44,402 spectators. However this time, after three second half goals from Gill, Swan and Rennick, the Vics defeatedCumnock Juniors to lift the Junior Cup for the first time.[10]
After the victory in 1950, the Vics suffered from losing the majority of the side over the next few seasons, including captainAlec Young toAberdeen. The club only achieved one piece of silverware in the rest of the decade. The club took in younger players to give them a challenge and become tougher. A product of this philosophy was, futureCeltic captain,Billy McNeill who started his career at Blantyre Victoria during the 1950s.[11]
The Vics began to return to form in the mid-1960s under the guidance of Hughie Smith. FutureScotland internationalJoe Jordan joined the club in 1967 at aged 16 from Cleland Boys Guild before being signed toMorton a year later.
In 1970, Hughie Smith led the club to their thirdJunior Cup final, defeating junior sides from across Scotland along the way includingNewtongrange,Shettleston,Whitburn,Jeanfield Swifts,Dalkeith, andArdrossan Winton Rovers in the semi-final atIbrox. The Vics facedPenicuik Athletic in the final atHampden Park in front of 26,248 fans. In the match, Jim Lynn opened the scoring early on but the 'Cuikie' equalised in the second half to force a replay the following week. Jim Lynn was again on the scoresheet in the replay and this time there was no retaliation from Penicuik. With over 14,000 in attendance at Hampden, the Vics lifted the cup for the second time in their history.[12]
The club won the 1979–80Central Junior Football League under the stewardship of Dally Duncan, defeatingEast Kilbride Thistle in the championship match. The following season, the Vics finished as league runners-up after losing the championship decider toPollok in apenalty shootout 12–11 after a total of 28 penalty kicks. In 1982, the club reached their fourthScottish Junior Cup final. Their route to final saw the Vics face and defeatSt Roch's,Kilsyth,Stonehouse,Glenafton,Whitletts, andKirkintilloch Rob Roy in the semi-final atDouglas Park. The final, against a formidableBaillieston atIbrox, was contested in front of 10,746 and was broadcast live onScottish Television, the first Junior final to be televised. In the 77th minute, Billy Muldoon dinked a ball over the top of the Baillieston back-line to find John McGurk who hooked the ball overRonnie Lowrie to give the Vics the lead. This goal proved the difference in the end, despite the best efforts of Ballieston, and the Vics lifted the Scottish Junior Cup for the third time.[13]
The Vics suffered in the early 1990s due to lack of finances and the loss of the Blantyre Derby afterBlantyre Celtic folded in 1992. In 1990, to help fundraise for the clubs new pavilion, former Vics player,Billy McNeill, offered to bring hisCeltic side along to Castle Park for a friendly match. With thousands in attendance, the event was detrimental in raising the necessary funds to build the pavilion that the Vics still use today. The match ended in a 6–2 victory for McNeill's side which included the likes ofSteve Fulton,Gerry Creaney andPeter Grant.[14] Three years later, another exhibition took place to help the Vics open their new pavilion.Tommy McLean brought hisMotherwell side to Castle Park which including the likes ofDavie Cooper andJohn Philiben. The North Lanarkshire giants thumped the Vics 7-0 but, with thousands in attendance on the day, this pushed the fundraising over the line for the club. The pavilion was officially opened with an exhibition match against theCeltic Reserves later that year.
Competitively, the Vics had many successes during the decade, winning their second treble in 1996 - theCentral League One title, the Central League Cup, and Sectional League Cup. The following season, Blantyre reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, losing out to eventual championsPollok 5–0 atAdamslie Park.
After the treble win, the club could not replicate their success in the new millennium. The Vics achieved no silverware until 2006 when the club won theCentral League Division 2. Although, just two years later they found themselves relegated back to Division 2. In their first season back in the bottom tier of theSJFA West Region, the club won the league. However, like their previous league win and subsequent promotion to theFirst Division, Blantyre Victoria were relegated at the end of the 2010–11 season.
In 2012, Davie Greig was appointed as manager with the aim of promotion and a return to glory for the club. In his second season with as manager of Blantyre, he won theCentral League Division 2 title. The following season, Grieg strengthened his squad and won a remarkable back-to-back promotion and theCentral League Division 1 title.[15]
After the departure of Greig, Murdie MacKinnon took over for less than a season at Castle Park before leaving for the assistant manager position atPollok. This resignation paved the way for the appointment ofJohn Gibson as manager. Gibson suffered relegation fromSuper League First Division in his first season mainly due to starting the year with no signed players. However, in 2018–19 season, Gibson achieved a third-place finish and promotion to back to theWest Region Championship.[16] In the followingcurtailed season, the club were declared joint champions of theWest Region Championship along withDarvel.[17]
In 2020, Blantyre Victoria announced they had applied for membership of the newWest of Scotland Football League and due to their previous seasons triumph were placed inWoSFL Premier Division.[18] They did this to gain more competition but retain their junior status which allowed them to continue to enter theScottish Junior Cup.[1] Thefirst WoSFL season was declared null and void after the Vics had only played 7 matches due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In the2021–22 season of the Premier Division, the Vics finished second last, with only five wins in 38 matches, and were subsequently relegated toWoSFL First Division.
Joe Jordan - 54 caps
Stephen Craigan- 54 capsBilly McNeill - 29 capsJimmy Brownlie - 16 capsAlex Forsyth - 10 caps
Bill Carnihan - 2 capsBobby McKean - 1 capAlex Menzies - 1 capRobert ClarkDavie ColquhounWillie FindlayBilly HenryCharlie JohnstonAdam LittleRonnie LowrieDanny McGrainJock SteinAlec YoungLanarkshire Junior Football League
Burnbank & District Junior League
Central Region League B Division /Central District League Division One
Central Region League C Division /Central District League Division Two
Evening Times Trophy/Cup-Winners Cup/Champions Cup
Lanarkshire Junior Cup
Lanarkshire Junior Consolation Cup
Lanarkshire Central Cup
Red Cross Prisoner of War Cup
Salute the Soldier Cup
Lanarkshire Hozier Cup
Central Junior League (Drybroughs) Cup
Central Sectional Junior League Cup
Cambuslang & District Junior Cup
Larkhall Junior Charity Cup
55°47′33″N4°04′59″W / 55.79249°N 4.083073°W /55.79249; -4.083073
