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| Full name | Inverness Thistle Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Jags | |
| Founded | 1885 | |
| Dissolved | 1994 | |
| Ground | Kingsmills Park Inverness | |
Inverness Thistle Football Club was afootball club playing in the city ofInverness in northernScotland.
They were members of theHighland Football League, winning the championship eight times, including its inaugural season: 1893–94.[1]
They set a postwar record for the heaviest scoring in a Highland League season, with 124 goals (an average of 4.13 per game) in the 1969–70 season, which stood for 45 years before being beaten in 2015 byBrora Rangers. They wore black and red stripes and played their home games at Kingsmills Park. Like many clubs featuring the name "Thistle", they were often known asthe Jags.
Thistle applied for membership of theScottish Football League for the 1973–74 season, but the club lost out toFerranti Thistle by one vote. It was felt that this was due to clubs in theCentral Belt being unwilling to travel to Inverness.
They occasionally qualified for theScottish Cup. Many regard their most famous result to be the defeat ofKilmarnock by a 3–0 scoreline in season1984–85.
When two vacancies were recorded in the Scottish League in time for season 1994–95 Thistle decided to again apply for membership. However to improve their chances they decided to merge with city rivalsCaledonian who also wanted to apply, as they felt it unlikely both clubs would get both places, and perhaps neither would gain entry if they both applied. This decision was not without controversy. Fans of both clubs bitterly opposed the merger and many tried to stop it. In this they were unsuccessful, and the new entity,Caledonian Thistle (subsequently renamedInverness Caledonian Thistle) were elected along withRoss County to membership of the Scottish League's Third Division for season 1994–95.
The last game of Inverness Thistle Football Club was againstLossiemouth on Saturday, 14 May 1994. The club was 110 years old.
Part of Inverness Thistle lives on at theHarmsworth Park, home ofWick Academy, as the floodlight pylons from Kingsmills Park were relocated there for their admission into the Highland League. However, their status is currently unknown, as they were replaced with higher quality floodlights in 2011 in order for Wick to keep their Licence to host games.
In 2016, the club name was revived at amateur level. Although unrelated, Inverness Thistle AFC were part of theInverness and District Football Association and played atBught Park. However, their existence was short-lived, with the club folding in July 2018.
In 2024, Inverness Thistle were revived for a third time, with the club entering discussions with the North Caledonian Football League in hopes of joining for the 2025–26 season.[2] In June 2025, it was announced thatInverness Thistle (2024) would be joining theNorth Caledonian League.[3]
| Season | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1890–1977 | None | None |
| 1977–1979 | Admiral | |
| 1979–1980 | None | |
| 1980–1984 | Umbro | |
| 1984–1986 | Unknown | |
| 1987–1988 | ATS | |
| 1988–1992 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1992–1994 | Matchwinner | Tomatin Malt Whisky |
