| Full name | Burnbank Athletic Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1885 (as Burnbank Swifts) | |
| Dissolved | 1962 | |
| Ground | Russell Park Burnbank,Hamilton | |
Burnbank Athletic Football Club was aScottishfootball club based in theBurnbank area ofHamilton, South Lanarkshire. It played primarily inScottish Junior Football Association competitions from 1885 until it went out of business in 1962, and won theScottish Junior Cup on five occasions. The club started up again in 2004.
| Full name | Burnbank Swifts Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Swifts | |
| Ground | Victoria Park | |
Formed in 1885 as Burnbank Swifts, the club was one of the most successful sides in the early years of the Junior game. They provided four of the team which played England in the first Scotland Junior international fixture in May 1889, with forwardJock Espie scoring the side's first ever goal. Espie later enjoyed a career in England withBurnley andManchester City while full-backBob Foyers went on to play forNewcastle United and theScotland senior side.[1][2]
Having won theScottish Junior Cup twice in succession in 1888–89 and 1889–90, the club turned to Senior football and entered the1890–91 Scottish Cup. An 11–0 thrashing ofUnited Abstainers was an auspicious debut and Burnbank eventually reached the fourth round before losing 1–0 toRoyal Albert.[3] The club finished the season on a high - beatingAirdriehill 9–1 in the final of the Coatbridge Express Cup.[4]
Swifts accepted an invitation to join the inaugural season of theScottish Football Federation in 1891–92,[5] and was considered one of the title favourites, which seemed to be borne out by the team winning its first match (againstKilmarnock Athletic) 7–1.[6] However the season proved to be disastrous, and the club quit the Federation at the end of the season.
The Swifts flirted again with league football in 1895, joining theScottish Football Alliance but again, only for one season.[7][8]
The club returned to Junior football in 1898 and changed their name toBurnbank Athletic in 1900. This immediately preceded their thirdScottish Junior Cup victory in 1900–01 and Athletic went on to win the trophy twice more in 1910–11 and 1944–45. The club went out of business in 1962.
Other former Burnbank players includeTommy Cairns,Bobby Shearer,Willie Telfer andJimmy Watson who all went on to win full international caps forScotland later in their careers.[9][10][11]
The club originally played in blue and white; after a season it changed to black and white, and from 1888 wore maroon shirts and navy shorts.[12] On the club's return to junior football, it adopted black and gold, originally in stripes but gold shirts with black trim by the 1960s.[13]
| Season | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1888–89 | West Benhar Violet | 4–1 |
| 1889–90 | Benburb | 3–1 (replay after protest) |
| 1900–01 | Maryhill | 2–0 |
| 1910–11 | Petershill | 1–0 (after 1–1 draw) |
| 1927–28 | Maryhill Hibernian | 2–6 |
| 1930–31 | Denny Hibernian | 0–1 (match protested but not replayed)[14] |
| 1944–45 | Cambuslang Rangers | 3–1 (replay after protest) |
1. Players that have played/managed in the top two divisions of the Scottish Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.
