Clydebank FC
Several football clubs from the western Scottish city of Clydebank had been called FC Clydebank (or Clydebank FC) since 1885 .
The Scottish football league system consists of several independent systems (senior football, junior football, amateur football, welfare football) that differ in terms of football level. Today, senior football includes the highest league, the Scottish Premier League , and the Scottish Football Leagues of levels 2-4. Junior football can be compared to English non-league football . However, there is no automatic promotion from junior football to senior football.
Clydebank FC currently plays in the competitions of the Scottish Junior Football Association . For many years, however, predecessor clubs were represented in senior football. These predecessor clubs were:
1888-1895, 1899-1902
This club took part in the Scottish Cup competition several times. In the 1890/91 season, FC Clydebank reached the 3rd round, in which the first division club FC Dumbarton was the last stop. In the years 1891-1893, the FC Clydebank played in the league of the Scottish Football Federation, which only existed for two years . In 1895 the club disbanded. It was re-founded in 1899 and existed briefly until 1902. The FC Clydebank played in those years at Hamilton Park.
1914-1931
This club was the first to represent the then booming city of Clydebank in the Scottish Football League . Immediately after it was founded, FC Clydebank was included in Division 2 and in the 1914/15 season it was 5th among 14 teams. However, Division 2 was suspended from 1915/16 to 1920/21 because of the First World War and its aftermath. After the FC Clydebank played two years in a Western League, but took place in 1917 because of the withdrawal of several teams, the admission to Division 1. The club was able to assert itself five years in the Scottish Premier League. The best result was the 5th place out of 22 teams in the 1919/20 season. In the 1921/22 season, the FC finished 22nd and last place, so that he was relegated to the now re-existing Division 2. In the following years, the FC Clydebank commuted between divisions 1 and 2. In 1923 and 1925 he rose, 1924 and 1926 again. From 1926 to 1931 he remained in Division 2. In 1931 the club disbanded due to financial difficulties. This FC Clydebank played in Clydeholm Stadium, which was used not only for football but also for dog races. The last dog race in the stadium took place in 1963. A shopping center was later built on the site. In the 1923/24 season Jimmy McGrory played for Clydebank FC. The Scottish top scorer scored 13 goals in 30 games for Clydebank FC. Among other things, he also scored in the sensational 2-1 win against his home club Celtic Glasgow .
1965-2002
The junior football club Clydebank Juniors FC merged with FC East Stirlingshire to form ES Clydebank in 1964 and played in Division 2 in 1964/65. After this season, the club returned to its hometown of Falkirk under the old name . Then a new FC Clydebank was founded. From 1966 he played a total of 36 years in senior football, including 3 years (1977-78, 1985-87) in the first division, 29 years (1966-75, 1976-77, 1978-85, 1987-97, 1998- 2000) in the 2nd division and 4 years in the 3rd division (1975–76, 1997–98, 2000–02).
National players who played for the club were Terry Butcher (England), Gary Teale (Scotland) and Tommy Cowne and Owen Coyle (both Ireland).
The club first played in New Kilbowie Stadium, one of the first stadiums to be exclusively seated. This stadium is linked to the decline of the club. In 1996 it was sold. A new stadium was to be built in Clydebank, but it did not succeed. The club had to play in other places ( Dumbarton and Greenock ) for several years , which had a negative impact on support. The club was sold to a businessman. A move to other places failed. In 2002 the remaining values were sold to Airdrie United, which took the place of FC Clydebank from the 2002/03 season. In 2013 Airdrie United was renamed Airdrieonians FC .
Supporters of FC Clydebank then founded what is now the junior football club Clydebank FC in 2003.