Clyde F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Clyde

Full name	Clyde Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Bully Wee
Founded	1877; 148 years ago (1877)
Ground	New Douglas Park, Hamilton
Ground Capacity	5,510
Chairman	Vacant
Manager	Darren Young
League	Scottish League Two
2015–16	Scottish League Two, 3rd
Home colours Away colours

Clyde Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team. They currently play in Scottish League Two. The club started in 1877 near the River Clyde in Glasgow.

Clyde plays its home games at New Douglas Park in Hamilton. Before that, they played at Broadwood Stadium from 1994 to 2022.

Clyde's biggest achievements include winning the Scottish Cup three times. They won it in 1939, 1955, and 1958. They also reached the final three other times. The team has not played in the top Scottish football league since 1975.

Darren Young has been the club's manager since October 2024.

History of Clyde FC

Early Years (1877–1898)

Clyde Football Club began in 1877. They played their games at Barrowfield Park, which was right by the River Clyde in Glasgow. The club was like a private members' club back then, not a professional team. They even had other sports like rowing.

Clyde's first recorded game was on September 17, 1877. They played against 3rd Lanark Volunteers and lost 3–1. Soon after, they joined the Scottish Cup.

In 1883, Clyde was one of six clubs that helped start the Glasgow Football Association. Today, only three of those founding clubs still exist: Clyde, Queen's Park, and Rangers.

Clyde joined the Scottish Football League in 1891. Their first league game was a big 10–3 win against Vale of Leven. Barrowfield Park became too small for the growing crowds. So, in 1898, Clyde moved to a new home.

Moving to Shawfield (1899–1919)

In 1898, Clyde bought land across the river to build a new stadium called Shawfield Stadium. The club raised money by selling shares. On August 27, 1898, 10,000 fans watched the first game at Shawfield, a 0–0 draw against Celtic.

Clyde won the Division Two title in 1904–05. They were promoted to the top league in 1906. The years before World War I were very successful for Clyde. They finished third in the top division twice (1908–09 and 1911–12).

Clyde reached the Scottish Cup final in 1910 and 1912. The 1910 final was tough. They were winning 2–0, but Dundee scored late goals, forcing two replays. Dundee eventually won the cup. In 1912, Clyde lost 2–0 to Celtic in the final.

In 1909, William Walker became the first Clyde player to play for the Scottish national team. The club also won the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1910 and the Glasgow Cup in 1914. These were important competitions back then.

In September 1914, a fire destroyed the main stand at Shawfield. Many players also joined the war effort, and some never returned.

Mid-Century Success (1920–1945)

After World War I, the Scottish League restarted with two divisions. Being in the top league was important for clubs. Clyde was relegated in 1923–24 but got promoted back to the top division in 1925–26. They stayed in the top league until 1939.

In 1930, the club almost went out of business. To help financially, the club allowed Greyhound racing at Shawfield Stadium. A company bought the stadium from Clyde a few years later.

Clyde had a great run to the 1939 Scottish Cup final. They only let in one goal before the final. In the final, Clyde faced Motherwell at Hampden in front of 94,000 fans. Clyde won the match convincingly, 4–0, to win their first ever Scottish Cup.

When World War II started, football leagues were stopped. But unofficial competitions soon began. Clyde did well in these wartime leagues. After the war, the Scottish League Cup was created. The trophy for this cup was donated by Clyde's chairman, John McMahon.

Cup Wins and Changes (1946–1969)

In 1947, Clyde went on a 20-match tour of South Africa, winning most of their games. In 1953, famous player Stanley Matthews even played for Clyde in a friendly match.

Clyde reached the Scottish Cup final again in 1949, but lost 4–1 to Rangers. The 1950s saw Clyde move between the top two divisions a few times. They won the Division B title in 1951–52 and 1956–57.

Clyde won the Scottish Cup twice more in the 1950s. In 1955, they played Celtic in the final. The first game was a 1–1 draw, with Clyde scoring a late equalizer. In the replay, Clyde won 1–0 to lift the cup.

In 1958, Clyde won their third Scottish Cup, beating Hibernian 1–0 in the final. This was a very successful period for the club. Three Clyde players were even chosen for the 1958 FIFA World Cup Scotland squad.

In the 1960s, Clyde often moved between divisions. They won the Division Two title in 1961–62. The 1966–67 season was one of their best. Clyde finished third in the top league, behind only the "Old Firm" clubs (Celtic and Rangers). However, they couldn't play in European competitions because of a rule that only one team per city could enter.

Towards the end of the 1960s, Clyde's fan base started to shrink. Many people who lived near Shawfield moved away due to city redevelopment.

Challenges and New Homes (1970–1993)

The 1970s were tough for Clyde. They were relegated from the top division in 1971–72. Many important players left. However, they won the Division Two title in 1972–73 and returned to the top league for two more years. Their last time in the top division was in 1975.

Clyde then found a new role: finding and developing young talented players. Future Scotland international players like Steve Archibald, Ian Ferguson, and Pat Nevin all started at Clyde.

In 1976, Clyde was relegated to the third tier of Scottish football. This was a big drop for a club that was once third best in Scotland. Celtic legend Billy McNeill briefly managed the team. Then, Craig Brown took over and led them to win the Second Division title in 1977–78.

Shawfield Stadium was getting old and needed repairs. The owners of the stadium, a greyhound racing company, wanted to redevelop the land. In 1986, Clyde was told they had to leave Shawfield. Their last game there was a 4–2 win against Alloa Athletic.

Clyde then had to share grounds with other teams. They played at Firhill Stadium with Partick Thistle for five seasons. After that, they shared Douglas Park with Hamilton Academical for two and a half seasons. During these years, Clyde fans became known as the "Gypsy Army" because the club had no permanent home.

Clyde continued to move between divisions, winning the Second Division title in 1981–82 and 1992–93.

Broadwood Era (1994–2022)

In the early 1990s, Clyde found a new home in Cumbernauld. The town wanted a professional football team. A new stadium, Broadwood Stadium, was built.

Clyde moved into Broadwood in February 1994. The first game there was against Hamilton Academical, which Clyde lost 2–0 in front of 6,000 fans.

In 1998, Clyde almost dropped to the lowest level of senior football. New chairman Billy Carmichael brought in Ronnie MacDonald as manager. MacDonald signed many new players, and Clyde was promoted twice in two seasons, reaching the Scottish First Division in 1999.

The 2003–04 season was exciting. Clyde was at the top of the league and looked like they might get promoted to the SPL. However, Broadwood Stadium did not meet SPL rules, and the club had serious money problems. Clyde missed out on promotion that season.

The Clyde Supporters' Trust was formed in 2003–04 to help the club. Fans and investors took control of the club and helped pay off its debts. By June 2005, Clyde was mostly debt-free.

In January 2006, Clyde had a famous Scottish Cup win. They beat Celtic 2–1, even though Celtic had just signed famous player Roy Keane. Clyde also reached the Challenge Cup Final in 2006, their first final in 48 years, but lost on penalties.

Colin Hendry, a former Scotland captain, became manager in 2007 but left in 2008. John "Bomber" Brown took over. In 2008, Clyde had to win a play-off to stay in the First Division, which they did in thrilling fashion.

However, the next season, Clyde finished last in the First Division and was relegated. Financial problems returned, and the club had to let go of all its first-team players in 2009. They rebuilt the team with a much smaller budget.

In 2010, Clyde was relegated again, dropping to the Third Division. They finished 10th, which was the lowest position in the Scottish league system.

In 2013, there was a plan to move the club to East Kilbride and rename it, but this plan was dropped. The 2013–14 season saw an improvement, with Clyde reaching the play-offs for promotion, but they lost.

In 2014, the club was officially debt-free after years of financial struggles. Barry Ferguson, a former Scotland midfielder, became player-manager in 2014. He retired as a player later that season. Clyde finished 3rd in League Two in 2016 but lost in the play-off final. Ferguson resigned in 2017.

In 2019, Danny Lennon led Clyde to promotion to Scottish League One by winning the play-off final.

In April 2022, Clyde announced they would leave Broadwood Stadium after 28 years. They now share New Douglas Park with Hamilton Academical, planning to find a new home back in Glasgow soon. Clyde's last game at Broadwood was a loss to Airdrieonians on April 23, 2022.

Clyde's Grounds

Clyde Football Club has played at five different home grounds since 1877.

Barrowfield

Clyde's first home was Barrowfield Park. It was located by the River Clyde in Glasgow.

Shawfield

By 1898, Barrowfield was too small. So, Clyde moved across the river and built Shawfield Stadium. The first game there had 10,000 fans. In 1908, a huge crowd of 52,000 watched a game against Rangers. This is still Clyde's record home attendance.

Due to money problems, the club sold Shawfield to a greyhound racing company in 1935. Clyde continued to play there until 1986, when the company wanted to redevelop the stadium.

Broadwood

In 1990, Clyde agreed to move to a new stadium in Cumbernauld. This new all-seater stadium, Broadwood Stadium, was ready in 1994.

Clyde moved into Broadwood during the 1994–95 season. Broadwood has also hosted games for the Scotland U21 team and several cup finals. Other teams, like Airdrieonians, also used Broadwood for a few years.

In 2010, Clyde announced they wanted to leave Broadwood. They looked into moving to East Kilbride or back to Rutherglen. In April 2022, the club confirmed they would leave Broadwood at the end of the 2021–22 season. They now share New Douglas Park with Hamilton Academical, hoping to find a new permanent home in Glasgow soon.

Sharing Grounds

After a fire destroyed their grandstand in 1914, Clyde played some home games at Celtic Park, home of Celtic. Later, when Celtic Park was damaged in 1929, Celtic played some games at Shawfield.

In 1958, a Scottish Cup match between Clyde and Celtic was moved to Celtic Park for safety. Even though it was at Celtic's ground, Clyde still had "home" advantage because of ticket arrangements. Clyde won 2–0.

After leaving Shawfield in 1986, Clyde shared Firhill with Partick Thistle for five seasons. Then, they shared Douglas Park with Hamilton Accies for three more seasons until Broadwood was ready.

In 2012, Clyde had to play their first two home games of the season at Recreation Park in Alloa. This was because their new artificial pitch at Broadwood wasn't ready yet.

Clyde Supporters

Clyde Football Club is completely owned by its supporters.

The fans' biggest rivalry is with Partick Thistle. Both are smaller Glasgow clubs compared to Rangers and Celtic. However, because Partick Thistle has been in higher leagues recently, these derby games are not as common.

The number of years Clyde spent without a permanent home led fans to call themselves the Gypsy Army. This name started as a way for rival fans to tease them, but Clyde supporters proudly adopted it.

The Clyde Supporters' Trust was formed in 2003–04. They helped save the club from serious money problems and ensured it stayed owned by the fans. The Trust has helped fund new players and keep important ones at the club.

Clyde supporters also have their own football teams, like Bully Wee United and Broadwood Clyde. These teams play against other supporters' clubs.

The Clyde View

The Clyde View is Clyde's official matchday programme. It has won many awards for being the best Scottish Programme of the Year multiple times.

Nickname

The club's nickname is "The Bully Wee". No one is completely sure where it came from, but there are a few ideas:

• Some think it came from the Bridgeton area of Glasgow, where many early supporters lived. People from there were sometimes called "wee bullies".
• Another story says that around 1900, French supporters watched a game and said "But il'y, oui?" (meaning "Their goal, yes?"). Fans heard this as "Bully Wee".
• The most likely idea is that "bully" was an old Victorian word meaning "first-rate" or "high standard". So, people might have called Clyde "Bully Wee Clyde", and the first two words stuck as the nickname.

Clyde's supporters are also known as the "Gypsy Army". This name came about because the club spent many years without a permanent home. Rival fans used "gypsies" as an insult, but Clyde supporters took it as a badge of honour. Even though Clyde now has a settled home, the nickname is still used in songs and by supporters' groups.

Rivalries

Clyde has had rivalries with other football clubs in and around Glasgow. These include Celtic, Rangers, Partick Thistle, Queen's Park, and the now-closed Third Lanark. For much of the 20th century, these six clubs were among the best in Scotland.

An early rival was a team called Thistle FC, which played near Clyde's first home. Thistle stopped existing in 1894.

The rivalry between Clyde and Partick Thistle used to be very strong. It became even more intense when Clyde shared Partick Thistle's Firhill ground for five years in the 1980s. Fans from both sides didn't always like this arrangement. More recently, because Partick Thistle has been in higher leagues, games between the two clubs have been less common. However, they were in the same league again in 2020–21.

In the 2010s, Queen's Park became a natural rival for Clyde. Both clubs were often in the same lower league. Queen's Park had a very good run against Clyde from 2010 to 2016, winning many games.

Since moving to Cumbernauld in 1994, Clyde is now considered a North Lanarkshire club. This means games against teams like Airdrieonians, Albion Rovers, Motherwell, or Hamilton Academical can be called a Lanarkshire derby.

Managers

The club has had 35 permanent managers in its history.

First-Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Robbie Hemfrey (on loan from Arbroath) 2 DF Jordan Houston 3 DF Tommy Robson 4 DF Lee Hamilton (captain) 5 DF Craig Howie 6 MF Barry Cuddihy 7 MF Liam Scullion 8 MF Ray Grant 9 FW Jordan Allan (on loan from Falkirk) 10 FW Martin Rennie 11 MF Marley Redfern

No. Position Player 12 GK Jay Kennedy 14 DF Paul McKay 15 DF Logan Dunachie 16 FW Kyle Connell 18 FW Robbie Leitch 20 MF Darren Lyon 22 MF Dominic Docherty 23 DF Darren Hynes 24 MF Ross Lyon 27 MF Andy Murdoch (on loan from Ayr United) 29 FW Lee Connelly

Club Officials

Board

• Chairman: Vacant
• Company secretary: John Taylor
• Directors: John Alexander, David Hunter, Graeme Kelly, Gordon Nisbet, Gordon Thomson
• Associate director: Andrew Clark

Coaching Staff

• Manager: Darren Young
• Assistant manager: Neil Scally
• Goalkeeping coach: James Evans
• Kitman: Ian Elliott
• Physiotherapist: Alistair Gray
• Sports scientist: Owen Murphy

Reserve and Youth Teams

Reserve League Cup

Clyde has a reserve team that plays in the SFL's Reserve League Cup. This team includes fringe players from the first team and younger players. In May 2008, Clyde won the Reserve League Cup for the first time, beating Livingston 4–1. This was their first reserve team trophy in 20 years.

Reserve Team History

League	Seasons
Scottish Football Federation	1898-99
Scottish Football Alliance	1896-97, 1919–21, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1956–57
Scottish Reserve League	1909-11, 1913–15, 1938–39, 1945–49, 1955–56, 1957–61, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1969–72, 1973–75
Scottish C Division South & West	1949-55
Combined Reserve Football League	1961-62, 1963–64, 1975–76
Scottish Reserve League (West)	1979-81, 1983–93, 1994–97, 1998–2001
Scottish Reserve League (West 'A')	1993-94

Clyde's reserve team reached the semi-finals of the Scottish 2nd XI Cup in 1881–82. They reached their first "major" cup final, the Scottish 2nd XI Cup final, in 1896–97, but lost to Hearts.

They won the Scottish 2nd XI Cup for the first time in 1913–14. They won it again the next season (1914–15). Their third and final Scottish 2nd XI Cup win was in 1941–42.

In 1949–50 and 1950–51, Clyde's reserve team won the Scottish C Division South & West league titles.

Youth Teams

Clyde used to have many youth teams, from under-11 to under-20. They also run Football Schools in Cumbernauld and Glasgow Southside. These schools have won awards for their quality.

In 2015, the club had to stop most of its youth academy teams (under 11 to under 17) due to less funding. Only the under-20 team remained.

The under-17 team reached the SFL Youth Cup final in 2004 but lost on penalties. The under-19 team finished second in the first SPFL under-19 league in 2014.

In 2003, the under-19 team traveled to the Netherlands for a youth football program. They played against Dutch teams and did very well.

Since the 2018–19 season, Clyde has a project called Project Braver. This project helps young players develop and potentially join the first team, while also offering them education or apprenticeship chances.

Youth Graduates

Many young players who trained in Clyde's youth system have gone on to play for the first team. Some famous Scottish international players like Pat Nevin, Steve Archibald, and Ian Ferguson also came through Clyde's youth system.

Hall of Fame

Clyde started its official Hall of Fame in 2011 to honor important people and teams from its history.

Honours

Other Trophies

• Glasgow Cup (5): 1914–15, 1925–26, 1946–47, 1951–52, 1958–59
• Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup¹ (4): 1909–10, 1951–52, 1957–58, 1960–61
• Southern League
  • Runners-up: 1940–41
• Summer Cup
  • Runners-up: 1943–44
• West of Scotland League / Shield (2): 1904–05, 1906–07
• Glasgow & District Midweek League
  • Runners-up: 1912–13
• Glasgow North Eastern Cup (4): 1890–91, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1894–95
• Graham Charity Cup (4): 1888–89, 1889–90, 1890–91
• Paisley Charity Cup: 1938–39, 1939–40
• St Vincent de Paul Charity Cup
  • Runners-up: 1938
• Friendship Cup: 1960–61 (joint-winners)
• ¹Clyde shared the trophy with Third Lanark in 1952 and with Celtic in 1961.

Friendly Trophies

• Keyline Challenge Cup: 1999, 2000, 2001
• Tommy McGrane Cup: 2006
• Broadwood Cup: 2020

Reserve Team Honours

Honour	Winners	Runners-up
Scottish Reserve League		1914
Scottish Reserve League West	1988
Scottish Football Alliance		1920, 1957
Combined Reserve League	1962
Scottish Second XI Cup	1914, 1915, 1942	1897, 1938, 1939, 1946
Reserve League Cup	2008
Glasgow Second XI Cup	1898	1913
North Eastern Second XI Cup	1892

Youth Team Honours

• League Cup (under 17s):
  • Runners-up: 2004
• Rangers Youth Invitational Tournament (under 13s):
  • Winners: 2008
• Helensburgh Bi-Centennial Tournament (under 13s):
  • Winners: 2002
• Kildrum United Football Festival (under 13s):
  • Winners: 2007
• Oban Saints Youth Tournament (under 13s):
  • Runners-up: 2011
• CKSSDA 11-a-side Tournament (under 12s):
  • Winners: 2008

Records

• Record home attendance: 52,000 vs Rangers (November 28, 1908) at Shawfield Stadium; 8,000 vs Celtic (January 8, 2006) at Broadwood Stadium
• Record win: 11–1 vs Cowdenbeath (October 6, 1951) and 10–0 vs Stranraer (August 14, 1957)
• Record European win: 4–0 vs RC Lens (August 7, 1960)
• Record loss: 11–0 vs Dumbarton (November 22, 1897)
• Most capped player: Tommy Ring: 12 times for Scotland
• Most international goals: Tommy Ring: 2 for Scotland, Archie Robertson: 2 for Scotland
• Most goals in one season: Billy McPhail: 36 goals in 1951–52, Basil Keogh: 36 goals in 1956–57
• Youngest player: Connor Stevenson, aged 16 years and 245 days (against Queen of the South on April 15, 2009)

Noted Players

International Players

These players played for their national teams while they were with Clyde.

 Ireland

• Frank Thompson (2 games)
• Jack Kirwan (1 game)

 Northern Ireland

• Jack McGrillen (1 game)
• Ned Weir (1 game)

 Republic of Ireland

• Albie Murphy (1 game)
• Ned Weir (3 games)

 Scotland

• Alec Linwood (1 game/1 goal)
• Archie Robertson (5 games/2 goals)
• Billy Boyd (2 games/1 goal)
• Danny Blair (7 games)
• George Herd (5 games/1 goal)
• Harry Hood (3 games)
• Harry Haddock (6 games)
• Hugh Long (1 game)
• Jimmy Campbell (1 game)
• John Brown (1 game)
• Leslie Johnston (2 games/1 goal)
• Tommy Ring (12 games/2 goals)
• William Walker (2 games)

Images for kids

• 

  Chart of historic table positions of Clyde in the League.

• 

  Shawfield Stadium in 1985.

• 

  Firhill Stadium, home of Partick Thistle, which Clyde has used in the past.

• 

  Clyde lifting the Tommy McGrane Trophy in 2006.

• 

  Clyde lifting the Reserve League Cup in May 2008.

See also

In Spanish: Clyde Football Club para niños