Dumbarton Athletic F.C. facts for kids
| Full name | Dumbarton Athletic Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Athletics, the D.A.F.C. | |
| Founded | 1881 | |
| Dissolved | 8 August 1889 | |
| Ground | St James' Park | |
| President | Archibald Little | |
|
|
||
Dumbarton Athletic Football Club was a football team from the town of Dumbarton, Scotland. They played association football, which is the official name for what most people call soccer! This club was around for a short time, from 1881 to 1889.
Contents
Club History: The Rise and Fall
The Dumbarton Athletic club started in 1881. It was known for having many young players. For example, the club president, Archibald Little, was still a teenager. He also played as a right-winger! Some of their best players, like Alex Latta and Geordie Dewar, were also teenagers when they first played. Many players worked in shipbuilding, suggesting the club might have started at the Denny shipyard.
First Big Season: 1884–85
The Athletics quickly became a strong team. In 1884, they played in the Scottish Cup for the first time. People didn't expect them to win against King's Park F.C., but they surprised everyone with a 3–1 victory! Their journey in the Cup ended in the fifth round. They lost 4–1 at home to Cambuslang. The Athletics tried to protest, saying the other team's goalkeeper wasn't wearing the right uniform, but their complaint was not accepted.
That same season, the club also joined the Dumbartonshire Cup. They made it all the way to the semi-finals! They lost 2–0 to Vale of Leven. There was a lot of disagreement about the game. The Athletics protested, saying one of Vale's goals was offside and that they should have gotten a goal themselves. After a long discussion, the football association agreed one of Vale's goals shouldn't count. However, the Athletics still didn't get their goal, so they lost 1–0.
Scottish Cup Adventures
Playing in the Scottish Cup was tough for the Athletics. The rules meant they often played against other strong teams from their area. These included Renton, Vale of Leven, and Dumbarton. These clubs were very powerful and had a lot of support from local factories.
The Athletics played in the Scottish Cup four more times. Each time, they were knocked out by Renton. In the 1887–88 season, the Athletics even complained about Renton's football boots. This caused bad feelings, and Renton stopped playing friendly matches with the Athletics.
The club's best performance in the Cup was in their last season, 1888–89. They reached the quarter-finals! During this run, they had their biggest win ever, beating Dumbarton Union F.C. 15–0. They also had an exciting 4–2 win over Vale of Leven, with over 3,000 fans watching. Their last Cup match was against Renton. Even though one of their players, Lindsay, got injured early and they played with only 10 men, they only lost 2–1.
Local Competitions
The Athletics had more luck in the Dumbartonshire Cup because Renton often didn't play in it. However, they still had to face the other two big clubs in the county. The Athletics reached the final of this cup twice.
In 1885–86, they surprisingly beat Dumbarton in the semi-final. In the final, they were almost champions against Vale of Leven, but Vale scored an equalizer in the last five minutes. The replay match had 4,000 fans, but the Athletics lost 2–1.
Their second final was in 1888–89, where they lost to Dumbarton 6–2. The club also reached the final of the Dumbarton FA Tournament in 1886–87, but again lost to Dumbarton.
However, the club did win one important competition! They won the Greenock Charity Cup in 1887–88, beating St Mirren F.C. in the final. They were also invited to play in the 1888 Glasgow Exhibition Cup. Their loss to Celtic F.C. in the quarter-finals was actually Celtic's first-ever competitive win!
Joining Forces with Dumbarton
As football became more professional, it became clear that the town of Dumbarton might not be big enough for two major football clubs. In 1888, a local newspaper said it was "utterly impossible" to have two top clubs. They suggested the clubs should combine to bring more honor to the town.
The Athletics club was in debt, owing £168. This was a huge amount of money back then! So, on August 8, 1889, the Athletics committee decided to join with their "senior neighbors," Dumbarton FC.
This was more like Dumbarton taking over the Athletics. The new combined club played at Dumbarton's home ground, Boghead, and wore Dumbarton's colors. Dumbarton also took on the Athletics' debts. Many Athletics players were expected to join Dumbarton. However, it didn't quite work out that way. When the new Dumbarton team played its first game, only one player from the Athletics joined them. Alex Latta, one of the best Athletics players, decided to become a professional player for Everton instead. This led some people to joke that Dumbarton had paid £168 for only one player! Still, many other Athletics players did join Dumbarton's organization, mostly playing for their reserve team, called Dumbarton Rangers.
Team Colours
The Dumbarton Athletic team wore different uniforms over the years:
| Seasons | Shirts | Shorts |
|---|---|---|
| 1881–85 | Navy & sky blue hoops | Navy |
| 1885–87 | Black & white stripes | Navy |
| 1887–90 | Red & black stripes | White |
Home Grounds
The club first played at St James' Park on Glasgow Road. In the 1885–86 season, they moved to a new ground called Burnside Park. They won their first game there, 4–2 against Yoker. From the 1887–88 season, they moved back to St James' Park. However, this ground was sometimes described as being in poor condition, like a "slough of despond" or "part of the Lake District" because it could get very muddy!
Famous Players
Some talented players played for Dumbarton Athletic:
- Alex Latta played for the club and later played for the Scottish national team.
- Geordie Dewar also played for the club and later for Scotland. He even won the FA Cup with Blackburn Rovers!
- A. M. Marshall from Dumbarton Athletic won the Scottish 880-yard running championship in 1888.
