Linthouse F.C. facts for kids
| Full name | Linthouse Football Club | |
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| Nickname(s) | the Linties | |
| Founded | 1881 | |
| Dissolved | 1900 | |
| Ground | Langlands Park, Govan Govandale Park, Govan |
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Linthouse Football Club was a football team from the Linthouse area of Govan, Scotland. The club played in navy blue uniforms. They were active from 1881 until 1900.
Contents
Club History
Linthouse Football Club started in 1881. It grew out of an athletics club. This was a time when many people were moving to Govan because of the busy shipbuilding industry. The club first appeared in newspapers in 1883.
Linthouse played in the Scottish Cup for the first time in the 1885–86 season. They lost their first game to Northern. Their best run in the Scottish Cup was in 1888–89. They reached the fourth round that year.
In the third round, they played Wishaw Thistle. Linthouse won the game 8–5 in front of 2,000 fans. Linthouse was leading 6–1 by half-time! Wishaw tried to catch up, scoring four goals, but Linthouse scored again to win. In the fourth round, they played against the Cup holders, Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers. Linthouse only lost 2–0, which was a good effort against such a strong team.
Rivalry with Whitefield
Linthouse had a big rivalry with another team from Govan called Whitefield.
In the 1886–87 Govan Charity Cup, Linthouse and Whitefield drew their first game. Whitefield won the replay 2–0. But Linthouse protested, saying something was wrong. So, they played another game, and Linthouse won 3–1 in front of 2,000 fans! However, Whitefield protested back and was given the trophy in the end.
The two clubs met again in the first round of the 1887–88 Scottish Cup. Their game ended in a 3–3 tie. Whitefield won the replay 2–1. The game was very intense, with Linthouse players getting warnings for rough play. Fans were also very excited because of the strong rivalry.
Later that season, they played in the Govan Jubilee Cup. Whitefield won that game too, in front of another 2,000 fans. Whitefield went on to win the whole competition.
However, Linthouse soon became the stronger team. In the 1888–89 Govan & Ibrox Cup, Linthouse beat Whitefield by a huge score of 9–0! All nine goals were scored in the second half. Linthouse also won the Jubilee Cup that season. They won the Govan & Ibrox Cup for four seasons in a row.
When the Scottish Football Alliance league started in 1891–92, Linthouse was one of the first teams to join. Whitefield was not able to join a league at that time.
Joining a League
Linthouse was a founding member of the Scottish Football Alliance in its first season, 1891–92. They became the league's first champions! They won the title by beating Port Glasgow Athletic 3–1. This put them five points ahead of Kilmarnock, who were in second place.
In the same season, Linthouse reached the semi-finals of the Glasgow Cup for the first time. They lost 9–2 to Celtic. In the quarter-finals, they were supposed to play Whitefield. Whitefield didn't show up for the game at first, so Linthouse claimed the win. But the two teams played the game properly the next week, and Linthouse won 5–2.
Linthouse tried to join the Scottish League in 1892–93, but their application wasn't even considered. They tried again after the 1893–94 season, but didn't get enough votes.
For the 1894–95 season, Linthouse only played in Cup matches. The Scottish Football Alliance league had broken apart because many teams left to join the Scottish League. At the end of that season, Linthouse applied for the League a third time. This time, they were successful and got all 24 votes!
Playing in the Scottish League
Linthouse's first season in the Scottish League (1895–96) was tough. They finished last in their division. They almost lost their spot in the League at the end of the season. Another team, Wishaw Thistle, wanted to join. Linthouse and Wishaw tied in the voting. In a re-vote, Linthouse kept their spot by just two votes (21 to 19).
One good thing that season was a record crowd of 10,000 fans. This happened for a Glasgow Cup game against Celtic in September 1895. Linthouse lost that game 7–1.
The club spent five seasons in Division Two of the Scottish League. They didn't have much success, with their highest finish being fifth place in the 1897–98 season. They reached the semi-finals of the Glasgow Cup three times (in 1891–92, 1896–97, and 1899–1900). Each time, they lost to big teams like Rangers or Celtic.
One notable win was a 3–1 victory in October 1896 against Partick Thistle. These two clubs were local rivals, based about a mile apart on opposite sides of the River Clyde. They often played each other in different competitions.
By the 1899–1900 season, Linthouse finished last again. They were struggling with low numbers of fans coming to their games. Big clubs like Rangers could attract 40,000 fans, while Linthouse only got 5,000 for a semi-final game against Celtic. Some people thought that new Junior clubs were taking fans away from smaller teams like Linthouse. At the end of the season, Linthouse decided not to try and stay in the league.
The End of the Club
Even though there were rumors that the club had closed, Linthouse entered the Scottish Cup and Glasgow Cup for the 1900–01 season. They planned to play as an amateur team (meaning players didn't get paid). They even moved to the second round of the Scottish Cup because their first opponents didn't show up.
However, Linthouse then decided not to play their second-round game against Motherwell. They also didn't play their first Glasgow Cup game. After this, the football club stopped playing completely.
Team Colours
Linthouse mostly played in all navy blue uniforms. For one season, in 1886–87, their shirts had black and white vertical stripes, and they wore blue shorts.
Home Grounds
The club first played at Langlands Park, which was on the southern edge of Govan. In 1894, they moved to Govandale Park, which was in the center of town.
Honours and Trophies
Linthouse won some important competitions during their time:
- Scottish Alliance
- Champions: 1891–92
- Govan Jubilee Cup
- Winners: 1888–89
- Govan & Ibrox Cup
- Winners: 1887–88, 1888–89, 1889–90, 1890–91
Famous Players
One player from Linthouse was chosen to play for the national team. This was William Bowie, who played in March 1891.
See also
Category:Linthouse F.C. players
