Stonelaw F.C. facts for kids
Stonelaw Football Club was a Scottish football team from the town of Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
| Full name | Stonelaw F.C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1875 | |
| Dissolved | 1881 | |
| Ground | Burnside Park | |
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Contents
The Story of Stonelaw FC
Stonelaw Football Club started in 1875. It might have gotten its name from Stonelaw Tower in Rutherglen, or from a local coal mine. The team's first known games were in the 1875–76 season.
Early Games and the Scottish Cup
Stonelaw first joined the Scottish Cup in the 1876–77 season. They easily won their first game against Shotts at home. However, they lost their next match 4–0 to Arthurlie. At this time, Stonelaw was not very well known. One newspaper even called them "Stonehouse" by mistake!
Stonelaw's Best Scottish Cup Run
The club had its best run in the 1878–79 season. They were one of the last ten teams left in the competition! In the first round, they beat East Kilbride 4–0 at home. Their goalkeeper didn't even have to make a single save.
Stonelaw continued to win, beating Hamilton Academical and Clarkston. These wins were so unexpected that national newspapers didn't even mention them. The team seemed to lose 2–0 to Thistle of Glasgow. But, another team, Partick, complained that Thistle had used players who were not allowed to play. The Scottish Football Association agreed, and Stonelaw got to play in the next round.
In the fifth round, Stonelaw played against Dumbarton at home. They lost 9–1. This result was expected, so newspapers didn't comment on it.
Lanarkshire Cup Champions
In the 1879–80 season, Clarkston got their revenge, beating Stonelaw 2–1 in the first round. A month later, Stonelaw became one of the 16 founding members of the Lanarkshire Football Association.
That season, the association started the first Lanarkshire Cup. Stonelaw became the very first champions of this cup! They played Hamilton Academical twice in the competition. The teams drew their first two games, which meant both teams moved forward. They met again in the semi-final. The first game was stopped because a player from Hamilton got hurt. Stonelaw was winning 1–0 at the time.
Stonelaw went back to Hamilton for a replay and won the game 3–0.
The final match was also played at Hamilton's ground, against Shotts. Stonelaw took the lead with an own goal, and then Menzies scored another goal before half-time, securing the win. There were some rumors that Stonelaw had used seven guest players for the final. After this win, the club never seemed to play another official game. They dropped out of defending their trophy and from their last two Scottish Cup entries. A new club briefly used the Stonelaw name in 1887.
Team Colors
Stonelaw Football Club wore blue jerseys, white shorts, and blue socks. Their shirts had a Victoria cross design on them.
Home Ground
The team played their home games at a place called Burnside Park.
