Third Lanark A.C. facts for kids
| Full name | Third Lanark Athletic Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Thirds, Warriors, Redcoats, The Hi-Hi | |
| Founded | 1872 | |
| Dissolved | 1967 | |
| Ground | Cathkin Park, Crosshill New Cathkin Park, Glasgow |
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| Manager | David Ampleford | |
| League | Central Scottish AFL | |
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Third Lanark Athletic Club was a famous Scottish football team from Glasgow. It started in 1872 from a group of soldiers called the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers. The club helped create the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish Football League (SFL) in 1890.
Third Lanark played in the top football division for most of its history. They won the Scottish League championship in the 1903–04 season. The club also won the Scottish Cup twice, in 1889 and 1905. Sadly, Third Lanark closed down in 1967 due to poor management. This happened just six years after they finished third in the SFL. Their old stadium, Cathkin Park in Crosshill, is still partly there and is used for smaller football games.
In 1996, an amateur football club named Third Lanark was started. They hoped to bring the club's name back to professional football. They also wanted to play regularly at Cathkin Park again. In 2008, the club was formed once more. Today, it has an amateur team and four youth teams.
Contents
The History of Third Lanark Football Club
How Third Lanark Started and Grew
Third Lanark began as the football team for the Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers (3rd LRV). This was a group of soldiers. The team officially started on December 12, 1872. This happened at a meeting in Glasgow. The soldiers were inspired by the first ever international football match. This game had taken place two weeks earlier. They decided to form their own team. Some players from that Scotland team, who were all from Queen's Park, were part of the regiment. These included Billy Dickson, Billy MacKinnon, and Joseph Taylor. In its early years, the club was also good at shooting competitions. Members even won the famous 'Queen's Prize'.
Later, they decided on their playing kit. It was a cowl (a type of hood) that was blue on one side and yellow on the other. They also wore a scarlet (bright red) guernsey (a type of shirt). Their trousers or knickerbockers were blue, with blue stockings. Later, all their shirts had the number three on them. In March 1873, they changed their rules. This allowed members of Queen's Park to become leaders at Thirds. The players first trained on an old drill field on Victoria Road. The club soon moved to a new home, Cathkin Park. This stadium was near where Govanhill Park is today.
Third Lanark joined the new Glasgow Football Association in 1883. They were also a founding member of the Scottish Football League in 1890. By then, Third Lanark had already won the Scottish Cup in 1889. They had reached the final but lost in 1876 and 1878. In 1903, the club changed its name to Third Lanark AC. This happened when they officially separated from the military. Before World War I, the club won the Scottish League championship in 1903–04. They also won the Scottish Cup again in 1905. They were runners-up in 1906. They also won smaller trophies like the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1890, 1898, and 1900. They won the Glasgow Cup in 1903, 1904, and 1909.
In 1921, Third Lanark went on a tour of North America. They invited some guest players to join them. Because of this, some newspapers called them a 'Scotland XI'. Two years later, the club toured South America. They played eight friendly matches in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. This included a game against the Argentina national team on June 24. They left the top division for the first time in 1925. For the next ten years, they often moved between divisions. They were relegated (moved down) three times and promoted (moved up) three times. They stayed in Division One until World War II. The club also reached another Scottish Cup Final in 1936. They lost 1–0 to Rangers.
After being relegated in 1953, Third Lanark beat Rangers 1–0. This win helped them lift the Glasgow Charity Cup in 1954. They won the same trophy two years later against Partick Thistle. Then, they returned to the top division in 1957.
Third Lanark lost to Hearts in the 1959 Scottish League Cup Final. On the last day of the 1960–61 season, the club reached a big milestone. Third Lanark beat Hibernian 6–1 at Cathkin Park. This meant they scored 100 goals for the season. The win also secured third place in Scotland's top division. The next season, Thirds played in a European competition for the only time. They faced Rouen from France in the Anglo-Franco-Scottish Friendship Cup. Rouen won 4–0 at Cathkin and 2–1 in France. Third Lanark won its last major trophy, the Glasgow Cup, on April 8, 1963. They beat Celtic 2–1 in the final at Hampden Park.
The Decline of Third Lanark
Just four years after their great 1960–61 season, the club started to struggle. In the 1965–66 season, Thirds were in Division Two. They had been relegated because of their worst season ever. In 1964–65, they won only three games and drew one out of 34 league matches. They lost their last 21 games in a row.
The next two seasons were also difficult. On January 8, 1966, the Glasgow Herald newspaper announced something big. The club's leaders were thinking about moving Third Lanark to East Kilbride. They also wanted to sell Cathkin Park for building houses. In that season, Third Lanark played 36 league matches. They won 12, drew 8, and lost 16. They finished fourteenth out of nineteen clubs. They scored 55 goals and let in 65.
Third Lanark had its lowest home attendance ever on Saturday, April 15, 1967. Only 297 people came to see them play Clydebank. Third Lanark won 1–0 with a goal from John Kinnaird. This was the team's last competitive win. The last home game for Third Lanark was against Queen of the South. It was on Tuesday, April 25, 1967, and ended in a 3–3 draw. Brian McMurdo scored twice for Queens, including the last goal in senior football at Cathkin Park. The Thirds' goals came from John Kinnaird (2) and Hugh McLaughlan. They were leading 3–1 at halftime. Only 325 people watched this final game at the stadium.
The very last game for Thirds was a big loss at Boghead Park. Hosts Dumbarton won 5–1 on Friday, April 28, 1967. Only 581 people watched. The last goal for Thirds was scored by Drew Busby. The team for that final game was: Bob Russell; Tony Connell and Gerry Heaney; Hugh McLaughlan, Jim Little and Gordon McEwan; Hugh Rundell, Bobby Craig, Drew Busby, Don May and John Kinnaird. The manager was Bobby Shearer, helped by John McKenzie.
This game marked the end of Third Lanark's time in professional football. In their final season, Third Lanark played 38 League games. They won 13 games, drew 8, and lost 17. They scored 67 goals and let in 78. They finished eleventh out of twenty clubs. In the 1960–61 season, over 555,000 fans watched their matches. In their final season (1966–67), only about 55,000 fans came to their games.
About two weeks after the last match, it was announced that Glasgow City Council received an offer. The Third Lanark board wanted to sell the land at Cathkin for housing. The club's board said they had no money, so this move was necessary. Around the same time, the board also said they were talking to a company about building a new stadium in Bishopbriggs. This was north of Glasgow. But the stadium was never built.
A later investigation into Third Lanark's problems was published in November 1968. It showed that players often argued. There were also power struggles within the club. It was also found that the club's lottery was not always fair. Players were paid late and sometimes in coins. They had to travel to away matches by themselves. There was no hot water after games. The club chairman, Bill Hiddelston, made all the management decisions himself. This might have made it hard for people not close to Hiddelston to stay with the club.
All these problems finally caused the club to close. On June 7, 1967, a judge ordered the club to be shut down. A building company said the club owed them over £2000 for work on the new stand at Cathkin Park. The judge agreed that the club owed much more money than it had.
On June 26, 1967, it was announced that Third Lanark was no longer part of the Scottish Football League. The club's remaining players were available to join other teams.
On July 1, 1968, four former directors of Third Lanark were found to have not kept proper financial records. They were each fined £100. The investigation said that the club chairman, Bill Hiddelston, had acted unfairly. Hiddelston had died of a heart attack in November 1967.
The role of chairman Hiddelston in the club's closing is still debated. Some think he wanted to make money by selling Cathkin Park for housing. Cathkin Park was sold for housing in 1967, but the city council did not allow building there. On the other hand, he built a new main stand for the club in 1963. This seems unlikely if he planned to close the club. Another idea was that Hiddelston wanted to move the club to Cumbernauld or East Kilbride. These were new, growing towns near Glasgow that had no professional football teams.
What Happened After Third Lanark Closed?
After Third Lanark closed, some fans started supporting other local clubs. These included Queen's Park or Clyde. Others began supporting the Old Firm (Celtic or Rangers). The nearby junior club Pollok also gained many new fans. Most other Scottish teams that closed down later restarted as amateur teams. But Third Lanark did not come back for many years. Some people think this was because the club had struggled for so long. Fans were too tired of the problems to try and bring it back.
A youth team later used the name "Third Lanark Athletic". A ladies' team also used the name. Sometimes, special games were played at Cathkin with a temporary Third Lanark team.
Third Lanark Returns as an Amateur Team
Third Lanark eventually returned to its old home, Cathkin Park. The stadium was in bad shape. The team started playing in the Greater Glasgow Amateur League.
On June 9, 2008, a group from the club made a surprise announcement. They said Third Lanark AC wanted to return to the Scottish Football League. This was after a professional team, Gretna, left the league. Other teams wanted the open spot. However, Third Lanark did not formally apply to join the league. The club stayed in Division 3 of the Greater Glasgow Amateur League. The open spot in the professional league went to Annan Athletic.
Recently, there have been efforts to bring back the professional club.
Third Lanark A.F.C. is an amateur team. As of the 2018–19 season, they play in the Central Scottish Amateur Football League. The team used to play in other amateur leagues. As of 2018, the team plays its home games at the Toryglen Regional Football Centre. This is a modern facility near Cathkin Park. They also play at the Barlia Football Centre in Glasgow's Castlemilk area. In earlier seasons, they played at Fullarton Park.
Third Lanark's Nicknames
Third Lanark was known by several nicknames: Thirds, The Warriors, the Redcoats, and the Hi Hi. The "Hi Hi" nickname is said to have started in the late 1890s. During a match, a player kicked the ball so high out of the stadium. The crowd started shouting "High High High!" This nickname stuck with the club. Fans would often sing "Hi Hi Hi!" to cheer on the team. There was even a pub called The Hi Hi Bar in Glasgow, about a mile from Cathkin Park.
Third Lanark's Stadium
Third Lanark played at the original Cathkin Park from when they started until 1903. At that time, they took over Queen's Park's Hampden Park stadium. They renamed it New Cathkin Park. Queen's Park then moved to a new Hampden Park in Mount Florida. New Cathkin Park is now owned by Glasgow City Council. Large parts of the old spectator terraces are still standing on three sides of the ground.
Club Ownership and Money Matters
Third Lanark became a company in 1903. Its first shareholders were mostly middle-class fans. They were wealthy enough to invest in the club. Very few of them were business people.
Managers of Third Lanark
| Name | Years | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Carabine | 1946–1950 | |
| Alec Ritchie | 1950–1954 | Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup (1951–52, 1953–54) |
| James S. Blair | 1954–1955 | |
| Bill Hiddelston | 1955–1957 | Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup (1955–56) |
| Bob Shankly | 1957–1959 | |
| George Young | 1959–1962 | Scottish League Cup runners-up 1959–60 |
| Willie Steel | 1963–1964 | Glasgow Cup (1962–63) |
| Bobby Evans | 1964–1965 | |
| Bill Hiddelston | 1965–1966 | |
| Frank Joyner | 1966–1967 | |
| Bobby Shearer | January-June 1967 |
Third Lanark's Trophies and Achievements
- Scottish Football League Division One: Winners 1903–04
- Scottish Football League Division Two: Winners: 1930–31, 1934–35
- Scottish Cup: Winners 1888–89, 1904–05
- Runners-up 1875–76, 1877–78, 1905–06, 1935–36
- Scottish League Cup: Runners-up 1959–60
- Glasgow Cup: Winners 1903, 1904, 1909, 1963
- Runners-up (12): 1891, 1906, 1907, 1914, 1924, 1938, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1958
- Glasgow Charity Cup: Winners 1890, 1898, 1901, 1952
- Shared: 1954, 1956
- Runners-up (8): 1884, 1897, 1910, 1914, 1932, 1939, 1943, 1946
Images for kids
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The 1904 Third Lanark team with the Glasgow Cup trophy. They became Scottish champions that season!
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Third Lanark (in dark jerseys) entering the field with Argentine "Zona Norte" for a friendly match in June 1923.
See also
In Spanish: Third Lanark Athletic Club para niños
