Duntocher Harp F.C.

History

Duntocher Harp F.C. first appeared in records during the 1888–89 season, when it competed at Junior level. Its main achievement that year was winning the Buchanan Charity Cup, a trophy contested by teams from Old and New Kilpatrick. The club went on to lift the cup again in 1890–91 and 1891–92, after which the competition was discontinued. Following its initial Charity Cup success, the Harp joined the Scottish Football Association and entered the 1889–90 Scottish Cup. In the first round, a home tie against Smithstone Hibs ended in a comfortable 5–0 win. The second round also took place at home, against Vale of Leven Wanderers, who had reached the quarter-finals the previous season. The Harp led 3–1 at half-time, but the Wanderers took advantage of the wind and slope in the second half to win 4–3. The club did not renew its Scottish FA membership in 1890, but rejoined in 1891. By then, the association had introduced qualifying rounds for the Cup, and the Harp never advanced to the first round proper. The club first entered the Dumbartonshire Cup in 1889–90, but did not win a match in it until 1893–94, when it defeated junior side Radnor Park 9–0, the club's largest competitive victory. Two more wins followed that season, taking the Harp to its only final, where it lost 4–1 to Dumbarton. By that time, Dumbarton had joined the Scottish League, along with county rivals Renton and Vale of Leven. This weakened the smaller clubs in the area, and by the time the Harp folded, only one senior side in Dumbartonshire remained outside the League. The club's last competitive games came in the 1896–97 Scottish Qualifying Cup. After a 4–4 draw in the first preliminary round, the Harp won the replay 6–0 against Helensburgh Union, having played the entire original tie with nine men. The club then lost 8–2 at Royal Albert in the second preliminary round. Duntocher Harp was officially removed from the Scottish FA register in August 1897.