Blantyre Victoria F.C.

History

Blantyre Victoria first came together in 1890, thanks to a man named Sam Dawson, who stayed involved with the club right up until his death in 1929. At the start, they had no fixed home and played their matches on Glasgow Road in Blantyre. They joined the Scottish Junior Football Association and quickly found success, winning the Lanarkshire Junior League in both 1892 and 1893. During the 1893–94 season, they made it to the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Renfrew Victoria at Kelburn Park.

Later that same year, the club moved up to senior status, which let them compete in the Scottish Qualifying Cup. In the 1895–96 Qualifying Cup, they were knocked out by East Stirlingshire in the fifth round, but that run earned them a spot in the Scottish Cup first round proper against Heart of Midlothian. That match ended in a heavy 1–12 defeat at home. The following season, the Vics beat Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park in the Qualifying Cup before losing to Arthurlie in the sixth round.

Their Qualifying Cup performance again got them into the 1896–97 Scottish Cup first round proper, where they thumped Bathgate 5–0 at home. They then lost 4–1 to Abercorn in the second round, which was the Round of 16. With little success at the senior level, the club folded in 1897. The club was brought back to life in 1900 by a group of teenagers who funded it out of their own pockets.

This new Victoria side started playing at Craighead Park, which later became the home of Blantyre Celtic. When another local team, Blantyre Hibs, disbanded, the Vics took over their ground at Castle Park in Low Blantyre, and that is still where they play today. In their very first season back as a junior club, they won the Lanarkshire Juvenile Cup. Over the following decades, they enjoyed steady success in both the Lanarkshire Junior Football League and the Central Junior Football League.

Glory years

After defeating Mount Ellen United, Arbroath Victoria, Polkemmet, St Anthony's, and finally Ardeer Recreation at Celtic Park, Blantyre Victoria earned a place in their first Scottish Junior Cup final in 1944. The final was played at Hampden Park against Glasgow Perthshire in front of 44,840 spectators, with the Vics losing the match 1–0. That game was the first Scottish football match to be broadcast on the radio. Although they lost the Junior Cup final, the 1943–44 squad achieved a 'treble' that year by winning the West of Scotland Junior Cup, the Lanarkshire Central Cup and the wartime invitational Salute the Soldier Cup.

The Vics had continued cup success in the 1940s. In 1950, they reached their second Scottish Junior Cup final. Their route to the final included wins over Beith, Coltness United, Kilbirnie Ladeside, Carnoustie Panmure, Bo'ness United, Jeanfield Swifts, and Stoneyburn over a twice replayed semi-final at Celtic Park. The final was again held at Hampden Park in front of 44,402 spectators.

This time, after three second half goals from Gill, Swan and Rennick, the Vics defeated Cumnock Juniors to lift the Junior Cup for the first time. After the victory in 1950, the Vics suffered from losing the majority of the side over the next few seasons, including captain Alec Young to Aberdeen. The club only achieved one piece of silverware in the rest of the decade. The club took in younger players to give them a challenge and become tougher.

A product of this philosophy was future Celtic captain Billy McNeill, who started his career at Blantyre Victoria during the 1950s. The Vics began to return to form in the mid-1960s under the guidance of Hughie Smith. Future Scotland international Joe Jordan joined the club in 1967 at aged 16 from Cleland Boys Guild before being signed to Morton a year later. In 1970, Hughie Smith led the club to their third Junior Cup final, defeating junior sides from across Scotland along the way including Newtongrange, Shettleston, Whitburn, Jeanfield Swifts, Dalkeith, and Ardrossan Winton Rovers in the semi-final at Ibrox.

The Vics faced Penicuik Athletic in the final at Hampden Park in front of 26,248 fans. In the match, Jim Lynn opened the scoring early on but the 'Cuikie' equalised in the second half to force a replay the following week. Jim Lynn was again on the scoresheet in the replay and this time there was no retaliation from Penicuik. With over 14,000 in attendance at Hampden, the Vics lifted the cup for the second time in their history.

The club won the 1979–80 Central Junior Football League under the stewardship of Dally Duncan, defeating East Kilbride Thistle in the championship match. The following season, the Vics finished as league runners-up after losing the championship decider to Pollok in a penalty shootout 12–11 after a total of 28 penalty kicks. In 1982, the club reached their fourth Scottish Junior Cup final. Their route to final saw the Vics face and defeat St Roch's, Kilsyth, Stonehouse, Glenafton, Whitletts, and Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in the semi-final at Douglas Park.

The final, against a formidable Baillieston at Ibrox, was contested in front of 10,746 and was broadcast live on Scottish Television, the first Junior final to be televised. In the 77th minute, Billy Muldoon dinked a ball over the top of the Baillieston back-line to find John McGurk who hooked the ball over Ronnie Lowrie to give the Vics the lead. This goal proved the difference in the end, despite the best efforts of Ballieston, and the Vics lifted the Scottish Junior Cup for the third time.

Recent years

The Vics suffered in the early 1990s due to lack of finances and the loss of the Blantyre Derby after Blantyre Celtic folded in 1992. In 1990, to help fundraise for the club's new pavilion, former Vics player Billy McNeill offered to bring his Celtic side along to Castle Park for a friendly match. With thousands in attendance, the event was detrimental in raising the necessary funds to build the pavilion that the Vics still use today. The match ended in a 6–2 victory for McNeill's side which included the likes of Steve Fulton, Gerry Creaney and Peter Grant.

Three years later, another exhibition took place to help the Vics open their new pavilion. Tommy McLean brought his Motherwell side to Castle Park which included the likes of Davie Cooper and John Philiben. The North Lanarkshire giants thumped the Vics 7–0 but, with thousands in attendance on the day, this pushed the fundraising over the line for the club. The pavilion was officially opened with an exhibition match against the Celtic Reserves later that year.

Competitively, the Vics had many successes during the decade, winning their second treble in 1996 - the Central League One title, the Central League Cup, and Sectional League Cup. The following season, Blantyre reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, losing out to eventual champions Pollok 5–0 at Adamslie Park. After the treble win, the club could not replicate their success in the new millennium. The Vics achieved no silverware until 2006 when the club won the Central League Division 2.

Although, just two years later they found themselves relegated back to Division 2. In their first season back in the bottom tier of the SJFA West Region, the club won the league. However, like their previous league win and subsequent promotion to the First Division, Blantyre Victoria were relegated at the end of the 2010–11 season. In 2012, Davie Greig was appointed as manager with the aim of promotion and a return to glory for the club.

In his second season as manager of Blantyre, he won the Central League Division 2 title. The following season, Grieg strengthened his squad and won a remarkable back-to-back promotion and the Central League Division 1 title. After the departure of Greig, Murdie MacKinnon took over for less than a season at Castle Park before leaving for the assistant manager position at Pollok. This resignation paved the way for the appointment of John Gibson as manager.

Gibson suffered relegation from Super League First Division in his first season mainly due to starting the year with no signed players. However, in the 2018–19 season, Gibson achieved a third-place finish and promotion back to the West Region Championship. In the following curtailed season, the club were declared joint champions of the West Region Championship along with Darvel.