Helensburgh (Scotland)
For those outside of Scotland, Helensburgh is a
picture postcard Victorian town on the Firth of Clyde 20 miles outside of
Glasgow. Its a lovely small town with big Victorian houses and the sort of
place you expect to see steam trains and people in top hats.
The town today isn't a footballing mecca. In fact
apart from a amateur side that plays on a Sunday, the town hasn't had an senior
or junior footballing team since 1926. However, just because a century has
passed. Doesn't mean that the town was always like that.
In the footballing boom of the Victorian era,
Helensburgh had no less than 7 teams play in the town. Those being Helensburgh
Victoria, Helensburgh Merchants, Hermitage Former Boys, Helensburgh West-End
and finally Helensburgh FC three different times.
Now this is where things get a little bit
complicated. The first record of a football team in Helensburgh was in 1874.
This team played in that seasons Scottish Cup beating Third Edinburgh R.V (Who
would become St Bernard's in 1878). Before losing in the next round to local
rivals and eventual runners up Renton.
The following season the club would do even better,
getting past another local side Star of Leven and then 23rd Renfrew
RV before being put out by Glasgow side Western. The following season they were
put out by Vale of Leven in the first round, who would go on to win the cup. In
1877-78 Helenburgh again fell out in the first round.
It would be the Scottish Cup run of 1878-79 that
would be the high point in the clubs History. In the first round they put 4
past Kilmarnock Thistle and in the second round they beat local team Alexandria
4-1, at the third round point they played Shaugraun coming out on top by two
goals to nil. In the fourth round they played Hearts at home and won 2-1 that
win put them into the fifth round for the first time in there history they
played Hibs away where they won 1-2 to secure there place in the next round.
Because of the wonders of the early days of
football in Scotland Helensburgh received a bye into the Semi Final of the cup.
They were drawn at home to their local rival Vale of Leven again. Despite the
fact that Helensburgh had received the bye the club weren't destined to make it
to Hampden they were soundly beaten 0-3 at home.
The following season the club got through the first
round again before being beaten 7-0 by nearby Dumbarton in the second round. In
1880-81 Scottish Cup two teams from Helensburgh entered the cup both
Helensburgh FC and Helensburgh Victoria. Helensburgh Victoria were soundly
beaten by Dumbarton 7-0 whilst Helensburgh FC got through to the third round
before again being beaten by Vale of Leven 4-1.
In the 1881-82 Scottish Cup both Helensburgh FC and
Helensburgh Victoria entered. It was also the real highlight of football in the
town for the next 40 years. Both clubs were pulled out to face each other in
the second round. However, for reasons that are still unknown Helensburgh
Victoria pulled out of the tie and a walk over was awarded to Helensburgh FC.
Helensburgh would go through to face Vale of Leven yet again, and were
defeated, yet again.
It was in that 1881-82 season that Helensburgh FC
folded, the club were struggling to get fans in which was in part due to the
number of games a season being often in single
figures meaning you would struggle to keep people
interested, also the fact that nearby Dumbarton, Renton and Vale of Leven were
also being successful and were less than 6 miles away. Plus the number of clubs
in the town would also have not helped the team.
Helensburgh also had a much more understandable
issue besides the supporter numbers being low. As would become a common theme
for a lot of clubs from the smaller towns in those early days. When Helensburgh
first entered the Scottish Cup in 1874-75 there were only 25 teams taking part,
by the time they played their final game as a club in 1882 that number had
increased to 147. These extra teams meant more game which is good for income
when at the time the only other games available were friendlies. However, it
also meant more travelling which was a slow and fairly expensive experience.
As more clubs joined the Cup the requirement for
travelling much greater distances came up which was a major impact on a lot of
clubs and many clubs would pull out of games instead of paying to travel in the
time when players weren't professional.
It would be less than two years though before
Helensburgh FC who folded as a club in 1882 came back and reformed in 1885 with
the same committee as the previous club with the same name and colours would be
back. They played one game in 1885 against Dumbarton Athletic in which they
were beaten 2-3 at home. After that game the club folded again.
It wasn't long though before the club was back
again though. It was 1886 that the club returned to playing football. Most of
the time in the leagues between junior football, amateur football and senior
football but unable to take part in the Scottish Cup most of the clubs games
are sadly only remembered by those chosen few who watched the team play on a
Saturday afternoon. However, after the First World War that the club would gain
full Scottish Football Association membership again.
It was in 1923 that the Scottish Football League
would come along with an idea that would finally after 33 years bring league
football to Helensburgh. When it was announced that a third tier of football
would be created. Helensburgh applied and were successful at getting into the
league system. Unfortunately the league was sadly always destined to fail. To
start with at the time the league set a minimum wage for players to be paid
which meant that all the clubs were struggling for money before the season
really started.
Despite the money problems faced by all the clubs
from the very start, the league plodded along for three seasons before it was
finally dissolved. The league was difficult to start with because even though
the teams that got into the league were successful in the leagues they were in
prior all those teams had only played in their respective local areas. Once the
financial burden of teams such as Helensburgh having to travel up to Brechin
City, Forfar Athletic and Montrose in Angus one weekend then in two weeks time
needing to pay to travel down to the Solway Firth. It becomes clear how much
money the clubs would be spending on travelling up and down the country and the
drain on the finances of these small teams.
Towards the end of the 1925-26 season it was becoming more and more
clear that the teams in the league were simply unable to complete the season.
Helensburgh weren't getting the gate money to allow
the team to survive. On average they would make £20 a week in gate money. To
simply survive they would need a minimum of £30. That was never going to happen
and as a result the league was finally called in mid April. When it was called
Helensburgh were top of the league by one point, having played one game more
than nearest challengers Leith Athletic. Unfortunately for Helensburgh when the
league was called no champions were declared and the league was fully dissolved.
Expelling all clubs in the third tier except for Forfar who were promoted by
election to the second division.
After the utterly sad affair of league football in the town, the club
folded mid way through 1926. This was a sad thing to happen as the club was
seen as team with potential. However, despite people from outside of the town
seeming to enjoy the trips to the seaside. The clubs committee didn't and after
the failure of league football and seemingly to have fallen out off love with
the game the club folded never to come back.
The grounds the club played at were numerous. For
the most part though the club played at Ardencaple Park which they loaned from
the Cricket Club. The club also played at Eastend Park on East King Street.
Ardencaple Park is still there though, although it is now a rugby pitch.
In the modern day there is a amateur side in
Helensburgh called Helensburgh Football Club this club was formed in 1981 and
plays in the amateur leagues around Glasgow. When people think about
Helensburgh, football really isn't what they think. Its a small town these days
of only 15000 people and you often see a number of buses taking football fans
to Glasgow and hardly any will know that their hometown once held a team that
was playing in the third tier of league football. Also what is more amazing is
that during the six decades between the 1870's and the 1920's a town which at
the time only had 8000 people managed to support no less than 7 teams off their
own. It goes to show just how important and infectious football was in those
early years.