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Summerton Athletic F.C.

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Summerton Athletic
Full nameSummerton Athletic Football Club
Nickname(s)the Athletic
Founded1885
Dissolved1892
GroundVictoria Park
Hon. SecretaryWilliam Hanna

Summerton Athletic Football Club was a Scottish association football club based in Govan, now part of Glasgow.

History

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1890–91 Scottish Cup 2nd Round, Ayr Parkhouse 1–2 Summerton Athletic, Ayrshire Post, 3 October 1890

The club was founded in 1885 as a junior club;[1] after success in local junior competitions, the club turned senior in 1889, by joining the Scottish Football Association, replacing the now-defunct Govan Athletic as members,[2] the Govan secretary William Hanna (an Irish-born commercial clerk)[3] taking over as secretary of Summerton.

Even a club as obscure as Summerton had suffered from the professionalism in the English game, losing John Smith and Robert Bryson to Elswick Rangers before the start of the 1889–90 season.[4] The club at least started its senior career on a positive note, with an easy 5–1 win over Clydesdale,[5] and it gained a walkover in the first round of the 1889–90 Scottish Cup, after Temperance Athletic scratched. Reality soon struck - in the first round of the Glasgow Cup, the club lost 4–1 at home to Partick Thistle,[6] and in the second round of the national cup, the club was drawn away at Queen's Park. The home side scored 5 when playing against the wind and eased off when they had reached 11.[7]

The club's consolation came in the Govan Jubilee Cup, which it won for the first time, beating Fairfield 1–0 in the final, at the first Ibrox Park, in front of 2,000 spectators.[8] It was the prelude to the club's best season. In 1890–91, the club reached the third round of the Scottish Cup for the only time, albeit only winning one tie, 2–1 against Ayr Parkhouse in the second round, after Whifflet Shamrock withdrew before the first.[9] in the third round, at 3rd L.R.V., Smith gave the club a surprise early lead, but the Volunteers came back to win 8–1.[10]

Summerton also won a tie for the only time in the Glasgow Cup, beating Glasgow Hibernian in a first round replay.[11] Second round conquerors Cowlairs were later suspended for professionalism, but the Athletic's application to be re-instated in Cowlairs' place was rejected.[12] The Athletic closed the season by retaining the Govan Cup, beating Glasgow Wanderers 5–2 in the final.[13] It even held the much bigger Linthouse to a "most sensational" 4–4 draw in the semi-final of the Govan & Ibrox Cup,[14] although losing heavily in the replay.

However the Scottish League had also played its first season, and with Rangers in the League and Linthouse joining the Scottish Football Alliance, there was no realistic prospect of survival for other clubs in the Govan area. The Govan cup competitions fell into desuetude, and the club's last entry to the Glasgow Cup, in 1891–92, ended in the first round with a 5–1 defeat at home to the amateur Battlefield club.[15] The club failed to appear for its first preliminary round tie in the 1891–92 Scottish Cup, and, although it entered the 1892–93 competition, it had dissolved before the first preliminary round ties took place.[16] The name was continued by a separate junior side.

Colours

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The club's colours were black and white horizontal stripes with black knickers.[17]

Ground

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The club played at Victoria Park,[18] shared with United Abstainers Athletic.[19]

Notable players

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Honours

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  • Govan Jubilee Cup:
    • Winner: 1889–90, 1890–91
  • Govan & Ibrox Cup:
    • Runner-up: 1887–88
  • Govan & Plantation Junior Cup:
    • Winner: 1885–86, 1886–87
  • Govan Jubilee Junior Cup:
    • Winner: 1888–89
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References

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  1. ^ "To-morrow's fixtures". Glasgow Evening Post: 3. 19 November 1886.
  2. ^ Scottish FA Minutes 1887–90. Glasgow: Scottish Football Association. 20 August 1889. p. 170.
  3. ^ "William Hanna in the 1891 Scotland Census". ancestry. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Scottish Football Association". Sporting Life: 1. 3 September 1889.
  5. ^ "Summerton Athletic v Clydesdale (Rutherglen)". Rutherglen Reformer: 7. 30 August 1889.
  6. ^ "Football notes". Rutherglen Reformer: 7. 27 September 1889.
  7. ^ "Queen's Park v Summerton Athletic". North British Daily Mail: 7. 30 September 1889.
  8. ^ "Summerton Athletic v Fairfield". Glasgow Herald: 11. 28 April 1890.
  9. ^ "Football notes". Rutherglen Reformer: 8. 12 September 1890.
  10. ^ "3d L.R.V. v Summerton Athletic". Glasgow Herald: 10. 20 October 1890.
  11. ^ "Notes from the west". Dundee Courier: 4. 6 October 1890.
  12. ^ "Meeting of the Glasgow FA". Scottish League History. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Summerton Athletic v Glasgow Wanderers Senior Jubilee Cup". Glasgow Evening Post: 6. 30 April 1891.
  14. ^ "Govan & Ibrox Football Association". Glasgow Evening Post: 6. 7 May 1891.
  15. ^ "Summerton Athletic v Battlefield". Glasgow Herald: 10. 21 September 1891.
  16. ^ Mathers, Stewart. "Season 1892–93". Beautiful Dribbling Game. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  17. ^ McDowall, John (1890). Scottish Football Annual 1890–91. Hay Nisbet. p. 92.
  18. ^ McDowall, John (1890). Scottish Football Annual 1890–91. Hay Nisbet. p. 92.
  19. ^ "United Abstainers v Kirkintilloch (Central)". Glasgow Herald: 11. 5 March 1888.
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