The season opened once again with the Queen’s Park Sports at
Hampden Park which were “held under the most
favourable circumstances as to weather, and in presence of a very large
assemblage of spectators.” The Sports
took place on Saturdays 1 and 8 September and entries were numerous, with
competitors travelling from as far away as London.
Queen’s Park’s first football match of the new season came
on Saturday 15 September, with the first eleven beating the second eleven
7-1. This first team versus second team
pre-season fixture was to become the norm for Scots clubs for the best part of
the next hundred years.
Queen’s Park’s first competitive action of the season came
on the following Saturday, with a 1-0 victory over Parkgrove before a crowd of over 1,000 at the Govan
club’s new ground Trinidad
Park . Harry McNeil headed the only goal five
minutes from time from a Jimmy Weir cross. A feature of the match was the splendid performance of Martin, the Parkgrove goalkeeper.
On Saturday 29 September, Queen’s were in Scottish Cup first
round action at Hampden
Park , with Whiteinch
being defeated 9-0. The scorers are not
known.
The following Saturday saw the Welsh Wizards visit Hampden Park . There were about 25 Association clubs in Wales at the time and the Druids’
side was composed of players from the best of these teams. Queen’s won 3-0 before 6,000 plus spectators,
with goals from Willie Mackinnon, Tom Highet and Jimmy Weir.
A week later, Queen’s beat 3rd Lanark Rifle
Volunteers 2-0 at a Cathkin Park ground that had been enclosed and improved
during the close season. Tom Highet and James
Richmond, who had joined the club from Clydesdale, were the scorers.
Queen’s Park once again scratched from the FA Cup.
Queen’s Park once again scratched from the FA Cup.
Queen’s Park returned to Scottish Cup action on Saturday 20
October, beating Clydesdale 2-0 at Titwood Park with goals from Tom Highet and Andrew
Peden. Clydesdale had lost several of
their best players at the end of the previous season and were unable to mount a
real challenge. This was reflected in
the size of the crowd.
On Saturday 27 October, Queen’s Park travelled to the
capital to take on a team selected from the Edinburgh Association clubs. The match took place at 3rd
Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers’ ground at Powburn before a crowd of nearly 2,000, including a large number of rugby players. The pitch was in extremely poor
condition but Queen’s eventually won 2-0, with goals from Fred Tod and Willie Mackinnon
in the final 15 minutes.
A week later, Queen’s met old rivals Clydesdale once again
at both first and second team level. The
first Eleven were 3-0 victors at Titwood (scorers not known), while the Second
Eleven won 7-0 at Hampden
Park , with goals from
Crichton (3), Fraser (2), McGill and Niven.
The following Saturday was a bad day for Queen’s Park, with
the club being defeated for only the third time ever and knocked out of the
Scottish Cup. Queen’s opponents were the
3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers and the game drew a crowd of between 3,000
and 4,000 to Cathkin Park, with a great many more peering over the hoarding
round the ground. The only goal of the
game came after half an hour. The
Queen’s ‘keeper slipped as he attempted to kick the ball clear and William Miller
pounced to score.
On Saturday 17 November, Notts
County (or Nottinghamshire) made their latest visit to Hampden Park . Queen’s Park won a one-sided match 6-1 before a crowd of around 2,000. Queen’s scored four first half goals. Jimmy Weir got the first in the fourth minute and scored a second not
long afterwards. Number three came from
a scrimmage, with Willie McKinnon and Andrew Peden forcing the ball under the
bar. A few minutes from half-time, Weir
got his hat trick. Fred Rothera of Notts
County then retired hurt just before the interval. Queen's offered to provide County with a good substitute but the Englishmen opted to continue with ten men. Notts were hard pressed in the
second half and Tom Highet scored a further two goals for the home side. Erasmus Keely pulled one back for County to loud
applause. In its report on the match, the Nottinghamshire Guardian commented - "For the Queen's Park the forwards dribbled and passed in capital style, the accuracy with which they manipulated the ball proving more successful than the long kicking and wide crossing of the opposition."
On the following Saturday, despite being without five first
team players, Queen’s Park beat Caledonian 5-0 at Hampden Park. The scorers are not known.
A match had been arranged on Saturday 8 December between
Queen’s Park and Vale of Leven to raise funds for the dependants of miners who
died in the Blantyre Pit Disaster. Vale
withdrew and 3rd Lanark Rifle Volunteers stepped in. Unfortunately, the match could not go ahead. There was a rumour in town that the match had been postponed due to bad weather and several players failed to appear. About 600
people had paid at the gate to see the game. Some players from both sides were at the ground and, rather than disappoint the supporters who had braved the weather, took part in a 9-a-side match of an hour's duration between the Queen’s Park forwards
and 3rd LRV defence and vice versa. Mr Wallace's side beat Mr Campbell's side 2-1.
The Second Eleven headed south to take on the first teams of
Calthorpe (Birmingham ) and Stoke on Saturday 8 December and Monday 10 December respectively. Queen’s won 8-0 before "a large and fashionable audience" in Birmingham. The Birmingham Daily Gazette said that Queen's Park was recognised as the strongest club in Britain and had done more to bring Association football into prominence than any other body in the kingdom. The match in Stoke was much tighter. A crowd of 5,000 saw Queen's win 1-0 with a goal from David McGill .
Second Eleven - Season 1877-78
On Saturday 15 December, Cambridge
University were the next team from
south of the border to visit Hampden
Park . The weather was wet and windy and the ground
very soft and the 1,250 spectators were left disappointed after a scoreless
draw. Only two halves of 35 minutes were played due to the stormy conditions.
On the following Saturday, Queen’s Park and 3rd
Lanark Rifle Volunteers had another attempt to play their match for the
Blantyre Relief Fund but again the weather was the winner. There was no third attempt but tickets had been sold in advance for the match and presumably the money was donated to the fund rather than returned to the ticket holders.
The match scheduled for Saturday 29 December was also postponed but
this time because Oxford University were unable to raise a team for their visit
to Glasgow . Several players were away “presumably for
Christmas” and one was ill.
Queen’s Park were back in action on Saturday 5 January 1878
with a 10-0 win over Lancefield at Hampden
Park (scorers not known).
A week later, Queen’s made their way to Alexandria
and took on Vale of Leven in what the North
British Daily Mail described as “the finest match ever played in Scotland ”. John McDougall delighted the home fans in the crowd
of around 4,000 by giving Vale the lead in the first half but Queen’s equalised
in the second half, through Jimmy Weir, and the game ended a goal apiece.
On Saturday 19 January, Queen’s Park travelled to Trent Bridge
to take on Notts County . A crowd of around 4,000 to 5,000, the largest ever at a football match
in Nottingham, saw the Scots win 2-1.
Harry McNeil opened the scoring in four minutes but Cursham equalised
for County. Before half-time, Jimmy Weir
or George "Geordie" Ker, depending on which report you read, scored the winning goal for
Queen’s “after a sharp scrimmage”. In
the second half, Notts County were largely on the defensive and Queen’s ran out
comfortable winners. The Nottinghamshire Guardian commented “It
was very gratifying to note that, notwithstanding the immense concourse which
was present, none of the coarseness was indulged in which occasionally form
rather a disagreeable characteristic of football matches”.
The following two weeks were taken up by trial matches for
the forthcoming Sheffield fixture and it was three weeks before Queen’s Park
were in action again, winning 4-0 away to Caledonian. However, it was the Second Eleven that took
the limelight that weekend, with Calthorpe making the trip from Birmingham to Hampden
Park . A big crowd was on hand to see Queen’s win
7-0. It was a very one-sided
affair. In the second half, the Queen’s
Park ‘keeper did not touch the ball.
While Queen’s were taking on Caledonian, James Phillips, David
Davidson, Willie McKinnon, Jimmy Weir and Harry McNeil played in the Glasgow
side that beat Sheffield 4-2 at Bramall Lane before a crowd of some 7,000.
Willie Mackinnon
On Saturday 16 February, Queen’s Park headed for Dumbarton
to take on Lennox and won 4-1. Tom Highet opened the scoring and Charles
Campbell got the fourth with a free kick off the underside of the bar. The other scorers are not known.
On Saturday 23 February, there was a trial match for the
following Saturday’s Scotland v England game. Charles Campbell, James Richmond, Tom Highet, Willie McKinnon and Harry McNeil
were selected for the Scotland side that was to secure an emphatic 7-2 victory
over the Auld Enemy at Hampden Park. Harry McNeil scored twice in the match and Willie Mackinnon was also on
the scoresheet.
On Saturday 9 March, Queen’s Park travelled to Kilmarnock to
take on an Ayrshire Association representative side in aid of Kilmarnock Infirmary and Fever Hospital. The
afternoon was miserably wet “rendering the ground a puddle, especially near the
goals where the tussles occurred”.
Queen’s Park won 2-0. Both goals
were scored by James Richmond late in the match.
A week later, Vale of Leven visited Hampden Park
for a game that had been anticipated with great interest. Some 12,000 spectators attended the match, an
enormous crowd for the time, with 9,000 paying at the gate and the rest viewing proceedings from neighbouring elevated spots. Despite
being without goalkeeper John Dickson who had been confined to his house with a
serious illness, Queen’s Park had a comfortable 2-0 win. Geordie Ker opened the scoring after 10
minutes with a beautifully judged shot. The second goal arrived in 20 minutes when a Tom Highet shot was
diverted into the goal off the leg of John McPherson. Queen’s besieged the Vale goal for much of
the rest of the game but there was no further scoring.
On Saturday 23 March, Queen’s Park beat Caledonian 3-0 at
Burnbank. The scorers are unknown. Queen’s were without seven of their usual side, including Robert Neill, James
Phillips, David Davidson and Jimmy Weir who played in Scotland’s 9-0 win over
Wales at Hampden Park. Weir scored twice
in that match.
On the following Saturday, Queen’s Park beat Alexandra
Athletic 3-0 in a fine game at Kennyhill
Park . The goal scorers were Fraser, Smith and Weir.
A week later, on Saturday 6 April 1878, Queen’s Park took on
English opposition once again. Birch, an
old and well-known Rugby Union club from Manchester ,
had challenged Queen’s to a match under Association rules. The match, which created considerable
interest in Lancashire football circles, was played at the ground of Manchester
Rugby Club at Whalley
Range . Birch had been practising hard and drafted in
Slaney of Stoke City and the Notts County goalkeeper, Greenhalgh, but it was
all to no avail. Queen’s strolled to a
6-0 win before a crowd of 2,000, despite being without several regulars. The Scots were five up at half-time with
goals from Geordie Ker, Harry McNeil, Tom Highet (2) and Bob Fraser. Harry McNeil scored the only goal of the second half. The Manchester Courier said that the match was "looked upon as a crusade into what was a hotbed of Rugby unionists". The newspaper added that it was hardly probable that the Association game would ever become a formidable rival to rugby in the Manchester area. How wrong they were.
The sad news was received that John Dickson, who kept goal
for Queen’s Park in the club’s three Scottish Cup’s winning sides, had died at
the age of 28. Dickson had also been a
prominent oarsman with the Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club.
On Monday 29 April, Queen’s Park beat Partick FC 4-0 at
Whiteinch in a match for the benefit of a Partick player seriously injured in a cup tie with Barrhead. The scorers are not known.
The Queen's Park AGM took place in Glasgow's Lesser Trades' Hall on Thursday 30 April. Joseph Taylor was appointed President; J Baillie, Treasurer; and Angus McKinnon, Secretary. It was reported that the first eleven had played 23 games in the season, with 20 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss (94 goals scored and 5 lost). The second eleven had played 17 games, with 14 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss (70 goals for and 5 against).
As in the previous season, the competition for the Glasgow
Merchants’ Charity Cup did not run smoothly. On 27 April 1878, the North
British Daily Mail reported that teams were refusing to play one another in
the Charity Cup. A dispute between 3rd
Lanark Rifle Volunteers and Rangers resulted in the Volunteers withdrawing from
the competition. The Scottish Football
Association then arranged for Vale of Leven to meet Rangers but Vale refused to
play the Light Blues. The SFA then
decided that Queen’s Park and Vale of Leven would compete for the Cup.
The match for the Charity Cup took place at Hampden Park on
Saturday 4 May when Queen’s and Vale met in what was described as the last
great match of the season. There was a healthy attendance of around 3,000 and £150 was raised for charity. Queen’s won
by the only goal of the game scored in 20 minutes. A fine piece of passing by James Richmond and Willie Mackinnon set up Jimmy Weir for the goal. Queen's thought that they had scored a second on the stroke of half-time but the referee indicated that he had already signalled the end of the first half. The men who won Queen's Park's second Charity Cup were - A R Anderson; R W Neill and J Phillips; C Campbell and D Davidson; J B Weir, J T Richmond, W M Mackinnon, G Ker, T F Smith and H McNeil.
On Monday 6 May, a letter from Peter McNeil, Honorary
Secretary of Rangers, was published in the North
British Daily Mail complaining about the Charity Cup fixtures and
threatening to withdraw from the SFA if not given publicly a full and
satisfactory explanation of the Association’s conduct.
The season ended on Saturday 25 May before around 1,500
spectators at Alexandria . Two mixed sides, selected from the first
elevens of Vale of Leven and Queen’s Park, played out an entertaining scoreless
draw. After the match, there was dancing
on the pitch for a couple of hours, to the music of Bonhill Instrumental Band.
Results 1877/78
First Team
22/09/1877 Parkgrove
0 Queen’s Park 1
29/09/1877 Queen’s
Park 9 Whiteinch 0 – Scottish Cup
06/10/1877 Queen’s
Park 3 Welsh Druids 0
13/10/1877 3rd
LRV 0 Queen’s Park 2
20/10/1877
Clydesdale 0 Queen’s Park 2 – Scottish Cup
27/10/1877 Edinburgh Clubs 0 Queen’s
Park 2
03/11/1877
Clydesdale 0 Queen’s Park 3
10/11/1877 3rd
LRV 1 Queen’s Park 0 – Scottish Cup
17/11/1877 Queen’s
Park 6 Notts County 1
24/11/1877 Queen’s
Park 5 Caledonian 0
01/12/1877 1st
Lanark Rifle Volunteers 0 Queen’s Park 4
15/12/1877 Queen’s
Park 0 Cambridge University 0
05/01/1878 Queen’s
Park 10 Lancefield 0
12/01/1878 Vale of
Leven 1 Queen’s Park 1
19/01/1878 Notts
County 1 Queen’s Park 2
09/02/1878
Caledonian 0 Queen’s Park 4
16/02/1878 Lennox 1 Queen’s Park 4
09/03/1878 Ayrshire
Association 0 Queen’s Park 2
16/03/1878 Queen’s
Park 2 Vale of Leven 0
23/03/1878
Caledonian 0 Queen’s Park 3
30/03/1878 Alexandra
Athletic 0 Queen’s Park 3
06/04/1878 Birch (Manchester ) 0 Queen’s Park
6
29/04/1878 Partick
0 Queen’s Park 4
04/05/1878 Queen’s
Park 1 Vale of Leven 0 – Glasgow Charity Cup Final
Second Team
22/09/1877 Second
QP 10 Shawfield 1
20/10/1877 Renfrew
1 Second QP 3
03/11/1877 Second
QP 7 Second Clydesdale 0
10/11/1877
Stonelaw 0 Second QP 0
24/11/1877 Second
Caledonian 0 Second QP 3
01/12/1877 Rosslyn 0 Second QP 0
08/12/1877
Calthorpe (Birmingham) 0 Second QP 8
10/12/1877 Stoke 0 Second QP 1
12/01/1878 Second QP 4 Second Vale of Leven 019/01/1878 Second QP 10 Lenzie 0
09/02/1878 Second QP 7 Calthorpe (Birmingham) 0
16/02/1878 Second QP 7 Second Lennox 0
06/04/1878 Renfrew 0 Second QP 1
13/04/1878 Uddingston 2 Second QP 1
20/04/1878 Kilmarnock 1 Second QP 5
Representative Matches
09/02/1878 Sheffield 2 Glasgow 4
02/03/1878 Scotland 7 England 2
23/03/1878 Scotland 9 Wales 0
naturally like your web site but you need to check the spelling on several of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very troublesome to inform the reality then again I'll certainly come back again. gmail login
ReplyDeleteYou could imagine that, since homes are priced at $800,000 on average within your neighbourhood, that you'll be able to afford that house as you grew up nearby. mortgage payment calculator Ensure you're protected against the unexpected with all the CIBC Payment Protector' Insurance for Credit Cards. mortgage calculator
ReplyDelete