Alexandra Athletic Football Club was a 19th-century football club from Dennistoun, in Glasgow, which participated in the early years of the Scottish Cup.

Alexandra Athletic

Full name	Alexandra Athletic Football Club
Nickname(s)	the A.A.C.,[1] the Athletes[2]
Founded	1873
Dissolved	1884
Ground	Kennyhill (now Alexandra) Park, Glasgow
Home colours

History

The football club was founded in 1873 as an all-round athletics club, with football as the "ruling pastime"; originally, the club's request to use part of Alexandra Park as a home ground was declined, despite the club being "a body of working men...who had done a very gracious thing in asking permission to get the use of a portion of the park".[3] Within two months however the new club was given permission to lease part of the park for sporting activities; by this time the Earl of Glasgow and Robert Dalglish MP had agreed to become the club's patrons[4] and the club had an elite image, with amongst the best sporting facilities and equipment in Glasgow.[5]

By the following season, the issue had been sorted out, and the club was able to play its first Scottish FA Cup tie on the park; after beating Callander F.C. at home in the first round,[6] the club lost 2-0 to Blythswood in the second (last eight), the club complaining that the Blythswood-nominated umpire was not merely a member of the Blythswood club, but had also been giving coaching advice during the match; nevertheless the clubs enjoyed a convivial toast after the match.[7]

At the end of 1875, the club played an exhibition match in Dundee, with the aim of promoting the association game there;[8] the one Dundee club that had played association before (in 1871) had quickly switched to rugby.[9]

The club entered the Scottish Cup until 1884, after which there is no further record. The club reached the second round in 1876-77, beating Eastern F.C. in the first round, but losing 4-0 at Northern in the second. The win over Eastern was at the third time of asking, the clubs having drawn in the first game, and Eastern winning the second 2-0, but being the subject of a successful post-match protest on the basis that the referee who took charge of the match had not been agreed beforehand; ironically, this was down to Eastern objecting to the Alexandra nominee, but Eastern called the protest "a mean subterfuge to attempt to wrest the honours which have already been fairly won".[10]

The following year, the club Lancefield F.C. in the first round but losing 8-0 at Rangers in the next. In 1878-79 the club had its best run, reaching the fourth round (last 18), but again losing to Rangers, this time 3-0.[11] It was the club's best run in the competition.

The club does not seem to have survived the 1883-84 season; it protested to no avail after being knocked out of the Cup by Whitehill,[12] and the final match being a 9-4 defeat at Arbroath, after the club was 4-1 up at half-time.[13] On the club's demise, a number of its members and players joined Rangers; club secretary Walter Crichton took the same role at the Light Blues.[14]

Colours

The club played in a variety of colours:[15]

• 1873: blue & white guernsey, blue knickerbockers, red cap
• 1874: brown, blue, & white striped jersey, white knickerbockers, blue stockings, red cap
• 1876: white with blue Prince of Wales feathers
• 1877: white

Notable players

• James Gossland and James Duncan, who both won international caps when playing for Rangers

External links

• Scottish Football Club Directory (Archived 2009-10-25)
• RSSSF: Scottish Cup

References

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