Bo'ness United F.C.

Bo'ness United

Full name	Bo'ness United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The B.U.'s
Founded	1945; 79 years ago (1945)
Ground	Newtown Park, Bo'ness
Capacity	2,500
Manager	Stuart Hunter
League	Lowland League
2023–24	Lowland League, 3rd of 18
Website	https://www.bonessunitedfc.co.uk/
Home colours Away colours

Bo'ness United Football Club is a Scottish football club, based in the town of Bo'ness. The team plays in the Lowland League after winning the East of Scotland League and gaining SFA membership in 2020.^[1][2] They presently play their home games at Newtown Park, which holds 2,500 spectators and has been used as a football ground since the 1880s. They play in blue.

Bo'ness like many other clubs moved from the junior leagues in 2018.^[3] The club won the Scottish Junior Cup on three occasions, in 1948, 1976 and 1984, and lifted the 2018–19 East of Scotland League Cup defeating Musselburgh Athletic 1–0.^[4]

Nicknamed the B.U.'s, Bo'ness United were formed in 1945, at the end of the Second World War when Bo'ness, a club that had played in the senior ranks, being a member of the Scottish Football League from 1921 to 1932, merged with the Junior club Bo'ness Cadora.^[5]

The club won the Scottish Junior Cup on three occasions, in 1948, 1976 and 1984.^[4]

As a result of winning the 2009–10 East Region Super League, United competed in the Scottish Cup for the first time the following season. The club eventually reached the third round, defeating Scottish Football League Third Division side Queen's Park at home in round two.^[6][7] They also reached the third round the following year.^[8]

United moved to the East of Scotland Football League in 2018, along with many other East Region junior clubs.^[3]

The club were promoted to the Lowland League after winning the East of Scotland League and gaining SFA membership in 2020.^[1][2]

Bo'ness United have a healthy rivalry with Linlithgow Rose – the towns are about 3 miles (4.8 km) apart;^[9] they were among the most successful and well-supported clubs from the days of the East Juniors^[10] and both moved to the EoSFL at the same point in 2018.^[3]

Bo'ness Athletic joined the Junior leagues in 2019 as an informal partner to Bo'ness United, but switched to the East of Scotland leagues as a separate club two years later, causing concerns over there being a new competitor (with similar names, badges and kit) within the same system and community.^[11]

As of 24 October 2024^[12][13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SCO Cade Melrose (on loan from Airdrieonians) — DF  SCO Adam Masson — DF  SCO Daniel Irving — DF  SCO Lewis Hawkins — DF  SCO Lewis Duffy — DF  SCO Keir Macauley — DF  SCO John Ward — DF  SCO Shaun Rutherford — DF  RSA Michael Travis — MF  SCO Michael Gemmell

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  SCO Tom Grant — MF  SCO Jamie Hamilton — MF  SCO John-James Henderson — MF  SCO Ryan Porteous — MF  SCO Ciaran Heeps — MF  SCO Kyle Johnston — MF  SCO Ryan Stevenson — MF  SCO Gregor Nicol (on loan from East Fife) — FW  ENG Harry McLinden (on loan from Queen of the South) — FW  SCO Kieran Mitchell — FW  SCO Louis Kennedy — FW  SCO Lucas Stenhouse (on loan from Livingston) — FW  NGA Smart Osadolor — FW  SCO Ryan Schiavone

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SCO Liam Campbell (on loan to Dunbar United)

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

† Season curtailed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

East of Scotland Football League Premier Division

• Winners : 2019–20

East of Scotland League Cup

• Winners: 2018–19

Scottish Junior Cup

• Winners: 1947–48, 1975–76, 1983–84
• Runners-up: 1946–47, 1978–79, 1982–83

Junior East Region Super League

• Winners: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14
• Runners-up: 2014–15

• Fife & Lothians Cup winners: 1993–94, 1996–97
• Edinburgh & District League winners: 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1957–58
• East Region Division One winners: 1968–69
• Lothians District League Division One winners: 2002–03
• East of Scotland Junior Cup winners: 1951–52, 1954–55, 1984–85, 1998–99, 2015–16
• Brown Cup winners: 1978–79, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2006–07

The following players all went on to be capped for the Scotland national football team after playing for Bo'ness United.^[14]

• Paddy Buckley – St Johnstone and Aberdeen. Played in United's 1947–48 Scottish Junior Cup winning team.^[15]
• Donald Ford – Hearts and Falkirk.^[16]
• Alex Scott – Rangers, Everton, Hibernian and Falkirk.^[17]
• Jim Scott – Hibernian, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Falkirk and Hamilton. Also a Junior international cap.^[18]

• Official website
• Unofficial club website
• Bo'ness United versus Forth Rangers (1949) (archive film from the National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive)