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West Calder Swifts F.C.

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West Calder Swifts
Full nameWest Calder Swifts Football Club
Nickname(s)the Swifts
Founded1903
Dissolved1915
GroundBurngrange Park
TrainerDavid Bowman

West Calder Swifts Football Club was a Scottish senior football club from the town of West Calder, Midlothian.

History

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The club was founded in May 1903,[1] as a merger between West Calder and Mossend Swifts; although the name was a merger of the two teams' names, the combined club played at West Calder's ground, wearing West Calder's kit. The club's trainer however was the Mossend Swifts trainer David Bowman, who finished with 23 years' service at both sides.[2]

The club's natural home would have been in the Central Combination, but that had collapsed at the end of the 1902–03 season, and a new league - the Midland League was set up. The Swifts were invited to become founder members, and the club's Andrew Russell was elected as the league's first president.[3] However the competition did not complete its first season, with the Swifts heading for a mid-table finish.

Scottish Cup entries

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The club was a consistent entrant to the Scottish Cup, although by 1903 the Scottish Football Association had introduced the Qualifying Cup as a series of preliminary rounds. The club's first entry in 1903–04 saw it reach the fifth round of the Qualifying Cup, entitling it to an entry into the Cup proper.[4] In that first round, the club was drawn away to Scottish League side St Bernards of Edinburgh; the club rewarded the supporters who came to the match on a special train by recording a 1–1 draw,[5] West Calder losing in a second replay at the neutral Mill Park in Bathgate.[6]

The only other time the club won through to the proper rounds was in 1908–09, again having reached the fifth round of the Qualifying Cup.[7] The club drew 0–0 in the first round at home to Partick Thistle. At the time, the Maryhill club was "between grounds", and therefore applied to the Scottish FA to have the replay at a neutral ground, on the basis that Burngrange Park's facilities were not up to scratch. On a vote of 13 to 10, the Scottish FA ordered the tie to take place at Shawfield.[8] The Swifts appealed to the Scottish FA that Partick, without having a registered ground, was not entitled to ask for the match to be held on a neutral venue, and refused to play at Shawfield.[9] As a result of this "foolish course",[10] the tie was awarded to Partick.[11] Thistle claimed expenses of £46 7s against West Calder, but that was dismissed, on the basis that Partick had caused the problems by having no ground.[12]

King Cup entries

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The main local competition for the club was the King Cup, for members of the East of Scotland FA. The club first entered in 1903–04; its second round tie with Bathgate ended in farce, when a mist descended, so the clubs agreed to play the match out as a friendly, which was then abandoned after a fight broke out.[13] Bathgate eventually won through and beat the Swifts in the final at Uphall in 1904–05.[14]

The club was also runner-up in 1907–08, losing to Peebles Rovers in the final at Tynecastle Park in front of 1,300 spectators; the Swifts' "rough play" had "alienated any sympathy an impartial spectator might have had for them".[15] The club finally won the trophy in its last final, in 1909–10, and did so "in handsome fashion", hammering Gala Fairydean 6–0.[16] Fairydean protested about the eligibility of one of the Swifts' players, but the East of Scotland FA dismissed it unanimously.[17]

Last league action and end of the club

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The club did not play in another league until 1910–11, when it joined the Scottish Football Union. The club struggled in a league of sufficient strength that the other 9 members were all Scottish League clubs past or future;[18] it won only 3 matches and was only out-performing Broxburn when the season ran out of steam.[19] The club joined an attempted revival of the Eastern League in 1912–13 but only played 5 matches.[20]

The club was defunct by the 1913–14 season, losing players to new Junior sides,[21] and having to scratch from the first round of the Scottish Qualifying Cup as the club's financial state (despite its amateur status) made it unable to raise a team;[22] an attempt to revive the club in 1914–15[23] was only briefly successful, it proving impossible to raise a team to play fixtures during World War 1, although it did play one last Cup tie - a 3–1 defeat at Burngrange to Armadale.[24] The club did not re-start after the war.

Colours

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The club played in red and black stripes.[25]

Ground

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The Swifts' ground was Burngrange Park.[26] The facilities were spartan, lacking large dressing rooms, so clubs had to change in the pavilion or in a nearby hotel.[27] Violence against Broxburn Athletic F.C. officials in 1908 resulted in the ground being closed for a month.[28]

Notable players

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[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Football meeting". Lothian Courier: 5. 8 May 1903.
  2. ^ "Golden wedding at Stoneyburn". Lothian Courier: 3. 8 July 1932.
  3. ^ "Formation of the Midland League". Lothian Courier: 3. 14 August 1903.
  4. ^ Mathers, Stewart. "Season 1903–04". Beautiful Dribbling Game. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. ^ "St Bernard's v West Calder Swifts". Liverpool Mercury: 10. 25 January 1904.
  6. ^ "St Bernard's v West Calder Swifts". Lothian Courier: 3. 29 January 1904.
  7. ^ Mathers, Stewart. "Season 1908–09". Beautiful Dribbling Game. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  8. ^ "DFA meeting". Daily Record: 6. 27 January 1909.
  9. ^ "Cup tie dispute". Daily Record: 6. 29 January 1909.
  10. ^ "West Calder Appeal". Daily Record: 6. 30 January 1909.
  11. ^ "S.F.A. and West Calder". Daily Record: 6. 2 February 1909.
  12. ^ "Partick's claim against West Calder". Daily Record: 6. 10 March 1909.
  13. ^ "Bathgate v West Calder Swifts". Lothian Courier: 3. 1 January 1904.
  14. ^ "King Cup Final". Lothian Courier: 3. 2 December 1904.
  15. ^ "King Cup Final". Lothian Courier: 7. 6 March 1908.
  16. ^ "West Calder Swifts easily win the King's Cup". Lothian Courier: 7. 31 December 1909.
  17. ^ "East of Scotland Association". Lothian Courier: 7. 31 December 1909.
  18. ^ Albeit Broxburn only joined the League after a merger.
  19. ^ "Scottish Union". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Eastern League". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  21. ^ "West Calder Swifts". Lothian Courier: 7. 15 August 1913.
  22. ^ "Football jottings". Lothian Courier: 7. 12 September 1913.
  23. ^ "West Calder Swifts". Lothian Courier: 7. 14 August 1914.
  24. ^ "West Calder Swifts v Armadale". Lothian Courier: 7. 11 September 1914.
  25. ^ "Club Directory". Scottish Football Historical Results Archive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  26. ^ "West Calder Swifts F.C. Sports". Lothian Courier: 8. 17 July 1903.
  27. ^ "DFA meeting". Daily Record: 6. 27 January 1909.
  28. ^ "West Calder Swifts ground closed temporarily". Lothian Courier: 8. 7 February 1908.
  29. ^ "Fauldhouse sergeant killed". Lothian Courier: 3. 8 December 1916.
  30. ^ "New goalkeeper for Hearts". Daily Record: 7. 23 April 1914.
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