Rock F.C.
| Full name | Rock Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1882 | |
| Dissolved | 1890 | |
| Ground | Netherbog Park | |
| Hon. Secretary | James Hastie | |
| Match Secretary | William Meikle | |
|
| ||
Rock Football Club, usually referred to as Dumbarton Rock, was an association football club based in the town of Dumbarton, in West Dunbartonshire.
History
[edit]The club was formed in 1882, made up of abstemious Clyde shipyard workers[1] of Irish extraction,[2] and, after an 1883–84 season in which it won 12 of 22 matches,[3] it joined the Scottish Football Association.[4] The club may have been influenced by having a match secretary, William Meikle, who had previously held the role at Pollokshields Athletic.[5]
The club therefore entered the Scottish Cup and Dumbartonshire Cup for the first time in 1884–85. In the Scottish, the club lost 2–0 to Yoker,[6] a protest against Christie of Yoker not being properly registered being dismissed, although Rock did not lose the protest deposit.[7] Rock also lost in the first round of the Dumbartonshire, to Vale of Leven Wanderers.
The club's Irish links helped it get an invitation to Ireland to play a friendly with Limavady, which Rock won 6–4,[8] and strong enough to draw with a strong Dundee Our Boys on a trip to Tayside at the end of the season.[9] The club seemed to have finished the season on a high, as its reserve side reached the final of the Dumbartonshire Junior Cup by beating Renton Athletic,[10] but for some reason the Athletic was put into the final, which it duly won.[11]
Despite an active season, the club never seems to have played another match. In 1885–86, the club reached the second round of the Scottish Cup, because opponents Levendale scratched;[12] but Rock in turn scratched to Albion in the second. It seems to have had its talent raided by other local sides - in the 1885–86 season, centre-half Hartley[13] and forward Gourlay were playing for Dumbarton, itself having lost players to the professional English game,[14] and left-forwards Kerr and Galbraith were at Dumbarton Athletic.[15]
The club left the Scottish FA in August 1886,[16] so could not enter the Scottish Cup again, but had a remarkable afterlife, entering the Dumbartonshire Cup every season from 1885–86 to 1890–91 and scratching before the first tie every time.
Colours
[edit]The club's colours were blue jerseys, white knickers, and red hose.[17]
Ground
[edit]The club played at Netherbog Park on Cemetery Road.[18]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Rock Football Club in Ireland". Lennox Herald: 3. 17 January 1885.
- ^ "Irish football clubs in Scotland". Morning News (Belfast): 8. 29 August 1884.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1884). Scottish Football Association Annual 1884-85. Glasgow: H. Nisbet. p. 61.
- ^ Scottish FA minutes 1884–87. Glasgow: Scottish Football Association. 26 August 1884. p. 38.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1883). Scottish Football Association Annual 1883-84. Glasgow: W. Weatherston. p. 46.
- ^ "Football - Saturday". North British Daily Mail: 38. 15 September 1884.
- ^ "Football - Saturday". North British Daily Mail: 45. 23 September 1884.
- ^ "Rock Football Club in Ireland". Lennox Herald: 3. 17 January 1885.
- ^ "Rock v Our Boys (Dundee)". Dumbarton Herald: 3. 8 April 1885.
- ^ "Dumbartonshire Junior Cup (Semi-final)". Dumbarton Herald: 6. 25 March 1885.
- ^ "Renton". Lennox Herald: 1. 27 June 1885.
- ^ "Football". Dundee Evening Telegraph: 2. 23 September 1885.
- ^ "Dumbarton v Renton". Lennox Herald: 3. 5 December 1885.
- ^ "Dumbarton v Queen's Park". Dumbarton Herald: 6. 21 October 1885.
- ^ "Helensburgh v Dumbarton Athletic". Helensburgh News: 2. 1 October 1885.
- ^ Scottish FA minutes 1884–87. Glasgow: Scottish Football Association. 24 August 1886.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1884). Scottish Football Association Annual 1884-85. Glasgow: H. Nisbet. p. 61.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1884). Scottish Football Association Annual 1884-85. Glasgow: H. Nisbet. p. 61.