Gordon Highlanders F.C.
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Gordon Highlanders F.C. was a British
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club. It was the footballing side of the Gordon Highlanders regiment in the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
.


History

The first reference to a Gordon Highlanders football club is from the 1884–85 season, when the regiment was based in
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. Usually based in
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, the club was a regular entrant to Highland competitions in the amateur era of football. It entered the Aberdeenshire Cup in 1889–90 and 1890–91 and the short-lived Banffshire Cup in 1890–91. The club's finest achievements came when the battalion was stationed in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
in 1889–90. The Gordons won the
Irish Cup The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
, surprising Linfield in the semi-final at Ulsterville, and beating Cliftonville in the final after a replay. The first match (at Ballynafeigh) attracted a record attendance for Ireland, and the Gordons took a two-goal half-time lead, but were pegged back to 2–2 by the call of time. The replay, played in front of 3,000 at Ulsterville, saw the regiment dominate, a goal from Beveridge in the first half and two from Swan - the last right on the whistle - in the second securing the Cup. The club also reached the final of the 1889–90 Belfast Charity Cup, losing 5–3 to fellow army side
the Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
. The regiment was re-drafted to
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
in 1890; the football side was allowed to stay behind with another battalion, and the regiment formed another side to play football in Asia. Stationed in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
from 1894, the club entered the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1895–96 and 1896–97. It did not win a tie, but did draw twice with first round opponents. 3–3 with
Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...
in 1894–95 (the replay having to take place at Northern's ground in
Springburn Springburn ( gd, Allt an Fhuairainn) is an inner-city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, made up of generally working-class households. Springburn developed from a rural hamlet at the beginning of the 19th century. Its indu ...
), and 2–2 with
Linthouse Linthouse is a neighbourhood in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly south of the River Clyde and lies immediately west of Govan, with other adjacent areas including Shieldhall and the Southern General Hospital to the west, a ...
the following season; the Highlanders started the replay in a rush, and took an early 2 goal lead, before the superior stamina of professional players saw the Linties win 7–3. The Gordons also entered the
Glasgow Cup The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow, Scotland. Operated by the Glasgow Football Association, it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989. It is now (since the 2019–20 amended rules ...
in 1894–95 and 1895–96, but lost both ties the club played. The regiment was redeployed to
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
after being drawn against Burnbank Swifts in the 1896–97 Qualifying Cup, so was forced to scratch from the competition, and it did not renew its
Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the Sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in Scot ...
membership. It was replaced at the barracks by the 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The Gordons' last major success was via the 2nd Battalion winning the Army Cup in 1897–98, beating the Cup holders
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in the final at
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
; the strength of support for the army game demonstrated by a crowd of 25,000 attending, including the
Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...
, who presented the trophy and medals. The club also won the Aldershot League, ahead of the K.O.S.B. in second place. In 1898 the regiment was sent to India, where the club's popular secretary, Lt J. H. Outhwaite, died of an attack of
dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
. The regiment was sent to
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in 1899, and suffered an alarming incident when a shell burst on its football pitch during a match; none of the players was injured, and, having filled up the crater, the match duly continued. While based in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in 1912–13, the Highlanders carried off the Large Unit Shield for Egypt and the
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, beating the 2nd
Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...
3–2 in the final. After being stationed in India in the 1920s, the regiment returned to Aberdeen, and the Gordons entered the Scottish Junior Cup a number of times in the 1920s and 1930s. It reached the third round in 1934–35, and apparently beat Aberdeen East End at that stage, but the win was thrown out after a protest and the Gordons lost the replay. The club was still active on the eve of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but there is no record of the club at any level outside the Army after 1939.


Colours

The club wore blue, yellow, and green quartered shirts, and black knickers.


Grounds

The club is known to have played in the following areas: *1884–85: Devon *1888–89: Aberdeen *1889–90: Carrickfergus *1890–91: Curragh Camp *1891–92: Annandale,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
*1894–96: Maryhill Barracks *1896–98:
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
*1898–99:
Dagshai Dagshai, also known as Daagh-e-Shahi, is one of the oldest cantonment towns in the Solan district, Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is situated on top of a 5,689-foot (1,734-m) high hillock that stands sphinx-like astride the Kalk ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
*1899–1900: Osfontein, Cape Province, South Africa *1912–13:
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
*1914–15: Aberdeen, with matches taking place at Pittodrie *1927–28: Trimulgherry *1928–39: Aberdeen


References

{{Defunct Scottish football clubs, state=collapsed Gordon Highlanders Gordon Highlanders Association football clubs established in 1884 Association football clubs disestablished in 1939 1884 establishments in Scotland 1939 disestablishments in Scotland Football in Glasgow Military football clubs in Scotland