King's Park Football Club were a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club who played in the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

(SFL) before 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 ...

. Based in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, they joined the League in the 1921–22 season, following the reintroduction of the Second Division and were one of 11 new members for that season.

History

The club was established in 1875 in the King's Park area of Stirling, although they did not stay long in this locality.David Potter & Phil H. Jones, ''The Encyclopedia of Scottish Football'', Know the Score Books, 2008, p. 176 They first entered the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1879–80 season. Their best performance in that competition was in 1894–95 when they reached the quarter finals, losing 4–2 to Hearts. King's Park were founder members of the

Scottish Football Alliance The Scottish Football Alliance was a football league football structure set up in Scotland in competition with the Scottish Football League. Its success in the early years of professional football in both England and Scotland made Alliance the bas ...

, a rival of sorts of the SFL, in 1891 but left after one season. They moved between various more minor leagues for several seasons before entering the re-established

Central Football League There have been at least three competitions in Scotland known as the Central Football League The first was originally formed in 1896 by five clubs - Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, Fair City Athletic, Kirkcaldy and St Johnstone. In 1897 this v ...

in 1909, retaining their membership of this division until 1921 (barring a brief hiatus during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when they did not compete). At this point King's Park, along with most of their fellow Central league clubs, were invited to join the newly established Second Division of the SFL. Their finest season came in 1927–28, when they just missed promotion by one point. Their record victory was in a 12–2 league victory against

Forfar Athletic Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...

on 2 January 1930. In this game Jim Dyet scored eight of the club's goals, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that it was his debut for the club.D. Pickering, ''The Cassell Soccer Companion'', London: Cassell, 1995. Indeed, Dyet's feat stands as British record for goals on a debut to this day. The club's other great goalscorer of the 1930s was Alex Haddow, who hit five consecutive league hat-tricks in January and February 1932. Although overall they failed to make much impact on the league. However, they were four times winners of the Stirlingshire Cup. Although a middle-ranking Second Division club King's Park did at times make the headlines. Their league game against Dundee Hibernian on 20 October 1923 would be the last game that club would play under that name, they were renamed

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

two days later. The club became the centre of controversy in 1927 when a newspaper report suggested that their next opponents

Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...

were about to go out of business and as a consequence the attendance at the match was minimal. As a consequence King's Park held back Clydebank's cut of the gate until the Scottish League intervened. Although the issue was resolved it helped to increase support amongst the League administrators for cutting the number of clubs due to their volatile status.B. Crampsey, ''The First Hundred Years'', Glasgow: Scottish Football League, 1990.

The death of King's Park and the birth of Stirling Albion

When

World War II 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 ...

started King's Park, largely as a consequence of their geographical location, dropped out of competitive football. Nonetheless, the club continued to play friendlies and, like a number of Scottish clubs who could offer higher war-time wages than their English counterparts, welcomed a number of high-profile guest players including Andy Black and

Bill Shankly William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish football player and manager, who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool. Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining promotion to the First Division and winnin ...

. The club was persuaded in 1940 to join a new Midland League for the coming season although local powerhouses

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

declined to compete and so the league did not happen. As a consequence managing director Tom Fergusson put the club on hiatus in what was intended to be a temporary measure. The fortunes of the club were hit further in 1940 when Forthbank was bombed by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

. The club did not play again after this, even though they applied to join the North Eastern League in 1944 (a request rejected due to their lack of a ground). Amid allegations of financial impropriety with regards to payment of guest players, the club folded before the end of the war, on the pretext of the damage done by the bomb. Football in the town did not disappear for long however as they were replaced by

Stirling Albion Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...

, with ex managing director Tom Fergusson taking a leading role in the new club. Although they had not played since 1940 King's Park were not officially wound up until 1953 when the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

finally settled their claim for the bomb damage.

Stadium

The club's

Forthbank Park Forthbank Park was a sports venue in Stirling, Scotland until 1940. Forthbank park was home to King's Park F.C. until the beginning of World War II. During the war Forthbank was destroyed by the Luftwaffe. The ground was victim to the only Germ ...

was one of a number of stadiums at the time to host animal racing, usually

greyhounds The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

but also

cheetahs The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

. The

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 ...

at the time was keen to put an end to this practice as, although the racing provided a financial lifeline to many smaller clubs including King's Park, they feared that it would lead to football becoming too reliant on gambling just like the races. An SFA inspection team deemed that the greyhound track at Forthbank encroached on to the pitch and as such it was removed, along with the source of income. Crowd trouble at a home match against

St Johnstone St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...

in October 1921 led to King's Park playing a home match against

Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning '' ...

Dunblane Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...

's Duckburn Park.Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) ''The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005'', Yore Publications, p. 169 Forthbank suffered from a Luftwaffe bombing on 20 July 1940 and although temporary repairs were made to the partially destroyed stadium, only two further games were played there before both Forthbank and King's Park F.C. were closed down. There was compensation given eventually from the War Office in 1953, but it was paid to Stirling Albion F.C. Local business man Thomas Ferguson started Stirling Albion F.C in 1945 and shortly purchased the Annfield estate to construct Annfield Stadium, which has now made way for housing once more. In 1992 they moved to

Forthbank Stadium Forthbank Stadium is a football stadium in Stirling, Scotland. Opened in 1993, it has been the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Stirling Albion since then. Since 2013 it has also hosted the first team matches of Lowland ...

, sited about two-thirds of a mile (1 km) from the location of the original stadium Forthbank Park.

League history

, 1891–92 *

Midland Football League in Scotland The Midland Football League was an association football league tournament in Scotland that was contested in three different periods. The first incarnation of the tournament was founded in 1891 and ran until 1897 when most of the member clubs left t ...

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

–

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

* Central Football Combination,

–

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

*Scottish Football Alliance,

1905–06 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

Scottish Football Union The Scottish Football Union was a football league competition that existed from 1906 till the outbreak of the First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global confl ...

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

–

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

–

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

–

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

Full Scottish Football League Second Division record

Key: Pl = Games played; W = games won; D = games drew; L = games lost; F = goals scored (for); A = goals conceded (against); Pts = points (2 for a win, 1 for a draw); Pos = final position in the table.

Club Records

Records refer to the club's time as members of the Scottish Football League. *Record Victory: 12–2 v

League Match 2 January 1930 *Most goals scored in a season: 109, 1929–30 *Fewest goals scored in a season: 46, 1922–23 *Most goals conceded in a season: 109, 1935–36 *Fewest goals conceded in a season: 46, 1924–25 *Most wins in a season: 18, 1934–35 *Fewest wins in a season: 8, 1928–29 *Most defeats in a season: 20, 1936–37 and 1938–39 *Fewest defeats in a season: 10, 1927–28 *Most draws in a season: 13, 1928–29 *Fewest draws in a season: 2, 1938–39 *Most points in a season: 44, 1927–28 *Fewest points in a season: 25, 1936–37 *Highest finish: 3rd place, Second Division, 1927–28 *Lowest finish: 17th place (out of 18), 1936–37 *Highest attendance: 8,911 v

Airdrieonians Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...

, 1924–35 Scottish Cup.

Honours

;

Midland League The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid. History Th ...

* Champions: 1892–93 ;

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

* Champions:

1904–05 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

; Falkirk & District League * Winners: 1900–01 ;

Stirlingshire Cup The Stirlingshire Cup is an association football cup competition for clubs in the county of Stirlingshire, Scotland. The competition was founded in 1883 and is contested annually by senior member clubs of the Stirlingshire Football Association. Th ...

* Winners: 1898–99, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1933–34 ; Stirlingshire Consolation Cup: * Winners: 1905–06, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1923–24 ; Stirling Charity Cup: * Winners: 1885–86, 1887–88, 1888–89, 1889–90, 1890–91, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1894–95, 1896–97, 1897–98, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1933–34 ; Camelon Sports Tournament * Winners: 1889 (via)

British Newspaper Archive The British Newspaper Archive web site provides access to searchable digitized archives of British and Irish newspapers. It was launched in November 2011. History The British Library Newspapers section was based in Colindale in north London, u ...

References

External links

Results and statistics
at ''Fitbastats'' {{Scottish Football League Defunct football clubs in Scotland Association football clubs established in 1875 Association football clubs disestablished in 1953 Football clubs in Stirling (council area) Scottish Football League teams 1875 establishments in Scotland 1953 disestablishments in Scotland