Lancefield Football Club was a 19th-century football club based in
Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...
, near
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 ...
.
History
The club claimed a foundation date of 1864, but this is probably the foundation date of the cricket club from which the club seems to have arisen. The earliest matches recorded for the club are from the 1874–75 season.
The club entered the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1876–77. Its first entry was its most successful. The club beat Parkgrove F.C. in the first round, at the latter's ground of Clifford Park, although Parkgrove would move out at the end of the season, allowing Lancefield to move in; Lancefield's two goals came from M'Callum and Jeffrey. Lancefield won through to the quarter-finals, which, given the regional nature of the earlier rounds, was the final 6 of the competition. Lancefield was drawn at home to Ayr Thistle F.C. and the original tie at Brighton Park was the only senior match to survive an overnight snowstorm, ending 2–2. Thistle won the replay thanks to a goal from Cunninghame with about 15 minutes to go.
The club's home defeat in the first round in 1877–78 to
Alexandra Athletic F.C.
Alexandra Athletic Football Club was a 19th-century football club from Dennistoun, in Glasgow, which participated in the early years of the Scottish Cup.
History
The football club was founded in 1873 as an all-round athletics club, with foot ...
seems to have disheartened the club, as it dropped out of 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 ...
, not rejoining until 1880 when it entered the Scottish Cup for the last time. The club again lost in the first round, 4–2 to the Pilgrims side at Middleton Park, despite the "great credit" of goalkeeper Boyd, who "used both hands and feet cleverly, and saved his charge repeatedly"; S.Lyall of Pilgrims scored all four goals for the home side.
The club continued to play at a lower level, the final match recorded being a 3–1 win over the Ardoch club of
Pollokshields
Pollokshields ( gd, Buthan Phollaig, Scots: ''Powkshiels'') is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok C ...
at the end of the 1881–82 season. The name was revived by later clubs in Edinburgh; there is reference to one match in 1885, which does not seem to have been the same as this club.
Colours
The club's colours were red and black 3-inch hooped jerseys, white knickerbockers, and red and black stockings. In its final season the club wore navy shirts and white shorts.
Ground
The club originally used Brighton Park as its home, but in the latter part of the 1875–76 season it played matches at Queen's Park, despite it being some distance from Govan; it is possible that, given the number of teams in the locality, the club had some temporary difficulty in securing a pitch. By 1877, the club had moved to Clifford Park, a private ground on Helen Street in Govan, in place of Parkgrove, which had moved to Trinidad Park.