London Caledonians F.C. was an amateur
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 based in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, primarily for
Scottish players. They were founder members of the
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
, which they won in its inaugural season. They remained in the league until 1939 when the club folded.
Foundation
In 1885, Hugh Macpherson, a player with Champion Hill F.C., a London club with a number of Scots members, founded the club, because of the "scant success" of
United London Scottish, the first London club aimed solely at exiled Scots. Macpherson brought together more Scots players for the new club, including some of the U.L.S. players such as Bill Stirling (a forward converted into a goalkeeper) and captain W.E. Fry, with the result that U.L.S. was both no longer needed and no longer competitive. In the 1886-87 London Senior Cup, U.L.S. went down 7–1 at St Martin's Athletic of Priory Farm in the first round, whereas London Caledonians reached the quarter-finals. By 1888, U.L.S. was defunct and London Caledonians became the only "exile" club in the capital.
History
The club won the first of their five
Middlesex Senior Cup
The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have been known to enter the compe ...
s in 1889–90 and the first of their five
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...
s in 1899–1900. They were founder members of the
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
in 1905 and were champions in its
first season. They won the league again in
1907–08 and then three times in a row between
1911–12 and
1913–14.
The club's best run in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
came in
1886–87, reaching the third round, where they were drawn with the
Old Carthusians. The game was scheduled for the Princess Victoria ground in
Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Although primarily residential in character, i ...
, but, as a heavy frost had fallen, the club sent a telegram to P.M. Walters of the Carthusians, saying that it would not turn up. The Carthusians nevertheless did attend, and the tie was awarded to them.
After qualifying rounds were brought in two years later, the club reached the first round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
in
1912–13, but lost 3–1 at
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
. The following season they started in the first round, but lost 3–0 at
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
.
[
In 1922–23 the club reached the final of the ]FA Amateur Cup
The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status.
History
Following the legalisation of professionalism within footba ...
, in which they defeated Evesham Town 2–1. The following season they reached the semi-finals again, but lost in a second replay. A sixth Isthmian League title was won in 1924–25. The following season they again entered the FA Cup in the first round, but lost to Ilford. In 1926–27 they again lost in the first round, this time to Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
. However, the following season they reached the third round, where they lost 3–2 at home to Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
. The club did not return to the league after 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 ...
.
Honours
*FA Amateur Cup
**Winners 1922–23
*Isthmian League
**Champions 1905–06, 1907–08, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1924–25
*London Senior Cup
**Winners 1899–1900, 1907–08, 1914–15, 1922–26, 1927–28
*Middlesex Senior Cup
**Winners 1889–90, 1890–91, 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1934–35
See also
* London Caledonians F.C. players
References
{{Authority control
Defunct football clubs in England
Association football clubs disestablished in 1939
Defunct football clubs in London
Isthmian League
1939 disestablishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1886
Diaspora sports clubs in the United Kingdom
Diaspora association football clubs in England
Scottish diaspora in Europe