Clydebank F.C.

Clydebank Football Club was a 19th-century football club based in Clydebank, Scotland. It was the first team with that name in the town. History The club was formed at a meeting on 17 January 1888, at a meeting in a billiard hall in Clydebank, attended by over 200 people, including representatives from football clubs such as Rangers, Queen's Park and Cowlairs; at that first meeting, Isaac McKay of 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers F.C. was appointed as coach. Most of the club's players were employees of either the J. & G. Thomson shipbuilding company or the Singer Manufacturing Co. In its first season, the club entered the Dumbartonshire Cup, losing in the second round to Dumbarton Athletic. The club entered the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1888–89. It was drawn at home to Vale of Leven Wanderers F.C. in its first tie, who had reached the quarter-finals the previous year, and lost 4–3. Clydebank had come from 2–0 down to go 3–2 up by half-time, and after the match protested two of the Wanderers' goals, to no avail. The clubs met in the first round the following year, but at kick-off time Clydebank was short of four players. The club therefore forfeited the tie to the Wanderers, which was a mistake on two grounds - firstly, a number of angry spectators demanded refunds, and secondly, the clubs agreed to play a friendly match instead, which Clydebank won 3–1. The club's third entry in 1890–91, was its most successful, beating Kirkintilloch Athletic F.C. in the first round and Slamannan F.C. in the second, in a re-played tie. The Bankies protested that the Slamannan goals in the original match were of the wrong height; the tie had ended 5–3 for Slamannan, with all of the scores being registered in the same goal. The run ended against Dumbarton in the third, who, despite playing well within themselves, won 6–0. Clydebank also had its best run in the county competition, reaching the semi-final, but lost to Dumbarton again, this time 4–1; Clydebank had taken the lead, but when 2–1 down was reduced to 10 men because of an injury to Melvin.