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Third Lanark FC and Cathkin Park
One of a series of articles looking in to some of the lost or forgotten Old
Stadiums and
Football Clubs
around the UK.
Cathkin
Park as it is now, with the huge banked terrace still visibleThe club was formed in 1872 as Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers playing at Cathkin Park which was also the regiments drill field. Initial facilities at the ground were limited to a log pavilion but funds generated from successful Cup runs enabled the club to add a grandstand, at a cost of £155, in 1878 and also to conduct Scotland’s first experiment with floodlit football. The club also changed their colours to ‘blue and white hooped jerseys with white “knickerbockers”. During this initial period The “Hi Hi” (which for unknown reasons became the clubs nickname), won the Scottish FA cup beating Celtic in the final.
New
Cathkin Park in the 1960’s
Things
changed for Third Lanark when in 1903, Local Rivals Queens Park left
their ground nearby at Hampden Park, for a new Stadium, which they
named ….Hampden Park!!. Third Lanark then left Cathkin Park and
took over the original Hampden Park renaming it New Cathkin Park.
Confused?
The move to the new stadium came with one strange decision. New Cathkin had a two-storey brick built stand and embankments in place. Queen’s Park asked Third Lanark if they would like these to be left in place but the new owners insisted everything be demolished and, transported their own stand from the original Cathkin and built their own embankments. In the same year all official links with the rifle volunteers were severed and the club’s name was changed to Third Lanark A.C. (Athletic Club). Over the years the club further developed (New) Cathkin Park eventually reaching a capacity of 50,000. The largest attendance at the Stadium a game against Rangers in 1954 which attracted 45,455
Match action fro m the 1960's at New Cathkin Park – Third Lanark in Red
The move to the new stadium came with one strange decision. New Cathkin had a two-storey brick built stand and embankments in place. Queen’s Park asked Third Lanark if they would like these to be left in place but the new owners insisted everything be demolished and, transported their own stand from the original Cathkin and built their own embankments. In the same year all official links with the rifle volunteers were severed and the club’s name was changed to Third Lanark A.C. (Athletic Club). Over the years the club further developed (New) Cathkin Park eventually reaching a capacity of 50,000. The largest attendance at the Stadium a game against Rangers in 1954 which attracted 45,455
Match action fro m the 1960's at New Cathkin Park – Third Lanark in Red
The
following two years saw Third Lanark winning the Scottish League by
four 4 points from Hearts and the following season, winning the Cup,
beating Rangers in the final. Those heights were not maintained
however and although the club maintained it’s first Division place
until the First World War, darker times arrived as during peace time
The growth of Glasgow Giants Celtic and Rangers meant the “Redcoats”
(another nickname) couldn’t keep pace and suffered relegation.
More 1960's match action
More 1960's match action
It
wasn’t until 1935 that Third Lanark returned to the Scottish First
Division as Champions of Division Two. The club remained in the top
flight for the pretty much all of their remaining existence, twice
reaching the FA Cup semi Finals before suffering relegation, but
bouncing back again in 1957. In the early 1960’s Third Lanark
managed a third place finish in the League but soon Financial
problems were to hit the club. By the mid 60’s, the club was in
meltdown with players being sold and assets at the club being sold
off. In 1967 the Club Directors announced they had agreed to sell the
Stadium to Glasgow City Council. Shortly after, the Board of Trade
launched an investigation into the club, which would uncover multiple
cases of fraud and which also disclosed that players had been having
to pay their own fares to away matches.
Original main stand at New Cathkin Park
In 2017, Third Lanark AFC. announced a £5 million plan to return to Cathkin and redevelop the ground, with an all-weather pitch, a 2000-seat stand, floodlights and community facilities for football and cricket. Fifty Seven years after their demise, there are still hopes that Third Lanark can once again return to The Scottish Football League at a rebuilt Cathkin Park.
Original main stand at New Cathkin Park
Tales of asset-stripping along with the intention to sell the ground to developers amid rising debt abounded, and in June 1967 the club was wound up by the Court Of Session in Edinburgh who appointed an official liquidator. It was found that the club’s liabilities were £40,000 greater than their assets.
The
remains of New Cathkin Park still exist to this day with one
sprawling terrace still standing. The
stadium subsequently fell into disrepair and most of the fabric was
gradually removed. The remains of the terraces from three sides of
the ground can be seen in the park. However, a reformed Third Lanark AFC,
which plays in the Greater Glasgow Amateur League, currently plays in
the park.
New
Cathkin Park sliding into decline
In 2017, Third Lanark AFC. announced a £5 million plan to return to Cathkin and redevelop the ground, with an all-weather pitch, a 2000-seat stand, floodlights and community facilities for football and cricket. Fifty Seven years after their demise, there are still hopes that Third Lanark can once again return to The Scottish Football League at a rebuilt Cathkin Park.
By Alan Bateson
Many
thanks to three sources of information for this article:
https://scottishcomedyfc.com/cathkin-park-rifles-rejects/
https://jimmysirrelslovechild.co.uk/home/memory-lane/ghosts/third-lanark
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