Cowlairs F.C.
| Full name | Cowlairs Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1876 |
| Dissolved | 1896 |
| Ground | Gourlay Park, Glasgow (1876–1890) Springvale Park, Glasgow (1890–1895) Gourlay Park (1895–1896) |
Cowlairs Football Club was a 19th-century football club from the Cowlairs area of Glasgow in Scotland. The club were one of the founder members of the Scottish Football League in 1890, and played at Springvale Park during their time in the league.
Cowlairs F.C. were formed in 1876 by craftsmen from the Hyde Park and Cowlairs railway works in Springburn, an area that was growing rapidly due to its importance to Glasgow's railway industry. In its early years, the club was a member of the Glasgow FA and was looked on as a junior club. This was at a time when "junior" clubs were simply smaller and of limited standing in the game, and prior to the establishment of a separate Junior grade of competition. The club entered the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1880–81, reaching the fourth round.
By the latter part of the decade, Cowlairs' reputation was growing. In 1886–87 they entered the English FA Cup (which was open to Scottish clubs at this time), ironically losing out to fellow Glaswegians Rangers in their only match. The club had players of sufficient standing in this period to have two of their number gain international recognition for Scotland: Tom McInnes, capped once in 1889, and John McPherson, who won two of his nine caps while at Cowlairs, in 1889 and 1890.
Cowlairs was one of the clubs which together formed the Scottish League, but finished bottom of the table at the end of its first season, not helped by having four points deducted for fielding ineligible players. With the club also facing accusations of professionalism (which had yet to be legalised in Scottish football) following an inspection of clubs' books by the League, it was unsurprising that Cowlairs was unsuccessful in its re-election vote, losing out to Leith Athletic. Despite not being in any league competition the following season, the club enjoyed its longest Scottish Cup run, losing to Celtic in the quarter finals.
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