Wishaw Thistle
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| Full name | Wishaw Juniors Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1885 |
| Ground |
The Beltane Alexander Street Wishaw, North Lanarkshire |
| Capacity | c1,000 |
| Manager | John Brogan |
| League | West of Scotland League Central District First Division |
| 2016–17 | West of Scotland League Central District First Division, 6th |
Wishaw Juniors Football Club are a Scottish football club, based in the former heavy industrial town of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire. The club plays at adult semi-professional level (termed 'Junior' football in Scotland) and plays its football in the West Region (one of three Regions) of the Scottish Junior Football Association. The club currently competes in the Central District First Division in what is effectively the third of four tiers within the Region.
The club traces its origins back to the mid 1880's and a team called Wishaw Thistle. At that point in the development of football there were no Leagues and football clubs played challenge matches against other clubs or in Cup competitions. Local newspapers and other sources refer to two football teams named Wishaw Swifts and Wishaw Thistle playing in the town. The older team 'the Swifts' is recorded as participating in the Scottish Football Association 'Scottish Cup'. At that time it was common for Club second string teams to play under a different name and it appears that Wishaw Thistle originated as an offshoot or a second string side of the Swifts. For many years it was generally accepted that the Thistle began playing in 1885 but recent research suggests this may have been earlier. There are however no definitive records available and outwith Scottish Football Association records, the local newspaper, The Wishaw Press, is the main source of reference. In Scotland, as football became more established as a playing and spectator sport the terms Senior and Junior appear to have developed as a means to distinguish the older better established Clubs (with more supporters) from newer ones. The Thistle appear to have been regarded as being 'Juniors'from the outset and playing less illustrious opponents whilst The Swifts were regarded as being 'Senior' and participated in the SFA Scottish Cup. The Swifts disappeared from records later in the decade and their place in the SFA Scottish Cup was taken by the Thistle.
Wishaw Thistle is understood to have started playing in 1885. League football was still in the future and football was mostly friendlies against teams from neighbouring communities. However, Lanarkshire was one of the first Counties to set up a 'Junior' FA and the Thistle were to dominate the newly established Lanarkshire Junior Cup winning this in 1885/86, 1886/87 and 1887/88. The Scottish Junior FA was formed in 1886 with Wishaw Thistle being founder members. The new National governing body promptly instituted its own National Cup competition and Wishaw were strong favourites to win the new competition. It was not to be however and the club had to wait until the following year before lifting the Scottish Junior Cup. The Thistle then decided that the club's future lay with the rapidly growing senior game and the club 'turned senior'. Wishaw missed out in the formation of the Scottish Football League in 1890. However, in 1891/92 Thistle were (along with Lanarkshire neighbours Motherwell and Albion Rovers) founder members of the Scottish Football Federation which was the second senior football league to be established in Scotland.
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