Football club
| Full name | Vale of Atholl Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Vale | |
| Founded | 1878 | |
| Ground | Recreation Park | |
| League | Perthshire Amateur Football League | |
| ||
Vale of Atholl Football Club is a football club from Pitlochry in Scotland.
History
The club was founded in 1878, originally under the name Vale of Athole, a name it used until 1889.
The club was one of the inaugural clubs to take part in the Scottish Amateur Cup and as at 2022 is one of the three remaining clubs still entering the competition, although it has never reached the final.
The club's main historical significance is as an entrant to the Scottish Cup from 1882 to 1884 and 1888 to 1966. The club did so without any success. The Vale reached the second round proper on only two occasions, the first time in 1883–84, after first round opponents Aberfeldy Breadalbane scratched. The Vale in turn scratched from the second round tie with Dundee Harp F.C.
The club won through the qualifying rounds in 1907–08, 1921–22, 1922–23, and 1926–27, before the club finally won its first tie in the competition proper in 1927–28, beating Newton Stewart F.C. 2–1 in the first round; the club lost at St Mirren F.C. in the second, startling the home side by equalizing an early St Mirren goal after Kirk headed a cross from Watson, but conceding a further four goals despite a "heroic" defence.
The Vale only reached the first round once more via the qualifying rounds, in 1934–35, being drawn to play Hibernian F.C. at home. The club forfeited home advantage to play at Easter Road, and lost 5–0 in front of a crowd of 3,815. In 1954–55, the Scottish Football Association briefly re-organized the competition, by abolishing the qualifying rounds and putting the lower-ranked entrants in the Cup at the first round stage. This lasted three seasons and the Vale lost in the first round every time, the last time 8–2 at Albion Rovers.
Despite being an amateur club in an amateur league, the Vale retained its senior status until it was expelled from the Scottish Cup qualifying rounds for 1966–67. This was because the Highland Games were taking place at the Recreation Park when the Scottish FA was demanding its use for Cup ties. Having lost its senior status, the club was never in a high enough league to regain it.
The club won the amateur Perthshire League six times between 1920 and 1931; its last triumph in the competition was in 1972. The club was also a 11-time winner of the Perthshire Cup, although that competition was abandoned in 1975. For the 2022–23 season the club is playing in the second division of the Perthshire Amateur Football League.
Colours
The club's known colours are as follows:
| Years | Shirts | Shorts |
|---|---|---|
| 1878–84 | Red and white | Navy |
| 1889–90 | White | Athole tartan |
| 1890–1913 | White | Navy |
| 1913–14 | Gold and red | |
| 1914–15 | Gold and black | |
| 1915–16 | White | |
| 1916–19 | Yellow and black | |
| 1919–2018? | White | Black |
| 2018– | Black & white hoops | Black |
Ground
The club played at the original Recreation Park in Pitlochry, which now lies at the bottom of Loch Faskally, the area being flooded in 1947 after a dam was built. The club removed its pavilion for reconstruction at a new Recreation Park.
Notable players
The most famous Vale player is Paul Sturrock, who played for the club in 1973–74, and the following players also played for Scottish League clubs:
- Jimmy Gourlay (scorer of the winning goal for Morton in the 1922 Scottish Cup Final)
- Marty Wilson (Brechin)
- Aya Thorne (Forfar Athletic)
- Derek Dewar (Arbroath F.C.)
- Barclay Gunn (Dundee Utd)
- Stevie Fullarton (St Johnstone, Brechin)
- Davie Gillies (Dunfermline Athletic)
- Kenny Seaton (Dunfermline Athletic)
- Bill Rutherford (Hibernian)
- Bogdan Darabus (CS Minaur Baia Mare, Romania)
- János Tompa (Tiszakécske FC, Hungary)
Domestic
Scotland
- Perthshire League
- Atholl League
- North Perthshire League
- Perthshire Amateur League
- Perthshire Cup
- Atholl Cup
Winners (31): 1887-88,1888-89,1889-90 1890-91,1891-92,1893-94,1895-96,1896-97,1897-98,1902-03,1903-04,1904-05,1919-20,1922-23,1924-25,1925-26,1927-28,1928-29,1929-30,1932-33,1933-34,1934-35,1935-36,1936-37,1937-38,1938-39,1947-48,1952-53,1953-54,1955-56,2011-12
- Scottish Cup
- Second Round (1): 1928–29
References
- "Sponsorship boost for amateur football side Vale of Atholl". Daily Record. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- "Football". Stirling Observer: 3. 23 September 1882.
- "Vale of Atholl at Paisley". Perthshire Advertiser: 18. 8 February 1928.
- "Football". The Scotsman. 23 January 1935.
- "report". Glasgow Herald. 3 September 1956.
- "Club Directory". Scottish Football Historical Results Archive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- "Perthshire League". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- "Perthshire Cup". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- "Smart Fixings Division 2". Perthshire Amateur Football Association. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- "Club Directory". Scottish Football Historical Results Archive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- Argus (20 December 1890). "Notes on Sport". Bridge of Allan Gazette: 3.
- "Vale of Atholl". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015. Vale of Atholl FC website archived c. 2008 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 May 2015
- "Vale of Atholl at Paisley". Perthshire Advertiser: 18. 8 February 1928.