Spartans

Spartans FC are a Scottish non league football club based in the north of Edinburgh, having being formed in 1951 with the original intention of the players being made up of former students of Edinburgh University although the rule was later relaxed.

The club immediately joined the East of Scotland League and won their first title in 1971-72. In 1976 Spartans became full members of the Scottish FA and moved into City Park on Ferry Road when it was vacated by Ferranti Thistle, who became Meadowbank Thistle on joining the Scottish League. Spartans also began competing in the Scottish Qualifying Cup at the same time in the hope of progressing in the competition proper.

In 1978-79 Spartans competed in the Scottish Cup for the first time, receiving a bye before knocking out East Stirlingshire. A second league title was added in 1996-97 and a third in 2001-02 and fourth in 2003-04. However their fifth title in 2004-05 also coincided with an amazing Scottish Cup run as Alloa Athletic and then Arbroath were defeated setting up a fourth round clash with Livingston at City Park, which attracted a capacity crowd of 3,200. Livi ran out 4-0 winners after being held until the interval.

The following season saw Spartans embark on another fine Cup run. Berwick Rangers and then Queen's Park were beaten at City Park leading to a fourth round tie against first division St Mirren. The Buddies escaped from City Park with a scoreless draw in front of 3,346 with some placed on temporary seating to increase the capacity following the demolition of the rotting old stand. Spartans went down 3-0 at Love Street while backed by nine hundred of their travelling fans.

In July 2008 Spartans applied for the space in the Scottish League vacated by Gretna, but they lost out in the vote to Annan Athletic. In November of that year the club left City Park to move five hundred yards to a new facility at Ainslie Park. Spartans didn't look back winning the league at the end of the season and going on to retain it twice to complete a hat trick, while developing their youth and womens teams at the club through their thriving academy.

The club almost made it four in a row but Dougie Samuel's side lost out on goal difference at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Spartans FC will compete in the East of Scotland League Premier Division in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

Spartans FC was one of several clubs I earmarked for a visit once it was apparent that I'd have a day to kill in Edinburgh. Having called in at a few venues on the hill up to Ferry Road I'd taken some shots of the abandoned City Park 
(see http://worldgroundhoptwo.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/City%20Park%20%28Edinburgh%29).

I continued up Pilton Drive across a bridge which once ran over a railway and into the entrance to the Ainslie Park Leisure Centre. By walking around the south end of the building I came to the gates of the Spartans Community Football Academy. I passed a full sized 3G artificial pitch, which could also be divided into smaller side pitches and through an open gate to the main arena.

Again the pitch was a 3G surface which looked in pristine condition, unlike the pitch surrounds which were waterlogged. The two storey building housing the clubhouse, changing rooms and offices were the first structure I came across by the entrance with a turnstile for spectators opposite. On the ground floor the shutters concealed a snack bar for use on match days. Further behind the goal was a five a side court and then beyond it a small grass bank, which continued down the far touchline and behind the far goal. On the fourth side there was flat hard standing and then a neat seated grandstand dividing the two pitches.

I was extremely impressed by the set up at Ainslee Park, as the club had made it extremely homely plus there was room for expansion should they wish to try again to apply for Scottish League membership. I continued on my way along the disused railway to catch a bus heading towards Saughton in search of my next ground.

City Park (Edinburgh)

City Park is/was a football ground located on Ferry Road in the north Edinburgh with a very rich history. Originally farmland and an orchard it was made into a football ground for amateur and youth matches.

Edinburgh City, a Scottish League club of the time moved into City Park in 1935 and built up banking around the pitch and constructed a Main Stand. The capacity was said to be around 30,000 at the time. The original City club eventually folded in 1955, with the ground resorting back to amateur and youth football.

In 1969 the works team Ferranti Thistle became the latest tenants at the council owned arena. However, in 1975 they were elected to the Scottish League as Meadowbank Thistle, as the League didn't allow trade names, and moved across town to Meadowbank Stadium. Spartans FC moved in to replace Thistle, attracting a couple of gates of over 3,000 for Scottish Cup clashes.

In 2004 the stand at City Park was demolished, while in a decaying state. Four years later Spartans moved out to their new Ainslee Park home as the Link Housing Association and Smart builders looked to build flats on the disused site.

The original City Park stand
image taken from the internet

However, a group of local residents formed a Save City Park group to try and keep it as a recreational area, which was said to be home to wildlife, youngsters playing sport as well as people picnicking.

Their website can be seen by clicking on: http://savecitypark.co.uk/

My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

After reading the situation regarding City Park online and realising its history and the chances that it could be swallowed up, I put it on my must do list while visiting several clubs on a day out in Edinburgh. I'd had a good walk between Meadowbank, Hibernian and Craigroyston before taking a bus a bit of the way along Ferry Road. A hundred yards over the other side of the road from City Park was the home of Stewart's Melville Former Pupils Rugby Club with its fine stand.

The iron gates to the park were locked but I could see along the side where the stand once stood, but was only replaced by portable buildings as a substitute. I walked round and managed to see through the wooden hoardings on Picton Drive looking down to the pitch from the top of the banking, which continued behind the goal. The railings around the overgrown but not unrepairable pitch remained.

City Park certainly looked a fine venue and oozed character, even in its dilapidated state. Reports said that the pitch very rarely flooded. It seemed such a shame that it was no longer in use and that the council seemed intent on allowing housing to replace it, especially when there were clubs playing in the city who could have really done with a compact specially designated football ground.

Edinburgh City

Edinburgh City FC are a Scottish non league football club based in the east of the city. The current incarnation of the club were formed in 1966 under the name of Postal United FC.

The original club was formed back in 1928 and were a totally amateur outfit, gaining them the title of 'The Queen's Park of the East'. In 1931 City were elected to the Scottish League, where they joined city neighbours Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, St Bernard's and Leith Athletic. City struggled during their time in Division Two, finishing bottom in six out of eight seasons between 1931 and 1939, moving into City Park in 1935. They did pull off one huge shock when knocking Hibernian out of the Scottish Cup 3-2 at Easter Road during the 1937-38 season.

At the end of World War Two, City were placed in Division C of the League, but after another three seasons of struggle they departed to join the Edinburgh & District Junior League. The local council refused to renew their lease at City Park in 1955, so the club ceased to exist.

The Edinburgh City Football Club Ltd (Social Club) continued to trade from their headquarters near to the junction of London Road and Leith Walk and in 1986 Postal United asked permission to use the name of Edinburgh City, which was approved. The club started out playing at Saughton Enclosure in the west of the city and then Paties Road, which would later become the home of Edinburgh United. After spells at City Park and then Fernieside City moved into Meadowbank Stadium when Meadowbank Thistle were uprooted and became Livingston FC in 1996.

The club continued playing in the East of Scotland League and in the 1997-98 season City defeated East Stirlingshire in the Scottish Cup before going down 7-2 to Dunfermline Athletic. The club continued to make regular appearences in the Cup after performing well in the Qualifying competition until it was scrapped in 2007.

In 2002 and 2008, City applied for a place in the Scottish League, but they lost out in the votes as first Gretna and then Annan Athletic were elected. In between those disappointments the club lifted the East of Scotland title at the end of the 2005-06 season. City continued to develop their youth and womens sections in the hope of progression in the future.

Edinburgh City will play in the East of Scotland League Premier Division in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

I was in Edinburgh for a three night break to be joined by my Dad on the Tuesday evening. This meant I had a day to fill and I could think of no better way to walk off a splendid pub crawl than to fulill another great love of mine and visit some football clubs and their grounds. Our hotel was on Windsor Road, just off London Road and a goal kick away from City's scial club, so Meadowbank Stadium was an obvious starting point.

It took around fifteen minutes to walk down the start of the A1 to the stadium. I was delighted to see signposts to show that City had some presence at the stadium, unlike some multi purpose venues I'd visited in the past. I continued past the Main Stand and Sports Centre and around the far end where I found an open gate to snap away.

The stadium had been built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and was now showing signs of age. The Main Stand was a fine cantilevered 7,500 seater construction down one side. Around ten rows of open terrace and bench seating curved around the track round the rest of the arena. A huge scoreboard dominated the far end behind the goal.

Walking behind the far end up Wishaw Terrace afterwards gave me the opportunity for extra photos through the metal railings before I headed to Sainsbury's for some much needed liquid and bananas to bring me round as I embarked on the walk up the hill to Easter Road.

Craigroyston

Craigroyston FC are a Scottish non league club from the capital Edinburgh. The club were formed as recently as 1976 as the manager of Eyemouth United, Rab Melrose had built a side consisting of players mainly from Edinburgh. They reasoned that it would be easier to form their own club and base themselves near to home.

Their club name was decided when they arranged to play their home games at Craigroyston Community Centre. They were soon successful having a good run in the Scottish Qualifying Cup leading to a move to share City Park with Spartans. They remained there until 1998 when they moved into their own home ground at St Mark's Park in the Warriston district of the city.

Craigroyston won promotion from the First Division in 2005-06 as champions, but they were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2007-08 season as a result of financial difficulties. 'Craigie' continued to try to regroup and win promotion back to the higher status under the managership of Ross McNeil, which led to a fifth place finish at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Craigroyston FC will play in the East of Scotland League First Division in the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

Google Maps are a tremendous tool when trying to put together a days groundhopping in a major city, and as with Maryhill in Glasgow a few years previously I came across an unmarked football ground in Edinburgh that needed further research. How we managed before the internet continues to baffle me, as after more reading I found out all about Craigroyston, a club I'd never even heard of before.

I had just been inside the Easter Road home of Hibernian and had taken a good uphill walk across Leith Walk, up McDonald Road near to where the old Powderhall Stadium once stood and into St Mark's Park.

Craigroyston's clubhouse and changing rooms were a few yards just outside the ground adjacent to a kids playground. A path led to the grounds entrance, which was locked but I could see inside to see the basic venue, which consisted of nothing more than a railed off pitch, dug outs and a thick metal railed fence around the arena. As a man was walking an Alsatian inside I didn't want to attract too much attention!

Satisfied that I'd seen another new venue I continued past some allotments and a crematorium up to Ferry Road, ready to visit the decaying former shared home of Craigie's at City Park.

Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale

Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale FC are a Scottish non league football club based in the west of the city of Edinburgh. 'Thistle' were formed in 1969 as Lothian Thistle as an amateur works team. The club progressed to senior status when they joined the East of Scotland League in 1995.

In 1997 Thistle won promotion to the league's Premier Division and began a link up with Hutchison Vale youth football club to produce players through its own system. The club changed its name before the 2011-12 season to reflect the partnership.

The club continued to try and upgrade their home Saughton Enclosure ground with proposals being put forward to re-align the floodlights and the addition of a seated grandstand. Grants were being sourced from the relevant authorities.

Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale FC will play in the East of Scotland League Premier Division in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

A visit to the Saughton Enclosure was possible on my circular tour of the football grounds of Edinburgh thanks to the superb bus network. The £3.50 all day pass was now proving extremely beneficial, especially after the long walks I'd already undertaken. After calling into Ainslie Park, the home of Spartans a short walk to Crewe Toll allowed me to take a direct service, which arrived with a couple of minutes, past Murrayfield and to the gates of Saughton Park.

The park itself was very nice, with the Water of Leith running to the south and playgrounds and football pitches of both grass and 3G surfaces filling the large grassy area. The enclosure was in fact an athletics track at the far end. The gates were closed but viewing was easy through the railings of the basic but neat venue, which had a shallow grass bank around the track and the changing rooms behind the goal at the near end. It would be improved no end if a stand could have been erected.

My day continued with another bus ride, this time up to Tynecastle to buy the tickets for the match the following evening.

Bo'ness United

Bo'ness United are a Scottish junior (non league) football club who were formed in 1945 following the merger of Bo'ness FC and Bo'ness Cadora FC. The town of Bo'ness is located on the south bank of the Firth of Forth, around seventeen miles north west of Edinburgh. Borrowstounness, to give the town its proper, but seldom used proper name, was once a mining town and major port but later became a commuter town.

Bo'ness FC had been formed in 1882, playing in regional competition at a ground by the Parish Church and then Soo & Cra Park. In 1886 the club moved into Newtown Park, before joining the expanded Scottish League Second Division in 1921. In 1927 the team lifted the title and were promoted to the First Division, but their spell there lasted just one season.

The club struggled as the industries suffered and many locals were unemployed. During the 1932-33 season Bo'ness were expelled from the League, but they continued as a non league club until the merger after World War Two.

In their second season United went thirty five games unbeaten, but lost out in the Scottish Junior Cup Final to Shawfield Juniors. However they returned to Hampden Park to lift the cup in 1948 when Irvine Meadow were seen off as thousands of fans greeted the teams homecoming. 'The BU's' went many years without any further major honours, but the Junior Cup returned to Newtown Park in 1975 following victory against the Ayrshire outfit Darvel Juniors.

Two losing final appearences came in 1979 and 1983 when Cumnock Juniors and then East Kilbride Thistle broke Bo'ness hearts. However United returned to the final at Ibrox the following year, as many experts made them massive underdogs against Ballieston Juniors. The BU's clearly hadn't read the script as the team won 2-0 as they were inspired by a superb Lex Shields performance.

The old stand at Newtown Park
image taken from Wikipedia

The club won several cups and leagues over the years and following the re-organisation of the SJFA United found themselves in the East Region Super League. The 2006-07 season saw the team being relegated, but they bounced back at the first attempt under manager Eric Sinclair. The Bu's struggled on their return, with Sinclair resigning and then Paul McKinlay having a spell as team boss before Alan McGonigal took over in the summer of 2009.

McGonigal introduced many new players and his methods paid immediate dividends as United won their first league title since 1969, clinching it in the final game over local rivals Linlithgow Rose. Bo'ness went on to retain the championship in the 2010-11 season.

Bo'ness United will play in the SJFA East Region Super League in the 2013-14 season.

My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

I had a day free in Edinburgh before my Dad was to join me, so rather than just sitting around I planned a day of groundhopping. Having already covered several clubs in the capital I had taken the train to Linlithgow to call by the home of Rose before taking a bus down to the coast to Bo'ness.

It was a wild day with winds and occasional scrawly showers keeping me on the move. My map and timetable had shown me that I had just less than thirty minutes to walk from the stop near the leisure centre on Gauze Road through the playing fields, onto Newtown Park and then to Castlehill for the return service.

I got to the ground to find it locked, but I wasn't totally beaten as I found plenty of angles through the fences to view it and take photos. It was a fine arena, but not quite what it had been previously. The Main Stand on Jamieson Avenue had gone apart from its base which housed the facilities. The roof had been taken down and a sloping cover put over the old seating deck. A substantial open terracing was at the Linlithgow Road End, while terracing went round the rest of the pitch. A decent cover offered protection opposite the old stand.

Having completed my photography I went in search of Castlehill. a little behind schedule. Fortunately as I was partaking in my latest get fit campaign I jogged and arrived a little ahead of time. It was at this point I got a little confused as I saw a bus stop just around the corner on the main Dean Road. I didn't want to be in the wrong place, so I went to ask the man stood in the shelter. He was explaining as I saw the bus through the houses on Castlehill. I ran to the top of the street where the bus had gone ten yards past the stop and pleaded with the driver to let me on, but he just shrugged his shoulders and drove off.

To say I was not amused was an understatement. The poor bloke at the other stop shook his head and agreed that the driver had been an absolute tosser. I thought I was going to have to wait for an hour for the next bus, in what has to be said was not a particularly pretty place. He calmed me down and said a service was due to go into the town centre and then return to Linlithgow from there.

He then asked the twenty four million dollar question. "What was I doing there?" I explained and expected for him to give me an immediate wide berth. As it happened he turned out to be a loyal BU's fan! We got talking about all things football and in particular Scottish junior football. He told me that the old stand roof had been removed as asbestos was found in it, so it was necessary under health and safety guidelines. He was also pondering whether to travel north to Dundee Violet in the Junior Cup at the weekend. I was really glad to chat with someone with a mutual interest and I was a bit sad to see him get out in the centre.

I remained on the bus, complete with a friendly driver back to Linlithgow Cross so that I could catch my train back to Edinburgh in time for a siesta before meeting my Dad off the train for tea and frivolities!

It had not gone how I planned my visit, but I'm glad it went the way it did. I left knowing a lot more than when I arrived, which is one of the joys of my hobby.