Memories of Glasgow amateur football teams from the 70s and 80s

kiwibear said:
I played for Thornliebank in the Scottish 2nd division, remember Giffnock North, Milngavie wanderers as 2 of the bigger clubs. Loved the trips to Arrochar, Rothesay Brandane, Campbeltown. The village’s always had the best pitches, except Greenock high school black ash pitch.
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Hi Kiwibear

I played with Thornliebank at that time. From division 4 , won division 3 and up to division 2. Played with the Bankies for 7/8 years. Nickname was Nocky.
 
Won the Scottish Youth Cup with Glasgow United in 1966.
Second round was played at Glebe Park Brechin on Christmas Day which in Scotland was a working day (Saturday mornings the yards were open) My Da got me up at 5am before he left for work.
 
My big mate played with Harmony Row very early eighties, he is the one we all thought should have went and played at a higher level.
Anyway Rangers reserves were playing Aberdeen reserves away and had an injury crisis.
We/Rangers approached the manager of Harmony Row to see if they could get my big mate to play as a trialist, manager turned them down as they had a big cup game that Saturday.
Might have never came to anything, but who knows.
 
Played 3 times for Glasgow United on the back of a “glowing career” with BB and school.

Final game was at Nethercraigs v Pollok: 16 man squad; manager announced starting 11 and 4 subs…when you could have as many subs as you liked. Bastard. I took the hint that my career was over.

I think “out of my depth” just about covers it.
 
David McC said:
Hi Kiwibear

I played with Thornliebank at that time. From division 4 , won division 3 and up to division 2. Played with the Bankies for 7/8 years. Nickname was Nocky.
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I played in the same team when I came back from South Africa, I remember you as a striker.
 
willemtway said:
I played fir them. Quite simply the best juvenile side in Scotland, and we knew it
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I beg to differ all the way. We reached ( Possil YM ) the scottish cup semi and played the filth in Possil.

Lost 2-1. I was gutted.

En route to that we were in Edinburgh, Ayr, and various other hovels.

CBW were a decent team, but inferior to Possil YM in my opinion.

Just being biased and realistic. :))
 
Jonathan E said:
Glasgow Amateurs in the 1970's were affiliated to Birmingham City and played in their strip. Jimmy Calderwood and Ricky Sbragia went to City direct and Kenny Burns (a scary boy) joined after a stint at Rangers. Alex O'Hara also signed for Rangers and later Murdo McLeod joined Dumbarton.

They were ran by a man called Sam Beck who got a mention in Alex Ferguson's autobiography.
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Knew Sam Beck. He set up a boys club for fergie in the 80s in glasgow. Thats where Ian ferguson started and subsequently signed s forms for Aberdeen. Fergie released him at 16, concerned that he was too small. Thankfully for Ian and Rangers.
 
Good to see that my thread has re-started up again. I used to but The Scottish Football League Review every year and used to like looking at "previous clubs". Possil YM, Eastercraigs, Glasgow United and other crack amateur teams were always prominent in clubs like Rangers, them, Aberdeen. I'm sure Motherwell had a link with Fir Park B.C. and Bonkle Youth club.
 
Southside_shug said:
Used to watch AC Milanda and PO Phones at Nether Pollok during the spring , summer.

Also Strathclyde Police at their base in Lochinch in Pollok Park too.....dirty , dirty bastards!!!
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AC Milanda, home of Chic Young and latterly David Tanner(IIRC on Tanner)

Best team in that league was the Regent.
 
Abu Dhabi Loyal said:
Played against the Police team many years ago and let's just say, the left back was carrying a few extra pounds. Whole game he's getting called sumo and generally abused about his weight to the extent he looses the plot and has to be substituted. After being subbed, he walks from his side of the park to ours (we're at home) and says to all and sundry "next one calls me sumo is getting it" (and he meant it). One of our guys doesn't hear the threat, turns round, sees the guy and casually says "all right sumo". Copper went absolutely mental and it took a fair few to restrain him.
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Still laughing at this months down the line.
 
Arden Villa from the Arden/Thornliebank area - well run by a Mr Craig. One of the boys got a move to Peterborough.
 
Looking back, I contributed to the first page of the thread, and would add that in addition to the SFA affiliated leagues like Scottish Amateur, West of Scotland, Paisley and District, Caledonian etc we also had the Hangover Mayhem Leagues played on a Sunday. I played on a Saturday afternoon Scottish Amateur, and then on a Sunday with mainly the same players for a team called Speedway which was supposed to represent Glasgow Tigers. Saturday games were hardly ''after you Claude'', but Sunday's were fkng mental. :D
 
Scarface said:
I beg to differ all the way. We reached ( Possil YM ) the scottish cup semi and played the filth in Possil.

Lost 2-1. I was gutted.

En route to that we were in Edinburgh, Ayr, and various other hovels.

CBW were a decent team, but inferior to Possil YM in my opinion.

Just being biased and realistic. :))
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Shows yer SC winners medals lol
 
Orange Jet said:
Played for the rangers supporters club ( wee club) then had to change names to Edmiston drive. Played in hospital league in summer won it every year for over 10 year. Played in umpteen pub tourneys and Sunday leagues. And won quite a few, we did carry the odd dark sider but always good to see them in the rangers blue. Played a lot of semi finals and finals at the Albion Training ground, won the rangers supporters cup a couple of times. That was a great competition and sometimes crops up in old rangers news issues . Amateur fitba helped everyone find their level and enjoy a game of fitba. Some of the crowds at the games were incredible around the park . Never see those days again
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Also known as Bens Thistle.
 
I played for Harmony Row under 18s (in days before subs were allowed). Only 12 players in pool, 1 left out. I wasn't picked for about 6 games at end of season.
Final game, a cup final at Tinto Park (Benburbs old pitch). Manager names team, I'm at right back but haven't brought my boots. So left out.
 
billyblue7425 said:
Auchengill and Blue Star, both Easterhouse and the red Ash pitches of Westwood and the Lenny, oh the memories and battle scars lol
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I thought Blue Star started in Barlanark & Garthamlock, even though we played in the Easterhouse League.

I played for them from 1971 and Alex Neil
& Tommy Carlin ran it then.
 
I was secretary for Muirend AFC in 70s and 80s. We won the Scottish Amateur league more times that any other and from what I remember won all the local cups. The second team played in the West of Scotland league and I think won that from time to to time. Quite a few players went professional and did well. One year we Played St Mirren in a warm up game and beat them 1- 0.
Sadly we had a spell when three of our main committee members died or were unable to continue through illness. We also lost the manager.
Few year later players ended up running the club with the result it went down and down and eventually was wound up. Sad end to what was a great club.
The local derby was against Giffnock North and we could easily have a crowd of over 200.
 
kerzak62 said:
I played for them wee Rab noble manager
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Easterhouse teams - wellhouse, St. Benedict’s and Lochend tight red ash parks very hard to beat when they played at home, well house park was like a mini stadium with the bankings and school surrounding it with about 200 drinking and watching. Loved it.
 
Grigo Yossarian said:
I thought Blue Star started in Barlanark & Garthamlock, even though we played in the Easterhouse League.

I played for them from 1971 and Alex Neil
& Tommy Carlin ran it then.
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Grigo, I couldn't tell you were Bluestar started. I only was with them for half a season in 1984, as I joined the army as a boy soldier aged 16 in the Sept of that year. All I remember is that both Auchengill and Bluestar thought they were top dogs in Easterhouse at the time lol
 
billyblue7425 said:
Grigo, I couldn't tell you were Bluestar started. I only was with them for half a season in 1984, as I joined the army as a boy soldier aged 16 in the Sept of that year. All I remember is that both Auchengill and Bluestar thought they were top dogs in Easterhouse at the time lol
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Billy, true, they were the best teams up in Easterhouse.

The Gill team I played against had a load of players who made it.

My brothers Blue Star team not only beat Gill regularly, but they won the Scottish Cup. Not a bad wee achievement for a wee team from the east end.
 
Grigo Yossarian said:
Billy, true, they were the best teams up in Easterhouse.

The Gill team I played against had a load of players who made it.

My brothers Blue Star team not only beat Gill regularly, but they won the Scottish Cup. Not a bad wee achievement for a wee team from the east end.
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Do you remember a lad called Paul Harvey - what a player he was, I often wondered what happened to him; if he ever made it.
 
senefelder said:
I played for a Scottish Amateur club for 13 years, and then a further 18 months when they started an over 35's side in 1992. As I'm sure you know the volume of leagues and therefore clubs was off the scale. Off the top of my head, in the 70/80's Scottish Amateur was 7 divisions, plus 3 reserve divisions. West of Scotland 3 divisions?. Paisley and District 3? then the Caledonian was formed. Add in all the pub leagues and others, and that's an awful lot of young lads playing football. A couple of years back I went down to the pitches at Muirend to take in a game, and whilst watching was told that Muirend who were well funded and organised in my day had folded. It's a real shame, and I can't help but think that young people are missing out on the benefits health, fitness and social of playing organised sport.
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Not forgetting schools football, every school had at least one team at each age group and I remember getting the old Evening Citizen which had full pages of results of the different leagues such as amateurs, secondary juvenile, schools, BB and for the other mob boys guild
I remember there was a teachers strike in the eighties and this led to the teachers cancelling extra curricular activities which included taking the football teams on Saturday ,this had a devastating effect on schools football from which it has never really recovered.
 
As kids in the 60s and early 70s, we used to go and watch the games at Croftfoot Recs. The teams I remember were Croftfoot AFC, which I think originated from the church, King's Park Rangers, who may still be on the go and Park Royal, who played there occasionally. There were 3 pitches, usually 2 games on a Saturday afternoon. The BB teams played in the morning. Over the fence was the 2 Spittal pitches. All 5 housing now.
There were pitches all over the place and a lot would not be tolerated nowadays, black ash, yet it was really difficult to always get a pitch at "home"
 
beowulf said:
When I was growing up Glasgow had some fantastic youth football teams that usually did well in European tournaments. I'm talking Possil YM, Eastercraigs, Glasgow United, Harmony Row, Drumchapel Amateurs.
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My Dad used to play for Possil YM. It’s amazing the players Bobby Dinnie produced but from what my Dad told me he was also basically a father figure to loads of guys who were otherwise growing up with a lot of bad examples around them.
 
stillAlwaysblue said:
I was secretary for Muirend AFC in 70s and 80s. We won the Scottish Amateur league more times that any other and from what I remember won all the local cups. The second team played in the West of Scotland league and I think won that from time to to time. Quite a few players went professional and did well. One year we Played St Mirren in a warm up game and beat them 1- 0.
Sadly we had a spell when three of our main committee members died or were unable to continue through illness. We also lost the manager.
Few year later players ended up running the club with the result it went down and down and eventually was wound up. Sad end to what was a great club.
The local derby was against Giffnock North and we could easily have a crowd of over 200.
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Another team my Dad played for. Sad to hear about that. I used to love going down to Muirend with him. Always felt like a million miles away because we were from the North side.
 
stillAlwaysblue said:
I was secretary for Muirend AFC in 70s and 80s. We won the Scottish Amateur league more times that any other and from what I remember won all the local cups. The second team played in the West of Scotland league and I think won that from time to to time. Quite a few players went professional and did well. One year we Played St Mirren in a warm up game and beat them 1- 0.
Sadly we had a spell when three of our main committee members died or were unable to continue through illness. We also lost the manager.
Few year later players ended up running the club with the result it went down and down and eventually was wound up. Sad end to what was a great club.
The local derby was against Giffnock North and we could easily have a crowd of over 200.
Click to expand...
Did Tam Hearns and Billy Ogilvie from the Shaws play for Muirend around that time?
 
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