THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTIONS AND WILL CHANGE PERIODICALLY . PLEASE BEAR WITH US AS WE ADD THE INFORMATION WE CURRENTLY HAVE. (March 2023)
Stonehouse like many Lanarkshire villages is steeped in football history. Football was seen as a lesire activity or for those with talent an opportunity to step up to a more professional level. Stonehouse had teams playing at Junior, amateur, boys club and schoolboy level. Most players worked their way up from schoolboy, amateur level to junior level with some going onto play with professional teams. The following is a brief overview of the leagues as a number of football leagues were evident throughout Lanarkshire although some of the leagues lasted only a few years.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE
The Lanarkshire North-Western Junior League was formed in the summer of 1898 by ten Lanarkshire clubs in the Coatbridge area. The latter part of the season saw the league reported as being allowed to drift. With the clubs being left to arrange their own matches, it was uncertain whether the fixture list would be completed. After a number of clubs were rejected at the Lanarkshire Junior League’s AGM, six clubs attempted to carry on the league into a second season. To this end a trophy was donated by a Mr Wotherspoon to be called the ‘North Western and Wotherspoon Cup’. However it’s uncertain whether the league entered a second season.
A Cambuslang & District Junior League first appeared in 1897-98 before apparently folding. It resurfaced between 1905 and 1908 when it was replaced by the Burbank & District Junior League which awarded the Moses Orr Cup to the winners. Both leagues were supplementary competitions as the members were also competing in other leagues at the time.
A Strathaven & District Junior League was formed in October 1900 at the instigation of Strathaven Glenavon and it’s uncertain if the competition entered a second season.
A short-lived Hamilton & District Junior League was formed in February 1904 and a Airdrie & District Junior League was competed for between 1904 and 1906.
One of the earliest records of a team playing in Stonehouse was around 1887 when the Royal Football club was playing at Newfield. Whether they were playing in a league we have not been able to determine this.
The Lanarkshire Junior Football League was a football league competition operated in Lanarkshire under the Scottish Junior Football Association which operated from 1891, being the oldest-running regional competition of its kind until a merger in 1968.
STONEHOUSE TEAMS AT JUNIOR LEVEL
Stonehouse Royal
Not a lot is known about the Royal apart from it being formed in 1887 and then disbanded in 1889.
Stonehouse Argyle -Albion Athletic / Stonehouse Athletic
Stonehouse Argyle was formed in 1893 and disbanded in 1895 and at the same time (1893) Stonehouse Albion Athlectic were formed . The Argyle and Athlectic disbanded and morphed into the renamed Stonehouse Albion who were disbanded in 1911.
We have newspaper articles from the Scottish Referee which indicate that Stonehouse Albion Athletic were playing in a league set up the Lanarkshire Junior League, Division 2 from 1904-till 1911.
Albion Athletic playing Waterloo Rangers in 1894
Albion caught playing a senior player in 1897
An eight goal thriller
March 1909 crowd issue reported at game
Albion They were a middle of the table team although they finished bottom in 1905-1906 season. Secretary James Henderson retires in 1909.
Long time Secretary James Henderson Retires.
Stonehouse Violet
According to league records the Violet were formed in 1923 however there is no record of Stonehouse violet in the Lanarkshire league set up around 1906-1911 although we have pictures of the Violet team at Holm Park on the banks of the Avon around 1908-1909. They may just have been a juvenile / amateur side playing within Lanarkshire. A mention is made in the Scottish Referee in 1908 that the vilolet were Juvenile. In 1911 Stonehouse are recorded as playing Nethanvale Vic in Scottish Referee.
They are recorded as playing in Division 2 of the 1925-1926 Lanarkshire Junior league where they went onto win the Division with 31 points and move up to Division 1. This would be their first silverware. The team took up residence at the old Station Park (Public Park) and played there from 1926 to 1938 before moving to Loch Park.
It was mainly through the efforts of two local men namely Logie Armstrong, the clubs first president and Steve Bunch, the clubs match secretary between 1925-1956 that they would go onto to win their most silverware.
Between seasons 1926 to1929 they were mainly mid table finishers with a 5th spot in the 1927-28 season. Seasons 1929-33 saw them moving to the bottom of the table finishing either 3rd or 4th bottom. Seasons 1934-1936 saw them move back up the league tables finishing in the top 10.
However during the following seasons they won their most silver wear.
1936-1937: Won the Lanarkshire Central Cup
1937-1938: Won the Lanarkshire Central Cup, Hozier Cup
1938-1939: Won the Lanarkshire Central Cup, Hozier Cup and were Division League winners.
The league of 1940-41 was diminished due to World War 2 and Stonehouse Violet was not present and the leagues were then cancelled from 1941 to 1945.
The violet reappear in the 1946-1947 leagues which were split into sections A and Band in 1949-50 season the leagues then changed to a North and South with Violet playing in the South section.
They played in the 100 Guineas Cup in 1949-50 seasons and went into a last 4 playoff finishing third.
Similarly in the following season 1950-1951 they made a semi-final playoff against local rivals Royal Albert losing 3-1 at Gasworks park.
The 1951-1959-60 season saw them return to mid – bottom of the table finishers and 1960-61 was the last season we see the Violet playing in leagues until 1969.
1959 League fixtures
1969-1970 Season Violet are reformed from the Stonehouse Thistle team and join C divisiongaiing promotion to B division in 1974-1975 season.
Scottish Junior cup Final (Battle of the Flowers)
Stonehouse Violet’s greatest moment came in the season 1977‑78, when they reached the Scottish Junior Cup Final, a remarkable achievement for one of the junior games smallest clubs. The club were based at Tilework Park and wore blue, orange and white strips.
The road to Hampden started with a 5‑1 home win against Frazerburgh Juniors in the second round, having received a bye in the first round. Their passage to the final was long and tough, with only two more home ties at the Tilework Park. The results were as follows: Blantyre Vics 2‑1 (Away), Broxburn Athletic 4‑2 (Away) which was perhaps their most memorable win. Kilsyth Rangers 2‑1 at Pollock’s Newlandsfield Park after two draws. A quarter final victory over East Kilbride Thistle 2‑1 (Home), led to a semi‑final appearance against Renfrew Juniors at Love Street, the home of St. Mirren. The game was practically a home tie for Renfrew, yet against all the odds the Violet defeated the more experienced Renfrew, with a 3‑2 winning margin. Amazingly, Stonehouse were now in the final of Junior football’s premier tournament. Their opponents were to be Bonnyrigg Rose, supported by Sean Connery (007) , a one time player of the ‘Rose’.
In May the ‘Violet’ and the ‘Rose’ fought out the close encounter at Scotland’s famous Hampden Park. A crowd of around 7,000 viewed the final from the terraces, leaving the two small, former mining communities almost deserted. The two sides had much in common as both were initially massive outsiders to reach the final, never mind win the tournament. Sadly the Violet’s finest hour (and a half!) ended in defeat. Robbed some would say by an atrocious refereeing decision, the Violet were beaten 1‑0 by a dubious penalty. The Violet had only narrowly failed to lift Junior footballs most coveted trophy, returning to Stonehouse with their runners‑up medals. However, they were victorious in the hearts of the local community, in a year which remains as their most glorious season’.
The team acknowledge their fans at the end of the final.
The team continued to play in the Central Region Junior league set up and moved between B and C division during the 1970.s and 1980’s moving to A division in the 1984-1985 season but back to C in in 1986-87 season. The league changed to a division 1 and 2 after this and once again moved between the two divisions.
They were forced to withdraw from league competition in December 2008 due to financial difficulties, but retained non‑playing membership of the SJFA and rejoined Central Division Two for the start of season 2010‑11. The club however folded again on 11 January 2012, citing lack of local support.
Stonehouse Thistle
Records that we have indicate that Thistle were formed in 1966, however like the Violet this may have been for the Junior Leagues purpose as we know through newspaper articles (see below) that they were playing in an juvenile/ amateur league from around 1960 until they joined the Junior league in 1966.
We know that the team were in three cup finals however no available records indicate that they won anything in the junior leagues therefore we are currently assumng that it was in the amateur leagues.
An application to join the junior league was made at the end of June / early July 1966 and persmision was granted in July allowing Stonehouse Thistle to play in the junior league. this was reported in the Wishaw Press as detailed below.
In 1969 they were renamed Stonehouse Violet .
Boys football teams (School, church and other organisations.)
Congregational Church
During the 1970’s the Congregational church football team managed and coached by Jim Jamieson had local boys who went onto represent the lanarkshire select team with some also going to play against Iceland.
In 1970 the congreagational team made up a select team to play Glasgow Rangers AFC . Team members from the congreaational team were N. Cruikshank, G. Cruikshank, G. ·Brooks, S. Kenny, N. Rennie, J. McLeod and A. Hay. Front Row: G. Thomson,. K. Robertson, D .. Gavin, G. Aitken, R. Miller, D. Johnstone.
Challenge Match Programme featuring Congregational church football team
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Sources:The following sources were used in the research for this page.
- http//sfha.org.uk/club-directory.htm,http://sfha.org.uk/lanarkshirejleague.htm, http://sfha.org.uk/lanarkshirejrcups.htm
2. British Newspaper Archive
3. John Young,