King's Park F.C.

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King's Park
Full name King's Park Football Club
Founded 1875
Ground Forthbank Park, Stirling

King's Park FC were a football club who played in the Scottish Football League before the Second World War. Based in Stirling, they joined the League in the 1921–22 season, following the reintroduction of the Second Division and were one of 11 new members for that season.

History

Their finest season came in 1927–28, when they just missed promotion by one point. Their record victory was in a 12–2 league victory against Forfar Athletic on 2 January 1930. In this game Jim Dyet scored eight of the club's goals, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that it was his debut for the club.[1] Indeed, Dyet's feat stands as British record for goals on a debut to this day.[2] The club's other great goalscorer of the 1930s was Alex Haddow, who hit five consecutive league hat-tricks in January and February 1932.[3] Although overall they failed to make much impact on the league. However, they were 4 times winners of the Stirlingshire Cup.

Although a middle-ranking Second Division club King's Park did at times make the headlines. Their league game against Dundee Hibernian on 20 October 1923 would be the last game that club would play under that name, they were renamed Dundee United two days later.[4] The club became the centre of controversy in 1927 when a newspaper report suggested that their next opponents Clydebank were about to go out of business and as a consequence the attendance at the match was minimal. As a consequence King's Park held back Clydebank's cut of the gate until the Scottish League intervened. Although the issue was resolved it helped to increase support amongst the League administrators for cutting the number of clubs due to their volatile status.[5]

The death of King's Park and the birth of Stirling Albion

When World War II started King's Park, largely as a consequence of their geographical location, dropped out of competitive football. Nonetheless, the club continued to play friendlies and, like a number of Scottish clubs who could offer higher war-time wages than their English counterparts, welcomed a number of high-profile guest players including Andy Black and Bill Shankly.[6] The club was persuaded in 1940 to join a new Midland League for the coming season although local powerhouses Dundee declined to compete and so the league did not happen. As a consequence Managing Director Tom Fergusson put the club on hiatus in what was intended to be a temporary measure.[7]

The fortunes of the club were hit further in 1941 when Forthbank was bombed by thr Luftwaffe. The club did not play again after this, even though they applied to join the North Eastern League in 1944 (a request rejected due to their lack of a ground).[8]

Amid allegations of financial impropriety with regards to payment of guest players,[9] the club folded before the end of the war, on the pretext of the damage done by the bomb. Football in the town did not disappear for long however as they were replaced by Stirling Albion, with ex managing director Tom Fergusson taking a leading role in the new club.

Although they had not played since 1940 King's Park were not officially wound up until 1953 when the War Office finally settled their claim for the bomb damage.[10]

Stadium

The club's Forthbank Park was one of a number of stadiums at the time to host animal racing, usually greyhounds but also cheetahs. The Scottish Football Association at the time was keen to put an end to this practice as, although the racing provided a financial lifeline to many smaller clubs including King's Park, they feared that it would lead to football becoming too reliant on gambling just like the races. An SFA inspection team deemed that the greyhound track at Forthbank encroached on to the pitch and as such it was removed, along with the source of income.[11]

Crowd trouble at a home match against St. Johnstone in October 1921 led to King's Park playing a home match against Vale of Leven at Dunblane's Duckburn Park.[12]

In 1992 their successor Stirling Albion were eventually to move to a new stadium called Forthbank, but sited about 1 km from the location of King's Park's stadium.

Former players

League History

Full Scottish Football League Second Division record

Season Pl W D L F A Pts Pos
1921–22 38 10 12 16 47 65 32 17th
1922–23 38 14 6 18 46 60 34 12th
1923–24 38 16 10 12 67 56 42 6th
1924–25 38 15 8 15 54 46 38 10th
1925–26 38 14 9 15 67 73 37 13th
1926–27 38 13 9 16 76 75 35 12th
1927–28 38 16 12 10 84 68 44 3rd
1928–29 36 8 13 15 60 84 29 15th
1929–30 38 17 8 13 109 80 42 6th
1930–31 38 14 6 18 78 70 34 14th
1931–32 38 14 5 19 97 93 33 15th
1932–33 34 13 8 13 85 80 34 8th
1933–34 34 14 8 12 78 70 36 7th
1934–35 34 18 2 14 86 71 38 7th
1935–36 34 11 5 18 55 109 27 14th
1936–37 34 11 3 20 61 106 25 17th
1937–38 34 11 4 19 64 96 26 12th
1938–39 34 12 2 20 87 92 26 13th

Key: Pl = Games played; W = games won; D = games drew; L = games lost; F = goals scored (for); A = goals conceded (against); Pts = points (2 for a win, 1 for a draw); Pos = final position in the table.[13]

Club Records

  • Record Victory: 12–2 v Forfar Athletic League Match 2 January 1920
  • Most goals scored in a season: 109, 1929–30
  • Fewest goals scored in a season: 46, 1922–23
  • Most goals conceded in a season: 109, 1935–36
  • Fewest goals conceded in a season: 46, 1924–25
  • Most wins in a season: 18, 1934–35
  • Fewest wins in a season: 8, 1928–29
  • Most defeats in a season: 20, 1936–37 and 1938–39
  • Fewest defeats in a season: 10, 1927–28
  • Most draws in a season: 13, 1928–29
  • Fewest draws in a season: 2, 1938–39
  • Most points in a season: 44, 1927–28
  • Fewest points in a season: 25, 1936–37
  • Highest finish: 3rd place, Second Division, 1927–28
  • Lowest finish: 17th place (out of 18), 1936–37

References

  1. ↑ D. Pickering, The Cassell Soccer Companion, London: Cassell, 1995, p. 122
  2. ↑ "Wayne two three" from The Sun
  3. ↑ J. Rollin, The Guinness Football Factbook, Enfield: Guinness Publishing, 1993, p. 128
  4. ↑ M. Watson, The Tannadice Encyclopedia, Edinburgh: Mainstream, 1997, p. 117
  5. ↑ B. Crampsey, The First Hundred Years, Glasgow: Scottish Football League, 1990, p. 83
  6. ↑ Crampsey, op cit, p. 115
  7. ↑ Crampsey, op cit, pp. 114-5
  8. ↑ Crampsey, op cit, p. 126
  9. ↑ Pickering, op cit, p. 174
  10. ↑ King's Park profile and kits
  11. ↑ Crampsey, op cit, pp. 94-6
  12. ↑ Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005, Yore Publications, p169 ISBN 0954783042
  13. ↑ M. Robinson, Football League Tables, 1888–2003, Cromwell Press, 2003
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