Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C.

Last updated

Kilbirnie Ladeside
Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C.png
Full nameKilbirnie Ladeside Football Club
Nickname(s)The Blasties
Founded1901
Ground Valefield Park, Kilbirnie
Capacity1,000
ManagerColin Spence
League West of Scotland League First Division
2023–24 West of Scotland League First Division, 11th of 16

Kilbirnie Ladeside Football Club are a Scottish football club, from Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire. Based at Valefield Park, they currently play in the West of Scotland Football League. Their main rivals are Beith Juniors. The club nickname, The Blasties, derives from a Robert Burns poem, The Inventory, written in 1786. [1] However, a more likely reason for the nickname is the proximity of the club to the nearby blast furnaces of the former Glengarnock Steelworks.

Contents

History

Kilbirnie won their first Scottish Junior Cup title in 1952 with a 10 victory over Camelon Juniors at Hampden Park, with over 69,000 fans in attendance. The team's Goalkeeper on the day was Tom McQueen, father of future Scotland international Gordon McQueen. [2]

In 2020, Kilbirnie moved from the SJFA, to join the pyramid system in Scottish football as one of the inaugural members of the West of Scotland Football League. [3]

On 10 October 2020, the club announced they would not be participating in the inaugural season of the West of Scotland League due to concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the inability of fans to be able to attend games as a huge issue for the club. [4] [5] [6]

Valefield Park

Valefield Park
Kilbirnieladesdieground.JPG
Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C.
Location Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland
Coordinates 55°44′43″N4°40′58″W / 55.74528°N 4.68278°W / 55.74528; -4.68278
Capacity 1,000
SurfaceGrass
Tenants
Kilbirnie Ladeside

Valefield Park is home to Kilbirnie Ladeside. The average attendance is around two hundred (varying for cup games).[ citation needed ]

History

The Blasties' (the nickname of Kilbirnie Ladeside) original home of Ladeside Park on Mill Road was partly built on by the army during World War II and the club relocated to Valefield, the home of Glengarnock Vale, another local side. Vale did not re-appear after the war and Valefield Park became Ladeside's permanent ground. The name 'Ladeside' derives from the lade that runs near the ground from the old Nether Mill at Knoxsville Road near the Miller's Knowe.

Structure

Although the ground is small it can comfortably hold up to six hundred spectators. On the north-west side there are two main stands which were both constructed at the start of the new millennium. The ground has around four main turnstiles, two of which are located on Kirkland Road.[ citation needed ]

Current squad

As of 1 July 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
GK Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Jamie McGowan
GK Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Calum Robertson
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO James Ballantyne
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Lewis Crawford
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Mickey Wilson
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Paul Doyle
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Jamie Ballantyne
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Jack Wilson
MF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Danny Bamford
MF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Ryan Connelly
DF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Ruairidh Clark
No.Pos.NationPlayer
MF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Chris Black
MF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO CJ Johnston
FW Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Scott Lewis
MF Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Ryan McCubbin
FW Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Alex Bell
FW Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Aaron Robertson
FW Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Sam McLoy
FW Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Jon Scullion
FW Flag of Scotland.svg  SCO Alan Frizzell

Club staff

PositionName
ManagerColin Spence
Assistant manager Willie Lyle
Goalkeeping Coach
Physio

Honours

Scottish Junior Cup

Other honours

Notable former players

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auchinleck Talbot F.C.</span> Association football club in East Ayrshire, Scotland

Auchinleck Talbot Football Club is a Scottish football club based in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire. They currently play in the West of Scotland League Premier Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumnock Juniors F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Cumnock Juniors Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Cumnock, Ayrshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenafton Athletic F.C.</span> Association football club in East Ayrshire, Scotland, UK

Glenafton Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club, based in New Cumnock, Ayrshire. Members of the Scottish Junior Football Association, they play in the West of Scotland Football League. The club has won the Scottish Junior Cup twice, in 1993 and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troon F.C.</span> Association football club in South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK

Troon Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Ayrshire. They compete in the West of Scotland Football League.

The Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region was one of three regions of the SJFA which organised its own distinct league and cup competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beith Juniors F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Beith Juniors Football Club are a Scottish football club from the town of Beith, North Ayrshire. Members of the Scottish Junior Football Association, they compete in the West of Scotland Football League. Beith play at Bellsdale Park. Their main rival is Kilbirnie Ladeside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lugar Boswell Thistle F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Lugar Boswell Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club, based in the village of Lugar, near Cumnock, Ayrshire. Members of the Scottish Junior Football Association, they currently play in the West of Scotland League Third Division. Their home ground since 1882 is Rosebank Park, and they wear maroon home strips and light blue away strips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilbirnie</span> Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland

Kilbirnie is a small town of 7,280 inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Glasgow and approximately 10 miles from Paisley and 13 miles from Irvine respectively. Historically, the town's main industries were flax production and weaving before iron and steelmaking took over in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The suburb of Kilbirnie in the New Zealand capital of Wellington is named after the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Largs Thistle F.C.</span> Association football club in North Ayrshire, Scotland, UK

Largs Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club, based in the town of Largs, North Ayrshire. Nicknamed The Theesel, they were formed in 1889 and play at Barrfields Park. Currently playing in the West of Scotland League Premier Division, they wear gold and black strips. Their main rivals are Beith Juniors and Kilbirnie Ladeside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitletts Victoria F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Whitletts Victoria Football Club are a Scottish football club, historically based in the Whitletts area of Ayr, South Ayrshire. The club currently play in the West of Scotland League Second Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camelon Juniors F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Camelon Juniors Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Camelon, in the Falkirk district. The team plays in the East of Scotland League First Division, having moved from the junior leagues in 2018. Despite this move, the club has decided to retain the "Juniors" part of its identity. The club have won the Scottish Junior Cup once, in 1995.

Beith Football Club were a football club based at Bellsdale Park in Beith, Scotland. The club were members of the Scottish Football League from 1923 to 1926.

Steven Meechan is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Kilbirnie Ladeside in the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region. He has previously played in the Scottish Premier League for Motherwell.

Ernest "Ernie" McGarr is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs in the Scottish Football League and was capped twice for the Scotland national side.

Stephen Swift is a Scottish former professional footballer, who manages West of Scotland side Cumnock Juniors.

Thomas McQueen was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper in both the Scottish and English Football Leagues. He was the father of former Scotland defender Gordon McQueen.

Jon Scullion is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Kilbirnie Ladeside, having previously played for Greenock Morton in the Scottish Championship.

The 2019–20 West Region Premiership was the second and final season of the West Region Premiership the top tier of league competition for SJFA West Region member clubs, and the 18th season since the West Region began in 2002. It was the second season after the reconstruction of the West Region into four regionwide divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West of Scotland Football League</span> Association football league in Scotland

The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.

The 2020–21 West of Scotland Football League was the inaugural season of the West of Scotland Football League, with its top division as part of the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system.

References

  1. The Inventory, robertburns.org
  2. "Scottish Junior Cup Finals 1950-1959". Scottish Junior Football Association. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  3. Pirie, Mark (4 May 2020). "West of Scotland League unveil full division list ahead of non-league overhaul". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  4. "Club Statement regarding recent News - Latest News - Kilbirnie Ladeside FC". www.kilbirnieladesidefc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  5. "Club Ballot Results – West of Scotland Football League". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  6. Pirie, Mark (10 October 2020). "BREAKING: West of Scotland League chaos as 14 clubs pull out ahead of kick off". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  7. True Steelmen - George Stevenson Archived 19 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine motherwell-mad.co.uk
  8. Dark Blue Dons - Ernie McGarr Archived 1 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine afc.co.uk, 13 February 2007, Retrieved 24 June 2011