This is a list of Third Lanark A.C. seasons in Scottish football, from their foundation in 1872 to their dissolution in 1967. It details the club's achievements in senior league and cup competitions and the top scorers for each season. The list of top scorers also chronicles how the club's scoring records have progressed throughout the club's history.
Third Lanark were formed in 1872, playing at the original Cathkin Park in Glasgow's Crosshill neighbourhood. The club soon became members of the Scottish Football Association and initially began competing in the Scottish Cup from its first season. They played in the inaugural season of the Scottish Football League, in 1890–91. In their early years, Thirds existed in the shadow of their neighbours Queen's Park, and even took over the Spiders home ground Hampden Park in 1903 – renaming it New Cathkin Park – when Queen's Park moved out to a larger replacement further south which (was also named Hampden Park and is the earliest version of the extant stadium bearing that name). By the time of the stadium move, Third Lanark had already won the Scottish Cup (1889) and celebrated their new surroundings by winning the League Championship for what would prove to be the only time. [1] [2] Another cup win followed in 1905, but from then on, major honours would elude them as the other Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic became increasingly more successful and popular, although they reached further finals and maintained their presence in the top division for the majority of the next 60 years.
Third Lanark reached the 1959 Scottish League Cup Final, losing to Heart of Midlothian, and finished in third place in the 1960–61 Scottish League. [1] However, despite winning the Glasgow Cup and building a new stand at their ground in 1963 they suffered relegation two years later, and a drop in spectator numbers and financial mismanagement and possible embezzlement led to them being liquidated just two years later in 1967. [1] [2] Their rapid demise was in stark contrast to the fortunes of their old Glasgow rivals that year, as Celtic finished that season as European champions, Rangers also reached the final of the Cup Winners' Cup and Clyde finished in third place behind the Old Firm. The Cathkin park ground still exists as a municipal park surrounded by crumbling remains of the terracing. [1]
Key
Champions | Runners-up | 3rd / Semi-final | Promoted | Relegated |
The Scottish Football League was founded in 1890 and, other than during seven years of hiatus during World War II, [lower-alpha 1] the national top division has been played every season since. [lower-alpha 2] The following is a summary of Third Lanark's divisional status until their dissolution in 1967:
Queen's Park Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish football pyramid. Queen's Park is the oldest association football club in Scotland, having been founded in 1867, and is the 10th oldest in the world.
Hampden Park, often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 51,866-capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the normal home venue of the Scotland national football team and was the home of club side Queen's Park for over a century. Hampden regularly hosts the latter stages of the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup competitions and has also been used for music concerts and other sporting events, such as when it was reconfigured as an athletics stadium for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish Football League (SFL) in 1890. Third Lanark played in the top division of the SFL for the majority of the club's existence, and won the league championship in 1903–04. The club also won the Scottish Cup twice, in 1889 and 1905. Third Lanark went out of business in 1967, as a result of mismanagement, six years after having finished in third place in the SFL. Third Lanark's former ground, Cathkin Park in Crosshill, is still partially standing and is used for minor league football.
Cathkin Park is a municipal park in Glasgow, Scotland. The park is maintained by the city's parks department, and it is a public place where football is still played. The park contains the site of the second Hampden Park, previously home to the football clubs Queen's Park and Third Lanark. The site of the original Hampden Park is just to the west.
James Edward McGrory was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic and Clydebank as a forward and then went on to manage Kilmarnock before returning to Celtic as manager after the end of the Second World War.
Hampden Park in Glasgow is the primary home stadium for the Scotland national football team. This has been the case since 1906, soon after it opened. The present site of Hampden Park is the third location to bear that name and both the previous locations also hosted Scotland games. Scotland have also played many of their home games in other stadiums throughout their history, both in friendly matches and for competitive tournaments.
David Hilley is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Third Lanark, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. After leaving Forest, Hilley emigrated to South Africa, where he continued his football career, later returning to live in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The 1876 Scottish Cup Final was the third final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the 1875–76 Scottish Cup, the most prestigious knockout football competition in Scotland. The original match took place at Hamilton Crescent on 11 March 1876 and was contested by Queen's Park and 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers. The match was the first final to be held at a neutral venue and also the first to require a replay to decide a winner.
Cathkin Park was a football ground in the Crosshill area of Glasgow, Scotland. It was the home ground of Third Lanark from their foundation in 1872 until they moved to New Cathkin Park in 1903. It also hosted Scottish Cup final matches and the Scotland national team.
William Loudon Wardrope was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Middlesbrough and Newcastle United, mainly as an outside left.
The Original Glasgow derby is the name for the old rivalry between crosstown Scottish football clubs Queen's Park and Rangers, both based in Glasgow. The two clubs, alongside Celtic, are two of the most successful in the Scottish Cup, and the rivalry between them was one of the more intense in the early years of Scottish football, before being overtaken by the Old Firm rivalry from the 1900s onwards. The highest Scottish Cup attendance figure for the fixture was recorded on 18 January 1930 at Hampden Park for the first round, when 95,722 fans attended. The two clubs met in the top flight for last time during 1957–58, the final season before Queen's Park's relegation. The club retained their amateur status from their foundation in 1867 until 2019, which meant it was extremely difficult to compete at the highest level and the intensity of the derby dramatically declined after 1958 as the Spiders never returned to the top tier.
George Hay was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre forward.