Full name | Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Thistle, LTHV, Hutchie | ||
Founded | 1969Lloyds & Scottish ) | (as||
Ground | Ainslie Park, Edinburgh | ||
Capacity | 3,534 (534 seated) | ||
Chairman | Tom Allison | ||
Manager | Ryan Harding | ||
League | East of Scotland League Premier Division | ||
2023–24 | East of Scotland League Premier Division, 5th of 16 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Football Club (LTHV) are a senior non-league football club based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently competing in the East of Scotland League Premier Division, they play their home matches at Saughton Enclosure in the Saughton area of the city.
Founded in 1969 as an amateur works team for Lloyds Finance, they initially played as Lloyds & Scottish prior to renaming themselves Lothian Thistle.
The club originally competed in the Lothian amateur league before a successful spell in the Caledonian Amateur Football League. They then moved up to senior status when they joined the East of Scotland Football League in 1995, gaining promotion to the Premier Division two years later in 1997.
The club is linked with the youth football club Hutchison Vale, and changed their name to Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale before the start of the 2011–12 season to reflect this.
LTHV won the East of Scotland Premier Division title for the first time in the 2013–14 season, repeating this success in the 2014–15 season. They were runners-up in 2015–16 and won the league for the third time in 2016–17, although they did not take part in the play-off for promotion to the Lowland League because they were ineligible for licensing reasons. They narrowly lost out on the 2017–18 title after defeat to Kelty Hearts on the final day of the season.
The club reached the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup in 2017–18 beating League Two side Stirling Albion 5–3 away from home, before losing 1–7 at home to St Mirren. They became SFA members in 2018, allowing them automatic entry into the Scottish Cup. [1]
LTHV gained promotion back to the Premier Division for 2020–21 after winning First Division Conference A in the curtailed 2019–20 season.
The club operates at Saughton Enclosure in the west side of Edinburgh, [2] where they have been since 1998. The ground can accommodate up to 1,000 spectators.
The Hutchison Vale youth team was founded in 1940. [3] Its first intake of players included future professionals Tommy Younger and George Farm. [3]
A full list of 'graduates' was released by the BBC in April 2019 - Grant Brebner, Lee Bullen, Mark Burchill, Gary Caldwell, Steven Caldwell, John Collins, Alan Combe, Peter Cormack, Darren Dods, Andrew Driver, George Farm, Alfred Finnbogason, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Flynn, Paul Hanlon, Kevin Harper, John Hughes, Danny Galbraith, Gary Glen, Leigh Griffiths, John Inglis, Danny Lennon, Gary Locke, Gary Mason, Eddie May, Allan McGregor, Steven McLean, Marc McNulty, Michael McIndoe, Kenny Miller, Grant Murray, Ian Murray, Gary Naysmith, Sam Nicholson, Colin Nish, Garry O'Connor, Allan Preston, Derek Riordan, Scott Robinson, Michael Stewart, Danny Swanson, Paul Telfer, Kevin Thomson, Gregor Townsend, Steven Tweed, Mickey Weir, Steven Whittaker, Danny Wilson, Tommy Younger [3]
In April 2019 it was described as "Scotland's most fruitful football academy". [3]
Hutchison Vale also have a women's section who play in SWF Championship, the highest division of the SWF which sits below the Scottish Women's Premier League.
In 2018 they merged with Edinburgh University Ladies and were renamed Edinburgh University Hutchison Vale , playing their home games at the university's Peffermill Sports Ground, Edinburgh. [4] [5] [6] However this partnership ended at the end of the season, and they reverted to the Hutchison Vale name for 2019. [7]
Hutchison Vale Ladies won the Scottish Cup in 1993 & 1994. [8]
As Lothian Thistle prior to the 2011–12 season
The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a senior football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Edinburgh City Football Club is a semi-professional senior Scottish football club which plays in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. The club play at Meadowbank Stadium, returning to the rebuilt arena in 2022 after five years at Ainslie Park.
Penicuik Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football club. They were formed in 1888 and are based at Montgomery Park, in the town of Penicuik. Montgomery Park is ten miles south west of Edinburgh on the A702 road. The team now plays in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division, having moved from the junior leagues in 2018.
Edinburgh University Association Football Club are a football club representing the University of Edinburgh. Established in 1878, they are third oldest club in East of Scotland football and have been a member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) since that year. Edinburgh University are eligible to compete in the Scottish Cup every season as they are full members of the SFA. The club's present home is at Peffermill, where it has played since its move from Canal Field in 1978.
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Dunbar United Football Club is a Scottish football club from the town of Dunbar, East Lothian. The club operates on a semi-professional basis, playing in the East of Scotland League Premier Division. Dunbar United's home strip is black and white stripes their away colours are blue and white.
Ainslie Park is a football stadium located in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish League Two club Spartans and the club's women's team in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL). In addition, Edinburgh City shared the ground between 2017 and 2022 during the redevelopment of Meadowbank Stadium, and Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale also played there during the 2021–22 season. Another SWPL team, Hibernian, also previously played there from 2016 to 2021.
The 2014–15 East of Scotland Football League was the 86th season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 1st season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 9 August 2014 and ended on 16 May 2015. Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale were the defending champions.
The 2015–16 Scottish Cup was the 131st season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the fifth season of a five-year partnership. The final was contested between second-tier clubs for the first time ever with no Premiership clubs reaching the final.
The 2016–17 Scottish Lowland Football League was the fourth season of the Lowland Football League, the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Edinburgh City were the defending champions but could not defend their title after being promoted to Scottish League Two.
The 2017–18 Scottish Cup was the 133rd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the seventh season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.
The 2017–18 East of Scotland Football League was the 89th season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 4th season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 12 August 2017 and ended on 12 May 2018. Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale were the defending champions.
Hutchison Vale F.C. are a women's football team that play in the Scottish Women's Premier League, in SWPL2.
The 2018–19 SFA South Region Challenge Cup was the 12th edition of the annual cup competition for senior non-league clubs in the central and southern regions of Scotland. This season saw the competition increase to 69 teams from the 42 who took part in 2017–18, thanks to the addition of 26 clubs to the East of Scotland Football League and the return of Wigtown and Bladnoch.
The 2011–12 East of Scotland Football League was the 83rd season of the East of Scotland Football League. The Spartans were the defending champions.
The 2019–20 East of Scotland Football League was the 91st season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 6th season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 27 July 2019. Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic were the reigning champions but could not defend their title after being promoted to the Lowland Football League.
The 2019–20 SFA South Region Challenge Cup was the 13th edition of the annual cup competition for senior non-league clubs in the central and southern regions of Scotland. This season saw the competition increase to 70 teams despite the demise of Selkirk and withdrawal of Eyemouth United, thanks to the relegation of Berwick Rangers to the Lowland League plus the addition of Glenrothes and Kinnoull to the East of Scotland Football League.
The 2020–21 East of Scotland Football League was the 92nd season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 7th season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Bo'ness United were the reigning champions but could not defend their title after being promoted to the Lowland Football League.
The 2022–23 East of Scotland Football League was the 94th season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 9th season with its top division as part of the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 30 July 2022 and ended on 27 May 2023. Tranent Juniors were the reigning champions but were unable to defend their title after gaining promotion to the Lowland Football League.
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