| Full name | Motherwell Shamrock F.C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Shamrock [1] | |
| Founded | 1890 | |
| Dissolved | 1892 | |
| Ground | Ladywell Park | |
| Secretary | John Timminey, James Rodgers | |
Motherwell Shamrock F.C. was an association football club from Motherwell, Lanarkshire, active in the early 1890s.
The club was formed in early 1890 as a split from Carfin Shamrock; [2] the club's first secretary, John Timminey, had been Carfin's secretary in 1889, [3] and Carfin captain (and club co-founder) "Dodger" Breslin threw in his lot with the new club. [4] The club's first match was against a Glasgow select in April 1890, watched by the Celtic President, who was checking to ensure none of the Celtic players was appearing for a rival Irish diaspora club without permission. [5]
The Motherwell side tried to get an invitation to the Airdrie Charity Cup, on the basis that it now had a large number of Carfin players, but the charity committee stayed loyal to the Carfin; in any event, under the rules of the competition, the Motherwell players were mostly Cup-tied, for having represented Carfin in other tournaments in the earlier part of the season. [6]
The Shamrock joined the Scottish Football Association in August 1890 [7] and was expected to win its debut Scottish FA Cup tie the next month at home to the little-regarded Fairfield club of Glasgow, but the visitors scored five in the first half and ran out 7–3 winners. [8] Perhaps worse for Motherwell was that Carfin Shamrock held Celtic to a draw in the second round.
Two months later, Shamrock held Albion Rovers to a draw in its first Lanarkshire Cup tie, due to the Rovers "skylarking" when in an easy two-goal lead, [9] but lost 8–1 in the home replay, [10] and scratched from its entry to the Consolation Cup to "no surprise". [11] The club's moment had passed before it was even founded; the rise of League football, the unexpected continuance (at least temporarily) of Carfin, and the all-encompassing growth of Celtic were all mortal blows to the Shamrock. The club had already lost its ground to Dalziel Rovers in March 1891, [12] and ceased to exist at the close of the 1890–91 season, [13] although an attempt to revive the name saw an application for re-admission to the Scottish FA in August 1892, to no avail. [14]
The club wore green and white vertically striped shirts, and dark blue knickers. [15]
The club's ground was Ladywell Park. [16]
