Relichtie

Beginnings

An unusual match was advertised in the Guide, February 14, 1880.

and inside, " A match will take place today at the Arbroath Football Club ground this afternoon. The contesting teams will be the Arbroath, and a team representing the four principal football clubs in the town, viz - Wanderers, Swifts, Our Boys, and Waverley."

The teams that day were -

Arbroath - Williamson, Devlin (captain), and Hampton, Bruce, and Guild, Duncan, Hogg, Mann, Scott, Smith, Alexander.

Representative team - Schollay (Wanderers), Gordon (Our Boys), and Hunter (Swifts), Marshall (captain Swifts),and Meffan (Waverley), Mill (Wanderers), Robertson (Waverley), Christie (Waverley), Smart (Swifts), Watt (Our Boys), Matthew (Our Boys).

The umpires were Arbroath W. Cromar, and Representative team A. Grieg (Wanderers). 

The result was a 4-0 win for Arbroath.

In March, one month later, it was reported that there were no less than 32 football clubs in Arbroath, these being- Arbroath (2), Swifts, Our Boys, Waverley(2), East End, Angus(2), Fairport, Fiery Cross(2), Red Cross(2), Strathmore(2), Rangers(2), Rovers(2), Try Again(2), High School, Maryville, St Clements, Whitefield, Ericht, Hawthorn, Crown, Ernest, St Leonards, and St Acres. Clubs by the names of Our Boys, East End, Strathmore, and St Clements, amongst others, were also names adopted by clubs in Dundee, and throughout the district. I have made every effort to distinguish between the different clubs, but reports from this time are rather vague and errors may have occurred.

The club had initially began playing on a park adjacent to the Dundee Road, "kindly placed at the service of the club by Patrick Allen Fraser Esq., of Hospitalfield." They moved to Gayfield in 1890, and the ground was opened with a match against Rob Roy of Callander, who were described by the Guide, October 1880, as "without doubt, the crack playing team of Perthshire."

The match was won 2-1 by Arbroath.

In the Forfarshire Cup , Arbroath became the first team on the county trophy when they defeated Harp of Dundee 2-1 in the final at Rollo's Pier Dundee, the ground of Strathmore.

Arbroath FC 1882 in their first maroon strips, prior to this the club wore black and white stripes.

The two cups provided some notable matches, with the 4-3 "victory" over Rangers in the 1884/85 Scottish Cup, a result which was overturned by the SFA, after it had been affirmed twice ( no change there then !). The following season saw the famous 36-0 win over Bon Accord, and the progress made by the club to reach their first quarter final in 1887/88, which ended in defeat by Abercorn in Paisley.

In the Forfarshire cup, Arbroath added to their initial success, lifting the cup in 1887/88, and in 88/89, and this coupled with the various challenge matches was the routine until the Northern League came into existence in 1891/92.

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