Heston Rovers F.C.

Heston Rovers FC

Nickname(s)	The Rovers
Founded	1978
Ground	Palmerston Park, Dumfries
Chairman	Alan A Watson
Manager	Raymond Boyd
League	South of Scotland Football League
2012-13	5th
Home colours Away colours

Heston Rovers Football Club are a Scottish senior football club who play their home games Palmerston Park [Dumfries]],home of Queen of the South FC. Heston are members of the South of Scotland Football League and D&G Youth Football development Association league also.

Although Heston Rovers F.C. were originally founded in 1978, as a youth side, the present senior club were formed in 2008 following an amalgamation with Glencaple-based Dumfries Football Club, who were already members of the South of Scotland Football League.

Furthermore, Dumfries F.C. itself was the result of an earlier merger in 2000, when Dumfries High School Former Pupils F.C. combined with Dumfries Amateurs F.C., to form Dumfries F.C.

History

The Dumfries HSFP Football Club were formed in 1968, and initially participated in the Dumfries and District Amateur League. In 1994, the club were elected to the South of Scotland Football League, initially playing home matches at the Sir David Keswick Centre in Dumfries, but the need for an enclosed venue led to them relocating four miles south to Glencaple the following year.^[1] In the late 1970s, the Former Pupils signed Ted McMinn who would go on to play for Queen of the South and Rangers, amongst others.

Dumfries Amateurs FC also started out in the Dumfries and District Amateur League as St. Josephs College Former Pupils F.C., before changing their name to Dumfries Amateurs in 1995. During their time in the Amateur League, the team won many cups and won the league title in the 1999-00 season, just prior to amalgamation. The club were also based in Glencaple, playing at Norfolk Park.^[2] Following the merger in 2000, Dumfries F.C. continued to play at Norfolk Park during their eight year existence. They were members of the South of Scotland Football League throughout this time.^[3]

The original Heston Rovers club were formed in 1978 in the Lochside area of Dumfries. Members of the Scottish Youth Football Association, they re-located a number of times before they settled at Maryfield in the Georgetown district of Dumfries for the 1995-96 season, fielding teams for children aged 5–6,^[4] but were keen to add an adult team to the club set-up.

Following the 2008 merger, the new club retained the Heston Rovers name and their black and white colours, which have historical significance in the area being the colours of the first Dumfries F.C. formed in 1897.^[5] First team matches were initially played at Norfolk Park with Maryfield being used as a regular training venue. The club was accepted into membership of the Southern Counties Football Association and inherited the Dumfries F.C. South of Scotland Football League membership.^[6]

New (but temporary)changing facilities at Maryfield were opened in May 2008, by former Scotland manager Craig Brown CBE, bringing the ground up to South of Scotland Football League standards. The adult team moved to Maryfield in August 2010.

Rovers reached the final of the 2010-11 Tweedie Cup but lost 3-6 to Stranraer. Heston became a registered Scottish Charity in November 2011, the first club in the region to make this move. They were also the first non professional club in Dumfries and Galloway to receive the Scottish FA's Quality Mark award in October 2008, which was upgraded in December 2012 to 'community club' level at an awards ceremony at Hampden Park, presented by Allan Johnstone, the successful Queen of the South manager at the time.

Long serving chairman, Scott McGill retired in May 2013, after even years as chair, and was replaced by Alan Watson. In the same year, the club left their Maryfield ground to ground share Palmerston Park with Queen of the South.

References

External links

• Official website