Royal Albert F.C.

Full name

Royal Albert Football Club

Nickname(s)

The Royalists (as seniors)
The Albert

Founded

1878

Ground

Tileworks Park, Stonehouse

Manager

Ian McCluskey

League

SJFA Central District Second Division

2014–15

SJFA Central District Second Division, 10th

Home colours

Royal Albert Football Club are a football club, historically based in the town of Larkhall, Scotland but currently playing out of the nearby village of Stonehouse. Formerly a member of the Scottish Football League they now play in the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region.

History

The formation of the club dates back to 1878, when two Larkhall pit sides joined together to form one team. These pits were owned by a Capt. Johns and he named the team after his boat the Royal Albert. The club spent over fifty years in Senior football, and qualified for the Scottish Cup on twenty occasions. Their greatest run came in the 1890–91 competition where they reached the fifth round before losing to Celtic in front of a record crowd of 5,000 at their Raploch Park ground.^[1]^[2] In the same season, centre half James Clelland became the clubs' one and only full Scotland international when he was capped against Ireland in March 1891.^[3] Royal Albert also have the distinction of scoring the first ever penalty kick in Scottish senior football, James McLuggage scoring against Airdrieonians in a local cup tie on 6 June 1891.^[4]

The club competed in various leagues such as the Scottish Football Federation, Scottish Football Alliance, Scottish Football Combination, Scottish Football Union and Western Football League before becoming a founder member of Scottish League Division Three in 1923. After the Third Division was abandoned in 1926, Albert briefly returned to the Scottish Football Alliance and Provincial Football League before being wound up in 1927 and re-forming as a Junior club the following year.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] The Royal Albert name continued to appear in the Scottish Qualifying Cup until 1936 and they qualified for the tournament on two further occasions, their last game being a 16–0 thrashing by Partick Thistle in January 1931.^[1]

The club initially competed in Junior football with some success and twice reached the semi-final of the Scottish Junior Cup in 1930 and 1940 but have fared less well in modern times, playing in the bottom tier of the Central Region/District league set-up since 1972.^[9]^[10]

Some notable players in the Junior era to step up from the club include Bobby Hogg (Celtic) and John Martis (Motherwell) with both playing for Scotland later in their careers, George Miller, who won the Scottish Cup in 1961 with Dunfermline Athletic and Davie White who played for and managed Clyde before managing Rangers.^[11]^[12]^[13] Hogg is also Royal Albert's most capped Junior international with three caps in 1931,^[14]

The team have been managed since November 2004 by Ian McCluskey, who assumed the role when previous manager Harry McDade walked out at half-time during a Scottish Junior Cup tie against Edinburgh United.^[15]

Ground

Albert's first ground was Raploch Park which was lost to a housing development in the 1960s. The club moved to the Robert Smillie Memorial Park in 1964 but were forced to vacate this ground at the end of the 2006–07 season as it was demolished in order to re-develop Larkhall Academy.^[16] The club ground-shared with local rivals Larkhall Thistle until 2013. After a proposed move to nearby Ashgill fell through, the club have moved to Tileworks Park, former home of Stonehouse Violet, on a permanent basis and will play out of there for the foreseeable future.^[17]

Honours

Scottish Football Federation
- Champions 1892–93
Scottish Football Alliance
- Champions 1893–94
Scottish Football Combination
- Champions 1903–04
Scottish Qualifying Cup
- Winners 1922, 1924
Lanarkshire Cup
- Winners 1888–89, 1889–90, 1893–94, 1895–96
Lanarkshire Junior Football League
- Champions 1933–34, 1935–36, 1936–37

References

1 2 "Royal Albert". londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
↑ Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005, Yore Publications, p210 ISBN 0954783042
↑ "Scotland - International Matches 1891-1900". rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
↑ "Well up on cloud nine". Daily Record (The Free Library). 19 January 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ "History". Royal Albert FC. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ Brian McColl. "Scottish Football Federation". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ Brian McColl. "Scottish Football Alliance". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ Brian McColl. "Scottish Football Combination". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ McGlone, David; McLure, Bill (1987). The Juniors - 100 Years. A Centenary History of Scottish Junior Football. Mainstream. p. 120. ISBN 1-85158-060-3.
↑ McColl, Brian. "Central Junior Football League". http://scottish-football-historical-archive.com. Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 23 December 2014. External link in |website= (help)
↑ "Motherwell: 1946/47 - 2011/12". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ Tom Drysdale (5 January 2009). "George Miller". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ "Clyde: 1946/47 - 2011/12". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ McGlone, David; McLure, Bill (1987). The Juniors - 100 Years. A Centenary History of Scottish Junior Football. Mainstream. p. 308. ISBN 1-85158-060-3.
↑ Robert McAulay (12 November 2004). "It's a game of two gaffers for Harry". Daily Record (The Free Library). Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ Andy McGilvray (14 June 2007). "Junior club forced to quit ground after 43 years". Hamilton Advertiser. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
↑ David Bell (31 January 2013). "Royal Albert are on the move". Hamilton Advertiser. Retrieved 26 March 2013.

SJFA West of Scotland League Central District Second Division: 2015–16

Ashfield Benburb Cambuslang Rangers East Kilbride Thistle Forth Wanderers Gartcairn Juniors Glasgow Perthshire Lanark United Newmains United Port Glasgow Royal Albert Vale of Leven

Defunct and former Scottish football clubs

Former Scottish Football League members	Abercorn Airdrieonians (1878) Armadale Arthurlie Ayr Ayr Parkhouse Bathgate Beith Bo'ness Broxburn United Cambuslang Clackmannan Clydebank Cowlairs Dumbarton Harp Dundee Wanderers Dykehead Edinburgh City Galston Gretna Helensburgh Johnstone King's Park Leith Athletic Linthouse Lochgelly United Mid-Annandale Nithsdale Wanderers Northern Peebles Rovers Port Glasgow Athletic Renton Royal Albert Solway Star St Bernard's Third Lanark Thistle Vale of Leven

Former Highland League members	Caledonian Elgin Caledonian Inverness Celtic Inverness Citadel Inverness Thistle Inverness Union

Former East of Scotland League members	Edinburgh Athletic Tollcross United

Former South of Scotland League members	5th Kirkcudbrightshire RV Cronberry Eglinton Lanemark Mauchline Springbank Stranraer Athletic Tarff Rovers Whithorn

Other senior clubs	23rd Renfrew RV Aberdeen (1881) Airdrie Alexandra Athletic Ayr Academicals Ayr Thistle Barholm Rovers Barrhead Bellstane Birds Blythswood Bon Accord Bridge of Allan Bute Rangers Callander Campsie Clifton & Strathfillan Clydesdale Coylton Coila Crown Dumbreck Dundee East End Dundee Harp Dundee Our Boys Eastern Gairdoch Grahamston Grangemouth Granville Grasshoppers Inveraray Kilsyth Wanderers Kirkcaldy United Laurieston Lochgilphead Orion Oxford Redding Athletic Rovers Shawfield Amateurs Slamannan Southern Strathmore (Arbroath) Strathmore (Dundee) Thornliebank Vale of Bannock Vale of Leven Rovers (Alexandria) Vale of Leven Rovers (Glasgow) Victoria United West End Western

Other junior clubs	Arbroath SC Baillieston Juniors Bankfoot Athletic Blackburn Athletic Blantyre Celtic Burnbank Athletic Duntocher Hibernian Glenbuck Cherrypickers Maryhill Hibernians Parkhead Port Glasgow Athletic Juniors Shawfield Strathclyde

Scottish Football League (1890–2013)

≫ Scottish Professional Football League (2013–present)

Divisions	Premier Division (1975–1998) First Division (1975–2013) Second Division (1975–2013) Third Division (1994–2013)

Cup competitions	League Cup Challenge Cup

Clubs	Aberdeen Abercorn Airdrieonians (1878) Airdrieonians (2002) Albion Rovers Alloa Athletic Annan Athletic Arbroath Armadale Arthurlie Ayr Ayr Parkhouse Ayr United Bathgate Beith Berwick Rangers Bo'ness Brechin City Broxburn United Cambuslang Celtic Clackmannan Clyde Clydebank Cowdenbeath Cowlairs Dumbarton Dumbarton Harp Dundee Dundee United Dundee Wanderers Dunfermline Athletic Dykehead East Fife East Stirlingshire Edinburgh City Elgin City Falkirk Forfar Athletic Galston Greenock Morton Gretna Hamilton Academical Heart of Midlothian Helensburgh Hibernian Inverness Caledonian Thistle Johnstone Kilmarnock King's Park Leith Athletic Linthouse Livingston Lochgelly United Meadowbank Thistle Mid-Annandale Montrose Motherwell Nithsdale Wanderers Northern Partick Thistle Peebles Rovers Peterhead Port Glasgow Athletic Queen of the South Queen's Park Raith Rovers Rangers Renton Ross County Royal Albert Solway Star St Bernard's St Johnstone St Mirren Stenhousemuir Stirling Albion Stranraer Third Lanark Thistle Vale of Leven

Seasons	1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13

Clubs Stadia Monthly awards Representative team

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