Saint Duthus F.C.
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | The Saints | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1885 | ||
| Ground | Links Playing Fields, Tain | ||
| Capacity | 500 | ||
| Chairman | Niall Harkiss | ||
| Manager | Stuart Ross | ||
| League | North Caledonian League | ||
| 2016–17 | North Caledonian League, 6th | ||
|
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St Duthus Football Club is a Scottish football club playing in the North Caledonian Football League based at the Links Playing Fields in the town of Tain in the Scottish Highlands.
History
Pre-War
Formed in 1885 as a subsidiary club of St Duthus Cricket Club, St Duthus FC began by playing friendly matches against neighbouring towns and villages as founder members of the Ross-shire Junior Football Association. The "Saints" played in red and white vertical stripes throughout their formative years playing at the Links Playing Fields.
In 1895 they played competitively for the first time in both the Pattisons' Challenge Cup and the Ross-shire Junior Cup. In 1919–20, they became the winners of the first Ross-shire Junior League competition and in 1924–25, won the North of Scotland Junior Cup – the highest accolade for teams playing the junior code in the Highlands.
The team briefly folded in 1932 before returning in 1934 with a newly formed committee and new team colours of horizontal black and white hoops.[1]
Cup Honours:
- Pattisons' Challenge Cup (5 times) 1895–96, 1901–02, 1919–20, 1924–25, 1925–26
- North of Scotland Junior Cup (1 time) 1924–25
- Summerhall 2nd XI Cup (1 time) 1919–20
After the War
Back in their traditional colours of red and white, St Duthus competed after the war as a member of the Ross-shire Junior League until the league was reformed in the late 1950s as the Ross-shire Welfare League. It was at this time that the club moved to a new ground at Coronation Park on land gifted to the club by club treasurer Leo Pieraccini. Under the management of Christopher Grant the team enjoyed their most successful year in the Ross-shire Welfare League in 1963.
North Caledonian League
The club gained membership of the North Caledonian Football League in the early 1970s where they competed as members until the club's withdrawal from the association before the start of the 2005–06 season due to financial problems.[2] The team were succeeded in the league by Tain Thistle in 2008–09 and 2009–10.[3]
On 22 March 2016, a new committee was formed and the club was re-admitted to the North Caledonian Football League on 18 May 2016.[4][5]
Ground
St Duthus played at the Links Playing Fields from their formation in 1885 until the 1950s, when it became clear that damage done to the park during the Second World War had taken its toll. The club then played at Coronation Park – a piece of land gifted to the club by Leo Pieraccini – for a short time between the 1950s and 1960s before returning to the Links.
In 1995, a new ground adjacent to the Links was leased from the Ross & Cromarty Council and developed for use by St Duthus and later named Grant Park, after former manager and committee member Christopher Grant. On their return to the North Caledonian League in the 2016–17 season, the Saints again played at the Links Playing Fields.
Senior Honours
- North Caledonian Cup: 1924–25, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1989–90
- Football Times Cup: 1980–81, 1981–82
- Chic Allan Cup: 1985–86
- MacNicol Trophy: 1975–76
- Ness Cup: 1978–79, 1980–81
- Morris Newton / SWL Cup: 1990–91, 1991–92
References
- ↑ Harkiss, Niall (2014). Ross-shire Football's Forgotten Pioneers. K & N Publishing. ISBN 978-0992882518.
- ↑ Harkiss, Niall (2016-02-19). "The Saints’ Revival". K & N Publishing. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
- ↑ "Football club auction hits high notes". www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
- ↑ Club, St Duthus Football. "First AGM a resounding success | St Duthus Football Club - Tain, Highland, Scotland". www.stduthusfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
- ↑ Club, St Duthus Football. "St Duthus accepted into the North Caledonian FA | St Duthus Football Club - Tain, Highland, Scotland". www.stduthusfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-08.