St Duthus F.C.
| File:St Duthus FC Logo.png | |||
| Nickname(s) | The Saints | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1885 | ||
| Ground | Links Playing Fields, Tain | ||
| Capacity | 1000 | ||
| Chairman | Niall Harkiss | ||
| Manager | Stuart Ross / Andrew Ross | ||
| League | North Caledonian League | ||
| 2023–24 | North Caledonian League, 6th of 12 | ||
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St Duthus Football Club is a senior 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.
Origins
Like many sports clubs in the Royal Burgh of Tain, St Duthus FC adopted the name of Saint Duthac, the patron saint of Tain. Various combinations began playing informal association or rugby football matches using the St Duthus name from the 1870s onwards.[1]
History
Pre-War
Officially formed in 1885 as a subsidiary club of St Duthus Cricket Club, St Duthus FC began their existence under the association code 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.[2]
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, winning their first league title in 1955.[3]
Under the management of Christopher Grant the team enjoyed their most successful year in the Ross-shire Welfare League in 1963, winning all four association cup trophies, and narrowly missing out on the league championship after a technicality led to a reversed result.[4][5]
North Caledonian League
The club switched to senior status and gained membership of the North Caledonian Football League (then known as the North of Scotland Reserve League) in 1971, at which time they changed their name to Tain St Duthus F.C., adopting their home town at the start of their name.
The club enjoyed their most successful spell under the management of Edwin Skinner between 1976 and 1986, winning six cup competitions during his tenure.
Tain St Duthus competed as members of the league until the club's withdrawal from the association before the start of the 2005–06 season due to financial problems.[6] The team were briefly succeeded in the league by Ross-shire Welfare League team Tain Thistle for seasons 2008–09 and 2009–10.[7][8]
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.[9][10] In their first season following their revival, they reached the Jock Mackay Cup Final, narrowly losing to Orkney F.C. in a penalty shoot-out.[11] They made amends the following season when they won their first silverware since their revival, defeating Golspie Sutherland F.C. at King George V Park to win the North Caledonian Cup on 10 March 2018.[12]
St Duthus were awarded the Scottish Football Association Quality Mark Standard award on 9 November 2017.[13]
Ground
St Duthus played at Tain's public Links Playing Fields from their formation in 1885 until the late 1940s - by which time it had become clear that damage done to the park during the Second World War had taken its toll on the surface. The club then moved to Coronation Park – a piece of land handed over to the club by the Tain town council in 1951. They remained there until 1965, after the club took the decision to sell the ground to Morrison Construction for a four-figure sum.[14] For decades thereafter, St Duthus remained at the Links.
In 1988, a new ground adjacent to the Links was leased from the Ross & Cromarty Council and developed for use by St Duthus. It was later named Grant Park, after former manager and committee member Christopher Grant. The club played their first game on the new ground in 1995, welcoming then Highland Football League champions Huntly F.C. for a friendly match to mark its official opening.
On their return to the North Caledonian League in the 2016–17 season, the Saints again played at the Links Playing Fields.
Playing Squad
- As of 12 October 2018
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
St Duthus have won the following senior honours as members of the North Caledonian FA.
North Caledonian Cup / North of Scotland Junior Cup:
- 1924–25, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1989–90, 2017–18
Football Times Cup:
- 1980–81, 1981–82
Morris Newton Cup:
- 1990–91, 1991–92
Chic Allan Cup:
- 1985–86
Ness Cup:
- 1978–79, 1980–81
MacNicol Trophy (Fair Play award):
- 1975–76
References
- ^ Archive, The British Newspaper (1878-02-08). "Football | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Harkiss, Niall (2014). Ross-shire Football's Forgotten Pioneers. K & N Publishing. ISBN 978-0992882518.
- ^ "Leo Pieraccini: The Italian Saint". K & N Publishing. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ Library, Tain Museum Image. "Tain Museum Image Library - St Duthus football team 1963". www.tainmuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
- ^ Archive, The British Newspaper. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Tain Thistle accepted into North Caledonian league (Tain Thistle Football Club)". www.tainthistle.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Orkney FC make history with penalty shoot-out win - The Orcadian Online". The Orcadian Online. 2017-04-15. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ "Saints stun Golspie to lift North Caledonian Cup". www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- ^ Club, St Duthus Football. "St Duthus attain Quality Mark award | St Duthus Football Club - Tain, Highland, Scotland". www.stduthusfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
- ^ Archive, The British Newspaper. "Register | British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-13.