Parkgrove F.C.

Parkgrove

Full name	Parkgrove Football Club
Founded	1874
Dissolved	1897
Ground	Kinning Park 1874-1876 Clifford Park 1876- 77 Trinidad Park 1877-1880
Home colours

Parkgrove F.C. were a nineteenth-century Glasgow-based senior football club. They were based in Govan, Glasgow.^[1]

History

Originally the team played in red & blue colours (1874–79); but for the 1879–80 season they changed to a white shirt with thin black hoops.^[1][2]

The club is notable for having two of the earliest known black footballers; Andrew Watson and Robert Walker. While at Parkgrove, Watson became the club's match secretary - making him also the first black administrator in association football.^[3]

It was noted that Parkgrove played with a cosmopolitan team. Thomas Britten, a Welsh international football player, played for the club in 1878.^[4] Another of its players, goalkeeper Tommy Marten, was noted as being from Japan although it was later established that he was half Chinese.^[5]

The club made the fifth round of the Scottish Cup in 1879-80. They drew with South Western; but were beaten in the replay. South Western progressed to the Quarter-Finals but were beaten by Pollokshields Athletic.

Decline

The club couldn't make a game with Dunfermline F.C. on New Year's Day 1880.^[6] Many of the club's players moved to the new Pilgrims side for the 1880–81 season.^[7]

It was noted that Parkgrove moved out of their Trinidad Park ground in 1880. A notice of the ground at the Broomloan estate states that Parkgrove recently moved - and that the ground was now for let.^[8][9] Kinning Park, home of Rangers at the time Parkgrove played at Trinidad Park, was fairly near;^[5] The Gers moved to the first Ibrox Park, directly adjacent to the Trinidad site, in 1887.

The Scottish Referee noted on 8 October 1894 that they were asked to contradict a rumour that the Parkgrove club were about to collapse. It noted that the secretary advised that the club was in healthy condition and was likely to survive for many days.^[10]

The club was still extant late that same year, playing Rangers on 15 December 1894 in the Kirkwood Shield competition.^[11] They were still playing in 1896 as they were in a Partick Thistle-sponsored tournament in season 1896–97;^[12] however, by August 1897, Parkgrove was listed by the Scottish Referee as one of the many defunct clubs of Glasgow.^[13]

Notable former players

• Andrew Watson (footballer, born 1856), Scottish international football player; and the first black association football player.
• Robert Walker (Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers footballer), another black player to play association football alongside Watson at Parkgrove.
• Thomas Britten, Welsh international player - who was noted as Parkgrove's leading striker.^[5]

References

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