Perseverance F.C.

The Perseverance club was founded on 5 July 1879 at a meeting in the Cricketers' Arms in Dundee,^[4] with a reserve side called Perseverance Swifts in tow.^[5] At the end of 1881 the club obtained financial backing from Dundonian coach proprietor David Stratton^[6] and, after an unbeaten season, took the plunge into the senior game by joining the Scottish Football Association for the 1882–83 season,^[7] moving to a private ground to be eligible for SFA membership.

The club found the step-up to senior football a major change. In its first senior match, the first round of the 1882–83 Scottish Cup, was a 7–2 defeat at Dundee Harp.^[8] In 1883–84, it lost in the first round of the first Forfarshire Cup to Strathmore (Arbroath),^[9] but did win in the first round of the 1883–84 Scottish Cup, beating Dundee Hibernian 4–3 in a replay, played at Our Boys' West Craigie,^[10] after a 2–2 draw.^[11] Hibernians protested to the Scottish FA in relation to some refereeing decisions; the Scottish FA dismissed the protest unanimously.^[12]

The club withdrew from its second round tie with Arbroath,^[13] perhaps fearing an inevitable defeat, and the club seems to have ground to a halt before the 1884–85 season; its membership of 35 had not grown in three years and the club was much the smallest senior side in Dundee, the only other club with double-digit membership being West End, which had 60 members.^[14] The two clubs were drawn together in the first round of the 1884–85 Scottish Cup, but despite advertising up to the date of the match, Perseverance did not turn up.^[15] A week later, in the county cup, Perseverance was humiliated 7–0 at West Craigie by the unknown Victoria club, which only played for one season.^[16] By the end of the season the club was playing minor opposition^[17] and it was struck from the Scottish FA roster in August 1885.^[18]

The club played wore 1" black and white hooped jerseys and white knickers.^[19]