Southern Athletic F.C.

Southern Athletic F.C. was founded in 1884 out of a cricket club^[2] and had 35 members by the end of its first season,^[3] when it joined the Scottish Football Association.^[4]

Its first Scottish Cup entry was in 1885–86, and it lost to Cambridge, but protested about the non-registration of several Cambridge players, and the Scottish FA ordered a replay to take place at Moray Park.^[5] It was to no avail as Cambridge won the second tie as well.^[6]

It set the scene for the club's record in competitive football. In 9 Scottish Cup entries, until its final entry in 1893–94, Southern Athletic never won a tie. Its one appearance in the second round, in 1887–88, was down to the luck of the draw, and getting a bye in the first round; in the second, the Athletic lost 9–1 at Cowlairs, despite the "excellent goalkeeper [Fotheringham, also a star batsman], who saved many a well-directed shot".^[7] Indeed, the club scratched from 4 of its final 5 entries.

The club did however win one match in the Glasgow Cup, a competition the club only entered from 1887–88 to 1889–90; in 1888–89 it won 3–2 at Temperance Athletic in the first round.^[8] In the second it lost 8–0 at Clyde.^[9] Its last appearance in the competition was its heaviest competitive defeat, 12–0 at Cambuslang.^[10] The club also entered the Govan Jubilee Cup from 1887–88 to 1890–91, again losing in the first round in each.^[11]

The Athletics' last Scottish Cup tie was a 6–1 defeat at home to Royal Albert in the first qualifying round in 1891–92.^[12] The last recorded matches for the club are from the 1892–93 season;^[13] it did enter the Cup for the following year but scratched to the Black Watch.^[14]

The club originally ore one-inch hooped navy blue and white jerseys with blue knickers.^[15] In 1890 it changed the colour of the hoops and shorts from navy to black.^[16]