Edinburgh Casuals F.C.
| Full name | Edinburgh Casuals F.C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1894 | |
| Dissolved | 1896 | |
| Ground | Denham Green | |
| Match Secretary | Thomas Agnew | |
|
| ||
Edinburgh Casuals F.C. was a short-lived association football club from Edinburgh.
History
In August 1894, at a meeting at the Café Royal in Edinburgh, several gentlemen of the city resolved to form an amateur association club to represent the city.[1] After some canvassing of interest, the club was formed on 16 August 1894, under the name Edinburgh Casuals,[2] although the club was officially registered simply as Casuals.
The club joined the
The club's first home match was against the more proletarian amateurs of Adventurers, in the second round of the 1894–95 East of Scotland Shield, the East of Scotland Association being more generous in allowing a first round bye; the visitors won 8–1.[6] The Casuals did pick up a 3–0 win over Mossend Swifts the next month, the ethos and exclusivity of the club demonstrated by a note that "the coarseness of the visitors' play was a matter of comment by the few spectators that were present".[7] By this time the club had attracted players from newly-professional sides who wanted to stay amateur, such as Goodfellow and Davidson from Heart of Midlothian, Lee from Hibernian, and Smith and Cowie from Leith Athletic.[8]
The club's final home game was also against the Adventurers, the failure of the experiment made apparent by "less than half-a-dozen spectators" watching a 3–1 defeat.
Colours
The club wore maroon and white shirts with blue knickers.[14] This may have been inspired by Edinburgh University, which wore maroon and white at least until 1884.[15]
Ground
The club played at Denham Green, in the Trinity area.[16]
Notable players
- George Goodfellow, who played for Heart of Midlothan in the 1891 Scottish Cup final[17]
See also
- Edinburgh City and Athenian, two other attempts to form high-class amateur football clubs in Edinburgh in the professional era
References
- ^ "Edinburgh Football Notes". Scottish Referee: 3. 13 August 1894.
- ^ "Football, Athletic, and Cycling Notes". Edinburgh Evening News: 4. 17 August 1894.
- ^ "East of Scotland Football Association". Linlithgowshire Gazette: 4. 1 September 1894.
- ^ "Admitted". Scottish Referee: 2. 24 August 1894.
- ^ "Football and cricket notes". Edinburgh Evening News: 4. 3 September 1894.
- ^ "Edinburgh Casuals v Adventurers". Dundee Courier: 5. 8 October 1894.
- ^ "Edinburgh Casuals v Mossend Swifts". Linlithgowshire Gazette: 8. 10 November 1894.
- ^ "Montrose". Dundee Evening Telegraph: 3. 14 December 1894.
- ^ McPartlin, Patrick. "Bonnington, Granton, Trinity, and Newhaven". Scotland's Ghost Grounds. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
- ^ "Raith Rovers v Casuals (Edinburgh)". Fife Free Press: 2. 7 September 1885.
- ^ "Polton Vale v Edinburgh Casuals". Dalkieth Advertiser: 3. 26 September 1895.
- ^ "Other matches". Edinburgh Evening News: 3. 21 October 1895.
- ^ "The E.S.F.A.". Scottish Referee: 3. 11 September 1896.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1895). Scottish Football Annual 1895–96. Glasgow: Hay Nisbet. p. 88.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1883). Scottish Football Association Annual 1883-84. Glasgow: W. Weatherston. p. 51.
- ^ M'Dowall, John (1895). Scottish Football Annual 1895–96. Glasgow: Hay Nisbet. p. 88.
- ^ "Raith Rovers v Casuals (Edinburgh)". Fife Free Press: 2. 7 September 1885.