Kilbirnie Ladeside Football Club are a Scottish football club, from Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire. Based at Valefield Park, they currently play in the West of Scotland Football League. Their main rivals are Beith Juniors. The club nickname, The Blasties, derives from a Robert Burns poem, The Inventory, written in 1786.[1] However, a more likely reason for the nickname is the proximity of the club to the nearby blast furnaces of the former Glengarnock Steelworks.
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| Full name | Kilbirnie Ladeside Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blasties |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Ground | Valefield Park, Kilbirnie |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Manager | Colin Spence |
| League | West of Scotland League First Division |
| 2023–24 | West of Scotland League First Division, 11th of 16 |
History
editKilbirnie won their first Scottish Junior Cup title in 1952 with a 1–0 victory over Camelon Juniors at Hampden Park, with over 69,000 fans in attendance. The team's Goalkeeper on the day was Tom McQueen, father of future Scotland international Gordon McQueen.[2]
In 2020, Kilbirnie moved from the SJFA, to join the pyramid system in Scottish football as one of the inaugural members of the West of Scotland Football League.[3]
On 10 October 2020, the club announced they would not be participating in the inaugural season of the West of Scotland League due to concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the inability of fans to be able to attend games as a huge issue for the club.[4][5][6]
Valefield Park
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| Location | Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°44′43″N 4°40′58″W / 55.74528°N 4.68278°W |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | |
| Kilbirnie Ladeside | |
Valefield Park is home to Kilbirnie Ladeside. The average attendance is around two hundred (varying for cup games).
History
editThe Blasties' (the nickname of Kilbirnie Ladeside) original home of Ladeside Park on Mill Road was partly built on by the army during World War II and the club relocated to Valefield, the home of Glengarnock Vale, another local side. Vale did not re-appear after the war and Valefield Park became Ladeside's permanent ground. The name 'Ladeside' derives from the lade that runs near the ground from the old Nether Mill at Knoxsville Road near the Miller's Knowe.
Structure
editAlthough the ground is small it can comfortably hold up to six hundred spectators. On the north-west side there are two main stands which were both constructed at the start of the new millennium. The ground has around four main turnstiles, two of which are located on Kirkland Road. There is a small snack bar offering a wide range of hot and cold food and a licensed bar located on the south east corner welcoming both home and away support.
Current squad
edit- As of 1 July 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Colin Spence |
| Assistant manager | Willie Lyle |
| Goalkeeping Coach | |
| Physio |
Honours
edit- Winners: 1951–52, 1976–77
- Runners-up: 1986–87
Other honours
edit- West of Scotland Cup winners: 2007–08
- Scottish Junior League winners: 1903–04
- Ayrshire League champions: 1975–76
- Western League champions: 1947–48, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1967–68
- Ayrshire Cup: 1912–13, 1923–24, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1986–87
- Western/Ayrshire League Cup winners: 1923–24, 1931–32, 1938–39, 1988–89, 1994–95, 2009–10, 2016–17
Notable former players
edit- George Stevenson, Motherwell and Scotland.[7]
- Ernie McGarr, Aberdeen and Scotland.[8]
References
edit- ^ The Inventory, robertburns.org
- ^ "Scottish Junior Cup Finals 1950-1959". Scottish Junior Football Association. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Pirie, Mark (4 May 2020). "West of Scotland League unveil full division list ahead of non-league overhaul". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Club Statement regarding recent News - Latest News - Kilbirnie Ladeside FC". www.kilbirnieladesidefc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Club Ballot Results – West of Scotland Football League". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Pirie, Mark (10 October 2020). "BREAKING: West of Scotland League chaos as 14 clubs pull out ahead of kick off". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ True Steelmen - George Stevenson Archived 19 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine motherwell-mad.co.uk
- ^ Dark Blue Dons - Ernie McGarr Archived 1 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine afc.co.uk, 13 February 2007, Retrieved 24 June 2011