Yoker 1874-1887

William Wilkie, Yoker Athletic’s first secretary, suggested that “as far back as 1874 football was played in Yoker, an old senior club operating at that time”. “The Story Of Yoker - Both Sides Of The Burn” noted “that Yoker had a football club as early as 1875”. Yoker was a village then with a population of around 600 and an old distillery. The Yoker-Renfrew Ferry had been established in 1790. Sports being played in the area prior to the arrival of football were bowls, quoits, cricket and curling.

The Yoker Burn, which rises in the Kilpatrick Hills and it is the boundary between two counties. The west side was in Dumbartonshire and contained the bulk of the village with the rest on the east side being part of Renfrewshire.

The Scottish Football Association Handbook for 1885 has a list of its Dumbartonshire constituents. “Yoker - Formed in 1877. 40 members. Grounds, private, Holm Park, Ferry Road Head, Yoker. 5 minutes from Renfrew and Yoker stations and 20 minutes from Whiteinch Car terminus. Dressing room on grounds. Colours, navy blue jersey and knickers, and red hose. Last year played 24 matches - won 13, lost 9, drawn 2; obtained 83 goals, lost 54 goals. John Reid, 10 Elgin Place, Clydebank, Hon. Secretary. Daniel Candlin, 14 Clydebank Buildings, Clydebank, Match Secretary”.

This Yoker Football Club, whatever the date of its formation, was the first in the district now known as Clydebank. The actual town was just in the earliest stages of its remarkable development after the opening of Thomson’s Shipyard earlier in the decade. Football probably did start around 1874-1875 and the S.F.A. date of 1877 would probably have been when they joined that organisation. The earliest recorded fixture was 8th March, 1878 when Yoker travelled to Jordanhill and were soundly thrashed 6-0. By this date many of the various villages in the area were also represented by football clubs. The earliest of these to be definitely confirmed were Bowling and Old Kilpatrick. The Lennox Herald of 12th May 1877 reported a fixture between these teams. The villages of Dalmuir and Duntocher were represented by the Thistle and the Rovers respectively. Generally these teams played against each other with the occasional game against the like of Garscadden, Jordanhill, Renfrew and Whiteinch.
The growth of the village and the expansion of the shipbuilding industry on the Clyde was reflected in the opening of the Napier, Shanks and Bell shipyard at Yoker in 1877. Two years later the Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank railway was authorized.

Saturday 20th September 1879 saw an important step in the development of the game locally. Perhaps inspired by the successes of Vale of Leven in the Scottish Cup (they had won the trophy in 1877, 1878 and 1879) Yoker decided to enter the tournament. In the Renfrewshire section of the draw, they were drawn away to Thornliebank and were roundly defeated, 4-1. The result is not so surprising as Thornliebank fought all the way to the Final, only to be beaten by Queen’s Park at the height of their powers. In the Scottish Cup that same season a team called Clydebank also were entered for the first time, coming from Rutherglen, they were in the Lanarkshire section of the draw and were beaten 2-1 by Excelsior.

The following season 1880-1881, Yoker progressed further in the Scottish Cup. They walked over Renfrew Ramblers in the First Round, in the Second (02/10/80) they visited Netherlee and won 2-0 thanks to goals from Dickson and Bennie. The Third Round marked their exit, this time to Cartside, but only after a fight. In the first game Yoker were defeated, but they successfully protested and the game was replayed at Yoker. This resulted in a draw, the teams sharing four goals. The third game saw Cartside win by the odd goal in seven.

Match Report from the Glasgow Herald: 01/11/1880
Cartside v Yoker Scottish Association Cup Tie. The above teams met at Overjohnstone. The Yoker having won the toss chose to play with a strong wind in their favour and in the first five minutes secured two goals. From this to the call of half-time the Yoker had the best of the play, and succeeded in scoring again. On ends being changed the play was of a give and take nature for the first fifteen minutes but after that the Cartside pressed the strangers and were successful in lowering their colours four times. The game ended in favour of the Cartside by 4 goals to 3.

1881-1882 again saw a walkover in the First Round, this time Kennishead had disbanded. In the Second Round Yoker visited Glenkilloch (Neilston) and were beaten 2-0. Yoker had their own eponymous tournament, the Yoker Cup. In the Final of that they met Partick Thistle. Thistle led 1-0 at half-time and went on to win 5-0.

Although Yoker were always drawn in the Renfrewshire section of the draw they were not members of the Renfrewshire Association, but that changed in 1882-1883 and membership entitled them to compete in the Renfrewshire Cup. In the Scottish St. Mirren cuffed them 8-0 at Thistle Park, Paisley, in the first round. Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway was opened on 01/12/82. In the Renfrewshire Cup First Round the club were drawn at home to Lochwinnoch and ran out winners by four goals to nil. Again at home in the Second Round, this time against Greenock Southern they lost by the odd goal in three.

For the second season running Yoker fell at the first hurdle in the Scottish Cup of 1883-1884. This time they met Olympic who were a team of Paisley teachers. The teachers won 2-0. In the Renfrewshire Cup they were beaten in the First Round by Southern by two goals to one.
The last week in May 1884 saw the first A.G.M. of the newly formed Dumbartonshire Football Association. One of the founding members were Dalmuir Thistle. At the AGM two other local teams were admitted, Carlile from Duntocher and Yoker. “It was of course, most cordially agreed, that there should be an annual competition for a cup”.
Becoming members of the D.F.A. meant that Yoker would now be down to be drawn in the Dumbartonshire section of the Scottish Cup. The First Round drew them at home to (Dumbarton) Rock and they easily won 2-0. Three weeks later Yoker recorded their biggest ever win. The Second Round the draw included Dumbartonshire and Stirlingshire, which enabled Yoker to be drawn against Camelon’s Tayavalla. At half-time Yoker led 9-0, and they almost doubled that in the second half, winning 17-0. The Third Round paired Yoker with Vale of Leven. Vale went all the way to the final.

Match Report from the Glasgow Herald: 27/10/1884
Vale of Leven v Yoker – This cup tie was played at Alexandria on Saturday, and, although lacking in really fine play, the game was well contested, and proved harder than was anticipated. The Vale wanted McPherson and D. McIntyre and were weak in the centre. The Yoker excelled in their back play, where some good work was done. As a whole, however, the game was rather disorganized owing to the slippery state of the ground. During the first half the Vale took three goals and the strangers one. In the second half the home players secured another point, the game ending four to one in favour of the Vale. Teams: Vale – Goal, J. Wilson; back, J. McFarlane and J. Forbes; half-backs, J. Abraham and H. McLeish; forwards G. Galloway, J. Ferguson, M. Gillies, J. Coleman, W. Johnston and D. Kennedy. Yoker – Goal, Marshall; backs, McBain and R. Hunter; half-backs, Reid and Hailey; forwards Bauchop, Smith, McDonald, A. Hunter, W. Bale and J. Christie

R. Hunter in the Yoker line-up later went on to play for Burnley and St. Mirren and was also capped for Scotland against Ireland, in Belfast on 29th March 1890. Scotland won 4-1 in front of 5,000 at the Ulster Ground.

In the first Dumbartonshire Cup (1884-1885), Yoker met local rivals Carlile, easily winning, scoring eight without a reply from the cotton workers from Duntocher. (Dumbarton) Union fell to Yoker in the Second Round, another high scoring game that saw Yoker winning 7-3. This win earned them a place in the Semi Final when they visited Dumbarton at Boghead. Yoker surprised everybody when Smith scored in the first half and held on to the lead till the break. Dumbarton scored three (Wilson, Kerr, Watt) in the second half to win the game 3-1. The result was not so bad as the Dumbarton team that afternoon included seven current internationalists. Dumbarton won the first Dumbartonshire Cup.

1885-1886 again saw Yoker as the only local team in the Scottish Cup. In the First Round on 12th September they easily beat Union 5-1, but Union lodged a successful appeal on the grounds that Yoker’s pitch did not comply with the regulations. Replayed a week later, again at Yoker, the Union won 1-0.
Yoker also fell in the First Round of the County Cup, this time at home to Vale of Leven Wanderers by a margin of six goals.

By 1886-1887, the face of the area was changing rapidly, transformed from a largely rural area into a growing industrial town. The growth in population enabled the development of football in the locality.
In the Scottish Cup, Yoker were now joined by Duntocher. Yoker gained revenge for the previous season by beating Dumbarton Union 4-2, however Duntocher could not equal the performance and went under 8-0 at Dumbarton Athletic. In the Second Round Yoker once more lost to the eventual Scottish Cup runners-up, this time Dumbarton. The Boghead side again full of internationalists won 4-0.

Match Report from the Glasgow Herald: 04/10/1886
Dumbarton v Yoker – Played at Boghead, Dumbarton. Dumbarton kicked-off, and soon the ball was at Yoker’s goal, but a strong kick by Robertson was pluckily punted out by Yoker’s goalkeeper. Dumbarton got a free-kick in mid-field, and Tate sent the leather against towards Yoker’s posts. A corner kick which followed brought nothing to the home team. Tate immediately afterwards got on the ball, and shot well for goal. The Yoker custodian, however, proved equal to his work, and sent the ball well out. Some very quick play followed on Yoker’s right wing but the ball did not pass beyond mid-field. From a throw-in for Yoker some long passing brought the leather to the Dumbarton goal, but it was speedily sent back, only to be returned by Hartley, who, however, failed to score. The play now got somewhat slack. Out of a scrimmage near Yoker’s goal, Kerr sent the ball in. It was quickly sent back and passed to mid-field, where Tate tackled the Yoker players, got possession of the ball, and made a magnificent long shot for goal, which however, brought nothing to his team. One of the Yoker players at this point made himself conspicuous by using his hands. A run down on the Yoker left wing threatened the Dumbarton goal, but the shot was wide. At half-time no goals had been scored. About two minutes after play was resumed Brown, from a pass by Jamieson, scored the first goal for Dumbarton, and five minutes later Jamieson repeated Brown’s success. The play was now fast, and confined much to Yoker’s goal. The strangers, however, had one or two runs towards Dumbarton’s goal but failed to score. After some very exciting play near Yoker’s goal, Jamieson landed to ball through and scored the third goal for the home players. Immediately afterwards Brown sent the leather through Yoker posts for the fourth time. The game ended – Dumbarton 4 goals, Yoker 0.

At the end of October Yoker won in the First Round of the County Cup winning at the Castle Grounds, Dalmuir against the local Thistle by four goals to nil. The following month it was the turn of Dumbarton to visit Yoker, this time in the Second Round of the Dumbartonshire Cup.

Match Report from the Glasgow Herald: 20/11/1886
Dumbarton v Yoker (Dumbartonshire Cup Tie) – The ties in the second round for the Dumbartonshire Association Cup were played, and amongst the games that between Dumbarton and Yoker on the ground of the latter team promised to be of an interesting character, but a stiff breeze which blew across the field somewhat spoiled the play. There were several hundred spectators. The teams were as follows:- Dumbarton – Goal, McAulay, backs, Hutcheson and Fergus; half-backs, Hartley, McMillan and Leitch Keir, forwards , R. Brown, Wm. Lapsley, J. Lindsay, K. Jamieson and W. Keir. Yoker – Goal, Campbell; backs, Hunter and Alex. McBain; half-backs, James Ralston, Rule and Lauder; forwards, McDonald, Kane, Christie, W. Ralston and Wm. McBain. For the first half-hour the game was of an uninteresting character, no noteworthy incident occurring. The Dumbarton being disorganised through the absence of several leading players notably Peter Miller, P. Tait and Wm. Robertson, the play was more equal than it might have been under other circumstances. The team from the county town, however, got settled down after a half-hour’s practice and goal after goal was scored in rapid succession. The first to score was Lapsley, then came Lindsay. Leitch Keir took the third, McMillan the fourth, and William Keir scored the fifth off one of the Yoker backs. Half-time was shortly afterwards called, the Dumbarton having 5 goals to their credit while the Yoker’s side of the scoring-sheet showed a blank. The game was immediately resumed, but the second half was not any more interesting than the first, the Dumbarton having it generally their own way. After 20 minutes play Alex. McBain got disabled by a kick, and had to retire. Shortly afterwards, by the combined action of Lindsay and Jamieson, a sixth goal was scored for Dumbarton, and in a few minutes another was registered by McMillan. William Keir added one, and before the close a ninth goal was placed to the Dumbarton’s credit. Result:- Dumbarton, 9 goals; Yoker 0.
The rest of the season, which would be Yoker’s last, did not meet with much success for the team from Ferry Road Head. A week after being humbled by the Sons the Yoker played Northern, at Springburn, and lost 5-0. On 6th December they travelled down to play Dumbarton Athletic and lost 4-1.
There was a 2nd Eleven team that played occasionally and on 13th December they lost to Renton’s second string 3-1. The game was never completed.
In March there was a return match with Northern. The result was another defeat, but this time by a solitary goal. At the end of the month Yoker entertained near neighbours Renfrew and lost by 10 goals to 2, against ten men after one of the visitors suffered a dislocated elbow.
At the beginning of April 1887 they travelled down to play Dalmuir Thistle and lost 3-1.
The last reported games were in the Jubilee Senior Cup. On 2nd May at Victoria Park, Govan, Yoker drew 3-3 with Blairvaddick. The home team led by two at the turn. Yoker then put on three before losing a late equaliser. In the replay a fortnight later at the same ground in front of a poor turnout, Yoker lost by the only goal of the game.

After that the club folded. No reasons given.