Bo'ness United (Scotland)

Bo'ness United is a Scottish non-league football club who were formed in 1945 following the merger of Bo'ness FC and Bo'ness Cadora FC. The town of Bo'ness is located on the south bank of the Firth of Forth, around seventeen miles north west of Edinburgh. Borrowstounness, to give the town its proper, but seldom used, proper name, was once a mining town and major port, but later became a commuter town.

Bo'ness FC had been formed in 1882, playing in regional competition at a ground by the Parish Church and then Soo & Cra Park. In 1886, the club moved into Newtown Park, before joining the expanded Scottish League Second Division in 1921. In 1927, the team lifted the title and were promoted to the First Division, but their spell there lasted just one season.

The club struggled as the industries suffered, and many locals were unemployed. During the 1932-33 season, Bo'ness were expelled from the League, but they continued as a non-league club until the merger after World War Two.

In their second season, United went thirty-five games unbeaten, but lost out in the Scottish Junior Cup Final to Shawfield Juniors. However, they returned to Hampden Park to lift the cup in 1948 when Irvine Meadow were seen off as thousands of fans greeted the team's homecoming. 'The BU's' went many years without any further major honours, but the Junior Cup returned to Newtown Park in 1975 following victory against the Ayrshire outfit Darvel Juniors.

The old stand at Newtown Park
Image taken from Wikipedia

Two losing final appearances came in 1978-79 and 1982-83 when Cumnock Juniors and then East Kilbride Thistle broke Bo'ness hearts. However, United returned to the final at Ibrox the following year, as many experts made them massive underdogs against Ballieston Juniors. The BUs clearly hadn't read the script, as the team won 2-0 as they were inspired by a superb Lex Shields performance.

The club won several cups and leagues over the years, and following the reorganisation of the SJFA, United found themselves in the East Region Super League. The 2006-07 season saw the team being relegated, but they bounced back at the first attempt under manager Eric Sinclair. The Bu's struggled on their return, with Sinclair resigning and then Paul McKinlay having a spell as team boss before Alan McGonigal took over in the summer of 2009.

McGonigal introduced many new players, and his methods paid immediate dividends as United won their first league title since 1969, clinching it in the final game over local rivals Linlithgow Rose. Bo'ness went on to retain the championship in the 2010-11 season. Paul Ronald had a short spell as manager before McGonigal returned in October 2012.

His side won another league title in 2013-14, and then finished runners-up twelve months later. Steve Kerrigan was appointed as manager in January 2018, lasting a year before he was succeeded by Max Christie. 2018-19 saw the club join the SFA East of Scotland League, where their league position saw them placed in the Premier Division the following season.

Another club, Bo'ness Athletic Juniors, relocated to Newton Park and changed their name from Linlithgow Thistle at the same time to maintain a SJFA presence in the town, before also switching in 2021, dropping Juniors from their name, and becoming rivals to United.

United won the league title in 2019-20, moving up to the Lowland League, where Zander Millar scored the goals. The club found the competition far tougher at a higher level, finishing mid-table in their first few seasons, with Ian Little having a spell as manager before the side finished third in 2023-24 under new boss Stuart Hunter.

Bo'ness United will play in the Lowland League in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

I had a day free in Edinburgh before my Dad was to join me, so rather than just sitting around, I planned a day of groundhopping. Having already covered several clubs in the capital, I had taken the train to Linlithgow to call by the home of Rose before taking a bus down to the coast to Bo'ness.

It was a wild day with winds and occasional scrawly showers keeping me on the move. My map and timetable had shown me that I had just less than thirty minutes to walk from the stop near the leisure centre on Gauze Road through the playing fields, onto Newtown Park and then to Castlehill for the return service.

I got to the ground to find it locked, but I wasn't totally beaten as I found plenty of angles through the fences to view it and take photos. It was a fine arena, but not quite what it had been previously. The Main Stand on Jamieson Avenue had been demolished, apart from its base, which housed the facilities. 

Its roof had been taken down, and a sloping cover put over the old seating deck. A substantial open terracing was at the Linlithgow Road End, while terracing went round the rest of the pitch. A decent cover offered protection opposite the old stand. Having completed my photography, I went in search of Castlehill. a little behind schedule. Fortunately, as I was partaking in my latest get-fit campaign, I jogged and arrived a little ahead of time. 

It was at this point that I got a little confused as I saw a bus stop just around the corner on the main Dean Road. I didn't want to be in the wrong place, so I went to ask the man standing in the shelter. He was explaining as I saw the bus through the houses on Castlehill. I ran to the top of the street where the bus had gone ten yards past the stop and pleaded with the driver to let me on, but he just shrugged his shoulders and drove off.

To say I was not amused was an understatement. The poor bloke at the other stop shook his head and agreed that the driver had been an absolute tosser. I thought I was going to have to wait for an hour for the next bus, in what had to be said was not a particularly pretty place. He calmed me down and said a service was due to go into the town centre and then return to Linlithgow from there.

He then asked the twenty-four million dollar question. "What was I doing there?" I explained and expected him to give me an immediate wide berth. As it happened, he turned out to be a loyal BU fan! We got talking about all things football and, in particular, Scottish Junior football. 

He told me that the old grandstand roof had been removed as asbestos was found in it, so it was necessary under health and safety guidelines. He was also pondering whether to travel north to Dundee Violet in the Junior Cup at the weekend. I was really glad to chat with someone with a mutual interest, and I was a bit sad to see him get out in the centre.

I remained on the bus, complete with a friendly driver, back to Linlithgow Cross so that I could catch my train back to Edinburgh in time for a siesta before meeting my Dad off the train for tea and frivolities! It had not gone as I had planned my visit, but I'm glad it went the way it did. I left knowing a lot more than when I arrived, which is one of the joys of my hobby.