Blantyre Victoria (Scotland)

Blantyre Victoria hail from the town of the same name a couple of miles north of Hamilton and a few more south of Glasgow in Lanarkshire. "The Vics were formed in 1890 and compete in the West Region of Scottish Junior Football (non-league). 

The club formerly had a healthy rivalry with Blantyre Celtic before they became defunct in the 1990's. They lifted the Scottish Junior Cup in 1950, 1970 and 1982, as well as being crowned champions of various leagues.

Famous ex Vics players include Billy McNeil, Jock Stein and Joe Jordan as well as both grandfathers of both Jonathan Gould and Stuart McCall.

Vics were relegated at the end of the 2011-12 season after finishing second bottom of the league. David Greig was appointed as manager in August 2012 and after a couple of seasons at the helm he led the side to a league title and promotion in 2013-14.

Blantyre Victoria FC will play in the SJFA Central District First Division in season 2014-15.

My visit

Tuesday 26 January 2010

My final port of call on my minor groundhop on a dark winters day was Blantyre Victoria FC, who are based just north of Hamilton. The ground was further away than from the station than I thought, although my pre planning came in handy as I took a short cut across a public park. 

I found the entrance to Castle Park on Forrest Street. The first signs for me gaining admission did not look promising as the imposing turnstile block was all locked up. As usual I wasn’t about to give up, so I walked down the road which mainly consisted of light industry opposite.

I found an open gate and ventured inside. It looked as though Vics had honoured their former famous names by refusing to update the ground since their departures. The terracing was crumbling and the covered roofs on the far side contained more holes than a colander.

If I hadn’t done advance research, I would have had to flip a coin as to whether the ground was still in use or not. It was homely enough but it did need serious remedial work. Maybe my review is unfair? I would have liked to see it in its prime.

There was the rare sight of a few seats, albeit in a ropy condition in the open in front of the changing rooms.