Petershill (Scotland)

Petershill FC is a Scottish junior, non-league football club from north of Glasgow who were formed at a meeting at Thomson’s Coffee House on Castle Street in the Townhead district of Glasgow on  June 4th 1897.

The new club acquired the Arrol Park home of the recently defunct St Mungo’s FC. Initially the club played in cup competitions and friendlies, before being admitted to the Glasgow Junior League for the 1898-99 season.

In 1903 the club moved to Atlas Park, before going on to finish runners-up in the 1910-11 Scottish Junior Cup competition; following a 1-0 replay defeat at the hands of Burnbank Athletic.

However, ‘Peasy’ bounced back and lifted the Junior Cup in 1911-12 when they defeated Denny Hibbs 5-0 at Firhill. The Cup returned to Petershill Park in 1915-16 following a 2-0 victory over Parkhead.

In 1917-18 Petershill were awarded the Junior Cup after semi-finalists Parkhead and Renfrew, were disqualified for refusing to play a replay game just four days before the scheduled final. The club moved to Hawthorn Park in 1919.

Future Scottish international right half Alex Massie played with Peasy in the 1920’s before Torry Gillick starred in the early 1930’s before enjoying a career with Rangers, Partick Thistle, Everton and Scotland.

Peasy returned to final of the competition in 1934-35 where they lost out 6-1 to Tranent Juniors. Petershill Park opened in 1935 with a match between Celtic and Rangers 20,000 spectators.

The decade saw the team win the Central League in 1932-33, 1938-39 and 1939-40. Another Junior Cup final disappointment followed in 1948-49 with a 3-2 loss to Auchinleck Talbot. The 1950’s would be Petershill’s decade as they accumulated several regional trophies along with some major honours.

In 1950-51 a fourth Junior Cup win was amassed following a 1-0 win against Irvine Meadow XI. A late Jimmy White goal won the day in front of 77,560 fans at Hampden Park. The following season saw Peasy win the Central League and West of Scotland Cup double.

A covered enclosure was added to Petershill Park before the league title was regained in 1955-56, along with the Junior Cup as Lugar Boswell were defeated 4-1 in front of another huge Hampden attendance. The West of Scotland Cup also found its way into the club trophy cabinet in 1957-58.

Peasy were crowned Central League champions again in 1963-64 before regaining the title in 1968-69 and winning the West of Scotland Cup in the same season.

The 1970’s were barren years as far as honours were concerned, before Petershill enjoyed a successful 1980’s. The Central League Premier Division title was won in 1982-83 and 1983-84 before they once again reached the final of the Scottish Cup.

Peasy were beaten in the 1984-85 final 3-1 to Pollok after the first game had ended in a 1-1 draw. The league crown returned to the club in 1989-90 with a further title coming in 1992-93. The club won the West of Scotland Cup for a fourth time in 1995-96.

The team continued to perform at the top level of the West of Scotland junior football as the club celebrated winning their one hundredth trophy when local rivals Maryhill were defeated in the Central League Cup Final.

Petershill Park was closed in 2005 and demolished to make way for a modern complex including a smaller stadium for Peasy. The club moved in for the 2006-07 season and celebrated by winning the West of Scotland Cup was won once again.

Following a revamp of the junior game, Petershill were placed in the West of Scotland Super League Premier Division; the top tier for clubs in the west region. The team finished the 2012-13 season as league runners-up.

The 2015-16 season saw Petershill relegated to the Super League First Division after finishing the season second bottom in the table. A fourth place finish in 2016-17 under manager co managers, Willie Patterson and Paul Kelly.

Petershill FC will play in the West of Scotland Super League First Division in the 2017-18 season.

My visits

Wednesday 27th January 2010

I arrived at New Petershill in the afternoon after alighting at Barnhill station. I took the short walk and went up a grass bank past an old brickwork gate which formed the player’s entrance to the old stadium. The new ground is part of a leisure centre with the playing surface artificial, to maximise usage.

Three sides of the pitch were surrounded by high wire fences, to keep the ball from running away. There was just flat open standing as spectator accommodation behind either goal. The near end just had the bank with five a side pitches built into it.

The far end had a building attached to the leisure centre. Three steps of terracing down the left hand side allowed spectators a view. The final side had an impressive stand with tip up seats built into the wall of the main building. All in all everything was neat and functional but missing character.

No doubt the facility as a whole offered major benefits for the whole community. However, how old Peasy fans who revelled in the glory days at the old place felt, was another matter.

Wednesday 2nd August 2017

My visit to Glasgow had seen me visit St Roch’s ahead of that evening’s Sectional League Cup tie between Cambuslang Rangers and Vale of Clyde. I had some time to fill in before the match and wanted to update my photos collection of Petershill Park.

My intention had been to walk from St Roch’s, but the weather was most inclement. It was certainly not befitting an August summer afternoon. Instead I took the 57 bus from the Rye Road stop on Broomfield Road to Auchinloch Street, near to the venue.

The old paths and rails were still in place that used to take thousands of fans up the hill to the old Petershill Park stadium. A school party had been using the main pitch but were now sheltering in the stand from the rain.

I got my photos and did a full lap of the arena, before looking where the old entrances once were. I found it a shame that the old plate above the gate for ‘members and players’ had been left to decay. Surely it deserved better than that?

With the rain still lashing down I made my way to Barnhill station, where a train took me to Charing Cross; just a few minutes from The Bon Accord where I knew that the beer would be good and the welcome warm.