St Roch's (Scotland)

St Roch's FC

Ground: James McGrory Park

Capacity: 4,220

Club Founded: 1920

League: West of Scotland League Premier Division - 6th Tier (current level)

The team, nicknamed the Candy Rock, has enjoyed a resurgence since it capitalised on its heritage by being the club that gave the sixteen-year-old Jimmy McGrory his first taste of adult football before he reached legendary status.

A Background to St Roch's FC

The Early Years

The football club from Glasgow was formed in 1920 and moved into Provanhill Park to play their home games. Jimmy McGrory quickly made his mark in the side, which reached the final of the Scottish Junior Cup in 1921-22, where they defeated Kilwinning Rangers, with McGrory scoring one of the goals.

At the end of the season, McGrory was signed by Celtic, where he would go on to set the British goalscoring record, scoring 550 times for Celtic, Clydebank and Scotland before becoming manager at Parkhead.

McGrory Remembered in the St Roch's Clubhouse

A Long Gap Between Honours

St Roch’s went on to become Glasgow League champions twice before the end of the decade, before they lifted the Central League title in 1943-44. Five triumphs in the Glasgow Cup would follow over the years, but it was a long wait until further league honours.

St Roch’s became champions of the Central League C Division in 1971-72, which they followed up by winning Division B the following season. After a shake-up of the junior non-league game, the Candy Rock won the Central Division One in 1983-84.

Ups and Downs, Then a Watershed Decision

The Central Division Two title was won in 1994-94 before the side finished as West of Scotland Central League Second Division runners-up in 2006-07, compensating for an earlier relegation. Relegation and another promotion followed before St Roch’s finished in the relegation places of the Central District First Division in 2012-13.

Rechristening Provanhill Park James McGrory Park in honour of their greatest player proved to be a masterstroke, inspiring the struggling side, who won promotion from the Central District Second Division under manager Andy Cameron.

Jimmy McGrory Park

A heightened social media and local campaign increased awareness of the club, particularly among Celtic fans, with some choosing St Roch's as their second side and beginning to attend matches, creating an atmosphere which had been missing for nearly a century.

St Roch's, under the leadership of Stevie Rankin and Gary Flint, were placed in the SJFA Championship. Like many other Junior clubs, they left the Junior setup to join the ranks of the SFA West of Scotland League for the aborted 2020-21 season.

Recent Seasons

Their performance merited a place in the First Division after manager and former player Paul Kelly passed away. Iain Kennedy was appointed to replace him. The team went on to miss out on promotion by one place in 2024-25 but secured it with a runners-up place twelve months later as the Candy Rock reached the West of Scotland League Premier Division.

My visit

Wednesday 2nd August 2017

The weather in Glasgow was not really befitting an August afternoon on my arrival. I was in town for some Junior’s action between Cambuslang Rangers and Vale of Clyde that evening, but there was time to kill first.

Eventually, I found the correct stop for the number 19 bus on West George Street and explained to the driver where I wanted to get off. The route travelled northeasterly, past the cathedral and necropolis and then along the residential Royston Road.

Alighting at the Broomfield Road stop right outside James McGrory Park, I took some photos over the wall before heading down to the main entrance to see if there was any chance of gaining entry. My luck was in.

A friendly gent originally from Nottingham was getting the ground ready for a local cup final the following Friday. He told me to go inside the buildings and take whatever photos I wanted. The ground was relatively basic, but it had obviously been looked after of late. 

The only small cover was behind the goal, but the Royston Road side had a few steps of open terracing, while the opposite side looked to have been prepared for something similar. My thoughts about the club making a real effort and using the McGrory history to attract fans were confirmed. 

I was told that when the old committee left, the crowds were around 20 or 30. Now 150 would be a regular attendance, with up to another 100 added if Celtic were away. It was good to see a local club making a real effort. I departed as the rain fell and walked up Broomfield Road to head to Petershill to update my photo collection.