Linlithgow Rose FC is a Scottish football club from the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, located twenty miles west of Edinburgh. Linlithgow is a commuter town with history, being the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots. Linlithgow Palace was once one of the most prominent royal residences in northern Europe.
Rose were formed in 1889, with the side played their home games at Captain's Park in the Boghall area of town. The Forth League title, the club's first honour, was won in 1901-02. The club came close to closure in 1906 when several of the committee walked away over an internal dispute.
Around 1913, Rose moved to a new ground, Upper Mains Park, on Bathgate Road, which would later become the home of Linlithgow Rugby Club. A further move to Lower Mains Road followed in 1930, with the signing of youngster Tommy Walker thrilling the crowds before he was sold to Hearts of Midlothian in 1935.
The well-supported club moved into their Prestonfield home in 1949 as monies were gradually raised to allow the purchase, winning several trophies and being crowned the champions of the Edinburgh & District League on several occasions, with the first title coming in the 1964-65 season. Rose crowned a fine season by also winning the Scottish Junior Cup as Ballieston Juniors were beaten 4-1.
After winning the Edinburgh League on three occasions before Linlithgow progressed to the East Region League. Rose would become a prominent member, lifting the title on thirteen occasions, with the first coming in 1967-68 under new manager Davie Roy
They returned to Hampden Park in 1973-74, but on that occasion, Cambuslang Rangers proved too strong. Jimmy Crease came in as manager in 1984, with Colin Sinclair being appointed around a decade later. Allan McGonigal was next in the managerial hotseat, with his spell being between 1999 and 2001, when he was succeeded by Jim Sinnet.
The final league title came in 2001-02, which was also the same campaign that saw a second Junior Cup being lifted after Auchinleck Talbot were beaten. Linlithgow returned to the final the following season, going down to a solitary goal against Tayport. After the reorganisation of the SJFA, Rose were placed in the SJFA East Region Super League, where they were crowned champions for the 2003-04 season.
A further title came in 2006-07, and for a third time, the team went on to complete the double, with the Junior Cup win coming against Kelty Hearts. As a result of the win and a change of policy from the Scottish FA, Rose were allowed to compete in the Scottish Cup the following season. They reached the fourth round, where they went out to eventual finalists Queen of the South.
Successful manager Sinnett resigned in 2008 after a successful time at the club, before Linlithgow went on to win the 2009-10 Junior Cup Final, beating Largs Thistle in the final with a goal from Kevin Donnelly and with Dave Baikie as manager. Mark Bradley replaced Baikie in December 2011, leading the side to a third-place league finish at the end of the 2011-12 season.
Rose reached the Junior Cup Final in 2012-13, but were defeated by Auchinleck Talbot at Livingston. In June 2015, David McGlynn took over as team manager, quickly overseeing a fine Scottish Cup run all the way to the fourth round and a home tie with Forfar Athletic.
Todd Lumsden arrived as manager in October 2016, with Bradley returning for a second spell in charge of the team that ended the 2017-18 campaign as runners-up, before the club followed the lead of most others from the SJFA East Region by joining the East of Scotland League for the following season, where they were placed in the Premier Division after finishing well in Conference C of the competition.
Brown Ferguson was handed the manager's job in 2019 before he was replaced by Gordon Herd in August 2021, taking the side to third place and then the league title in 2022-23, which saw Linlithgow Rose promoted to the Lowland League, where the team quickly adapted and finished towards the top end of the table.
Linlithgow Rose FC will play in the Lowland League in the 2025-26 season.
My visit
Tuesday 29th January 2013
Ideally, I try to watch games on as many new grounds as I can, but time, distance and money mean that I would go without seeing some really excellent venues. Therefore, when I have spare time and/or I'm visiting new places, I try to get to see new towns and football clubs and broaden my knowledge.
It was on such an occasion that my Dad was held up to join me in Edinburgh, so rather than wasting an opportunity, I planned a day of groundhopping around the capital before heading out into West Lothian on the train. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best, with heavy showers coming down at regular intervals.
My visit
Tuesday 29th January 2013
Ideally, I try to watch games on as many new grounds as I can, but time, distance and money mean that I would go without seeing some really excellent venues. Therefore, when I have spare time and/or I'm visiting new places, I try to get to see new towns and football clubs and broaden my knowledge.
It was on such an occasion that my Dad was held up to join me in Edinburgh, so rather than wasting an opportunity, I planned a day of groundhopping around the capital before heading out into West Lothian on the train. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best, with heavy showers coming down at regular intervals.
This was a shame as Linlithgow High Street looked to be very nice, and the conditions didn't really do it justice. It was definitely not short of pubs, as I counted nine! I continued past Linlithgow Cross, up the hill to Preston Road, where another steep slope and bridge over the railway took me to Braehead Road, where the club was to be found.
It was just gone 1pm, so the kids from the academy just down from the ground were streaming out. The gates to Prestonfield were shut, but I still managed to see over the wall and at the far end to get some snaps of a most impressive venue.
The Clubhouse End was flat, open standing in front of the wall. The near side had terracing and a cover over the centre section. Opposite was a lovely raised seated stand with some open standing on either side, with grass banking behind the final goal, completing the scene.
On completion of my task, I headed back to West Port, which was a continuation of High Street, to check if there was an earlier bus to my final port of call for the day, the home of Bo'ness United. As none were forthcoming, I walked down into town to the Cross past Linlithgow Loch to take in a view of Linlithgow Palace.
All in all, I was impressed with the town and the football ground and was glad I'd made the effort to go for a look.
It was just gone 1pm, so the kids from the academy just down from the ground were streaming out. The gates to Prestonfield were shut, but I still managed to see over the wall and at the far end to get some snaps of a most impressive venue.
The Clubhouse End was flat, open standing in front of the wall. The near side had terracing and a cover over the centre section. Opposite was a lovely raised seated stand with some open standing on either side, with grass banking behind the final goal, completing the scene.
On completion of my task, I headed back to West Port, which was a continuation of High Street, to check if there was an earlier bus to my final port of call for the day, the home of Bo'ness United. As none were forthcoming, I walked down into town to the Cross past Linlithgow Loch to take in a view of Linlithgow Palace.
All in all, I was impressed with the town and the football ground and was glad I'd made the effort to go for a look.