East Kilbride Thistle F.C.

There was a club with the same name that existed in the 1920s. The team won the Second Division of the Scottish Junior League and the Lanarkshire Consolation Cup in 1922–23.{{cite news | title=Scottish Junior League | url=http://sfha.org.uk/scottishjuniorleague.htm | date=24 October 2020 | publisher=SFHA | access-date=14 June 2021}}{{cite news | title=Lanarkshire Junior Cup Competitions | url=http://sfha.org.uk/lanarkshirejrcups.htm | date=29 December 2020 | publisher=SFHA | access-date=14 June 2021}}

The original club disbanded so that Clyde could move to the town in to the early 1960s. After the move fell through, the junior team was reformed.{{cite web | first=Brian | last=McColl | title=Saturday 29th August 1970 | url=http://scottishleague.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2159&hilit=East+Kilbride+Thistle | publisher=SFAQs | date=2 August 2009 | access-date=16 June 2021}}

After Thistle disbanded, Strathclyde Juniors who were homeless applied to SJFA for permission to use ground for season 1965–66.{{cite web | title=Strathclyde Juniors | url=http://scottishleague.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1924&p=12929&hilit=East+Kilbride+Thistle#p12914 | publisher=SFAQs | date=1 December 2009 | access-date=16 June 2021}}

The first trophy to be won was the West of Scotland Junior Cup in 1974. Cambuslang Rangers were beaten 3–1 in the final. The team reached the final again two years later, but lost to Arthurlie in a replay.{{cite web | title=The 1970s – Thistle Come of Age And Top The Junior Ranks | url=http://www.ekthistlefc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=942&Itemid=333 | publisher=EKTFC | date=1 July 2008 | access-date=15 March 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130420022811/http://www.ekthistlefc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=942&Itemid=333 | archive-date=20 April 2013}}

The biggest success was the Scottish Junior Cup win in May 1983, with victory over Bo'ness United at Ibrox Stadium. The final result was 2–0 to Thistle, with goals from skipper Joe Reilly and Kenny Gordon.{{cite news | title=EK target pitch battle after off-field upturn |url=https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/sport/juniors/13241059.amp/ | date=17 October 2012 | work=Evening Times | access-date=14 June 2021}}{{cite news | title=East Kilbride Thistle at 50: Junior Cup hero Joe Reilly remembers day town went crazy for the Jags | url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/east-kilbride-thistle-50-junior-12310160.amp | date=6 January 2018 | work=Daily Record|location=Glasgow | access-date=14 June 2021}}

Thistle's previous manager was former St Johnstone and Hamilton Academical striker John Brogan, who took charge along with Martin Clark on a co-manager basis in November 1999. Clark left to coach Celtic's youth players in 2002, but Brogan remained in sole charge and won the Sectional League Cup at Partick Thistle's Firhill Stadium, Glasgow in 2002 with a 2–0 win over Bellshill Athletic, thanks to goals from Martin McVey and Stephen Brogan.

Brogan later returned the club to Firhill for another Sectional League Cup Final in 2005 but were unfortunate to lose to Neilston 4–3 on penalties, after a 0–0 draw. However it wasn't all bad news when the club won promotion to Super League Division One, from Central District League Division One, with a 3–0 win over Clydebank in the last game of the season on 1 May 2006.

John Brogan left the club in June 2008, and was replaced by former players Colin Mitchell and Ian Penman, as manager and assistant manager respectively. In 2008 Thistle also launched their own youth development structure, which sees coaching an teams from under 4s up to under 21s for both boys and girls.

In November 2010, Mitchell and Penman were replaced as team management by Jimmy Kerr and Tony Gallagher. In 2012 following relegation back to the Central District First Division, most of the playing staff, along with the management team left the club. After a season of turmoil on and off the pitch which resulted in relegation to the Central District Second Division, Thistle regrouped and started looking forwards to the future, the appointment of Alan Wardlaw as manager in late 2013 led to a change in fortunes for the club and they managed to win a few games, including a home league win for the first time in over 2 years. The team are managed from the end of the 2014–15 season by Billy Campbell.{{cite news|last1=Thomson|first1=Paul|title=New boss Billy Campbell targets league title next season|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/ek-thistle-new-boss-billy-5485298|access-date=12 June 2015|work=Daily Record|location=Glasgow|date=9 April 2015}}

Aaron Connolly was appointed caretaker manager following the departure of Garry O'Hanlon.{{cite news|last1=Thomson|first1=Paul|title=New boss Billy Campbell targets league title next season|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/east-kilbride-thistle-interim-boss-28104581|access-date=28 September 2022|work=Daily Record|location=Glasgow|date=28 September 2022}}

{{see also|:Category:East Kilbride Thistle F.C. players}}

On 16 April 1972, Christie and Meechan played for Scotland Juniors against England in a 2–2 draw at Saracen Park (home of Ashfield), whilst playing for East Kilbride{{cite web | title=Re: Scottish Junior Internationals 1937 and 1938 | url=http://scottishleague.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2913&hilit=East+Kilbride+Thistle#p15993 | publisher=SFAQs | date=10 November 2010 | access-date=16 June 2021}}

Willie Pettigrew was another player capped at Junior level with Scotland. He would go on to gain full international honours with Scotland later in his career.{{cite web | title=Scottish Cup football: Juniors' chance to come of age in the Cup | url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/scottish-cup-football-juniors-chance-come-age-cup-2443356%3famp | newspaper=The Scotsman | date=26 September 2009 | access-date=16 June 2021}}

Current Squad Season 2024-25

Matt Borland

Liam Comaskey

Adam Edgar

Alex McKenzie

Ryan Anderson

Matthew Mullen

Declan Morrison

Tyler Flynn

Connor Dunlop

Ally McDonald

Mark Steele

Aedan Dunnett

Ryan Menzies

Dino Molinari

Ryan Kealy

Jude Rodger

Lewis Gray

Jordan McBride

Jay Scott

Ross Duncan

Callum Jamieson

• Scottish Junior Cup
• Winners: 1982–83
• Semi-finals: 1972–73
• Quarter-finals: 1971–72, 1977–78, 1980-81

SJFA West RegionThe SJFA West Region was one of the three major reformed regional league systems after the merger of Ayrshire and Central Region Junior Leagues between 2002 and 2019.

• Central District First Division
• Runners-up: 2005–06
• Central District Second Division
• Promotion: 2016–17

SJFA Central RegionThe Central district region was one of the six major reformed regional league systems after the merger of the Central and Lanarkshire Junior Leagues between 1968 and 2002.

• Central League Division A
• Winners: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1979–80, 1981–82{{cite web | url=http://sfha.org.uk/centralregionjrs.htm | title=Central Region Junior League | publisher=SFHA | date=4 November 2020 | access-date=15 June 2021}}
• Runners-up: 1972–73, 1973–74, 1980–81
• Central League Division BLater known as Central League First Division.
• Winners: 1992–93
• Runners-up: 1977–78
• Promotion: 1971–72
• Central League Division CLater known as Central League Second Division.
• Runners-up: 1998–99, 2000–01
• Promotion: 1969–70

• West of Scotland Cup
• Winners: 1973–74{{cite web | url=http://sfha.org.uk/wosjrcup.htm | title=West of Scotland Cup | publisher=SFHA | date=22 February 2021 | access-date=15 June 2021}}
  {{cite web | url=http://sfha.org.uk/interregionaljrcups.htm | title=Inter-Regional Junior Cup Competitions | publisher=SFHA | date=24 February 2021 | access-date=15 June 2021}}
• Runners-up: 1975–76
• Evening Times Trophy (Central League):
• Winners: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1981–82
• Runners-up: 1979–80
• Evening Times Cup Winners Cup
• Winners: 1982–83
• Central Sectional League Cup
• Winners: 1974–75, 1982–83, 2002–03
• Central Drybrough Cup
• Runners-up: 1972–73
• Red Hackle Trophy
• Winners: 1974–75
• Whitebread Trophy
• Winners: 1974–75
• Erskine Hospital Cup
• Runner-ups: 1971–72
• Langs Trophy
• Runners-up: 1978–79

• Tommy McGrane Cup
• Winners: 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017

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{{West of Scotland League}}

{{SJFA West Region}}

Category:Football clubs in Scotland

Category:Scottish Junior Football Association clubs

Category:Football in South Lanarkshire

Category:Association football clubs established in 1968

Category:East Kilbride

Category:1968 establishments in Scotland

Category:West of Scotland Football League teams