Neilston F.C.
{{short description|Association football club in Scotland}}
{{For|the 19th century senior team which played a number of times in the Scottish Cup|Neilston F.C. (1883)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Neilston FC
| image = Neilston_FC_logo.png
| fullname = Neilston Football Club
| founded = 1945
| ground = Brig O' Lea Stadium, Neilston
| capacity = 2,000
| chairman = Graham Walker
| mgrtitle =
| manager = Kevin Muirhead
| league = {{Scottish football updater|Neilston}}
| season = {{Scottish football updater|Neilston2}}
| position = {{Scottish football updater|Neilston3}}
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Neilston Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Neilston, East Renfrewshire who currently play in the {{Scottish football updater|Neilston}}.
History
The club was formed on Monday 4 June 1945 when a public meeting was held in the old wooden clubhouse at Brig O’Lea. Their first league game took place on Saturday 11 August 1945. It was an away match against Riccarton Bluebell and resulted in a 4–4 draw.
Just two years after their formation, the club finished the 1946–47 season as the Western League North champions and also won the Western League Cup and the Renfrewshire Cup.
Renfrew District Council took over Brig O’Lea Stadium in the early 1960s and built a new clubhouse and installed floodlights for season 1964–65. The new look stadium was opened on Monday 21 December 1964 when Neilston played Greenock Morton under the new floodlights.
In 1967 they left the Western League to join the Central League and in their first season they finished runners-up to Petershill in the "B" Division. In season 1970–71 they were "C" Division Champions.
1995 was their 50th Anniversary year, and in all honesty the club could have folded, but due to the hard work and determined efforts of everyone at the club they came through.
On 6 October 1998 Neilston won their first major trophy in 51 years by defeating Ballieston 5–0 at Fir Park, Motherwell in the Beatons Sectional League Cup Final.
Season 2002–03 saw Neilston come close to being crowned the first ever champions of the newly created West Super League Premier Division but they missed out on goal difference to Pollok.
File:Entrance gates to Brig O'Lea Stadium - geograph.org.uk - 7415527.jpg
Season 2005–06 was their most successful for 50 years as they finished champions of the Stagecoach Super League First Division and won the Carlsberg Sectional League Cup against East Kilbride Thistle 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw at Firhill Stadium to give the club a well deserved double.
2006–07 saw the club get to the quarter finals of the Scottish Junior Cup for only the fourth time in their history and finish in fourth place in the Stagecoach Super League Premier Division.
Relegated at the end of 2008–09 from the Stagecoach Super League Premier, The Farmer's Boys then suffered back to back relegations from the Stagecoach Super First Division to the Central District First Division.
The team are managed since June 2016 by Martin Campbell and John Paul Dow.{{cite news|last1=O'Donnell|first1=Jim|title=Beith hoping for a champagne supernova when they take on Irvine Meadow in Ayrshire Cup Final|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14554939.Juniors__Beith_hoping_for_a_champagne_supernova_when_they_take_on_Irvine_Meadow_in_Ayrshire_Cup_Final/|access-date=14 June 2016|work=Evening Times|date=14 June 2016}}
On 19 November 2018 Derek Carson and Chris Cameron become the new co-manager of the club.{{cite tweet|number=1064639001460649984|user=NeilstonFC|title=The club is delighted to announce that Derek Carson and Chris Cameron have been appointed co-managers of Neilston J…|date=19 November 2018}}
Neilston moved to the newly formed West of Scotland League in 2020 with members voting to drop the "Juniors" part of the club's name.{{cite tweet|number=1268175718959263748|user=NeilstonFC|title=Register|url-access=limited|access-date=2020-06-03|language=en}}
Notable players
- {{see also|:Category:Neilston F.C. players}}
Honours
- Western League Champions 1947
- Western League North Section Winners 1947
- Western League Cup Winners 1947
- Renfrewshire Junior Cup Winners – 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1965
- Renfrewshire & Dunbartonshire Cup Winners – 1953
- Kirkwood Shield Winners – 1967, 1969
- Erskine Charity Cup Winners – 1991, 1994
- McGregor Cup Winners – 1992
- Central League 'C' Champions – 1971
- West Super League Division One winners – 2006
- West Super League Premier Runners-Up – 2003
- Sectional League Cup Winners – 1999, 2006
- Strathclyde Cup Runners-Up – 2023
Coaching staff
{{updated|4 February 2023}}
| class="wikitable" | |
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | {{flagicon|SCO}} Andy Whiteford |
| Assistant manager | {{flagicon|SCO}} Mark O’Neill |
| Coach | {{flagicon|SCO}} Craig Bingham |
| Goalkeeping coach | {{flagicon|SCO}} Scott Cochrane |
| Physiotherapist | {{flagicon|SCO}} Shelagh Armstrong |
| First Team Analyst | {{flagicon|SCO}} Ross Woods |
| Club development manager | {{flagicon|SCO}} Andy Whiteford |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://neilstonjuniors.beezer.com/ Neilston Juniors Website]
{{coord|55.78085|-4.434410|region:GB|display=title}}
{{West of Scotland League}}
{{SJFA West Region}}
Category:Football clubs in Scotland
Category:Scottish Junior Football Association clubs
Category:Football in East Renfrewshire
Category:Association football clubs established in 1945