Strathmore F.C. (Dundee)

File:1887–88 Forfarshire Cup Semi-final, Forfar Athletic 3–4 Strathmore (Dundee), Dundee Courier, 31 October 1887.png

The club was founded in 1876,{{cite book |last1=Fleming |first1=J. S. |title=Scottish Association Football Annual 1880–81 |date=1880 |publisher=Gillespie Brothers |page=56}} although it later claimed an earlier foundation date, and the earliest recorded match for the club is a 5–0 defeat to Dunmore on Magdalen Green in March 1877.{{cite journal |title=Dunmore v Strathmore |journal=Dundee Courier |date=12 March 1877 |page=3}} The club took its name from its patron, the Earl of Strathmore.{{cite journal |title=Football |journal=Dundee Courier |date=3 September 1879 |page=9}}

Into the early 1880s, there were few clubs in Dundee, and in 1880–81 the Strathie only played 6 matches, winning 2 and losing 4.{{cite book |last1=Livingstone |first1=Robert |title=Scottish Football Association Annual 1881–82 |date=1881 |publisher=Gillespie Brothers |page=114}} By 1883 however there had been something of an explosion, with clubs such as Balgay, East End, Perseverance, and West End having started up, and the Strathie, as one of the oldest and best established, was also one of the largest.

It was not however quite of the first tier locally. In the regionalized Scottish Cup, the club could never get past the third round, three times falling to the biggest Dundee club, Our Boys, at that stage; the closest the club came to the fourth round was in 1883–84, twice taking the lead in front of a 2,000 crowd at Rollo's Pier thanks to a Taylor screw-shot from the by-line and Petrie finishing off a cross; Our Boys made the score 2–2 thanks to a freak goal as goalkeeper Jarvis accidentally carried the ball over the goal-line.{{cite journal |title=Our Boys v Strathmore |journal=Dundee Advertiser |date=23 October 1883 |page=11}} In the replay at West Craigie, the Strathie took the lead through a Wilkie shot, before losing 5–1 - the cause not helped by an injury to full-back Christie taking him out of the game.{{cite journal |title=Our Boys v Strathmore (Dundee) |journal=Dundee Courier |date=30 October 1883 |page=6}}

It faced similar difficulties in the leading local tournament, the Forfarshire Cup, almost always coming up short against the very top local sides; in 1887–88, the club reached the final after some considerable luck with the draw, but lost 10–2 to Arbroath at East Dock Street, in front of a crowd of 10,000.{{cite journal |title=Strathmore v Arbroath |journal=Dundee Courier |date=14 November 1887 |page=3}} Its best season had come the season before, in 1886–87, when it surprised Arbroath with a 4–2 first round win,{{cite journal |title=Forfarshire Challenge Cup |journal=Dundee Advertiser |date=20 September 1886 |page=3}} and beat Arbroathian namesakes Strathmore (Arbroath) in the second - the Dundee side winning 5–4, after losing a three-goal lead, and ending the game having to shelter the referee from angry home fans.{{cite journal |title=Forfarshire Cup - second round |journal=Dundee Courier |date=18 October 1886 |page=4}} In the final the club lost 4–2 to the reigning champions Harp of Dundee.{{cite journal |title=Forfarshire Challenge Cup - Final Round |journal=Dundee Advertiser |date=22 November 1886 |page=7}}

The club was similarly ill-starred in the local charity cups. Twice it reached the final of the Dundee Burns Club Charity Cup, in 1885–86 and 1889–90, but lost heavily both times - 5–1 to Harp in the first{{cite journal |title=Dundee Burns Charity Cup - Final Tie |journal=Dundee Courier |date=12 April 1886 |page=4}} and 9–1 to East End in the second, spectators being said to have lost count in the latter final,{{cite journal |title=The Dundee charity final |journal=Scottish Referee |date=12 May 1890 |page=2}} but there was considerable mitigation for the Strathie, as it played much of the match with 10 men, inside-left Anderson retiring injured when the score was 2–0.{{cite journal |title=Burns Club Charity Cup - Final Tie |journal=Dundee Courier |date=12 May 1890 |page=4}} The one consolation to the club in the 1890–91 tournament was beating Our Boys for the only time in a competitive match in the semi-final, 3–0 at East Dock Street.{{cite journal |title=Dundee Burns Club Charity Cup |journal=Dundee Courier |date=1 May 1890 |page=4}}

The club's status was demonstrated by it not being accepted as a member of the new Northern League on its foundation in 1891–92, with only three clubs from Dundee being allowed in, and the voting being in favour of East End, Our Boys, and Harp; the Strathie was not even on the initial short-list of 12. {{cite journal |title=Northern Football League |journal=Glasgow Herald |date=16 March 1891 |page=11}}{{cite journal |title=The Northern League |journal=Aberdeen Journal |date=6 April 1891 |page=7}} The club applied to join in 1892–93, but only obtained 2 votes, five short of what was required; another Dundee also-ran club, Johnstone Wanderers, was elected.{{cite journal |title=Northern Football League |journal=Glasgow Evening Post |date=13 June 1892 |page=6}}

Strathie tried again in 1893–94, by which time Our Boys and East End had merged to play in the Scottish League as Dundee. Although the club lost in the vote to Victoria United, Aberdeen, and the re-elected St Johnstone,{{cite journal |title=Northern League |journal=Dundee Courier |date=5 June 1893 |page=4}} the club had a second chance as the cash-strapped Harp - faced with "rampant" professionalism and having to pay as much as £3 to secure players - withdrew in protest at the abandoning of minimum admission prices,4d for adults; 2d for juveniles which left a vacancy.{{cite journal |title=Northern League Committee |journal=Dundee Courier |date=31 July 1893 |page=4}}

After six matches in the 1893–94 season, both Johnstone Wanderers and Strathmore announced their resignations from the Northern League, on the basis that the gate money for matches at Montrose and Victoria United of Aberdeen was not worth the candle; the Strathie was facing eviction as the Dundee F.C. committee had bought out its ground, and had been looking to share Clepington Park{{cite book |last1=Wilkie |first1=Jim |title=Across The Great Divide |date=1984 |publisher=Mainstream |location=Edinburgh|page=24}} which led to an assumption that the Wanderers and Strathmore were effectively acting as one club.{{cite journal |title=The Northern League |journal=Dundee Courier |date=15 January 1894 |page=4}}

That suspicion was confirmed in January 1894 when a new club, Dundonians, was formed by merger between the Wanderers and Strathmore, and played its first match under that name against Hibernian that month.{{cite journal |title=Saturday's Football Association |journal=Aberdeen Journal |date=22 January 1894 |page=3}} As the media often referred to the Dundee club as "the Dundonians", Dundee made a formal objection,{{cite journal |title=The Dundonians and their title |journal=Dundee Courier |date=8 March 1894 |page=5}} and the new club instead used the Wanderers name, usually referred to as Dundee Wanderers.

The club wore the following:

• 1880–81: scarlet and blue 1" hoops{{cite book |last1=Fleming |first1=J. S. |title=Scottish Association Football Annual 1880–81 |date=1880 |publisher=Gillespie Brothers |page=56}}
• 1881–82: scarlet and navy blue 1½" hoops{{cite book |last1=Livingstone |first1=Robert |title=Scottish Football Association Annual 1881–82 |date=1881 |publisher=Gillespie Brothers |page=114}}
• 1882–84: light blue jerseys and hose, and white knickers{{cite book |last1=M'Dowall |first1=John |title=Scottish Football Association Annual 1882–83 |date=1882 |publisher=W. Weatherston |location=Glasgow |page=144}}
• 1884–92: 1" black and white hooped jerseys and hose, and navy knickers{{cite book |last1=McDowall |first1=John |title=Scottish Association Annual 1885–86 |date=1885 |publisher=H. Nisbet |location=Glasgow |page=75}}
• 1892–94: royal blue shirts, dark blue knickers{{cite book |last1=M'Dowall |first1=John |title=Scottish Football Annual 1892–93 |date=1892 |publisher=Hay Nisbet |location=Glasgow |page=95}}

In common with many other clubs from the city, Strathmore originally played on the public area at Magdalen Green.{{cite book |last1=Fleming |first1=J. S. |title=Scottish Association Football Annual 1880–81 |date=1880 |publisher=Gillespie Brothers |page=56}} In 1882 the club moved to Rollo's Pier.{{cite book |last1=M'Dowall |first1=John |title=Scottish Football Association Annual 1882–83 |date=1882 |publisher=W. Weatherston |location=Glasgow |page=144}} The club spent the 189192 and 1892–93 seasons at Logie Park,{{cite book |last1=M'Dowall |first1=John |title=Scottish Football Annual 1892–93 |date=1892 |publisher=Hay Nisbet |location=Glasgow |page=95}} only securing the ground one week before the club's 1891–92 Scottish Cup tie with Kirriemuir,{{cite journal |title=Football |journal=Dundee Courier |date=4 September 1891 |page=3}} and in 1893 beat the new Dundee F.C. to the punch by securing Carolina Port.{{cite journal |title=Northern League Committee |journal=Dundee Courier |date=31 July 1893 |page=4}}

• [https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/sc/strathmore(dundee).html Scottish Cup results]
• [http://sfha.org.uk/forfarshirecup.htm Forfarshire Cup]
• [http://sfha.org.uk/dundeecharity.htm Dundee Charity Cups]

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Category:Defunct football clubs in Scotland

Category:Association football clubs established in 1876

Category:1876 establishments in Scotland

Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 1894

Category:1894 disestablishments in Scotland

Category:Football clubs in Dundee

Category:Dundee Wanderers F.C.